JP2004098567A - Device and method for marking article - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device and a method for marking an article capable of marking both a cylindrical article and a flat plate-like article and effectively and continuously marking a plurality of articles, in the device and method for marking a character or a pattern on the periphery of articles. <P>SOLUTION: A plurality of articles 5 to be marked are stored in a article holding tool 2 which is moved to successively position the articles 5 to a marking position. A marking unit 7 is moved in the biaxial direction relative to the article 5. For a cylindrical article, the article 5 is held and rotated to be marked. For a flat plate-like article, the moving function of the article holding tool 2 is used to move the article 5 to be marked. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an article marking apparatus and an article marking method for automatically marking characters, patterns, and the like on an outer surface of an article with a marking device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In order to mark characters and patterns on the outer surface of a metal or resin, various marking devices such as a vibrating pen, a laser marker, and an inkjet marker have been used. As an example of an apparatus for automatically marking a character or a pattern on the outer surface of such an article, there is an apparatus for automatically marking a planar article by moving a marking instrument in a plane biaxial direction. Further, for a columnar article, a device for moving a marking instrument in the axial direction and rotating (swinging) the article is also used.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since these conventional marking devices are exclusively used for flat articles such as flat plates and prisms, or for exclusive use of columnar articles, they cannot be used for both flat articles and columnar articles. Further, the conventional marking device is a device for marking a single article, and it has not been possible to continuously and efficiently mark a plurality of articles. The present invention solves these problems in the prior art, and by inputting information on characters and patterns to be marked, marking can be performed not only on a planar article but also on the outer peripheral surface of a columnar article, and is targeted. An object of the present invention is to provide a marking device and an article marking method capable of continuously and efficiently marking a plurality of articles.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention according to claim 1 is a marking device for marking a character, a pattern, or the like on an outer surface of an article, the article holding tool accommodating and holding a plurality of articles in an aligned state, and the article holding tool in an article alignment direction ( (X direction), a holder moving mechanism for sequentially positioning the article at the marking position, a marking device arranged on the side in the alignment direction (X direction) of the article, and marking the object to be processed at the marking position; The gist of the present invention is to provide an article marking apparatus, comprising: a marking instrument moving mechanism for moving a marking instrument in a direction (Y direction) of a target article in a perspective direction (Y direction) and a direction (Z direction) perpendicular to an alignment direction of articles. I do.
[0005]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article marking apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising an article gripping / rotating mechanism for gripping an object to be processed at a position where marking is performed and rotating (swinging) about the Z axis. The point is to provide.
[0006]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, information signal input means for inputting form information such as characters or patterns to be marked as an electronic signal, and processing the input electronic signal so that the X direction of the article holder is changed. And a signal processing output means for outputting as control signals for movement, positioning, gripping of the article, rotation angle of the article about the Z axis, and movement of the marking instrument in the Y and Z directions. The gist is to provide a device.
[0007]
The invention according to claim 4 is a marking method for sequentially marking characters, patterns, and the like on the outer surfaces of a plurality of articles, wherein the plurality of articles are accommodated and held in an aligned state on the article holder, and the article holder is held. After moving the articles in the alignment direction (X direction) of the articles by the tool moving mechanism and sequentially positioning the articles at the marking positions to correspond to the marking instruments arranged on the side of the article row, the marking instruments are moved in the perspective direction with respect to the articles. (Y direction) and in the direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the alignment direction (X direction) of the articles, and when marking a planar article, fix the articles with the article holder and move them in the X direction. When marking is performed on a cylindrical article, marking is performed by gripping the cylindrical article and rotating (swinging) about the Z axis, thereby marking the planar article and the cylindrical article. It was possible to carry out the gist thereof is to provide an article marking method according to claim.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the whole of the article marking apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of FIG. 1 and a detailed portion for marking a columnar article, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an article holder for storing a plurality of columnar articles, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an article holder for storing a plurality of flat articles. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the concept of the control system of the present invention.
[0009]
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an article marking device. In the marking device 1, an article holder 2 that accommodates an article 5 is fixed on a gantry 16 on a gripper moving mechanism 3. On the side of the article 5, a marking device 7 supported by a vertical moving device 6 is arranged. An article gripping / rotating mechanism 4 that grips and rotates (swings) the article 5 in conjunction with the article pressing device 17 is disposed at the marking position. The gantry 16 is provided with an operation switchboard 45, a keyboard 43, a monitor 44, and a computer 46 (not shown). The supply conveyor 42 is used for supplying the article holder 2 and the article 5. Further, when the shape of the article 5 is cylindrical, it is represented as a columnar article 5a, and when it is flat, it is represented as a flat article 5b. The article holders 2 are similarly represented as a columnar article holder 2a and a flat article holder 2b.
