JP2006181962A - Tape and mark detector of tape - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a discrimination mark to be certainly recognized even if an ornament mark and the discrimination mark coexist in a tape surface. <P>SOLUTION: For a substrate tape 101 at least in one side of which a logo mark LM and a search mark PM for controlling are provided and wherein two or more radio tag circuit elements To being arranged with the designated spacings in the longitudinal direction, at least one of the size, color, character and pattern mode of the two marks is established so that the logo mark LM and the search mark PM may correspond to the reading range of a sensor 19 for optically detecting the search mark PM and a designated difference may arise in the detected result at the time of reading the logo mark LM and the search mark PM. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a tape having a mark on one surface and a tape mark detection device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a label producing apparatus has been proposed in which a tape to be printed is stored in a cartridge (tape cassette) in a roll shape, and a desired character is printed and discharged into a label shape while feeding the tape from the roll ( For example, Patent Document 1).

In this prior art, a roll around which a print-receiving tape (printing tape) is wound is provided, and a predetermined print is performed on the print-receiving tape by a print head (thermal head) while the print-receiving tape is fed out from the roll. The tape to be printed is cut into a predetermined length by a cutting means (tape cutting mechanism) to produce a label. A black line-shaped identification mark (sensor mark) is printed in advance on one side of the print-receiving tape for the print start timing control at this time and the tape positioning control at the time of cutting. It is detected by a detection sensor) and the above control is performed according to the detection result.
JP-A-7-214876 (FIGS. 20 and 12)

  As described above, the printed tape after printing is cut to create a label, but in recent years, the surface of one side of the tape or label (for example, the side opposite to the printing side, that is, the side where the identification mark is provided) There is an increasing number of cases in which a predetermined decoration mark (for example, a company logo, a product logo, or a character design) is provided for the purpose of advertising effect or for the enjoyment of the user, without making the image blank. In this case, since the identification mark and the decoration mark coexist on the one surface, it is difficult for the detection means to distinguish between the decoration mark and the identification mark, and the identification mark cannot be reliably recognized. There was sex. In such a case, there is a concern that the printing start timing control using the identification mark or the tape positioning control at the time of cutting becomes difficult or the accuracy thereof is lowered.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a tape and a tape mark detection device that can reliably recognize an identification mark even when a decorative mark and an identification mark coexist on the tape surface.

  In order to achieve the above object, the first invention is a tape provided with a decoration mark and a control identification mark on at least one side surface, wherein the decoration mark and the identification mark are formed of the identification mark. Corresponding to the reading range of the detecting means for optically detecting, the size, color, character / design so that a predetermined difference is generated in the detection result when the decoration mark is read and when the identification mark is read At least one of the aspects is set.

  In the first invention of the present application, when the decoration mark and the identification mark are provided on the tape, for example, the identification mark is easier to read by the detection means than the decoration mark, so that a predetermined difference is generated in the detection result at the time of reading both marks. Set to. Thereby, even if these two types of marks coexist on at least one surface of the tape, the identification mark can be reliably recognized based on the above difference in the detection result of the detection means.

A second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, a plurality of RFID circuit elements are arranged at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction corresponding to the identification marks.

In the case of a tape in which a plurality of RFID circuit elements are arranged at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction, the position can be correctly determined by the recognition mark so that the RFID circuit elements are not cut in the middle.

  A third invention is characterized in that, in the first or second invention, the dimension of the identification mark is set to be larger than a reading range of the detection means.

  When the identification mark is set to be larger than the reading range of the detection means, when the tape is transported in the longitudinal direction and the identification mark appears in the reading range, the reading range is optically compatible with the identification mark. Since only information exists, the detection means can reliably detect the information. As a result, the identification mark can be recognized with certainty.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first to third aspects of the invention, at least one of the identification mark on one side and the other side in the tape longitudinal direction on the surface on the at least one side is positioned between the decoration mark. The mark blank portion is provided.

  As a result, when the tape is transported in the longitudinal direction, the reading range of the detection means includes an identification mark → mark blank portion → decoration mark or ornament mark → mark blank portion → identification mark A mark blank portion exists between the decoration marks. Therefore, there is always no optical information for both the identification mark and the decoration mark between the period for detecting the optical information corresponding to the identification mark and the period for detecting the optical information corresponding to the decoration mark, and the mark blank. Since there is a period in which only the part is detected, the boundary between the respective detection periods can be clarified. As a result, the identification mark can be recognized with high accuracy.

  The fifth invention is characterized in that, in the fourth invention, the dimension of the mark blank portion in the longitudinal direction is set to be larger than the reading range of the detecting means.

  As a result, when the tape is transported in the longitudinal direction and the mark blank portion appears in the reading range, it is reliably detected that only the optical information corresponding to the mark blank portion exists in the reading range. Means can detect the information. As a result, it is possible to reliably detect the mark blank portion and recognize the identification mark with higher accuracy.

  A sixth invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to fifth inventions, the identification mark is provided so as to cross obliquely at a predetermined angle with respect to the tape width direction.

  When the identification mark is provided in parallel with the tape width direction (in other words, at right angles to the tape longitudinal direction), for example, a concave groove for ejecting paint (ink) for printing the identification mark is provided on the circumference. Printing is performed while rotating a roll-shaped printing master provided in a straight line at a predetermined location in the axial direction. At this time, along with the rotation of the roll-shaped master, repeated printing of the identification mark is continued as a result of repeated impact load being concentrated on the concave groove at the same circumferential position where the concave groove is located in all axial portions of the master. As a result, wear or local damage occurs at both edges in the width direction of the groove, and durability may be reduced, making it difficult to perform a long-time printing operation or reducing print quality. For this reason, there is a fear that the detection position accuracy of the identification mark is lowered.

  Therefore, in the sixth invention of the present application, the identification marks are arranged so as to cross obliquely at a predetermined angle rather than in the tape width direction as described above. As a result, unlike the above, even if the roll-shaped master rotates, the circumferential position where the concave groove is located slightly shifts in all axial portions of the master, so the load to the concave groove is concentrated. Will be mitigated and the occurrence of edge wear or local damage will be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to improve the printing operation time and the printing quality, and it is possible to prevent the detection accuracy of the identification mark from being lowered.

  In order to achieve the above object, a seventh invention is a tape mark detection device for detecting the identification mark of a tape provided with a decorative mark and a control identification mark on at least one surface, Detection means for detecting optical information in a predetermined reading range of the at least one surface when the tape is conveyed in the longitudinal direction thereof, and the at least one surface including the identification mark by the detection device Recognition means for recognizing the identification mark on the tape being transported in accordance with a detection result of the first reading range and a detection result of the second reading range of the at least one surface including the decoration mark It is characterized by having.

