JP2021154324A - Printing condition determination device and printing condition determination method - Google Patents

Abstract

To determine an optimum printing condition for each workpiece of a different material.SOLUTION: A printing condition determination device 20 determines a printing condition for irradiating an object with laser beam and printing a pattern on the basis of a sample pattern. At this time, the printing condition includes a first condition regarding a characteristic of laser beam and a second condition regarding a printing system for printing the pattern. The printing condition determination device 20 includes: a first condition determination section 27 which determines the first condition; a printing pattern selection section 28 which selects one printing pattern among a plurality of printing patterns which are printed on the first condition determined by the first condition determination section 27 and are obtained by printing the same sample pattern in a plurality of different printing systems on the basis of a prescribed selection condition; and a second condition determination section 29 which determines a printing system in which the one printing pattern selected by the printing pattern selection section 28 is printed as the second condition of the printing condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a printing condition determining device and a printing condition determining method, and is an effective technique applied to, for example, a printing condition determining technique for determining a printing condition for printing a pattern by irradiating an object with a laser based on a sample pattern. Regarding.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-188935 (Patent Document 1) describes a technique relating to a laser marker that efficiently determines the optimum conditions for a two-dimensional code printing pattern and simplifies the evaluation work of the two-dimensional code printing pattern. ing.

JP 2015-188935

In a laser marking system that irradiates an object with a laser to print a pattern, in order to improve the recognition of the pattern printed on a work made of various materials, the pattern is printed under the optimum printing conditions for each work made of different materials. It is desired to print.

In this regard, for example, the laser characteristic conditions relating to the characteristics of the laser represented by the frequency of the laser light, the power of the laser light, the pulse width of the laser light, and the like are optimized. Specifically, the optimum laser characteristic conditions are obtained based on the color development states of the plurality of color development patterns obtained by printing the same sample pattern under a plurality of different laser characteristic conditions. However, as a result of the study by the present inventor, it has been newly found that optimizing the laser characteristic conditions is not sufficient from the viewpoint of improving the recognition of the pattern printed on the workpiece made of various materials. That is, the present inventor newly finds that it is useful to determine the printing conditions in consideration of conditions other than the laser characteristic conditions in order to improve the recognition of the pattern printed on the work made of various materials. I found it.

An object of the present invention is to determine the optimum printing conditions for each work of different materials.

The printing condition determining device is a printing condition determining device that determines a printing condition for printing a pattern by irradiating an object with laser light based on a sample pattern. The printing condition determining device includes a second condition relating to a printing method for printing a pattern, and the printing condition determining device is printed under the first condition determining unit for determining the first condition and the first condition determined by the first condition determining unit. , A printing pattern selection unit that selects one printing pattern from a plurality of printing patterns obtained by printing the same sample pattern by a plurality of different printing methods based on predetermined selection conditions, and a printing pattern selection unit. It is provided with a second condition determining unit that determines a printing method in which one selected printing pattern is printed as a second condition of the printing condition.

Here, the printing condition determining device has, for example, an image acquisition unit that acquires images of a plurality of printing patterns, and the printing pattern selection unit has a plurality of printing patterns based on the images acquired by the image acquisition unit. Select one printing pattern from the list.

The selection condition includes, for example, a condition relating to the thickness of the pattern or a condition relating to the contrast of the pattern.

The plurality of different printing methods differ from each other in the scanning mode of the laser beam for printing the sample pattern. For example, one of a plurality of different printing methods scans the laser light linearly, the other one of the plurality of different printing methods scans the laser light in a rectangular shape, and the other of the plurality of different printing methods. One scans the laser light in a spiral, and the other of the plurality of different printing methods scans the laser light in dots.

Further, for example, in the other one of the plurality of different printing methods, the laser beam is scanned in dots with the printing time of one dot as the first time, and in the other one of the plurality of different printing methods, one dot is used. The printing time is set to a second time different from the first time, and the laser beam is scanned in dots.

The printing pattern forming region in which each of the plurality of printing patterns is formed is composed of, for example, a plurality of cell regions arranged in a matrix, and a part of the cell regions among the plurality of cell regions is subjected to a printing method. By printing the associated unit pattern, each of the plurality of printing patterns is formed.

