Apparatus for inspecting glass substrate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9291577-B2
Application number	US-201314019044-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2013
Priority date	Oct 30, 2012
Publication date	Mar 22, 2016
Grant date	Mar 22, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate is provided, which comprises at least one support arm including an optical sensor that senses incident light and supporting the glass substrate, and a control portion determining whether the glass substrate and the optical sensor overlap each other or a state of the glass substrate based on characteristics of the light sensed by the optical sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate, comprising:
at least one support arm supporting the glass substrate and including an optical sensor that senses light incident to the optical sensor and correspondingly generates electrical signals; and
a control part receiving the electrical signals from the optical sensor and determining whether the glass substrate and the optical sensor overlap each other or a state of the glass substrate, based on the electrical signals representing characteristics of the sensed light.

2. The apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate of claim 1 , wherein the support arm includes a support surface,
at least a portion of the support surface comes in contact with the glass substrate, and
the optical sensor is located on the support surface.

3. The apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate of claim 2 , wherein the optical sensor comprises:
a light emitting unit emitting light; and
a light receiving unit sensing light incident to the light receiving unit.

4. The apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate of claim 2 , wherein the support arm includes an adsorption hole that adsorbs the glass substrate onto one end portion of the support surface, and
the optical sensor is located adjacent to the adsorption hole.

5. The apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate of claim 4 , wherein the absorption hole is in the form of an elongated hole extended in one direction, and
the optical sensor is located adjacent to an end portion in the one direction of the adsorption hole.

6. The apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate of claim 1 , wherein the support arm comes in contact with an edge of the glass substrate.

7. The apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate of claim 6 , wherein the support arm comes in contact with at least one corner portion of the glass substrate.

8. The apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate of claim 6 , further comprising:
a first support plate; and
a second support plate arranged in parallel to be spaced apart from the first support plate,
wherein a plurality of support arms are provided in a first line arranged on an end portion of the first support plate that faces the second support plate and in a second line arranged on an end portion of the second support plate that faces the first support plate.

9. The apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate of claim 8 , wherein the first line and the second line are parallel to each other.

10. The apparatus for inspecting as glass substrate of claim 8 , further comprising at least one connection portion connecting the first support plate and the second support plate to each other,
wherein the connection portion includes the at least one support arm.

11. The apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate of claim 8 , wherein the first support plate or the second support plate includes an alignment portion aligning the glass substrate in a predetermined position.

12. An apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate, comprising:
at least one support arm including a support surface supporting the glass substrate and an optical sensor located on the support surface; and
at least one camera imaging the glass substrate by photographing the glass substrate.

13. The apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate of claim 12 , wherein the optical sensor senses the light incident to the optical sensor and correspondingly generates electrical signals, and
the apparatus further comprises a control part receiving the electrical signals from the optical sensor and determining whether the glass substrate and the optical sensor overlap each other or a state of the glass substrate based on the electrical signals representing characteristics of the sensed light.

14. The apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate of claim 13 , wherein the support arm includes an adsorption hole that adsorbs the glass substrate onto one end portion of the support surface, and
the optical sensor is located adjacent to the adsorption hole.

15. The apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate of claim 12 , wherein at least a portion of the support surface comes in contact with an edge of the glass substrate.

16. The apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate of claim 15 , further comprising:
a first support plate; and
a second support plate arranged in parallel to be spaced apart from the first support plate,
wherein a plurality of support arms are provided in a first line arranged on an end portion of the first support plate that faces the second support plate and in a second line arranged on an end portion of the second support plate that faces the first support plate.

17. An apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate, comprising:
a transport portion transporting a glass substrate loaded onto the transport portion to an inspection area;
at least one optical sensor adjacent to the transport portion sensing light incident to the optical sensor and correspondingly generating electrical signals; and
a control part receiving the electrical signals from the optical sensor and determining whether the glass substrate and the optical sensor overlap each other or a state of the glass substrate based on the electrical signals representing characteristics of the sensed light.

18. The apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate of claim 17 , wherein the optical sensor is located in a path where the glass substrate is loaded.

19. The apparatus for inspecting, a glass substrate of claim 8 , wherein a pair of optical sensors are provided, and
the pair of optical sensors are located at opposite sides of the transport portion.

20. The apparatus for inspecting a glass substrate of claim 17 , wherein the optical sensor is located at a lower portion of an edge of the glass substrate when the transport portion transports the glass substrate to the inspection area.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Jae Ho

Classifications

• G01N21/958 Primary

  Inspecting transparent materials {or objects, e.g. windscreens (for conveyed flat sheet or rod G01N21/896)} · CPC title

• G01N21/896

  Optical defects in or on transparent materials, e.g. distortion, surface flaws {in conveyed flat sheet or rod (for other objects G01N21/958)} · CPC title

• G01N21/88 Primary

  Investigating the presence of flaws or contamination · CPC title