EP0040960A2 - Steuersystem für den Etikettenvorschub - Google Patents

Steuersystem für den Etikettenvorschub Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0040960A2
EP0040960A2 EP81302262A EP81302262A EP0040960A2 EP 0040960 A2 EP0040960 A2 EP 0040960A2 EP 81302262 A EP81302262 A EP 81302262A EP 81302262 A EP81302262 A EP 81302262A EP 0040960 A2 EP0040960 A2 EP 0040960A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
label
feed
detector
amount
control system
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP81302262A
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English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0040960A3 (en
EP0040960B1 (de
Inventor
Yasuhiro Sakura
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Toshiba TEC Corp
Original Assignee
Tokyo Electric Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from JP6982580A external-priority patent/JPS571045A/ja
Priority claimed from JP8357380A external-priority patent/JPS5940632B2/ja
Application filed by Tokyo Electric Co Ltd filed Critical Tokyo Electric Co Ltd
Publication of EP0040960A2 publication Critical patent/EP0040960A2/de
Publication of EP0040960A3 publication Critical patent/EP0040960A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0040960B1 publication Critical patent/EP0040960B1/de
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65CLABELLING OR TAGGING MACHINES, APPARATUS, OR PROCESSES
    • B65C9/00Details of labelling machines or apparatus
    • B65C9/40Controls; Safety devices
    • B65C9/42Label feed control
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65CLABELLING OR TAGGING MACHINES, APPARATUS, OR PROCESSES
    • B65C9/00Details of labelling machines or apparatus
    • B65C9/08Label feeding
    • B65C9/18Label feeding from strips, e.g. from rolls
    • B65C9/1865Label feeding from strips, e.g. from rolls the labels adhering on a backing strip
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65HHANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2301/00Handling processes for sheets or webs
    • B65H2301/40Type of handling process
    • B65H2301/41Winding, unwinding
    • B65H2301/419Winding, unwinding from or to storage, i.e. the storage integrating winding or unwinding means
    • B65H2301/4191Winding, unwinding from or to storage, i.e. the storage integrating winding or unwinding means for handling articles of limited length, e.g. AO format, arranged at intervals from each other

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a label feed control system for a label printer which issues a label after data from the weighing unit has been printed on the label sticked on the paper base ribbon.
  • the weighing unit 11, the printer 4 and a keyboard 12 are connected to a CPU 13, which is further connected to an 1/0 port 14.
  • the label detector 10 is connected through a label detection amplifier 15 to the I/O port 14..
  • a feed controller 16 which is further connected to the motor 6 and to the position detector 9 through a position detection amplifier 18 having a variable resistor 17.
  • the label detector 10 produces a high D-signal when a label 2 is absent, and when an operation command, i.e. an A-signal, is issued with the signal D being high, the feed controller 16 produces a high C-signal to activate the motor 6 so that the ribbon 1 is fed.
  • the signal C is also delivered to the CPU 13 via the I/O port 14 so as to interlock other operations during' transportation.
  • a label 2 is peeled off the ribbon 1, projecting over the label detector 10 to cause its output signal D to become low.
  • the position detector 9 detects the label position and produces a B-signal, as will be described shortly, with the signal D being low, the signal C from the feed controller 16 turns low to stop the motor 6 and also to release the inhibited commands in the CPU 13.
  • the position detector 9 operates by sensing the transmissivity of the base ribbon 1 and the label 2. There are three cases in the amount of transmissivity as shown in Fig. 2-b: (a) a base ribbon 1 alone, (b) a label 2 on the base ribbon 1 and (c) a label with printed portion 20 on the base ribbon 1.
  • the signal B is produced at the position where the base ribbon 1 alone exists.
  • This system is based on the detection of the difference of light transmitted through the base ribbon 1 alone and the overlap of the base ribbon 1 and the label 2, and has the following problems.
  • a label 2 having a high light transmissivity results in a very small transmission difference, requiring disadvantageously a very high accuracy of sensing.
  • the label 2 has a printed portion 20 as mentioned above for the shop name and the like, the lower transmissivity of this portion creates a large contrast relative to remaining portions of the label, resulting possibly in a failure of detection. Moreover, it is irksome to adjust the sensing level by the variable resistor 17 each time the thickness of the base ribbon 1 changes.
  • the position detector 9 needs to be repositioned for each label size, and since the signal B from the position sensor 9 also serves as the operational reference for the printer 4, several labels are wasted for test printing in determination of the best setup position.
  • the first object of the present invention to achieve the reliable positioning of the label irrespective of the right transmissivity of the label and the base ribbon.
  • the second object of the invention is to utilize the power frequency in positioning the label.
