JP2006102953A - Printing head and tag label forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form a printed radio tag label without causing enlargement of an apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The tag label forming apparatus 2 has a printing element 10 which carries out predetermined printing to a heat-sensitive tape 101 equipped with a radio tag circuit element To with both an IC circuit part 151 and a tag side antenna 152, an antenna 14 which carries out radio communication with the antenna 152, and a printing head 200 with a head body 201 where the antenna 14 and the printing element 10 are set. Access information for accessing radio tag information of the IC circuit part 151 is generated by a signal processing circuit 22 and a transmitting part 32 of a high frequency circuit 21, and transmitted to the antenna 152 via the antenna 14 of the printing head 200. Accessing to the radio tag information of the IC circuit part 151 is thus carried out. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a print head for performing printing together with reading or writing of RFID tag information from outside via wireless communication, and a tag label producing apparatus using the same.

  An RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system that reads / writes information in a non-contact manner between a small wireless tag and a reader (reading device) / writer (writing device) is known. The wireless tag circuit element included in the wireless tag includes an IC circuit unit that stores predetermined wireless tag information and an antenna that is connected to the IC circuit unit and transmits and receives information, and the wireless tag is dirty. Even if it is placed in an invisible position, it is possible to access (read / write information) the RFID tag information of the IC circuit section from the reader / writer side, product management, inspection process, etc. Practical use is expected in various fields.

  Such a radio tag is usually formed by providing a radio frequency circuit element on a label-like material, and this tag label is often affixed to a target article or the like for classification and organization of various documents and articles, for example. . At this time, if the information related to the RFID tag information is printed on the label separately from the RFID tag information stored inside, the user can visually recognize the related information on the label. It is. For this reason, a tag label producing apparatus from such a viewpoint has already been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In this prior art, when a strip-shaped tag tape (mounting paper) on which rectangular label pieces (RFID labels) are pasted at predetermined intervals is fed out from a tag tape roll (label paper) and transported through a transport path, An IC circuit unit (IC chip) in which predetermined RFID tag information generated on the device side is transmitted from the device-side antenna to the tag-side antenna of the RFID circuit element incorporated in each label piece and connected to the tag-side antenna Are written sequentially. The label piece is then transported downstream in the transport direction, and the print information corresponding to the written RFID tag information is printed on the RFID label surface by the print head to complete the RFID label with print. .

JP 2003-132330 A (paragraph numbers 0013 to 0041)

  However, in the above prior art, the device-side antenna and the print head that communicate with the tag-side antenna are provided separately, and after the wireless tag information is communicated by the device-side antenna, it is conveyed to the print head position. Therefore, the size of the apparatus was increased.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a print head capable of producing a RFID label with print without causing an increase in the size of the apparatus, and a tag label producing apparatus using the print head.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first invention provides a head main body provided with a dielectric portion, a printing element provided in the head main body, and a dielectric portion of the head main body for storing information. An RFID circuit element including a tag side antenna connected to the IC circuit section and a tag side antenna connected to the IC circuit section; Predetermined printing is performed on a printing medium.

  In the first invention of this application, the print head portion and the antenna portion are integrated into one head by providing the print element and the head-side antenna on the head body having the dielectric portion. As a result, the RFID label with print can be produced without increasing the size of the label producing apparatus as in the conventional structure in which the print head and the antenna are separately provided.

  According to a second invention, in the first invention, the dielectric portion of the head main body is made of a high dielectric constant material (including an insulator).

  As a result, the size of the head main body necessary for ensuring the same antenna function is reduced, and the print head can be further downsized.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the thermal head includes a heating element as the printing element.

  The ink on the ink ribbon can be thermally transferred to the printing medium by the heating element, or the heat-sensitive printing medium can be directly heated to perform predetermined printing.

  According to a fourth invention, in the third invention, the head body is made of ceramic.

  When the thermal head is used as the print head, the thermal head and the antenna substrate can be surely shared by configuring the head body with ceramic that is normally used as a substrate.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the ink-jet head includes a piezoelectric element as the printing element.

  Predetermined printing can be performed by controlling the ejection of ink from the nozzles with the piezoelectric element.

  A sixth invention is characterized in that, in the fifth invention, the head body is constituted by a piezo element.

  When the ink jet head is used as the print head, the head main body is composed of a piezo element that is normally used as a substrate, so that the ink jet head substrate (vibrating plate) and the antenna substrate can be reliably used in common.

  According to a seventh invention, in any one of the first to sixth inventions, the head-side antenna is located on one side of the head body and on the other side of the head body. And a ground plane and function as a microstrip antenna.

  As a result, the RFID tag information can be read from or written to the target RFID circuit element using the directivity of the microstrip antenna including the microstrip antenna element and the ground plane toward the antenna element. Further, the use of a dielectric having a high dielectric constant for the head main body (substrate) can further reduce the size.

  In order to achieve the above object, an eighth invention provides a print medium including a wireless tag circuit element including an IC circuit unit that stores predetermined information and a tag-side antenna connected to the IC circuit unit. A head main body provided with a printing element for performing predetermined printing, a head side antenna for performing wireless communication with the tag side antenna of the RFID circuit element, the head side antenna and the printing element, and having a dielectric portion And generating access information for accessing the RFID tag information of the IC circuit unit, transmitting it to the tag side antenna via the head side antenna, and supplying the RFID tag information of the IC circuit unit to the RFID tag information. And an information access means for performing access.

  The access information generated by the information access means is transmitted to the tag-side antenna via the head-side antenna of the print head to read or write the RFID tag information of the IC circuit unit, and at the same time, the print element of the print head is covered. Predetermined printing is performed on the printing medium. In this manner, a printed RFID tag label can be created using a printed medium including a tag that has already been communicated.

  At this time, by integrating the conventional print head portion and the antenna portion into one print head, the space required for installation can be reduced compared to the conventional structure in which the print head and the antenna are separately provided. Therefore, the tag label producing apparatus can be downsized.

  In a ninth aspect based on the eighth aspect, the print head is arranged such that the polarization direction of the head-side antenna is substantially parallel to the transport direction of the print medium.

  Thereby, the electric field intensity which can be received by the tag side antenna by the head side antenna can be increased, and reliable transmission / reception with the tag side antenna becomes possible.

  According to a tenth aspect, in the ninth aspect, the head-side antenna is arranged on the head body so that an electromagnetic wave radiation surface is on the same side as the printing element.

  As a result, printing and writing can be performed almost simultaneously with the print head on the conveyed print medium.

  An eleventh invention is characterized in that, in the tenth invention, the head-side antenna is provided in the head main body so as to be downstream in the transport direction of the print medium from the print element. .

  As a result, it is possible to check with the downstream head side antenna whether or not the RFID tag circuit element of the printing medium is damaged due to heat generated during the printing operation of the upstream printing element. .

  In a twelfth aspect according to any one of the ninth to eleventh aspects, the feeding point of the head side antenna is disposed in the vicinity of one side of the head body, and the printing element is disposed in the vicinity of the other side of the head body. It is characterized by having been arranged in.

  By disposing the antenna feeding point at a position away from the printing element, it is possible to reduce the possibility of noise being mixed into the head side antenna due to the current flowing through the printing element.

  In a thirteenth aspect according to any one of the eighth to twelfth aspects, the print head includes a wiring for transmitting a print control signal to the printing element, and the wiring is connected to the head side antenna. It also serves as at least a part.

  Since the wiring to the printing element also serves as the head side antenna (or part thereof, also serves as the element or wiring), the head side antenna can be omitted correspondingly, and the print head can be reduced in size.

  In a fourteenth aspect based on any one of the eighth to thirteenth aspects, a position detection unit that detects a transport position of an RFID tag circuit element to be accessed, and after the access information is transmitted by the information access unit And an access success / failure confirmation signal is transmitted to the tag side antenna via the head side antenna after the RFID circuit element has passed the position of the printing element in the transport direction based on the detection result of the position detecting means. And a confirmation means.

