Method and apparatus for continuously manufacturing display unit

An apparatus for continuously manufacturing a display unit, which bonds a polarizing film sheet piece to a panel to manufacture the display unit, wherein the polarizing film sheet piece is formed in a predetermined length by cutting a roll-type optical film, the optical film including a polarizing film having an adhesive layer, and a release film which adheres to the adhesive layer so as to be peeled therefrom, the apparatus comprising:

• a carrying device, which continuously carries the optical film to a cutting position;
• a defect detecting device, which detects a defect of the optical film before the optical film is carried to the cutting position;
• a defective area extracting means, which extracts a defective area based on the detected defect among n unit examination areas, which are formed by dividing a distance corresponding to a length of the sheet piece from a first slit line forming position formed in the optical film into n equal parts (n>1);
• a slit line forming position calculating means, which determines a position, at which a second slit line traversing the optical film in an orthogonal direction with respect to a carrying direction of the optical film is to be formed, based on the extracted defective area and the first slit line forming position;
• a slit line forming device, which forms a second slit line up to a depth reaching a surface of the adhesive layer side of the release film from an opposite side to the release film at the cutting position, based on the position, at which the second slit line is to be formed;
• a control means, which decides on whether the sheet piece of the optical film defined by the first slit line and the second slit line is a defective sheet piece including the defective area or a normal sheet piece including no defective area;
• a peeling device, which peels the normal sheet piece decided by the control means from the release film;
• and
• a bonding device, which supplies the panel to a bonding position so that the panel is aligned with the normal sheet piece carried to the bonding position, and bonds the normal sheet piece and the panel.