Automated production method and display panel production line

Abstract

An embodiment of the present application provides an automated production method and a display panel production line. The automated production method is applied to the display panel production line, and a preset control system controls the display panel production line. When the display panel completes the display panel manufacturing process, if there is no first carrier that meets the preset conditions to receive the display panel, according to the product information corresponding to the display panel, a second carrier corresponding to the product information of the display panel and the virtual carrier label corresponding to the second carrier are retrieved again, and the second carrier is loaded onto the machine to receive the display panel. This automated production method builds a channel between the production equipment and the system, and by using the virtual label method, the carrier without a label is introduced into the automated production process of the system, improving the operation efficiency of the production line and reducing costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of display panel production, and specifically relates to an automated production method and a display panel production line. Background Art

[0002] Currently, the production of display panels is usually automated without much manual intervention. However, most of the existing automated production lines are for single-piece receiving. The actual receiving carrier has no label and cannot be imported into the control system of the display panel production line to achieve full automation. All work such as the on-site production process and grade allocation depends on the operator to manually scan the code for secondary detection, which cannot achieve full automation, has low efficiency, and manual operation is prone to omissions and other problems, and cannot guarantee the quality of the display panel. Summary of the Invention

[0003] An embodiment of the present application provides an automated production method and a display panel production line, aiming to solve the problems of the semi-automated mode of manual control of the display panel production line in the prior art, with low production efficiency and high production line risks.

[0004] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an automated production method.

[0005] The method is applied to a display panel production line. The display panel production line includes multiple machines for completing different display panel processes. The display panel production line further includes a carrier for storing display panels. A control system is loaded in a preset control device, and the control system controls the multiple machines to control the display panel production line. The method includes:

[0006] After the display panel completes the current process, the control system determines whether there is a first carrier that meets the preset conditions to receive the display panel.

[0007] If there is no such first carrier to receive the display panel, the control system obtains the product information corresponding to the current display panel.

[0008] The control system determines a second carrier corresponding to the display panel and a virtual carrier label corresponding to the second carrier according to the product information.

[0009] The control system controls the second carrier to go to the machine to store the display panel.

[0010] In a possible embodiment, the step of, after the display panel completes the current process, the control system determines whether there is a first carrier that meets the preset conditions to receive the display panel includes:

[0011] After the display panel completes the current manufacturing process, the control system obtains product information of the display panel;

[0012] The control system obtains first carrier data corresponding to the first carrier;

[0013] The control system determines whether the product information and the first carrier data match to determine whether the first carrier can receive the display panel.

[0014] In a possible embodiment, before the control system determines a second carrier corresponding to the display panel and a virtual carrier label corresponding to the second carrier according to the product information, the method further includes:

[0015] The control system determines a target machine station where the display panel is currently located;

[0016] The target machine station generates and sends a request for loading the carrier;

[0017] The control system obtains a third carrier that has not received the display panel according to the request for loading the carrier. In a possible embodiment, the control system obtains a second carrier corresponding to the display panel and a virtual carrier label corresponding to the second carrier according to the product information, including:

[0018] The control system generates a virtual carrier label according to the product information and a pre-designed calculation strategy, and creates virtual carrier data;

[0019] The target machine station receives the virtual carrier label, and triggers a virtual carrier process according to the virtual carrier label to load the third carrier onto the machine.

[0020] In a possible embodiment, the method further includes: the control system obtains second carrier data corresponding to the third carrier;

[0021] The control system determines third carrier data that matches the product information to determine a second carrier corresponding to the third carrier data.

[0022] In a possible embodiment, the control system controls the second carrier to be loaded onto the machine station to receive the display panel by using the second carrier, including:

[0023] The control system generates and sends a film receiving command for controlling the second carrier to receive the film;

[0024] The second carrier enters a film receiving state according to the film receiving command and receives the display panel.

[0025] In a possible embodiment, when the second carrier enters the film-receiving state according to the film-receiving command and receives the display panel, it includes:

[0026] Using the control system to respectively judge the product grade of the display panel and the carrier grade corresponding to the second carrier;

[0027] According to the product grade and the carrier grade, the control system receives the display panel into the second carrier of the corresponding grade.

[0028] In a possible embodiment, the method further includes: the second carrier updates the product information of the display panel received by itself.

[0029] In a possible embodiment, the method further includes: the second carrier judges whether the display panel received by itself reaches the upper limit;

[0030] If the display panel received by the second carrier reaches the upper limit, the target machine generates and sends a request to download the carrier;

[0031] The control system controls the second carrier to get off the machine according to the request to download the carrier.