  By performing data verification after the RFID circuit element has passed through the printing element, it is possible to reliably detect whether or not the RFID circuit element is damaged due to heat generated by the printing element.

  According to the present invention, since the print head portion and the antenna portion are integrated into one head, a printed RFID tag label can be produced without increasing the size of the label producing apparatus.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing a wireless tag generation system to which a tag label producing apparatus having a print head of this embodiment is applied.

  In the RFID tag generating system 1 shown in FIG. 1, a tag label producing device 2 is connected to a route server 4, a terminal 5, a general-purpose computer 6, and a plurality of information servers 7 via a wired or wireless communication line 3. .

  FIG. 2 is a conceptual configuration diagram showing a detailed structure of the tag label producing apparatus 2.

  In FIG. 2, the device body 8 of the tag label producing device 2 is provided with a cartridge holder portion (not shown) as a recess, and a cartridge 100 (wireless tag circuit element cartridge) is detachably attached to this holder portion. It has been.

  The apparatus main body 8 includes the cartridge holder portion into which the cartridge 100 is fitted and a casing 9 that forms an outer shell, and a printing element that performs predetermined printing (printing) on a thermal tape (tag tape) 101 serving as a printing medium. 10 and a book provided with an antenna 14 (head side antenna) for transmitting and receiving signals by radio communication using a high frequency such as a UHF band with a RFID circuit element To (described later in detail) provided on the thermal tape 101. The print head 200 according to the embodiment, the tape feed roller drive shaft 12 for feeding the tag label tape 110 with print after the print head 200 performs printing and access to the thermal tape 101, and the tag label with print. The tape 110 is cut to a predetermined length at a predetermined timing to form a label-like RFID tag T (details will be described later) And a discharge sensor 18 that is provided in a guide 18A for guiding the RFID label T to the carry-out port 16 and detects the presence or absence of the RFID label T.

  On the other hand, the apparatus body 8 is also read from the RFID circuit element To and the high-frequency circuit 21 for accessing (reading or writing) the RFID circuit element To via the antenna 14 of the print head 200. A signal processing circuit 22 for processing a signal, a cartridge motor 23 for driving the tape feed roller drive shaft 12 described above, a cartridge drive circuit 24 for controlling the drive of the cartridge motor 23, and the printing element 10. A printing drive circuit 25 for controlling the energization of the motor, a solenoid 26 for driving the cutter 15 to perform a cutting operation, a solenoid driving circuit 27 for controlling the solenoid 26, the high-frequency circuit 21, the signal processing circuit 22, and the cartridge. Tag label via drive circuit 24, print drive circuit 25, solenoid drive circuit 27, etc. And a control circuit 30 for controlling the forming device 2 overall operation.

  The control circuit 30 is a so-called microcomputer, and although not shown in detail, is composed of a central processing unit such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and is stored in advance in the ROM while using a temporary storage function of the RAM. Signal processing is performed according to the program. The control circuit 30 is connected to, for example, a communication line via the input / output interface 31, and is connected to the route server 4, the other terminal 5, the general-purpose computer 6, the information server 7 and the like connected to the communication line. It is possible to exchange information.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the detailed structure of the cartridge 100.

  In FIG. 3, the cartridge 100 includes a housing 100 </ b> A, a first roll 102 around which the belt-like heat-sensitive tape 101 is wound, and the heat-sensitive tape 101 is taped outward from the cartridge 100. It has a tape feed roller 107 for feeding, and a guide roller 120 for feeding while changing the direction of carrying the thermal tape 101.

  The first roll 102 has a belt-like shape in which a plurality of the RFID circuit elements To are sequentially formed in the longitudinal direction around the reel member 102a at predetermined equal intervals (for example, the RFID circuit elements To are not visible from the printing side. The thermal tape 101 (colored in a predetermined color) is wound.

  In this example, the heat-sensitive tape 101 wound around the first roll 102 has a three-layer structure (see a partially enlarged view in FIG. 3), and the opposite side (see FIG. 3) from the side wound outside (the right side in FIG. 3). (Left side in 3), the release paper 101a, an adhesive layer 101b made of an appropriate adhesive, and a base film 101c made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) are laminated in this order. The surface of the base film 101c is coated with a heat sensitive agent that develops color when heated.

  On the back side of the base film 101c (right side in FIG. 3), an IC circuit unit 151 for storing information in an updatable (rewritable rewritable) is integrally provided, and information is transmitted and received so as to be connected thereto. The antenna 152 (tag side antenna) to be performed is formed, and these constitute the RFID circuit element To. At this time, as shown in the K arrow concept (upper surface) diagram, the RFID circuit element To is arranged so as to be biased to one side in the width direction of the tape 101 (lower side in the figure). Considered to prevent damage. The antenna 152 extends so as to be substantially parallel to the tape running direction.

  On the back side (right side in FIG. 3) of the base film 101c, the release paper 101a is bonded to the base film 101c by the adhesive layer 101b provided so as to enclose the RFID circuit element To. The release paper 101a is such that when the RFID label T finally completed in the form of a label is attached to a predetermined product or the like, it can be adhered to the product or the like by the adhesive layer 101b by peeling it off. It is.

  The tape feed roller 107 is rotationally driven by transmitting the driving force of the cartridge motor 23 (see FIG. 2 described above), for example, a pulse motor provided outside the cartridge 100 to the tape feed roller drive shaft 12. .

  When the cartridge 100 configured as described above is mounted on the cartridge holder portion of the tag label producing apparatus 2 and a roller holder (not shown) is moved from the separation position to the contact position, the thermal tape 101 is moved to the print head 200, the platen roller 108, and the like. Between the tape feed roller 107 and the sub roller 109. As the tape feed roller drive shaft 12 is driven by the drive force of the cartridge motor 23 (see FIG. 2 and the like), the tape feed roller 107, the sub roller 109, and the platen roller 108 rotate in synchronization with each other, and the first roll The thermal tape 101 is unwound from 102 and turned in the direction by the conveyance turning roll 120 and then supplied to the print head 200 side.

  First, printing is performed on the thermal tape 101 supplied to the print head 200 by a plurality of printing elements 10 (heating elements in this example). The printing element 10 prints a print on the surface of the base film 101c of the thermal tape 101 by energizing each element by the print driving circuit 25 (see FIG. 2 and the like). That is, in this case, it functions as a thermal head.

  Thereafter, access to the RFID tag information (information writing / reading) is performed via the antenna 14 described above, and after being formed as a tag label tape 110 with print, it is carried out of the cartridge 100.

  4A is an enlarged side sectional view showing the detailed structure of the print head 200 shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4B is a bottom view as seen from the direction E in FIG. 4A. is there. 4A corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along the IVA-IVA ′ cross section in FIG. 4B.

  4A and 4B, the print head 200 has a head body 201 made of a high dielectric constant material (including an insulator, in this example, a ceramic substrate). The head main body 201 may have a portion that is not a dielectric portion as long as it includes a dielectric portion for providing the printing element 10 and the antenna 14.

  Of one side (tape side, lower side in FIG. 4A) of the ceramic substrate region of the head main body 201, a convex portion (glaze) 202 is provided on the upstream side in the tape transport direction (right side in FIG. 4A). A plurality (eight in this example) of the printing elements 10 are provided on the convex portion 202 and connected in parallel to the power supply side by the power supply line 203. At this time, the convex portion 202 is not provided over the entire width direction of the tape 101, but a blank region (flat region) S without the convex portion 202 is provided at least at one end portion in the width direction (both end portions in this example). As described above, the RFID circuit element To that is unevenly arranged on one side in the width direction of the tape 101 passes through the blank area S, so that the IC circuit part is contacted by the convex part 202 and the printing element 10. 151 and the antenna 152 are prevented from being adversely affected. In addition, a grounding wire 204 related to the printing element 10 is provided on the side opposite to the printing element 10 and the power supply line 203 (on the opposite side of the tape, the upper side in FIG. 4A) across the head body 201. In order to provide durability, a protective layer is provided, although not usually shown so as to cover the printing element 10.

