JP2019066205A - Inspection system and inspection method - Google Patents

Abstract

To reduce user's work for checking whether an inspection device is functioning normally before inspecting the contents printed on a printing medium.SOLUTION: An inspection system of an aspect of the present invention comprises: a printing unit; an inspection unit which inspects whether the contents printed on a printing medium by the printing unit are the same as prescribed contents; a storage unit which stores information of the first contents different from the prescribed contents; and a control unit which references the storage unit and controls the printing of the first contents on the printing medium.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an inspection system and an inspection method.

  Conventionally, it is known to print a test print pattern in order to confirm the print quality of print paper. For example, Patent Document 1 describes that a test print pattern is printed by combining a plurality of printing speeds and printing densities while changing at least one of the printing speed and the printing density in a plurality of steps.

JP, 2014-237237, A

By the way, in a specific field, for example, in the medical field, the printed contents of a label (print medium) to be attached to a package or the like of a medicine is required to have strict accuracy. Therefore, it is customary not only to inspect whether the printed content of the label is appropriate, but also to check immediately before the printing of the label whether the inspection device which performs the inspection is functioning properly. In the conventional operation, before the inspection of the printed content of the label, for example, the user intentionally creates an NG label by writing an unnecessary line or the like on the printed label with a magic pen or the like, and writes an unnecessary line or the like The label (OK label) and the NG label were not inspected by the inspection device one by one. Then, when the inspection device determines that the OK label is normal and determines that the NG label is abnormal, that is, after verifying that the inspection device is functioning properly, printing is performed using the inspection device. The label was checked.
However, it is troublesome for the user to intentionally create an NG label, and it has been required to improve such troublesome work.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce the work of the user for confirming that the inspection apparatus is functioning properly before inspecting the print content printed on the print medium.

One embodiment of the present invention is
The printing unit,
An inspection unit which inspects whether the content printed on the printing medium by the printing unit is identical to the predetermined content;
A storage unit storing information of first content different from the predetermined content;
A control unit that performs control to print the first content on a print medium with reference to the storage unit;
Inspection system equipped with

  According to an aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the work of the user for confirming that the inspection apparatus is functioning properly before inspecting the print content printed on the print medium.

It is a system configuration figure of an inspection system concerning a embodiment, and an issue system. It is a figure which shows the example of the continuous paper used by the test | inspection system which concerns on embodiment, and the issuing system. It is a block diagram of an inspection system concerning an embodiment. FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are examples of screens displayed by the inspection system according to the embodiment. FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are examples of screens displayed by the inspection system according to the embodiment. FIGS. 6A and 6B are examples of screens displayed by the inspection system according to the embodiment. 7A to 7D are diagrams each showing an example of the NG label. FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B are examples of screens displayed by the inspection system according to the embodiment. FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B are examples of screens displayed by the inspection system according to the embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows processing of preparation mode in an inspection system of an embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows processing of inspection mode in an inspection system of an embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows processing of inspection mode in an inspection system of an embodiment. Drawing 13A and Drawing 13B are examples of a screen displayed by an inspection system concerning a modification of an inspection system of an embodiment, respectively.

(1) Inspection system (1-1) System outline Hereinafter, inspection systems 1A and 1B which are one embodiment of an inspection system of the present invention, and issue system 1C are explained with reference to Drawings 1-3. FIG. 1A is a system configuration diagram of an inspection system 1A according to the embodiment. FIG. 1B is a system configuration diagram of an inspection system 1B according to the embodiment. FIG. 1C is a system configuration diagram of the issuing system 1C. FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of inspection systems 1A and 1B according to the embodiment and a continuous paper CP used in the issuing system 1C. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of inspection systems 1A and 1B and an issuing system 1C according to the embodiment.

Although described later, the information processing apparatus 2 of the present embodiment stores a program for performing processing in accordance with a system selected by the user from the inspection systems 1A and 1B and the issuing system 1C.
As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection system 1 </ b> A includes an information processing device 2, a printer 3, a camera inspection device 4, and a winding machine 6. The inspection system 1 </ b> B includes an information processing device 2, a printer 3, a barcode inspection device 5, and a winding machine 6. The issuing system 1 </ b> C includes an information processing device 2, a printer 3, and a winding machine 6. The winder 6 is configured to wind the continuous paper CP that has passed the camera inspection device 4 or the bar code inspection device 5 or the continuous paper CP discharged from the printer 3 in a roll.
In the present embodiment, the printer 3 is an example of a printing unit, and the camera inspection device 4 and the bar code inspection device 5 are examples of an inspection unit. The information processing device 2 is an example of a control unit.
There is no inspection function in the issuing system 1C, and only printing and issuing a label is performed according to the user's request.

As shown in FIG. 2, the continuous paper CP includes a band-like mount PM and a plurality of labels PL temporarily attached on the mount PM at predetermined intervals. The continuous paper CP is accommodated in the form of roll paper wound in a roll shape in the printer 3, and is pulled out from the roll paper when printing is performed.
The label PL (an example of a print medium) is attached to a package of medicine (adherend PG to be described later), and the printed contents are required to have strict accuracy. Therefore, in the inspection systems 1A and 1B, an inspection apparatus (ie, the camera inspection apparatus 4 and the bar code inspection apparatus 5) performs an inspection immediately before performing an inspection (an inspection mode described later) as to whether the print content of the label PL is appropriate. The verification (preparation mode described later) is performed to determine whether or not the function is properly functioning.

