JP2011218653A - Optical reading business form - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical reading business form which proves the upgrading of reading performance for reading an optical reading code printed on a nonwoven fabric.SOLUTION: This optical reading business form 1 includes an optical reading code 3 printed on a base material 2 made up of a nonwoven fabric. In addition, the form 1 is constructed of a shielding layer 4, to which an ultraviolet-curable ink or an oxidative polymerization type ink is applied. This shielding layer 4 is formed on the surface of the opposite side to the printing surface, carrying the optical reading code 3 of the base material 2, which corresponds with the optical reading code 3. Thus, the code reading surface of the business form 1 can hardly be susceptible to the adverse effect of an object by making the base material 2 less transparent.

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical reading form in which an optical reading code is printed on a nonwoven fabric.

  Conventionally, among forms in which a so-called optical reading code such as a barcode or a two-dimensional code is printed on a base material, one using a non-woven fabric as the base material is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below). . The document describes a non-woven fabric for food packaging that is used as a cold insulation material enclosed in fresh food, frozen food, processed food, or the like. This non-woven fabric for food packaging has a non-woven base material in a bag shape so that a cold insulation material can be packed therein, and information on food is printed in a two-dimensional code on the surface of the non-woven fabric using water-based ink. Yes.

JP 2007-261613 A

  When a non-woven fabric is used as the base material, as in the non-woven fabric for food packaging described in Patent Document 1, the non-woven fabric has the advantage that it is not easily torn compared to paper and has excellent durability. However, since the nonwoven fabric is formed by bonding fibers together, it is thin and easy to see through, and there is a problem that the printed optical reading code is affected by the object and hinders reading. In addition, when the nonwoven fabric is wet with water in the usage environment, the light reflectivity is reduced or sticks to an object, and thus the reading performance is further deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and a first object of the present invention is to provide an optical reading code in which an optical reading code is printed on a non-woven fabric so that the optical reading code is less affected by an object. It is to improve the reading performance. A second object of the present invention is to maintain a high reading performance by preventing a decrease in light reflectance and sticking to an object even in a wet state.

  In order to achieve the first object, the optical reading form according to the present invention has an optical reading code printed on a non-woven fabric base material, and the optical reading code printing surface of the base material corresponding to the optical reading code. The opposite surface is provided with a shielding layer coated with ultraviolet curable ink or oxidative polymerization ink.

  In order to achieve the second object, the optical reading form according to the present invention has an optical reading code printed on a substrate made of nonwoven fabric, and the optical reading code printing surface of the substrate corresponding to the optical reading code. A water-repellent shielding layer is provided on the opposite surface to which an ink obtained by mixing an ultraviolet curable ink or an oxidation polymerization type ink with a silicone-containing release varnish is applied.

  In the optical reading form having the above-described configuration, it is preferable that the ultraviolet curable ink or the oxidation polymerization type ink contains titanium oxide, and the shielding layer is preferably formed in a color different from that of the nonwoven fabric.

  According to the optical reading form according to the present invention, since a non-woven fabric is used as a base material, it is hard to tear compared with materials such as paper, and durability suitable for outdoor use can be obtained. Moreover, the shielding layer is provided in the back surface of the optical reading code | cord | chord, and a base material becomes difficult to see through. For this reason, when the optical reading code is mechanically read by the optical reading device, it is not affected by the object, so that the occurrence of a reading error can be prevented and the reading performance is improved.

  Further, according to the optical reading form according to the present invention, the water-repellent shielding layer repels moisture even when it gets wet with rain when used outdoors, and the permeation into the base material made of nonwoven fabric is prevented. Therefore, the base material does not pass through and the light reflectance is not lowered, and the base material is difficult to stick to the object, so that high reading performance can be maintained.