In addition, the microstrip antenna type antenna 14 is provided on one side of the ceramic substrate region on the downstream side in the tape conveyance direction (left side in FIG. 4A). The antenna 14 includes a microstrip antenna element 14A located on the tape side (lower side in FIG. 4A) of the ceramic body region of the head body 201 on the downstream side in the tape transport direction (left side in FIG. 4A). And a ground plate 14B that functions as a ground electrode and is located on the side opposite to the tape (on the upper side in FIG. 4A) with the head main body 201 interposed therebetween. (The lower side in FIG. 4A) and the plane of polarization thereof is arranged so as to be substantially parallel to the tape transport direction (left and right direction in FIG. 4A) as shown in FIG. 4A. Yes. The resonance frequency f at this time is c, the speed of light, the dielectric constant of the substrate εr (for example, εr = 10 for ceramics), and the length of the antenna a.
f = c / (2a (εr) ^1/2 ) (Formula 1)
It is represented by

  Further, the antenna element 14A and the ground plane 14B are arranged so as to be able to radiate radio waves over almost the entire width direction of the tape 101 (up to both ends in the width direction), and the feed line 14C of the antenna 14 is downstream in the tape transport direction ( 4 (a) and 4 (b) on the opposite side to the printing element 10 is connected to the vicinity of the end.

  FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing detailed functions of the high-frequency circuit 21. In FIG. 5, the high-frequency circuit 21 includes a transmission unit 32 that transmits a signal to the RFID circuit element To via the antenna 14 of the print head 200 and a reflection from the RFID circuit element To that is received by the antenna 14. It comprises a receiving unit 33 for inputting a wave and a transmission / reception separator 34.

The transmission unit 32 accesses the wireless tag information of the IC circuit unit 151 of the wireless tag circuit element To in accordance with a control signal (carrier wave generation command signal) from the control circuit 30 (write in this example, read in a later-described modification) Crystal oscillator 35 and PLL (Phase
The generated carrier wave is modulated based on a signal supplied from the signal processing circuit 22 (Locked Loop) 36, a VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator) 37 (in this example, a “TX_ASK” signal from the signal processing circuit 22) A transmission multiplication circuit 38 (amplitude modulation based on the above) (however, in the case of amplitude modulation, an amplification factor variable amplifier or the like may be used) and a modulated wave (wireless tag information) modulated by the transmission multiplication circuit 38 And a variable transmission amplifier 39 that determines and amplifies the amplification factor according to the “TX_PWR” signal from 30. The generated carrier wave preferably uses a frequency in the UHF band, and the output of the transmission amplifier 39 is transmitted to the antenna 14 via the transmission / reception separator 34, and the IC circuit of the RFID circuit element To Supplied to the unit 151. Note that the RFID tag information is not limited to the signal modulated as described above, but may be only a carrier wave.

  The reception unit 33 is necessary from the reception first multiplication circuit 40 that multiplies the reflected wave from the RFID circuit element To received by the antenna 14 and the generated carrier wave, and the output of the reception first multiplication circuit 40. Received by the antenna 14, the first band-pass filter 41 for extracting only a signal in a wide band, the reception first amplifier 43 that amplifies the output of the first band-pass filter 41 and supplies the amplified signal to the first limiter 42. A reception second multiplication circuit 44 that multiplies the reflected wave from the RFID circuit element To and the carrier wave that has been generated and delayed by 90 ° by the phase shifter 49, and the output of the reception second multiplication circuit 44. A second band-pass filter 45 for extracting only a signal of a necessary band, and an output of the second band-pass filter 45 is inputted and amplified to be a second limit. And a reception second amplifier 47 that supplies the data to the computer 46. The signal “RXS-I” output from the first limiter 42 and the signal “RXS-Q” output from the second limiter 46 are input to the signal processing circuit 22 and processed.

  The outputs of the reception first amplifier 43 and the reception second amplifier 47 are also input to an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) circuit 48, and a signal “RSSI” indicating the strength of these signals is input to the signal processing circuit 22. It has become so. In this way, in the tag label producing apparatus 2 of the present embodiment, the reflected wave from the RFID circuit element To is demodulated by IQ orthogonal demodulation.

  FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of the RFID circuit element To. In FIG. 6, the RFID circuit element To includes the antenna 152 that performs non-contact signal transmission and reception with the antenna 14 of the print head 200 on the tag label producing apparatus 2 side using a high frequency such as a UHF band, and the antenna 152. And the IC circuit portion 151 connected to the terminal.

  The IC circuit unit 151 includes a rectification unit 153 that rectifies the carrier wave received by the antenna 152, a power supply unit 154 that accumulates the energy of the carrier wave rectified by the rectification unit 153 and serves as a drive power source, and the antenna 152. A clock extraction unit 156 that extracts a clock signal from the received carrier wave and supplies the clock signal to the control unit 155, a memory unit 157 that can store a predetermined information signal, a modem unit 158 connected to the antenna 152, and the rectifier And a control unit 155 for controlling the operation of the RFID circuit element To via the unit 153, the clock extraction unit 156, the modulation / demodulation unit 158, and the like.

  The modem 158 demodulates the communication signal received from the antenna 14 of the tag label producing apparatus 2 received by the antenna 152, and modulates and reflects the carrier wave received from the antenna 152 based on the response signal from the controller 155. To do.

  The control unit 155 interprets the received signal demodulated by the modulation / demodulation unit 158, generates a return signal based on the information signal stored in the memory unit 157, and performs basic control such as returning by the modulation / demodulation unit 158. Execute proper control.

  7 (a) and 7 (b) show an example of the appearance of the RFID label T formed by completing the information writing of the RFID circuit element To and the cutting of the tag label tape 110 with print as described above. 7A is a top view (that is, a view seen from the base film 101c side), and FIG. 7B is a bottom view (ie, a view seen from the release paper 101a side). FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along section VIII-VIII ′ in FIG.

  7A, 7B, and 8, the RFID label T has the three-layer structure described above with reference to FIG. 3, and the base film 101c side (the upper side in FIG. 8) Toward the opposite side (lower side in FIG. 8), the base film 101c, the adhesive layer 101b, and the release paper 101a constitute three layers. As described above, the antenna 152 provided on the back side of the base film 101c and the IC circuit portion 151 provided in the base film 101c or the adhesive layer 101b (in the figure, the base film 101c) are provided to write information by the print head 200. The completed RFID circuit element To is unevenly arranged on one side in the width direction of the label T (right side in FIG. 8) and printed on the surface of the base film 101c by the printing element 10 of the print head 200 (in this example, "RF-ID" indicating the type of the RFID label T) is printed. A heat-sensitive agent that develops color when heated is applied to the surface of the base film 101c.

  FIG. 9 shows a screen displayed on the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6 when accessing (reading or writing) the RFID tag information of the IC circuit unit 151 of the RFID circuit element To by the tag label producing apparatus 2 as described above. It is a figure showing an example.

  In FIG. 9, in this example, the tag label type (access frequency and tape size), the printed character R printed corresponding to the RFID circuit element To, and the access (reading) that is an ID unique to the RFID circuit element To. (Or write) ID, the address of the article information stored in the information server 7, the storage address of the corresponding information in the route server 4, etc. can be displayed on the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6. Then, the tag label producing apparatus 2 is operated by the operation of the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6 so that the print character R is printed on the base film 101c, and information such as the write ID and article information is stored in the IC circuit unit 151. Written (or wireless tag information such as article information stored in advance in the IC circuit unit 151 is read).

