JP2011131907A - Method for printing on cap and printing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To print on a tamper evident band (TE band) having a specific unprintale area, surely avoiding the specific unprintable area without special positioning means. <P>SOLUTION: One set each of printers 10A, 10B provided with means for printing on the TE band is positioned on both sides of a container transfer conveyer 5. At least one set of the printers has a specific area detecting sensor 11 for detecting the presence of the specific area. Only the printing means on the side where no specific area is detected, is operated for automatically and selectively printing on the non-specific area of the TE band. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing facility for printing information such as date of manufacture on a cap mounted on a bottle conveyed by a conveyor in a production line for bottled beverages and the like.

  Conventionally, it has been proposed to print information on a tamper evident band (hereinafter referred to as a TE band), such as a manufacturing history mark of the cap itself, which is separated from the cap body and remains on the bottle when opened, and to control the quality of the cap. (See Patent Document 1). On the other hand, in manufacturing processes for bottled beverages and the like, management information such as filling date and expiration date is printed at appropriate positions on bottles filled with beverages and conveyed by a conveyor (see, for example, Patent Document 2). ). When printing management information of the cap itself as shown in Patent Document 1 or management information of the container contents as shown in Patent Document 2 on the cap, the skirt wall peripheral surface of the cap body is knurled in the case of a synthetic resin cap, metal In the case of caps, screws etc. are formed and there are irregularities, so it is not suitable for the printing place, and the container top surface is generally a display surface on which other information and decorations are printed, so other additional information is printed Is not preferred. On the other hand, the outer peripheral surface of the TE band is generally smooth and is not printed with other decorations and the like, so it is suitable for a printing place for the management information as described above. Conventionally, the date and time of filling the cap mounted on the container filled with the contents is printed along with the container transport path of the container transported by the conveyor, and the container detection sensor and the printing device are arranged to check the arrival of the container. Printing is performed by operating the printing device by the detection of the container detection sensor. As the printing apparatus, an appropriate printing apparatus such as an ink jet printer or laser beam-printing can be adopted, and many non-contact type printing apparatuses are employed.

  By the way, the above conventional printing method of management information on the TE band has no problem when the TE band outer peripheral surface is uniformly smooth and can be printed anywhere on the entire circumference. A band portion 33 for connecting the cap body 31 and the TE band between the cap body 31 and the TE band 32, such as a cap having a non-uniform surface and a partial region, for example, a cap 30 shown in FIG. A cap that prevents the cap body from dropping or losing after opening, a cap with a vertical cut in the TE band, and a bridge formed between the cuts, or a partially uneven surface If the TE band has a non-uniform portion (hereinafter referred to as a singular region), such as a cap, when the singular region reaches the print position, clear printing cannot be performed. Cormorants there is a problem. In order to avoid this, it is necessary to detect the cap-specific region so that the cap-specific region does not come to the printing position, and position the bottle to turn. For this purpose, a positioning means for rotating the container must be provided in the container transport line, which causes a problem that the equipment cost increases. Moreover, the most serious problem is that the speeding up of the transport line is hindered, or the container may be slidably damaged due to the rotation of the container. In recent years, such measures have been unacceptable in situations where the speed and quality of filling and sealing lines have been increased. For this reason, conventionally, printing on a TE band of a cap having a unique region is not generally performed. In that case, printing is performed on a container or on the top of the cap.

JP 2006-96387 A JP 2008-305121 A

  Therefore, the present invention can perform printing while avoiding the singular area with a simple means without using any special positioning means even on the TE band having the singular area as described above, and speeding up the line. An object of the present invention is to provide a printing method and printing equipment on a cap that can clearly print on a TE band without affecting the quality.

  In the process of earnestly researching to solve the above problems, the present inventor, in the case of a cap having only one specific region in a part of the TE band, if the specific region is detected on one side of the conveyor, As a result of further research, the surface of the opposite side of the singular region is always a printable surface. If a printing device that determines whether or not to print on the TE band based on the output is arranged on both sides of the conveyor, it is not necessary to rotate the container transported in an arbitrary direction and point it in one direction. The present invention has been found out that it is possible to print only in the non-singular area while reliably avoiding the peculiar area without needing the above.

