TW201836953A - Data reading system and method for controlling data reading system - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a method for controlling a data reading system with which it is possible to curb abnormal stoppages of the data reading system caused by failure of a camera to read data on a display panel. In this method for controlling a data reading system, in a first data reading step S4, data on a display panel positioned above a camera is read off by a camera, and if the camera fails to read data in the first data reading step S4, a robot moves the display panel in an upward direction, varying the height of the display panel, in a first panel height varying step S8, and in a second data reading step S9 subsequent to the first panel height varying step S8, the camera reads off data from the display panel once more.

Description

Data reading system and data reading system control method

The present invention relates to a data reading system for reading optically readable material recorded on a portion of a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel that is staggered in a display area. Further, the present invention relates to a method of controlling a data reading system for reading optically readable material recorded on a portion of a display panel that is staggered in a display area.

Conventionally, a transport device that is assembled on a mounting line of a liquid crystal display device used in a mobile device or the like has been known (for example, see Patent Document 1). The transport device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes five transport units, and various assembly processing processes in the assembly process of the liquid crystal display device are assigned to the respective transport units. In addition, the transport device includes an automatic loader that supplies the liquid crystal panel housed in the tray to the transport unit (see FIG. 19 of Patent Document 1). The automatic loader includes, for example, a robot that transports the liquid crystal panel housed in the tray to the transport unit. Further, in the transport device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a video camera that reads optically readable material recorded in a portion of the liquid crystal panel that is shifted in the display region may be provided. Prior art document patent document

Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2012/120956

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

The inventors of the present invention have inspected a technique of providing a data reading system on an assembly line of a liquid crystal display device or the like, which is optically readable by reading a portion of a display panel recorded on a liquid crystal panel or the like in a staggered display area. The camera of the data and the robot that holds the display panel and carries it to the top of the camera. According to the discussion by the inventor of the present application, in the case of the data reading system, when the data of the display panel carried by the robot to the upper side of the camera is read by the camera, the reading of the data of the display panel fails, and the data is generated. The data reading system stops abnormally.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a data reading system including a camera that reads optically readable material recorded on a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel, and a robot that transports the display panel above the camera, the data reading system It is possible to suppress an abnormal stop of the data reading system caused by the reading failure of the data of the display panel by the camera.

Further, an object of the present invention is to provide a data reading system including a camera that reads optically readable material recorded on a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel, and a robot that carries the display panel above the camera In the control method of the above data reading system, it is possible to suppress an abnormal stop of the data reading system caused by the reading failure of the data of the display panel by the camera. Technical means of solving problems

In order to solve the above problems, the inventors of the present application conducted various discussions. As a result, the inventors of the present application have obtained the knowledge that although the optically readable material recorded on the display panel is recorded on the portion of the display panel that is staggered in the display area and is recorded on the outer peripheral portion of the display panel, Since the thickness of the panel is thin, the peripheral side portion (that is, the portion where the data is recorded) outside the display panel that is held by the robot and disposed above the camera is easily bent downward. Furthermore, the inventors of the present invention have found that the amount of bending of the outer peripheral side portion of the display panel disposed above the camera is not necessarily constant for each display panel, and the data is deviated from the recording position of the display panel. .

Further, the inventors of the present invention have found that the amount of bending of the peripheral side portion of the display panel disposed above the camera is not necessarily required for each display panel, and is carried by the robot to the outer side of the display panel above the camera. The partial swing and the deviation of the data from the recording position of the display panel are caused by the fact that the distance between the portion of the display panel disposed above the camera and the camera is unstable, and as a result, the information of the display panel is The read failed.

Further, the inventor of the present application has obtained the following knowledge, that is, if the height of the display panel is changed when the reading of the data on the display panel fails, and the data of the display panel is read again by the camera, the reading of the data of the display panel is performed. It is easy to succeed, and as a result, it is possible to suppress an abnormal stop of the data reading system caused by the failure of the camera to read the data of the display panel.

The data reading system of the present invention is based on the new knowledge reading system, comprising: a camera that reads optically readable material recorded on the display panel; and a robot that holds the display panel and displays the display panel Moving to the top of the camera, when the camera fails to read the data of the display panel disposed above the camera, the robot moves the display panel up and down to change the height of the display panel, and the camera reads the display panel whose height is changed. data.

In the data reading system of the present invention, when the reading of the data of the display panel disposed above the camera fails, the robot moves the display panel in the up and down direction to change the height of the display panel, and the camera reads the changed height. Information on the display panel. Therefore, in the present invention, the reading of the data of the display panel is easy, and the abnormal stop of the data reading system due to the failure of reading the data of the display panel can be suppressed.