  In addition, when reading or writing as described above, the ID of the generated RFID label T and the information read from the IC circuit unit 151 of the RFID label T (or information written to the IC circuit unit 151) The correspondence relationship is stored in the route server 4 and can be referred to as necessary.

  FIG. 10 shows the production of the RFID label T described above, that is, the tape for printed tag label by conveying the thermal tape 101 and writing the RFID tag information with the antenna 14 while performing the predetermined printing with the printing element 10 of the printing head 200. 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure executed by the control circuit 30 when the printed tag label tape 110 is cut for each RFID circuit element To to form the RFID label T.

  In FIG. 10, first, when a writing operation of the label producing apparatus 2 is performed in step S105, this flow is started. Then, the RFID tag information to be written to the RFID circuit element To that has been input via the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6 and the RFID tag label T to be printed by the print head 10 corresponding to the RFID tag information. Print information is read through the communication line 3 and the input / output interface 31.

  Thereafter, in step S110, there is no response from the RFID circuit element To, and variables M and N for counting the number of times of retry (retry) and a flag F indicating whether communication is good or bad are initialized to zero.

  In step S115, a control signal is output to the cartridge drive circuit 24, and the tape feed roller 107 is driven to rotate by the drive force of the cartridge motor 23. As a result, the thermal tape 101 is fed out from the first roll 102 (the fed out thermal tape 101 is supplied to the tape feed roller 107 as a printed tag label tape 110 after printing of the print head 200 and writing of information (details will be described later). And is conveyed outwardly from the cartridge 100).

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S120, where the thermal tape 101 has a predetermined value C (for example, the information writing of the preceding RFID circuit element To by the print head 200 and the printing on the print area are completed, and the next print start position is almost at the print head 200. It is determined whether or not the sheet has been conveyed by a conveyance distance that only reaches the facing position. The conveyance distance at this time may be determined by, for example, detecting the appropriate identification mark provided on the heat-sensitive tape 101 with a known tape sensor separately provided. If the determination is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S200.

  In step S200, a printing / tag information writing process is performed, and the printing element 10 of the printing head 200 prints the printing R in the printing area corresponding to the wireless tag circuit element To of the thermal tape 101 and the antenna 14 of the printing head 200. After the memory is initialized (erased) in order to write, the transmission signal including the RFID tag information is sent to the RFID circuit element To on the thermal tape 101 for writing (see FIG. 11 described later for details). When step S200 is completed, the process proceeds to step S125.

  In step S125, it is determined whether or not flag F = 0. If the writing process has been completed normally, F = 0 remains (see step S385 in the flow shown in FIG. 11 described later), so this determination is satisfied, and the routine goes to step S130.

  In step S130, the combination of the information written in the RFID circuit element To by the antenna 14 of the print head 200 in step S200 and the print information printed by the print element 10 of the print head 200 is the input / output interface 31 and The data is output via the communication line 3 via the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6 and stored in the information server 7 or the route server 4. The stored data is stored and held in, for example, a database so that it can be referred to from the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6 as necessary.

  After that, in step S135, it is confirmed whether or not printing on the print area corresponding to the RFID circuit element To which is the processing target at this point of the thermal tape 101 is completed, and then the process proceeds to step S140.

  In step S125 described above, if the writing process is not normally completed for some reason, F = 1 is set (see step S385 in the flow shown in FIG. 11 described later), so the determination in S125 is satisfied. In step S137, a control signal is output to the print drive circuit 25 to stop energization of the print element 10 of the print head 200 and stop printing. In this way, it is clearly displayed that the RFID circuit element To is not a normal product due to the suspension of printing. In addition, you may be made to perform the printing of special modes, such as an alarm and alerting to that effect, not stop during printing.

  After step S137 ends, the process proceeds to step S140.

  In step S140, the printed tag label tape 110 further has a predetermined amount (for example, all of the target RFID circuit elements To and the corresponding print area of the print-receiving tape 103 have a cutter 15 with a predetermined length (margin amount). ) Judge whether it has been transported by a transport distance that only exceeds a minute). Similar to step S120 described above, the conveyance distance at this time may be determined by, for example, detecting the marking with a tape sensor. If the determination is satisfied, the process moves to step S145.

  In step S145, a control signal is output to the cartridge drive circuit 24, the drive of the cartridge motor 23 is stopped, and the rotation of the tape feed roller 107 is stopped. Thereby, the feeding of the thermal tape 101 from the first roll 102 and the conveyance of the tag label tape 110 with print are stopped.

  Thereafter, in step S150, a control signal is outputted to the solenoid drive circuit 27 to drive the solenoid 26, and the printed tag label tape 110 is cut by the cutter 15. As described above, at this time, for example, all of the printed tag label tape 110 including the RFID circuit element To to be processed has sufficiently exceeded the cutter 15, and the cutting of the cutter 15 causes the RFID circuit element. The RFID tag label T in the form of a label in which RFID tag information is written in To and predetermined printing corresponding thereto is performed is generated. Thereafter, the RFID label T generated in a label shape is discharged from the carry-out port 16 to the outside of the apparatus 2 while being guided toward the carry-out port 16 by the guide 18A.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the detailed procedure of step S200 described above.

  In FIG. 11, first, in step S300, a control signal is output to the print drive circuit 25, and the print element 10 of the print head 200 is energized to correspond to the RFID circuit element To to be processed in the thermal tape 101. In the area to be printed, the print R of characters, symbols, barcodes and the like read in step S105 of FIG. 10 is printed.

  In step S310, an identification number ID assigned to the RFID circuit element To to be written is set by a known appropriate method.

  Thereafter, in step S320, an “Erase” command for initializing information stored in the memory unit 157 of the RFID circuit element To is output to the signal processing circuit 22. Based on this, an “Erase” signal as access information is generated by the signal processing circuit 22 and transmitted from the high frequency circuit 21 to the RFID circuit element To to be written through the antenna 14 of the print head 200, and the memory unit 157 is stored in the memory unit 157. initialize.

  Next, in step S 330, a “Verify” command for checking the contents of the memory unit 157 is output to the signal processing circuit 22. Based on this, a “Verify” signal as access information is generated by the signal processing circuit 22 and is transmitted from the high frequency circuit 21 to the RFID circuit element To as an information write target via the antenna 14 of the print head 200 to prompt a reply. Thereafter, in step S340, the reply signal transmitted from the RFID circuit element To to be written corresponding to the “Verify” signal is received via the antenna 14 of the print head 200, and the high frequency circuit 21 and the signal processing circuit 22 are received. Through.

  Next, in step S350, based on the reply signal, information in the memory unit 157 of the RFID circuit element To is confirmed, and it is determined whether or not the memory unit 157 has been normally initialized.

  If the determination is not satisfied, the process moves to step S360, 1 is added to M, and it is further determined in step S370 whether M = 5. If M ≦ 4, the determination is not satisfied and the routine returns to step S320 and the same procedure is repeated. When M = 5, the process proceeds to step S380, where an error display signal is output to the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6 via the input / output interface 31 and the communication line 3, and a corresponding writing failure (error) display is performed. Exit. In this way, even if initialization is not successful, retry is performed up to five times. Even when the thermal tape 101 wound around the first roll 102 is completely consumed, the reply signal in S340 is not received due to the absence of the RFID circuit element To, so the determination in step S350 is not satisfied, In step S380, the above display is performed.

  When the determination in step S350 is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S390, and a “Program” command for writing desired data in the memory unit 157 is output to the signal processing circuit 22. Based on this, a “Program” signal as access information including ID information to be written by the signal processing circuit 22 is generated and transmitted to the RFID circuit element To as the information writing target via the high frequency circuit 21 and the antenna 14 of the print head 200. Then, information is written in the memory unit 157.

