JPH0232936A - Labeling apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To securely carry out a high-speed labeling operation, by providing a label-sucking means of labels issued by a label-issuer, a label-transfer means to transfer labels to the sucking position, and a transfer means of the label- sucking means to reciprocate it to a label-adhesion position. CONSTITUTION:An article 7A to be labeled is transferred to the position where a label 1 is applied when a required packing operation has been carried out after a first article 7A to be labeled has been fed into a packer. And at the same time a label is printed and issued in accordance with the first article 7A by an issuer 6. The label 1 is conducted to a label-transfer means 15 by a conveyor motor 19 and transferred to the sucking position of a label-sucking means 20 at a faster speed than that of the label issuing to be sucked at a label holder 22, when the article 7A is detected at the position directly below a movable base 24, the movable base 24 is lowered to the position to contact the article 7A to bond the label 1. Accordingly during a bonding operation, the next label can be issued and hence, a high speed labeling operation can be carried out for a shorten interval.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a label pasting device for pasting a label printed with a bar code or the like onto an object.

[Prior Art] For example, a label affixing device is known as a device that affixes a printed label such as a bar code to an object to be affixed such as an article conveyed via a conveyance mechanism such as a belt conveyor. .

FIGS. 7 and 8 show an example of the structure of a labeling device that has been conventionally used as this type of device.

The label pasting device shown in FIG. 7 peels the issued label l with predetermined printing applied to a blank label from the label mount and once adsorbs it with suction means 2 until the object to be pasted reaches a predetermined position. The label is attached by spraying the label that was absorbed when it was delivered.

In addition, the label pasting device shown in Figure tJIJ8 adsorbs the issued label l to a holding part 4 provided at the tip of an air cylinder 3, and uses compressed air so that the adhesive surface of the label l comes into contact with the object to be pasted. Pasting is performed by moving the rod 5 of the air cylinder 3, and the next label is issued after the rod 5 returns to its initial position.

Furthermore, in addition to the above-mentioned devices, there is also a device (not shown) that directly attaches the label by moving the issued label parallel to the object and overlapping it.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, among the conventional labeling devices described above, the device using the suction means 2 has the advantage of being able to affix the label l at high speed; When attaching the label 1 to the object to be affixed, it is necessary to set the distance between the label 1 that has been adsorbed by the adsorption means 2 and the object to be affixed to be short. Therefore, it was not possible to deal with variations in the height of the object to be pasted. Additionally, this type of equipment was “expensive.

Furthermore, the device using the air cylinder 3 has the advantage of being able to reliably affix the label 1 to the object to be affixed;
- There is a problem in that the next label cannot be issued until the rod 5 returns to its initial position after the label 1 has been affixed to the object to be affixed, resulting in a problem that the processing takes time. Furthermore, a compressor is required to obtain compressed air, which increases initial cost and running cost.

Furthermore, in a device that directly affixes a label to the object to be affixed, the distance between the label and the object must be set sufficiently shorter than the device shown in Fig. 7, so it is possible to accommodate variations in the height of the object to be affixed. I couldn't.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to be able to cope with variations in the height of objects to be affixed, and to shorten the time by issuing the next label even while the label is being affixed. To provide a label pasting device that can reliably perform high-speed label pasting.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, a label pasting device according to the present invention includes a label issuing means 6 that prints a predetermined character on a label l and issues the label, and a label issued by the label issuing means. a label adsorption means 20 for adsorbing the label; a label transport means 15 for transporting the label to the adsorption position of the label adsorption means at a speed faster than the label transport speed when the label is issued by the label issuing means; The present invention is characterized by comprising a moving means 29 for reciprocating the label suction means to the attachment position of the object to be attached.

[Operation] When the label issuing means 6 prints a predetermined value on the label and issues the label, the label 1 is transported by the label conveying means 15 at a speed faster than the conveying speed of the label 1 when issuing the label. The label 1 is transported to the adsorption position, and when the label adsorption means 20 adsorbs the transported label 1, the moving means 29 reciprocates the label adsorption means 20 with the adsorbed label 1 to the application position of the object 7. The label 1 is affixed to the object 7 to be affixed.

[Example] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of a label pasting device according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a front view of the same device, and Fig. 3 is a side view of the same device.

The labeling device according to this embodiment is incorporated into a line in combination with a packaging machine, for example, and labels objects to be pasted, such as articles that are packaged by the packaging machine and transported via a conveyance mechanism such as a belt conveyor. Label issuing means,
It is roughly configured to include a label conveying means, a label suction means, and a moving means.

