Slit coating machine and coating die head calibration method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a slit coating machine and a coating die head calibration method thereof.The slit coating machine comprises a coating mechanism, a coating platform and a control module, the coating mechanism comprises a coating die head, a first lifting driving assembly and a second lifting driving assembly, and the output end of the first lifting driving assembly and the output end of the second lifting driving assembly are connected with the two ends of the coating die head respectively; a first contact type displacement sensor and a second contact type displacement sensor which correspond to the two ends of the coating die head respectively are mounted on the coating platform, the first contact type displacement sensor comprises a first telescopic contact, the second contact type displacement sensor comprises a second telescopic contact, and the first telescopic contact and the second telescopic contact upwards extend out of the upper surface of the coating platform by the same height in a natural state; the control module is in communication connection with the first and second lifting driving assemblies and the first and second contact type displacement sensors. According to the invention, the parallelism and the working distance between the coating die head and the coating platform can be conveniently adjusted, and the working efficiency and the parallel precision between the coating die head and the coating platform can be favorably improved, so that the coating uniformity can be favorably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of coating, and in particular to a slit coater and a coating die head calibration method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Slit coater is a high-precision coating technology that is essential for the preparation of perovskite thin films. The consistency of the coating thickness of the slit coater has a great impact on the photoelectric conversion efficiency of perovskite cells. How to improve the consistency of coating thickness has become a difficult problem in the industry.

[0003] The parallelism between the coating die head and the platform of the existing slit coater is measured and debugged by a micrometer. The distance between the coating die head and the platform is controlled by a single-axis servo motor. Each debugging consumes a lot of manpower time and it is difficult to grasp the debugging accuracy. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention aims to provide a slit coater and a coating die calibration method thereof, which can facilitate the adjustment of the parallelism and working distance between the coating die and the coating platform, thereby helping to improve the working efficiency and the parallelism accuracy between the die and the coating platform, thereby helping to improve the uniformity of the coating film.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a slit coater, comprising a coating mechanism, a coating platform and a control module, wherein the coating mechanism comprises a coating die head, a first lifting drive assembly and a second lifting drive assembly, and the output ends of the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly are respectively connected to the two ends of the coating die head; a first contact displacement sensor and a second contact displacement sensor corresponding to the two ends of the coating die head are installed on the coating platform, respectively, the first contact displacement sensor comprises a first telescopic contact, and the second contact displacement sensor comprises a second telescopic contact, and the first telescopic contact and the second telescopic contact extend upward to the same height of the upper surface of the coating platform in a natural state; the control module is communicatively connected with the first lifting drive assembly, the second lifting drive assembly, the first contact displacement sensor and the second contact displacement sensor.

[0006] Optionally, the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly include a lifting motor and a transmission mechanism connected to the output end of the lifting motor, a connecting rod is fixedly connected to the coating die head, and both ends of the connecting rod are respectively connected to the transmission mechanism of the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly, and the lifting motor drives the connecting rod and the coating die head to move vertically when in operation; or, The first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly include lifting linear modules, and both ends of the coating die head are respectively fixedly connected to the sliders of the two lifting linear modules.

[0007] Optionally, the first contact displacement sensor and the second contact displacement sensor are arranged on an end surface of the coating platform.

[0008] Optionally, based on the slit coater according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the method comprises: S1, retracting the first telescopic contact of the first contact displacement sensor and the second telescopic contact of the second contact displacement sensor downward to be flush with the upper surface of the coating platform, setting a first data value for the first contact displacement sensor and the second contact displacement sensor in this state, and releasing the first telescopic contact and the second telescopic contact; S2, under the drive of the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly, the coating die head presses the first telescopic contact and the second telescopic contact downward and makes the detection data of the first contact displacement sensor and the second contact displacement sensor equal to the first data value, and records the current position Z1H0 of the output end of the first lifting drive assembly on its vertical movement axis and the current position Z2H0 of the output end of the second lifting drive assembly on its vertical movement axis.

[0009] Optionally, step S2 includes the following steps: Controlling the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly to operate synchronously to move the coating die head downward; When the detection data of the first contact displacement sensor and the second contact displacement sensor that is pressed by the coating die head first is close to the first data value, stopping the operation of the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly; Controlling one of the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly corresponding to the other of the first contact displacement sensor and the second contact displacement sensor to operate to perform descending driving, so that the difference between the detection data of the first contact displacement sensor and the detection data of the second contact displacement sensor is within a preset range; Calculate the distances that the output end of the first lifting drive assembly and the output end of the second lifting drive assembly need to move on the vertical motion axis according to the currently obtained detection data of the first contact displacement sensor and the detection data of the second contact displacement sensor; According to the distances that each needs to move, the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly are controlled respectively, so that the detection data of the first contact displacement sensor and the detection data of the second contact displacement sensor are both equal to the first data value.

