CN100455367C - Apparatus for cleaning flat display panels - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a cleaning device for a flat display panel, comprising: a liquid supply unit storing cleaning agent for cleaning the panel; a gas supply unit storing gas for cleaning the panel, the gas supply unit facing the liquid supply Unit arrangement; a spraying unit arranged between the liquid supply unit and the gas supply unit, the spraying unit sprays a mixture of liquid and gas, the cleaning agent and the gas are mixed with each other when the cleaning agent is sucked by the air flow. The spraying unit includes a liquid channel assembly arranged corresponding to the liquid supply unit, the liquid channel assembly is provided with a liquid channel formed by a plurality of thin plates, and an air channel assembly is arranged facing the liquid channel assembly, and the gas channel assembly is provided with a plurality of A gas channel formed by a thin plate, the gas channel assembly allows the air flow to suck the cleaning agent and mix the cleaning agent with the gas, and allow the mixture of cleaning agent and gas to be sprayed to the display panel.

Description

Apparatus for cleaning flat display panels

technical field

The invention relates to a device for cleaning flat display panels. More specifically, it relates to a cleaning device for cleaning a flat display panel by spraying a mixed fluid containing two or more cleaning agents such as liquid and gas on the flat display panel. The present invention further relates to a device for cleaning flat display panels, which is designed to (a) easily form a fluid channel through which a cleaning agent can be sprayed; (b) use a jet of gas to cause mixing of the fluid spray, thereby reducing use of cleaning agents; and (c) increase spraying efficiency and cleaning efficiency.

Background technique

Generally, a cleaning device for a flat display panel is designed to use a roller brush to remove impurities attached to the flat display panel. The device is set in the cleaning equipment, that is, placed in the washing tank, so as to correspond to the plate conveying part, and is separated from the drying device and the like.

Such a cleaning device includes a plurality of nozzles spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction of a rectangular body to spray a fluid to the rectangular body installed across the board conveying portion. For example, when the display panel passes through the cleaning section where the cleaning device is installed, a cleaning agent is sprayed on the surface of the display panel through nozzles, thereby removing impurities attached to the display panel.

Since each nozzle installed on the cleaning device has a circular fluid spraying form, the cleaning agent sprayed in this form has a limited spraying area corresponding to the shape of the form, so it is difficult to spray the fluid evenly on the display. over the entire surface of the board. Therefore, there is a limitation in obtaining satisfactory cleaning quality and effective spraying efficiency.

In addition, when the display panel is large in size, the number of nozzles increases, thus complicating the structure and increasing the manufacturing cost.

The applicant of the present invention disclosed a cleaning device designed to solve the above-mentioned problems in Korean Unexamined Patent Application No. 10-2002-0021553.

”的液体/气体混合喷洒单元，用于喷洒清洁剂和压力气体的混合物，压力气体由在气体存储部分的下端上的垂直通道提供，清洁剂由在清洁剂存储部分的下端上的水平通道提供；和在喷嘴的短轴方向结合喷嘴的流线设备，以防止喷嘴的开口弹性变形。The cleaning device disclosed in this patent includes a rectangular main body with a rectangular nozzle; a separation partition placed in the longitudinal direction to divide the space of the rectangular main body into a cleaning agent storage part and a pressurized gas storage part; The gas supply hole formed on the upper part of the gas storage part; the laminar flow conversion unit installed in the gas storage part converts the pressure gas introduced from the gas supply hole into laminar flow; the cleaning on the other side of the separation partition The cleaning agent supply hole in the upper part of the agent storage part; provided at the bottom of the separation partition and shaped as "

"The liquid/gas mixed spraying unit is used to spray the mixture of cleaning agent and pressure gas, the pressure gas is provided by the vertical channel on the lower end of the gas storage part, and the cleaning agent is provided by the horizontal channel on the lower end of the cleaning agent storage part ; and in combination with the streamline device of the nozzle in the direction of the minor axis of the nozzle to prevent elastic deformation of the opening of the nozzle.

That is, the separation partition partitions the detergent storage part and the pressurized gas storage part from each other, and the detergent and the pressurized gas are mixed with each other as a liquid/gas mixture in the fluid passage for mixing the detergent and the pressurized gas. That is, the pressurized gas is sprayed through the nozzle along the vertical passage, and in this case, the detergent in the detergent storage part is sucked by the spray flow of the pressurized gas, mixed with the pressurized gas along the horizontal passage. The mixture of cleaning agent and pressurized gas is sprayed onto the surface of the display panel through nozzles to remove impurities attached to the display panel.