  In the seventh invention of this application, the recognition means recognizes the identification mark according to the detection result of the first reading range including the identification mark and the detection result of the second reading range including the decoration mark. As a result, when the decoration mark and the identification mark are provided on the tape, for example, the identification mark has a larger amount of optical information that can be detected by the detection means than the decoration mark. By setting the difference to occur, even if these two types of marks coexist on at least one side of the tape, it is possible to reliably recognize the identification mark on the tape based on the above difference. Become.

In an eighth aspect based on the seventh aspect, a tape longitudinal reading range of the detecting means is smaller than a width in the tape longitudinal direction of the identification mark or mark blank portion, and the tape longitudinal length of the decorative mark is It is characterized by being configured to be larger than the maximum width in the direction.
As a result, when the tape is transported in the longitudinal direction and an identification mark or mark blank portion appears in the reading range, only optical information corresponding to the identification mark or mark blank portion exists in the reading range. Thus, the detection means can reliably detect the information.
In a ninth aspect based on the seventh aspect, the detection means has a difference between the detection signal output value in the first reading range and the detection signal output value in the second reading range on the at least one side surface. A detection signal output value in a mark blank portion provided so as to be located between at least one of the one side and the other side in the tape longitudinal direction of the identification mark and the decoration mark, and a detection signal output value in the second reading range It is comprised so that it may become a value larger than the difference with.

  Since there is a certain difference in the detection signal output value at the time of reading the decoration mark and the identification mark, even if these two types of marks coexist on one side of the tape, the identification mark on the tape is surely Can be recognized.

  According to the present invention, even if the decorative mark and the identification mark coexist on at least one surface of the tape, the identification mark can be reliably recognized based on the difference in the detection result of the detection means.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment is an embodiment when the present invention is applied to a wireless tag generation system using a tag tape having a wireless tag circuit element.

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

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

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

  In FIG. 2, the apparatus body 8 of the tag label producing apparatus 2 is provided with a cartridge holder portion (not shown) as a recess, and a cartridge 100 (wireless tag circuit element cartridge; tag tape roll cartridge) is provided in this holder portion. Is detachably attached.

  The apparatus main body 8 is provided with the cartridge holder portion into which the cartridge 100 is fitted, and performs predetermined printing (printing) on a casing 9 constituting the outer shell and a cover film (printed tape) 103 fed out from the second roll 104. A print head (thermal head in this example) 10 as a printing unit to perform, a ribbon take-up roller drive shaft 11 that drives the ink ribbon 105 that has finished printing on the cover film 103, and a first roll (tag tape roll) 102 A pressure roller driving shaft 12 as a driving means for feeding out from the cartridge 100 as a printed tag label tape 110 while bonding the base tape (tag tape of this embodiment) 101 and the cover film 103 which are fed out from the cartridge 100, and printing RFID tag circuit provided in finished tag label tape 110 An antenna 14 (device-side antenna) that transmits and receives signals by radio communication using a high frequency such as a UHF band with a child To (details will be described later) and the printed tag label tape 110 at a predetermined timing. A cutter 15 that cuts the length and generates a label-like RFID tag T (details will be described later), and the RFID circuit element To is set and held in a predetermined access area facing the antenna 14 at the time of signal transmission / reception via the wireless communication. A pair of transport guides 13 for guiding the cut tape 110 (= the RFID label T) and a delivery roller 17 for transporting the guided RFID label T to the carry-out port (discharge port) 16 and sending it out. The discharge sensor 18 for detecting the presence or absence of the RFID label T at the carry-out port 16 and the feeding portion of the base tape 101 of the first roll 102 And a sensor 19 serving as an optical detection means, which is disposed relatively near.

  On the other hand, the apparatus main body 8 also processes the signal read from the RFID circuit element To and the RF circuit 21 for accessing (reading or writing) the RFID circuit element To via the antenna 14. A signal processing circuit 22 for the above, a cartridge motor 23 for driving the ribbon take-up roller driving shaft 11 and the tape feeding roller driving shaft 12 described above, a cartridge driving circuit 24 for controlling the driving of the cartridge motor 23, and A print drive circuit 25 that controls energization of the print head 10, a solenoid 26 that drives the cutter 15 to perform a cutting operation, a solenoid drive circuit 27 that controls the solenoid 26, and the delivery roller 17 are driven. Delivery roller motor 28 and delivery roller drive circuit 2 for controlling the delivery roller motor 28 And the above-described control for controlling the overall operation of the tag label producing apparatus 2 through the high-frequency circuit 21, the signal processing circuit 22, the cartridge drive circuit 24, the print drive circuit 25, the solenoid drive circuit 27, the delivery roller drive circuit 29, and the like. Circuit 30.

  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 the communication line 3 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 3. Information can be exchanged between the two.

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

  In FIG. 3, the cartridge 100 includes a casing 100 </ b> A, a first roll 102 around which the strip-shaped base tape 101 is wound and disposed in the casing 100 </ b> A, and substantially the same width as the base tape 101. A second roll 104 around which the transparent cover film 103 is wound, a ribbon supply side roll 111 for feeding out the ink ribbon 105 (thermal transfer ribbon, but not required when the cover film is a thermal tape), and a ribbon after printing The ribbon take-up roller 106 for taking up 105, the base tape 101 and the cover film 103 are pressed and bonded to form the printed tag label tape 110, and the tape is fed in the direction indicated by the arrow A (= tape feed). A pressure roller 107 (which also functions as a roller).

  The first roll 102 has a plurality of RFID tag circuit elements To in a longitudinal direction around a reel member (shaft member) 102a whose axial direction (front to back direction toward the paper surface) is substantially orthogonal to the tape longitudinal direction. The base tape 101 formed sequentially at equal intervals is wound.

  In this example, the base tape 101 has a four-layer structure (see a partially enlarged view in FIG. 3), from the side wound inside (right side in FIG. 3) to the opposite side (left side in FIG. 3), Adhesive layer 101a (adhesive layer for bonding) made of an appropriate adhesive material, colored base film 101b (tape substrate layer) made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate), etc., adhesive layer 101c (adhesive layer) made of an appropriate adhesive material Attaching adhesive layer) and release paper 101d (release material layer) are laminated in this order.

  An antenna (tag side antenna) 152 for transmitting and receiving information is integrally provided on the back side (left side in FIG. 3) of the base film 101b, and information can be updated so as to be connected thereto (rewritable rewritable). The IC circuit unit 151 for storage is formed, and the RFID tag circuit element To is constituted by these.

  The adhesive layer 101a for later bonding the cover film 103 is formed on the front side (right side in FIG. 3) of the base film 101b, and the RFID circuit element is formed on the back side (left side in FIG. 3) of the base film 101b. The release paper 101d is bonded to the base film 101b by the adhesive layer 101c provided so as to enclose To. The release paper 101d is one that can be adhered to the product or the like by the adhesive layer 101c 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. The release paper 101d is provided with a cue mark (identification mark) PM (for example, by printing) for timing of printing start control in the print head 10 (so-called cueing) and for positioning at the time of other tape transport driving. They are provided at predetermined intervals. Also, a logo mark LM as a decoration mark is provided in most of the area other than the cue mark PM on the release paper 101d (see FIG. 4 described later for details).