  • the third object of the invention is to control the label position digitally by use of a stepping motor.
  • the fourth object of the invention is to achieve the positioning of the label by numerical control.
  • the fifth object of the invention is to achieve the positioning of the label using the pulse signals generated by a slit disk.
  • the sixth object of the invention is to make common use of the detector for detecting the front edge of the label also for detecting the presence of the label, thereby controlling the print operation.
  • the seventh object of the invention is to achieve a sequential printing in the direction of label trans-" portation, whereby print control and label feed control are performed reliably.
  • the eighth object of the invention is to achieve a sequential printing in the direction of label transportation in a simple label feed control.
  • a label feed control system comprising a driver means for driving a feed means which transports a paper base ribbon with labels stuck thereon, a separator means for peeling said label off said base ribbon, a label detector disposed in the vicinity of said separator means for detecting the front edge of said peeled-off label, and an incremental feed means for controlling the operation of said driver means such . that said base ribbon is fed for a certain amount after said label detector has detected the front edge of said peeled-off label.
  • a label detector 22 is provided for detecting that the front edge 21 of a label 2 has reached the front of a separator 5 during transportation of the base ribbon 1, and also for detecting the presence of the label 2.
  • a slit disk 26 On a shaft 24 of a feed roller 7 driven by an induction motor 6 and a belt 23, there is mounted a slit disk 26 with many slits 25 provided on the circumference thereof. Confronting the slit disk 26, there is provided a slit detector 27 for sensing the slits 25.
  • An I/O port 14 is connected to a CPU 13, and further connected to the label detector 22 through a front edge detection amplifier 28.
  • the I/O port 14 is further connected to a feed controller 29, on which the motor 6 is connected.
  • the feed controller 29 is connected to a feed amount setup unit 30 including a digital switch, and further connected to the slit detector 27 through a slit detection amplifier 31.
  • the feed controller 29 produces a high D-signal to activate the motor 6 for feeding the ribbon 1 and also indicates the signal D to the CPU 13 as an inhibit signal for suppressing other operations during the transportation-of the ribbon.
  • the slit disk 26 rotates slowly due to the inertia of the mechanical components, causing the slit detection amplifier 31 to produce pulse signals C with a large duration. After the initial state, the period of the pulse signal becomes constant.
  • the label 2 When the base ribbon 1 is transported at a constant feed rate, the label 2 is peeled off the base ribbon, projecting over the separator, and ultimately the front edge 21 of the label 2 is detected by the label detector 22. Then, the signal B from the front edge detection amplifier 28 goes low. The signal B causes the feed controller 29 to start counting the signal C from the slit detector 27. When the count has reached a predetermined number preset by the feed setup switch 30, the signal D goes low to stop the motor 6. Accordingly, the label 2 is stopped following a certain amount of transportation after its front edge 21 has been detected by the label detector 22. In this arrangement, the reference signal is created by the detection of the front edge 21 which provides a large transmissivity difference so far as the label 2 is not transparent and also independence from the printed portion 20 of the label 2, thus resulting in a very accurate detection.
  • the label detector 22 also serves as a detector for sensing the presence of a label as in the case of the conventional system.
  • the label detector 22 consists of a light emitting diode (LED) 32 and a photo-transistor 33, and the LED 32 is connected through a driver 36 to an oscillator 35 which is also connected to a converter 34.
  • the photo-transistor 33 is connected through a waveform shaper 37 to the converter 34.
  • the oscillator 35 oscillates in a frequency of about 3 kHz so that the LED 32 emits light pulses periodically.
  • the converter 34 converts the pulse output from the photo-transistor 33 into the DC voltage signal having a high and low levels.
  • the output of the converter 34 goes high when the label 2 is absent, and it goes low when the label exists.
  • the purpose, of using such flashing light is to prevent the effect of external light and also.to provide an intensified light to the LED 32 which is located far from the photo-transistor 33, so as to enhance the reliability of the detection.
  • the converter 34 is connected to the I/O port 14 and to an OR gate 38 which is connected to a down-counter 39, a principal constituent of a means for feeding the ribbon at a constant pitch.
  • the down-counter 39 is connected to the feed setup switch 30.
  • Another input of the OR gate 38 is connected to an inverter 40, the input of which is connected to the I/O port 14 and to the output Q of a flip-flop 41.
  • the set and reset inputs of the flip-flop 41 are connected to the I/O port 14 and the down counter 39, respectively.
  • the output of the flip-flop 41 is connected through a driver 42 to the motor 6.