However, in this cleaning device, since the separation partition, the mixture, and the nozzle defining the fluid passage area between the storage parts are integrally formed with each other, it is difficult to manufacture the separation partition, the mixture, and the nozzle with sufficient precision. . In addition, depending on the positioning state of the storage portion, the internal space environment of the fluid passage can be easily changed, making it difficult to provide an optimum fluid passage environment.

In addition, when the storage parts are deformed due to reasons such as load or external force, fluid passages between the storage parts are also deformed, thereby degrading spraying quality and durability.

Furthermore, when the fluid passage area is locally damaged, the entire storage section unit must be replaced. When it is desired to adjust the spraying quantity and the spraying pressure corresponding to the shape and size of the display panel, it is also necessary to replace the entire storage section unit with a newly designed storage section. This results in a reduction in work efficiency.

Contents of the invention

Therefore, the present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device that can clean a flat display panel by spraying a mixed liquid composed of two or more cleaning agents such as liquid and gas.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a device for cleaning flat display panels, which is designed to (a) easily form fluid passages through which cleaning agents can be sprayed; (b) utilize jets of gas to induce mixing liquid spray, thereby reducing the use of cleaning agents; and (c) increasing spraying efficiency and cleaning efficiency.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a cleaning device for a flat display panel, comprising: a liquid supply unit storing a cleaning agent for cleaning the panel; a gas supply unit storing gas for cleaning the panel, the gas supply unit Arranged facing the liquid supply unit; and a spray unit arranged between the liquid supply unit and the gas supply unit, the spray unit sprays a mixture of liquid and gas, and the detergent and gas are mixed with each other when the detergent is sucked by the air flow. The spray unit includes: a liquid channel assembly arranged corresponding to the liquid supply unit, the liquid channel assembly is provided with a liquid channel formed by a plurality of thin plates; and an air channel assembly arranged facing the liquid channel assembly, the gas channel assembly is provided with A gas channel formed by a plurality of sheets, the gas channel assembly allows the air flow to draw and mix the cleaning agent with the gas and to spray the cleaning agent and gas mixture to the display panel.

Description of drawings

The following drawings are used to further understand the present invention, are included in this application, constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the present invention, and explain the principle of the present invention together with the specification. in:

1 is an overall perspective view of a cleaning device for a flat display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cleaning device in Figure 1;

3 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view of the cleaning device in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the overall structure of the laminar flow conversion unit in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a bottom view of a liquid passage arrangement of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

7 is a plan view showing a spraying area corresponding to a display panel when the cleaning device is in a spraying operation;

8 is a perspective view of a cleaning device for a flat display panel according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a cleaning device for a flat display panel according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Referring first to Fig. 1 to Fig. 3, the cleaning device of the present invention comprises: a liquid supply unit 2, which is stored for cleaning the cleaning agent W of the display panel G; a gas supply unit 4 facing the liquid supply unit 2, which is stored for cleaning the display panel a pressure gas A of G; and a spray unit 6 arranged between the liquid supply unit 2 and the gas supply unit 4, which sprays a mixture of the cleaning agent W and the gas A. The cleaning device of this embodiment is installed in the washing tank (cleaning area of the board G), and moves along the board transfer device M in response to the transfer portion of the board G (see FIG. 1).

The liquid supply unit 2 is box-shaped, defining an inner chamber for storing a cleaning agent W used for cleaning the plate G. As shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 1 , the liquid supply unit 2 has a rectangular shape corresponding to a spray unit 6 which will be described later. The liquid supply unit 2 has an open end covered with a detachable cover C, and the cover C is fixed by fixing members such as bolts.

The liquid supply unit 2 may be formed of resin or metal having good durability, chemical resistance and handling properties. When the detachable cap C closes the open end of the liquid supply unit 2 to seal the inner chamber 2a, maintenance of the inner chamber 21 is very convenient. However, since there is a possibility of leakage of the cleaning agent W, it is preferable to further provide a sealing auxiliary member such as a rubber ring to provide more reliable sealing.

The cleaning agent stored in the liquid supply unit 2 may be composed of known substances such as pure water that can quickly dissolve and remove impurities attached to the surface of the plate G. As shown in FIG. 1 , the cleaning agent may be introduced through a liquid supply pipe P1 connected to the liquid supply unit 2 .