It is a top view which shows the structural example of the optical reading form which concerns on this invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the other structural example of the optical reading form which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the further another structural example of the optical reading form which concerns on this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings attached to the application.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the optical reading form 1 of the present embodiment is used as a display tag for managing articles (for example, building wood, etc.) particularly outdoors, and has durability. A non-woven fabric is used for the base material 2. Further, identification information about the article is printed on the surface of the base material 2 with the optical reading code 3, and the surface opposite to the surface on which the optical reading code 3 of the base material 2 corresponding to the optical reading code 3 is printed. The shielding layer 4 is provided on the surface (back surface).

  The raw material which comprises the base material 2 is not specifically limited about the raw material, For example, various synthetic resin fibers, such as a polyethylene fiber, a polyester fiber, a polypropylene fiber, can be used. In particular, if a raw material having a high melting point such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber is used, the optical reading code 3 can be printed by a laser beam type non-impact printer (hereinafter referred to as “laser NIP”). It is preferable because it is possible. As a commercially available nonwoven fabric, PET fiber nonwoven fabric “E05070-R02” (manufactured by Asahi Kasei Fibers Co., Ltd.) can be used. Various methods can be considered as a method for processing the nonwoven fabric. For example, a spunbond method (a method in which a thermoplastic polymer is melted and formed while being discharged into a continuous long fiber and pressed and hardened) is used. Can be processed into a desired shape.

  The optical reading code 3 is a code printed with data that is optically machine-readable by an optical reading device such as a bar code reader, and includes a bar code and a two-dimensional code. Examples of the barcode include JAN, ITF, CODE39, and CODE128, and examples of the two-dimensional code include QR code, PDF417, data matrix, and MaxiCode. In the present embodiment, as shown in the figure, the optical reading code 3 is a QR code, and by using the laser NIP, identification information about the article is printed with the QR code.

The shielding layer 4 is provided to block light transmission, and is coated with an ultraviolet curable ink containing a pigment having a high refractive index (for example, titanium oxide [TiO ₂ ]) on the nonwoven fabric. It is formed by. As a commercially available ink, ultraviolet curable ink “Best Cure UV NVR White” (manufactured by T & K TOKA Co., Ltd.) can be used. Here, the reason why the surface on which the shielding layer 4 is formed is the surface opposite to the printing surface of the optical reading code 3 is that UV curable ink is applied to the surface of the substrate 2 and printing is performed with the laser NIP thereon. This is because the toner is difficult to fix and it is difficult to print the clear optical reading code 3. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the formation location of the shielding layer 4 should just be formed in the range which covers the part which printed the optical reading code 3 at least.

  In addition, it is preferable to add a color (for example, yellow) that is different from the color of the nonwoven fabric to the ink constituting the shielding layer 4 and has little influence on optical reading because the printed surface of the nonwoven fabric can be easily identified. As the commercially available additive ink, for example, ultraviolet curable ink “Best Cure UV NVR Yellow” (manufactured by T & K TOKA Co., Ltd.) can be used. However, the color of the additive ink is not limited to yellow. The additive layer containing 0.5%, 1.0%, and 3.0% of the additive ink with respect to the UV curable ink "Best Cure UV NVR White" is applied to the nonwoven fabric to form the shielding layer 4. As a result, it was confirmed that both optical readings could be performed satisfactorily. In addition, the coating thickness of the ink which comprises the shielding layer 4 should just be at least 0.5 micrometer or more. In particular, the thickness within the range of 0.5 to 2.0 μm is preferable in terms of printing.

  The optical reading form 1 of the present embodiment is configured as described above, and uses a non-woven fabric as the material of the base material 2. Therefore, the optical reading form 1 is not easily torn compared to materials such as paper and has durability suitable for outdoor use. Is obtained. Further, a shielding layer 4 is provided on the back surface of the optical reading code 3 so that light transmitted between the front surface and the back surface of the base material 2 is shielded and is not easily transmitted.

  Therefore, when the optical reading code 3 is mechanically read by the optical reading device, it is not subject to interference such as the color or pattern of the article to which the form 1 is attached. Will improve.