  • the slit detector 27 confronting a slit disk 26 consists of a LED 43 and a photo-transistor 44, and the photo-transistor 44 is connected through a waveform shaper 45 to a differentiator 46 which differentiates the rise and fall transitions of input pulses to produce pulses twice the original pulses derived from the slits 25.
  • the differentiator 46 is connected to the down-counter 39 and also to an overrun detector 47 which is connected to the I/O port 14. Also connected to the I/O port 14 is a print mode selector,switch 48 which selects 1-line printing or 2-line printing.
  • the OR gate 38 when the label 2 is absent from the label detector 22 or when the flip-flop 41 is reset, the OR gate 38 outputs a high level to load the down-counter 39 with the contents of the feed setup switch 30. This operation may be considered as presetting, since the down-counter 39 is loaded irrespective of its initial contents when a high level is given by the OR gate 38.
  • the flip-flop 41 receives a feed signal from the I/O port 14, it is set, causing the inverter 40 to output a low level and, at the same time, supplying the motor 6 with the 100 VAC power voltage through the driver 42.
  • the motor 6 rotates to feed the base ribbon 1 and, at the same time, the rotating slit disk 26 causes the photo-transistor 44 to emit pulses which, in turn, is supplied to the down-counter 39 as the clock signal.
  • the down counter 39 does not change its contents, because it still receives a high level from the converter 34.
  • the down-counter 39 receives pulses derived from the slit detector 27 to decrement its contents.
  • the flip-flop 41 is reset, causing the motor 6 to stop, and the the down-counter 39 is loaded again.
  • An overrun detector 47 detects the overrun of the ribbon 1, which could occur after the motor 6 has stopped, sending a signal having a certain duration to the CPU 13 following the deactivation of the motor 6 so that any other operation is held during the overrun in order to prevent malfunctioning.
  • Figures 10 and 11 show examples of the circuit arrangement used for the overrun detector 47. '
  • the differentiator 46 is connected through an inverter 49 to a transistor 50, the emitter thereof being connected to a power source 51, with the collector being connected to a comparator 56 through resistors 52, 53 and 54 and a capacitor 55.
  • the comparator 56 is supplied with the power voltage divided by resistors 57 and 58,and its output is connected to the I/O port 14. Accordingly, when pulses are supplied from the differentiator 46, the transistor 50 turns on each time to charge the capacitor 55, and the voltage to the comparator 56 is maintained constant. When the differentiator 46 halts to send pulses, the transistor 50 is cut off steadily, causing the capacitor 55 to discharge.
  • the comparator 56 outputs a low level signal indicating that the slit disk 26 has stopped rotating. If the transistor 50 receives pulses even in a low rotational speed of the disk,the capacitor 55 is charged,and overrunning of the ribbon 1 can be checked surely.
  • the overrun detecting circuit as exemplified in Fig. 11 employs a monostable multivibrator 57 having a predetermined ON-time.
  • the monostable multivibrator 57 is re-set by incoming pulses so as to retain the ON-state, however, if it fails to receive a pulse within a certain interval, it produces a low output signal to halt the operation.
  • FIG. 12 More simplified circuit arrangement is shown in Fig. 12, in which an up-counter 58 is used instead of the down-counter 39 so as to provide an inexpensive means for feeding the ribbon at a constant pitch.
  • a comparator 59 Between the up-counter 58 and the feed setup switch 30 there is connected a comparator 59, the output of which resets the flip-flop 41 when the output of the counter 58 coincides with the output of the setup switch 30.
  • the OR gate 38 produces a high output to clear the up-counter 58.
  • the 2-line printing denotes the operation for printing numeric data on two lines on the label 2, wherein label transportation has to be divided into two steps because of the single line printing unit and also a narrow line spacing.
  • Figure 13 shows the spatial relationship between the printer 4 and the label 2.
  • Figures 13-a and 13-c are for the case of 1-line printing.
  • the printer 4 consists of a data printing unit 60 such as a line printer head and a stamp 61 for printing the commodity name and the like, and the label 2 has a printed portion 20 reading as "TEC SUPERMARKET", the name of a store.
  • the label 2 is detected at its front edge 21 by the label detector 22, and still transported for a length of S by the means as mentioned above, then it stops. In this state, the label projecting over the label detector 22 is peeled off the base ribbon 1, and the data printing unit 60 and the stamp 61 operate simultaneously in response to the command of issue so as to print the commodity name "BEEF CHOPS", the manufacturing data "800314", the unit price "100", the weight "100” and the amount "100”. Printing is then followed by label transportation as described previously.
  • This feed control does not make reference to the detection of the front edge 21, but is subjected to incremental feed control based on the predetermined number of slits 25 of the slit disk 26.