[0010] Optionally, it is characterized in that the first data value is zero.

[0011] Optionally, the step of retracting the first telescopic contact of the first contact displacement sensor and the second telescopic contact of the second contact displacement sensor downward to be flush with the upper surface of the coating platform comprises: Providing a calibration block, wherein the bottom surface of the calibration block is a calibration plane; The calibration block is placed on the upper surface of the coating platform, and the calibration plane is in contact with the upper surface of the coating platform and is pressed onto the first telescopic probe and the second telescopic probe.

[0012] Optionally, after step S2, the method further includes: The first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly are controlled to rise synchronously to the installation position, and the current position of the output end of the first lifting drive assembly on its vertical movement axis and the current position of the output end of the second lifting drive assembly on its vertical movement axis are recorded.

[0013] Optionally, after step S2, the method further includes: According to the position Z1H0, the thickness of the material placed on the coating platform, and the set working distance between the coating die head and the material, the working position Z1H2 of the output end of the first lifting drive assembly on its vertical movement axis is calculated, and according to the position Z2H0, the thickness of the material placed on the coating platform, and the set working distance between the coating die head and the material, the working position Z2H2 of the output end of the second lifting drive assembly on its vertical movement axis is calculated.

[0014] Optionally, before step S2, the method further includes: The first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly are synchronized back to zero, and the current position of the output end of the first lifting drive assembly on its vertical movement axis and the current position of the output end of the second lifting drive assembly on its vertical movement axis are set to second data values.

[0015] In the embodiment of the present invention, the coating platform of the slit coater is equipped with a first contact displacement sensor and a second contact displacement sensor respectively corresponding to the two ends of the coating die head, the first contact displacement sensor includes a first telescopic contact, the second contact displacement sensor includes a second telescopic contact, and the first telescopic contact and the second telescopic contact extend upward to the same height of the upper surface of the coating platform in a natural state. The first contact displacement sensor and the second contact displacement sensor can be used to adjust the parallelism of the coating die head and the coating platform, which is beneficial to improve the calibration efficiency and ensure the parallel accuracy of the coating die head and the coating platform, thereby helping to improve the uniformity of the coating film. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the slit coater in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a slit coater with a calibration block placed therein according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 1 is a top view of a slit coater in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 4 Flow chart of the coating die calibration method in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 5 Flow chart of step S1 of the coating die calibration method in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 6 It is a front view of a coating platform with a calibration block placed thereon in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 7 Flow chart of step S2 of the coating die calibration method in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to explain the technical content, structural features and achieved effects of the present invention in detail, the following is a detailed description in conjunction with the implementation methods and the accompanying drawings.

[0024] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present invention, so the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0025] See also Figures 1 to 3The embodiment of the present invention discloses a slit coating machine, including a coating mechanism 10, a coating platform 20 and a control module (not shown), wherein the coating mechanism 10 includes a coating die 30, a first lifting drive assembly 40 and a second lifting drive assembly 50, wherein the output ends of the first lifting drive assembly 40 and the second lifting drive assembly 50 are respectively connected to the two ends of the coating die 30; a first contact displacement sensor 60 and a second contact displacement sensor 70 corresponding to the two ends of the coating die 30 are installed on the coating platform 20, wherein the first contact displacement sensor 60 includes a first telescopic contact 61, and the second contact displacement sensor 70 includes a second telescopic contact 71, wherein the first telescopic contact 61 and the second telescopic contact 71 extend upward to the same height as the upper surface of the coating platform 20 in a natural state; and the control module is communicatively connected with the first lifting drive assembly 40, the second lifting drive assembly 50, the first contact displacement sensor 60 and the second contact displacement sensor 70.

[0026] In some embodiments, the first lifting drive assembly 40 and the second lifting drive assembly 50 include a lifting motor and a transmission mechanism connected to the output end of the lifting motor. A connecting rod 80 is fixedly connected to the coating die head 30. The two ends of the connecting rod 80 are respectively connected to the transmission mechanism of the first lifting drive assembly 40 and the second lifting drive assembly 50. When the lifting motor is in operation, it drives the connecting rod 80 and the coating die head 30 to move vertically.