  By the way, in embodiment mentioned above, although the formation location of the shielding layer 4 was limited to the printing part of the optical reading code 3, it replaces with this and a shielding layer which covers the whole back surface of the base material 2 as shown in FIG. 4 may be provided. According to such a structure, when information (visual information) 5 to be visually confirmed such as characters and identification numbers is printed on the surface of the base material 2 as information other than the optical reading code 3, for example, the visual information 5 There is an advantage that the contrast with the background is increased, and the visibility of the visual information 5 is increased, so that it can be easily confirmed.

  Considering that the optical reading form 1 is used in a harsh environment such as rain or snow outdoors, it is preferable that the shielding layer 4 has water repellency. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, a water-repellent shielding layer 6 may be provided over the entire back surface of the substrate 2. This water-repellent shielding layer 6 uses an ink obtained by mixing the above-described ultraviolet curable ink with a release varnish containing a silicone-based release agent having excellent surface lubricity, and this mixed ink is applied onto a nonwoven fabric. It is formed by coating. In addition, as a commercially available release varnish, an ultraviolet curable release varnish “Best Cure UV Haku OP Varnish UP-200” (manufactured by T & K TOKA Co., Ltd.) can be used. The desired water repellent effect can be obtained by mixing “Best Cure UV NVR White” (same as above) at a ratio of 1: 9.

  According to such a structure, even when the optical reading form 1 is used outdoors, even if it becomes wet due to rain or the like, the water-repellent shielding layer 6 repels moisture and is prevented from penetrating into the base material 2 made of nonwoven fabric. The Therefore, it is difficult for the base material 2 to pass through and the light reflectivity does not decrease, and the base material 2 becomes difficult to stick to the object due to the interposition of the water-repellent shielding layer 6, so that high reading performance is maintained. Can do. In the above-described embodiment, the ultraviolet curable ink is used as the ink constituting the shielding layer 4 or the water-repellent shielding layer 6, but the same effect can be obtained by using an oxidation polymerization type ink instead. can get.

  Finally, the effect of this invention is demonstrated based on verification data. As the method, a non-woven fabric provided with a shielding layer by providing ink (Example) and a non-shielding layer provided (Comparative Example) were prepared, and the QR code reading performance printed on the non-woven fabric was evaluated. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1 below.

The materials, equipment, and evaluation methods used are as follows.
* Nonwoven fabric PET fiber nonwoven fabric “E05070-R02” manufactured by Asahi Kasei Fibers Co., Ltd. Size: A4 size (210 mm x 297 mm)
* Ink UV curable ink "Best Cure UV NVR White" manufactured by T & K TOKA * QR code Cell pitch: 0.423mm
Code size angle: 12.267 mm (number of cells 29 x cell pitch 0.423 mm)
* Apparatus QR code verification software “QR checker” manufactured by Denso Wave Co., Ltd. * Evaluation method The nonwoven fabric on which the QR code was printed was immersed in water and fully wetted, and the grade was evaluated with a QR checker (Comparative Examples 1 to 2) 4). At the time of evaluation with the QR checker, measurement was performed by applying black paper to the opposite side of the QR code printed surface of the non-woven fabric to “black contact”. “Black pad 1” and “black pad 2” were measured at different measurement points. Moreover, white printing was performed with ink on the opposite side of the QR code printing surface of the nonwoven fabric, and the grade was evaluated with a QR checker under the same conditions (Examples 1 to 4).

  The contents of each evaluation item and the determination results are as follows.

[Comprehensive grade]
As the overall grade, the lowest evaluation (A to F) is adopted in the evaluation from the reference decoding to the error correction unused rate. From the determination results, Comparative Example 1 could not be determined, and Comparative Examples 2, 3 and 4 were all F determinations. On the other hand, although Example 3 was B determination, all other Examples 1, 2, and 4 were A determination.

[Reference decoding]
Reference decoding evaluates whether or not decoding is possible. From the determination results, among the comparative examples, although the comparative example 2 was able to decode normally, the comparative example 1 could not recognize the code, and the comparative examples 3 and 4 had error correction errors. . In contrast, all of Examples 1 to 4 could be decoded normally.