  • the label 2 is further transported and then stopped with its front edge 21 projecting over the label detector 22 by a length of Sl, as shown in Fig. 13-b.
  • Such feed control is performed by the circuit arrangement shown in Fig. 14 which is a modified version of Fig. 9, including an additional down-counter 62 and an additional feed setup switch 63.
  • the down-counter 62 is connected to the differentiator 46 in conjunction with the first-mentioned down-counter 39, and the outputs of the down-counters 39 and 62 are connected through an OR gate 64 to the flip-flop 41.
  • the down-counter 62 is connected to receive the 1-FEED signal from the I/O port 14 through an inverter 65'.
  • the print mode switch 48 When the print mode switch 48 is set to the 2-LINE printing position, the label will be located as shown in Fig. 13-b. The former-going label 2 has been removed.
  • the signal 1-FEED is at high and a low level signal is given to the down-counter 62 so that it is released from loading.
  • the flip-flop 41 When the flip-flop 41 is set by the feed signal, the motor starts rotating. Consequently, the slit disk 26 is driven to rotate, causing the differentiator 46 to send pulses to the down-counter 62 for decrementing its contents.
  • another down-counter 39 receives a high level signal from the OR gate 38, and it does not change its contents.
  • the flip-flop 41 becomes empty, the flip-flop 41 is reset, causing the motor 6 to stop.
  • the label 2 is positioned as shown in Fig. 13-a (the former-going label has been removed), and it is printed by the printer 4.
  • the 1-FEED signal goes low and a high level signal is given to the down-counter 62 for recurrence of loading.
  • the flip-flop 41 is set to activate the motor 6.
  • the label detector 22 detects the front edge 21 of the label 2
  • the output of the OR gate 38 goes low, causing the output of the differentiator 46 to decrement the contents of the down-counter 39.
  • the flip-flop 41 is reset and the motor 6 is stopped.
  • the label 2 is located as shown in Fig. 13-b.
  • a full-wave rectifier 67 is connected to an AC power source 66, and a ripple current from the full-wave rectifier 67 is conducted to a comparator 69 which converts the ripple voltage into a rectangular wave signal on the basis of a reference voltage established by a reference level setup battery 6$.
  • the output of the comparator 69 is connected to the down-counter 39.
  • the feed setup switch 30 has been set in advance with the number of cycles of the power frequency such that the setup number corresponds to the amount of feed.
  • the comparator 69 normally produces pulses, which, however, are not received by the down-counter 39 so far as the OR gate 38 outputs a high level.
  • the motor 6 operates to feed the label 2.
  • the label detector 22 detects the front edge 21 of the label 2, causing the OR gate 38 to produce a low level, and the output of the comparator 69 is received by the down-counter 39.
  • the down-counter 39 becomes empty, it resets the flip-flop 41 to stop the motor 6. Accordingly, the amount of feed after the front edge 21 of the label has been detected is set up basing on the power frequency.
  • the motor 6 used is of the type which provides rotation in synchronization with the power frequency, such as that known as the synchronous motor.
  • FIG. 16 shows an example of such arrangement and Figs. 17 through 19 refer to another example.
  • an oscillator 70 is connected to the clock input of the down-counter 39 and one input of an AND gate 71.
  • 'Another input of the AND gate 71 is connected to the output of the flip-flop 41, with the output of the AND gate connected to the clock input of a shift register 72.
  • the parallel outputs of the shift register 72 are connected through a driver 73 to a stepping motor 74.
  • the shift register 72 has the preset inputs connected to an initial setup circuit 75 which defines the initial state of the stepping motor 74.
  • the flip-flop 41 When a feed signal is issued, the flip-flop 41 is set and the AND gate 71'conducts the signal from the oscillator 70. Then, the stepping motor 74 rotates at a speed depending on the frequency of the oscillator 70, and the label 2 is fed. At this time, the down-counter 39 does not change its contents unless the label detector 22 detects the label 2. When the label detector 22 detects the front edge 21 of the label 2, the output of the OR gate 38 goes low, causing the down-counter 39 to receive the output of the oscillator 70 for decrementing its contents. When the down-counter 39 becomes empty, the flip-flop 41 is reset and the AND gate 71 ceases the conduction of the oscillator output. Then, the stepping motor 74 stops to halt the transportation of the label 2.
  • the stepping motor 74 is operated under program control.
  • the label detector 22 is connected through the waveform shaper 37 to the converter 34, the output of which is connected to the I/O port 14.
  • the I/O port 14 is connected to the CPU 13, and is also connected through a driver 76 to the stepping motor .74.