Moreover, based on the above new findings, the present invention provides a method for controlling a data reading system, the data reading system having: a camera that reads optically readable material recorded on a display panel; and a robot that holds the display panel and The display panel is transported to the top of the camera. The control method of the data reading system is characterized in that the first data reading step is performed, and the camera reads the data of the display panel disposed above the camera; the first panel height changing step, When the reading of the data by the camera fails in the first data reading step, the robot moves the display panel in the upward or downward direction to change the height of the display panel; the second data reading step is performed after the first panel height changing step The camera reads the information of the display panel.

In the control method of the data reading system of the present invention, when the reading of the data of the display panel by the camera fails in the first data reading step, in the first panel height changing step, the robot causes the display panel to be up or The height of the display panel is changed by moving in the downward direction. In the second data reading step after the first panel height changing step, the camera reads the data of the display panel. Therefore, in the present invention, the reading of the data of the display panel is easy, and the abnormal stop of the data reading system due to the failure of reading the data of the display panel can be suppressed.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the control method of the data reading system includes a panel carrying step of the robot transporting the display panel to the pre-teaching reference position, and in the first data reading step, the camera reading in the panel carrying step Information on the display panel being transported. According to this configuration, the position at which the reading of the information on the display panel is easily succeeded is taught to the robot as the reference position in advance, and in the first data reading step, the probability of successful reading of the data of the display panel can be improved.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the control method of the data reading system includes: a second panel height changing step, when the camera fails to read the data in the second data reading step, the first panel position is changed. When the display panel moves in the upward direction in the step, the robot moves the display panel to a lower side than the reference position to change the height of the display panel, and in the case where the display panel moves downward in the first panel position changing step, the robot makes The display panel moves to the upper side than the reference position to change the height of the display panel. In the third data reading step, after the second panel height changing step, the camera reads the data of the display panel. If so constructed, reading of the information of the display panel is more successful. Therefore, it is possible to effectively suppress the abnormal stop of the data reading system caused by the failure of the reading of the data of the display panel by the camera. Effect of invention

As described above, in the data reading system including the camera that reads the optically readable material recorded on the display panel such as the liquid crystal panel and the robot that transports the display panel above the camera, the camera-to-display panel can be suppressed. The abnormal reading of the data reading system caused by the reading failure of the data.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Overall Configuration of Transportation System) FIG. 1 is a side view of the transportation system 1 incorporated in the material reading system 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the conveyance system 1 from the direction of E-E in Fig. 1 .

The data reading system 10 (see FIG. 2) of this type is a system for reading data recorded on the liquid crystal panel 2 as a display panel. The data reading system 10 is loaded into the transport system 1 for use. The transport system 1 is incorporated into a production line of a medium-sized liquid crystal display used for mobile devices and the like. The transport system 1 transports the liquid crystal panel 2, and supplies the liquid crystal panel 2 to the processing device 15 (see FIG. 2) that performs predetermined processing on the liquid crystal panel 2. Further, the transport system 1 transports a medium-sized liquid crystal panel 2 (for example, a 15-inch liquid crystal panel). Further, the liquid crystal panel 2 transported by the transport system 1 may be a small liquid crystal panel (for example, a 4-inch liquid crystal panel).

The liquid crystal panel 2 is formed in a rectangular shape. Specifically, the liquid crystal panel 2 is formed in a rectangular plate shape. Information such as inspection data of the liquid crystal panel 2 is recorded in a portion of the liquid crystal panel 2 that is shifted in the display area. Specifically, in the portion of the liquid crystal panel 2 that is shifted in the display area, information such as inspection data is recorded as a two-dimensional code or a one-dimensional code. That is, optically readable material is recorded in a portion of the liquid crystal panel 2 that is staggered in the display area. This data is recorded on the outer peripheral side portion of the liquid crystal panel 2.

Further, a polarizing plate (polarizing film) may be adhered to the liquid crystal panel 2 conveyed by the transport system 1 of the present type, or the polarizing plate may not be attached. Further, an FPC or a wafer may be mounted on the liquid crystal panel 2, or an FPC or a wafer may not be mounted.