[0027] Specifically, the first lifting drive assembly 40 and the second lifting drive assembly 50 include lifting linear modules, and both ends of the coating die head 30 are fixedly connected to the sliders of the two lifting linear modules respectively.

[0028] Specifically, the first contact displacement sensor 60 and the second contact displacement sensor 70 are arranged on the end surface of the coating platform 20. The telescopic stroke of the first contact displacement sensor 60 and the second contact displacement sensor 70 is 5 mm. When they are arranged on the coating platform 20 without being subjected to external pressure, the height from the upper surface of the coating platform 20 is 2 mm. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0029] In a specific example, the coating platform 20 is mounted on a mounting substrate 100 , and a fixed mounting frame 110 is also fixedly mounted on the mounting substrate 100 , and the first lifting drive assembly 40 and the second lifting drive assembly 50 are respectively fixedly mounted on the fixed mounting frame 110 .

[0030] In some embodiments, the slit coater also includes a Y-axis drive module 120, which is fixedly mounted on the mounting substrate 30, and the coating platform 20 is mounted on the output end of the Y-axis drive module 120. The Y-axis drive module 120 is connected to the controller for driving the coating platform 20 to move along the Y-axis direction.

[0031] In a specific example, the control module is an EtherCAT bus PLC controller, which communicates with the touch screen via Ethernet. The operation of the servo motor, displacement sensor, etc. can be controlled by operating the touch screen.

[0032] In the embodiment of the present invention, the coating platform 20 of the slit coater is equipped with a first contact displacement sensor 60 and a second contact displacement sensor 70 respectively corresponding to the two ends of the coating die 30, the first contact displacement sensor 60 includes a first telescopic contact 61, the second contact displacement sensor 70 includes a second telescopic contact 71, and the first telescopic contact 61 and the second telescopic contact 71 extend upward to the same height of the upper surface of the coating platform 20 in a natural state. The first contact displacement sensor 60 and the second contact displacement sensor 70 can be used to adjust the parallelism of the coating die 30 and the coating platform 20, which is conducive to improving the calibration efficiency and ensuring the parallel accuracy of the coating die 30 and the coating platform 20, thereby helping to improve the uniformity of the coating film.

[0033] See also Figures 4 to 7 The present invention also discloses a coating die head calibration method for a slit coater, which is implemented based on the slit coater as above, and the method comprises: S1, retract the first telescopic contact 61 of the first contact displacement sensor 60 and the second telescopic contact 71 of the second contact displacement sensor 70 downward to be flush with the upper surface of the coating platform 20, set a first data value for the first contact displacement sensor 60 and the second contact displacement sensor 70 in this state, and release the first telescopic contact 61 and the second telescopic contact 71.

[0034] Specifically, the first data value is 0.

[0035] See also Figure 5 Specifically, the first retractable contact 61 of the first contact displacement sensor 60 and the second retractable contact 71 of the second contact displacement sensor 70 are retracted downward to be flush with the upper surface of the coating platform 20, including: S11, provide a check block (such as Figure 6 As shown in Figure 2), the bottom surface of the calibration block is the calibration plane.

[0036] In a specific example, the surface flatness difference of the calibration block 90 needs to be controlled within 1 um.

[0037] S12, placing the calibration block on the upper surface of the coating platform 20, the calibration plane and the upper surface of the coating platform 20 are in contact with each other and are pressed onto the first telescopic probe and the second telescopic probe.

[0038] S2, under the drive of the first lifting drive assembly 40 and the second lifting drive assembly 50, the coating die head 30 presses downwardly the first telescopic contact 61 and the second telescopic contact 71 and makes the detection data of the first contact displacement sensor 60 and the second contact displacement sensor 70 equal to the first data value (at this time, the bottom surface of the coating die head 30 is attached to the upper surface of the coating platform 20) and records the current position Z1H0 of the output end of the first lifting drive assembly 40 on its vertical movement axis and the current position Z2H0 of the output end of the second lifting drive assembly 50 on its vertical movement axis.

[0039] It can be understood that, during the specific operation, the position of the coating platform 20 in the Y-axis direction can be adjusted by the Y-axis driving module 70 group, so that when the coating die head 30 descends to the height of the coating platform 20, it can just be partially pressed on the coating platform 20 and partially contacted with the first contact displacement sensor 60 and the second contact displacement sensor 70.

[0040] See also Figure 7 Specifically, step S2 includes: S21, controlling the first lifting drive assembly 40 and the second lifting drive assembly 50 to operate synchronously to move the coating die head 30 downward.