In order to store the detergent W in the chamber 2a of the liquid supply unit 2 under atmospheric pressure, when the preset amount of the detergent W is contained through the liquid supply pipe P1, the detergent W overflows through the discharge pipe, so that it can be stored in the liquid supply unit. The chamber 2a of 2 maintains a preset water pressure.

The liquid supply unit 2 has a plurality of outlet holes 2 b through which the cleaning agent W in the chamber 2 a can be led to the spray unit 6 . Each hole 2b is elliptical so that the cleaning agent W can flow through horizontally (see FIGS. 3 and 4 ). The discharge holes 2b are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the liquid supply unit 2, and are spaced apart from each other.

The gas supply unit 4 is designed to supply gas A under pressure to the spray unit 6 . The gas supply unit 4 is box-shaped, delimiting an internal chamber 4a for storing gas under pressure. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the gas supply unit 4 has a rectangular shape corresponding to the liquid supply unit 2, and has an open end covered by a detachable cover C, which is fixed by bolts. .

The gas supply unit 4 may be composed of resin or metal having good durability and chemical resistance so as not to be deformed when the pressurized gas A passes through the chamber 4a.

More preferably, the gas supply unit 4 may be composed of SUS-based metal or engineering plastic. Due to the possibility of the cleaning agent W leaking, it is preferable to further provide a sealing auxiliary member such as a rubber ring to provide more reliable sealing.

The pressurized gas A supplied to the gas supply unit 4 is sprayed in a state mixed with a cleaning agent, and functions to remove impurities adhering to the surface of the board G and quickly remove the cleaning agent sprayed on the surface of the board G. The pressurized gas A may consist of clean dry air (CDA).

As shown in FIG. 1 , the gas supply unit 4 may be connected to the gas supply pipe P2 to receive the gas A under pressure from the supply pipe P2. As shown in Fig. 3, the spraying unit 6 is supplied with pressurized gas A directly via the chamber 4a and through the discharge hole 4b.

Referring to FIG. 3, in the chamber 4a of the gas supply unit 4 there is a conversion unit for converting the pressure gas A introduced from the gas supply pipe P2. That is, the conversion unit converts the pressure gas A from turbulent flow to laminar flow. The conversion unit is designed to have a partition 8 (see FIGS. 3 and 4 ) formed in the chamber of the gas supply unit 4 in response to the pressure gas flow portion to divide the chamber 4a into an upper chamber 10a and a lower chamber 10b. The partition 8 may have a plurality of holes 12 for converting the pressurized gas A from a turbulent flow to a laminar flow.

In this regard, the holes 12 formed on the partition plate 8 may be arranged as shown in FIG. 5 . The size of the holes 12 is such that the difference in the diameters of the liquid passages can convert the flow of the pressurized gas A through the chambers 10a and 10b from turbulent to laminar.

The flow conversion unit is designed as follows: when the pressure gas A is introduced into the upper chamber 10a through the gas supply pipe P2 and firstly stored in the upper chamber 10a, the flow conversion unit converts the flow of the pressure gas A from turbulent flow to laminar flow. The flow conversion unit converts the flow of the pressurized gas A from turbulent flow to laminar flow when the gas pressure in the upper chamber 10a passes through the holes 12 in the partition 8 and is stored again. In more detail, when the pressurized gas A passes through the holes 12 of the partition 8, the pressure caused by the difference in diameter of the fluid passage compresses the pressurized gas A uniformly, thereby easily transforming into a laminar flow. Due to the rapid growth of the cross-sectional area at the lower chamber 10b, the velocity energy of the laminar pressure gas A decreases. By reducing the velocity energy, the pressure energy is rapidly increased, thereby converting the pressure gas flow through the partition 8 into a high pressure laminar flow.