  The second roll 104 has the cover film 103 wound around a reel member 104a whose axial direction (front to back direction toward the paper surface) is substantially orthogonal to the tape longitudinal direction. The cover film 103 fed out from the second roll 104 has a ribbon 105 driven by a ribbon supply side roll 111 and a ribbon take-up roller 106 arranged on the back side thereof (that is, the side to be bonded to the base tape 101). When pressed by the print head 10, it is brought into contact with the back surface of the cover film 103.

  The ribbon take-up roller 106 and the pressure roller 107 are driven by the driving force of the cartridge motor 23 (see FIG. 2 described above), for example, a pulse motor provided outside the cartridge 100. By being transmitted to the feed roller drive shaft 12, it is rotationally driven.

  In the cartridge 100 configured as described above, the base tape 101 fed out from the first roll 102 is supplied to the pressure roller 107. On the other hand, the cover film 103 fed out from the second roll 104 is ink driven by a ribbon supply side roll 111 and a ribbon take-up roller 106 arranged on the back side thereof (that is, the side to be bonded to the base tape 101). The ribbon 105 is brought into contact with the back surface of the cover film 103 when pressed by the print head 10.

  When the cartridge 100 is mounted on the cartridge holder portion of the apparatus main body 8 and a roll holder (not shown) is moved from the separation position to the contact position, the cover film 103 and the ink ribbon 105 are moved to the print head 10 and the platen roller. The base tape 101 and the cover film 103 are sandwiched between the pressure roller 107 and the sub-roller 109. The ribbon take-up roller 106 and the pressure roller 107 are rotationally driven in synchronization with the directions indicated by the arrows B and D by the driving force of the cartridge motor 23, respectively. At this time, the tape feed roller drive shaft 12 is connected to the sub roller 109 and the platen roller 108 by a gear (not shown), and as the tape feed roller drive shaft 12 is driven, the pressure roller 107, the sub roller 109, Then, the platen roller 108 rotates, and the base tape 101 is fed out from the first roll 102 and supplied to the pressure roller 107 as described above. On the other hand, the cover film 103 is fed out from the second roll 104 and the plurality of heating elements of the print head 10 are energized by the print drive circuit 25. As a result, a print R (see FIG. 7 described later) is printed on the back surface of the cover film 103. The base tape 101 and the cover film 103 after the printing are bonded and integrated by the pressure roller 107 and the sub-roller 109 to form a tag label tape 110 with print, and are carried out of the cartridge 100. The The ink ribbon 105 that has finished printing on the cover film 103 is taken up by the ribbon take-up roller 106 by driving the ribbon take-up roller drive shaft 11.

  The sensor 19 is a reflective photoelectric sensor including, for example, a projector and a light receiver. The light output from the projector is detected when there is a reflecting object between the projector and the light receiver, the reflected light is input to the light receiver, and a control output value generated according to the degree of the reflection is generated. The detection signal is output to the control circuit 30. At this time, the dimension of the reading range of the sensor 19 in the tape longitudinal direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3) (for example, the dimension in the tape longitudinal direction, hereinafter the same) is d, and the tape longitudinal dimension of the cue mark PM. XP is larger than the reading range dimension d.

  FIG. 4 is an arrow view from the direction E in FIG. 3 showing a detailed structure of the base tape 101 as seen from the one surface (back surface).

  In FIG. 4, the release paper 101d of the base tape 101 is used for the print start control timing (cueing) by the print head 10 as described above, corresponding to each RFID circuit element To, and the cutter 15 The cue mark PM (identification mark) is provided for positioning the cutting position CL by (described later in detail). The cue mark PM is provided at the same pitch as the arrangement pitch of the RFID circuit elements To, and is substantially the same positional relationship with each RFID circuit element To (in this example, the RFID circuit element To). Near the center in the longitudinal direction). As a result, the base tape 101 of the first roll 102 includes approximately the same number of cue marks PM as the RFID circuit element To.

  Further, as described above, most of the area other than the cue mark PM on the release paper 101d is a logo mark (in this example, a company logo, a product logo, etc. for the purpose of advertising effect or for the enjoyment of the user. A character string “abc” (or a character design or the like) is provided.

  In the figure, a cutting line (scheduled cutting line) CL for virtually cutting a predetermined length including each RFID circuit element from the base tape 101 with a cutter 15 to form a RFID label T is shown. Yes.

  FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing detailed functions of the high-frequency circuit 21. In FIG. 5, the high-frequency circuit 21 transmits a signal to the RFID circuit element To via the antenna 14 and receives a reflected wave from the RFID circuit element To received by the antenna 14. The unit 33 and the transmission / reception separator 34 are configured.

The transmission unit 32 accesses the RFID tag information of the IC circuit unit 151 of the RFID circuit element To in accordance with a control signal (carrier wave generation command signal) from the control circuit 30 (read in this example and write in a modification described later). 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. A first bandpass filter 41 for extracting only a signal in a wide band, a reception first amplifier 43 for amplifying the output of the first bandpass filter 41, and a digital signal obtained by further amplifying the output of the reception first amplifier 43. A first limiter 42 that converts the signal into a signal, a reflected wave from the RFID circuit element To received by the antenna 14, and a carrier wave that has been generated and delayed by 90 ° in phase by the phase shifter 49 are received. A second multiplying circuit 44, a second bandpass filter 45 for extracting only a signal of a necessary band from the output of the received second multiplying circuit 44, and the second band A reception second amplifier 47 that amplifies the output of the pass filter 45 and a second limiter 46 that further amplifies the output of the reception second amplifier 47 and converts it into a digital signal are provided. 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, the tag label producing apparatus 2 demodulates the reflected wave from the RFID circuit element To 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 an antenna 14 that transmits and receives signals in a non-contact manner using a high frequency such as a UHF band with the antenna 14 on the tag label producing apparatus 2 side, and the antenna 152 that is connected to the antenna 152. IC circuit portion 151.

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

  FIGS. 7A and 7B show an example of the appearance of the RFID label T formed after the information reading of the RFID circuit element To and the cutting of the printed tag label tape 110 are completed as described above. 7A is a top view (that is, a view seen from the cover film 103 side), and FIG. 7B is a bottom view (ie, a view seen from the release paper 101d side). FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along section VIII-VIII ′ in FIG.