[0032] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a display panel production line. The display panel production line includes control equipment and a plurality of machine tools. The plurality of machine tools are used to complete different display panel manufacturing processes. The display panel production line further includes a carrier for receiving the display panel. The control system is loaded in the control equipment. The control system is used to control the plurality of machine tools to control the display panel production line and execute the automated production method described in any one of the above.

[0033] An embodiment of the present application provides an automated production method and a display panel production line. The automated production method is applied to a display panel production line, and a preset control system controls the display panel production line; when the display panel completes the display panel manufacturing process, if there is no first carrier that meets the preset conditions to receive the display panel, then according to the product information corresponding to the display panel, a second carrier corresponding to the product information of the display panel and the virtual carrier label corresponding to the second carrier are re-obtained, and the second carrier is put on the machine to receive the display panel. This automated production method builds a channel between the production equipment and the system, and uses the method of virtual labels to introduce the carrier without labels into the automated production process of the system, improving the operation efficiency of the production line and reducing costs. Description of the Drawings

[0034] The following combines the drawings and describes the specific embodiments of the present application in detail, and the technical solutions and other beneficial effects of the present application will be obvious.

[0035] Figure 1Schematic flowchart of an embodiment of the automated production method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 2 Schematic flowchart of another embodiment of the automated production method provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0037] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0038] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", etc. indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus cannot be understood as a limitation to the present application. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the described features. In the description of the present application, "a plurality" means two or more unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0039] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it may be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection or can communicate with each other; it may be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it may be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0040] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the first feature being "on" or "under" the second feature may include direct contact between the first and second features, or may include the first and second features not being in direct contact but in contact through additional features therebetween. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "over" and "on top of" the second feature includes the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicating that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature being "under", "below" and "beneath" the second feature includes the first feature being directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or merely indicating that the horizontal height of the first feature is less than that of the second feature.

[0041] The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different structures of this application. To simplify the disclosure of this application, the components and settings of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit this application. In addition, this application may repeat reference numerals and / or reference letters in different examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplification and clarity, and in itself does not indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, this application provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but those of ordinary skill in the art can be aware of the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0042] The automated production method provided by the embodiments of this application is mainly applied to a display panel production line. A display panel production line generally includes multiple machines, and the multiple machines are used to complete different display panel manufacturing processes; at the same time, the display panel production line also includes a carrier for storing display panels. When the display panel completes the corresponding process on the machine, the display panel will be received into the carrier and moved to the next machine for subsequent processes.

[0043] Among them, the display panel production line generally further includes a preset control device to control the operation of the entire production line. Specifically, a control system can be loaded in the preset control device, and the control system is used to control multiple machines to control the display panel production line.

[0044] In a specific embodiment, the control system can be a manufacturing execution system (MES).

[0045] As Figure 1 shown, it is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of the automated production method provided by the embodiments of this application, and may include:

[0046] 11. When the display panel completes the current process, the control system determines whether there is a first carrier that meets the preset conditions for receiving the display panel.

[0047] In an embodiment of the present application, determining whether there is a first carrier that meets the preset conditions for receiving a display panel may include: after the display panel completes the current process, obtaining the product information corresponding to the display panel; obtaining the first carrier information corresponding to the first carrier; and determining whether the product information and the first carrier information match to determine whether the first carrier can receive the display panel.

[0048] Specifically, the product information corresponding to the display panel may include the display panel processes that the current product has completed, information such as the size of the display panel, etc. Similarly, the carrier information corresponding to the carrier may also include the size of the carrier, or whether the carrier is a vacuum device to ensure that the display panel is not contaminated during the preparation process.

[0049] Only when the product information corresponding to the display panel matches the first carrier information corresponding to the first carrier can it be considered that the first carrier can receive the display panel. If the product information corresponding to the display panel does not match the first carrier information corresponding to the first carrier, the first carrier on the current machine cannot receive the display panel, and other carriers are needed to receive the display panel.

[0050] 12. If there is no first carrier for receiving the display panel, the control system obtains the product information corresponding to the current display panel.

[0051] Among them, there are various situations where there is no first carrier for receiving the display panel, including but not limited to: the product information corresponding to the display panel does not match the first carrier information corresponding to the first carrier; or there is no carrier on the current machine, so the carrier information corresponding to the carrier cannot be obtained, and the display panel cannot be received either.

[0052] At this time, it is necessary to obtain the product information of the display panel and load the carrier that can receive the display panel according to the product information.

[0053] 13. The control system determines the second carrier corresponding to the display panel and the virtual carrier label corresponding to the second carrier according to the product information.