Meanwhile, a spray unit 6 is installed between the liquid supply unit 2 and the gas supply unit 4, which will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 and 3, the spray unit 6 is positioned corresponding to the liquid supply unit 2, and the spray unit 6 includes a liquid channel assembly 14 and an air channel assembly 16 facing the liquid channel assembly. The liquid channel assembly 14 has separate parts connected to each other by bonding thin plates F1, and provides individual channels H1 for spraying the cleaning agent W. As shown in FIG. The gas passage assembly 16 has separate parts connected to each other by bonding thin plates F2, and forms a passage H2 for spraying the pressurized gas A. As shown in FIG. When the pressurized gas A is sprayed in the direction through the passage H2, the gas passage assembly 16 introduces a mixture of liquid and pressurized gas by sucking the cleaning agent W through the liquid passage H1. In this embodiment, there is a set of 4 sheets P1 on the liquid channel assembly 14 and a set of 3 sheets P2 on the gas channel assembly 16 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the thin plate F1 of the liquid passage assembly 14 has a rectangular shape corresponding to the liquid supply unit 2 . Channel grooves 20a defining separate channel portions for guiding the flow of the cleaning agent W are formed at the lower portion of the thin plate F1.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, when four sheet parts are combined by the channel groove 20a, the channel groove 20a formed on the sheet F1 defines a single channel H1. Referring to FIG. 2 , the channel groove 20a of the thin plate F1 close to the liquid supply unit 2 is circular, and the channel groove 20a of the other thin plate F1 is ∩-shaped to define a separate liquid channel corresponding to the discharge hole 2b of the liquid supply unit 2 H1.

At this point, as shown in FIG. 3, since the liquid passage H1 portion formed by the four thin plates F1 moves from the liquid supply unit 2 laterally to the junction point with the gas passage assembly 16, the liquid passage H1 portion is formed to be inclined downward. . Optionally, a portion of the inlet side is parallel to a portion of the outlet side.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the length L of the liquid channel H1 formed by combining the thin plates F1 is set in the range of 0.1-0.2 mm, and the thickness of each thin plate is set according to the number of thin plates to provide the liquid channel in this length range.

In consideration of the thickness of the thin plate F1, since it is difficult to process the channel groove 20a mechanically, the channel groove 20a may be formed by photolithography processing. Therefore, the thin plate F1 can be formed of a highly durable substance suitable for photolithography.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the gas channel assembly 16 includes thin plates F2 each of which is rectangular corresponding to the gas supply unit 4 . Passage grooves 20b are formed in the lower portion of the thin plate F1 to define separate passage portions for guiding the flow of the pressurized gas A. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , when three sheet parts are combined by the channel groove 20b, the channel groove 20b formed in the sheet F2 defines a single channel H2. Referring to Fig. 2, the channel groove 20b of the sheet F2 close to the gas supply unit 4 is circular, and the channel groove 20b of the other sheet F2 is ∩-shaped, so as to define a separate gas channel corresponding to the discharge hole 4b of the gas supply unit 4 H2.

In this regard, as shown in FIG. 3, the portion of the gas passage H2 formed by the three thin plates F2 functions to guide the pressurized gas A to suck the cleaning agent W through the liquid passage H1. The gas passage H2 functions as a venturi that allows a predetermined portion of the gas passage H2 to communicate with the liquid passage H1 so that the cleaning agent and the gas can be mixed and sprayed at the communicating portion.

Each of the ∩-shaped passage grooves 20b may have upper and lower parts combined with each other in a streamlined form. The middle part is convex, and the upper and lower parts are concave. As a result, when the pressurized gas A passes through the gas passage H2, the difference in diameter of the gas passage increases the pressure of the pressurized gas A, so that the spraying efficiency can be further improved.

The length L1 of the gas passage H2 formed by bonding the thin plate F2 is set in the range of 0.1-0.2 mm.

The channel groove 20a may be formed by a photolithography process. Therefore, the thin plate F1 can be formed of a highly durable substance suitable for photolithography.

As shown in FIG. 3, boundary portions are formed between the passages H1 and H2 formed on the liquid passage assembly 14 and the gas passage assembly 16, respectively. In addition, as shown in Figure 1, the channels H1 and H2 move across the plate G in the direction of the cleaning area of a plurality of spaced points, so that the cleaning agent can be sprayed in a rectangular area corresponding to the surface of the plate G (see Figure 6 and Fig. 7).

As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, when the liquid passage assembly 14 and the gas passage assembly 16 are arranged between the liquid supply unit 2 and the gas supply unit 4, the sheet F1 of the liquid passage H1 and the sheet F2 of the gas passage H2 are assembled on the slide The groove pin 22 , the slide groove pin 22 is fitted in the side walls of the liquid supply unit 2 and the gas supply unit 4 .

The combination of the liquid supply unit 2 and the gas supply unit 4 is realized by fixing members such as bolts or screws. As shown in FIG. 3, the bolts horizontally penetrate the liquid supply unit 2, the spray unit 6, and the gas supply unit 4 in order.

