JP6575292B2 - Light irradiation device - Google Patents

Description

  The invention of the present application relates to a light irradiation apparatus having a structure for replacing a light source.

  The use of light energy for the treatment of objects is often done in the manufacturing process of various products. Among these, processing using light of high energy in the ultraviolet region is actively performed such as photoprocessing of a photosensitive material, and various light irradiation devices equipped with a light source according to the purpose are used. In many cases, the light source is a consumable item and needs to be replaced depending on the lifetime. For this reason, the light irradiation apparatus employs a structure that takes into account the replacement of the light source.

Among such light irradiation devices, in applications where the object is large or a large number of objects are irradiated at once, it is necessary to irradiate a large area at once. Along with this, it has a structure in which a large light source is mounted or a plurality of light sources are mounted, and the apparatus is becoming larger.
In many cases, a mirror is disposed behind the light source in order to irradiate light uniformly to the set irradiation region, and an optical element such as a filter for controlling the wavelength of light to be irradiated is provided between the light source and the irradiation region. In many cases, it is placed between them. Even in this respect, the structure of the device tends to be complicated.

  For example, in recent years, a technique called photo-alignment has been adopted in the manufacturing process of liquid crystal displays. This technique is a technique for obtaining an alignment film necessary for a liquid crystal display by light irradiation. When a film made of resin such as polyimide is irradiated with polarized light in the ultraviolet region, molecules in the film are aligned in the direction of the polarized light, and an alignment film is obtained. Compared to a mechanical alignment process called rubbing, a high-performance alignment film can be obtained, so that it has been widely adopted as a manufacturing process for high-quality liquid crystal displays.

  In photo-alignment, a liquid crystal substrate with a film material (film that serves as a base for the alignment film) is an object (work) to be irradiated with light. Workpieces are increasing in size from the viewpoint of increasing the size of products and producing more products from a single workpiece. As a structure for irradiating a large workpiece, light is irradiated to a long region in a certain direction (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as a length direction), and the workpiece is placed in a direction perpendicular to the length direction in the irradiation region. A structure that transports and passes the irradiation region may be employed (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as a transport direction). Patent document 1 is disclosing the light irradiation apparatus which employ | adopted this kind of structure. The length of the irradiation area in the transport direction is related to the amount of light irradiated to the workpiece. From the viewpoint of increasing the size of the workpiece and increasing the productivity, the irradiation area tends to be large in the transport direction. In order to irradiate light to a wider area in this way, a structure in which a plurality of lamp houses each incorporating a light source are installed may be employed. An example of a light irradiation apparatus that employs this type of structure is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

JP 2014-191939 A JP 2014-197189 A

  In the light irradiation apparatus which has been increased in size and complexity as described above, a structure for exchanging the light source is a problem. In Patent Document 1, it is proposed to replace the light source by separating the upper unit of the light source unit from the light source unit and forming a space above the light source unit. This structure is also a practical structure, but a problem may arise when a plurality of lamp houses are arranged in parallel in the transport direction. In Patent Document 1, when replacing the light source, it is assumed that an operator stands and works on the front side or the other side in the transport direction with respect to the lamp house, but there are three or more lamp houses in the transport direction. When arranged side by side, it is difficult to replace the light source in the inner lamp house. Even if there is only one lamp house, there may be a case where a space for lamp replacement cannot be secured on the front side or the other side in the transport direction for some reason, and in this case, a problem may occur.

Patent Document 2 discloses a structure in which a plurality of lamp houses are integrally moved in a circular arc in a structure in which a plurality of lamp houses are arranged on the same plane. The direction of arc movement is in the transport direction in plan view. Since the opening surface of the mirror faces sideways due to the arc movement, the light source can be exchanged.
However, in the structure of Patent Document 2, the structure of the moving mechanism is complicated because a large number of lamp houses are integrally moved in an arc. This problem becomes more prominent when the number of lamp houses is further increased in order to enlarge the irradiation area. Moreover, in the structure of patent document 2, the arrangement position (exchange position) of the lamp house at the time of exchanging a light source cannot be selected arbitrarily, and it is difficult to improve workability.
The invention of the present application has been made in order to solve such a problem, and employs a long light source or a plurality of lamp houses to irradiate light to a large area irradiation region. An object of the present invention is to provide a light irradiation device having a structure in which a light source can be easily replaced.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application includes a light source unit that houses a light source, and an upper unit that is disposed on the upper side of the light source unit. A light irradiation device for irradiating light,
A vertical movement mechanism that moves the light source unit up and down, a frame on which the light source unit is placed when the light source unit is moved downward by the vertical movement mechanism, and a horizontal frame with the light source unit mounted on the frame A retraction mechanism that retreats the light source unit from the lower position of the upper unit by moving it,
The light source unit is a unit that houses the light source in a replaceable state,
The retraction mechanism has a configuration in which the gantry can be moved to an exchange position where the light source can be exchanged.
In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 2 is the configuration of claim 1, wherein the light source unit is connected to the upper unit in a releasable state,
The vertical movement mechanism has a configuration in which the light source unit can be moved downward and placed on the gantry in a state where the connection to the upper unit is released.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 3 is the configuration according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a mirror unit that houses a mirror that covers the light source from above is provided above the light source unit. And
The mirror unit is connected to the light source unit in a releasable state,
The vertical movement mechanism has a configuration in which the light source unit can be moved up and down in a state where the connection between the mirror unit and the light source unit is released.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 4 is the configuration according to claim 3, wherein the up-and-down moving mechanism moves the light source unit in a state where the connection between the mirror unit and the light source unit is released. It has a configuration in which a positioning member is provided to bring the position of the light source with respect to the mirror to a predetermined position when moved up and down.
In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 5 is the configuration according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the vertical movement mechanism is configured such that the mirror unit is connected to the light source unit. And a mechanism capable of moving the light source unit up and down integrally.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 6 is provided with an element unit containing an optical element located between the light source and the irradiation region in the configuration according to any one of claims 1 to 5. And
The element unit is a unit connected to the light source unit,
The vertical movement mechanism has a configuration in which the light source unit and the element unit can be moved up and down integrally and placed on a gantry.
In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 7 is the unit according to claim 6, wherein the element unit is releasably connected to the light source unit .
The vertical movement mechanism is configured to move the light source unit and the element unit connected to the light source unit up and down integrally and place the light source unit on a pedestal, and then the connection of the element unit to the light source unit is released. The light source unit is raised, and the element unit is configured to remain mounted on the gantry.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, according to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to any of the first to seventh aspects, the retracting mechanism includes a guide member that guides the movement of the gantry, and the guide member It has the structure that it is a mechanism capable of stopping the gantry at an arbitrary position in the extending direction.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 9 is the configuration according to claim 8 , further comprising a transport mechanism for transporting the object to be irradiated with light to the irradiation region. It is a mechanism that conveys the object by moving the stage on which the object is placed along the guide member,
The guide member of the retraction mechanism has a configuration that also serves as the guide member of the transport mechanism.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 10 is the structure of claim 8 , wherein a transport mechanism for transporting the object to be irradiated with light to the irradiation region is provided. It is a mechanism that conveys the object by moving the stage on which the object is placed along the guide member,
The guide member of the retraction mechanism is provided separately from the guide member of the transport mechanism.
In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 11 is the structure according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a plurality of lamp houses including the light source unit and the upper unit are provided,
In each lamp house, the vertical movement mechanism is a mechanism that can be driven independently from the vertical movement mechanism of another lamp house, and the vertical movement mechanism without moving the light source unit of the other lamp house. Is a mechanism that can move and place the light source unit of the lamp house on the gantry.
In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 12 is the configuration according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a plurality of lamp houses each including the light source unit and the upper unit are provided.
The vertical movement mechanism has a configuration in which the light source units of at least two lamp houses can be moved together and placed on the gantry.