  7 (a), 7 (b), and 8, the RFID label T has a five-layer structure in which the cover film 103 is added to the four-layer structure shown in FIG. From the (upper side in FIG. 8) toward the opposite side (lower side in FIG. 8), the cover film 103, the adhesive layer 101a, the base film 101b, the adhesive layer 101c, and the release paper 101d constitute five layers. As described above, the RFID circuit element To including the antenna 152 provided on the back side of the base film 101b is provided in the adhesive layer 101c and printed on the back surface of the cover film 103 (in this example, the RFID label T). "RF-ID" indicating the type) is printed. Further, the cue mark PM and the logo mark LM are provided, for example, by printing on the surface of the release paper 101d (the front surface in FIG. 7B and the lower surface in FIG. 8).

  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, the print character R printed corresponding to the RFID circuit element To, the access (read or write) ID which is ID information unique to the RFID circuit element To, the above information The address of the article information stored in the server 7 and the storage destination address of the corresponding information in the route server 4 can be displayed on the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6. When the tag is created, the tag label producing device 2 is operated by operating the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6 so that the print character R is printed on the cover film 103 and the IC circuit portion 151 of the RFID circuit element To. The RFID tag information including the ID information and article information stored in advance is read (or the RFID tag information including new ID information and article information is written in the IC circuit unit 151).

  In the above description, an example in which the conveyance guide 13 is held in the access area and accessed (read or written) with respect to the moving printed tag label tape 110 in connection with the printing operation is shown. However, the access may be performed with the printed tag label tape 110 stopped at a predetermined position and held by the transport guide 13.

  Further, at the time of 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 creation of the above-described RFID label T, that is, the printed label label 110 after the cover film 103 is conveyed and the base tape 101 is bonded to the printed label 10 while the printing head 10 performs predetermined printing. 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure executed by the control circuit 30 when the tape 110 is cut for each RFID circuit element To to form the RFID label T.

  In FIG. 10, for example, when the reading operation of the tag label producing apparatus 2 is performed via the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6 (or an operation means (not shown) provided in the tag label producing apparatus 2 itself, the same applies hereinafter), this flow is started. Is done. First, in step S <b> 105, print information to be printed on the RFID label T by the print head 10 input through the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6 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 a variable N for counting the number of retries (number of access attempts) and a flag F indicating whether communication is good or bad are initialized to zero.

  In step S 115, a control signal is output to the cartridge driving circuit 24, and the ribbon take-up roller 106 and the pressure roller 107 are driven to rotate by the driving force of the cartridge motor 23. Thereby, the base tape 101 is fed out from the first roll 102 and supplied to the pressure roller 107, and the cover film 103 is fed out from the second roll 104. Further, a control signal is output to the delivery roller motor 28 via the delivery roller drive circuit 29 to drive the delivery roller 17 to rotate.

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S117, and it is determined whether the cue mark PM of the base tape 110 is detected by the sensor 19 (whether a mark detection signal is input).

  That is, as described above, in this embodiment, the tape longitudinal dimension XP of the cue mark PM is set to be larger than the reading range dimension d of the sensor 19, so that the base tape 101 is as described above. When the cue mark PM is conveyed and appears in the reading range, only the optical information corresponding to the cue mark PM exists in the reading range (= first reading range), and the logo mark LM reads. A difference occurs in the detection result of the sensor 19 when it appears in the range (= second reading range). For example, when the cue mark PM has a solid shape and form as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the reflection amount described above is small, and the logo mark LM is a character other than a character with a small reflection amount on the printed character portion. Since there is a large amount of reflection in this part, the total reflection amount becomes larger than the cue mark PM and the sensor detection signal value also increases (or the printing rate of the logo mark LM (so Therefore, the cue mark PM can be reliably recognized according to this difference. In step S117, based on such a principle, it is determined whether or not the cue mark PM has been detected according to the detection result of the sensor 19.

  While the cue mark PM is not detected (while the base tape 101 is fed out but the logo mark LM is located at the position opposite to the sensor 19 instead of the cue mark PM), the determination in step S117 is performed. Not fulfilled. If the cue mark PM reaches the position opposite to the sensor 19 by the feeding of the base tape 101, and this cue mark PM is detected by the sensor 19, the determination in step S117 is satisfied, and the routine proceeds to step S118.

  In step S118, a control signal is output to the print drive circuit 305, the print head 231 is energized, and a predetermined area of the cover film 103 (for example, a wireless tag circuit arranged on the base tape 101 at equal intervals at a predetermined pitch). Printing of the print R of characters, symbols, barcodes, etc. read in step S105 is started in the area to be bonded to the back surface of the element To.

  As a result, as described above, the base tape 101 and the cover film 103 after the printing are bonded and integrated by the pressure roller 107 and the sub-roller 109 to form a tag label tape 110 with print, and the cartridge 100 It is conveyed outward.

  Thereafter, in step S120, the printed tag label tape 110 conveyed as described above has a predetermined value (for example, the RFID circuit element To to which the cover film 103 on which the corresponding printing has been applied is bonded). It is determined whether or not it has been transported by a transport distance that only reaches (). The transport distance determination at this time is, for example, a pulse output from the cartridge drive circuit 24 that counts the rotation angle of the cartridge motor 23 from the time when the cue mark PM is detected by the sensor 19 or drives the cartridge motor 23. It is only necessary to count by counting the numbers. If this determination is satisfied, the process moves to step S200.

  In step S200, a tag information reading process is performed, an inquiry signal for reading is transmitted to the RFID circuit element To, and a response signal including RFID tag information is received and read (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 reading process is normally completed, F = 0 remains (see step S280 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 read from the RFID circuit element To in step S200 and the print information already printed by the print head 10 corresponding to this is sent via the input / output interface 31 and the communication line 3. The data is output 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.

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S135, and it is repeated until the printing is completed whether or not the printing on the area of the cover film 103 corresponding to the RFID circuit element To that is the processing target at this time is completed. When printing is completed, the determination at step S135 is satisfied, and the routine goes to step S140.

  In step S125 described above, if the reading process is not normally completed for some reason, F = 1 is set (see step S280 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 energizing the print head 10 and stop printing. As described above, the fact that the RFID circuit element To is not a normal product is clearly displayed by stopping printing halfway, and then the process proceeds to step S140.

  In step S140, the tag label tape 110 with print is further printed in a predetermined amount (for example, the target RFID circuit element To and the print region of the cover film 103 corresponding to the target RFID circuit element To all have a predetermined length (margin amount)). It is determined whether or not it has been transported by a transport distance (exceeding a minute). Also in the transport distance determination at this time, the rotation angle of the cartridge motor 23 is counted from the time point when the cue mark PM is detected by the sensor 19 or the cartridge drive circuit 24 for driving the cartridge motor 23 as in step S120 described above. It is only necessary to count by counting the number of pulses to be output. If the conveyance is completed by the predetermined amount, the determination is satisfied, and the routine goes to Step S145.