  That is, the printing method on the cap of the present invention that solves the above problems is a printing method on a tamper-evidence band of a cap that has only one specific region in the tamper-evidence band, and the container with the cap attached thereto is removed. A set of printing devices having at least printing means for the tamper-evidence band is arranged on each side of the conveying conveyor along the conveying conveyor, and at least one set of printing devices is upstream of the printing means. Is provided with a specific area detection sensor for detecting a specific area of the tamper evidence band, and the presence or absence of the specific area is detected by the specific area detection sensor, and only the printing means on the side where the specific area is not detected operates. To automatically select the non-singular region side and print it on the tamper evident band. Than is.

  The singular region detection sensor also serves as a cap position detection sensor. When the singular region detection sensor detects the passage of the container and the cap comes to a position facing the printing unit after a predetermined time has elapsed, based on the information of the detection sensor. Whether or not printing is possible is controlled. Thereby, it is not necessary to provide a separate bottle detection sensor, and printing can be performed reliably, and the apparatus and control can be simplified. Each of the printing apparatuses has a printing inspection unit on the downstream side of the printing unit, and at least the printing inspection unit located on the side where the printing unit is operated operates to inspect the printing state. Thus, it becomes possible to reliably remove the defective printing container from the line. By providing the singular area detection sensor for each printing device arranged on both sides of the conveyor, each printing device can be controlled separately, and the control becomes easier. On the other hand, among the printing devices arranged on both sides of the conveyor, a unique area detection sensor is arranged only on one side of the printing apparatus, and the printing means on both sides are controlled by the output of the unique area detection sensor. Since one of the printing apparatuses only needs to have at least printing means, the equipment cost can be further reduced.

  Further, the printing equipment of the present invention that achieves the above object is a printing equipment for a cap having a unique region in the TE band, and is provided at least on the TE band along a conveyor that transports containers equipped with the cap. One set of printing apparatuses having printing means are arranged on both sides of the conveyor, shifted in the conveying direction across the conveyor, or opposed to each other, and at least one upstream of the printing apparatus located on the upstream side. A singular area detection sensor for detecting the singular area of the TE band is provided on the upstream side of the printing means in the printing device on the side, and only the printing means on the side where the singular area is not detected by the singular area detection sensor operates. And a control means for controlling the printing means to print on the tamper evident band when the container reaches the printing position. And it is characterized in and.

  It is desirable that the printing apparatus has a printing inspection unit for inspecting printing downstream of the printing unit. The printing apparatus may be arranged so as to face each other with the conveyor interposed therebetween, or may be arranged so as to deviate from each other in the transport direction with the conveyor interposed therebetween.

  According to the printing method and the printing equipment on the cap of the present invention, when printing management information etc. on the TE band of the cap mounted on the container continuously conveyed by the conveyor in the filling / sealing line of the container, etc. Even if the TE band has only one location, it can be printed on the TE band reliably without any special area in any transport state without requiring special positioning to align the containers in one direction. It has the special effect of being able to print clearly without affecting the speeding up of the line, and the configuration is simply an arrangement of a set of printing devices on both sides of the conveyor, which is inexpensive. Can be achieved at a cost.

It is a schematic diagram of the printing equipment to the TE band of the cap concerning the embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic schematic of the printing installation to the TE band of the cap which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part front view of the container which showed an example of the cap which has TE band which has a specific area | region, and mounted | worn this cap to the container.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a printing method and printing equipment for a cap having a TE band according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a printing facility for a cap according to the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as a printing facility). The printing facility according to the present embodiment is configured by arranging a set of printing apparatuses 10A and 10B on both sides of a conveyor 5 that conveys containers (bottles) 2 to which caps 1 are attached in a row. In the present embodiment, the printing apparatus 10A is arranged on the upstream side, and the printing apparatus 10B is arranged facing the downstream on the opposite side.