The transport system 1 includes two conveyors 4 and 5 that transport the tray 3 that can house the liquid crystal panel 2 . The conveyors 4, 5 linearly carry the pallets 3 stacked in a plurality of layers in the horizontal direction. In the following description, the conveyance direction of the conveyance trays 3 of the conveyors 4 and 5 (X direction of FIG. 1 etc.) is a "front-back direction", and the direction orthogonal to the up-down direction (vertical direction) and the front-back direction (FIG. 1, etc. The Y direction) is the "left and right direction". Further, one side in the front-rear direction (the X1 direction side in FIG. 1 and the like) is the "front" side, and the opposite side (the X2 direction side in FIG. 1 and the like) is the "rear" side and one side in the left-right direction (FIG. 2, etc.) The Y1 direction side is the "right" side, and the opposite side (the Y2 direction side of FIG. 2 and the like) is the "left" side. In this embodiment, the processing device 15 is disposed on the rear side of the transport system 1.

Further, the transport system 1 includes two tray stages 6 and 7 on which the trays 3 are placed, a robot 8 that transports the trays 3 between the conveyors 4 and 5 and the tray stages 6 and 7, and is placed on the tray stage 6 The tray 3 of the seventh tray 7 carries out the robot 9 of the liquid crystal panel 2, receives the liquid crystal panel 2 from the robot 9, and supplies it to the supply unit 11 of the processing device 15. In the present embodiment, the data reading system 10 is constituted by a camera 41 and a robot 9 which will be described later which constitute the supply unit 11. The tray stages 6 and 7 are disposed on the rear side of the conveyors 4 and 5.

Further, the transport system 1 includes a main body frame 12 in which the conveyors 4 and 5, the tray stages 6, 7 and the robot 8 and the supply unit 11 are provided, and a main body frame 13 on which the robot 9 is provided. The upper surface of the main body frame 12 is formed in a planar shape orthogonal to the vertical direction, and the conveyors 4 and 5, the pallet stages 6, 7 and the robot 8 and the supply unit 11 are provided on the upper surface of the main body frame 12. The body frame 13 is formed as a substantially gate-shaped door frame, and is disposed to straddle the rear end side portion of the body frame 12 in the left-right direction. The robot 9 is disposed on the upper surface portion of the body frame 13.

The conveyors 4 and 5 are roller conveyors having a plurality of rollers. The conveyor 4 and the conveyor 5 are arranged adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. The conveyor 4 carries the stacked trays 3 toward the rear side, and the conveyor 5 carries the stacked trays 3 toward the front side. The liquid crystal panel 2 is accommodated in the tray 3 conveyed by the conveyor 4. On the other hand, the liquid crystal panel 2 is not accommodated in the tray 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5, and the tray 3 conveyed by the conveyor 5 is an empty tray.

On the front end side of the conveyor 4, a tray 3 in a stacked state conveyed by an operator from a temporary placement shelf (not shown) is placed. As will be described later, the stacked trays 3 placed on the front end side of the conveyor 4 are conveyed to the rear side, and the stacked trays 3 on the end side after being conveyed to the conveyor 4 are unloaded by the robot 8. Further, as will be described later, on the rear side of the conveyor 5, the empty pallet 3 is stacked by the robot 8. When the tray 3 is stacked on the end side of the conveyor 5 to a prescribed number of layers, the tray 3 in the stacked state is carried by the front side. The stacked trays 3 transported to the front end side of the conveyor 5 are transported by the operator to the shelves for the empty trays.

The tray stage 6 and the tray stage 7 are arranged adjacent to each other at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. The tray stage 6 is disposed at substantially the same position as the conveyor 4 in the left-right direction, and the tray stage 7 is disposed at substantially the same position as the conveyor 5 in the left-right direction. The upper surfaces of the tray stages 6, 7 are formed in a planar shape orthogonal to the vertical direction. A tray 3 is placed on the tray stages 6, 7.

(Structure of Robot and Supply Unit) Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the robot 9 shown in Fig. 1. 4 is a plan view of the panel grip portion 29 and the expansion member 30 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view of the panel grip portion 29 and the expansion member 30 shown in FIG.

The robot 8 is a so-called three-axis orthogonal robot. The robot 8 includes a main body frame 20 formed in a door shape, and a movable frame 21 that is held by the main body frame 20 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction with respect to the main body frame 20, and is slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the movable frame 21. The movable frame 22 held by the movable frame 21 is held by the movable frame 23 of the movable frame 22 and the tray holding portion 24 attached to the movable frame 23 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction with respect to the movable frame 22.