  In step S145, control signals are output to the cartridge drive circuit 24 and the delivery roller drive circuit 29, the drive of the cartridge motor 23 and the delivery roller motor 28 is stopped, and the ribbon take-up roller 106, pressure roller 107, and delivery roller are stopped. The rotation of 17 is stopped. As a result, the feeding of the base tape 101 from the first roll 102, the feeding of the cover film 103 from the second roll 104, and the conveyance of the tag label tape 110 with print by the feed roller 17 are stopped, and the release tape 101d is provided. In addition, the cutting line CL is just a position between the cutters of the cutter 15 (opposite position of the cutter 15).

  Thereafter, in step S150, a control signal is output to the solenoid drive circuit 27 to drive the solenoid 26, and the printed tag label tape 110 is cut (divided) along the cutting line CL by using the blade of the cutter 15. As described above, at this time, for example, the RFID tag circuit element To to be processed and the print area of the cover film 103 corresponding thereto all sufficiently exceed the cutter 15, and by cutting the cutter 15, the RFID tag The RFID tag information T of the circuit element To is read and a label-like RFID label T on which predetermined printing is performed correspondingly is generated (in other words, the downstream end of the RFID label T downstream in the transport direction is cut and separated). )

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S155, where a control signal is output to the delivery roller drive circuit 29, the drive of the delivery roller motor 28 is resumed, and the delivery roller 17 is rotated. As a result, the conveyance by the delivery roller 17 is resumed, and the RFID label T generated in the label shape in step S150 is conveyed toward the carry-out port 16.

  Then, the process proceeds to step S180, for example, after a sufficient time or distance for discharging the RFID label T from the carry-out port 16 to the outside of the apparatus 2, a control signal is output to the delivery roller drive circuit 29, and the delivery roller The driving of the motor 28 is stopped, the delivery roller 17 is stopped from rotating and the conveyance is stopped, and this flow is finished.

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

  In FIG. 11, first, in step S <b> 210, after printing the tag label tape 110 with print, the RFID circuit element To to be read information is conveyed to the vicinity of the antenna 14.

Thereafter, in step S220, a “Scroll All ID” command for reading out information stored in the RFID circuit element To in a manner along predetermined communication parameters and the like is output to the signal processing circuit 22. Based on this, the signal processing circuit 22 uses “Scroll” as access information.
An “All ID” signal is generated and transmitted to the RFID circuit element To to be accessed via the high frequency circuit 21 to prompt a reply.

  Next, in step S230, a reply signal (RFID information including ID information or article information) transmitted from the RFID tag circuit element To to be accessed corresponding to the “Scroll ALL ID” signal is sent via the antenna 14. Are received via the high-frequency circuit 21 and the signal processing circuit 22.

  Next, in step S240, 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 S230.

  If the determination is not satisfied, the process moves to step S250, and 1 is added to N. Further, in step S260, N is a predetermined number of retries set in advance (in this example, 5 times. Other times may be set as appropriate). It is determined whether or not. If N ≦ 4, the determination is not satisfied and the routine returns to step S220 and the same procedure is repeated. If N = 5, the process proceeds to step S270, where an error display signal is output to the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6 to the input / output interface 31 and the communication line 3 to display a reading failure (error) (or to generate a tag label). Display corresponding to a display means (not shown) provided in the apparatus 2 itself may be performed), and the above-described flag F = 1 is set in step S280, and this flow is ended. In this way, even if reading is unsuccessful, retry is performed up to a predetermined number of times (in this example, 5 times).

  When the determination in step S240 is satisfied, the reading of the RFID tag information from the RFID circuit element To to be read is completed, and this flow ends.

  Through the above routine, the RFID tag information of the IC circuit 151 can be accessed and read from the RFID tag circuit element To to be accessed in the cartridge 100. Further, if the RFID tag information of the IC circuit unit 151 cannot be read correctly within a predetermined number of times, it can be determined that the RFID circuit element To is damaged, and therefore, it is determined whether the RFID label is not defective. Is possible.

  In the above, the control circuit 30 that executes the control procedure shown in FIG. 10 has detected the detection result of the first reading range of the surface on at least one side including the identification mark by the detecting means and the at least one side including the decoration mark. A recognition means for recognizing the identification mark on the tag tape being conveyed is configured according to the detection result of the second reading range of the surface, and the sensor 19 includes a decoration mark, a control identification mark, Constitutes a tag detection device for a tag tape that detects an identification mark of the tag tape provided on at least one surface.

  In the present embodiment configured as described above, when the RFID label T is produced, the base tape 101 and the printed cover film 103 are pressure-bonded by the pressure roller 107 and the sub-roller 109 so that the tag label tape 110 with print is provided. The access information generated and further generated by the signal processing circuit 22 and the high frequency circuit 21 is transmitted to the antenna 152 of the RFID circuit element To via the antenna 14 to access information in the IC circuit unit 151 of the RFID circuit element To. (Reading information in this example, writing information in a later-described modification) is performed. Then, the tape is cut by the cutter 15 for each predetermined tape section (from the cutting line CL to the next cutting line CL) of the tag label tape 110 with print having the RFID circuit element To that has been accessed in this way. The wireless tag label T is assumed. At this time, the cue mark PM provided on the base tape 101 at a predetermined interval is detected by the sensor 19, and using this, the print start control by the print head 10 (step S118 in FIG. 10) and the access position are performed. By performing the positioning control (step S120) and the positioning control to the cutter 15 position (step S140), the printing start, access, and tape cutting accuracy are improved. At this time, in this embodiment, the dimension XP in the tape longitudinal direction of the cueing PM is made larger than the above d corresponding to the size d of the reading range of the sensor, and when the logo mark LM is read (first reading range). A predetermined difference is generated in the detection result at the time of reading the cue mark PM (second reading range). Thereby, even if these two types of marks PM and LM coexist on the same surface, the cue mark PM can be reliably recognized based on the difference in the detection result of the sensor 19.

  It should be noted that the dimensional relationship of the mark is not limited to the above, and the size, color, and the like of the mark 19 so that the cue mark PM is easier to read than the logo mark LM due to the reading range of the sensor 19 and its performance. It is sufficient if at least one of the character / design aspects is set, and in this case, the same effect is obtained. Further, as described above, the present invention is not limited only to the release paper 101d side on one side of the base tape 101, but the marks PM and LM are provided on the adhesive layer 101b and the cover film 103 on the other side, or the release paper 101d and those You may provide in both.

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

(1) When information is written to the RFID circuit element In the above description, the case where the present invention is applied to an RFID tag generation system that can only be read (not written) has been described as an example. The present invention may be applied to a wireless tag generation system that writes information to the IC circuit 151 of the circuit element To.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a control procedure executed by the control circuit 30 in this modification, and corresponds to FIG. 10 described above. The same steps as those in FIG. 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In FIG. 12, in step S105A, the IC circuit unit 151 of the RFID circuit element To that has been input via the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6 (or may be an operating means (not shown) provided in the tag label producing apparatus 2 itself). Information to be written on the printer and print information to be printed on the RFID label T by the print head 10 are read through the communication line 3 and the input / output interface 31. After this procedure is completed, the process proceeds to step S110A, and in addition to the aforementioned variable N and flag F, a variable M (details will be described later) is initialized to zero.