  • the CPU 13 has a RAM 77 adapted to operate as a feed setup unit and a RAM 78 adapted to operate as a rotation counter.
  • the stepping motor 74 is rotated by one pulse.
  • the stepping motor 74 goes on stepping to feed the label 2 until the label detector 22 detects the front edge 21 of the label 2.
  • the rotation counter RAM 78 is cleared.
  • the stepping motor 74 rotates by one pulse, incrementing the rotation counter RAM 78 by one, then the contents of the counter RAM 78 is compared with the contents of the feed setup RAM 77, which has been preset to a certain number.
  • the rotation counter RAM 78 is incremented by one continuously until the comparison results in a coincidence. When the coincidence of the RAMs is reached, the stepping motor 74 stops to complete a cycle of operation.
  • a ten-key is used to set the amount of feed and the motor 6 is operated under program control.
  • the down-counter 39 is arranged to load data when a flip-flop 41 is reset or when the label detector 22 detects the label as in the case of the arrangement shown in Fig. 9.
  • the down- . counter 39 is directly connected to the I/O port 14 so that it is loaded with feed data, and a clock is supplied from the I/O port 14.
  • Figure 21 shows the layout of the keyboard, which includes a read out unit 79 divided into UNIT PRICE, WEIGHT and AMOUNT, a ten-key 80 for entering numeric data, an EXECUTION key 81, a PRINT key 82, a MAN/AUTO mode selector switch 83, a 1-LINE/2-LINE print mode selector switch 48, and a FEED AMOUNT key 84.
  • the keyboard is further provided with the function keys including a FEED key, a WARE key, a MANUFACTURING DATE setup key, a STORAGE LIMIT setup key, and a CANCEL key.
  • the RAM is allocated as shown in Fig. 18.
  • a weight data derived from the weighing unit 11 is loaded to the weight RAM.
  • the weight data is multiplied with the contents of the unit price RAM which has been preset, and the result is stored in the amount RAM.
  • the contents of the unit price RAM, weight RAM and amount RAM are displayed on the respective divisions of the read out unit 79. Then, setup of operational modes such as the MAN/AUTO mode are checked. After entry for these keys has been confirmed, entry of the FEED AMOUNT key 84 is checked.
  • Entry of the FEED AMOUNT key 84 specifies the amounti of feed of the label 2 after its front edge 21 has been detected by the label detector 22.
  • the read out unit 79 is turned off, and the contents of the feed amount RAM 77 are displayed on the AMOUNT section of the read out unit 79.
  • a new setup data is entered into the feed amount RAM 77 and displayed on the read out unit 79 for confirmation.
  • the EXECUTION key 81 By pressing the EXECUTION key 81, the amount of feed is set, and the unit price, weight and amount are displayed again on the read out unit 79.
  • the system After the amount of feed has been set or the previous setting is not changed, the system operates according to the key entry.
  • the PRINT key 82 When the PRINT key 82 is pressed, it is checked if printing is being carried out. During printing, control returns to S, or if not, the weight data is checked if it is 10 grams or more. This checking verifies if a commodity is surely loaded to the weighing unit 11, and at the same time, various checks for the weighing unit, such as the overflow of the amount are carried out. Detection of the label by the label detector 22 is as follows. If the label is detected, control returns to S in order to prevent a double issue of the label, and if the label is not detected, overrun data is read in. The overrun data is provided by an overrun detecting device which is not shown in Fig. 20. The system waits until the overrun ends, and then proceeds to point A on the flowchart.
  • the selector switch 48 is read in for checking if the print mode is 1-line printing or 2-line printing.
  • the contents of the feed amount RAM 77 are conducted to the I/O port 14 so as to load the down-counter 39.
  • the contents of the manufacturing date, unit price, weight and amount RAMs are conducted to the print controller so that they are printed on the label 2 by the printer 4.
  • the label is fed by setting the flip-flop 41 through the I/O port 14.
  • the label detector 22 detects the front edge 21 of the label 2
  • a low level is given from the OR gate 38 to the down-counter 39, which is then decremented by the clock.
  • the down-counter 39 becomes empty, the flip-flop 41 is reset and label feed is halted. Control then returns to point S.
  • the contents of the storage limit RAM are conducted to the print controller and printed by the printer 4. Then, the 1-FEED signal is issued to feed the label 2 for a certain amount. Overrun data is read in, and the signal 1-FEED is made low while overrun does not occur, so that the contents of the feed amount RAM 77 are output to the I/O port 14.
  • the contents of the manufacturing date, unit price, weight and amount RAMs are conducted to the print controller and printed by the printer 4. After printing, the label 2 is fed for a certain length, making reference to the front edge detection by the label detector 22. After feeding has halted, control returns to point S.