[Symbol contrast]
Symbol contrast evaluates the difference in reflectance between white cells and black cells. From the determination results, Comparative Example 1 could not recognize the difference in reflectance, and Comparative Examples 2, 3 and 4 other than this were all B determinations with slightly low contrast. In contrast, all of Examples 1 to 4 were A determinations, and high contrast could be maintained.

[Print expansion]
The print extension is an index for measuring only the portion of the timing pattern and evaluating the printing stability. With respect to the average cell pitch, a thickness / thinness with a black cell length of less than ± 15% is determined as grade A, and when it is ± 30% or more, it is determined as grade F. Looking at the determination results, except that the measurement was impossible in Comparative Example 1, Comparative Examples 2 to 4 and Examples 1 to 4 were all A determinations, and there was a large difference regarding the cell thickness / thinning. I couldn't see it.

[Shaft non-uniformity]
Axis non-uniformity evaluates the aspect ratio of the code. Detects horizontal / vertical defect codes due to printer paper feed mechanisms and generated software abnormalities. Looking at the determination results, except that the measurement was impossible in Comparative Example 1, Comparative Examples 2 to 4 and Examples 1 to 4 were all A determinations, and the aspect ratio of the cord was almost normal. .

[Error correction unused rate]
Error correction refers to a function in which the code itself restores data even if a portion that cannot be read due to dirt, damage, or the like occurs in a part of the QR code due to handling in the operation stage or a change with time. This error correction function enables QR code data to be read, but cannot be read when the error correction unused rate becomes 0%. From the determination results, Comparative Example 1 cannot be determined, and Comparative Examples 2, 3 and 4 are all F determinations. In particular, Comparative Examples 3 and 4 with backside printing have an error correction unused rate of 0%. It was unreadable. On the other hand, Examples 1 to 4 were all judged as A, and the reading performance was good.

  Moreover, the light transmittance of the nonwoven fabric was measured and compared for the comparative example (without white printing) and the example (with white printing) used in the above verification. The measurement results are shown in Table 2 below.

The equipment used for the measurement and the measurement method are as follows.
* Measurement equipment Ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation * Measurement method Measured by the transmission method using an integrating sphere. The measurement wavelength was 660 nm, the number of measurements was n = 5, and the average value was adopted as the value.

  From the measurement results in Table 2, it can be seen that the light transmittance of the example (with white printing) is as low as about 11.7% on average compared to the comparative example (without white printing).

  As is clear from the above results, when the nonwoven fabric is in a wet state, the printed QR code is unreadable or difficult to read, but by applying a UV curable ink to the nonwoven fabric and providing a shielding layer, It was found that the QR code printed on the opposite side could be read well. In addition, although the surface (surface suitable for printing) and the back surface (surface not suitable for printing) recommended by the manufacturer are determined for the nonwoven fabric, Examples 1 and 2 and Examples 3 and 4 of the evaluation results As long as these are compared, there is no particular difference between the front side printing and the back side printing. Therefore, in the present invention, the printing surface of the optical reading code may be either the front surface or the back surface of the nonwoven fabric.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical reading form 2 ... Base material 3 ... Optical reading code 4 ... Shielding layer 5 ... Visual information 6 ... Water-repellent shielding layer

Claims (4)

  An optical reading code is printed on a non-woven fabric substrate, and the surface opposite to the optical reading code printing surface of the substrate corresponding to this optical reading code is coated with UV curable ink or oxidation polymerization type ink. An optical reading form characterized in that a layer is provided.   An optical reading code is printed on a non-woven fabric substrate, and the surface of the substrate corresponding to the optical reading code is opposite to the optical reading code printing surface. An optical reading form comprising a water-repellent shielding layer coated with ink mixed with a release varnish.   3. The optical reading form according to claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet curable ink or the oxidation polymerization type ink contains titanium oxide.   The optical reading form according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the shielding layer is formed in a color different from that of the nonwoven fabric.

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