Here, the plurality of printing patterns include, for example, a first printing pattern group having two or more printing patterns that are printed by the first printing method and have different unit pattern sizes, and the first printing method. A second printing pattern group having two or more printing patterns printed by different second printing methods and having different unit pattern sizes is included, and the printing pattern selection unit includes the first printing pattern group and the second printing pattern group. A printing method in which one printing pattern is selected from a plurality of printing patterns including a printing pattern group based on the selection conditions, and the second condition determining unit prints one printing pattern selected by the printing pattern selection unit. At the same time, the size of the unit pattern constituting one printing pattern is determined as the second condition of the printing condition.

Further, the first condition determining unit may select from a plurality of different first conditions, for example, based on the color development states of the plurality of color development patterns obtained by printing the same sample pattern under a plurality of different first conditions. Determine one first condition.

The first condition includes, for example, either a condition relating to the frequency of the laser beam, a condition relating to the power of the laser beam, or a condition relating to the pulse width of the laser beam.

Further, the printing condition determining method is a printing condition determining method for irradiating an object with a laser beam to determine a printing condition for printing a pattern based on a sample pattern, and the printing condition is a first method relating to the characteristics of the laser light. The first condition determining step of determining the first condition and the first condition determined in the first condition determining step, including the condition and the second condition relating to the printing method for printing the pattern, are printed and are the same. Is selected in a printing pattern selection step and a printing pattern selection step in which one printing pattern is selected from a plurality of printing patterns obtained by printing the sample patterns of the above in a plurality of different printing methods based on predetermined selection conditions. The present invention includes a second condition determining step of determining the printing method in which the one printing pattern is printed as the second condition of the printing condition.

According to one embodiment, the optimum printing conditions can be determined for each work of different materials.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the printing system in an embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation of a printing system. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation of a printing system. It is a flowchart which shows the flow which uses the optimum printing condition determined by the printing condition determination apparatus when printing an identification mark on a work by a laser marking apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of a sample pattern. It is a figure which shows typically the printing area of the color development pattern group formed in a work. It is a figure which shows the example of the color development pattern group which was printed under the first condition of 100 which the frequency value of a laser beam and the output power value of a laser beam are different from each other. (A) to (d) are diagrams schematically showing different printing methods. (A) to (c) are examples in which the size of the unit pattern printed in the cell area constituting the printing pattern forming region is different in the printing pattern in which the sample pattern is printed by the printing method of scanning the laser beam linearly. It is a figure which shows. It is a figure which shows the example of the printing pattern group which is printed by the printing method different from each other, and the size of the unit pattern which is printed in a cell area is different.

In all the drawings for explaining the embodiment, the same members are, in principle, given the same reference numerals, and the repeated description thereof will be omitted. In addition, in order to make the drawing easy to understand, hatching may be added even if it is a plan view.

<Structure of printing system>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a printing system according to the present embodiment.

In FIG. 1, the printing system 1 includes a laser marking device 10 and a printing condition determining device 20. The laser marking device 10 is a device that irradiates an object with a laser beam to develop a color in the irradiated area of the laser beam and prints an identification mark typified by a QR code (registered trademark) or a two-dimensional bar code. For example, it has a laser 11, a work arranging unit 12, and a printing control unit 13. The laser 11 is a light source that emits a laser beam that irradiates a work that is an object. Further, the work arranging unit 12 is composed of a stage on which the work forming the identification mark can be arranged, and is further configured to be able to scan the irradiation area of the work to be irradiated with the laser beam. Then, the printing control unit 13 controls the laser 11 and the work arranging unit 12 to irradiate the work arranged in the work arranging unit 12 with the laser beam emitted from the laser 11 to print the identification mark. It is configured. Specifically, the printing control unit 13 is configured to be able to adjust the laser characteristics typified by the power, frequency, and pulse width of the laser light emitted from the laser 11, and in order to realize scanning of the work. The moving mechanism of the work arranging unit 12 is configured to be controllable. By controlling the laser 11 and the work arranging unit 12 by the printing control unit 13 configured in this way, it is possible to irradiate the surface of the work with the laser beam while scanning the laser beam to print the identification mark.

Here, the recognizability of the identification mark printed by the laser marking device 10 changes depending on the type of material constituting the work. For example, when the identification mark is printed on the work under the same printing conditions, the recognition of the identification mark printed on the work made of a certain material is good, while the identification mark printed on the work made of another material is good. Recognition may decrease. Therefore, it is desired to improve the recognition of the identification mark printed on the work by changing the printing conditions according to the type of the material constituting the work. In this regard, for example, in order to improve the recognition of the identification mark printed on the work, it is important to determine the optimum printing conditions according to the type of the material constituting the work.