  The inspection system 1B inspects the printed label by the barcode inspection device 5. The inspection performed by the barcode inspection device 5 is whether or not the barcode included in the printed content of the label can be read (that is, whether the data included in the read barcode can be extracted), and the data is normal. It is whether or not it is the data of

  The inspection system 1A inspects the printed label by the camera inspection device 4. The inspection performed by the camera inspection device 4 includes the above-described inspection performed by the barcode inspection device 5 when the printed content of the label includes a barcode. Furthermore, the inspection performed by the camera inspection device 4 is an inspection as to whether or not the characters included in the print content can be recognized, and the print content (for example, “product name”, “expiration date”, and “serial number” in FIG. 2). Including matching that) matches regular data. The inspection performed by the camera inspection device 4 includes an inspection of the presence or absence of the label PL on the mount PM and an inspection of the presence or absence of the printing of the label PL.

Next, with reference to FIG. 3, an outline of components included in the inspection systems 1A and 1B and the issuing system 1C will be described.
For convenience, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of all the inspection systems 1A and 1B and the issuing system 1C summarized in one figure, and each system includes all the components included in FIG. It is not That is, as shown in FIG. 1, in FIG. 3, inspection system 1A includes only information processing device 2, printer 3 and camera inspection device 4, and inspection system 1B includes information processing device 2, printer 3 and bar code inspection. Only the device 5 is included, and the issuing system 1C includes only the information processing device 2 and the printer 3.

(1-2) Information processing apparatus 2
As shown in FIG. 3, the information processing apparatus 2 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, an operation input unit 23 (an example of a reception unit), a display unit 24, and a communication interface (communication I / F) 25. The communication interface 25 communicates with at least one of the printer 3, the camera inspection device 4, and the barcode inspection device 5.
The information processing device 2 is, for example, a device such as a personal computer or a tablet computer.

  The control unit 21 is mainly configured of a microprocessor and controls the entire information processing apparatus 2. For example, the microprocessor included in the control unit 21 loads and executes the inspection program recorded in the storage unit 22. The processing performed by executing the inspection program includes, for example, the following processing.

(i) To search for a label to be printed from the database according to the user operation
(ii) determine the print content to be printed on the label according to the user operation
(iii) To generate print information that specifies the print content and label layout
(iv) transmitting a print request including print information to the printer 3
(v) Control to print the label of the number of inspection OK (described later)
(vi) Receiving the inspection result from the camera inspection device 4 or the barcode inspection device 5
(vii) displaying the test result on the display unit 24
(viii) recording an examination history (described later) in the storage unit 22

The display unit 24 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display panel having a touch input function, and displays the execution result of the inspection program. In this case, the touch input function of the display unit 24 constitutes a part of the operation input unit 23.
The communication interface 25 communicates with at least one of the printer 3, the camera inspection device 4, and the barcode inspection device 5.

The storage unit 22 is a non-volatile memory, and may be, for example, a solid state drive (SSD) such as a flash memory. The storage unit 22 stores a database of labels in addition to the inspection program. The label database is data in which each record includes fields of "item code", "item name", "label name", and "label layout", and each record is information for identifying a label to be inspected.
The storage unit 22 stores print information on the print contents of a plurality of types of NG labels (described later) corresponding to each record of the label database. For example, the print content of each of FIGS. 7A to 7D described later is the print content of the NG label when the print label of FIG. 2 is an OK label (described later). When the type of the NG level is selected in the NG label list 110 of FIG. 6B, the storage unit 22 is referred to, and printing information on the print content corresponding to the selected type of the NG label is transmitted to the printer 3.
The storage unit 22 further stores an examination history database. The examination history database is a database in which the history of examinations performed by the user is recorded. For example, for each record, “login user name”, “examination date”, “examination method” (either camera examination or barcode inspection) Data of each field of “inspection result”.

(1-3) Printer 3
As shown in FIG. 3, the printer 3 includes a control unit 31, a conveyance unit 32, a printing unit 33, a storage unit 34, and a communication interface (communication I / F) 35. The communication interface 35 communicates with the information processing device 2. The printer 3 contains roll paper on which continuous paper CP is wound.
The printer 3 may be a stationary printer or a portable printer.

  The control unit 31 is mainly configured of a microprocessor and controls the entire printer 3. For example, the microprocessor included in the control unit 31 implements various functions by loading and executing the firmware recorded in the storage unit 34. For example, the control unit 31 generates print data, controls the conveyance unit 32 for printing, and the printing unit 33 based on printing information received from the information processing apparatus 2.

  The storage unit 34 is a non-volatile memory, and may be, for example, an SSD such as a flash memory. In the storage unit 34, in addition to the above-described firmware, data of various formats corresponding to the label layout included in the print information transmitted from the information processing device 2 is recorded.