  • a label detector 22 consists of an LED 32 and a photo-transistor 33.
  • the LED 32 is connected through a driver 36 to an oscillator 35 which is connected to a converter 34.
  • the photo-transistor 33 is connected through a waveform shaper 37 to the converter 34.
  • the oscillator 35 supplies pulses of about 3 kHz to the LED 32 so that it emits light pulses periodically.
  • the converter 34 converts the pulse output from the photo-transistor 33 into a.DC voltage signal having a high and low levels.
  • the output of the converter 34 goes high when the label 2 is absent from the detector 22, and goes low when the label exists.
  • the purpose of using such flashing light in detecting the label is to prevent the effect of external light and also to provide an intensified light to the LED 32 which is located far from the photo-transistor 33, so as to ensure the reliability of the detection.
  • the converter 34 is connected to an I/O port 14 and to an OR gate 38 which is connected to a down counter 39, a principal constituent of a means for feeding the ribbon at a constant pitch.
  • the down-counter 39 is connected to a feed setup switch 30.
  • Another input of the OR gate 38 is connected to an inverter 40, the input of which is connected to the I/O port 14 and to the output Q of a flip-flop 41.
  • the set and reset inputs of the flip-flop 41 are connected to the I/O port 14 and the down-counter 39, respectively.
  • the output of the flip-flop 41- is connected through a driver 42 to a motor 6.
  • a slit detector 27 confronting a slit disk 26 consists of an LED 43 and a photo-transistor 44, and the photo-transistor 44 is connected through a waveform shaper 45 to a differentiator 46 which differentiates the rise and fall transitions of input pulses to produce pulses twice the original pulses derived from the slits 25.
  • the differentiator 46 is connected to the down-counter 39 and also to the I/O port 14.
  • the differentiator 46 is further connected to an overrun detector 47, which is connected to the I/O port 14.
  • the OR gate 38 when the label 2 is absent from the label detector 22, or when the flip-flop 41 is reset, the OR gate 38 outputs a high level to load the down-counter 39 with the contents of the feed setup switch 30.
  • This operation may be considered as presetting, since the down-counter 39 is loaded irrespective of its initial contents when a high level is given by the OR gate 38.
  • the flip-flop 41 receives a feed signal from the I/O port 14, it is set, causing the inverter 40 to output a low level signal and, at the same time, supplying the motor 6 with the 100 VAC power voltage through the driver 42.
  • the motor 6 rotates to feed the ribbon 1, and at the same time the rotating slit disk causes the photo-transistor 44 to emit pulses which, in turn, is supplied to the down-counter 39 and the I/O port as the clock signal.
  • the down-counter 39 does not change its contents, because it still receives a high level from the converter 34.
  • the I/O port 14 is supplied with the clock signal from the photo-transistor 44, and this signal or a divided clock is used to produce the print command which is supplied to the printer 4 as a timing signal for printing.
  • This printer 4 is different from one shown in Fig. 1, but, for example, a label printer for merely printing a single line, and it prints characters sequentially from the left end of the label 2 in accordance with the feed signal as shown in Fig. 25.
  • the front edge 21 of the label 2 is detected by the label detector 22, and the output of the converter 34, i.e. the front edge detection signal B, goes low to release the down-counter from loading. From this moment, the,down-counter 39 receives pulses derived from the slit detector 27 to decrement its contents. When the down-counter 39 becomes empty, the flip-flop 41 is reset, causing the motor 6 to stop, and the down-counter 39 is loaded again.
  • the label is printed while it is being fed at a certain pitch, then transportation of the ribbon 1 is halted.
  • the overrun detector 47 detects the overrun of the ribbon 1 which could occur after the motor 6 has stopped, sending a signal having a certain duration to the CPU 13 following the deactivation of the motor 6 so that any other operation is held during the overrun in order to prevent malfunctioning.
  • a line printer is used as the printer 4, however, a dot-matrix printer may be used.
  • a small-pitch slit disk is employed as the slit disk 26, and its output is delivered to a character generator for carrying out print control.
  • A-label detector 22 is made up of an LED 32 and a photo-transistor 33.
  • the LED 32 is connected through a driver 36 to an oscillator 35 which is in connection with, a converter 34.
  • the photo-transistor 32 is connected through a waveform shaper 37 to the converter 34.
  • the oscillator 35 supplies pulses of about 3 kHz to the LED 32 so that it emits light pulses periodically.
  • the converter 34 converts the pulse output from the photo-transistor 33 into a DC voltage signal having a high and low levels.
  • the output of the converter 34 goes high when the label 2 is absent from the detector 22, and goes low when the label exists.