The tray holding portion 24 includes a plurality of adsorption portions of the adsorption trays 3. When the robot 8 transports the tray 3, the suction unit comes into contact with the upper surface of the tray 3 to vacuum-adsorb the tray 3. Further, the robot 8 includes a drive mechanism that slides the movable frame 21 in the left-right direction, a drive mechanism that slides the movable frame 22 in the front-rear direction, and a drive mechanism that slides the movable frame 23 in the vertical direction.

The robot 8 carries in the loading of the tray 3 to the tray stages 6, 7 and the loading of the trays 3 placed on the tray stages 6, 7. Specifically, the robot 8 transports the pallets 3 in the stacked state on the end side of the conveyor 4 to the pallet stage 6 or the pallet stage 7 one by one, and unloads the trays 3 in the stacked state on the conveyor 4. Further, the robot 8 transports one tray 3 that has become empty from the tray stage 6 or the tray stage 7 to the rear end side of the conveyor 5, and stacks the tray 3 on the conveyor 5.

The robot 9 is a so-called parallel link robot. The robot 9 includes a main body portion 25, three rods 26 connected to the main body portion 25, three arm portions 27 connected to the three rods 26, a head unit 28 coupled to the three arm portions 27, and a panel attached to the head unit 28. The grip portion 29 and the two expansion members 30 that extend toward the outer peripheral side of the panel grip portion 29. The robot 9 is provided to be suspended from the upper surface portion of the body frame 13. Further, the main body portion 25 is disposed above the tray stages 6 and 7, and is disposed on the rear side of the main body frame 20 of the robot 8. In addition, the illustration of the expansion member 30 is abbreviate|omitted in FIG. 1, FIG.

The three rods 26 are coupled to the main body portion 25 so as to protrude substantially radially from the outer circumferential side of the main body portion 25 at substantially equal angular intervals. In other words, the three rods 26 are coupled to the main body portion 25 so as to project radially outward at a substantially 120° pitch toward the outer peripheral side of the main body portion 25. Further, the base end sides of the three rods 26 are rotatably coupled to the body portion 25. A motor 31 with a speed reducer that rotates the lever 26 is disposed at a connecting portion between the main body portion 25 and the rod 26. The robot 9 of this type includes three motors 31 that respectively rotate the three rods 26. The output shaft of the motor 31 is fixed to the base end side of the rod 26.

The proximal end side of the arm portion 27 is rotatably coupled to the front end side of the rod 26. Specifically, the arm portion 27 includes two straight arms 32 that are parallel to each other, and the base end sides of the two arms 32 are rotatably coupled to the front end side of the rod 26. The head unit 28 is rotatably coupled to the front end sides of the three arm portions 27. That is, the head unit 28 is rotatably coupled to the front end sides of the six arms 32. In the robot 9, by independently driving the three motors 31, the head unit 28 can be in any position in the up-down direction, the left-right direction, and the front-rear direction in the predetermined region, and the head unit 28 is always held in a fixed posture. Specifically, the panel grip portion 29 is moved toward the lower side.

The panel grip portion 29 is formed in a substantially rectangular flat plate shape. The panel grip portion 29 is attached to the lower end of the head unit 28 such that the thickness direction of the panel grip portion 29 formed in a flat shape coincides with the vertical direction. Further, a motor 34 (see Fig. 3) is attached to the upper end of the head unit 28. The panel grip portion 29 is coupled to the motor 34, and the rotation of the upper and lower directions in the axial direction can be performed by the power of the motor 34.

The panel holding unit 29 includes a plurality of adsorption units 33 (see FIG. 5 ) that vacuum-adsorb the liquid crystal panel 2 , and sucks and controls the liquid crystal panel 2 . The adsorption unit 33 is a rubber adsorption pad. The suction portion 33 is provided on the lower surface side of the panel holding portion 29, and the panel holding portion 29 sucks the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 by the adsorption portion 33, thereby holding the liquid crystal panel 2. Moreover, the panel holding portion 29 grips the center portion of the liquid crystal panel 2 such that the thickness direction of the liquid crystal panel 2 coincides with the vertical direction.

The expansion member 30 is formed in a substantially rectangular thin plate shape. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the two expansion members 30 is extended from a diagonal line extending from one of the two corner portions of the panel grip portion 29 arranged in a substantially rectangular shape to the diagonal line. Fixed on each of the two corners. Further, the expansion member 30 is fixed to the upper surface of the panel holding portion 29, and the liquid crystal panel 2 held by the panel holding portion 29 is disposed on the lower side of the expansion member 30. On the lower surface of the expansion member 30, a polarizing member (polarizing plate or polarizing film) formed in a flat shape or a film shape is attached.