  The conveyance unit 32 includes a platen roller (not shown), a motor drive circuit, and a stepping motor, and conveys continuous paper in the printer 3. For example, based on a conveyance request from the control unit 31, the motor drive circuit conveys the continuous sheet by driving a stepping motor that controls the rotation of the platen roller.

When printing on the label PL based on the print data, the control unit 31 reads data of a format corresponding to the label layout from the storage unit 34. The control unit 31 generates print data by embedding character information and / or a bar code included in the print information in the read data, and sequentially generates line data which is data for each line of the print data. Send to
The print unit 33 includes a thermal head and a head drive circuit (not shown). The thermal head sandwiches the continuous sheet with the platen roller. The head drive circuit causes the current to flow (generate heat) to each heating element of the thermal head based on the line data sequentially sent out by the control unit 31 or prevents the current from flowing (does not generate heat). I do.

(1-4) Camera inspection device 4
As shown in FIG. 3, the camera inspection apparatus 4 includes a control unit 41, an image processing unit 42, a light source 43, a storage unit 44, and a communication interface (communication I / F) 45.
The camera inspection apparatus 4 inspects each label of the continuous paper discharged from the printer 3 and performs “inspection OK” (inspection success), “inspection NG” (inspection failure), “no label”, “ One of the inspection results of “no printing” is transmitted to the information processing device 2.

The image processing unit 42 includes, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) type image sensor. The light emitted from the light source 43 illuminates the label PL, and the reflected light forms an image on the image sensor. The image sensor converts the reflected light into an electrical signal that represents the intensity of the light. The image processing unit 42 sends the electric signal to the control unit 41.
The control unit 41 converts the electric signal into digital image data, extracts (cuts out) character information from the image data in units of one character, and performs character recognition processing. At that time, if the character recognition can not be performed because the character is missing or the line overlaps with the character, etc., it is determined that the inspection fails. The control unit 41 further performs processing of extracting a barcode from the image data and extracting data from the extracted barcode.
The control unit 41 determines whether or not the character of which the character is recognized from the image data and the barcode extracted from the barcode are legitimate data. In this determination, the control unit 41 receives in advance the verification data (the regular character data and the regular data to be extracted from the barcode) from the information processing apparatus 2 through the communication interface 45, and stores the unit. Record at 44. The control unit 41 reads the verification data from the storage unit 44 when making the above determination, and compares the read verification data with the character recognized from the image data and the barcode extracted from the barcode. Do.

The control unit 41 also determines the presence or absence of the label and the presence or absence of the printing based on the image data. In determining the presence or absence of the label, the control unit 41 determines the presence or absence of the end of the label on the mount based on the image data. Further, the control unit 41 determines that printing is not performed on the label when the characters and the barcode can not be cut out from the image data.
The control unit 41 transmits the inspection result of any one of “inspection OK”, “inspection NG”, “no label”, and “no printing” to the information processing apparatus 2 via the communication interface 55.

(1-5) Bar code inspection device 5
As shown in FIG. 3, the barcode inspection device 5 includes a control unit 51, an image processing unit 52, a light source 53, a storage unit 54, and a communication interface (communication I / F) 55.
The barcode inspection device 5 inspects each label of the continuous paper discharged from the printer 3, and the inspection result of either “inspection OK” (inspection success) or “inspection NG” (inspection failure) Are sent to the information processing apparatus 2.
The image processing unit 52 includes, for example, a CCD type image sensor. The light emitted from the light source 53 illuminates the barcode printed on the label PL, and the reflected light forms an image by the image sensor. The image sensor converts the reflected light into an electrical signal that represents the intensity of the light. The image processing unit 52 sends the electric signal to the control unit 51.

The control unit 51 determines whether data can be extracted from the electric signal (that is, whether the bar code can be read). For example, when the barcode is missing, data is not extracted from the barcode.
When data can be extracted from the electric signal, the control unit 51 determines whether the extracted data is normal data. In order to determine whether the extracted data is normal data, the control unit 51 uses the communication interface 55 in advance to verify data (normal data to be extracted from the barcode) from the information processing device 2. Are received in advance and recorded in the storage unit 54. The control unit 51 reads the verification data from the storage unit 54 when making the above determination, and collates the read verification data with the extracted data.
The control unit 51 transmits the determination result (either “inspection OK” or “inspection NG”) as the inspection result to the information processing apparatus 2 through the communication interface 55. If the data can be extracted from the barcode and the data is regular data, the judgment result is “inspection OK”, and the data can not or can not be extracted from the barcode. If the data is not normal data, the judgment result is “inspection NG”.

(2) Screen Example Displayed in Inspection System Next, in the inspection system 1A, see FIGS. 4 to 9 for an example of a screen displayed on the display unit 24 when the inspection program of the information processing apparatus 2 is executed. To explain.
FIG. 4A shows a screen G1 displayed after the user starts the information processing apparatus 2 to execute the inspection program and the user logs in. The screen G1 includes a login user display area 101, an inspection target label search area 102, and a label search result display area 103. The login user display area 101 is an area (in the illustrated example, login user: Takeshi Sato) that displays a login user (hereinafter, simply referred to as “user”).