[0010]
Hereinafter, in a perspective view of FIG. 2 showing a main part of the article marking apparatus 1, an apparatus configuration in a case where marking is performed on a columnar article 5a will be described. This is an embodiment of the apparatus in the case where the article 5a is marked using the vibration pen 34 as the marking instrument 7. The columnar article holder 2a includes a holder receiving plate 24a and a plurality of columnar article holders 51a for holding the columnar articles 5a, and is conveyed in the direction of arrow D on the X axis by the holder moving mechanism 3, and sequentially. The columnar article 5a is positioned at the marking position.
[0011]
The vibration pen 34 arranged on the side of the marking position is supported by the LM guide 20 so as to be freely movable in the front-rear (Y-axis) direction. The vibrating pen 34 is moved in the front-back (Y-axis) direction by the air cylinder 19 and is driven in the up-down (Z-axis) direction by the vertical movement device 6 described in detail later. An article gripping / rotating mechanism 4 for gripping and rotating (swinging) the columnar article 5a in conjunction with the article pressing device 17 is arranged at the marking position.
[0012]
In FIG. 3, the vibration pen 34 is moved in the front-back (Y-axis) direction by the air cylinder 19 with the LM guide 20 as a guide. The vertical moving device 6 includes a servo motor 27 for moving the LM guide 20 up and down and a vertical guide 37, and is disposed on the side frame 29. Further, the air cylinder 9 constituting the article pressing device 17 attached to the upper frame 28 lowers the receiving block 8 with the shaft 10 as a guide to press the upper part of the columnar article 5a. The lower air cylinder 14 raises the columnar article 5a together with the columnar article holder 51a, and sandwiches the columnar article 5a with the receiving block 8 to perform positioning in the height direction. Note that the bearing block 8 can rotate together with the article holding shaft 18 by the bearing in the bearing block 30.
[0013]
The elevating plate 26 constituting the article holding and rotating mechanism 4 and the integrally mounted article receiving housing 25 are moved up and down together with the columnar article holder 51a by the air cylinder 14 using the shaft 38 as a guide. Further, at the end of the holder rotating shaft 15 rotatably supported by the article receiving housing 25 and at the lower end of the columnar article holder 51a, there are provided concave and convex grooves (not shown) for transmitting rotation.
[0014]
As shown in FIG. 4, the servomotor 21 and the pulleys 22 a and 22 b attached to the elevating plate 26 are moved together by the air cylinder 14 in the vertical (Z-axis) direction. The servo motor 21 rotates the holder rotation shaft 15 via the timing belt 23. The holder receiving plate 24 is fixed to the slide plate 11, and the slide plate 11 is guided by the guide shaft 13, and is reciprocated in the X-axis direction by the linear actuator 12. The slide plate 11, the guide shaft 13, and the linear actuator 12 constitute the holder moving mechanism 3.
[0015]
In FIG. 5, the columnar article holder 2a includes a holder receiving plate 24a and a columnar article holder 51a. The holder receiving plate 24a is positioned with respect to the slide plate 11 by a pin corresponding to the positioning hole 55, and is fixed by toggle clamps 33 at both ends so as to be easily attached and detached.
[0016]
6 and 7 show an embodiment of the article holder 2 used for marking the flat article 5b. The flat article holder 2b includes a holder receiving plate 24b, a backing plate 31, and a fall prevention plate 32, and the flat article 5b is fixed by a fastener 54 via an elastic plate 52 and a pressing plate 53. . The holder receiving plate 24b is fixed to the slide plate 11 and reciprocated by the holder moving mechanism 3, as in the case of the holder receiving plate 24a of the article marking device 1.
[0017]
In the block diagram illustrating the concept of the control system in FIG. 8, the marking information input to the computer 46 from the keyboard 43 is processed and processed from the amplifiers 47 to 49 by the linear actuator 12, the vibration pen 34, the servomotors 21 and 27, and the like. It is output as a control signal of each device constituting the present device.