  Thereafter, a “Verify” command is output to the signal processing circuit 22 in step S400. Based on this, a “Verify” signal as access information is generated by the signal processing circuit 22 and transmitted to the RFID circuit element To as an information write target via the high frequency circuit 21 and the antenna 14 of the print head 200 to prompt a reply. Thereafter, in step S410, a reply signal transmitted from the RFID circuit element To to be written corresponding to the “Verify” signal is received via the antenna 14 of the print head 200, and the high frequency circuit 21 and the signal processing circuit 22 are received. Through.

  Next, in step S420, based on the reply signal, the information stored in the memory unit 157 of the RFID circuit element To is confirmed, and whether or not the transmitted predetermined information is normally stored in the memory unit 157. Determine whether.

  If the determination is not satisfied, the process moves to step S430, 1 is added to N, and it is further determined in step S440 whether N = 5. If N ≦ 4, the determination is not satisfied and the routine returns to step S390 and the same procedure is repeated. In the case of N = 5, the process proceeds to the above-described step S380, and the writing failure (error) display corresponding to the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6 is similarly performed. In step S385, the above-described flag F = 1 is set, and this flow is performed. finish. In this way, even if information writing is not successful, retry is performed up to five times.

  If the determination in step S420 is satisfied, the process moves to step S450, and a “Lock” command is output to the signal processing circuit 22. Based on this, a “Lock” signal is generated in the signal processing circuit 22 and transmitted to the RFID circuit element To as the information writing target via the high frequency circuit 21 and the antenna 14 of the print head 200, and the signal is sent to the RFID circuit element To. Writing new information is prohibited. As a result, the printing process and RFID tag information writing relating to the RFID circuit element To to be written are completed, and the RFID circuit element To is discharged as described above, and this flow ends.

  By the above routine, the RFID tag information corresponding to the RFID circuit element To to be written on the thermal tape 101 is written in the cartridge 100, and the RFID tag information is supported in the corresponding area of the thermal tape 101. The printed print R can be printed.

  In the above, the transmission unit 32 and the signal processing circuit 22 of the high-frequency circuit 21 generate access information for accessing the RFID tag information of the IC circuit unit, which is described after each claim, and the access information is transmitted to the tag-side antenna via the head-side antenna. The information access means for transmitting and accessing the RFID tag information of the IC circuit unit is configured, and after the access information is transmitted by the information access means, the RFID circuit element is determined based on the detection result of the position detection means. After passing the position in the transport direction, an access confirmation means is also configured to transmit an access success / failure confirmation signal (“Verify” signal) to the tag side antenna via the head side antenna.

  In the label producing apparatus 2 of the present embodiment configured as described above, printing is performed on the thermal tape 101 fed out from the first roll 102 by the printing element 10 of the print head 200, and further the antenna 14 of the print head 200. As a result, the RFID tag information is written and the tag label tape 110 is printed, and the RFID label T is generated using the tag label tape 110.

  At this time, in the print head 200 of this embodiment, the print element 10 that performs the print function and the antenna 14 that performs the antenna function are both provided in the head main body 201 to be integrated into one print head. Thereby, compared with the conventional structure which provides a print head and an antenna separately, since a space required for installation can be reduced, the tag label production apparatus 2 can be reduced in size. In addition, there is no need to align the print head and the antenna when manufacturing the tag label producing apparatus 2, and the manufacturing process can be simplified. Further, since the printing position and the writing position are substantially the same, there is an effect that the RFID circuit elements To can be densely arranged on the tape 101.

  At this time, in particular, the head 14 is arranged so that the electromagnetic wave radiation surface of the antenna 14 is on the same side as the printing element 10, so that printing and writing can be performed almost simultaneously on the heat-sensitive tape 101 being conveyed. Can do. Further, since the antenna 14 is provided downstream of the printing element 10 in the transport direction of the thermal tape 101, the RFID circuit element To is damaged due to heat generated during the printing operation of the printing element 10 on the upstream side. It is possible to confirm whether or not there is a problem with the downstream head side antenna. In particular, as shown in FIG. 11, a “Verify” signal is output in step S400 after the start of printing in step S300, and a response is received in step S410, that is, an access success / failure confirmation is performed after printing. Therefore, it is possible to confirm whether or not normal writing is possible. Further, the feeding line 14 </ b> C of the antenna 14 is arranged at a position away from the printing element 10 on the print head 200 on the side opposite to the tape conveyance direction, so that the current to the antenna 14 due to the current flowing through the printing element 10 via the feeding line 203 is provided. The possibility of noise contamination can be reduced.

  Further, the antenna 14 is arranged so that the polarization direction thereof is substantially parallel to the conveyance direction (traveling direction) of the thermal tape 101, and therefore the antenna of the RFID tag circuit path element To is formed by the antenna 14 of the print head 200. The electric field intensity that can be received by 152 can be increased, and reliable transmission and reception is possible. Further, since the head main body 201 is made of a material having a high dielectric constant (in this example, ceramic), the size of the head main body 201 necessary for ensuring the same antenna function can be reduced. There is also an effect that the size can be reduced. Further, when the head main body 201 on which the antenna 14 is provided is made of ceramic which is usually used as a substrate when the heat generating element is provided, the head main body 201 and the substrate of the antenna 14 can be surely shared.

  Further, by using the antenna 14 as a microstrip antenna including the microstrip antenna element 14A and the ground plane 14B, the directivity toward the antenna element 14A side is utilized to ensure the reliability of the target RFID circuit element To. Can be written (read in a modification described later). Further, by using a dielectric having a high dielectric constant (in this example, ceramic) for the head body 201, the size can be further reduced.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical idea. Hereinafter, such modifications will be described.

(1) Variation in installation direction of the print head 200 In the above embodiment, the print head 200 is provided on the inner side of the cartridge with respect to the conveyance path of the thermal tape 101, and printing is performed by contacting the thermal tape 101. However, the present invention is not limited, and printing may be performed from the outside of the cartridge on the opposite side across the thermal tape 101. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the detailed structure of the cartridge 100 ′ in such a modification, and corresponds to FIG. 3 described above. Parts equivalent to those in FIG. 3 and the like are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

  In FIG. 12, a cartridge 100 'is a first roll (tag tape roll) 102' around which a thermal tape 101 '(print medium) is wound, and this thermal tape 101' is fed to the outside of the cartridge 100 '. The tape feed roller 107 and the guide roller 120 that transports the thermal tape 101 'while turning the transport direction.

  The first roll 102 ′ is wound around a reel member 102 a ′ with a strip-like transparent thermal tape 101 ′ in which a plurality of the RFID tag circuit elements To are sequentially formed in the longitudinal direction.

  In this example, the heat-sensitive tape 101 'wound around the first roll 102' has a three-layer structure (see a partially enlarged view in FIG. 12), and the opposite side from the side wound outward (right side in FIG. 12). (Left side in FIG. 12) A base film 101a ′ made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate), an adhesive layer 101b ′ made of an appropriate adhesive, and a release paper 101c ′ are laminated in this order.

  The IC circuit portion 151 is integrally provided on the back side (left side in FIG. 12) of the base film 101a ′, and the antenna 152 that transmits and receives information is connected to the IC circuit portion 151. A tag circuit element To is configured.

  The release paper 101c ′ is bonded to the base film 101a ′ by the adhesive layer 101b ′ provided so as to contain the RFID circuit element To on the back side (left side in FIG. 12) of the base film 101a ′. The release paper 101c ′ is attached to the product or the like by the adhesive layer 101b ′ when the RFID label T finally completed in a label shape is attached to a predetermined product or the like by peeling it off. It is a thing.