Therefore, the printing system according to the present embodiment includes a printing condition determining device 20 that determines the optimum printing conditions according to the type of material constituting the work. Hereinafter, the configuration of the printing condition determining device 20 will be described.

In FIG. 1, the printing condition determining device 20 is configured to determine the printing conditions for irradiating the workpiece, which is an object, with a laser beam to print a pattern based on the sample pattern, and is configured as a sample pattern setting unit. It includes 21, a first condition setting unit 22, a second condition setting unit 23, an image acquisition unit 24, a printing condition determination unit 25, and a data storage unit 30.

The sample pattern setting unit 21 extracts one sample pattern from the sample pattern group 31 stored in the data storage unit 30, and outputs the extracted sample pattern to the printing control unit 13 of the laser marking device 10. It is configured in. As a result, the printing control unit 13 of the laser marking device 10 controls the laser 11 and the work arranging unit 12 so as to realize the printing based on the input sample pattern. That is, in the laser marking device 10, printing is performed to reproduce the sample pattern output from the sample pattern setting unit 21 of the printing condition determining device 20.

The first condition setting unit 22 is configured so that the first condition including the laser characteristic condition related to the characteristics of the laser 11 can be set to an arbitrary value, and the first condition setting unit 22 sets the first condition. It is configured to output an arbitrary first condition set by the unit 22 to the printing control unit 13 of the laser marking device 10. In this case, the printing control unit 13 of the laser marking device 10 controls the laser 11 based on an arbitrary first condition input from the first condition setting unit 22. In the present specification, the "first condition" is defined as a condition including a laser characteristic condition relating to the characteristic of the laser 11. Examples of the laser characteristic conditions relating to the characteristics of the laser 11 include the output power of the laser light, the frequency of the laser light, and the pulse width of the laser light. The first condition setting unit 22 is configured so that, for example, the output power of the laser beam, the frequency of the laser beam, and the pulse width of the laser beam can be set to specific arbitrary values.

The second condition setting unit 23 is configured to be able to set a second condition including a condition related to a printing method for printing a pattern, and the second condition setting unit 23 is set by the second condition setting unit 23. The printing method is configured to be output to the printing control unit 13 of the laser marking device 10. In this case, the printing control unit 13 of the laser marking device 10 controls the laser 11 and the work arranging unit 12 so as to faithfully reproduce the printing method input from the second condition setting unit 23. In the present specification, the "second condition" is defined as a condition including a condition relating to a printing method for printing a pattern. The conditions relating to the printing method include, for example, conditions in which the scanning modes of the laser light for printing the sample pattern are different from each other. Specifically, as scanning modes different from each other, there are a mode in which the laser light is scanned linearly, a mode in which the laser light is scanned in a rectangular shape, a mode in which the laser light is scanned in a spiral shape, a mode in which the laser light is scanned in a dot shape, and the like. included. Then, the second condition setting unit 23 sets, for example, a printing method that realizes an arbitrary scanning mode from the printing methods that realize different scanning modes, and sets the set printing method to the printing control unit of the laser marking device 10. It is configured to output to 13. As a result, in the laser marking device 10, printing is performed based on the set printing method.

The image acquisition unit 24 is configured to acquire an image of the pattern printed on the work by the laser marking device 10. For example, the image acquisition unit 24 is printed on the work by using the image pickup device. It is configured to acquire an image of the pattern.

Subsequently, the printing condition determination unit 25 is configured to be able to determine printing conditions including the optimum "first condition" and the optimum "second condition" for printing a pattern on the work. For example, it has a color development pattern selection unit 26, a first condition determination unit 27, a printing pattern selection unit 28, and a second condition determination unit.

The color development pattern selection unit 26 is 1 based on the color development condition 32 from among a plurality of color development patterns (color development pattern group) obtained by printing the same sample pattern on the laser marking device 10 under a plurality of different first conditions. It is configured to select one color pattern. Specifically, it is configured to select one color development pattern based on the images of the plurality of color development patterns acquired by the image acquisition unit 24. Here, the "plurality of color development patterns" is defined as a plurality of patterns obtained by fixing the second condition and printing the same sample pattern under a plurality of different first conditions. For example, "plurality of color development patterns" means a plurality of color development patterns obtained by fixing the printing method and changing the laser characteristic conditions (such as the output power of the laser 11 and the frequency of the laser 11 and the pulse width of the laser 11). It is a pattern.