[0018]
Hereinafter, a process of marking a plurality of articles according to the present invention will be described. Prior to performing the marking, it is determined whether the article to be marked is cylindrical or flat. In addition, a marking content such as a character to be marked on the article and a marking position are determined. As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 8, these marking specifications are inputted by the keyboard 43 to determine the operating conditions of each device constituting the article marking device 1 of the present invention. In addition, as preparation for the marking device, the article holder 2 is attached to the slide plate 11 in advance according to the target article, and a plurality of articles 5 are inserted and held.
[0019]
Hereinafter, a marking process on a columnar article will be described with reference to FIG. 2 as a specific example. A predetermined number of columnar articles 5a are inserted and held in the columnar article holder 2a, and the operation switch board 45 is operated to activate the article marking apparatus 1. The columnar article holder 2a is moved in the direction of arrow D (X-axis) by the holder moving mechanism 3, and first positions the first columnar article 5a at a marking position corresponding to the vibration pen 34.
[0020]
Next, the vibrating pen 34 moves in the Z-axis direction to a designated height for performing marking, and prepares marking conditions. Thereafter, the vibration pen 34 starts vibration for marking by a known means, and performs movement in the Z-axis direction and contact / separation (movement in the Y-axis direction) with respect to the columnar article 5a in accordance with input conditions regarding the marking. On the other hand, in conjunction with this, the article gripping / rotating mechanism 4 and the article pressing device 17 grip the columnar article 5a from above and below to rotate (swing), and the movement (Y axis, Z axis) of the vibrating pen 34 described above. In addition, predetermined marking is performed on the outer periphery of the columnar article 5a.
[0021]
After the marking of the first columnar article 5a is completed, the article holder 2a is moved in the direction of arrow D by the holder moving mechanism 3, and the next columnar article 5a is positioned and marked, and the predetermined number is sequentially determined. The processing of the columnar article 5a is completed. Thereafter, the operator performs safety confirmation and takes out the marked columnar article 5a. Thereafter, the operator inserts a new columnar article 5a and continues marking of the next lot.
[0022]
When the target article is in the form of a plate, the flat article holder 2b shown in FIG. 6 is attached in advance in place of the columnar article holder 2a in FIG. Next, the plurality of flat articles 5b are inserted, and the flat articles 5b are fixed by the fasteners 54. Thereafter, similarly to the marking of the columnar article, the marking is performed by moving the vibrating pen 34 in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions according to the input conditions, and moving the holder moving mechanism 3 in the X direction in accordance with the content of the marking. That is, for processing a cylindrical article, marking is performed by rotating (oscillating) the cylindrical article, and for a flat article, predetermined marking is performed by moving the flat article in the X-axis direction.
[0023]
In the above embodiment, the description has been given of the case where the vibrating pen is used as the marking device, but it is also possible to change the marking device to another currently used marking device such as a laser marker or an inkjet marker. is there. Further, the tip of the vibrating pen was brought into contact with the article when marking with the vibrating pen 34, but it was not necessary to make contact with the laser marker 34a or the like, and the distance between the target article and the marking instrument was changed according to the type of marking instrument used. Specify as appropriate. Also, a plurality of marking devices can be mounted at the marking position, and these can be switched and used according to the purpose.
[0024]
In the embodiment of the present invention, the articles are arranged vertically, but the direction of the XYZ axes can be freely selected such as the articles are arranged horizontally. In addition, although the target article has a typical shape of a columnar shape or a flat shape, an article of various shapes within the scope of the present invention, such as marking an elliptical shape or a plane as a part of a columnar product, is provided. Can be marked.
[0025]
Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, the article gripping rotation mechanism 4 has a configuration in which the columnar article 5a is sandwiched between upper and lower sides. The present invention is not particularly limited to the embodiments, and various configurations can be used in accordance with the gist of the present invention.
[0026]
In the present embodiment, the operator removes the columnar articles 5a after the marking is completed and supplies the articles 5 of the next lot to the article holders 2. However, a plurality of article holders 2 on which the columnar articles 5 are previously mounted are used. The article marking apparatus of the present invention can be automated according to the required productivity, such as by automatically preparing and automatically supplying the slide plate by the supply conveyor 42 to automatically attach and detach the slide plate.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the article holder for accommodating a plurality of articles is moved and positioned to sequentially correspond the articles to the marking instrument, and the marking instrument is moved in the near-far direction (Y-axis) of the target article and the article. By moving the articles in the X-axis direction using the article holder moving mechanism by moving the articles in the direction perpendicular to the alignment (Z axis), characters or patterns can be automatically and efficiently placed on the plane portions of a plurality of articles. It has the effect of marking.