As shown in FIG. 4, the outer shape of the panel holding portion 29 when viewed from the up-and-down direction is smaller than the outer shape of the liquid crystal panel 2. When the liquid crystal panel 2 is viewed from the up-and-down direction, the center of the liquid crystal panel 2 and the center of the panel holding portion 29 substantially coincide with each other, and are held by the panel holding portion 29. Further, the liquid crystal panel 2 held by the panel holding portion 29 is disposed on the lower side of the panel holding portion 29 and the expansion member 30.

When the liquid crystal panel 2 held by the panel holding portion 29 is viewed from the lower side, the two corner portions 2a (see FIG. 4) disposed on one diagonal line of the rectangular liquid crystal panel 2 are respectively separated from the two expansion members 30. overlapping. That is, when the liquid crystal panel 2 held by the panel holding portion 29 is viewed from the upper side, the two corner portions 2a are respectively covered by the two expansion members 30. The expansion member 30 is formed to extend toward the outer peripheral side of the liquid crystal panel 2 more than the corner portion 2a, and the corner portion 2a is completely covered from the upper side by the expansion member 30.

The robot 9 carries out the liquid crystal panel 2 one by one from the tray 3 placed on the tray stage 6 or the tray 3 placed on the tray stage 7. Specifically, the robot 9 carries out the liquid crystal panel 2 one by one from the tray 3 until the trays 3 placed on the tray stages 6 and 7 become empty. Moreover, the robot 9 transports the liquid crystal panel 2 carried out from the tray 3 to the slide stage 48 which will be described later.

The supply unit 11 includes a camera 41 (see FIG. 2) that reads optically readable material recorded on the liquid crystal panel 2. Further, the supply unit 11 includes two cameras 42 that detect the corner portion 2a of the liquid crystal panel 2, and a robot 44 that transports the liquid crystal panel 2 that has been read by the camera 41 to the processing device 15 and transports it to the processing device 15. The liquid crystal panel 2 removes an electrostatic ionizer (static removing device) 45, and the transporting device 46 that transports the liquid crystal panel 2 that has been read by the camera 41 toward the robot 44.

The camera 42 is disposed between the tray stage 6 and the tray stage 7 in the left-right direction. Further, the camera 42 is disposed such that the optical axis direction of the camera 42 coincides with the vertical direction. The camera 42 is disposed below the liquid crystal panel 2 held by the panel holding portion 29, and detects the corner portion 2a of the liquid crystal panel 2 from the lower side of the liquid crystal panel 2. Specifically, the two cameras 42 detect the respective positions of the two corner portions 2a from the lower side of the liquid crystal panel 2, respectively. A polarizing filter is mounted on the front end of the lens of the camera 42. The phase of the polarizing filter of the camera 42 and the phase of the polarizing member adhered to the lower surface of the expanding member 30 are shifted by 90°.

When the corner portion 2a is detected by the camera 42, the light (which is omitted from the drawing) and reflected by the reflecting plate (not shown) is irradiated to the liquid crystal panel 2 from the lower side. The upper surface of the reflecting plate that reflects light toward the liquid crystal panel 2 is, for example, white. Further, in the case where white is formed on the upper surface of the reflecting plate, the polarizing member may not be adhered to the lower surface of the expanding member 30. In this case, the lower surface of the expansion member 30 is formed in black. Further, in the case where the polarizing member is not adhered to the lower surface of the expanding member 30, the polarizing filter may not be attached to the camera 42.

The camera 41 is disposed between the tray stage 6 and the tray stage 7 in the left-right direction. Further, the camera 41 is disposed such that the optical axis direction of the camera 41 coincides with the vertical direction. The camera 41 is disposed below the liquid crystal panel 2 that is held by the panel holding portion 29 . Further, the camera 41 is disposed slightly behind the end faces of the tray stages 6 and 7. The camera 41 reads the material recorded on the liquid crystal panel 2 from the lower side of the liquid crystal panel 2. That is, the camera 41 reads the material of the liquid crystal panel 2 disposed above the camera 41. When the camera 41 reads the material, the light emitted from the illumination (not shown) is irradiated to the liquid crystal panel 2 from the lower side.

The transport device 46 includes a slide stage 48 (see FIG. 2) on which the liquid crystal panel 2 is placed, and a fixed frame for holding the slide stage 48 so as to be slidable in the right and left direction, and the slide stage 48 is moved to the left and right with respect to the fixed frame. The drive mechanism that slides in the direction. The slide stage 48 is provided with a plurality of adsorption sections that vacuum-adsorb the liquid crystal panel 2 placed on the upper surface of the slide stage 48.