[0054] In an embodiment of the present application, according to the product information of the display panel and the first carrier information corresponding to the first carrier, it is determined that the first carrier cannot receive the display panel at this time; therefore, it is necessary to determine the second carrier that can receive the display panel according to the product information corresponding to the display panel, and the virtual carrier label corresponding to the second carrier.

[0055] Among them, the virtual carrier label can be understood as the code corresponding to the carrier. Using this virtual carrier label, the newly added carrier can be added to the automated production process of the display panel, and the relevant information of the carrier can be directly determined according to the virtual carrier label later.

[0056] In some embodiments, before determining the second carrier corresponding to the display panel and the virtual carrier label corresponding to the second carrier, the automated production method may further include:

[0057] The control system determines the target machine station where the display panel is currently located; the target machine station produces and sends an upload carrier request; and the control system uses the upload carrier request to obtain a third carrier that has not received the display panel.

[0058] That is, in the embodiments of the present application, after determining that the first carrier cannot receive the display panel, a new carrier needs to be obtained to receive the display panel. At this time, it is necessary to determine the target machine station where the display panel is currently located to determine which step in the display panel manufacturing process the display panel has currently completed, so as to further determine what kind of carrier is needed to receive the display panel.

[0059] At the same time, the target machine station will generate an upload carrier request and send the upload carrier request to the control system; after the control system obtains the upload carrier request, it will determine which machine station sent the upload carrier request to determine the required third carrier.

[0060] After the control system determines the third carrier, the target machine station will obtain the second carrier corresponding to the display panel that has currently completed the display panel manufacturing process and the virtual carrier label corresponding to the second carrier, so as to add the virtual carrier label to the automated production process.

[0061] Specifically, it may include: the control system generates a virtual carrier label according to the product information and a pre-designed calculation strategy, and creates virtual carrier data; the target machine station receives the virtual carrier label and triggers a virtual carrier process according to the virtual carrier label to load the third carrier onto the machine. At this time, the second carrier data corresponding to the third carrier is obtained again, and the third carrier data that matches the product information is determined to determine the second carrier corresponding to the third carrier data.

[0062] That is, in the embodiments of the present application, after determining that the first carrier cannot receive the display panel, the control system will control multiple different third carriers to be loaded onto the machine; therefore, after the third carrier is loaded onto the machine, it is necessary to further determine the second carrier corresponding to the display panel among the third carriers according to the product information corresponding to the display panel.

[0063] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the so-called virtual carrier label is actually to assign a carrier label to the carrier by using a preset calculation strategy, so that the type of carrier can be determined according to the carrier label, and then the relevant parameter information of the carrier can be determined. The virtual carrier label is mainly to convert the carrier label into information that can be transmitted in a computer. Similarly, the virtual carrier data is actually to convert the relevant parameter information corresponding to the carrier into information that can be transmitted in a computer.

[0064] 14. The control system controls the second vehicle to mount on the machine table to use the second vehicle to store the display panel.

[0065] It should be noted that in some embodiments of the present application, mounting the second vehicle that can receive the display panel actually means mounting a variety of different third vehicles, and then determining the second vehicle from the third vehicles according to the product information corresponding to the display panel, so as to use the second vehicle to store the display panel.

[0066] In some other embodiments of the present application, when the control system receives the upload vehicle request, it acquires the currently idle third vehicle that can receive the display panel; at the same time, the control system also needs to determine the second vehicle corresponding to the display panel from the third vehicles according to the product information; the control system only controls the second vehicle to mount, and there is no need to mount all the third vehicles.

[0067] The automated production method provided by the embodiments of the present application is applied to a display panel production line, and a preset control system controls the display panel production line; when the display panel completes the display panel manufacturing process, if there is no first vehicle that meets the preset conditions to receive the display panel, then according to the product information corresponding to the display panel, the second vehicle corresponding to the display panel product information and the virtual vehicle label corresponding to the second vehicle are re-acquired, and the second vehicle is mounted to receive the display panel. This automated production method builds a channel between the production equipment and the system, and uses the method of virtual labels to introduce the unlabeled vehicles into the automated production process of the system, improving the operation efficiency of the production line and reducing costs.

[0068] In the embodiments of the present application, after determining the second vehicle corresponding to the display panel, it is also necessary to acquire the third vehicle information corresponding to the second vehicle. And the control system generates and sends a film receiving command to control the second vehicle to perform film receiving; the second vehicle enters the film receiving state according to the film receiving command and receives the display panel.

