JP4535945B2 - Method and apparatus for attaching liquid crystal panel - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for mounting a liquid crystal panel, and more particularly, in a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display device, a liquid crystal panel having a bezel-less structure that does not use a bezel is transported to the position of a front panel and attached The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for mounting a liquid crystal panel used in the method.

A liquid crystal display device that has been widely used conventionally has a bezel as a constituent element in order to protect a liquid crystal panel and increase mechanical strength, and an example thereof is disclosed in Patent Document 1.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional liquid crystal display device with a bezel.
A conventional liquid crystal display device 31 disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a liquid crystal panel 34 that displays an image and a backlight unit 32 that irradiates the liquid crystal panel 34 with a light beam. In the liquid crystal display panel 34, electrodes are respectively formed on a pair of insulating substrates such as a glass substrate, and the insulating substrate is disposed so that the electrodes face each other with a gap through a sealing material, and a liquid crystal layer is provided in the gap. This is a sandwiching structure. A polarizing plate 34a is attached to the surface of the insulating substrate.

  The backlight unit 32 includes a light source such as a cold cathode fluorescent tube (not shown), a lamp reflector, an optical sheet 33 such as a light diffusion sheet 33a or a lens sheet 33b, a light guide plate 35, a reflection plate 36, a chassis 38, and a case 39. Yes. The light beam emitted from the light source disposed on the side surface of the light guide plate 35 is incident from the side surface of the light guide plate 35, propagates in the light guide plate 35, is emitted from the light emission surface, and is applied to the liquid crystal panel 34.

  Between the liquid crystal panel 34 and the light guide plate 35, an optical sheet such as a light diffusion sheet 33a for diffusing the light beam emitted from the light guide plate 35 or a lens sheet 33b for condensing the light beam in the normal direction of the light output surface. 33 is arranged. The reflection plate 36 reflects the light emitted from the light guide plate 35 in the direction of the light emission surface, and increases the brightness of the light emitted from the light emission surface of the light guide plate 35. The chassis 38 is a housing made of a resin molded product, and the components of the backlight unit 32 such as the light guide plate 35 and the lamp cover are held by the chassis 38. The liquid crystal panel 34 is supported by the chassis 38.

  Lower portions of the chassis 38 and the light guide plate 35 are covered with a case 39. The case 39 and the chassis 38 are sandwiched between metal bezels 37 formed by press molding including drawing, bending, and extrusion. The bezel 37 has a frame-shaped outer frame portion that opens an image display portion of the liquid crystal panel 34, and the peripheral portion of the liquid crystal panel 34 is covered with the bezel 37 through a gap 31a. A mounting hole into which a screw or the like is inserted is provided around the outer frame portion, so that the liquid crystal display device 31 is mounted at a predetermined position.

  The bezel 37 is formed with a U-shaped slit or the like at the time of press molding, and is cut and raised from the outer frame portion. As a result, a pressing portion 37 a that contacts the peripheral portion of the liquid crystal panel 34 is formed. Since the bezel 37 is made of spring steel or the like having spring properties, the pressing portion 37a is elastically deformed, and the liquid crystal panel 34 is pressed by the elastic force. As a result, the outer frame liquid crystal panel 34 is pulled apart to form a gap 31 a between the liquid crystal panel 34 and the bezel 37, and the liquid crystal panel 34 and the bezel 37 come into contact with each other due to a dimensional error of the chassis 38 or the bezel 37. Even in this case, the gap 31a is formed.

  In addition, in Patent Document 2, in the assembly work of the liquid crystal module for assembling the liquid crystal panel, bezel, and backlight, the vacuum suction force is reduced in order to eliminate the impact on the liquid crystal panel, securely hold it, and transport it to a predetermined position. It is disclosed to use a vacuum suction means for applying. The liquid crystal panel can be easily transported and assembled using such a vacuum suction means, but when the liquid crystal panel becomes larger and its weight increases, the vacuum suction force of the vacuum suction means must also be increased. An adsorption mark is formed on the surface of the surface. If this adsorption mark is temporary, it often disappears over time, but if it does not disappear by the subsequent inspection process, it is difficult to determine whether the product is defective. .