As described below, according to the invention described in claim 1 of the present application, the light source unit is placed and retracted on the gantry, so that the light source can be replaced at a position different from the position directly below the lamp house. it can. For this reason, replacement of the light source becomes easy.
According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the above effect, the light source unit is lowered and placed on the gantry in a state where the connection to the upper unit is released. The degree of freedom of selection is also increased.
According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the above effect, the light source unit can be lowered and placed on the gantry in a state where the connection of the mirror unit to the light source unit is released. Can be exchanged. For this reason, it is easier to replace the light source.
According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to the above effect, the positioning of the light source with respect to the mirror is performed with high accuracy. For this reason, the operation | work which makes an optimal light irradiation state becomes easy.
According to the invention of claim 5, in addition to the above effect, it becomes easy to secure an optimum irradiation distance for the workpiece.
According to the invention of claim 6, in addition to the above effect, when the light source unit is placed on the gantry, the element unit is also lowered and placed on the gantry, so that the structure is simplified.
According to the invention of claim 7, in addition to the above effect, when the element unit is placed on the gantry, the connection with the light source unit can be disconnected and the light source unit can be raised. Easy.
According to the eighth aspect of the invention, in addition to the above effect, the gantry can be stopped at an arbitrary position, so that maintenance work such as replacement of a light source can be performed at an arbitrary position, and workability is improved.
According to the ninth aspect of the invention, in addition to the above effect, the retracting mechanism also serves as the guide member of the transport mechanism, so that the structure is simplified.
According to the invention of claim 10, in addition to the above effects, the retracting mechanism includes the dedicated guide member, so that the degree of freedom in selecting the retracted position of the gantry is increased.
According to the eleventh aspect of the invention, in addition to the above effects, the individual lamp houses can be independently mounted on the gantry of the light source unit, so that only the lamp house requiring replacement of the light source can be mounted. This can be done, and the structure and work are simplified.
According to the invention of claim 12, in addition to the above-described effect, since a plurality of lamp houses can be placed together on a gantry, maintenance work such as light source replacement is performed collectively for a plurality of lamp houses. , Work is simplified.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a light irradiation apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic side sectional view showing one lamp house 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a main part of a selection mechanism 7. FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a selection slider 72 in the selection mechanism 7 shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing an operation state of the selection mechanism 7. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing an operation state of the selection mechanism 7. It is the side surface sectional schematic shown about the movement state of each unit. It is the side surface sectional schematic shown about the movement state of each unit. It is the side surface sectional schematic shown about the movement state of each unit. It is the front sectional schematic diagram shown about the retraction | saving operation | movement of the light source unit 10 for replacement | exchange of the light source 11. FIG. It is the front sectional schematic diagram shown about the retraction | saving operation | movement of the light source unit 10 for replacement | exchange of the light source 11. FIG. It is the front sectional schematic diagram shown about the retraction | saving operation | movement of the light source unit 10 for replacement | exchange of the light source 11. FIG. It is the front sectional schematic diagram shown about the retraction | saving operation | movement of the light source unit 10 for replacement | exchange of the light source 11. FIG. It is the front sectional schematic diagram shown about the retraction | saving operation | movement of the light source unit 10 for replacement | exchange of the light source 11. FIG. It is a perspective schematic diagram of the light irradiation apparatus concerning a second embodiment.

Next, modes (embodiments) for carrying out the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a light irradiation apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The light irradiation apparatus shown in FIG. 1 passes through the irradiation area in a state where the light from the light source 11 is irradiated to the lamp area 1 including the light source unit 10 that houses the light source 11 and the set irradiation area. And a transport mechanism 2 that transports the workpiece W.

  In the apparatus of this embodiment, the workpiece W is a rectangular substrate such as a liquid crystal substrate, and a stage 21 on which the workpiece W is placed is provided. The transport mechanism 2 is a mechanism that linearly moves the stage 21 on which the workpiece W is placed in the horizontal direction. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the direction of linear movement (conveyance direction) is defined as the X direction, and the horizontal direction perpendicular to the X direction is defined as the Y direction. The stage 21 is appropriately provided with a mechanism for sucking the workpiece W by vacuum suction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transport mechanism 2 includes a pair of left and right linear guides (hereinafter referred to as a transport linear guide) 22 provided along the X direction, and a linear drive source provided between the pair of linear guides 22. (Hereinafter referred to as a linear driving source for conveyance) 23 and the like.
As the conveyance linear drive source 23, for example, a linear motor is employed. The linear motor is provided with electromagnets having different magnetic poles alternately along the X direction. A permanent magnet (not shown) that is magnetically coupled to the linear motor is provided on the lower surface of the stage 21, and the stage 21 is moved in the X direction by switching each magnetic pole of the linear motor.

A robot (not shown) is disposed in the vicinity of the load position set on one side (for example, the left side in FIG. 1) on the conveyance path by the conveyance mechanism 2. In this embodiment, the stage 21 reciprocates on the conveyance path and returns to the load position, and the robot places the workpiece W on the stage 21 at the load position and returns to the load position. Teaching is performed so as to remove the workpiece W from 21.
The stage 21 includes an alignment mechanism (not shown). The alignment mechanism is a mechanism that finely adjusts the position and posture of the workpiece W by reading a mark (not shown) provided on the workpiece W.

As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus of this embodiment is a multi-lamp type, that is, an apparatus including a plurality of lamp houses 1, and specifically, three lamp houses 1 are juxtaposed in the X direction. . Each lamp house 1 has a similar structure. FIG. 2 is a schematic side sectional view showing one lamp house 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the X direction.
As shown in FIG. 1, the light source 11 accommodated in the lamp house 1 is a rod-shaped light source. More specifically, the apparatus of this embodiment is an apparatus that irradiates the work W with ultraviolet rays, and the light source 11 is an ultraviolet lamp such as a high-pressure mercury lamp. As shown in FIG. 1, the light sources 11 each having a rod shape are arranged so that the length direction thereof faces in the Y direction, and thus are in a posture parallel to each other.

The lamp house 1 includes a plurality of units including a light source unit 10. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the lamp house 1 includes a light source unit 10, a mirror unit 30 that houses a mirror 3 that covers the light source 11 from above, and an upper unit 40 that is disposed above the mirror unit 30. And an element unit 50 disposed below the light source unit 10.
The light source unit 10 includes a light source 11 and a light source holding frame 12 that holds the light source 11. The light source holding frame 12 is provided with a receiving tool 13 and a pressing tool 14. Although the detailed illustration is omitted in FIG. 2, the light source 11 is held by the light source holding frame 12 by the portions of the caps at both ends being placed on the receiver 13 and being pressed by the presser 14 from above.