This "plurality of color development patterns" is an output from the first condition setting unit 22 of the printing condition determining device 20 while fixing the output (printing method) from the second condition setting unit 23 of the printing condition determining device 20. It can be obtained by printing a sample pattern on the work by changing the values of the first condition (output power value, frequency value, and pulse width value).

Then, the color development pattern selection unit 26 is configured to select one color development pattern from a plurality of color development patterns based on the color development condition 32 stored in the data storage unit 30. At this time, the color-developing condition 32 stored in the data storage unit 30 includes the color-developing state of the pattern, the fatness of the pattern, and the like. There is. As a result, the color development pattern selection unit 26 selects a good color development pattern that matches the color development conditions from the plurality of color development patterns.

The first condition determination unit 27 determines the first condition used when printing one color development pattern selected by the color development pattern selection unit 26 with the laser marking device 10 as the “optimal first condition”. It is configured.

Next, the printing pattern selection unit 28 prints the same sample pattern on the laser marking device 10 under a plurality of different second conditions (printing method) from among a plurality of printing patterns (printing pattern group). It is configured to select one printing pattern based on the selection condition 33. Specifically, it is configured to select one printing pattern based on the images of the plurality of printing patterns acquired by the image acquisition unit 24. Here, the "plurality of printing patterns" means that the first condition is fixed to the "optimal first condition" determined by the first condition determining unit 27 described above, and the same sample pattern is set to a plurality of different first conditions. It is defined as a plurality of patterns obtained by printing under two conditions (printing method). For example, the "plurality of printing patterns" was obtained by fixing the first condition to the "optimal first condition" determined by the first condition determining unit 27 and switching the second condition (printing method). It is a plurality of patterns.

This "plurality of printing patterns" is obtained from the second condition setting unit 23 of the printing condition determining device 20 while fixing the output from the first condition setting unit 22 of the printing condition determining device 20 to the "optimal first condition". It can be obtained by switching the second condition (printing method) which is the output of the above and printing the sample pattern on the work.

Then, the print pattern selection unit 28 is configured to select one print pattern from a plurality of print patterns based on the selection condition 33 stored in the data storage unit 30. At this time, the selection conditions stored in the data storage unit 30 include conditions related to pattern fatness, conditions related to pattern contrast, and the like. Data on contrast is specified. As a result, the printing pattern selection unit 28 selects the optimum printing pattern that matches the selection conditions from the plurality of printing patterns.

The second condition determination unit 29 sets the second condition (printing method) used when printing one printing pattern selected by the printing pattern selection unit 28 with the laser marking device 10 as "optimal second condition (optimal). It is configured to be determined as "a printing method)".

Then, the "optimal first condition" determined by the first condition determining unit 27 and the "optimal second condition (optimal printing method)" determined by the second condition determining unit 29 are "optimal printing conditions". Is stored in the printing condition storage unit 34 in the data storage unit 30. For example, the "optimal printing condition" stored in the printing condition storage unit 34 is stored, for example, in association with the material constituting the used work. As a result, it is possible to print a pattern using "optimal printing conditions" based on the type of work arranged in the work arranging portion 12 of the laser marking device 10.

As described above, the printing condition determining device 20 according to the present embodiment is configured.

<Operation of printing system>
The printing system in the present embodiment is configured as described above, and the operation thereof will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The operation of irradiating the surface of the work with the laser 11 to determine the printing conditions for printing the pattern by using the printing system 1 in the present embodiment will be described.

2 and 3 are flowcharts for explaining the operation of the printing system.

First, when a specific sample pattern is printed by the laser marking device 10, the sample pattern setting unit 21 of the printing condition determination device 20 shown in FIG. 1 is specified from the sample pattern group 31 stored in the data storage unit 30. Is extracted, and the extracted sample pattern is output to the printing control unit 13 of the laser marking device 10 (S101). Next, the first condition setting unit 22 of the printing condition determining device 20 sets a predetermined first condition and outputs the set predetermined first condition to the printing control unit 13 of the laser marking device 10 (S102). .. As a result, the printing control unit 13 of the laser marking device 10 controls the work arrangement unit 12 on which the work is arranged and the laser 11 based on the input specific sample pattern and the predetermined first condition. As a result, the laser marking device 10 can irradiate the surface of the work with a laser beam to print a color development pattern (S103). The printing control unit 13 of the laser marking device 10 outputs, for example, a printing method fixed in advance from the second condition setting unit 23 of the printing condition determining device 20, and the fixed printing method is used for the work. The coloring pattern of is printed.