[0041] In a specific example, the descending speed of the first lifting drive assembly 40 and the second lifting drive assembly 50 is 2 mm / s.

[0042] It should be explained that, in the present application, the synchronous operation of the first lifting drive assembly 40 and the second lifting drive assembly 50 also means that the vertical motion output by the two is synchronous. The two preferably adopt the same composition.

[0043] S22, when the detection data of the first contact displacement sensor 60 and the second contact displacement sensor 70 that is first pressed by the coating die head 30 is close to the first data value, the operation of the first lifting drive assembly 40 and the second lifting drive assembly 50 is stopped.

[0044] S23, controlling one of the first lifting drive component 40 and the second lifting drive component 50 corresponding to the other of the first contact displacement sensor 60 and the second contact displacement sensor 70 to operate for descending drive, so that the difference between the detection data of the first contact displacement sensor 60 and the detection data of the second contact displacement sensor 70 is within a preset range.

[0045] Specifically, the value of the preset range is 0.2 mm. Of course, this application does not limit this.

[0046] S24, based on the currently obtained detection data of the first contact displacement sensor 60 and the detection data of the second contact displacement sensor 70, calculate the distances that the output end of the first lifting drive component 40 and the output end of the second lifting drive component 50 need to move on their vertical movement axis respectively.

[0047] S25, controlling the first lifting drive assembly 40 and the second lifting drive assembly 50 respectively according to the distances they need to move, so that the detection data of the first contact displacement sensor 60 and the detection data of the second contact displacement sensor 70 are both equal to the first data value.

[0048] In some embodiments, after step S2, the method further comprises: The first lifting drive assembly 40 and the second lifting drive assembly 50 are controlled to rise synchronously to the installation position, and the current position of the output end of the first lifting drive assembly 40 on its vertical movement axis and the current position of the output end of the second lifting drive assembly 50 on its vertical movement axis are recorded.

[0049] In some embodiments, after step S2, the method further comprises: According to the position Z1H0, the thickness of the material placed on the coating platform 20, and the set working distance between the coating die 30 and the material, the working position Z1H2 of the output end of the first lifting drive assembly 40 on its vertical movement axis is calculated, and according to the position Z2H0, the thickness of the material placed on the coating platform 20, and the set working distance between the coating die 30 and the material, the working position Z2H2 of the output end of the second lifting drive assembly 50 on its vertical movement axis is calculated.

[0050] Specifically, the calculation formula of Z1H2 is

[0051] The calculation formula of Z2H2 is

[0052] Wherein, M is the thickness of the coating material, and T is the preset working distance between the coating die head 30 and the coating material during coating.

[0053] It is understandable that, since a synchronization relationship is established before setting the working position Z1H1 and the working position Z2H2, only one of the values ​​needs to be calculated.

[0054] In some embodiments, before step S2, the method further comprises: The first lifting drive assembly 40 and the second lifting drive assembly 50 are synchronized back to zero, and the current position of the output end of the first lifting drive assembly 40 on its vertical movement axis and the current position of the output end of the second lifting drive assembly 50 on its vertical movement axis are set to second data values.

[0055] Specifically, the second data value is 0.

[0056] In summary, the coating die calibration method of the embodiment of the present invention, by making the first telescopic contact 61 of the first contact displacement sensor 60 and the second telescopic contact 71 of the second contact displacement sensor 70 retract downward to be flush with the upper surface of the coating platform 20, setting a first data value for the first contact displacement sensor 60 and the second contact displacement sensor 70 in this state, and debugging the first lifting drive assembly 40 and the second lifting drive assembly 50 to make the coating die 30 press down the first contact displacement sensor 60 and the second contact displacement sensor 70, so that the detection data of the first contact displacement sensor 60 and the detection data of the second contact displacement sensor 70 are both equal to the first data value, which can facilitate the adjustment of the parallelism and working distance between the coating die 30 and the coating platform 20, which is beneficial to improving the work efficiency and the parallelism accuracy of the coating die 30 and the coating platform 20, thereby helping to improve the uniformity of the coating film.

[0057] The above disclosure is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is intended to facilitate the understanding and implementation of the present invention by those skilled in the art. It certainly cannot be used to limit the scope of rights of the present invention. Therefore, equivalent changes made within the scope of the invention patent of the present invention still fall within the scope covered by the present invention.