  The screen G1 is provided with a pull-down menu pm1 and is configured such that the user can select one of the "camera inspection device", "bar code verification" and "label issuance" options according to the system. . That is, the user selects "camera inspection apparatus" when using inspection system 1A, selects "bar code verification" when using inspection system 1B, and uses issuance system 1C. Select "Issue Label". As shown in screen G2 of FIG. 4B, it is assumed here that “camera inspection apparatus” is selected.

  The inspection target label search area 102 is an area for the user to search the database for an inspection target label using at least one of an item code, an item name, a label name, and a label layout as a key. For example, when "JY01" is specified as the item code and the button b1 ("search") is operated, a list of all labels whose item code is "JY01" is displayed in the label search result display area 103. The data for one line of the label search result display area 103 corresponds to the data for one record recorded in the database. The button b2 (“selection”) is a button for selecting any label from the list of labels displayed in the label search result display area 103. When the button b2 ("Select") is operated, a screen G3 shown in FIG. 5A is displayed.

The screen G3 includes a print target label display area 104, a user input area 105, and a preview display area 107. In the print target label display area 104, information of the label selected on the screen G2 is displayed. The user input area 105 is an area for the user to input additional information to be printed on the label through the operation input unit 23 of the information processing apparatus 2, and in the example shown in FIG. It includes information on each item of usage expiration date, serial number, serial number start value, and inspection OK number.
Here, the serial number start value is a continuous number (serial number) printed on a plurality of labels when printing a plurality of labels. Although it is not essential to print the serial number start value, it is possible to prevent forgery because a unique ID will be attached to each label.
The number of inspection OK sheets is an example of the number of inspection acceptance sheets, and means the number of labels among the printed labels that have passed the inspection of the camera inspection device 4.
Data included in the print target label display area 104 and / or the user input area 105 correspond to the verification data as a basis of the inspection result by the camera inspection device 4.

  After inputting the information of each item in the user input area 105, by operating the button b3 ("preview"), a label which matches the contents of the print target label display area 104 and the user input area 105 in the preview display area 107 The preview of is displayed. The button b5 ("RETURN") is a button for returning to the screen G2. By operating the button b4 ("label issue"), the print content of the label is determined, and the screen G4 of FIG. 5B is displayed.

The screen G4 is a screen displayed in the preparation mode. On screen G4, button groups b11 to b16 are displayed. In the case of the preparation mode, among the button groups b11 to b16, the button b11 ("one sheet inspection"), the button b12 ("ready"), and the button b16 ("inspection complete") are effective. Other buttons are disabled.
The button b11 (“one-sheet inspection”) is a button for instructing to inspect whether the camera inspection apparatus 4 is functioning properly. The button b11 ("one-sheet inspection") is an example of an operation target for receiving an operation input to start the execution of the process of the preparation mode.
The button b12 (“prepare complete”) is a button for completing an inspection as to whether the camera inspection device 4 is functioning properly and shifting to an inspection mode to be described later. The button b12 (“prepare complete”) is an example of an operation target for receiving an operation input for ending the process of the preparation mode.
The button b16 ("examination end") is a button for ending the examination itself and returning to the login screen (not shown).

  In the preparation mode, the user generates and inspects an NG label by, for example, overwriting the printed surface of the printed and uninspected label with, for example, a pen. Further, the user visually checks the printed content of the printed and uninspected label and inspects the OK label judged as OK. When the inspection result for the NG label by the camera inspection device 4 is “inspection NG” and the inspection result for the OK label by the camera inspection device 4 is “inspection OK”, the camera inspection device 4 is functioning normally. It can be judged.

When the button b11 ("one-sheet inspection") is operated on the screen G4, as shown in FIG. 6A, the sub screen SG41 is displayed. In sub-screen SG41, either button b31 ("OK label") or button b32 ("NG label") is displayed in a selectable manner, and the user can select which of the OK label and the NG label is to be issued. It is done.
Note that both the OK label and the NG label may be issued as a set. In that case, a button (not shown) for issuing both the OK label and the NG label is provided.

  Here, when the button b31 ("OK label") is selected, the continuous paper CP is conveyed, and one OK label (label displayed in the preview display area 107) is printed, and the one sheet is printed. An inspection of the label is performed. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8A, a screen G5 is displayed. In the screen G5, the inspection result of the label for one sheet (that is, the first sheet) is displayed in the inspection result display area 108. The screen G4 shows the case where the inspection result of the first label is “inspection OK” and the camera inspection device 4 functions normally.

On the other hand, when the button b32 ("NG label") is selected in the sub screen SG41 of FIG. 6A, as shown in FIG. 6B, the sub screen SG42 is displayed.
In the sub screen SG42, an NG label list 110 which is a menu of NG labels is displayed. The NG label list 110 includes a plurality of NG label options. When the user performs an operation of selecting any type of NG label from the NG label list 110, the user can select an NG label of the type to be issued.

Although the NG label list 110 shown in FIG. 6B does not limit the type of the NG label to be issued, “product name error”, “use term error”, “production number error”, “bar code missing”, “bar "Add Code" includes options for each type of NG label. "Barcode missing" means that a part of the regular barcode is missing. "Add barcode" means that unnecessary symbols, characters, marks, figures, and the like are added to the regular barcode.
In the present specification, the content printed on the OK label is an example of the second content, and the content printed on the NG label is an example of the first content.
In addition, the NG label list 110 may include an NG label of at least one of “type missing character”, “use date missing character”, and “production number missing character”.