In addition, in the conventional liquid crystal display device with a bezel as described above, the liquid crystal panel is surrounded and supported by the bezel to protect the liquid crystal panel and its end, thereby increasing the mechanical strength, and the liquid crystal during the manufacturing process. The panel was easily handled during transport and assembly. However, recently, developments have been made to simplify the structure of the liquid crystal display device to reduce the number of parts and the number of assembly steps, and to further reduce the cost. As for the bezel, the bezel-less structure simplifies the structure, facilitates automation, and contributes to cost reduction.
JP 2002-055629 A JP-A-11-295732

  The present invention has been made under the above circumstances, and in the process of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device using a liquid crystal panel having a bezelless structure without using a bezel generally used in a conventional liquid crystal panel, the bezelless liquid crystal When the panel is held and transported, and attached to the front panel, etc., it can be held, transported, positioned and attached by a simple device without using vacuum suction means that creates suction marks on the liquid crystal panel surface. An object of the present invention is to provide a mounting method and a mounting device for a liquid crystal panel having a bezelless structure.

  In addition, it prevents the liquid crystal panel drive IC from being electrostatically damaged when an operator touches the liquid crystal panel having a relatively low mechanical strength with the hand, and stably holds it. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal panel mounting method and a mounting device that can be easily automated and robotized by positioning and mounting on the liquid crystal panel.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and includes the following technical means.
A first technical means is a method of attaching a liquid crystal panel in which a liquid crystal panel having a bezelless structure is attached to a front panel. A magnetic metal piece is attached to a plurality of corners of the liquid crystal panel, and the magnetic metal piece is provided in a holding means. The liquid crystal panel is attracted and held by an electromagnetic magnet, and the liquid crystal panel is transported from the liquid crystal panel mounting base to the front panel by a transport means and attached.

  According to a second technical means, in the method for attaching a liquid crystal panel according to the first technical means, the magnetic metal piece is fixed by an adhesive or an adhesive tape.

A third technical means is the method of attaching the liquid crystal panel of the first technical means, wherein the magnetic metal pieces, characterized in that it is pre-embedded in the glass substrate before Symbol liquid crystal panel.

  A fourth technical means is a liquid crystal panel mounting apparatus for mounting a liquid crystal panel having a bezel-less structure to a front panel, and includes a plurality of electromagnetic magnets for attracting and holding magnetic metal pieces attached to a plurality of corners of the liquid crystal panel. It is characterized by comprising holding means and conveying means for conveying the holding means from the liquid crystal panel mounting table to the front panel mounting table.

The present invention attaches magnetic metal pieces to a plurality of corners of a liquid crystal panel having a bezelless structure in a process of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device using a bezelless liquid crystal panel that does not use a bezel generally used in conventional liquid crystal panels. Since the magnetic metal piece is attracted and held by an electromagnetic magnet provided in the holding means and is transported and attached to the front panel, there is no suction mark on the liquid crystal panel surface, which hinders the work in the subsequent inspection process. There is nothing.
In addition, an operator does not touch the bezel-less liquid crystal panel, which has a relatively low mechanical strength, and is stably held and transported for a predetermined distance, and the bezel-less liquid crystal panel is positioned on the front panel of the display device. Installation work can be easily automated and robotized.

Hereinafter, a method for assembling the liquid crystal panel of the present invention will be described based on the embodiment shown in FIGS.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a liquid crystal display device having a bezel-less structure targeted by the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, a transmissive liquid crystal display device 1 targeted by the present invention includes a backlight unit 2, a liquid crystal (LCD) opening panel 11, a front panel 18 such as a TV cabinet, and the like. The fixing holder 10 is interposed between the liquid crystal opening panel 11, and the malt 14, the shield plate 15, the spacer 16, and the malt 17 are interposed between the liquid crystal opening panel 11 and the front panel 18.

  The backlight unit 2 includes a case-like backlight shield 3 whose inner surface is highly reflectively coated, a lamp 5 such as a cold cathode fluorescent tube attached to a lamp holder 4, a diffusion plate 6, a diffusion sheet 7, and a first prism sheet 8. The second prism sheet 9 is supported by the fixed holder 10, and the light beam emitted from the lamp 5 is spread over the entire surface of the liquid crystal opening panel 11 by the diffusion plate 6, the diffusion sheet 7, the first prism sheet 8, the second prism sheet 9, and the like. The liquid crystal opening panel 11 is irradiated with a uniform light flux.

