1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic air-blown cleaning apparatus for liquid crystal display (LCD) components in LCD assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, display manufacturing techniques have improved rapidly. Various displays, such as cathode ray tube (CRT) displays and liquid crystal displays (LCDs), are commonly used. The LCD is lighter and occupies less space than the conventional CRT, and has been widely developed and applied in computers and communication devices, such as digital cameras and video cameras, notebooks, mobile phones, and the like.
Generally, an LCD includes a liquid crystal panel and a backlight module. The liquid crystal panel provides the display function of the LCD. Since the liquid crystal panel does not emit light, light with sufficient brightness and uniform distribution is required by the liquid crystal panel to properly display images. The backlight module provides the light source for the LCD.
In LCD assembly, a circuit module, e.g. a driving IC and a signal circuit board on the liquid crystal panel is applied on the liquid crystal panel. Then, a cutter is used to trim the liquid crystal panel with the circuit module thereon to a suitable size for the LCD. The trimmed liquid crystal panel is then delivered to a backlight assembly station for further assembly.
However, since the liquid crystal panel is delivered and cut several times in the manufacturing process, it is reasonable that residual matter, such as cut pieces and particles, may remain on the liquid crystal panel. Static electricity might also occur in the liquid crystal panel due to friction or electrostatic induction, induced by the electrostatic absorptive properties of the residual matter. When residual matter is not removed, defects may occur in the LCD assembly, thus reducing the display quality of the LCD.
Further, similar problems may occur in the backlight module. In assembly or delivery, residual matter might remain on the membranes of the backlight module, which reduce the brightness and uniform distribution of emitted light. When the residual matter remain is not removed from the membranes, defects may occur in the LCD assembly, thus reducing the display quality of the LCD.
Conventionally, in order to solve the problem of the residual matter, the liquid crystal panel and the backlight module are manually cleaned with a cleaning device, such as a brush or a cloth. However, such a cleaning process cannot be effectively controlled, and this reduces the efficiency and increases costs and time required for LCD assembly.