  7A to 7D show examples of different types of NG labels corresponding to the regular OK labels shown in FIG. Specifically, FIG. 7A is an example of the NG label whose type is “item name error”. FIG. 7B is an example of the NG label whose type is “use date error”. FIG. 7C is an example of the NG label whose type is “bar code missing”. FIG. 7D is an example of the NG label whose type is “bar code addition”.

  When any type of NG label is selected from the NG label list 110 (FIG. 6B), the continuous paper CP is conveyed and one NG label of the selected type (displayed in the preview display area 107) The label is printed, and the inspection of the one label is performed. Screen G6 of FIG. 8B shows a screen displayed when the examination is performed following screen G5 of FIG. 8A. The screen G6 shows the case where the inspection result of the second label is “inspection NG” and the camera inspection device 4 functions normally.

When the user confirms that the camera inspection apparatus 4 is functioning properly, the user operates the button b12 ("ready") on the screen G6. Then, the preparation mode ends and the inspection mode is entered.
The screen G7 of FIG. 9A is a screen displayed first in the inspection mode. In the case of the inspection mode, among the button groups b11 to b16, the button b13 ("continuous inspection"), the button b14 ("pause"), and the button b16 ("inspection complete") are enabled, The button is disabled.
The button b13 ("Continuous inspection") instructs the printing on the labels continuously until the number of labels that have passed the inspection reaches the number of inspection OK sheets input by the user on the screen G3 (see FIG. 5A). It is a button for The button b13 (“continuous inspection”) is an example of an operation target for receiving an operation input to start execution of processing of the inspection mode.
The button b14 ("temporary stop") is a button for instructing to temporarily stop printing and conveyance while printing on the label continuously in the inspection mode.

A display example of the screen after operating the button b13 (“continuous examination”) on the screen G7 is the screen G8 shown in FIG. 9B. When the number of labels that pass the inspection reaches the inspection OK number, printing and conveyance are finished, and as illustrated in the inspection result display area 108 of the screen G8, “inspection OK”, “inspection NG”, “no label The number of labels corresponding to each inspection result “No printing” is displayed.
As shown in screen G8, when the number of labels that pass the inspection reaches the inspection OK number, only the button b15 ("blank page feed") and the button b16 ("inspection complete") are valid, and the other buttons are invalidated. Become. The button b15 (“blank sheet feed”) is a feed button. A button b15 ("blank feed") is provided to feed a printed but uninspected label.

(3) Processing of Inspection Program Next, processing of the inspection program of the inspection system 1A will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing processing of the preparation mode in the inspection system 1A of the present embodiment. FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 are flowcharts showing the processing of the inspection mode in the inspection system 1A of the present embodiment.
The flowcharts of FIGS. 10 to 12 are processes performed by executing the inspection program in the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2.

(3-1) Preparation mode (FIG. 10)
First, the control unit 21 sets the mode to the preparation mode (example of the first mode) (step S10) and displays the display unit 24 so as to display the preparation mode (for example, the display of the screen G4 in FIG. 5B). It controls (step S12). In the preparation mode, initialization (all “0”) of variables i, j, k and m described later is performed.

As exemplified in the screen G4 of FIG. 5B, when the button b11 ("one sheet inspection") and the button b12 ("ready") are displayed, the control unit 21 displays the button b11 ("one sheet inspection") It is preferable to control the display unit 24 so that the operation input to the button b13 (“continuous inspection”) can not be received (that is, invalid) until the operation input to the button b13 (“consecutive inspection”) is received. That is, the control unit 21 may prohibit the selection of the inspection mode when the processing in the preparation mode (that is, the processing associated with the operation of the button b11 (“one inspection”)) has not been performed even once. preferable. This ensures that the preparation mode processing is performed prior to the execution of the inspection mode processing.
In addition, when the processing in the preparation mode is not executed even once, the selection of the inspection mode is prohibited only when executing with the button valid / invalid as shown in the screen G4 of FIG. 5B. I can not. For example, although all the buttons may be activated, when the operation input for the button b11 ("one-sheet inspection") has not been received even once, the operation for the button b13 ("continuous inspection") is continuously performed. The user may be notified that the inspection can not be performed by another screen and / or voice.

The operation of the user at step S14 corresponds to the operation of either button b11 ("1 sheet inspection"), button b12 ("ready") or button b16 ("inspection complete") on screen G4 of FIG. 5B. . When the user's operation is "examination end" (S14: "examination end"), all processing ends. When the user's operation is "prepare complete" (S14: "prepare complete"), the preparation mode is completed, and the mode is shifted to the inspection mode (step S40 in FIG. 11).
If the user's operation is "one sheet inspection" (S14: "one sheet inspection"), processing (S15 to S28) is performed to inspect whether the camera inspection device 4 is functioning properly. Be

In the screen G4 of FIG. 5B, the button b12 ("ready") is enabled before the operation input to the button b11 ("one-sheet inspection") is received. Unlike this, the control unit 21 can not receive the operation input for the button b12 (“ready”) until the operation input for the button b11 (“one-sheet inspection”) is received (that is, the button b12 (“ "Ready" may be invalid). This ensures that the preparation mode processing is performed prior to the execution of the inspection mode processing.