  A liquid crystal (LCD) opening panel 11 has a configuration in which a liquid crystal panel 12 and a source / gate driver substrate 13 are connected. The liquid crystal panel 12 has electrodes formed on a pair of insulating substrates such as a glass substrate, and a seal. An insulating substrate is disposed so that the electrodes face each other with a gap through the material, a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched in the gap, and a polarizing plate is attached to the surface of the insulating substrate. The source / gate driver substrate 13 is equipped with an IC for a source signal driving circuit and a gate signal driving circuit, and supplies control signals to a plurality of transistors formed on the insulating substrate. A liquid crystal (LCD) opening panel 11 is integrated with the backlight unit 2 via a fixed holder 10.

  The liquid crystal opening panel 11 integrated with the backlight unit 2 is positioned on the front panel 18 through a fine sponge-like malt 14, a shield plate 15 made of stainless steel, aluminum, etc., a spacer 16, and a malt 17. It is attached by screwing or the like. The liquid crystal panel having the above-described structure does not require the bezel provided in the conventional liquid crystal panel, and the liquid crystal opening panel 11 integrated with the backlight unit 2 is directly fixed to the front panel 18 without the bezel. ing.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a liquid crystal (LCD) opening panel.
In the liquid crystal opening panel 11 of the present invention, electrodes are respectively formed on a pair of insulating substrates such as a glass substrate, and the insulating substrate is disposed so that the electrodes face each other with a gap through a sealing material. A liquid crystal panel 12 sandwiching a liquid crystal layer and a source / gate driver substrate 13 are connected. A magnetic metal piece 12a is attached to a portion of the liquid crystal panel 12 of the liquid crystal opening panel 11 that is a corner of the liquid crystal opening panel 11 and that is out of the display area (a portion that does not appear in the opening of the front panel). The magnetic metal piece 12a is attached to at least two diagonals of the four corners, but when it is necessary to hold the liquid crystal panel more stably, it is attached to three to four places, forming a triangular shape, It can be fixed using an adhesive or an adhesive tape. Moreover, it is not limited to a triangular shape, and can be a square shape, a rectangular shape, or a linear shape. In addition, as an attachment method other than fixing using an adhesive or an adhesive tape, it is embedded in the glass substrate of the liquid crystal panel 12 in advance. It can also be left.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a production line of a liquid crystal display device.
The liquid crystal display device shown in FIG. 1 is assembled by the following series of processes inside and outside the clean room.
(1) Inserting front panel 18 into production line (2) Inserting malt 17, spacer 16, shield plate 15, and malt 14 (3) Inserting liquid crystal (LCD) panel 11 (4) Inserting fixed holder 10 5) Insertion of the first and second prism sheets 8 and 9 (6) Insertion of the diffusion sheet 7 (7) Insertion of the lamp 5 such as a cold cathode fluorescent tube attached to the lamp holder 4 (8) Insertion of the backlight shield 3 (9) Inserting the board unit (10) Screw fixing

  Through the steps (1) to (10), a semi-finished product of a liquid crystal display device in which the backlight unit 2, the liquid crystal opening panel 11, and the front panel 18 are integrated is assembled. This semi-finished product can be energized by connecting the flexible board in the subsequent process, and after functional inspection and adjustment as shown in FIG. 3 are performed, the rear cabinet and stand are installed and screws are tightened. Further, dielectric breakdown voltage inspection, panel defect inspection, etc. are performed to complete the liquid crystal display device.

  In the above processes (1), (2), (4) to (10), each component that is horizontally or vertically stacked on a dedicated tray on the side of the production line is a mechanical grip type according to its material or structure. It can be held and transported by an appropriate holding means such as a suction disk type, an electromagnetic magnet type, a vacuum suction type, etc., positioned at a predetermined position, and attached to an attached body.

  However, in the process of inserting and assembling the liquid crystal opening panel 11 in the process (3) into the front panel 18, the liquid crystal opening panel 11 (the liquid crystal panel 12 to which the source / gate driver board 13 is connected) and the backlight unit 2 are connected. Since it is integrated with a bezel-less structure, it is held by a holding means such as a vacuum suction type as before in the case of a large liquid crystal panel that is smaller in mechanical strength and heavy in weight than a conventional liquid crystal panel with a bezel. If it is transferred, the liquid crystal panel may be adversely affected due to excessive bending.