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S200A through step S115, step S117, step S118, and step S120 similar to FIG. In step S200A, a tag ID (all or a part) is designated and memory initialization (erase) for writing RFID tag information such as the ID information or article information is performed, and then the RFID tag information is sent to the RFID circuit. The data is transmitted to the element To and written (refer to FIG. 13 described later for details). When step S200A is completed, the process proceeds to step S125 as in FIG.

  In step S125, it is determined whether or not the flag F = 0 as in FIG. 10, and when this determination is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S130A.

  In step S130A, the combination of the information written in the RFID circuit element To in step S200A and the print information already printed by the print head 10 corresponding to the information is sent via the input / output interface 31 and the communication line 3. The data is output via the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6 and stored in, for example, the route server 4 as in step S130 of FIG. The stored data is stored and held so that it can be referred to from the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6 as necessary.

  The subsequent procedure is substantially the same as that shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the detailed procedure of step S200A described above.
In FIG. 13, first, in step S <b> 310, a tag ID (identification information) is set by a known appropriate method, and the RFID circuit element To to which information is to be written is transported to the vicinity of the antenna 14.

  Thereafter, in step S320, an “Erase” command for specifying the tag ID (all or a part) set in step S310 and initializing information stored in the memory unit 157 of the RFID circuit element To is signal processing circuit. 22 for output. Based on this, an “Erase” signal as access information is generated by the signal processing circuit 22 and transmitted to the RFID tag circuit element To to be written through the high frequency circuit 21 to initialize the memory unit 157.

  In step S330, a “Verify” command for confirming the contents of the memory unit 157 is output to the signal processing circuit 22 in the same manner as described above. 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 to prompt a reply. Thereafter, in step S340, a reply signal transmitted from the RFID tag circuit element To to be written in response to the “Verify” signal is received via the antenna 14 and taken in via the high frequency circuit 21 and the signal processing circuit 22.

  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 proceeds to step S360, and 1 is added to M. Further, in step S370, M is a predetermined number of retries set in advance (in this example, 5 times. Other times may be set as appropriate). It is determined whether or not. If M ≦ 4, the determination is not satisfied and the routine returns to step S320 and the same procedure is repeated. If 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 to display a corresponding writing failure (error) (or tag label). A display corresponding to a display means (not shown) provided in the creation device 2 itself may be performed (the same applies hereinafter). In this way, even if initialization is not successful, retry is performed up to five times. When step S380 ends, the process proceeds to step S385. In step S385, after setting the above-mentioned flag F = 1, this flow is ended.

  On the other hand, 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, the IC circuit portion of the RFID circuit element To that has been input by the signal processing circuit 22 via the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6 (or an operating means (not shown) provided in the tag label producing apparatus 2 itself). A “Program” signal as access information including information to be written in 151 is generated and transmitted to the RFID circuit element To as an information write target via the high-frequency circuit 21, and the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6 is stored in the memory unit 157. The information input through, etc. is written.

  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 in the same manner as described above, and is transmitted to the RFID circuit element To as an information write target via the high frequency circuit 21 to prompt a reply. Thereafter, in step S 410, a reply signal transmitted from the RFID tag circuit element To to be written in response to the “Verify” signal is received via the antenna 14 and taken in via the high-frequency circuit 21 and the signal processing circuit 22.

  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, and 1 is added to N. Further, in step S440, N is a predetermined number of retries set in advance (in this example, 5 times. Other times may be set as appropriate). It is determined whether or not. If N ≦ 4, the determination is not satisfied and the routine returns to step S390 and the same procedure is repeated. If N = 5, the process proceeds to the above-described step S380, and similarly, the writing failure (error) display corresponding to the terminal 5 or the general-purpose computer 6 is displayed, and the above-described flag F = 1 is set in step S385, and this flow is finished. To do. In this way, even if information writing is not successful, retry is performed up to five times.

  On the other hand, 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, the signal processing circuit 22 generates a “Lock” signal that prohibits subsequent writing to the RFID circuit element T in the same manner as described above, and transmits it to the RFID circuit element To that is an information writing target via the high frequency circuit 21. Writing new information to the RFID circuit element To is prohibited. Thereby, writing of the RFID tag information to the RFID circuit element To to be written is completed, and the RFID label T is discharged as described above. When step S450 ends, this flow ends.

  Through the above routine, desired information can be written in the IC circuit unit 151 for the RFID tag circuit element To to be accessed in the cartridge 100.

  As described above, in the present modification, the wireless tag generation system for writing the wireless tag information has substantially the same effect as the above embodiment.

(2) In the case where bonding is not performed In other words, as described in the above embodiment, printing is performed directly on the cover film 103 different from the tag tape (base tape) 101 provided with the RFID circuit element To. This is a case in which these are not pasted but applied to a RFID tag circuit element cartridge for a tag label producing apparatus for printing on a cover film provided on a tag tape.

  FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the detailed structure of the cartridge 100 ′ according to this modification, and corresponds to FIG. 3 described above. Components equivalent to those in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

  In FIG. 14, a cartridge 100 'is a first roll (tag tape roll) 102' around which a thermal tape 101 '(tag tape) is wound, and this thermal tape 101' is fed to the outside of the cartridge 100 '. And a tape feed roller 107 '.

  The first roll 102 ′ includes a plurality of RFID circuit elements To in the longitudinal direction around a reel member (shaft member) 102 a ′ whose axial direction (front to back toward the paper surface) is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the tape. Are wound around the belt-like transparent heat-sensitive tape 101 '.

  In this example, the heat-sensitive tape 101 'wound around the first roll 102' has a three-layer structure (refer to a partially enlarged view in FIG. 14). A cover film 101a ′ made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or the like having a thermosensitive recording layer, an adhesive layer 101b ′ for attachment made of an appropriate adhesive material, and a release paper 101c ′ (release material) are laminated in this order. .

  An IC circuit portion 151 for storing information is integrally provided on the back side of the cover film 101'a, and the antenna 152 is formed on the surface on the back side of the cover film 101'a. On the back side of the cover film 101'a, the release paper 101c 'is bonded to the cover film 101'a by the adhesive layer 101b'. The release paper 101c ′ is provided with a cue mark PM for positioning the print start control and the cutter cutting position CL, as with the base tape release paper 101d of the above embodiment. Most of the other areas are provided with a logo mark LM as a decoration mark. FIG. 15 is a view as seen from the direction of the arrow E ′ in FIG. 14 showing this arrangement, and is a view substantially corresponding to FIG. 4 of the above embodiment.