  Note that the light source 11 is very long, for example, about 3000 mm. For this reason, at the time of lighting, there is a possibility that it will bend by temperature rise. In consideration of this, in this embodiment, the support 15 that supports the light source 11 is provided at several locations in the length direction. The support 15 is made of quartz from the viewpoint of reducing thermal shock resistance against the envelope of the light source 11 and reducing light shielding. About the detail of a support tool, since it is disclosed by Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2011-222347, this can be referred.

The mirror unit 30 includes a mirror 3, a mirror holding frame 31, and the like. In this embodiment, the mirror 3 is composed of a pair that is long in the length direction of the light source 11. The pair of mirrors 3 are arranged in a state where a slit is formed immediately above the light source 11, and a pair of substantially mirror-like mirrors 3 is formed. Each mirror 3 is curved so as to have a sectional shape shown in FIG. This curved shape is assumed to form a part of an ellipse or a parabola.
Each mirror 3 is formed by depositing a reflective film on a base material or a metal such as aluminum. In the case of a structure that reflects with a vapor deposition film, a plurality of mirrors may be arranged in a segment to form one long mirror for convenience of vapor deposition film formation. Moreover, in order to suppress the temperature rise of a target object, the thing of the characteristic which permeate | transmits a heat ray and was not reflected may be employ | adopted as a vapor deposition film.

  The mirror holding frame 31 holds each mirror 3 from the back, and holds each mirror 3 via a buffer 32 at the upper end and the lower end. When the mirror 3 is of a type that allows heat rays to pass therethrough, the mirror holding frame 31 is heated to receive heat rays, so that the mirror holding frame 31 has a large heat capacity and is provided with a radiation fin 33 behind it. The mirror holding frame 31 is fixed to a mirror unit 34 frame that is an outer frame of the mirror unit 30.

  The element unit 50 includes optical elements (hereinafter referred to as irradiation side optical elements) 51 and 52 disposed between the light source 11 and the irradiation region, an element holding frame 53 that holds the irradiation side optical elements 51 and 52, and the like. Has been. The irradiation side optical elements 51 and 52 can be selected as appropriate. However, since the light irradiation apparatus of this embodiment irradiates the work W with polarized light, one irradiation side optical element 51 is polarized. It is an element. More specifically, in this embodiment, a grid polarizing element is used as the irradiation side optical element 51. The grid polarization element is formed by forming a fine striped grid (grid) on a transparent substrate, and blocks linearly polarized light whose electric field component is oriented in the length direction of each linear part constituting the striped grid, An optical element that polarizes light by transmitting linearly polarized light having an electric field component oriented in a direction perpendicular to the length direction of each linear portion.

  The irradiation pattern by the light source 11 and the rear mirror 3 is a square, and the irradiation area is also set as a rectangular area. The irradiation side optical elements 51 and 52 cover the irradiation area. Since it is difficult to manufacture a grid polarizing element 51 having a large area, a plurality of grid polarizing elements 51 are arranged side by side to cover the irradiation area. The grid polarization element 51 is fitted in an element frame (not shown) and attached on the element base 54. The element base 54 is provided on the element holding frame 53, and the irradiation side optical element 3 is held by the element holding frame 53.

  In this embodiment, a filter is incorporated as the irradiation side optical element 52 different from the grid polarizing element 51. The filter 52 is provided so as to cover the irradiation side optical element 3 from above. The filter 52 is detachably attached to the element holding frame 53 via the filter frame 55. As the filter 52, for example, a wavelength selection filter that selects a wavelength of light to be irradiated is used.

  On the other hand, the upper unit 40 is a unit provided for the purpose of ensuring a space for cooling the entire lamp house 1. The upper unit 40 has a box shape having the same length and width as the mirror unit 30 and the light source unit 10 as a whole. The upper unit 40 has an inlet 41 through which cooling air from the mirror unit 30 flows on the lower surface, and a cooling cylinder 42 on the upper surface. The cooling cylinder 42 is fitted into a cooling exhaust cylinder 400 provided in the production line. However, both are not fixed and there is a gap, and the entire upper unit 40 can move up and down with respect to the stationary exhaust pipe 400.

  The inflow port 41 is provided with a structure (size, number, etc.) sufficient for the length of the light source 11. When the exhaust tube 400 is exhausted, cooling air flows through the entire lamp house 1. The cooling air is discharged through the space in the upper unit 40. By this cooling, the temperature rise of the light source 11, the mirror 3, the irradiation side optical elements 51 and 52, etc. is suppressed. In addition, the upper unit 40 can accommodate facilities such as a lighting circuit of the light source 11.

The light irradiation apparatus of the embodiment employs a structure that facilitates replacement of the light source 11 in order to solve the above-described problems. Hereinafter, this point will be described.
First, the light irradiation apparatus of the embodiment includes a vertical movement mechanism 6 that moves the light source unit 10 up and down. In this embodiment, in order to facilitate maintenance including replacement of the light source 11, the upper unit 40, the mirror unit 30, the light source unit 10, and the element unit 50 are all moved up and down together, or an arbitrary boundary portion. Thus, only the upper unit or unit group (hereinafter collectively referred to as the upper unit group) can be moved up and down.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the uppermost unit 40 is positioned on the uppermost side, and the vertical movement mechanism 6 directly moves the upper unit 40 up and down. As shown in FIG. 1, the vertical movement mechanism 6 includes a vertical linear drive source 61 connected to the upper unit 40 and a vertical linear guide 62 that guides the vertical movement of the upper unit 40 by the vertical linear drive source 61. It is mainly composed.
As the vertical linear drive source 61, a combination of a ball screw and a servo motor is used in this embodiment. The upper unit 40 has a rectangular shape that is long in the Y direction in plan view, but the vertical drive source 61 for vertical movement is provided on both sides of the upper unit 40 in the longitudinal direction. The output shaft of each vertical drive source 61 for each vertical is connected to the upper unit 40 via a selection slider 72 described later. The vertical drive sources 61 for vertical movement are driven synchronously (that is, with the same stroke at the same timing), and the upper unit 40 moves up and down by this drive. As the vertical drive source 61 for vertical movement, a drive source using fluid pressure such as an air cylinder may be employed.

  The upper and lower linear guides 62 are provided on both sides of the upper unit 40 in the longitudinal direction, and as shown in FIG. 1, two upper and lower linear guides 62 are provided on one side. At both ends in the longitudinal direction of the upper unit 40, vertical sliders are fixed at positions corresponding to the vertical linear guides 62, and the vertical linear guides 62 are inserted through the vertical sliders. The lamp house 1 is supported on the whole by a support base (not shown). Each vertical linear guide 62 and each vertical linear drive source 61 are fixed on a base 63 provided on a support base. Further, the upper unit 40 is held by a skeletal member (not shown) so that distortion and the like do not occur when driven by the vertical linear drive source 61.