Subsequently, the printing condition determination device 20 determines whether or not to end the setting change of the first condition (S104), and if the setting change of the first condition is not completed, the first condition setting unit 22 determines. The first condition after the setting change is output to the printing control unit 13 of the laser marking device 10. Then, the printing control unit 13 of the laser marking device 10 controls the work arranging unit 12 on which the work is arranged and the laser 11 based on the input specific sample pattern and the first condition whose setting has been changed. As a result, the laser marking device 10 can irradiate the surface of the work with laser light to print the color development pattern under the first condition whose setting has been changed. By repeating such an operation until the setting change of the first condition is completed, a plurality of color development patterns (color development pattern group) obtained by printing the same sample pattern under a plurality of different first conditions can be obtained. After that, the image acquisition unit 24 of the printing condition determination device 20 acquires an image of the color development pattern group obtained by the laser marking device 10 by using an image pickup device such as a camera (S105).

Next, the color development pattern selection unit 26 of the printing condition determination device 20 selects one color development pattern from the color development pattern group based on the image of the color development pattern group acquired by the image acquisition unit 24. Specifically, the color development pattern selection unit 26 selects one optimum color development pattern from the color development pattern group based on the color development condition 32 stored in the data storage unit 30 (S106). Then, the first condition determination unit 27 of the printing condition determination device 20 sets the first condition used when printing the optimum one color development pattern selected by the color development pattern selection unit 26 as the “optimal first condition”. Determine (S107). In this way, the "optimal first condition" is determined.

Subsequently, the first condition setting unit 22 of the printing condition determination device 20 sets the first condition as the “optimal first condition” determined by the first condition determination unit 27 (S108). On the other hand, the second condition setting unit 23 of the printing condition determining device 20 sets a predetermined second condition (predetermined printing method), and applies the set predetermined second condition to the printing control unit 13 of the laser marking device 10. Output (S109). As a result, the printing control unit 13 of the laser marking device 10 controls the work arranging unit 12 on which the work is arranged and the laser 11 based on a specific sample pattern and a predetermined second condition. As a result, the laser marking device 10 can irradiate the surface of the work with a laser beam to print a printing pattern (S110).

Next, the printing condition determination device 20 determines whether or not to end the setting change of the second condition (S111), and if the setting change of the second condition is not completed, the second condition setting unit 23 determines. The second condition after the setting change is output to the printing control unit 13 of the laser marking device 10. Then, the printing control unit 13 of the laser marking device 10 controls the work arranging unit 12 on which the work is arranged and the laser 11 based on the input specific sample pattern and the second condition whose setting has been changed. As a result, the laser marking device 10 can irradiate the surface of the work with a laser beam to print the printing pattern under the second condition whose setting has been changed. By repeating such an operation until the setting change of the second condition is completed, a plurality of printing patterns (printing pattern group) obtained by printing the same sample pattern under a plurality of different second conditions can be obtained. After that, the image acquisition unit 24 of the printing condition determination device 20 acquires an image of the printing pattern group obtained by the laser marking device 10 by using an imaging device such as a camera (S112).

After that, the printing pattern selection unit 28 of the printing condition determination device 20 selects one printing pattern from the printing pattern group based on the image of the printing pattern group acquired by the image acquisition unit 24. Specifically, the printing pattern selection unit 28 selects the optimum printing pattern from the printing pattern group based on the selection condition 33 stored in the data storage unit 30 (S113). Then, the second condition determination unit 29 of the printing condition determination device 20 sets the second condition used when printing the optimum one printing pattern selected by the printing pattern selection unit 28 as the “optimal second condition”. Determine (S114). In this way, the "optimal second condition" is determined.

The "optimal first condition" and the "optimal second condition" determined as described above are, as one printing condition, the printing condition storage unit 34 of the data storage unit 30 of the printing condition determining device 20. Is remembered in. At this time, the printing condition including the "optimal first condition" and the "optimal second condition" is stored in association with the material constituting the used work. As a result, when the material constituting the work is specified, the identification mark can be printed on the work under the optimum printing conditions associated with the specified material.

Specifically, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of using the optimum printing conditions determined by the printing condition determining device when printing the identification mark on the work by the laser marking device.