In the cleaning apparatus for the flat display panel described above, as the panel conveyer M moves the panel G through the cleaning area in a certain direction, the panel can be cleaned by the following operation procedure.

First, when the pressurized gas A is introduced into the gas supply unit 4 through the gas supply pipe P2 , the pressurized gas A is supplied to the gas passage assembly 16 as shown in FIG. 3 . Next, the pressurized gas A is partially sprayed through the gas channel H2 at a preset pressure.

At this point, at the portion where the gas passage H2 and the liquid passage H1 communicate, the cleaning agent W stored in the liquid supply unit 2 at atmospheric pressure is moved along the liquid passage H1 portion of the liquid passage assembly 14 by the flow of the pressurized gas A. Aspirate and mix with the pre-set pressure to remove the impurities attached to the plate G.

In the above embodiment, although the liquid passage H1 is formed by the passage grooves 20a in the four sheets F, and the gas passage H2 is formed by the passage grooves 20b in the three sheets F, the present invention is not limited thereto.

For example, the number of lamellae may vary provided the channel length is in the range of 0.1-0.2 mm.

In addition, although there is only one cleaning device corresponding to the board transfer portion, the present invention is not limited thereto.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, two or more cleaning device units may be installed at a predetermined distance from each other. In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, two cleaning device units may be installed so that both surfaces of the display panel G can be sprayed with cleaning agent.

In this cleaning device for a display panel, since a spray unit is formed having a passage for spraying a mixture of liquid and gas, the panel can be efficiently cleaned. Since the spray unit is provided with individual channels formed by combining a plurality of thin plates, it is easy to form the channels. In addition, since the pressurized gas flow sucks the cleaning agent and mixes the cleaning agent and the pressurized gas, the mixture can be efficiently sprayed through the channels. In addition, by simply changing the thin plate, the spraying environment can be easily changed according to the size and shape of the plate, thereby improving cleaning quality and work efficiency.

It is obvious that various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present invention includes any changes and modifications within the range covered by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims (14)

1. A cleaning device for a flat display panel, comprising: a liquid supply unit storing a cleaning agent for cleaning the board; a gas supply unit storing gas for cleaning the plate, the gas supply unit being arranged facing the liquid supply unit; and a spraying unit arranged between the liquid supply unit and the gas supply unit, the spraying unit sprays a mixture of liquid and gas, the cleaning agent and the gas are mixed with each other when the cleaning agent is sucked by the air flow, It is characterized in that the spraying unit includes: a liquid passage assembly arranged corresponding to the liquid supply unit, the liquid passage assembly provided with a liquid passage formed by a plurality of thin plates, and A gas channel assembly arranged facing the liquid channel assembly, the gas channel assembly is provided with a gas channel formed by a plurality of thin plates, the gas channel assembly allows the air flow to suck the cleaning agent and mix the cleaning agent with the gas, and allows the air flow to the display panel Spray a mixture of detergent and gas. 2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid supply unit has a rectangular-shaped chamber to store a cleaning agent. 3. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas supply unit has a rectangular shaped chamber to store gas. 4. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the gas supply unit comprises a flow conversion unit for converting the gas flow from turbulent flow to laminar flow, the flow conversion unit comprising dividing the chamber of the gas supply unit into two The partition of the chamber has a plurality of holes for converting the gas flow. 5. The cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein each hole is formed in a circular or polygonal shape. 6. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of sheets of the liquid channeling assembly has a plurality of channel grooves defining separate channel portions, the separate channel portions of the plurality of sheets being connected to each other. combined to define individual fluid channels. 7. The cleaning device according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of sheets consists of two or more sheets. 8. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of sheets of the gas channel assembly has a plurality of channel grooves defining separate channel sections, the separate channel sections of the plurality of sheets being mutually combined to define individual gas passages. 9. The cleaning device according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of sheets consists of two or more sheets. 10. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid passage assembly and the gas passage communicate with each other at an outlet side. 11. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid passage faces the gas passage at a boundary between the liquid passage assembly and the gas passage assembly, each passage being inclined downward or on a horizontal plane facing the boundary. 12. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein each of the liquid passage and the gas passage has a length in the range of 0.1-0.2 mm. 13. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid channel and the gas channel are located in a direction transverse to the conveying direction of the display plate, so as to spray the mixture in response to the rectangular shape of the plate. 14. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning device is arranged corresponding to one side or two sides of the display panel.

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