  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 10 and the platen roller 108. In addition, it is held 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), the tape feed roller 107 ', the sub roller 109, and the platen roller 108 rotate in synchronization with each other, and the first roll 102 is rotated. The heat-sensitive tape 101 'is fed out from'.

  The drawn thermal tape 101 'is supplied to the print head 10 on the downstream side in the transport direction. In the print head 10, the plurality of heating elements are energized by the print drive circuit 25 (see FIG. 2), whereby the print is printed on the surface of the cover film 101a 'of the thermal tape 101', and the printed tag label tape 110 is printed. After being formed as ', it is carried out of the cartridge 100'. It goes without saying that printing using an ink ribbon as in the above-described embodiment may be used. Further, an optical sensor 19 similar to that described above is provided on the upstream side of the print head 10 in the transport direction. The sensor 19 can detect the cue mark PM, and the detection signal is sent to the control circuit 30. Entered. Further, the tape longitudinal dimension XP of the cue mark PM is larger than the reading range dimension d of the sensor 19 in the tape longitudinal direction (left and right direction in FIG. 14) as in the above embodiment.

  After unloading from the cartridge 100 ′, access (information reading / writing) to the information of the IC circuit unit 151 is performed via the antenna 14 described above, as in the above embodiment. Thereafter, the conveyance by the feed roller 17 and the cutting by the cutter 15 are the same as those in the above-described embodiments, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  Also in this modified example, as in the above embodiment, even if two types of marks PM and LM coexist on the same surface, the cue mark PM can be reliably recognized based on the difference in the detection result of the sensor 19. The effect that you can do it.

(3) When a blank mark is provided on at least one side before and after the identification mark FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the detailed structure of the cartridge in this modified example, and corresponds to FIG. 3 of the above embodiment. 17 is an arrow view from the direction E ″ in FIG. 16 and is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 of the above embodiment. The same reference numerals are given to the same parts as in FIGS. Description is omitted or simplified.

  16 and 17, in this modification, before and after the cue mark PM conveyance direction (= tape longitudinal direction) on the surface of the base tape 101 where the cue mark PM and the logo mark LM are provided. A mark blank portion WM is provided on the side (or one of the front and rear sides) so as to be positioned between the logo mark LM. At this time, particularly in the present modification, the dimension XW in the longitudinal direction of the mark blank portion WM is set to be larger than the dimension d of the reading range of the sensor 19. FIGS. 18A and 18B are a top view and a bottom view showing an example of the appearance of the RFID label T produced using the base tape 101, respectively, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG.

  In this modification, when the base tape 101 is conveyed, the reading range of the sensor 19 includes the logo mark LM → the mark blank portion WM → the cue mark PM (the mark on the upstream side of the cue mark PM in the conveyance direction). Cue mark PM and logo mark L, such as cue mark PM → mark blank part WM → logo mark LM (with respect to mark blank part WM on the downstream side in the transport direction of cue mark PM). A mark blank portion WM exists between M and M. Therefore, a period for detecting optical information corresponding to the cue mark PM (that is, the amount of reflected light is very small) and a period for detecting optical information corresponding to the logo mark LM (that is, the amount of reflected light is not so small). There is always a period in which there is no optical information between them and only the mark blank portion WM is detected, so that the boundary between the cue mark PM and the mark blank portion WM can be detected without error. Position accuracy can be improved. As a result, it is possible to recognize the cue mark PM with higher accuracy than in the above embodiment.

  Further, in particular, in this modification, since the dimension XW in the longitudinal direction of the mark blank portion WM> the reading range d of the sensor 19, the base tape 101 is conveyed and the mark blank portion WM appears in the reading range of the sensor. In this case, since only the optical information corresponding to the mark blank portion WM exists within the reading range, the sensor 19 can reliably detect the information. As a result, it is possible to reliably detect the mark blank portion WM and recognize the cue mark PM more accurately.

  As described above, the base material mark PM, mark blank portion WM, and logo mark LM are detected by the sensor 19 so that the detection signal output value has a suitable relationship for improving accuracy. It is effective if the aspect of the tape 101 and the detection performance of the sensor 19 are set. FIG. 19 illustrates an example of a detection signal from the sensor 19, and the vertical axis represents an output value (for example, voltage) of the detection signal. As described above, in the sensor 19, the detection signal increases as the reflection amount of the detection target increases. Therefore, as shown in the figure, when the mark blank portion WM is read, when the logo mark LM is read (second reading range), the cue mark is displayed. The signal output value increases in the order of PM reading (first reading range). At this time, as shown in the drawing, the difference ΔVA between the detection signal output value at the time of reading the cue mark PM and the detection signal output value at the time of reading the logo mark LM is the detection signal output value at the time of reading the mark blank portion WM and the logo. What is necessary is just to comprise so that it may become larger than difference (DELTA) VB with the detection signal output value at the time of mark reading. By doing so, a large difference is surely generated in the magnitudes of the detection signal output values at the time of reading the logo mark LM and the cue mark PM, so that the cue mark PM can be recognized more reliably.

  Note that the tape configuration of the present modification described above is applied to the modification (2) (a configuration in which a thermal tape is used as a tag tape without bonding), and the mark blank portion WM is provided on the thermal tape. May be. In this case, the same effect is obtained.

(4) When providing an identification mark diagonally FIG. 20 is a figure showing the detailed structure which looked at the base tape 101 in this modification from the one side surface (back surface), and is equivalent to FIG. 4 of the said embodiment. FIG. As shown in FIG. 20, in this modification, the cue mark PM is provided so as to cross obliquely at a predetermined angle θ with respect to the tape width direction (left-right direction in the figure). In this case, the following effects are obtained.

  That is, when the cue mark PM is provided in parallel to the tape width direction (in other words, perpendicular to the tape longitudinal direction), for example, as shown in FIG. 21, paint (ink) for printing the cue mark PM is applied. Printing is performed while rotating a roll-shaped printing master 300 in which concave grooves 301 for jetting are provided at predetermined positions on the circumference in a straight line in the axial direction. At this time, as the roll-shaped master 300 rotates, the impact load is repeatedly applied to the concave groove 301 at the same circumferential position where the concave groove 301 is located at all axial positions of the master 300. As the mark PM is continuously printed, the edge 301A in the width direction of the concave groove 301 is worn or locally damaged, and the durability is lowered and long-time printing operation becomes difficult. May be reduced. For this reason, the identification mark may become unclear and the position detection accuracy may be lowered.

  In the present modification, the cue mark PM is arranged so as to cross obliquely at a predetermined angle instead of the tape width direction as described above. As a result, the concave groove 301 of the master 300 is also inclined from the axial direction. It will be arrange | positioned so that it may cross | intersect. As a result, unlike the above, even if the roll-shaped master 300 rotates, the circumferential position where the concave groove 301 is located slightly deviates from each other in the entire axial direction of the master 300, so the load on the concave groove 301 is It is mitigated without being intensively applied, and the occurrence of wear or local damage on the edge 301A is reduced. Therefore, the printing operation time can be improved and the printing quality can be improved.