[0069] And when the second vehicle enters the film receiving state according to the pick-up and delivery command and receives the display panel, it may include: using the control system to respectively judge the product grade of the display panel and the vehicle grade corresponding to the second vehicle; according to the product grade and the vehicle grade, the control system receives the display panel into the second vehicle of the corresponding grade.

[0070] Specifically, different vehicle grades can be set for each vehicle to receive products of the corresponding grades. Among them, the product grades of the display panel can include the OK grade (i.e., qualified products), the NG grade (i.e., defective products), and the Mix grade (i.e., other products with defects but can be repaired). The vehicle grades can also include the qualified product grade, the defective product grade, and the Mix grade.

[0071] In a specific embodiment, products of the NG grade are loaded into the second vehicle of the NG grade, products of the OK grade are loaded into the second vehicle of the OK grade, and products of the Mix grade are loaded into the second vehicle of the Mix grade.

[0072] In the above embodiment, during the process of the second vehicle receiving the films, it is also necessary to update the information of the products on the display panel of its own income, so as to facilitate the statistics and confirmation of the vehicle where each display panel is located.

[0073] In some other embodiments, after the second vehicle receives the films, it is also necessary to determine whether the second vehicle is full. Specifically, it may include: the second vehicle determines whether the display panels of its own income reach the upper limit; if the display panels of the second vehicle's income reach the upper limit, the target machine generates and sends a request to unload the vehicle; the control system controls the second vehicle to get off the machine according to the request to unload the vehicle.

[0074] Specifically, since the second vehicle will synchronously update the product information corresponding to the received display panels during the process of receiving the display panels, the number of display panels received in the second vehicle can be monitored in real time. When the number of display panels received in the second vehicle reaches the upper limit of the number that the second vehicle can receive, there is no space in the second vehicle to receive more display panels, and it is necessary to unload the second vehicle.

[0075] At this time, the target machine can generate a request to unload the vehicle and send the request to unload the vehicle to the control system; after the control system receives the request to unload the vehicle, it will control the second vehicle to get off the machine. If the second vehicle is not full, continue to receive the films.

[0076] As Figure 2 shown, it is a schematic flowchart of another embodiment of the automated production method provided by the present application. In Figure 2 , after the machine completes the corresponding display panel process, it is necessary to determine whether there is a vehicle that meets the conditions to receive the current display panel. If there is an available vehicle, determine the corresponding product grade of the product and receive the films; at the same time, it is also necessary to monitor whether the vehicle is full. If the vehicle is full, it is necessary to unload the vehicle; if the vehicle is not full, continue to receive the films.

[0077] If there is no vehicle that meets the conditions to receive the current product, it is necessary to load a new vehicle to receive the display panels. At this time, the machine will generate a request to load the vehicle and send it to the control system. The control system determines the currently idle vehicle according to the request to load the vehicle. The machine will also send the product information corresponding to the current display panel to the control system. The control system calculates the virtual vehicle label corresponding to each idle vehicle according to the product information and the pre-designed calculation strategy, and determines the vehicle data corresponding to each idle vehicle.

[0078] After the control system controls all idle carriers to be loaded onto the machine, the control system will also determine the carrier corresponding to the display panel among the idle carriers according to the product information. In some other embodiments, it may also be that the control system first determines the carrier corresponding to the display panel among all idle carriers according to the product information, and then loads the corresponding carrier onto the machine to complete the operation of loading the carrier. At the same time, the control system also needs to feedback the virtual carrier label corresponding to the carrier corresponding to the currently to-be-received display panel to the machine.

[0079] The machine will also request carrier information, and the control system will feedback the carrier information of the corresponding carrier to the machine. The control system will also send a film receiving command for controlling the carrier to receive the film to the carrier at the same time; after receiving the film receiving command, the carrier will enter the film receiving state and wait for receiving the film.

[0080] During the process of the carrier receiving the film, it is necessary to synchronously update the product information corresponding to the display panel received in the carrier. When the carrier is full, the carrier generates a request to unload the carrier and sends it to the control system, and the control system controls the carrier to unload the machine according to the request to unload the carrier.

[0081] Before the carrier unloads the machine, the carrier will also send the carrier information corresponding to itself and the product information corresponding to the display panel received in the carrier to the control system, so that the control system can determine the carrier position where each display panel is located.

[0082] In Figure 2 In the shown embodiment, when the carrier receives the film, it is necessary to receive display panels of different grades into different carriers. That is, the display panels correspond to different product grades, and the carriers also correspond to different carrier grades. Generally speaking, the product grades and the carrier grades correspond one by one.