[0028]
According to the invention as set forth in claim 2, it is possible to perform marking by rotating the columnar article around the central axis, and to mark a predetermined character or pattern at an arbitrary position on the outer peripheral portion of the columnar article. Can be. In other words, in addition to the effect of claim 1, by providing a marking device with high versatility, not only a flat article but also a cylindrical article can be marked by changing a part of the apparatus. Can be done.
[0029]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of articles can be efficiently marked by inputting various target articles and marking patterns into a computer in advance and controlling the marking. Further, there is an effect that it is possible to mark a character or a pattern required for each article such as a production number.
[0030]
According to the invention as set forth in claim 4, it is possible to continuously efficiently and efficiently mark characters and patterns on a plurality of articles, and by changing a part of the apparatus, only flat articles can be marked. In addition, it is possible to provide a versatile marking method capable of marking even cylindrical articles.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire article marking device of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a detailed portion for marking a columnar article in a main part of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an article holder for storing a columnar article.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an article holder for storing a flat article.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the concept of the control system of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Article marking apparatus 2 Article holder 2a Columnar article holder 2b Flat article holder 3 Holder moving mechanism 4 Article gripping rotation mechanism 5 Article 5a Columnar article 5b Flat article 6 Vertical moving apparatus 7 Marking instrument 8 Receiving block 9 Air Cylinder 10 Shaft 11 Slide Plate 12 Linear Actuator 13 Guide Shaft 14 Air Cylinder 15 Holder Rotating Shaft 16 Mount 17 Article Holding Device 18 Article Holding Shaft 19 Air Cylinder 20 LM Guide 21 Servo Motor 22a Timing Pulley 22b Timing Pulley 23 Timing Belt 24a Holder receiving plate 24b Holder receiving plate 25 Article receiving housing 26 Elevating plate 27 Servo motor 28 Upper frame 29 Side frame 30 Bearing block 31 Backing plate 32 Fall prevention plate 33 Clamp 34 vibrating pen 34a laser marker 35 air cylinder 36 LM guide 37 vertical guide 38 shaft 42 supply conveyor 43 keyboard 44 monitor 45 operation switch panel 46 computer 47 amplifier 48 amplifier 49 amplifier 50 article holder plate 51a columnar article holder 51b plate Article holder 52 Elastic plate 53 Holding plate 54 Fastener 55 Positioning hole 56 Solenoid valve

Claims (4)

A marking device for marking characters, patterns, and the like on the outer surface of an article, and an article holder for accommodating and holding a plurality of articles in an aligned state,
A holder moving mechanism for moving the article holder in the alignment direction (X direction) of the article and sequentially positioning the article at the marking position;
A marking device that is arranged on the side in the alignment direction of the article at the marking position and performs marking on the article,
An article marking apparatus, comprising: a marking instrument moving mechanism for moving a marking instrument in a perspective direction (Y direction) of the article to be processed and a direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the direction in which the articles are aligned. 2. An article marking apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an article gripping rotation mechanism for gripping the article to be processed at a marking position and rotating (swinging) about the Z axis. 3. An information signal input unit according to claim 1, wherein form information such as characters and patterns to be marked is input as an electronic signal.
Processes the input electronic signal and outputs control signals for controlling the movement of the article holder in the X direction, positioning and gripping of the article, the rotation angle of the article about the Z axis, and the movement of the marking instrument and the Y and Z directions. Article marking device provided with signal processing output means for performing A marking method for sequentially marking characters, patterns, and the like on an outer surface of a plurality of articles, wherein a plurality of articles are accommodated and held in an article holder in an aligned state, and the article holder is aligned by a holder moving mechanism. After moving the articles in the direction (X direction) and sequentially positioning the articles at the marking positions to correspond to the marking instruments arranged on the side of the article row, the marking instruments are moved toward and away from the articles (Y direction) and to the articles. In addition to moving in the direction perpendicular to the alignment direction (Z direction), when marking on a planar article, the article is fixed by an article holder and moved in the X direction to perform marking, and marking on a cylindrical article is performed. When performing, it is possible to perform marking on a planar article and a cylindrical article by gripping a cylindrical article and rotating (swinging) about the Z axis to perform marking. Article marking method characterized

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