  Further, since the position of the cue mark PM in the tape longitudinal direction is slightly different depending on the position of the tape in the width direction, the print start control timing (cue) by the print head 10 and the cutting position by the cutter 15 are utilized. It can also be used for correction in control for positioning the CL. That is, for example, when the sensor 19 is configured to be slidable in the tape width direction, and the cutter 19 is actually cut based on the cue mark PM, a slight deviation from the cutting position CL occurs. It is also possible to adjust the position of the cue mark PM to be detected by sliding it appropriately in the tape width direction so as to change the position in the tape longitudinal direction and eliminate the above-mentioned deviation.

(5) When reversing the color In the above, for the cue mark PM, the logo mark LM, and the mark blank portion WM, an aspect in which the amount of reflection to the sensor 19 is reduced in this order (for example, black in this order) However, in the above example, the black and white are reversed and the cue mark PM, the logo mark LM, and the mark blank portion WM are applied to the sensor 19 in this order. A mode in which the amount of reflection increases (for example, the black color becomes lighter or the printing rate decreases in this order) may be adopted.

  FIGS. 22A and 22B are a top view and a bottom view showing an example of the appearance of the RFID label T ′ in which the release paper 101d is configured in such a reverse color, respectively. It is a figure corresponding to 7 (a) and FIG.7 (b). Also in this case, the same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained. Further, it goes without saying that such a reverse color can be applied to the modified examples of (2), (3), and (4) as well. In this case, the mark blank portion WM of the above (3) is, for example, a solid black portion.

(6) Others In the above, the sensor 19 is provided relatively close to the feeding position of the first roll 102 (FIG. 3 and the like) or upstream in the transport direction of the print head 10 (FIG. 14). It may be another position. In short, at least one of the size, color, character / design is set so that a predetermined difference is generated in the detection result when the logo 19 is read by the sensor 19 and when the cue mark PM is read. In response to this, the control circuit 30 cues according to the detection result when reading the cue mark PM (first reading range) and the detection result when reading the logo mark LM (second reading range). It is sufficient to recognize the mark PM. As a result, the original effect of the present invention is obtained such that the cue mark PM can be reliably recognized even if two types of marks PM and LM coexist on the same surface of the tape.
In the above-described embodiment, the apparatus for creating the RFID label including the RFID circuit element is described. However, what is enclosed in the label is not limited to the RFID circuit element. Further, it is not always necessary to enclose the object in the label, and for example, a tape composed of release paper and a cut label may be used.

  The “Scroll All ID” signal, the “Erase” signal, the “Verify” signal, the “Program” signal, and the like used above are assumed to conform to the Auto-ID specification established by 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 showing a wireless tag generation system to which a tag label producing apparatus using a tag tape according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a notional block diagram showing the detailed structure of the tag label production apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a detailed structure of the cartridge shown in FIG. 2. It is an arrow view from the E direction in FIG. It is a functional block diagram showing the detailed function of the high frequency circuit shown in FIG. 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 transverse sectional view taken along a section VIII-VIII ′ in FIG. 7. It is a figure showing an example of the screen displayed on a terminal or a general purpose computer. 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. It is a flowchart showing the control procedure performed with the control circuit in the modification which writes information in a RFID circuit element. It is a flowchart showing the detailed procedure of step S200A of FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the detailed structure of the cartridge of the modification which does not perform bonding. It is the arrow view seen from the arrow E 'direction in FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the detailed structure of the cartridge in the modification which provides a blank mark at least one side before and behind an identification mark. FIG. 17 is an arrow view from the direction E ″ in FIG. 16. It is the upper surface figure and bottom view showing an example of the appearance of a RFID tag label. It is a figure showing an example of the detection signal by a sensor. It is a figure showing the detailed structure which looked at the base tape from the surface of the one side in the modification which provides an identification mark diagonally. It is explanatory drawing showing the identification mark printing behavior by the roll-shaped printing original disc. It is the upper side figure and bottom view showing an example of the external appearance of the RFID label which comprised release paper by the reverse color.

Explanation of symbols

19 Sensor (detection means)
30 Control circuit (recognition means)
101 Base tape (tag tape)
101 'Thermal tape (tag tape)
102 1st roll (tag tape roll)
102 'first roll (tag tape roll)
d Sensor reading range dimension LM Logo mark (decoration mark)
PM Cue mark (identification mark)
To RFID circuit element WM Mark blank part XP Longitudinal dimension of the cue mark tape XW Mark blank part of the tape longitudinal direction θ Angle of the cue mark with respect to the tape width direction

Claims (9)

A tape provided with a decorative mark and a control identification mark on at least one surface,
The decoration mark and the identification mark have a predetermined difference between detection results when the decoration mark is read and when the identification mark is read, corresponding to a reading range of a detection unit for optically detecting the identification mark. As described above, the tape is characterized in that at least one of the size, color, character / design mode is set. The tape according to claim 1, wherein
A tape, wherein a plurality of RFID circuit elements are arranged at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction corresponding to the identification marks. The tape according to claim 1 or 2,
A tape characterized in that a dimension of the identification mark is set to be larger than a reading range of the detection means. The tape according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A tape, wherein a mark blank portion is provided on at least one of one side and the other side in the tape longitudinal direction of the identification mark on the at least one side surface so as to be positioned between the decorative mark. The tape according to claim 4,
The tape according to claim 1, wherein a dimension of the mark blank portion in the longitudinal direction is set to be larger than a reading range of the detection means. The tape according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A tape characterized in that the identification mark is provided so as to cross obliquely at a predetermined angle with respect to the tape width direction. A tape mark detection device for detecting the identification mark of a tape provided with a decoration mark and a control identification mark on at least one surface,
Detecting means for detecting optical information in a predetermined reading range of the at least one surface when the tape is conveyed in the longitudinal direction;
According to the detection result of the first reading range of the at least one side surface including the identification mark and the detection result of the second reading range of the at least one side surface including the decoration mark by the detection unit, Recognizing means for recognizing the identification mark on the tape being transported, and a tape mark detecting device. The tape mark detection device according to claim 7,
The reading range in the tape longitudinal direction of the detection means is configured to be smaller than the width in the tape longitudinal direction of the identification mark or mark blank portion and larger than the maximum width in the tape longitudinal direction of the decorative mark. Tape mark detection device characterized by the above. The tape mark detection device according to claim 7,
The detecting means is configured such that a difference between a detection signal output value in the first reading range and a detection signal output value in the second reading range is one side of the at least one side of the identification mark in the tape longitudinal direction and It is configured to have a value larger than a difference between a detection signal output value in a mark blank portion provided so as to be positioned between at least one of the other sides and the decoration mark and a detection signal output value in the second reading range. A mark detection device for a tape, wherein

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