  When the cartridge 100 ′ is mounted on the cartridge holder portion of the tag label producing apparatus 2 and a roller holder (not shown) is moved from the separation position to the contact position, the thermal tape 101 ′ is moved between the print head 200 and the platen roller 108. Nipped between the tape feed roller 107 and the sub roller 109. As the tape feed roller drive shaft 12 is driven by the drive force of the cartridge motor 23 (see FIG. 2 and the like), the tape feed roller 107, the sub roller 109, and the platen roller 108 rotate in synchronization with each other, and the first roll The thermal tape 101 ′ is fed out from 102 ′, turned in the direction by the transport turning roll 120, and then supplied to the print head 200 side. In this manner, the print head 200 performs printing by the printing element 10 and writing of information to the RFID tag information by the antenna 14 on the thermal tape 101 ′ fed out from the first roll 102 ′. After being formed as a tag label tape 110 ′ with print, it is carried out of the cartridge 100 ′.

  Since conveyance after unloading out of the cartridge 100 ′, cutting by the cutter 15, and the like are the same as described above, description thereof will be omitted.

  FIGS. 13A and 13B show an example of the appearance of the RFID label T ′ formed after the writing of information on the RFID circuit element To and the cutting of the printed tag label tape 110 as described above are completed. FIG. 13A is a top view (ie, a view seen from the base film 101a ′ side), and FIG. 13B is a bottom view (ie, a view seen from the release paper 101c ′ side). FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the XIV-XIV ′ section in FIG.

  In FIG. 13A, FIG. 13B, and FIG. 14, the RFID label T ′ has a three-layer structure, which is opposite to the base film 101a ′ side (upper side in FIG. 14) (FIG. 14). Three layers are formed of the base film 101a ′, the adhesive layer 101b ′, and the release paper 101c ′ toward the middle and lower side. As described above, the print head includes the antenna 152 provided on the back side of the base film 101a 'and the IC circuit unit 151 provided in the base film 101a' or the adhesive layer 101b '(in the base film 101a' in the figure). The RFID tag circuit element To on which information has been written by 200 is unevenly arranged on one side in the width direction of the label T ′ (right side in FIG. 14), and on the surface of the base film 101a ′ by the printing element 10 of the print head 200. The print R (in this example, “RF-ID” characters indicating the type of the RFID label T) is printed. A heat-sensitive agent that develops color when heated is applied to the surface of the base film 101a '.

  Also in this modified example, effects such as downsizing of the tag label producing apparatus 2 due to downsizing of the print head 20 can be obtained as in the above embodiment.

(2) In the case of using an ink ribbon In the above, printing was performed by using the thermal tapes 101 and 101 ', which are thermal printing media, and only heating with the heating element 10 of the print head 200. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and predetermined printing may be performed by thermally transferring the ink of the ink ribbon to the normal print medium by the print head 200.

  FIG. 15 is a view showing a modification in which an ink ribbon is applied to the cartridge 100 shown in FIG. 3 in the above embodiment. Portions similar to those in FIGS. 3 and 12 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  In the cartridge 100 ″ shown in FIG. 15, a normal (non-thermal type) base tape 101 ″ corresponding to the thermal tape 101 is wound around the first roll 102. Although not shown in the figure, this base tape 101 ″ is formed by laminating the release paper 101a, the adhesive layer 101b, and the base film 101c in this order from the side wound outward to the opposite side.

  Further, the ribbon supply side roll 111 for feeding out the ink ribbon 105 (thermal transfer ribbon), the ribbon take-up roller 106 for winding the ribbon 105 after printing, and the ink ribbon 105 that has finished printing on the base tape 101 ″ are driven. A ribbon take-up roller drive shaft 11 is newly provided.The base tape 101 ″ fed out from the first roll 102 has the ribbon supply side roll 111 and the ribbon take-up roller arranged on the back side thereof. The ribbon 105 driven by 106 is pressed against the back surface of the base film 101c by being pressed by the print head 200. As a result, heat is transferred to the base film 101c by the heat generated by the printing element 10, and predetermined printing is performed. Is to be done.

  An ink ribbon may be similarly applied to the cartridge 100 ′ shown in FIG.

  Also by these modified examples, the same effect as the above-described embodiment is obtained.

(3) In the case where only information is read from the RFID circuit element In each of the above-described embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to a generation system of an RFID tag that writes information to the RFID circuit element has been described as an example. Absent. That is, while reading RFID tag information from a read-only RFID circuit element in which predetermined RFID tag information (such as tag identification information) is stored and retained in a non-rewritable manner, a label is created by performing printing corresponding to the RFID tag information. In some cases, this is also applicable.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart (corresponding to FIG. 10 of the above embodiment) executed by the control circuit 30 in this modified example. In this case, in step S105A instead of step S105 in FIG. In step S110A instead of step S110, only flags N and F are set to 0. In step S200A instead of step S200, printing and RFID tag information are read (see FIG. 17 described later for details), and then step S130. In step S130A instead, the combination of the print information and the read RFID tag information is stored.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the detailed procedure of the printing / reading process in step S200A.

  In FIG. 17, first, in step S510, a control signal is output to the print drive circuit 25, the print element 10 of the print head 200 is energized, and the RFID circuit to be processed in the thermal tape 101 (or 101 '). In the print area corresponding to the element To, the print R of characters, symbols, barcodes, etc. read in step S105A of FIG. 16 is printed.

In step S 501, a “Scroll All ID” command for reading information stored in the RFID circuit element To is output to the signal processing circuit 22. Based on this, the signal processing circuit 22 uses “Scroll” as RFID tag control information.
An “All ID” signal is generated and transmitted to the RFID tag circuit element To to be read via the high frequency circuit 21 and the antenna 14 of the print head 20 to prompt a reply.

  Next, in step S502, the reply signal (the RFID tag information including tag ID information) transmitted from the RFID circuit element To to be read corresponding to the “Scroll All ID” signal is used as the antenna 14 of the print head 200. Is received via the high-frequency circuit 21 and the signal processing circuit 22.

  Next, in step S503, it is determined using a known error detection code (CRC code; Cyclic Redundancy Check, etc.) whether or not there is an error in the reply signal received in step S502.

  If the determination is not satisfied, the process moves to step S504, 1 is added to N, and it is further determined in step S505 whether N = 5. If N ≦ 4, the determination is not satisfied and the routine returns to step S501 and the same procedure is repeated. If N = 5, the process proceeds to step S506, where an error display signal is output to the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6 via the input / output interface 31 and the communication line 3, and the corresponding reading failure (error) display is performed. In step S507, the flag F is set to 1, and this routine is terminated. Thus, even if information reading is unsuccessful, retrying is performed up to five times, so that the reading reliability can be ensured to ensure completeness.

  If the determination in step S503 is satisfied, the printing process and reading of the RFID tag information from the RFID circuit element To to be read are completed, and this routine ends.

  With the above routine, it is possible to perform the corresponding printing process and reading of the RFID tag information (tag identification information and the like) of the IC circuit unit with respect to the RFID tag circuit element To to be read in the cartridge.

  Also in this modified example, when the RFID tag information is read from the read-only RFID tag circuit element and the label is created by performing printing corresponding to the RFID tag information, the printing function can be achieved with one print head 200 as in the above embodiment. Since both the antenna function and the antenna function are performed, the same effect can be obtained that the space required for the installation can be reduced compared to the conventional structure and the tag label producing apparatus 2 can be downsized.

(4) Variations of antenna wiring structure, etc. (4-1) When wiring to printing element is slanted FIG. 18 is a bottom view showing the detailed structure of the print head 200-1 according to this modification, and the implementation described above. It is a figure equivalent to Drawing 4 (b) of a form. Parts equivalent to those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted or simplified.

  18, the print head 200-1 has a shape in which one of the four corners (lower right side in FIG. 18) of the microstrip antenna element 14A, which has been a substantially rectangular flat plate shape in FIG. In addition, all the power supply lines 203 to the respective printing elements 10 are extended substantially obliquely in parallel with each other so as to follow the notched portion. As a result, the space required for the arrangement of the antenna element 14A, the feeder line 203, the printing element 10 and the like can be reduced in the tape longitudinal direction (left and right direction in FIG. 18), and thus a further miniaturized print head 200-1 can be realized. .