  • the purpose of using such flashing light in detecting the label is to prevent the effect of external light and also to provide an intensified light to the LED 32 which is located far from the photo-transistor 33, so as to enhance the reliability of the detection.
  • the converter 34 is connected to an I/O port 14 and an OR gate 38 which is in connection with a down-counter 39, a principal constituent of a means for feeding the ribbon at a constant pitch.
  • the down-counter 39 is connected to three feed setup switches 30a, 30b and 30c indicated as A, B and C, through three AND gates 39a, and an OR gate 39b.
  • Another inputs of the three AND gates 39a are connected through three inverters 39c to a print format selector switch 39d having three selecting contancts, A, B and C.
  • One input of the OR gate 38 is connected to the output of an inverter 40 with its input connected to the I/O port 14 and also to the output Q of a flip-flop 41.
  • the set and reset inputs of the flip-flop 41 are connected to the I/O port 14 and the down-counter 39,' respectively, with its output connected through a driver 42 to a motor 6.
  • a slit detector 27 confronting a slit disk 26 consists of an LED 43 and a photo-transistor 44, and the photo-transistor 44 is connected through a waveform shaper 45 to a differentiator 46 which differentiates the rise and fall transitions of input.pulses to produce pulses twice the original pulses derived from the slits 25.
  • the differentiator 46 is connected to the down-counter 39 and also to the I/O port 14.
  • the differentiator 46 is further connected to an overrun detector 47, which is in connection with the I/O port 14.
  • a print controller 48 is connected between the I/O port 14 and the printer 4.
  • the OR gate 38 when the label 2 is absent from the label detector 22, or when the flip-flop 41 is reset, the OR gate 38 outputs a high level to load the down-counter 39 with the contents of a feed setup switch 30 specified by the print format selector switch 39d.
  • This operation may be considered as presetting, since the down-counter 39 is loaded irrespective of its initial contents when a high level is given by the OR gate 38.
  • the flip-flop 41 receives a feed signal from the I/O port 14, it is set, causing the inverter 40 to output a low level signal and, at the same time, supplying the motor 6 with the 100 VAC power voltage through the driver 42.
  • the motor 6 rotates td feed the ribbon 1, and at the same time the rotating slit disk causes the photo-transistor 44 to emit pulses which, in turn, is supplied to the down-counter 39 and the I/O port 14 as the clock signal.
  • the down-counter does not change its contents, because it still receives a high level from the converter 34.
  • the I/O port 14 is supplied with the clock signal from the photo-transistor 44, and this signal or a , divided clock is used to produce the print command which is supplied to the printer 4 as a timing signal for printing.
  • This printer 4 is different from one shown in Fig. 1, but, for example, a label printer for merely printing a single line, and it prints characters sequentially from the left end of the label 2 in accordance with the feed signal C as shown in Fig. 25.
  • the front edge 21 of the label 2 is detected by the label detector 22, and the output of the converter 34, i.e. the front edge detection signal.B, goes low to release the down-counter from loading. From this moment, the down-counter 39 receives pulses from the slit detector 27 to decrement its contents. When the down-counter 39 becomes empty, the flip-flop 41 is reset. Then, the motor 6 stops and the down-counter 39 is loaded again.
  • the label is printed while it is fed at a certain pitch, then transportation of the ribbon 1 is halted.
  • An overrun detector 47 detects an overrun of the ribbon 1 which could occur after the motor 6 has stopped, sending a signal having a certain duration to the CPU 13 following the deactivation of the motor 6 so that any other operation is held during the overrun in order to prevent malfunctioning.
  • the label detector 22 detects the front edge 21 of the label
  • the front edge detection signal B goes low, releasing the down-counter 39 from loading. Then, the down-counter 39 is decremented by the feed amount signal C.
  • the down-counter 39 becomes empty, a reset signal is generated to reset the flip-flop 41 and the motor 6 is stopped.
  • the print format selector switch 39d is set appropriately according to the desired print format.
  • the RAM is provided with fields for storing data of the unit price, weight, amount, code, date, the contents of the print counter, and print address, and also provided with fields SW"A"a, SW"A"b, SW"B"a, SW"B"b, SW"C"a, and SW"C”b for storing data corresponding to the contents of the feed setup switches 30a, 30b and 30c, respectively.
  • a weight data from the weighing unit 11 is stored into the weight RAM.
  • the weight data is multiplied with the unit price which has been set in the unit price RAM, and the result is stored in the amount RAM.
  • the contents of the unit price RAM, weight RAM and amount RAM are then displayed' on the respective sections of the read out unit (not shown).