[0083] In Figure 2 In the shown embodiment, the product grades of the display panels may include the OK grade (i.e., qualified products), the NG grade (i.e., defective products), and the Mix grade (i.e., other products with defects but can be repaired). The carrier grades may also include the qualified product grade, the defective product grade, and the Mix grade. And the products of the NG grade are received into the second carrier of the NG grade, the products of the OK grade are received into the second carrier of the OK grade, and the products of the Mix grade are received into the second carrier of the Mix grade.

[0084] The embodiment of the present application also provides a display panel production line, which includes a plurality of machines for completing different display panel processes. The display panel production line also includes carriers for storing display panels. A preset control system controls the display panel production line, and the display panel production line executes the automated production method described in any one of the above.

[0085] When the display panel production line executes the automated production method, after the display panel completes the display panel manufacturing process, if there is no first carrier that meets the preset conditions to receive the display panel, then according to the product information corresponding to the display panel, a second carrier corresponding to the product information of the display panel and the virtual carrier label corresponding to the second carrier are retrieved again, and the second carrier is loaded onto the machine to receive the display panel. This automated production method builds a channel between the production equipment and the system, and by using the method of virtual labels, the carrier without a label is introduced into the automated production process of the system, improving the operation efficiency of the production line and reducing costs.

[0086] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of the various embodiments have their own emphases. For the parts not detailed in a certain embodiment, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0087] The above has introduced in detail an automated production method and a display panel production line provided by the embodiments of the present application. Specific examples are used in this article to elaborate on the principle and implementation manner of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the technical solution and its core idea of the present application; those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements on some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. An automated production method, characterized in that, the method is applied to a display panel production line, the display panel production line includes multiple machines for completing different display panel manufacturing processes, the display panel production line further includes a carrier for storing display panels, a control system is loaded in a preset control device, and the control system controls the multiple machines to control the display panel production line. The method includes: When the display panel completes the current process, the control system determines whether there is a first carrier that meets the preset conditions to receive the display panel; If there is no such first carrier to receive the display panel, the control system obtains the product information corresponding to the current display panel; The control system determines the target machine where the display panel is currently located; The target machine generates and sends a request for loading the carrier; The control system obtains a third carrier that has not received a display panel according to the request for loading the carrier; The control system determines a second carrier corresponding to the display panel and a virtual carrier label corresponding to the second carrier according to the product information; The control system controls the second carrier to go to the machine to use the second carrier to store the display panel; Among them, the control system determines a second carrier corresponding to the display panel and a virtual carrier label corresponding to the second carrier according to the product information, including: The control system generates a virtual carrier label according to the product information and a preset calculation strategy, and creates virtual carrier data; The target machine receives the virtual carrier label, and triggers a virtual carrier process according to the virtual carrier label to load the third carrier onto the machine.

2. The automated production method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the display panel completes the current process, the control system determines whether there is a first carrier that meets the preset conditions to receive the display panel, including: When the display panel completes the current process, the control system obtains the product information of the display panel; The control system obtains the first carrier data corresponding to the first carrier; The control system determines whether the product information and the first carrier data match to determine whether the first carrier can receive the display panel.

3. The automated production method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The control system obtains the second carrier data corresponding to the third carrier; The control system determines the third carrier data that matches the product information to determine the second carrier corresponding to the third carrier data.

4. The automated production method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The control system controls the second carrier to go to the machine to use the second carrier to store the display panel, including: The control system generates and sends a film receiving command for controlling the second carrier to receive the film; The second carrier enters the film receiving state according to the film receiving command and receives the display panel.

5. The automated production method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The second carrier enters the film rewinding state according to the film rewinding command and rewinds the display panel, including: Using the control system to respectively judge the product grade of the display panel and the carrier grade corresponding to the second carrier; According to the product grade and the carrier grade, the control system receives the display panel into the second carrier of the corresponding grade.

6. The automated production method according to claim 5, wherein, the method further includes: The second carrier updates the product information of the display panel received by itself.

7. The automated production method according to claim 1, wherein, the method further includes; The second carrier judges whether the display panel received by itself reaches the upper limit; If the display panel received by the second carrier reaches the upper limit, the target machine generates and sends a request to unload the carrier; The control system controls the second carrier to leave the machine according to the request to unload the carrier.

8. A display panel production line, wherein, the display panel production line includes control equipment and multiple machines. The multiple machines are used to complete different display panel manufacturing processes. The display panel production line further includes a carrier for storing the display panel. The control system is loaded in the control equipment. The control system is used to control the multiple machines to control the display panel production line and execute the automated production method according to any one of claims 1-7.

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