Specifically, when a label to be printed (printed label) is selected (step S15: YES), the control unit 21 transmits an instruction to convey and print one label to the printer 3. An instruction to inspect one label is transmitted to the camera inspection device 4 (step S16).
The print label selected in step S15 is, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, an OK label or an NG label, and in the case of an NG label, an NG label of a specific type selected from the NG label list. .
In response to the instruction transmitted in step S16, the printer 3 prints one label, and the camera inspection device 4 inspects the printed label. The camera inspection device 4 transmits the inspection result to the information processing device 2. When the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 receives the inspection result from the camera inspection device 4 (step S18: YES), the control unit 21 performs a process according to the inspection result (step S20).

In steps S22 to S28, variables i, j, k and m are as follows. That is, the variable i corresponds to the total number of labels whose inspection result is “inspection OK”. The variable j corresponds to the total number of labels whose inspection result is “inspection NG”. The variable k corresponds to the total number of labels whose inspection result is “no label”. The variable m corresponds to the total number of labels whose inspection result is “not printed”.
If the inspection result is “inspection OK” in step 20, the variable i is incremented (step S22). If the inspection result is "inspection NG" in step 20, the variable j is incremented (step S24). If the inspection result is “no label” in step 20, the variable k is incremented (step S26). If it is determined in step 20 that the inspection result is "no printing", the variable m is incremented (step S28).
The control unit 21 displays the result of incrementing any of the variables i, j, k, and m in the inspection result display area 108 as illustrated in the screen G5 of FIG. 8A.

  After that, the process returns to step S12, and waits for the next user's operation. When the user's operation is "one-sheet inspection", the processing of S16 to S28 is performed again, and any one of the variables i, j, k, and m is incremented.

(3-2) Inspection mode (FIG. 11, FIG. 12)
As described above, when the user's operation in step S14 of FIG. 10 is "ready", the processing shifts to the inspection mode. In that case, the control unit 21 records the inspection result in the preparation mode in the inspection history database.
Next, the control unit 21 sets the mode to the inspection mode (example of the second mode) (step S40), and controls the display unit 24 to perform display for the inspection mode (for example, display of the screen G7 in FIG. 9A). (Step S42). In the inspection mode set, initialization (all “0”) of variables I, J, K, and M described later is performed.
The operation of the user in step S44 corresponds to the operation of either button b13 ("continuous examination"), button b14 ("pause"), or button b16 ("examination end") on screen G7 in FIG. 9A. The process for the operation of the button b 14 (“temporary stop”) will be described later.
When the user's operation is "inspection end" (S44: "operation end"), all the processing ends. When the user's operation is "continuous inspection" (S44: "continuous inspection"), the camera inspection device 4 inspects whether the printer 3 has printed a predetermined print content on the label (S46- S60) is performed.

  Specifically, first, the control unit 21 issues a continuous inspection instruction (step S46). That is, the control unit 21 transmits an instruction to convey and print the label continuously to the printer 3, and transmits an instruction to inspect the label discharged and conveyed from the printer 3 to the camera inspection device 4 Do. In response to the instruction, the printer 3 prints the labels continuously, and the camera inspection device 4 inspects the printed labels in order. The camera inspection device 4 sequentially transmits the inspection result to the information processing device 2. When the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 receives the inspection result from the camera inspection device 4 (step S48: YES), the control unit 21 performs a process according to the inspection result (step S50).

In steps S52 to S58, variables I, J, K and M are as follows. That is, the variable I corresponds to the total number of labels whose inspection result is “inspection OK”. The variable J corresponds to the total number of labels whose inspection result is “inspection NG”. The variable K corresponds to the total number of labels whose inspection result is “no label”. The variable M corresponds to the total number of labels whose inspection result is "not printed".
If the inspection result is "inspection OK" in step S50, the variable I is incremented (step S52). If the inspection result is "inspection NG" in step S50, the variable J is incremented (step S54). If the inspection result is "no label" in step S50, the variable K is incremented (step S56). If the inspection result is "NO PRINT" at step S50, the variable M is incremented (step S58).

