Length Measuring Machine Automatic Calibration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current length measuring machines in TFT-LCD manufacturing processes face instability due to manual operation, complex robot transportation rules, and lack of automatic calibration, leading to inaccurate measurements and difficulty in identifying exceptions.
Innovation Solution
A daily checking and calibrating method that includes automatic detection of the machine state, measurement of positioning marks, calculation of calibration values, and execution of automatic calibration, with alarm notifications to operators, using a substrate-carrying platform with cross-shaped positioning marks and a coordinate system established by defining middle points and an origin.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual daily checking and calibration operations are performed, then operators can control the process, but measurement stability and accuracy deteriorate due to human error and operational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The length measuring machine performs self-calibration by automatically detecting positioning marks on the substrate-carrying platform and adjusting its own coordinate parameters without requiring manual intervention. The system independently completes the calibration process by comparing measured coordinates with standard coordinates and automatically updating calibration data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations with automated optical and computational systems. The coordinate measurement device uses optical fields to detect positioning marks, and computational algorithms automatically calculate calibration values, substituting human mechanical operations with field-based and information-based systems.
2Extent of automation
If automatic calibration is implemented, then calibration can be executed at predetermined times without manual intervention, but the system complexity increases requiring additional components like substrate-carrying platforms with positioning marks
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate-carrying platform serves multiple functions: it transports substrates during normal production and simultaneously serves as a calibration standard by incorporating positioning marks. This multi-functional design enables automatic calibration without requiring separate calibration equipment, reducing overall system complexity despite adding automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning marks are pre-formed on the substrate-carrying platform during platform manufacturing rather than being added later. This preliminary action ensures the marks are permanently and accurately positioned, enabling reliable automatic calibration without requiring additional setup steps or complex alignment procedures.
3Productivity
If complex robot transportation rules are used, then substrates can be transported to marked locations, but the checking process cannot be alarmed and handled automatically at the first moment
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates automatic alarm and notification mechanisms that provide real-time feedback when calibration deviations are detected. The coordinate measurement device compares measured positioning mark coordinates with standard coordinates, and when deviations exceed thresholds, the system automatically generates alarms and notifications to relevant personnel, enabling immediate exception handling.
4Manufacturing precision
If multiple large-scale substrates are transported for manual calibration, then calibration can be performed, but the process takes longer time (about two to four hours) and requires well-experienced operators
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential calibration function from the complex manual process. Instead of transporting multiple large-scale substrates for comprehensive calibration, the system extracts the critical positioning marks on the substrate-carrying platform as the sole calibration reference, performing rapid automated coordinate measurement and calibration in minutes rather than hours.
Data Source
AI summary
A daily checking and calibrating method includes the following steps. Step (1) is for detecting a state of the length measuring machine at a predetermined daily check time. Step (2) is for stopping the transportation of substrates upon determining the length measuring machine is in an idle state. Step (3) is for measuring coordinates of positioning marks on a substrate-carrying platform to generate a measured data file and comparing the measured coordinates of the positioning marks with predetermined coordinates. Step (4) is for automatically calculating a calibration value when a difference between the measured coordinates of the positioning marks and the predetermined coordinates is smaller than a predetermined value and updating the calibration value to a coordinate parameter file to complete automatic calibration. Otherwise, an alarm is activated. Step (5) is for determining follow-up measures when the difference between the measured coordinates of the positioning marks and the predetermined coordinates is larger than the predetermined value.