(4-2) In the case of using an inverted-F antenna FIG. 19A is a bottom view showing the detailed structure of the print head 200-2 according to this modification (corresponding to FIG. 4B of the above-described embodiment). 19 (b) is an arrow view as seen from the I direction in FIG. 19 (a), and FIG. 19 (c) is a side view as seen from the H direction in FIG. 19 (a). Parts equivalent to those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted or simplified.

  As shown in FIGS. 19A to 19C, in this print head 200-2, the print function side (the right side in the figure) has the same configuration as that in FIG. In the middle left), the patch antenna is a so-called inverted F-shaped inverted F antenna 14-2 corresponding to a half of the mirror symmetry plane.

  The antenna 14-2 is located on the tape side (upper side in FIGS. 19B and 19C) of the ceramic substrate region of the head body 201 on the downstream side in the tape transport direction (left side in FIG. 19A). A microstrip antenna element 14A-2, and a ground plane 14B-2 that functions as a ground electrode located on the side opposite to the tape (the lower side in FIGS. 19B and 19C) across the head body 201 are provided. Thus, the electromagnetic wave radiation surface is on the same side as the printing element 10 (upper side in FIG. 19C) and the polarization plane is substantially parallel to the tape transport direction (left and right direction in FIG. 19C). It is arranged to become.

  Further, in this example, the antenna element 14A-2 and the ground plane 14B-2 are arranged so as to be able to radiate radio waves in an area about half the width direction of the tape 101 (the lower half in FIG. 19A) in this example, The feeding line 14C-2 of the antenna 14-2 is connected to the downstream side in the tape transport direction (the left side in FIGS. 19A and 19C on the opposite side to the printing element 10).

  According to this modification, the print head 200-2 can be further downsized by using the inverted F antenna.

  In addition to the inverted F antenna, a so-called slot antenna may be used.

(4-3) Case of Using Modified Dipole Antenna FIG. 20A is a side view showing the detailed structure of the print head 200-3 according to this modification, and FIG. 20B is a view in FIG. FIG. 5 is a bottom view (a view corresponding to FIG. 4B of the above-described embodiment) viewed from the J direction. Parts equivalent to those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted or simplified.

  20A and 20B, in this print head 200-3, the print function side (right side in the figure) is configured substantially the same as in FIG. 4, while the antenna function side (left side in the figure). Is a modified dipole antenna 14-3.

  The antenna 14-3 includes two dipole antenna elements 14D obtained by bending and deforming a normal linear dipole antenna so as to have a substantially meandering shape, on the downstream side in the tape transport direction of the ceramic substrate region of the head body 201 (FIG. 20 ( a) and the left side in FIG. 20B) are arranged on the tape side (the lower side in FIG. 20A). As a result, the electromagnetic wave radiation surface is on the same side as the printing element 10 (lower side in FIG. 20A) and the polarization plane is substantially parallel to the tape transport direction (left and right direction in FIG. 20A). The feeding point 14E of the antenna 14-3 is connected to the downstream side in the tape transport direction (the left side in FIGS. 20A and 20B opposite to the printing element 10). .

  Also by this modification, the same effect as the above-mentioned embodiment is acquired.

(4-4) When the wiring to the printing element is also used as an antenna FIG. 21 is a bottom view showing the detailed structure of the print head 200-4 according to this modification, and is shown in FIG. 4 (b) of the above-described embodiment. It is an equivalent figure. Parts equivalent to those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted or simplified.

  In this print head 200-4, the print function side (right side in the figure) has a configuration substantially the same as that in FIG. 4, that is, seven print elements 10 are provided on the convex portion 202 and are fed by the feeder line 203. While supplying power, the feeding line of one printing element has a substantially meandering shape, and is connected to a modified monopole antenna 14F provided on the antenna function side (left side in the figure) to be connected to the trap portion 203 '. It is what.

  The trap unit 203 ′ resonates with an electrostatic capacitance due to a stray capacitance formed by an inductance due to the meandering pattern and a space between the meandering patterns, and operates as a trap that blocks current at the tag writing frequency. The monopole antenna antenna 14F is obtained by bending and deforming a normal linear monopole antenna so as to have a substantially meandering shape, and the tape side of the ceramic substrate region of the head body 201 on the downstream side in the tape transport direction (left side in FIG. 21). And the antenna 14-4 of the print head 200-4 together with the trap portion 203 '. With such a configuration, the antenna 14-4 is arranged so that its electromagnetic wave radiation surface is on the same side as the print element 10 (front side in FIG. 21) and its polarization plane is substantially parallel to the tape transport direction. Further, the feeding point 14G of the antenna 14-4 is located on the downstream side in the tape transport direction (the left side in FIG. 21 opposite to the printing element 10).

  A coil L for preventing the tag writing frequency from wrapping around is connected to the output side of the print drive circuit 25, and the current to the printing element 10 as a heating element is high-frequency on the outlet side of the high-frequency circuit. A capacitor C is connected to prevent the circuit 21 from going around.

  In the above description, the power supply line 203 ′ constitutes a wiring that transmits a print control signal to the print element and also serves as at least a part of the head-side antenna.

  According to the present modification, the antenna section 203 ′, which is a wiring to the print element 10, also serves as an antenna, so that the configuration of the antenna 14 can be omitted or simplified correspondingly, and the print head 200-4 can be further downsized. effective.

  Note that, as described above, the wiring may not serve as the antenna itself, but may be configured to serve as a part of the antenna, the element, or the wiring. Also in this case, the size reduction effect can be obtained by the shared portion.

(4-5) When a printing element is provided at the end of the head FIG. 22A is a side view showing the detailed structure of the print head 200-5 according to this modification, and FIG. FIG. 22 (c) is a bottom view thereof and corresponds to FIG. 4 (b) of the above-described embodiment. Parts equivalent to those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted or simplified.

  22A to 22C, in this print head 200-5, the convex portion 22 is omitted, and the print element 10 is disposed at the upstream end (right side in FIG. 22) of the head main body 201 in the tape 101 transport direction. It is provided so as to straddle from the tape 101 side (lower side in FIG. 22) to the side opposite to the tape 101 (upper side in FIG. 22) (but at least in contact with the tape 101).

  Further, on the tape 101 side (the lower side in FIG. 22) of the head body 201, one of the four corners (the lower right side in FIG. 22B) of the substantially rectangular flat plate-shaped base plate 14B is formed in a diagonally cut shape. The power supply lines 203 to the respective printing elements 10 are all extended substantially obliquely in parallel with each other along the cut-out portion.

  According to this modification, the printing element 10 can be moved far away from the antenna 14, so that the influence of the antenna electric field due to the printing operation of the printing element 10 can be greatly reduced.

(4-6) Inkjet Head FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing a conceptual configuration of a print head 200-6 according to this modification.

  In FIG. 23, in this modification, the print function portion is an ink jet head provided with a piezoelectric element as a printing element, and is placed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped head body 201 made of a high dielectric material (for example, a piezo element). A plurality of inkjet nozzles 205 are formed, and a printing element (piezoelectric element, not shown) driven by a signal from the print drive circuit 25 is provided in each nozzle 205, and ink is ejected from the nozzle 205 by this piezoelectric element. By controlling, predetermined printing is performed. An antenna 14 is provided on the upper surface of the head main body 201.

  According to this modification, when the inkjet head is used as the print head, the head main body 201 is configured by a piezo element that is normally used as a substrate, so that the substrate (vibrating plate) of the inkjet head and the substrate of the antenna 14 are surely shared. Can be At this time, the antenna can be miniaturized by providing the antenna 14 on a high dielectric such as a piezo element.

  In the above, the ink flow path, cavity, and nozzle may be made of metal such as stainless steel instead of dielectric. That is, it is sufficient that a dielectric substrate is formed at least on the antenna portion.