On the other hand, the light irradiation apparatus of the embodiment includes the selection mechanism 7 for selecting a unit that moves together with the upper unit 40 when the vertical movement mechanism 6 moves the upper unit 40 up and down as described above. The selection mechanism 7 is demonstrated using FIG.2, FIG3 and FIG.4. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a main part of the selection mechanism 7, and FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a selection slider 72 in the selection mechanism 7 shown in FIG.
The selection mechanism 7 includes a pin block 71, a selection slider 72 for sliding the pin block 71, and the like. The selection slider 72 is a rectangular frame-like member that is slightly longer than the upper unit 40. The direction of the long side is the Y direction shown in FIG. 1, and the direction of the short side is the X direction. One of the short sides of the selection slider 72 is a part that is gripped and operated during the selection operation. Hereinafter, the short side is referred to as the operation side, and the opposite side to the operation side is referred to as the back side.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper unit 40 has an outer cover 43. The outer cover 43 has a frame shape having a rectangular horizontal cross section that is slightly longer than the light source 11. As shown in FIG. 2, a sleeve plate 44 is fixed to the outer cover 43. The sleeve plate 44 is provided so as to protrude inward from the inner surface of the outer cover 43. Similarly, the outer cover 43 has a rectangular shape that is long in the Y direction in plan view, but the sleeve plate 44 is provided on a side plate portion in the long side direction of the outer cover 43 and is provided in at least two places in the long side direction. Yes. An opening for the selection slider 72 is formed in the sleeve plate 44, and the selection slider 72 is inserted through this opening.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the pin block 71 is fixed to the selection slider 72. A plurality of pin blocks 71 are provided, and about two to three are provided on each long side portion of the selection slider 72. Each pin block 71 has first to third three pins 73, 74, 75. The first pin 73 is located slightly above each pin block 71 and protrudes horizontally from the end face on the back side toward the back side. The second pin 74 is positioned below the first pin 73 in each pin block 71 and protrudes horizontally from the end surface on the operation side to the operation side. The third pin 75 protrudes downward from the lower surface of the pin block 71.

The first to third pins 73, 74, and 75 in the pin block 71 are selectively engaged with each other. The mirror unit 30 includes a first pin hole block 35, and the light source unit 10 includes the second pin hole block 16. It has. The element unit 50 includes a pair of engagement hooks 56.
As shown in FIG. 3, the mirror holding frame 31 has a flange portion (hereinafter, mirror holding flange portion) 311, and the first pin hole block 35 is fixed to the mirror holding flange portion 311. Similarly, the light source holding frame 12 has a flange portion (hereinafter, light source holding flange portion) 121, and the second pin hole block 16 is fixed to the light source holding flange portion 121.

A pair of engagement hooks 56 are fixed to the element holding frame 53. As shown in FIG. 3, a bracket 57 is fixed to the element holding frame 53 so as to protrude outward, and a pair of engagement hooks 56 are fixed on the bracket 57. The pair of engaging hooks 56 are provided side by side in the short side direction of the selection slider 72 and are in a state of facing each other. The upper ends of the pair of engagement hooks 56 are bent toward each other, and the tips are slightly separated to form slits.
The third pin 75 has an inverted T shape and includes a vertical portion and a horizontal portion. The thickness of the vertical portion (X-direction width) is slightly smaller than the slit formed by the pair of engagement hooks 56. The horizontal portion is long in the X direction and its length is smaller than the spacing between the vertical portions of the pair of engaging hooks 56. For this reason, when the selection slider 72 moves in the direction of the long side, the third pin 75 passes between the pair of engagement hooks 56 or is in a state of being accommodated between the pair of engagement hooks 56. It is supposed to be.

  In the normal state, the light source unit 10 is placed on the element unit 50, the mirror unit 30 is placed on the light source unit 10, and the upper unit 40 is placed on the mirror unit 30. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the light source holding flange 121 is placed on the element holding frame 53 of the element unit 50, and the mirror holding flange 311 is placed on the light source holding flange 121. A frame that supports the outer cover 43 of the upper unit 40 is placed on the mirror holding flange portion 311. The outer cover 43 of the upper unit 40 is also a blindfold for the mirror unit 30 and the light source unit 10, and the inner mirror unit 30 and the light source unit 10 cannot be seen by the outer cover 43 in a normal state. Yes.

In order to prevent the pin block 71 and the first pin hole block 35 from interfering with the light source holding flange 121, the light source holding flange 121 is provided with a notch (not shown) as shown in FIG. In a normal state, the pin block 71 and the first pin hole block 35 are located in this notch.
The first pin hole block 35 is formed with a pin hole (hereinafter referred to as a first pin hole) 351 penetrating in the long side direction (Y direction) of the selection slider 72. Also, a pin hole (hereinafter referred to as a second pin hole) 161 penetrating in the long side direction is formed.

  The short side 721 on the operation side of the selection slider 72 having a rectangular frame shape has a handle shape as shown in FIG. 4 (hereinafter referred to as a handle portion). When switching the unit to be moved up and down, the operator grasps the handle portion 721 and pulls the selection slider 72 toward the front side or pushes it toward the rear side to adjust the position of the selection slider 72. This point will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 are schematic perspective views showing the operating state of the selection mechanism 7, and Figs. 7 to 9 are schematic side sectional views showing the moving state of each unit.

  The selection mechanism 7 includes a first mode (normal mode) in which the four units 10, 20, 30, and 40 are moved up and down as a whole, a second mode in which only the upper unit 40 is moved up and down, and the upper unit 40 and the mirror unit 30. A mechanism for operating the up-and-down moving mechanism 6 by selecting an arbitrary mode from the third mode for moving up and down integrally and the fourth mode for moving the upper unit 40, mirror unit 30 and light source unit 10 up and down together. ing.

  When operating the vertical movement mechanism 6 in the first mode, the selection slider 71 moves horizontally from the state shown in FIG. 3 and the position where the third pin 75 is located between the pair of engagement hooks 56 (hereinafter this position). Is called the first mode position). In this position, the vertical linear driving source 61 operates. As shown in FIG. 2, since the selection slider 72 penetrates the sleeve plate 44 of the upper unit 40, when the vertical movement mechanism 6 operates to move the upper unit 40 up and down, the selection slider 72 is moved together with the upper unit 40. 72 moves up and down. At this time, since the third pin 75 is accommodated in the pair of engagement hooks 56, the selection slider 71 holds the element holding frame 53 via the pin block 71. For this reason, the element unit 50 moves up and down, and accordingly, the light source unit 10, the mirror unit 30, and the upper unit 40 mounted on the element unit 40 move up and down together.

The second, third, and fourth modes are modes in which the four units 10, 20, 30, and 40 are vertically separated at any boundary and only the upper unit group is moved up and down. The lower unit or unit group (hereinafter collectively referred to as the lower unit group) is placed on a gantry 81 to be described later.
First, when operating the up-and-down moving mechanism 6 in the second mode, as shown in FIG. 3, the pin block 71 is selected so that it is located at the center between the first pin hole block 35 and the second pin hole block 16. The position of the slider 72 is adjusted. At this position (hereinafter referred to as the second mode position), the first pin 73 is in a state of being separated from the first pin hole block 35 and not being inserted into the first pin hole 351. Further, the second pin 74 is also in a state of being separated from the second pin hole block 16 and not being inserted into the second pin hole 161. Furthermore, the third pin 75 is in a state that does not fit between the pair of engagement hooks 56.