The robot 44 is provided with a panel grip portion 49 (see FIG. 2) that vacuum-adsorbs and holds the liquid crystal panel 2, and holds the movable frame of the panel grip portion 49 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. Holding the second movable frame of the movable frame, holding the fixed frame of the second movable frame in such a manner as to be slidable in the forward and backward directions, lifting and lowering the panel holding portion 49 relative to the movable frame, and moving the movable frame relative to the second movable frame A drive mechanism that slides the frame in the right and left direction, and a drive mechanism that slides the second movable frame in the front-rear direction with respect to the fixed frame.

(Alignment Operation and Data Reading Operation of Liquid Crystal Panel) FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the robot 9 and the like shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a view for explaining the operation of the robot 9 when the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 is read by the camera 41 shown in FIG. 2.

In the transport system 1, when the automatic operation of the transport system 1 is started, the robot 9 grips the liquid crystal panel 2 in the tray 3 on the tray stages 6, 7 (step S1), and transports it to the upper side of the camera 42 (step S2). ). In step S2, as shown in FIG. 4, the robot 9 transports the liquid crystal panel 2 such that a portion of one of the corner portions 2a of the two corner portions 2a of the liquid crystal panel 2 is disposed directly above one of the two cameras 42. The portion near the other corner portion 2a is disposed directly above the other camera 42.

After the liquid crystal panel 2 is carried over the camera 42, the positions of the two corner portions 2a are detected from the lower side by the two cameras 42. When the corner portion 2a of the liquid crystal panel 2 is detected by the camera 42, the robot 9 transports the liquid crystal panel 2 from above the camera 42 to the upper side of the camera 41 (step S3). That is, in steps S1 to S3, the robot 9 grips the liquid crystal panel 2, transports the liquid crystal panel 2 to the upper side of the camera 42, and transports the liquid crystal panel 2 above the camera 41.

In step S3, the robot 9 transports the liquid crystal panel 2 from above the camera 42 toward the upper side of the camera 41 while the liquid crystal panel 2 is aligned based on the detection result of the position of the corner portion 2a of the camera 42. In other words, the robot 9 drives the motors 31 and 34 based on the detection result of the camera 42, and the panel grip portion 29 is slightly rotated in the upward and downward directions in the direction of the rotation axis, or the panel grip portion 29 is moved forward, backward, left and right, thereby performing the movement. When the liquid crystal panel 2 is aligned, the liquid crystal panel 2 is transported from above the camera 42 to the upper side of the camera 41.

Moreover, in step S3, the robot 9 conveys the liquid crystal panel 2 to the reference position previously taught. When the liquid crystal panel 2 is transported above the camera 41, the camera 41 reads the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 disposed above the camera 41 (step S4). Thereafter, in step S4, it is determined whether or not the camera 41 has successfully read the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 (step S5). This determination is made by the control unit of the transport system 1.

In step S4, when the camera 41 successfully reads the material of the liquid crystal panel 2, the robot 9 transports the liquid crystal panel 2 to the slide stage 48 (step S6). Moreover, the robot 9 mounts the liquid crystal panel 2 on the slide stage 48 (step S7), and returns to step S1 to hold the other liquid crystal panel 2 in the tray 3 on the tray stages 6, 7.

Further, when the liquid crystal panel 2 is placed on the slide stage 48, the transport device 46 moves the slide stage 48, and the liquid crystal panel 2 is transported to the position where the panel grip portion 49 of the robot 44 can hold the liquid crystal panel 2. The robot 44 vacuum-adsorbs the panel grip portion 49 and grips the liquid crystal panel 2 transported by the transport device 46, and carries the liquid crystal panel 2 from the slide stage 48 to the processing device 15. Further, the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 read by the camera 41 is associated with the liquid crystal panel 2 on which the material is read as the individual data of the liquid crystal panel 2 on which the material is read.

On the other hand, in step S4, when the reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 by the camera 41 fails, the robot 9 moves the liquid crystal panel 2 upward, and changes the height of the liquid crystal panel 2 (step S8). In step S8, the robot 9 raises the liquid crystal panel 2 at the reference position by a distance Δh1 (see FIGS. 7(A) and (B)). The distance Δh1 is, for example, an extremely small distance of less than 1 (mm), and is set in advance in the control unit of the transport system 1. When the height of the liquid crystal panel 2 is changed, the camera 41 reads the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 whose height has been changed (step S9).