(5) Other
(A) When accessing after reliably detecting the passage of the RFID circuit element To through the printing element 10 In FIG. 11, before the RFID tag information is written in step S320 and thereafter, for example, the thermal tape 101 (or the base tape) 101 ′) detects an appropriate identifier (marking) or the like provided by the sensor (= position detecting means), and determines whether or not the RFID circuit element To has passed the printing element 10 reliably by the detection signal, Only when this determination is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S320 and the subsequent steps, and “Erase”, “Verify”, “Program”, “Verify” signals and the like may be transmitted.

  In this case, after the transmission unit 32 and the signal processing circuit 22 of the high-frequency circuit 21 transmit the access information by the information access unit, the RFID circuit element moves the position of the printing element in the transport direction based on the detection result of the position detection unit. After passing, an access confirmation means is configured to transmit an access success / failure confirmation signal (“Verify” signal) to the tag side antenna via the head side antenna.

  In this modification, data verification (see step S400 in FIG. 11) is performed after the RFID circuit element To has surely passed through the printing element 10, and as a result, the printing element (heating element) 10 generates heat or the like. Thus, it is possible to reliably detect whether or not the RFID circuit element To is damaged.

(B) When no cutting is performed In the above, the tape labels 110 and 110 'that have been printed and accessed (read or written) to the RFID circuit element To are cut with the cutter 15 to produce the tag labels T and T'. Although the case has been described as an example, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, in the case where a label mount (so-called die cut label) previously separated into a predetermined size corresponding to the label is continuously arranged on the tape fed out from the roll, even if it is not cut by the cutter 15, Even after the tape has been ejected from the ejection port 16, only the label mount (the one with the already accessed RFID circuit element To and the corresponding printing performed) is peeled off from the tape to produce the tag labels T and T '. good. In this case, the same effect is obtained.

The “Scroll” used above
The “All ID” signal, the “Erase” signal, the “Verify” signal, the “Program” signal, and the like are assumed to conform to the Auto-ID specification established by the EPC global. EPC global is a non-profit corporation established jointly by the International EAN Association, which is an international organization of distribution codes, and the United Code Code Council (UCC), which is an American distribution code organization. Note that signals conforming to other standards may be used as long as they perform the same function.

  In addition, although not illustrated one by one, the present invention is implemented with various modifications within a range not departing from the gist thereof.

1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating a wireless tag generation system to which a tag label producing apparatus including a print head according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a conceptual block diagram showing the detailed structure of a tag label production apparatus. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the detailed structure of a cartridge. It is the expanded side sectional view showing the detailed structure of a print head, and the arrow lower surface view seen from the E direction in Fig.4 (a). It is a functional block diagram showing the detailed function of a high frequency circuit. It is a functional block diagram showing the functional structure of a wireless tag circuit element. It is the upper surface figure and bottom view showing an example of the appearance of a RFID tag label. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along a section VIII-VIII ′ in FIG. It is a figure showing an example of the screen displayed on a terminal or a general purpose computer at the time of access to RFID tag information. It is a flowchart showing the control procedure performed by the control circuit. It is a flowchart showing the detailed procedure of step S200 of FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a detailed structure of a cartridge in a modified example in which the installation direction of the print head is changed. It is a figure showing an example of the appearance of a wireless tag label. It is a cross-sectional view by a XIV-XIV 'section in Drawing 13 (a). It is a figure showing the modification which applied the ink ribbon to the cartridge shown in FIG. It is a flowchart showing the control procedure which the control circuit in the modification which performs only information reading performs. It is a flowchart showing the detailed procedure of step S200A of FIG. FIG. 6 is a bottom view showing a detailed structure of a print head according to a modification when wiring to a print element is oblique. It is the bottom view showing the detailed structure of the print head by the modification using an inverted-F antenna, the arrow view seen from the I direction in Fig.19 (a), and the arrow side view seen from the H direction in Fig.19 (a). . It is the side view showing the detailed structure of the print head by the modification using a deformation | transformation dipole antenna, and the bottom view seen from the J direction in Fig.20 (a). FIG. 6 is a bottom view showing a detailed structure of a print head according to a modified example in which wiring to a print element is also used as an antenna. FIG. 5 is a side view, a top view, and a bottom view showing a detailed structure of a print head according to a modified example in which a print element is provided at a head end. It is a perspective view showing the notional composition of the print head by the modification of an ink jet head.

Explanation of symbols

2 Tag label making device 10 Printing element (heating element)
14 Antenna (head side antenna)
14A Microstrip antenna element 14B Ground plane 14-3 Antenna (head side antenna)
14-4 Antenna (head side antenna)
21 High-frequency circuit 22 Signal processing circuit (information access means; access confirmation means)
32 Transmitter (information access means; access confirmation means)
101 Thermal tape (printed medium)
101 'Base material tape (medium to be printed)
151 IC circuit section 152 Antenna (tag side antenna)
200 Print head (thermal head)
200-1-5 Print head (thermal head)
200-6 Print head (inkjet head)
201 Head body (dielectric part)
203 'Antenna part (wiring)
To RFID tag circuit element

Claims (14)

A head body having a dielectric portion;
A printing element provided in the head body;
The head side that performs wireless communication with the tag-side antenna of the RFID tag circuit element that is provided in the dielectric portion of the head body and includes an IC circuit unit that stores information and a tag-side antenna connected to the IC circuit unit An antenna,
A print head for performing predetermined printing on a print medium provided with the RFID circuit element. The print head according to claim 1,
A print head, wherein the dielectric portion of the head body is made of a high dielectric constant material. The print head according to claim 1 or 2,
A print head comprising a thermal head provided with a heating element as the print element. The print head according to claim 3, wherein
A print head characterized in that the head body is made of ceramic. The print head according to claim 1 or 2,
A print head comprising an inkjet head having a piezoelectric element as the print element. The print head according to claim 5, wherein
A print head characterized in that the head body is composed of a piezo element. The print head according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The head-side antenna includes a microstrip antenna element located on one side of the head main body and a ground plate located on the other side of the head main body, and functions as a microstrip antenna. A printing element for performing predetermined printing on a print medium provided with a wireless tag circuit element including an IC circuit section for storing predetermined information and a tag side antenna connected to the IC circuit section, and the wireless tag circuit element A print head comprising: a head side antenna that performs wireless communication with the tag side antenna; a head body provided with the head side antenna and the print element, and having a dielectric body;
Information access means for generating access information for accessing the RFID tag information of the IC circuit unit, transmitting the access information to the tag side antenna via the head side antenna, and accessing the RFID tag information of the IC circuit unit; The tag label production apparatus characterized by having. In the tag label production apparatus according to claim 8,
The tag label producing apparatus, wherein the print head is arranged so that a polarization direction of the head side antenna is substantially parallel to a conveyance direction of the print medium. In the tag label production apparatus according to claim 9,
The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the head side antenna is arranged on the head main body so that an electromagnetic wave radiation surface thereof is on the same side as the printing element. In the tag label production apparatus according to claim 10,
The tag label producing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the head side antenna is provided in the head main body so as to be downstream from the printing element in a conveyance direction of the printing medium. The tag label producing apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11,
A tag label producing apparatus, wherein a feeding point of the head side antenna is disposed in the vicinity of one side of the head body, and the printing element is disposed in the vicinity of the other side of the head body. In the tag label production apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 12,
The print head includes a wiring for transmitting a print control signal to the printing element, and the wiring also serves as at least a part of the head-side antenna. In the tag label production apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 13,
Position detecting means for detecting the transport position of the RFID tag circuit element to be accessed;
After the transmission of the access information by the information access means, an access success / failure confirmation signal is sent to the head side antenna after the RFID circuit element has passed the position of the printing element in the transport direction based on the detection result of the position detection means. And an access confirmation means for transmitting to the tag side antenna via a tag label producing apparatus.

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