  The printing apparatus 10A includes a singular region detection sensor 11A, a printing unit 12A, and a printing inspection unit 13A, and is arranged in the case 15 in order from the upstream side toward the conveyor side. The peculiar area detection sensor 11A confirms the shape of the cap 1 attached to the container and detects whether or not the peculiar area of the cap is facing the detection sensor, that is, the printing means 12A. There is a CCD camera in this embodiment. The printing means 12A can adopt, for example, an ink jet printer, and its height position so that predetermined information can be printed without contact by ejecting ink onto the TE band surface of a cap mounted on a container conveyed by a conveyor. Is adjusted and arranged in the case 15A. The print inspecting means 13A is for inspecting whether or not the printing is correct, and is arranged on the downstream side of the printing means 12A, and a CCD camera or the like can be employed in the same manner as the singular area detection sensor 11A. The printing device is provided with a control device (not shown) that controls the singular region detection sensor 11A, the printing unit 12A, and the print inspection unit 13A. The control device has a microcomputer and is acquired by the singular region detection sensor 11A. The printed image is determined, and a print command is issued to the printing unit based on the result. If the printing result is detected by detecting the output result of the print inspection unit 13, a removal command is issued.

  The singular region detection sensor 11A also serves as a container detection means. When the singular region is not detected in the TE band as will be described later by the singular region detection sensor, it is determined that printing is necessary, and tracking of the cap is started. When the cap reaches the position facing the printing unit 12A, the printing unit 12A is activated to print predetermined information on the TE band, as will be described later. Further, the singular region detection sensor 11A, the printing unit 12A, and the print inspection unit 13A can detect the singular region of the cap with certainty, and the height of the TE band of the passing cap so that reliable printing and inspection can be performed. If the height of the container is changed due to the change of the production type, the height position of the entire case or the individual singular region detection sensor 11, the printing means 12, The print inspection means 13 may be adjusted for the height position separately.

  In the present embodiment, the printing device 10B is formed in the same structure as the printing device 10A described above, and is disposed facing the conveyor on the downstream side opposite to the printing device 10A and the conveyor, and is the same as the printing device 10A. To work. Therefore, printing can always be performed on the side that does not have the unique region of the TE band by the action of any of the printing devices 10A and 10B arranged on both sides of the conveyor.

Next, the operation of the printing facility of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.
The container 2 filled with the contents and fitted with the cap with the TE band is conveyed in a single row by the conveyor 5 in a non-rotating state, and passes through the front of the printing apparatus 10A by the singular region detection sensor 11A. When a singular region is detected in the TE band, the print unit 12A passes through without being printed without performing a print command to the print unit 12A. That means that there is no singular region on the other side of the TE band. Accordingly, when the container passes through the position of the printing apparatus 10B, the unique area detection sensor 11B does not detect the unique area, so it is determined that printing is possible, and a printing command is issued to the printing means 12B by the control device, and the cap When reaching the position where the two face each other, the printing means 12B is activated to print on the TE band. On the contrary, if the singular region is not detected by the singular region detection sensor 11A, it means that the printable surface of the TE band is located on the printing unit 12A side, so that a printing command is issued to the printing unit 12A. When the cap reaches the surface facing the printing unit 12A, printing is performed by ejecting ink from the printing unit 12A. Thereafter, the printing state is inspected by the printing inspection means 13A, and when a printing failure is detected, the printing state is automatically removed from the conveyor by a removing means (not shown) appropriately disposed on the downstream side. Therefore, according to the present invention, printing is automatically performed only on the side where the singular region of the TE band does not exist without requiring a special positioning device.

  In the above embodiment, both the printing apparatuses 10A and 10B are provided with the singular area detection sensors 11A and 11B, and each printing apparatus is provided with a single control device, but in this embodiment, on the downstream side. It is also possible to omit the peculiar area detection sensor 11B of the printing apparatus 10B that is positioned, and the printing apparatus 10B can be configured by only the printing means 12B and the printing inspection means 13B. In this case, a control unit that controls the printing apparatus 10A and the printing apparatus 10B in an integrated manner is provided, and the printing units 12A and 12B are controlled based on detection information of the singular region detection sensor 11A provided in the printing apparatus 10A. . That is, when the singular region detection sensor 11A detects a singular region, it issues a print command to the printing unit 12B, and when it does not detect a singular region, it issues a print command to the printing unit 12A. In this case, since the printing equipment sensor 11B can be omitted, the equipment cost can be reduced.

  FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which the printing apparatuses 10A and 10B are arranged so as to face each other. In this embodiment, the singular area detection sensors 11A and 11B of the printing apparatuses 10A and 10B simultaneously detect the TE band from both sides of the conveyor, and give a print command only to the printing means on the side where the singular area is not detected. Is done. Portions similar to those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. In the present embodiment, it is possible to omit either one of the singular region detection sensors of the printing apparatuses 10A and 10B. In this case, it is a condition that the printing units 12A and 12B of the printing apparatuses 10A and 10B are always located downstream of the singular region detection sensor. Therefore, for example, when the singular region detection sensor 11A is provided only in the printing apparatus 10A, the printing unit 12A may be operated only when the singular region detection sensor 11A does not detect the singular region.

  As mentioned above, although the embodiment of the present invention has been described, the cap that can be printed according to the present invention can be applied to a synthetic resin cap or metal cap having a TE band, and the container is also made of synthetic resin or metal. It can be applied to various containers such as paper, and is particularly effective for application to containers whose alignment is difficult.

  The present invention provides a unique region in which the outer peripheral surface of the TE band of a synthetic resin cap or a metal cap is not continuously uniform in a container that is conveyed by a conveyor in any direction in the content filling and sealing line Since it is possible to reliably print necessary information while avoiding the singular region without restricting the direction of the container such as rotating the container, the industrial applicability is high.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cap 2 Container 5 Conveyor 10A, 10B Printing device 11A, 11B Specific area | region detection sensor 12A, 12B Printing means 13A, 13B Printing inspection means

Claims (7)

  A method of printing on a tamper-evidence band of a cap having a unique area only in one place on the tamper-evidence band, and at least printing on the tamper-evidence band along a transport conveyor that conveys a container equipped with the cap One set of printing devices each having a means is arranged on each side of the conveyor, and at least one set of printing devices includes a unique region detection sensor for detecting a unique region of the tamper evidence band upstream of the printing device. By detecting the presence or absence of a singular region by the singular region detection sensor and operating only the printing means on the side where the singular region was not detected, the non-singular region is automatically selected to tamper evidence. A printing method on a cap, characterized by printing on a band.   Each of the printing apparatuses has a printing inspection means on the downstream side of the printing means, and the printing inspection means positioned at least on the side where the printing means is operated operates to inspect the printing state. The printing method on the cap according to 1.   The singular region detection sensor is provided in each printing device arranged on both sides of the transport conveyor, and the printing unit on each side is controlled by the singular region detection sensor. How to print on the cap.   2. The printing apparatus disposed on both sides of the transport conveyor is provided with a unique area detection sensor only in one of the printing apparatuses, and the printing means on both sides is controlled by the output of the unique area detection sensor. Or the printing method to the cap of 2.   A tamper-evident band printing facility for a cap having a specific area in the tamper-evident band, comprising at least printing means for the tamper-evident band along a transport conveyor for transporting a container equipped with the cap. One set of printing devices are arranged on both sides of the conveyor, shifted in the conveying direction across the conveyor, or opposed to each other, and at least one upstream printing device or one printed on the opposite side. The apparatus is provided with a singular area detection sensor for detecting a singular area of the tamper evident band upstream of the printing means, and only the printing means on the side where the singular area is not detected by the singular area detection sensor operates. When the container reaches the printing position, the printing hand is printed so as to print on the tamper evident band. Printing equipment to cap, characterized in that a controlling means for controlling.   6. The printing facility for a cap according to claim 5, wherein each of the printing devices has a printing inspection means on the downstream side of the printing means.   The printing facility for a cap according to claim 5 or 6, wherein each of the printing devices has the singular region detection sensor.

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