Claims

1. A slit coater, characterized in that: The coating mechanism comprises a coating die head, a first lifting drive assembly and a second lifting drive assembly, wherein the output ends of the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly are respectively connected to the two ends of the coating die head; a first contact displacement sensor and a second contact displacement sensor respectively corresponding to the two ends of the coating die head are installed on the coating platform, wherein the first contact displacement sensor comprises a first telescopic contact, and the second contact displacement sensor comprises a second telescopic contact, and the first telescopic contact and the second telescopic contact extend upward to the same height as the upper surface of the coating platform in a natural state; the control module is communicatively connected with the first lifting drive assembly, the second lifting drive assembly, the first contact displacement sensor and the second contact displacement sensor.

2. The slit coater according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly include a lifting motor and a transmission mechanism connected to the output end of the lifting motor, a connecting rod is fixedly connected to the coating die head, and both ends of the connecting rod are respectively connected to the transmission mechanisms of the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly, and the lifting motor drives the connecting rod and the coating die head to move vertically when in operation; or, The first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly include lifting linear modules, and both ends of the coating die head are respectively fixedly connected to the sliders of the two lifting linear modules.

3. The slit coater according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first contact displacement sensor and the second contact displacement sensor are arranged on the end surface of the coating platform.

4. A method for calibrating a coating die of a slit coater, characterized in that: Based on the slit coater according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the method comprises: S1, retracting the first telescopic contact of the first contact displacement sensor and the second telescopic contact of the second contact displacement sensor downward to be flush with the upper surface of the coating platform, setting a first data value for the first contact displacement sensor and the second contact displacement sensor in this state, and releasing the first telescopic contact and the second telescopic contact; S2, under the drive of the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly, the coating die head presses the first telescopic contact and the second telescopic contact downward and makes the detection data of the first contact displacement sensor and the second contact displacement sensor equal to the first data value, and records the current position Z1H0 of the output end of the first lifting drive assembly on its vertical movement axis and the current position Z2H0 of the output end of the second lifting drive assembly on its vertical movement axis.

5. The coating die calibration method according to claim 4, characterized in that: Step S2 includes the following steps: Controlling the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly to operate synchronously to move the coating die head downward; When the detection data of the first contact displacement sensor and the second contact displacement sensor that is pressed by the coating die head first is close to the first data value, stopping the operation of the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly; Controlling one of the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly corresponding to the other of the first contact displacement sensor and the second contact displacement sensor to operate to perform descending driving, so that the difference between the detection data of the first contact displacement sensor and the detection data of the second contact displacement sensor is within a preset range; Calculate the distances that the output end of the first lifting drive assembly and the output end of the second lifting drive assembly need to move on the vertical motion axis according to the currently obtained detection data of the first contact displacement sensor and the detection data of the second contact displacement sensor; According to the distances that each needs to move, the first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly are controlled respectively, so that the detection data of the first contact displacement sensor and the detection data of the second contact displacement sensor are both equal to the first data value.

6. The coating die calibration method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first data value is zero.

7. The coating die calibration method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The step of causing the first telescopic contact of the first contact displacement sensor and the second telescopic contact of the second contact displacement sensor to retract downward to be flush with the upper surface of the coating platform comprises: Providing a calibration block, wherein the bottom surface of the calibration block is a calibration plane; The calibration block is placed on the upper surface of the coating platform, and the calibration plane is in contact with the upper surface of the coating platform and is pressed onto the first telescopic probe and the second telescopic probe.

8. The coating die calibration method according to claim 4, characterized in that: After step S2, the method further comprises: The first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly are controlled to rise synchronously to the installation position, and the current position of the output end of the first lifting drive assembly on its vertical movement axis and the current position of the output end of the second lifting drive assembly on its vertical movement axis are recorded.

9. The coating die calibration method according to claim 4, characterized in that: After step S2, the method further comprises: According to the position Z1H0, the thickness of the material placed on the coating platform, and the set working distance between the coating die head and the material, the working position Z1H2 of the output end of the first lifting drive assembly on its vertical movement axis is calculated, and according to the position Z2H0, the thickness of the material placed on the coating platform, and the set working distance between the coating die head and the material, the working position Z2H2 of the output end of the second lifting drive assembly on its vertical movement axis is calculated.

10. The coating die calibration method according to claim 4, characterized in that: Before step S2, the method further includes: The first lifting drive assembly and the second lifting drive assembly are synchronized back to zero, and the current position of the output end of the first lifting drive assembly on its vertical movement axis and the current position of the output end of the second lifting drive assembly on its vertical movement axis are set to second data values.

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