As shown in FIG. 4, for example, when the work to be processed by the laser marking device 10 is determined, the information regarding the type of the work (information about the material constituting the work) for printing the identification mark by the laser marking device 10 is the printing condition determining device. It is output to 20. That is, when the work for printing the identification mark is determined by the laser marking device 10, the printing condition determining device 20 inputs information regarding the type of the work from the laser marking device 10 (S201).

At this time, the "optimal printing condition" associated with the information regarding the type of the work is registered in the data storage unit 30 of the printing condition determining device 20. Therefore, when the information regarding the type of the work is input, the printing condition determining device 20 extracts the "optimal printing condition" associated with the information regarding the input type of the work (S202). Then, the printing condition determining device 20 outputs the extracted “optimal printing condition” to the printing control unit 13 of the laser marking device 10 (S203). As a result, the printing control unit 13 of the laser marking device 10 controls the laser 11 and the work arranging unit 12 based on the input “optimal printing conditions”. As a result, the laser marking device 10 prints the identification mark on the work according to the "optimal laser characteristic conditions" and the "optimal printing method". Here, according to the present embodiment, the printing of the identification mark on the work is realized not only under the "optimal first condition" but also under the "optimal second condition" according to the type of the work. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the identification mark can be printed under the best printing conditions, which is difficult to realize only by the "optimal first condition", so that the recognition of the identification mark can be improved. Can be done.

<Specific example>
Hereinafter, a specific example embodying the technical idea in the above-described embodiment will be described.

<< Example of determining the optimum first condition >>
First, an example of determining the optimum first condition will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a sample pattern. The printing condition determining device 20 determines the printing conditions for printing the pattern by irradiating the workpiece, which is the object, with laser light, for example, based on the sample pattern 100 shown in FIG. Specifically, the optimum first condition included in the printing conditions is the color development obtained by printing the sample pattern 100 under a plurality of different first conditions while fixing the second condition related to the printing method in the laser marking device 10. It is determined by selecting one color development pattern from the pattern group. Here, the color development pattern group will be described.

For example, consider the case where the output power of the laser beam and the frequency of the laser beam are included as the first condition including the condition relating to the characteristics of the laser. In this case, setting a plurality of different first conditions corresponds to changing the output power value of the laser beam and the frequency value of the laser beam. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a printing area of a color development pattern group formed on the work. In FIG. 6, the printing area in which the color development pattern group is formed is composed of unit printing areas arranged in a matrix. In particular, FIG. 6 shows an example in which a printing area is composed of 10 × 10 unit printing areas. Then, for example, a color development pattern in which the sample pattern 100 shown in FIG. 5 is printed is formed in each of the 10 × 10 unit printing areas shown in FIG. At this time, the color development patterns printed in each of the 10 × 10 unit printing areas differ in the output power value (W) of the laser light used for the printing and the frequency value (Hz) of the laser light. Specifically, in FIG. 6, the frequency value of the laser beam changes from "F1" to "F10". Similarly, in FIG. 6, the output power value of the laser beam changes from "P1" to "P10". For example, in the unit printing area A shown in FIG. 6, a color development pattern printed under the first condition that the frequency value of the laser light is “F5” and the output power value of the laser light is “P5” is formed. NS. Similarly, in the unit printing area B shown in FIG. 6, a color development pattern printed under the first condition that the frequency value of the laser light is “F7” and the output power value of the laser light is “P8” is formed. Will be done. In this way, in the 10 × 10 unit printing area shown in FIG. 6, a group of 100 color development patterns printed under the first condition in which the frequency value of the laser light and the output power value of the laser light are different from each other are formed. Will be done.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a group of color development patterns printed under 100 first conditions in which the frequency value of the laser beam and the output power value of the laser beam are different from each other. As shown in FIG. 7, the 100 color development patterns (color development pattern group) printed under the first condition, in which the frequency value of the laser light and the output power value of the laser light are different from each other, have different color development states. I understand. Then, in the present embodiment, for example, after the image of the color development pattern group shown in FIG. 7 is captured by the imaging device, one color development pattern in the optimum color development state is selected based on the image obtained by capturing the color development pattern group. Will be done. At this time, for example, one color development pattern in the optimum color development state is selected from the color development pattern group shown in FIG. 7 based on the color development condition 32 stored in the data storage unit 30 shown in FIG. After that, the first condition used when printing one selected color pattern is determined as the optimum first condition. For example, when the color development pattern to be printed in the unit printing area A shown in FIG. 6 is selected, the frequency value of the laser light is “F5” and the output power value of the laser light is “P5”. The condition is determined as the optimum first condition.