  FIG. 4 is a view showing holding means used for holding and transporting the liquid crystal opening panel. FIG. 4A shows a state in which the liquid crystal opening panel is placed on the dedicated tray, and FIG. ) Shows a state in which the holding means holds and conveys the liquid crystal opening panel, and FIG. 4C shows a state in which the liquid crystal opening panel is positioned and inserted on the front panel.

As shown in FIG. 4 (A), a bezel-less liquid crystal opening panel 11 is placed in a horizontally stacked state on a PP resin pack tray 21 installed on the side of the production line as shown in FIG. . A plurality of pack trays 21 can be stacked.
The holding means shown in FIG. 4B has a head 22 that can move in the directions of four axes (X, Y, Z, θ), and the tips of a plurality of arms 23 that are provided on the head 22 and can be adjusted relative to each other. Has an electromagnetic magnet 24. Here, each electromagnetic magnet 24 is adjusted in advance to a position corresponding to the magnetic metal piece 12a attached to the liquid crystal opening panel.

  In the conveying means for moving the head 22 in the four-axis direction, the X, Y, Z, and θ axes are controlled by rotating the ball screw with a servo motor, but a reciprocating cylinder may be used in combination to widen the operating range. it can.

  The head 22 is moved in the four-axis directions by the conveying means, lowered to the position of the liquid crystal opening panel 11 placed on the pack tray 21, and the electromagnetic magnet 24 is brought into contact with the magnetic metal piece 12a attached to the liquid crystal opening panel 11. After energizing the electromagnetic magnet 24 and holding it by suction, the head 22 is raised by the conveying means, positioned on the front panel 18 fixed to the conveyor on the production line, and then the energization to the electromagnetic magnet 24 is cut off. Then, as shown in FIG. 4C, the liquid crystal opening panel 11 is inserted into a predetermined position of the front panel 18 and fixed by screwing or the like.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the example of the liquid crystal display device of the bezelless structure which this invention makes object. It is a figure which shows a liquid crystal (LCD) opening panel. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the manufacturing line of a liquid crystal display device. It is a figure which shows the holding means used when hold | maintaining and conveying a liquid crystal opening panel. It is sectional drawing which shows the example of the conventional liquid crystal display device with a bezel.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Liquid crystal display device, 2 ... Backlight unit, 3 ... Backlight shield, 4 ... Lamp holder, 5 ... Lamp, 6 ... Diffusing plate, 7 ... Diffusion sheet, 8 ... 1st prism sheet, 9 ... 2nd prism sheet DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Fixed holder, 11 ... Liquid crystal (LCD) opening panel, 12 ... Liquid crystal panel, 12a ... Magnetic metal piece, 13 ... Source gate driver board, 14 ... Malt, 15 ... Shield plate, 16 ... Spacer, 17 ... Malt , 18 ... front panel, 21 ... pack tray, 22 ... head, 23 ... arm, 24 ... electromagnetic magnet.

Claims (4)

  In a liquid crystal panel mounting method for mounting a liquid crystal panel having a bezel-less structure on a front panel, magnetic metal pieces are attached to a plurality of corners of the liquid crystal panel, and the magnetic metal pieces are attracted and held by an electromagnetic magnet provided in a holding means. A liquid crystal panel mounting method, wherein the liquid crystal panel is transported from a liquid crystal panel mount to the front panel by transport means and attached.   The liquid crystal panel mounting method according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic metal piece is fixed by an adhesive or an adhesive tape. The magnetic metal piece, the mounting method of the liquid crystal panel according to claim 1, characterized in that it is pre-embedded in the glass substrate before Symbol liquid crystal panel.   In a liquid crystal panel mounting apparatus for mounting a liquid crystal panel having a bezel-less structure on a front panel, a holding means including a plurality of electromagnetic magnets for attracting and holding magnetic metal pieces attached to a plurality of corners of the liquid crystal panel, and the holding means An apparatus for mounting a liquid crystal panel, comprising transport means for transporting the liquid crystal from the liquid crystal panel mount to the front panel mount.

Images