In the processes of steps S48 to S58, the value of the variable I indicating the total number of labels whose inspection result is "inspection OK" is input in advance by the number of inspection OK sheets input by the user (in the user input area 105 of the screen G3 of FIG. 5A The process is repeated until the number of sheets is reached (step S60). When the button b14 ("temporarily stopped") is operated during the processing of steps S48 to S58, the control unit 21 suspends the processing and waits for the user's operation input to resume the processing, Resume processing according to the operation input.
If the variable I matches the inspection OK number (step S60: YES), the control unit 21 sends the printer 3 an instruction to end the printing and stop the conveyance (step S62). That is, the control unit 21 controls the printer 3 so that the conveyance of the label is stopped when the number of labels that have passed the inspection by the camera inspection device 4 reaches the number of inspection OK. Next, the control unit 21 records the inspection result in the inspection mode in the inspection history database.
After step S62 is completed, the process returns to step S42, and the control unit 21 displays the values of the variables I, J, K, and M in the corresponding items of the inspection result display area 108 as illustrated in screen G8 of FIG. 9B. And the button b15 ("blank sheet feed") is controlled to be displayed as effective.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 is printed by the printer 3 when the number of labels that pass the inspection by the camera inspection device 4 reaches the number of inspection OK, and the inspection by the camera inspection device 4 If there is a label that has not ended, control is performed to check the label.
Specifically, when the button b15 (“blank sheet feed”) is operated on the screen G8 of FIG. 9B (S44: “blank sheet feed”), the process shown in FIG. 12 is executed.
That is, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 transmits an instruction to transport the continuous sheet by a fixed amount (for example, an amount corresponding to the length of the label for one sheet) to the printer 3 (step S62a). As a result, the printer 3 only carries continuous paper. The processes of steps S64 to S74 are the same as the processes of steps S48 to S58 of FIG. 11, respectively. The processes in steps S62a to S74 are repeated until the total transport amount after the button b15 ("blank paper feed") is operated becomes equal to or more than a predetermined value (step S76: NO). The total transport amount may be appropriately determined according to the length of the area (area AR in FIG. 1) between the printer 3 and the camera inspection device 4.
If the total transport amount is equal to or more than the predetermined value (step S76: YES), the process returns to step S44.
Although it is not essential to execute blank sheet feeding, it is possible to prevent waste of printed and uninspected labels by performing blank sheet feeding after performing continuous inspection.

The example of the screen displayed in the inspection system 1A and the processing of the inspection program executed in the inspection system 1A have been described in detail above, but the inspection system 1B differs from the inspection system 1A in the following points.
The display corresponding to the inspection system 1B is performed by selecting “bar code collation” in the pull-down menu pm1 of FIG. 4A.
The barcode inspection device 5 transmits the inspection result of either “inspection OK” or “inspection NG” to the information processing device 2. Accordingly, the variables k and m are not used in the flowchart of FIG. 10, and the variables K and M are not used in the flowchart of FIG.
In the inspection result display area 108 of the screen G4 (FIG. 5B) to the screen G8 (FIG. 9B), the total number of labels is displayed only when the inspection result is “inspection OK” and “inspection NG”.

  By selecting “label issue” in the pull-down menu pm1 of FIG. 4A, a screen corresponding to the issuing system 1C is displayed. In the screen G3, an item of “number of issued sheets” is provided in place of the item of “number of inspection OK sheets” in the user input area 105 on the screen G3 of FIG. 5A. The label of the input number is printed by the printer 3 by inputting the number desired by the user as the information of the item "number of issued sheets" and operating the button b4 ("issue label"). However, the printed label is not inspected.

As described above, in the inspection systems 1A and 1B according to the present embodiment, the printer 3 and a camera for inspecting whether the content printed on the label by the printer 3 is the same as the predetermined content (regular content) The inspection apparatus 4 or the barcode inspection apparatus 5 and the storage unit 22 of the information processing apparatus 2 storing information of the first content (content of the NG label) different from the predetermined content are provided. Then, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 controls the printing of the first content on the label with reference to the storage unit 22. Therefore, the user does not have to perform troublesome work of creating an NG label or the like by handwriting, for example.
The storage unit 22 stores information of the second content (that is, normal content) identical to the predetermined content, and the control unit 21 refers to the storage unit 22 to print the second content on the print medium. It may be controlled to
Preferably, the information processing device 2 performs control such that processing in either the preparation mode (example of the first mode) or inspection mode (example of the second mode) is performed based on the selection result of the user. The preparation mode is a process of inspecting whether the camera inspection device 4 or the barcode inspection device 5 is functioning properly. The inspection mode is processing in which the camera inspection device 4 or the barcode inspection device 5 inspects whether the printer 3 has printed predetermined print content on the label. Then, in the present embodiment, in the preparation mode, the OK label or the NG label is automatically created so as to have contents according to the user's operation, and printing and inspection are performed. Therefore, the user does not have to perform the troublesome work of creating the NG label, for example, by handwriting, etc., and thus confirms that the camera inspection device 4 or the barcode inspection device 5 is functioning properly in the preparation mode. User's work is reduced.

(4) Modification of Embodiment Hereinafter, a modification of the embodiment described above will be described.

(4-1) Modified Example 1
In the first modification, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 changes and records the content (first content) of the NG label based on the user's operation input. According to the first modification, the user can edit the NG label of the content desired by the user and record it for inspection.

In the present modification, a screen displayed on the information processing device 2 is shown in FIG.
FIG. 13A shows a screen G10 displayed in response to a predetermined user operation after the screen G3 of FIG. 5A is displayed. The screen G10 is configured such that the user can edit and create an NG label corresponding to the label selected on the screen G3 (that is, the label displayed in the preview display area 107). The screen G10 includes user input areas 111 and 112 and a preview display area 113. In the user input area 111, the information of each item of the item name, the expiration date and the serial number can be changed by the user from the regular information. The user input area 112 is configured such that the user can select from among a plurality of patterns for each type of “bar code missing” and “bar code addition”. For example, for the OK label, it is possible to create an NG label including an expiration date and a bar code missing (for example, pattern 2). In addition, preferably, in the preview display area 113, a preview of the NG label based on the information input in the user input areas 111 and 112 is provided.