  Further, when operating the vertical movement mechanism 6 in the third mode, as shown in FIG. 5, the selection slider 72 is pushed out to the back side and the first pin 73 is inserted into the first pin hole 351 ( This position is called the third mode position). When operating the up-and-down moving mechanism 6 in the fourth mode, on the contrary, as shown in FIG. 6, the selection slider 72 is pulled toward the front side, and the second pin 74 is inserted into the second pin hole 161. (This position is referred to as a fourth mode position).

  In the second mode, none of the first and second pins 73 and 94 of the pin block 71 are inserted into the pin holes 351 and 161, and the third pin 75 is also interposed between the pair of engaging hooks 56. The pin block 71 is separated from any of the first and second pin hole blocks 35, 16 and the pair of engagement hooks 56 and moves up and down together with the selection slider 72. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7, the mirror unit 30, the light source unit 10, and the element unit 50 are in a state of being placed on the gantry 81, and only the upper unit 40 moves up and down.

  Further, when the vertical movement mechanism 6 operates in the state of the third mode, as shown in FIG. 5, the selection slider 72 rises with the first pin 73 inserted into the first pin hole 351, so that the first The selection slider 72 holds the mirror unit 30 via the pin hole block 35. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 8, the upper unit 40 and the mirror unit 30 move up and down integrally.

  Further, when the vertical movement mechanism 6 operates in the state of the fourth mode, as shown in FIG. 6, the selection slider 72 rises with the second pin 74 inserted into the second pin hole 161. The selection slider 72 holds the light source unit 10 through the pin hole block 16. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 9, the upper unit 40, the mirror unit 30, and the light source unit 10 move up and down integrally.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the selection mechanism 7 includes sensors 751 to 754 that monitor the position of the pin block 71 so that the vertical movement mechanism 6 can be reliably operated in each mode. The sensors 751 to 754 indirectly monitor the position of the pin block 71 by detecting the position of the slider 72. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, a detection plate 76 is fixed at a position close to the handle portion 721 on one long side of the slider 72.

  And as shown in FIG. 4, the four sensors 751-754 which detect the position of the detection board 76 are provided. The four sensors 751 to 754 are all photosensors and detect positions by being shielded from light by the detection plate 76. Of the four sensors, the first sensor 751 is provided at a position where the detection plate 76 shields light when the pin block 71 is positioned at the first mode position. The second sensor 752 is provided at a position where the detection plate 76 shields light when the pin block 71 is positioned at the second mode position. The third sensor 753 is provided at a position where the detection plate 76 shields light when the pin block 71 is positioned at the third mode position. The fourth sensor 754 is provided at a position where the detection plate 76 shields light when the pin block 71 is positioned at the fourth mode position.

In addition, a positioning member is provided at an appropriate position for horizontal alignment. As the positioning member, for example, a combination of a positioning pin having a conical tip portion and a concave portion having a conical inner surface into which selection of the positioning pin fits can be adopted.
Specifically, taking the positioning of the mirror unit 30 and the light source unit 10 as an example, a positioning pin 101 is fixed to the upper surface of the light source holding frame 12 as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. A recess 301 is formed on the lower surface of the part. The positioning pins 101 are provided at two positions near the diagonal of the rectangular frame of the light source holding frame 12, and the mirror unit frame 34 is also provided with two recesses 301 correspondingly.

  The upper unit 40 is regulated by the upper and lower linear guides 62 so as not to move in the horizontal direction, and the position thereof is accurately held by the upper and lower linear guides 62. The mirror unit 30 is also positioned with respect to the upper unit 40 by a structure of positioning pins and recesses (not shown). Therefore, when the light source unit 10 is positioned with respect to the mirror unit 30, the light source unit 10 is similarly positioned. Similarly, the element unit 50 is positioned with respect to the light source unit 10 by the structure of positioning pins and recesses.

  On the other hand, apart from the vertical movement mechanism 6 having such a structure and operation, the light irradiation apparatus of the embodiment includes a gantry 81 and a retraction mechanism 82. The gantry 81 is a pedestal on which the lower unit group is placed when the lamp house 1 is separated at an arbitrary boundary. The retraction mechanism 82 is a mechanism for retreating the base 81 on which the lower unit group is placed from the lower side of the lamp house 1 for maintenance such as replacement of the light source 11.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the gantry 81 is a horizontal pedestal, and its horizontal size is slightly larger than that of the lamp house 1. The retraction mechanism 82 is configured by a linear movement mechanism, and a pair of linear guides fitted with retraction sliders provided below the left and right legs 811 that support the gantry 81, and a direction in which the linear guides extend. The retraction linear drive source 821 for moving the gantry 81 is constructed. As the receding linear drive source 821, for example, a linear motor can be used. As shown in FIG. 1, the linear guide 22 is also used as the linear guide 22 in the retracting mechanism 82.

  The retracting linear drive source 821 is disposed so as not to interfere with the transporting linear drive source 23. In this embodiment, a linear motor as the conveying linear drive source 23 is disposed at the center position in the Y direction, and a linear motor as the retracting linear drive source 821 is disposed on both sides thereof. As the receding linear drive source 821, a combination of a ball screw screwed into a screw hole penetrating the lower end portion of each leg portion 811 and a servo motor that rotates the ball screw may be employed. .

In order to mount the lower unit group on the gantry 81, the operation amount of the vertical movement mechanism 6 in the first mode is set. This point will be described with reference to FIG. The position immediately below the lamp house 1 is normally a position through which the stage 21 on which the workpiece W is placed passes, but for the sake of explanation, the stand 81 is positioned at a position immediately below the lamp house 1 as a maintenance state. Is depicted in FIG.
In the light irradiation apparatus of the embodiment, a reference position in the vertical direction (hereinafter referred to as a reference height) is set. Since the linear guide 22 for conveyance which comprises the conveyance mechanism 2 is a member arrange | positioned horizontally with sufficient linearity, the height of the upper surface of the linear guide 22 for conveyance can be set as a reference | standard height, for example.
Also in the lamp house 1, an origin position in the vertical direction (hereinafter referred to as a height direction origin) is set. The origin position is set as a separation distance with respect to the reference height. For example, the position of the lower end of the element unit 50 is set as a position 200 mm away from the reference height.

  In the first mode described above, all four units including the element unit 50 move up and down. In this case, with respect to each vertical drive source 61 for vertical movement of the vertical movement mechanism 6, a stroke (placement for lowering) by a distance (L in FIG. 2) between the lower end of the element unit 50 and the upper surface of the gantry 81. Stroke) can be indicated. When the lamp house 1 is at the height direction origin, the placement stroke L is equal to the separation distance of the height direction origin with respect to the reference height. When each of the vertical linear drive sources 61 of the vertical movement mechanism 6 is driven downward by the placement stroke L, the lower end of the element unit 50 comes into contact with the upper surface of the gantry 81, and the lower unit group is placed on the gantry 81. Appear.

  In addition, the light irradiation apparatus of embodiment is provided with the main control part not shown which controls the whole. The main control unit is configured to control the vertical power source 61 for the vertical movement mechanism 6 in addition to controlling the lighting power source of the light source 11 in the transport mechanism 2 and each lamp house 1.