A label issuing device 6, which serves as a label issuing means, issues labels l to be attached to objects 7 that are sequentially conveyed, and there are blank labels inside the electrical body that forms the external shape of this device. Label rolls 8 pasted at regular intervals are attached to a label feed reel 9. This label roll 8 is wound onto a label take-up reel 11 via several relay rollers 10. Further, a printing sheet feeding reel 12 is provided substantially parallel to the label feeding reel 9, and a rolled printing sheet 13 is attached to this reel 12. This printing sheet) 13 is a blank label surface on which a bar code of the article to be thermally transferred is printed, and the thermal transfer is performed by overlapping the surface of the label fed at a constant speed and the printed surface in the transfer section. After the label is issued, the printed sheet is wound onto a take-up reel 14.

The label transport means 15 transports the label l issued by the label issuing device 6 to a suction position in a label suction means 20, which will be described in detail later. More specifically, this label conveying means 15 includes a belt 17 attached to a pair of rollers 16, 16 provided at both ends of the side plate, and an edge roller 37 made of a non-adhesive material such as Teflon. The label 1 is sandwiched and conveyed, and a conveying motor 19 is interlocked with one roller 16 via a connecting belt 18. Conveyance motor 19
For example, a step motor is used, and the speed is normally controlled to be the same as the label issuing speed of the label issuing device 6, and the label 1 is conveyed to the label conveying means 15 and then transferred to the subsequent label suction means 20. When conveying to the suction position in , the conveyance speed is controlled to be switched to a speed faster than the conveyance speed of the label l when the label is issued by the label issuing device 6.

The label adsorption means 20 adsorbs the label 1 sent from the label conveyance means 15, and attaches the adsorbed label l to the object 7 under movement control by the movement means 29, which will be described in detail later. More specifically, in this label suction means 20, a label holding part 22 that suctions and holds the label 1 using a built-in fan 21 is attached to a movable base 24 via a rubber bellows Z3, which is an elastic member.
The movable base 24 is mounted and held in position so as to be vertically movable with respect to a guide shaft 26 and an auxiliary guide shaft 27 of a frame 25 mounted on the label issuing device 6. Further, the movable base 24 is attached to a belt 32, which will be described later, via an attachment member 37, and a spring 28 is provided between the movable base 24 and the upper part of the frame 25 to bias the movable base 24 in the anti-gravity direction.
is installed.

The moving means 29 is for reciprocating the movable base 24 on which the label l is attracted in the vertical direction along the frame 25. More specifically, this moving means 29 is a frame 25
A belt 32 is attached to boops 930.31 provided above and below, and a moving motor 33, which is a step motor like the transport motor 19, is interlocked to one of the pulleys. Moreover, rollers 34 are provided between the pulleys 30 and 31 to restrict the deflection of the belt 32 and to provide precision in the movement of the belt 32. In this moving means 29, when the label l is adsorbed by the label adsorbing means 20, the moving motor 33 is driven and controlled to move the movable base 24 at high speed to a midway position between it and the object 7. After that, when the object 7 to be affixed is located under the movable table 24, the moving speed of the movable table 24 is switched to low speed and the label l is pasted to the object 7 to be affixed, and then the speed is changed to high speed again. The movable base 24 is moved back to the initial position.

Note that the movable base 24 in the label adsorption means 20 described above
is provided with a pasting detection sensor 35 constituted by, for example, a proximity switch, and detects the label l on the object 7 to be pasted.
The moving motor 33 is driven to control the movable base 24 to move up at high speed based on this detection signal.

Although not shown, a sensor is provided at a predetermined position of the frame 25 to detect whether or not the movable base 24 of the label suction means 20 is at the desired position (top dead center). The operation of the labeling device configured as shown in FIG. 4(a) to (d) and the timing chart shown in FIG. Let me explain using an example.

The operation of the device described below consists of four cycles:
The label is temporarily put on standby, and the next label is issued while the label is being affixed to the object.

When the first object to be pasted 7(A) is put into the packaging machine, this object to be pasted 7(A) is introduced into the packaging machine and a predetermined wrapping operation is performed. This packaging is completed (at this time, the next applied object 7 (B) is put into the packaging machine) and the applied object 7 (A
) is transported to the position where the label l is attached (
At this time, the next object to be pasted 7 (C) is further fed into the packaging machine, and the wrapping work is performed on the object to be pasted 7 (B).)
.