  The created NG label can be recorded in the storage unit 22 of the information processing device 2. The NG label recorded in the storage unit 22 can be read as a label issued in the preparation mode. In that case, in response to the selection of the button b32 ("NG label") in FIG. 6, a sub-screen SG43 is displayed as shown in the screen G111 in FIG. 13B. Then, the user can select an NG label desired to be issued from any of a plurality of recorded NG labels (for example, "NG label 1", "NG label 2", "NG label 3") Configured For example, “NG label 1”, “NG label 2”, and “NG label 3” may be file names defined when the user creates an NG label.

(4-2) Modification 2
In the present modification, when the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 determines that the camera inspection device 4 (an example of the inspection unit) is normally functioning based on the processing in the preparation mode (first mode), Processing of inspection mode (second mode) is started. In this modification, when the user recognizes that the function of the camera inspection device 4 is normal in the preparation mode, the user can immediately start the processing of the inspection mode without performing the additional operation. Excellent in quality.
In the present modification, operating the button b12 (“ready”) (see FIG. 8B) corresponds to the fact that the user has recognized that the function of the camera inspection device 4 is normal in the preparation mode. Then, when the button b12 ("prepare complete") is operated, the control unit 21 does not wait for the additional operation (for example, without waiting for the operation of the button b13 ("continuous inspection")) Execute the processing in inspection mode. That is, when "prepare complete" is selected in step S14 of the flowchart of FIG. 10, the control unit 21 executes the processes after step S46 of FIG.

  As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of the inspection system of this invention and the inspection method was described in detail, this invention is not limited to said embodiment. Further, various modifications and changes can be made to the embodiment described above without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the embodiment described above, the inspection system 1A including the camera inspection device 4 is described in detail, but the individual technical matters described for the inspection system 1A are also applicable to the inspection system 1B including the barcode inspection device 5 It is applicable.

  Although the camera inspection device 4 and the barcode inspection device 5 transmit inspection results to the information processing device 2 in the embodiment described above, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The camera inspection apparatus and / or the bar code inspection apparatus transmit the digital signal obtained from the image sensor to the information processing apparatus 2 and the control unit 21 of the information processing apparatus 2 outputs the inspection result based on the digital signal. It may be configured. In that case, the control unit 21 of the information processing device 2 is an example of the control unit and the inspection unit.

  In the embodiment described above, the case where the label of one sheet (an example of the predetermined number of sheets) is inspected when the processing of the preparation mode is executed has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the preparation mode, two or more predetermined number of labels may be continuously inspected.

1A, 1B ... inspection system 1C ... issuing system 2 ... information processing device 21 ... control unit 22 ... storage unit 23 ... operation input unit 24 ... display unit 25 ... communication interface 3 ... printer 31 ... control unit 32 ... transport unit 33 ... printing Unit 34 Storage unit 35 Communication interface 4 Camera inspection device 41 Control unit 42 Image processing unit 43 Light source 44 Storage unit 45 Communication interface 5 Bar code inspection device 51 Control unit 52 Image processing unit 53 ... Light source 54 ... Storage unit 55 ... Communication interface 6 ... Winding machine G1 to G11 ... Screen SG41 to SG43 ... Sub screen b1 to b5, b11 to b16, b21, b22, b31 to b35 ... button pm1 ... pull down menu 101 ... login User display area 102 ... Inspection target label search area 103 ... Display of label search results Area 104 Print target label display area 105 User input area 106 Failure display area 107 Preview display area 108 Inspection result display area 110 NG label list 111, 112 User input area 113 Preview display area PL Label PLn: Serial number PM: Mount CP: Continuous paper

Claims (6)

The printing unit,
An inspection unit which inspects whether the content printed on the printing medium by the printing unit is identical to the predetermined content;
A storage unit storing information of first content different from the predetermined content;
A control unit that performs control to print the first content on a print medium with reference to the storage unit;
Inspection system equipped with. The storage unit stores information having the same second content as the predetermined content,
The control unit controls to print the second content on a print medium with reference to the storage unit.
The inspection system according to claim 1. A plurality of types of content are provided as the first content,
When printing the first content, the control unit performs control to print any of the plurality of types of content based on a user selection result.
The inspection system described in Claim 1 or 2. The control unit changes and records the first content based on a user's operation input.
The inspection system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The control unit performs control such that processing in either the first mode or the second mode is performed based on the selection result of the user.
The first mode is a process of inspecting whether the inspection unit is functioning properly,
The second mode is a process in which the inspection unit inspects whether the predetermined content has been printed on the printing medium by the printing unit,
The control unit starts processing in the second mode when it determines that the inspection unit is functioning properly based on processing in the first mode.
The inspection system described in any one of Claims 1-4. An inspection method using a printing unit and an inspection unit,
Storing information of first content different from predetermined content in the storage unit;
Controlling the printing unit to print the first content on a printing medium with reference to the storage unit;
The printing unit checks whether the content printed on the printing medium is the same as the predetermined content;
Inspection method.

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