The operation of the light irradiation apparatus according to the embodiment having such a configuration will be described below.
Each workpiece W is transferred to a position within the operation range of a robot (not shown) by a lot transfer mechanism such as an AGV (Auto Guided Vehicle) or a single wafer transfer mechanism such as an air conditioner bearer. The main control unit sends a control signal to the robot, places one workpiece W on the stage 21, and then sends a control signal to the alignment mechanism to perform alignment.

  The main control unit sends a control signal to the lighting power source of each lamp house 1 to turn on each light source 11 with predetermined power in advance. In this state, the main control unit sends a control signal to the transport mechanism 2 to move the stage 21 in the X direction. After the stage 21 has completely passed through the three irradiation areas, the stage 21 is reversed and returned to the load position. “Completely passing” means that the rear edge of the workpiece W on the stage 21 in the conveyance direction passes through the three irradiation areas.

  The workpiece W is irradiated with light by such a reciprocating movement. In this embodiment, each irradiation region is irradiated with polarized light by a grid polarizing element provided in each lamp house 1, and the film material existing on the upper surface of the workpiece W is irradiated with polarized light, thereby light. Orientation takes place. The robot removes the workpiece W from the stage 21 that has returned to the loading position, and places the next workpiece W on the stage 21. In this way, each workpiece W is irradiated with polarized light to perform photo-alignment.

  In the light irradiation apparatus according to the embodiment in which such an operation is repeated, maintenance including replacement of the light source 11 is performed at an appropriate time. Maintenance is performed in an arbitrary lamp house 1. At this time, the operator places the entire lamp house 1 (hereinafter referred to as “maintenance target lamp house”) 1 on the mount 81, and then grasps the handle 721 of the selection slider 72 in the maintenance target lamp house 1 and selects the front side The position of the selection slider 72 is adjusted by pulling the slider 72 or pushing it to the back side, and an arbitrary mode from the second to the fourth is selected.

  When the light source 11 is replaced, the second mode is selected. The operation of placing the light source unit 10 on the base 81 and retracting it will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 14 are schematic front sectional views showing the retracting operation of the light source unit 10 for replacing the light source 11.

In each lamp house 1, the position of the selection slider 72 is the first mode position which is the normal mode, and the apparatus is operating at this position. As shown in FIG. 10, the gantry 81 stands by at a predetermined standby position. When replacing the light source 11, the operator operates the main control unit to send a control signal from the main control unit to the retraction mechanism 82, and as shown in FIG. 11, the gantry 81 is directly below the maintenance target lamp house 1. To be located.
Next, the operator sends a control signal from the main control unit so as to descend by the mounting stroke to the vertical movement mechanism 6 of the lamp house 1 to be controlled. At this time, the position of the selection slider 72 remains at the first mode position. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12, all the units are lowered and placed on the gantry 81.

  Next, the operator adjusts the position of the selection slider 72 so as to be in the second mode, and operates the main control unit to raise the upper unit 40 and the mirror unit 30 by a predetermined distance. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, only the element unit 50 and the light source unit 10 remain on the gantry 81.

Next, the worker sends a control signal from the main control unit to operate the retracting mechanism 82. As a result, as shown in FIG. 14, the retracting mechanism 82 moves by a predetermined distance and in a predetermined direction, and the element unit 50 and the light source unit 10 on the gantry 81 are retracted from the lower space of the maintenance target lamp house 1. Located in the retracted position.
On the gantry 81 located at the retracted position, the light source unit 10 is placed on the element unit 50, and the light source unit 10 is exposed to the upper side. Therefore, the light source 11 can be easily replaced using the space above the light source unit 10. That is, after removing the presser 14, the light source 11 is lifted and removed, and a new light source 11 is mounted from above.

  After the light source 11 is replaced, the element unit 50 and the light source unit 10 are returned to the maintenance target lamp house 1 to return to the original state. That is, the retracting mechanism 82 is operated so that the element unit 50 and the light source unit 10 on the gantry 81 are positioned immediately below the lamp house 1 to be maintained. Then, a control signal is sent from the main control unit to the vertical movement mechanism 6 while the position of the selection slider 72 remains in the second mode, and the upper unit 40 and the mirror unit 30 are lowered together by a predetermined distance. This distance is a descending distance necessary for the lower end of the mirror unit 30 to contact the upper end of the light source unit 10.

  When the upper unit 40 and the mirror unit 30 are lowered and the lower end of the mirror unit 30 comes into contact with the upper end of the light source unit 10, the lowering stops. Next, the operator adjusts the selection slider 72 to return to the first mode. In this state, a control signal is sent from the main control unit to the vertical movement mechanism 6 to operate the vertical driving sources 61 for vertical movement by the same distance as the mounting stroke L. As a result, the four units 10, 30, 40, and 50 (the entire lamp house 1) rise together. When the entire lamp house 1 reaches the height direction origin, the ascent is stopped. This returns to the original state.

  The above is the replacement of the light source 11, but other maintenance work is also performed using the vertical movement mechanism 6 and the retraction mechanism 82 as appropriate. For example, when the element unit 50 and the light source unit 10 are retracted as described above, the space below the mirror unit 30 is opened. Therefore, an operator can enter under the lamp house 1 and perform maintenance such as cleaning of the reflecting surface of the mirror 3. In this case, the upper unit 40 and the mirror unit 30 can be lifted together to facilitate the work.

  Further, after the whole is placed on the gantry 81, when the first mode is changed to the second mode and only the upper unit 40 is raised, the space above the mirror unit 30 is opened. If the lower unit group including the mirror unit 30 is retracted to an arbitrary position and the work is performed, the work becomes easier.

  Furthermore, after the whole is placed on the gantry 81, when the first mode is changed to the fourth mode and the upper unit 40, the mirror unit 30 and the light source unit 10 are raised as a whole, the space above the element unit 50 is opened. Is done. For this reason, operations such as replacement of the irradiation side optical elements 51 and 52 can be easily performed. In this case as well, the work becomes easier if the work is performed by retracting the gantry 81 to an arbitrary position.

  Although the three lamp houses 1 are provided in the above embodiment, the vertical movement mechanisms 6 have the same configuration. A signal for designating the lamp house 1 to be maintained is input to the main control unit, and the vertical movement of each unit as described above with respect to the vertical movement mechanism 6 of the designated lamp house 1 is performed. . The positions of the three lamp houses 1 arranged are specified in the form of the distance from the origin in the X direction. When the lower unit is placed on the gantry 81, a control signal is sent in advance from the main control unit to the retracting mechanism 82 so that the gantry 81 is positioned at a position directly below the selected lamp house 1. The gantry 81 waits.

  The height of the lower unit group placed on the gantry 81 is the highest when the mirror unit 30, the light source unit 10, and the element unit 50 are placed. The height of the gantry 81 is selected so as to be lower than the lower end of the house 1 (lower end of the element unit 50). For this reason, even if the retreat operation is performed in a state where the three units 10, 30, and 50 are mounted, they do not collide with other lamp houses 1.