On the other hand, in parallel with the above-mentioned operation, the issuing device 6 prints the label that is conveyed at a predetermined speed (for example, 60 mm/s) corresponding to the first object 7 (A) to be attached, and issues the label. The issued label l is guided by a transport motor 19 to a label transport means 15 controlled at the same speed as when the label is issued. When the label 1 is sent to the label transport means 15, this label l is transported to the adsorption position of the label adsorption means 20 by driving the transport motor 19 at a speed faster than the transport speed at the time of label printing, and then the label l is transported to the adsorption position of the label adsorption means 20. It is adsorbed to the label holding part 22 by the buoyant force caused by the label holding part 22. Then, the label adsorption means 2 is detected by the position detection sensor.
When it is detected that the movable base 24 is at the initial position at 0, the movable base 24 is driven by the moving motor 33 to move downward at high speed to an intermediate position above the object 7(A). In this state, the movable base 24 is on standby, and the object to be pasted 7 (A)
When it is detected that the label has been transported to the hanging position of the movable table 24, the moving motor 33 is switched from a high speed state to a low speed state until the label holding part 22 comes into contact with the object 7(A). The movable base 24 is lowered and the label l is pasted. When the pasting of the label l is completed, it is detected by the pasting detection sensor 3.
5 is detected, the moving motor 33 is again switched and driven at high speed to return the movable base 24 to its initial position. below,
The above-mentioned operations are performed on the objects to be pasted that are being conveyed one after another.

Therefore, in the above-mentioned label pasting device, the next label cannot be issued during the period from when the movable base 24 on which the label 1 has been sucked descends until it returns to the original position, that is, while pasting is being performed. This allows the time to be shortened and the processing speed to be increased accordingly. In addition, this device uses the fan 21 to adsorb the labels, and does not require compressed air from a compressor, so it is possible to reduce initial costs and running costs, and it can also handle labels of various sizes. Can deal with pasting. In addition, high-quality processing is not required for the labels to be sucked.Furthermore, a step motor is used as the motor for wA movement, and the single label suction means 20 on which the label l is sucked can be moved up and down with a certain height. Because it is configured to be moved.

A sufficient distance can be maintained between the part that attracts the label 1 and the object 7, and it is possible to easily accommodate variations in the height of the object 7.

By the way, in the embodiment described above, the label conveying means 15,
Label adsorption means 20. The frame 25 provided with the moving means 29 is fixedly attached to the label issuing device i6, and the label l is pasted on the top surface of the object 7 by moving the label suction means 20 in the vertical direction. The label conveying means 15, the label suction means 20, and the moving means 29 are combined into one
unitary/ ) to constitute the labeling device 36,
If it is configured to be detachable from the label issuing device 6, labels can be attached to the object from all directions, as shown in FIGS. 6(a) to (C).

Here, FIG. 6(a) shows a device for pasting the label 1 issued by the label issuing device 6 onto the upper surface of the object 7, and FIG.
b) shows a device for pasting the label 1 on the side surface of the object 7, and FIG. 6 (-) shows a device for pasting the label 1 on the bottom surface of the object 7.

By the way, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the label pasting device is used in combination with a packaging machine is explained as an example.
In the timing chart, when the first object to be affixed is detected for the first time in cycle 3, the first label issued is affixed, so the structure is such that the next label is not issued during this cycle. , when the label applicator is used alone, it operates continuously with cycle 3 removed.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the labeling device according to the present invention has the following effects:
While the label is being attached to the object to be attached, the next label to be attached can be issued, thereby reducing the time by one hour and ensuring high-speed label attachment.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of a labeling device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the device, FIG. 3 is a side view of the device, and FIGS. 4(a) to (c) are the same. A diagram showing a series of operations by the device, FIG. 5 is a timing diagram of each part of the device, and FIGS. 6 (a) to (C) are diagrams showing other configuration examples of the label pasting device according to the present invention. FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams showing an example of a conventional label pasting device. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Label, 6... Label issuing device (label issuing means), 7... Target object, 20... Label adsorption means, 29... Moving means. Patent Applicant Anritsu Corporation Agent/Patent Attorney Norihiro Nishimura 3 Figure 4 (a) Figure (C) Figure (b) Figure (d) Figure (a) Figure (C) Guko

Claims (1)

[Claims] A label issuing means (6) for printing a predetermined label on a label (1) and issuing a label; a label suction means (20) for adsorbing a label issued by the label issuing means; and a label issuing means for issuing a label by the label issuing means. a label conveyance means (15) that conveys the label to a suction position of the label suction means at a speed faster than the label conveyance speed when the label is conveyed; and a label conveyance means (15) that reciprocates the label suction means with the label adsorbed to the pasting position of the object to be pasted. A labeling device characterized by comprising a moving means (29) for moving the label.