When the first condition includes the pulse width of the laser light in addition to the frequency of the laser light and the output power of the laser light, the frequency value of the laser light and the output power value of the laser light are determined as described above. After that, while fixing the frequency value of the laser light and the output power value of the laser light to the determined values, the pulse width of the laser light is changed to acquire a plurality of printed color development patterns. Then, from the acquired plurality of color development patterns, one color development pattern in the optimum color development state is selected based on the color development condition 32, and the laser used when printing the selected one color development pattern. Determine the light pulse width to the optimum value. As a result, the optimum first condition having the optimum frequency value, the optimum output power value, and the optimum pulse width is determined.

<< Example of determining the optimum second condition >>
Next, an example of determining the optimum second condition will be described. The optimum second condition included in the printing condition is a plurality of different second conditions (in the laser marking device 10), while fixing the first condition relating to the laser characteristics to the optimum first condition determined by the printing condition determining device 20. It is determined by selecting one printing pattern from the printing pattern group obtained by printing the sample pattern 100 by the printing method).

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing a plurality of different printing methods.

FIG. 8A is a diagram showing a printing method for scanning a laser beam linearly. In FIG. 8A, the printing pattern forming region 200 on which the printing pattern is formed is composed of a plurality of cell regions arranged in a matrix. For example, the printing pattern forming region 200 shown in FIG. 8A is composed of 3 × 3 cell regions. Then, the printing pattern is formed by printing the unit pattern 300A associated with the printing method in a part of the cell areas among the plurality of cell areas.

FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a printing method for scanning a laser beam in a rectangular shape. In FIG. 8B, the printing pattern forming region 200 on which the printing pattern is formed is composed of a plurality of cell regions arranged in a matrix. For example, the printing pattern forming region 200 shown in FIG. 8B is composed of 3 × 3 cell regions. Then, the printing pattern is formed by printing the unit pattern 300B associated with the printing method in a part of the cell areas among the plurality of cell areas.

FIG. 8C is a diagram showing a printing method in which a laser beam is scanned in a spiral shape. In FIG. 8C, the print pattern forming region 200 on which the print pattern is formed is composed of a plurality of cell regions arranged in a matrix. For example, the printing pattern forming region 200 shown in FIG. 8C is composed of 3 × 3 cell regions. Then, the printing pattern is formed by printing the unit pattern 300C associated with the printing method in a part of the cell areas among the plurality of cell areas.

FIG. 8D is a diagram showing a printing method in which the laser beam is scanned in a dot shape. In FIG. 8D, the printing pattern forming region 200 on which the printing pattern is formed is composed of a plurality of cell regions arranged in a matrix. For example, the printing pattern forming region 200 shown in FIG. 8D is composed of 3 × 3 cell regions. Then, the printing pattern is formed by printing the unit pattern 300D associated with the printing method in a part of the cell areas among the plurality of cell areas.

In the present embodiment, for example, after the image of the printing pattern group obtained by printing the sample pattern 100 by a plurality of different printing methods shown in FIGS. 8A to 8D is taken by the imaging device, the printing is performed. One printing pattern in the optimum state is selected based on the image obtained by capturing the pattern group. At this time, for example, one printing pattern in the optimum state is selected from the printing pattern group shown in FIGS. 8A to 8D based on the selection condition 33 stored in the data storage unit 30 shown in FIG. Will be done. After that, the second condition (printing method) used when printing one selected printing pattern is determined as the optimum second condition. For example, when a printing pattern printed by a printing method that scans the laser beam linearly as shown in FIG. 8A is selected, the printing method that scans the laser beam linearly is determined as the optimum second condition. Will be done.

Further, in the present embodiment, as the second condition, not only the printing method for scanning the laser beam but also the size of the unit pattern formed in the cell region is included as a condition.

This point will be described below. 9 (a) to 9 (c) show, for example, the size of a unit pattern printed in a cell area constituting a printing pattern forming region in a printing pattern in which a sample pattern is printed by a printing method in which a laser beam is linearly scanned. Is a diagram showing a different example. For example, paying attention to FIG. 9A, the size of the unit pattern 300A formed in the cell region constituting the printing pattern forming region 200 is “large size”. That is, the occupancy rate of the unit pattern 300A in the cell area shown in FIG. 9A is large.