As described above, in the light irradiation apparatus of the embodiment, the light source unit 10 is placed on the gantry 81 and retracted, so that the light source 11 can be exchanged at a position different from the position directly below the lamp house 1. For this reason, replacement of the light source 11 is facilitated.
Further, the light source unit 10 is releasably connected to the upper unit 40, and the light source unit 10 is separated from the upper unit 40 when placed on the gantry 81, so that the structure is simplified. The degree of freedom in selecting the exchange position is also increased. In implementing the present invention, a structure in which the light source unit 10 is connected to the upper unit 40 in a state where it cannot be released may be employed. For example, the upper unit 40 may be connected to the exhaust pipe 400 via an extendable duct and not particularly separated, and the light source unit 10 may be connected to the upper unit 40 in a state where it cannot be released. Even in such a case, if the telescopic duct is made to be extensible to an appropriate length, separation may not be particularly required. However, the use of a telescopic duct that can be extended for a long time has a drawback that the structure is complicated, and the use of the telescopic duct has a disadvantage that the retreat position is limited. A structure capable of releasing the connection of the light source unit 10 with respect to the upper unit 40 is preferable because it does not have such a defect.

Further, since the light source unit 11 can be lowered and placed on the gantry 81 with the connection of the mirror unit 30 to the light source unit 10 released, the light source 11 can be replaced without the mirror 3. For this reason, the replacement work of the light source 11 becomes easier.
At this time, since the positioning pin 101 and the concave portion 301 for positioning the light source 11 with respect to the mirror 3 are provided, the light source 11 is accurately positioned with respect to the mirror 3. When the mirror 3 is a cross-sectional elliptical mirror or a cross-sectional parabolic mirror, the light source 11 needs to be arranged with high precision so that the center of the light emitting unit is located at the focal point, but this is easily realized. The positioning pins 101 and the recesses 301 are examples of positioning members, but other than this, limit switches and various sensors can also be used as positioning members.

The apparatus of the embodiment includes the element unit 50. However, when the light source unit 10 is placed on the gantry 81, the element unit 50 is also lowered and placed on the gantry 81, so that the structure is simplified. Yes. When the element unit 50 does not descend together, a mechanism for disconnecting the light source unit 10 after disconnecting the connection with the element unit 50 and lowering the light source unit 10 is required, which is structurally complicated. A complicated mechanism is unnecessary.
Further, when the element unit 50 is placed on the gantry 81, the connection with the light source unit 10 can be disconnected and the light source unit 10 can be raised, so that maintenance work of the element unit 50 is also easy.
As can be seen from the above description, the gantry 81 can be stopped at any position on the conveying linear guide 22. This means that maintenance work such as replacement of the light source 11 can be performed at an arbitrary position, and workability is high.

  Further, in the structure of the embodiment, if the switching from the first mode to another mode is erroneously performed in a state where the element unit 50 is not placed on the gantry 81, there is an accident that the unit including the element unit 50 falls. Can occur. In order to prevent this, for example, a sensor is provided on the lower surface of the element unit 50, and the interlock mechanism is provided in the selection slider 72 so as to permit switching from the first mode to another mode only when the sensor unit 50 is placed on the mount 81. Is preferably provided.

  Next, a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 15 is a schematic perspective view of a light irradiation apparatus according to the second embodiment. The apparatus of the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the configuration of the retracting mechanism 82. That is, in the second embodiment, the retracting mechanism 82 is provided separately from the transport mechanism 2 and does not serve as an element of the transport mechanism 2, and the retracting mechanism 82 is provided separately from the transport linear guide 22. The linear guide 822 includes a retraction linear drive source 821 that moves the gantry 81 along the retraction linear guide 822. Similarly, a linear motor can be employed as the receding linear drive source 821.

In this embodiment, since the retracting mechanism 82 does not serve as an element of the transport mechanism 2, the structure is complicated, but there is also a merit. That is, the gantry 81 can be arranged at an arbitrary position regardless of the position of the stage 21.
In the first embodiment, since the retracting mechanism 82 also serves as the conveyance linear guide 22, it cannot move beyond the stage 21. For example, when the stage 21 is located at the load position, the retreat mechanism 82 cannot retreat the gantry 81 further to the outer side (the side away from the lamp house 1) than the load position. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, when the gantry 81 moves while being guided by the retraction linear guide 822, the gantry 81 moves a position slightly higher than the stage 21 to move the stage 21. You can straddle. For this reason, it can move to the further outer side than the stage 21, and the freedom degree of selection of a retracted position is high. About other operation | movement and an effect, 2nd embodiment is the same as that of 1st embodiment.

  In the light irradiation apparatus of each embodiment described above, each mode is selected manually, and each unit is moved up and down by the up-and-down movement mechanism 6. However, each mode can also be selected by an automatic mechanism. Specifically, the selection slider 72 is provided with a back-and-forth movement mechanism, and the position of the selection slider 72 is automatically controlled by a signal from the main control unit. A mechanism that combines a ball screw and a servo motor can be employed as the forward / backward movement mechanism, and a signal for designating the stop position of the selection slider 72 is sent from the main control unit according to each mode. The back-and-forth movement mechanism positions the selection slider 72 at the same position as in the above-described manual operation according to a signal from the main control unit. Note that a sequence program is installed in the main control unit in order to place and retract the lower unit group on the gantry 81. The sequence program, for example, sends a control signal to the vertical movement mechanism 6 with the selection slider 72 positioned at the first mode position so as to be lowered by the placement stroke, and then enters the third mode. It is programmed to send the operation signal to the retracting mechanism 82 after switching and raising the upper unit 40 and the mirror unit 30 by a predetermined distance.

Further, although the gantry 81 has been described as moving in the horizontal direction at a certain height, the gantry 81 may be provided with an elevating mechanism so that the height can be varied. For example, a configuration in which a drive mechanism such as an air cylinder is provided on the left and right leg portions 811 so that the left and right leg portions 811 can expand and contract is conceivable.
The first mode is a mode in which the entire lamp house 1 moves up and down, but this mode may be used to adjust the irradiation distance (the distance from the light source 11 to the irradiation region). Although the upper limit position of the entire lamp house 1 is defined by a stopper (not shown), the lamp house 1 at an arbitrary position is disposed at a position below the upper limit, and the irradiation distance is adjusted as necessary. Thus, when the irradiation distance is adjusted by moving the entire lamp house 1 up and down, it is easy to secure an optimal irradiation distance for the workpiece W. It is sufficient that the light source unit 10 and the mirror unit 30 move up and down together to adjust the irradiation distance, and other units do not need to move up and down.

Moreover, in each said embodiment, the up-and-down moving mechanism 6 is provided in each of the plurality of lamp houses 1, and each up-and-down moving mechanism 6 operate | moves independently according to the control signal from a main control part. This has the advantage that even if the number of lamp houses 1 increases, only the necessary lamp houses 1 are operated to operate the vertical movement mechanism so that the desired lower unit group can be placed on the mount 81 and maintenance can be performed.
In addition, maintenance such as inspecting a plurality of lamp houses 1 at the same time is also conceivable. In this case, it is preferable that the lower unit groups of a plurality of (at least two) lamp houses 1 can be transferred together to the gantry 81. It is. Specifically, for each of the plurality of lamp houses 1, a connection frame for connecting the upper unit 40 is provided, and the connection frame is moved up and down so that the upper unit of each lamp house 1 moves up and down along each vertical linear guide 62. To be configured. The lower unit group of each lamp house 1 is selected by each selection mechanism and placed on the gantry 81 together. The gantry 81 is appropriately sized so that the lower unit group of each lamp house 1 can be mounted at a time.