Thereafter, in step S9, it is judged whether or not the reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 by the camera 41 is successful (step S10). In step S9, when the reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 by the camera 41 is successful, the process proceeds to step S6. On the other hand, in step S9, when the reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 by the camera 41 fails, the robot 9 moves the liquid crystal panel 2 downward, and changes the height of the liquid crystal panel 2 (step S11).

In step S11, the robot 9 moves the liquid crystal panel 2 to a lower side than the reference position. Specifically, the robot 9 moves the liquid crystal panel 2 to a position at a distance Δh2 from the reference position (see FIG. 7). The distance Δh2 is, for example, an extremely small distance of less than 1 (mm), and is similar to the distance Δh1 in that the control unit of the transport system 1 is set in advance. The distance Δh1 and the distance Δh2 can be individually set in the control unit of the transport system 1. In this form, the distance Δh1 and the distance Δh2 are equal. However, the distance Δh1 and the distance Δh2 may also be different.

When the height of the liquid crystal panel 2 is changed in step S11, the camera 41 reads the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 whose height has been changed (step S12). Thereafter, it is judged in step S12 whether or not the reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 by the camera 41 is successful (step S13). In step S12, when the reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 by the camera 41 is successful, the process proceeds to step S6. On the other hand, in step S12, when the reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 by the camera 41 fails, a data reading error occurs (step S14), and the automatic operation of the transport system 1 is stopped. That is, the reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 by the camera 41 fails, and the data reading system 10 is abnormally stopped.

The step S3 of this type is a panel transporting step, the step S4 is a first data reading step, and the step S8 is a first panel height changing step. Further, step S9 is a second data reading step, step S11 is a second panel height changing step, and step S12 is a third data reading step.

(Main effect of this type) As described above, in the present mode, when the reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 by the camera 41 fails in step S4, the robot 9 causes the liquid crystal panel 2 to be up in step S8. The direction is moved to change the height of the liquid crystal panel 2, and then, in step S9, the camera 41 reads the data of the liquid crystal panel 2. Therefore, in this type, the reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 is easy, and the abnormal stop of the data reading system 10 caused by the failure of the reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 by the camera 41 can be suppressed.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 by the camera 41 has failed in step S9, the robot 9 moves the liquid crystal panel 2 to the lower side than the reference position in step S11 to change the liquid crystal. The height of the panel 2, after that, in step S12, the camera 41 reads the data of the liquid crystal panel 2. Therefore, in this type, the reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 is more successful. Therefore, in the present mode, it is possible to effectively suppress the abnormal stop of the material reading system 10 caused by the failure of the reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 by the camera 41.

In the present embodiment, in step S3, the robot 9 transports the liquid crystal panel 2 to the reference position taught in advance. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the position at which the reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 is easily succeeded is taught to the robot 9 as a reference position, and the probability of successful reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 can be improved in step S4. .

(Other Embodiments) The above-described embodiments are merely examples of the best mode of the present invention, and are not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

In the above manner, when the reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 by the camera 41 fails in step S9, the robot 9 may further move the liquid crystal panel 2 upward to change the height of the liquid crystal panel 2, and the height of the camera 41 is read. The information of the liquid crystal panel 2 after the change. Moreover, in step S12, when the reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 by the camera 41 fails, the robot 9 can further move the liquid crystal panel 2 downward to change the height of the liquid crystal panel 2, and the camera 41 reads the height after the change. Information on the LCD panel 2.

In the above manner, in step S8, the robot 9 can also move the liquid crystal panel 2 in the downward direction to change the height of the liquid crystal panel 2. In this case, in step S11, the robot 9 moves the liquid crystal panel 2 upward from the reference position. Further, in the above-described aspect, in step S9, when the reading of the data of the liquid crystal panel 2 by the camera 41 has failed, the process may proceed to step S14. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the robot 9 may convey the liquid crystal panel 2 to the position shifted by the reference position in step S3.

In the above aspect, the robot 9 is a parallel link robot, but the robot 9 may be a robot such as a horizontal articulated robot or a vertical articulated robot. Further, in the above aspect, the display panel for reading data by the material reading system 10 may be a display panel other than the liquid crystal panel 2. For example, the display panel for reading data by the material reading system 10 may also be an organic EL panel.

In the above aspect, the transport system 1 may be a system for transporting the liquid crystal panel 2 discharged from the processing device 15, or may be used to transport the liquid crystal panel 2 supplied to the processing device 15, while transporting the liquid crystal discharged from the processing device 15. The system of panel 2.