  • Setup of the switches such as the MAN/AUTO selector switch is checked. When the switch operation is confirmed, pressing of the PRINT key is checked. After the keying of the PRINT key has been confirmed, the conditions that whether printing goes on, the weight is 10 grams or more, and the label 2 exists on the label detector 22 are checked sequentially. ' If these conditions are not met, control returns to point S on the flowchart, or if the conditions are met, overrun data is read in. If the-label is overrunning, the system waits until the overrun ceases, then proceeds to point A. From point A, control proceeds as shown in Fig. 31.
  • the ON-condition of SW"A" and SW"B" is checked sequentially in order to find which contact out of A, B and C of the print format selector switch 39d is made. Assuming that contact A is selected, the contents of field SW"A"a in the RAM are delivered to the print counter, and the contents of field SW"A"b are read as the print address.
  • the blocks of FEED ON and FEED OFF in Fig. 31 signify issue of an FEED signal shown in Fig. 28, by which data specified by the print address is transferred to the print controller 48 at the second rising edge of the feed amount signal C. After a character has been printed, the print address is decremented by one, and the print counter is also decremented by one unless it is empty.
  • the seventh embodiment of the invention will be described with reference.to Figs. 33 through 35.
  • the amount of feed is controlled by the CPU 13 without use of the feed setup switch 30 as used in the previous embodiments.
  • the down-counter 39 is connected directly to the I/O port 14, and the RAM is arranged to preset by means of a preset button (not shown). Therefore, the RAM is further provided with fields, SW"A"c, SW"B"c and SW"C"c.
  • the print format selector switch 39d is connected directly to the I/O port 14.

Landscapes

  • Labeling Devices (AREA)
  • Handling Of Sheets (AREA)
EP19810302262 1980-05-26 1981-05-21 Steuersystem für den Etikettenvorschub Expired EP0040960B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP6982580A JPS571045A (en) 1980-05-26 1980-05-26 Controller for label feed
JP69825/80 1980-05-26
JP8357380A JPS5940632B2 (ja) 1980-06-20 1980-06-20 ラベル印字装置
JP83573/80 1980-06-20

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0040960A2 true EP0040960A2 (de) 1981-12-02
EP0040960A3 EP0040960A3 (en) 1981-12-16
EP0040960B1 EP0040960B1 (de) 1992-01-08

Family

ID=26411005

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19810302262 Expired EP0040960B1 (de) 1980-05-26 1981-05-21 Steuersystem für den Etikettenvorschub

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0040960B1 (de)
CA (1) CA1163009A (de)
DE (1) DE3177269D1 (de)
DK (1) DK158447C (de)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1983004237A1 (en) * 1982-05-21 1983-12-08 Stig Alfons Lindgren A method and apparatus for advancing a tape bearing self-adhesive labels
EP0052848B1 (de) * 1980-11-21 1987-07-15 Tokyo Electric Co., Ltd. Etikettenausgeber

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2522224A (en) * 1946-12-05 1950-09-12 Jr John H B Hedinger Label printing and dispensing machine
US3321105A (en) * 1964-02-04 1967-05-23 Flinchbaugh Products Inc Label dispenser
EP0000657A1 (de) * 1977-07-28 1979-02-07 Inc. Monarch Marking Systems Etikettiermaschinen.
EP0033609A1 (de) * 1980-01-30 1981-08-12 Wright Line Of Canada Ltd. Etikettiermaschine mit einer Servomotor-Steuereinrichtung

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2522224A (en) * 1946-12-05 1950-09-12 Jr John H B Hedinger Label printing and dispensing machine
US3321105A (en) * 1964-02-04 1967-05-23 Flinchbaugh Products Inc Label dispenser
EP0000657A1 (de) * 1977-07-28 1979-02-07 Inc. Monarch Marking Systems Etikettiermaschinen.
EP0033609A1 (de) * 1980-01-30 1981-08-12 Wright Line Of Canada Ltd. Etikettiermaschine mit einer Servomotor-Steuereinrichtung

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0052848B1 (de) * 1980-11-21 1987-07-15 Tokyo Electric Co., Ltd. Etikettenausgeber
WO1983004237A1 (en) * 1982-05-21 1983-12-08 Stig Alfons Lindgren A method and apparatus for advancing a tape bearing self-adhesive labels

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0040960A3 (en) 1981-12-16
DK158447B (da) 1990-05-21
EP0040960B1 (de) 1992-01-08
DK158447C (da) 1990-10-22
DE3177269D1 (de) 1992-02-20
DK228481A (da) 1981-11-27
CA1163009A (en) 1984-02-28

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