In each of the above embodiments, the up-and-down moving mechanism 6 is a vertical linear moving mechanism. However, any mechanism that moves downward so that the light source unit 10 and the like can be placed on the gantry 81 may be used. It may be one that moves or moves up and down after horizontal movement.
Further, in each of the above embodiments, the retraction mechanism 82 moves the gantry 81 by the linear drive source 821, but it may be a mechanism that moves manually without any drive source. For example, the retracting mechanism may be a member such as a guide rail that moves the gantry 81, or may be a mechanism such as a caster provided at the lower end of each leg portion of the gantry 81. As the guide member, in addition to the linear guide, a magnet row or the like for guiding the movement of the gantry 81 by magnetic coupling may be employed. The guide need not be straight, but may be guided along a curved path.
The retraction direction by the retraction mechanism 82 is a horizontal direction with respect to the vertical direction, but this direction does not have to be the transport direction (X direction) and may be a horizontal direction (Y direction) perpendicular thereto. Further, even if the direction is slightly upward or downward, there is no problem as long as it can be retreated from the position immediately below the lamp house 1.

  Moreover, in each said embodiment, the structure which provides two stages and is made to reciprocate an irradiation area | region alternately as disclosed by the patent 5344105 may be employ | adopted. That is, one stage advances from the load position set on one side of the conveyance path by the conveyance mechanism 2 toward the irradiation area, reverses after passing through the irradiation area, returns to one side, and moves to the other side. A configuration may be employed in which the other stage advances from the set load position toward the irradiation region, passes through the irradiation region, and then reverses and returns to the other side. In this case, the gantry 81 stands by on the outer side (side away from the irradiation area) from the loading position of each stage. However, in the case of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the stage 21 can move below the gantry 81, so that the stand-by position of the gantry 81 can be set between the irradiation region and the load position. is there.

  In addition, in each said embodiment, although the mount frame 81 was made into the independent structure, it is good also as what was integrated with the stage 21 or connected. The pedestal 81 may also be used as a pedestal to which a measuring instrument that measures the illuminance by light from the lamp house 1 or a measuring instrument that measures the direction of the polarization axis is attached. That is, at least one measuring device is attached to the gantry 81, and the gantry 81 is moved and arranged at a position directly below the arbitrary lamp house 1 to perform illuminance measurement and / or measurement of the direction of the polarization axis. There is also a possibility.

  As a use of the light irradiation device, there can be various uses other than the irradiation of polarized light for obtaining the above-described photo-alignment film. For example, it may be used for polarized light irradiation treatment to obtain a viewing angle compensation film. In addition, there may be an application of irradiating ultraviolet rays for curing an ultraviolet curable resin and an application of irradiating light for processing a photoresist. Also in these applications, the present invention can be suitably used when the lamp house 1 is enlarged or complicated due to the increase in the area of the irradiation region.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lamphouse 11 Light source 10 Light source unit 12 Light source holding frame 2 Transfer mechanism 21 Stage 22 Transfer linear guide 23 Transfer linear drive source 3 Mirror 30 Mirror unit 31 Mirror holding frame 40 Upper unit 43 Outer cover 44 Sleeve plate 50 Element unit 51 Irradiation side optical element 52 Irradiation side optical element 53 Element holding frame 6 Vertical movement mechanism 61 Vertical linear drive source 62 Vertical linear guide 7 Selection mechanism 71 Pin block 72 Selection slider 73 First pin 74 Second pin 75 Third pin 81 Base 82 Retraction mechanism 821 Retraction linear drive source 822 Retraction linear guide

Claims (12)

A light irradiation device that includes a light source unit that houses a light source, and an upper unit that is disposed on the upper side of the light source unit, and irradiates light from the light source to an irradiation region set below,
A vertical movement mechanism that moves the light source unit up and down, a frame on which the light source unit is placed when the light source unit is moved downward by the vertical movement mechanism, and a horizontal frame with the light source unit mounted on the frame A retraction mechanism that retreats the light source unit from the lower position of the upper unit by moving it,
The light source unit is a unit that houses the light source in a replaceable state,
The retracting mechanism is a light irradiation device characterized in that the cradle can be moved to an exchange position where the light source can be exchanged. The light source unit is connected in a releasable state with respect to the upper unit,
2. The light according to claim 1, wherein the vertical movement mechanism is a mechanism capable of moving the light source unit downward and placing the light source unit on the gantry in a state where the connection to the upper unit is released. Irradiation device. On the upper side of the light source unit, a mirror unit that houses a mirror that covers the light source from above is provided,
The mirror unit is connected to the light source unit in a releasable state,
The light irradiation device according to claim 1, wherein the vertical movement mechanism is a mechanism capable of moving the light source unit up and down in a state where the connection between the mirror unit and the light source unit is released. .   A positioning member is provided for setting the position of the light source with respect to the mirror to a predetermined position when the vertical movement mechanism moves the light source unit up and down in a state where the connection between the mirror unit and the light source unit is released. The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 3.   5. The vertical movement mechanism is a mechanism capable of integrally moving the mirror unit and the light source unit up and down in a state where the mirror unit is coupled to the light source unit. The light irradiation apparatus of description. Comprising an element unit containing an optical element located between the light source and the irradiation region;
The element unit is a unit connected to the light source unit,
The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vertical movement mechanism is a mechanism that allows the light source unit and the element unit to be moved up and down integrally and placed on a gantry. . The element unit is a unit releasably connected to the light source unit,
The vertical movement mechanism is configured to move the light source unit and the element unit connected to the light source unit up and down integrally and place the light source unit on a pedestal, and then the connection of the element unit to the light source unit is released. The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the light irradiation device is a mechanism capable of raising the light source unit and keeping the element unit mounted on the gantry.   The retraction mechanism includes a guide member that guides movement of the gantry, and is a mechanism that can stop the gantry at an arbitrary position in a direction in which the guide member extends. 7. The light irradiation apparatus according to any one of 7. A transport mechanism that transports the object to be irradiated with light to the irradiation region is provided, and the transport mechanism is a mechanism that transports the target object by moving a stage on which the target object is placed along the guide member. ,
The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the guide member of the retracting mechanism is also used as a guide member of the transport mechanism. A transport mechanism that transports the object to be irradiated with light to the irradiation region is provided, and the transport mechanism is a mechanism that transports the target object by moving a stage on which the target object is placed along the guide member. ,
The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the guide member of the retracting mechanism is provided separately from the guide member of the transport mechanism. A plurality of lamp houses including the light source unit and the upper unit are provided,
In each lamp house, the vertical movement mechanism is a mechanism that can be driven independently from the vertical movement mechanism of another lamp house, and the vertical movement mechanism without moving the light source unit of the other lamp house. The light irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light irradiation unit is a mechanism capable of moving the light source unit of the lamp house provided with the lamp house and placing the light source unit on the frame. A plurality of lamp houses including the light source unit and the upper unit are provided,
The light according to claim 1, wherein the vertical movement mechanism is a mechanism capable of moving the light source units of at least two lamp houses together and placing the light source units on the gantry. Irradiation device.

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