When the transport system 1 transports the liquid crystal panel 2 discharged from the processing apparatus 15, the robot 9 carries the liquid crystal panel 2 discharged from the processing apparatus 15 into the tray 3 placed on the tray stages 6, 7. Moreover, in this case, the material of the liquid crystal panel 2 is read by the camera 41 before the liquid crystal panel 2 is carried in the tray 3. When the transport system 1 transports the liquid crystal panel 2 supplied to the processing apparatus 15 and transports the liquid crystal panel 2 discharged from the processing apparatus 15, the robot 9 carries out the liquid crystal panel 2 from the trays 3 on the tray stages 6 and 7. At the same time, the liquid crystal panel 2 discharged from the processing device 15 is carried into the tray 3 on the tray stages 6, 7.

1‧‧‧Handling system

2‧‧‧LCD panel (display panel)

2a‧‧‧ corner

3‧‧‧Tray

4‧‧‧Conveyor

5‧‧‧Conveyor

6‧‧‧Tray loading platform

7‧‧‧Tray loading platform

8‧‧‧ Robot

9‧‧‧ Robot

10‧‧‧data reading system

11‧‧‧Supply unit

12‧‧‧ Ontology framework

13‧‧‧ ontology framework

15‧‧‧Processing device

20‧‧‧ ontology framework

21‧‧‧ movable frame

22‧‧‧ movable frame

23‧‧‧ movable frame

24‧‧‧Tray Handling Department

25‧‧‧ Body Department

26‧‧‧ pole

27‧‧‧ Arms

28‧‧‧ head unit

29‧‧‧ Panel Control Department

30‧‧‧Expansion components

31‧‧‧Motor

32‧‧‧ Arm

33‧‧‧Adsorption Department

34‧‧‧Motor

41‧‧‧Camera

42‧‧‧Camera

44‧‧‧ Robot

45‧‧‧Ionizer (except static device)

46‧‧‧Transportation device

48‧‧‧Sliding stage

49‧‧‧ Panel Control Department

Δh1‧‧‧ distance

Δh2‧‧‧ distance

S3‧‧‧ Panel handling steps

S4‧‧‧First data reading step

S8‧‧‧First panel height change procedure

S9‧‧‧Second data reading step

S11‧‧‧Second panel height change procedure

S12‧‧‧ Third data reading step

1 is a side view of a transport system incorporating a data reading system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a view for explaining the handling system from the E-E direction of Figure 1. 3 is a perspective view of the robot shown in FIG. 1. 4 is a plan view of the panel grip portion and the expansion member shown in FIG. 3. Fig. 5 is a side view of the panel holding portion and the expansion member shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the robot or the like shown in Fig. 3. 7(A) to 7(C) are diagrams for explaining the operation of the robot when the data of the display panel is read by the camera shown in Fig. 2.

Claims (4)

A data reading system, comprising: a camera that reads optically readable material recorded on a display panel; and a robot that holds the display panel and carries the display panel above the camera, when the camera pair When the reading of the data of the display panel disposed above the camera fails, the robot moves the display panel in the vertical direction to change the height of the display panel, and the camera reads the height of the display panel after the height change. data. A data reading system control method, the data reading system comprising: a camera that reads optically readable material recorded on a display panel; and a robot that holds the display panel and carries the display panel above the camera The control method of the data reading system is characterized by comprising: a first data reading step, wherein the camera reads the data of the display panel disposed above the camera; and the first panel height changing step is performed in the In the data reading step, when the reading of the data by the camera fails, the robot moves the display panel in an upward direction or a downward direction to change the height of the display panel; and the second data reading step is performed at the height of the first panel After the changing step, the camera reads the above information of the display panel. The method of controlling a data reading system according to claim 2, further comprising: a panel transporting step of the robot for transporting the display panel to a predetermined reference position; wherein in the first data reading step, the camera reads The above information of the display panel conveyed in the panel transporting step. The control method of the data reading system of claim 3, further comprising: a second panel height changing step, when the reading of the data by the camera fails in the second data reading step, in the first panel When the display panel moves in the upward direction in the position changing step, the robot moves the display panel downward from the reference position to change the height of the display panel, and the display panel is oriented in the first panel position changing step. When moving in the downward direction, the robot moves the display panel upward from the reference position to change the height of the display panel, and the third data reading step is performed after the second panel height changing step The above information of the above display panel.