Subsequently, for example, focusing on FIG. 9B, the size of the unit pattern 400A formed in the cell region constituting the printing pattern forming region 200 is “medium size”. That is, the occupancy rate of the unit pattern 400A in the cell area shown in FIG. 9B is medium.

Further, for example, focusing on FIG. 9C, the size of the unit pattern 500A formed in the cell region constituting the printing pattern forming region 200 is “small size”. That is, the occupancy rate of the unit pattern 500A in the cell area shown in FIG. 9C is small.

In the present embodiment, for example, not only the printing patterns printed by a plurality of different printing methods shown in FIGS. 8 (a) to 8 (d) but also the mutual unit patterns shown in FIGS. 9 (a) to 9 (c). Printing patterns of different sizes are also included, and as the optimum second condition, not only the optimum printing method but also the optimum size of the unit pattern is determined.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a group of printing patterns that are printed by different printing methods and have different sizes of unit patterns to be printed in the cell area. In FIG. 10, 4 × 3 (horizontal × vertical) print pattern forming regions are shown. Specifically, in the first row, three printing patterns having different unit sizes are arranged, which are printed by a printing method in which the laser beam is scanned linearly. In the second row, three printing patterns having different unit sizes are arranged, which are printed by a printing method in which the laser beam is scanned in a rectangular shape. In the third row, printing is performed by a printing method in which the laser beam is scanned in a spiral shape, and three printing patterns having different unit sizes are arranged. In the fourth row, three printing patterns having different unit sizes are arranged, which are printed by a printing method in which the laser beam is scanned in dots. That is, the plurality of printing patterns shown in FIG. 10 are printed by a linear printing method and are printed by a rectangular printing method and a first printing pattern group having two or more printing patterns having different unit pattern sizes. A second printing pattern group having two or more printing patterns having different unit pattern sizes, and a second printing pattern having two or more printing patterns printed by a spiral printing method and having different unit pattern sizes. A group of three printing patterns and a group of fourth printing patterns having two or more printing patterns that are printed by the dot printing method and have different unit pattern sizes are included.

In FIG. 10, the printing patterns having different unit sizes printed by the dot printing method in the fourth row were obtained by scanning the laser beam in a dot shape with the printing time of one dot as the first time. A printing pattern (large size), a printing pattern (medium size) obtained by scanning a laser beam in a dot shape with a printing time of 1 dot set to a second time different from the first time, and a printing pattern of 1 dot. It is a printing pattern (small size) obtained by scanning the laser beam in a dot shape with the time set to a third time different from the first time and the second time.

In the present embodiment, one printing pattern is selected from a plurality of printing patterns including the first printing pattern group, the second printing pattern group, the third printing pattern group, and the fourth printing pattern group based on the selection conditions. .. Then, together with the printing method in which one selected printing pattern is printed, the size of the unit pattern constituting one printing pattern is determined as the second condition of the printing condition. Thereby, the optimum second condition having the optimum printing method and the optimum size of the unit pattern is determined.

<Characteristics in the embodiment>
Next, the feature points in the present embodiment will be described.

The first feature point in the present embodiment is not only to optimize the first condition regarding the characteristics of the laser according to the material constituting the work as the printing condition for irradiating the work with the laser beam to print the pattern. The second condition regarding the printing method for printing a pattern is also optimized. Thereby, the optimum printing conditions can be determined for each work of different materials.

For example, in the method of optimizing the first condition regarding the characteristics of the laser represented by the frequency of the laser beam, the output power of the laser beam, the pulse width of the laser beam, etc., the printing that improves the recognizability for each material constituting the work. It can be difficult to achieve the conditions. That is, from the viewpoint of improving the recognizability of the pattern printed on the work made of various materials, there are cases where it is not enough to optimize the first condition.

Therefore, the present inventor considers conditions other than the first condition so that it can be dealt with even when it is insufficient from the viewpoint of improving the recognition of the pattern printed on the work only by optimizing the first condition. Based on the finding that it is useful to determine the printing conditions, we came up with the technical idea of optimizing the second condition related to the printing method for printing patterns in addition to the first condition related to laser characteristics. There is. That is, the present inventor is an appropriate printing method as a printing method for printing a pattern even when optimizing the first condition is not sufficient from the viewpoint of improving the recognition of the pattern printed on the work. By adopting, I came up with the idea that the recognition of the pattern printed on the work can be improved. This means that, according to the first feature point in the present embodiment, even in a work made of a material, which cannot obtain sufficient recognition of the pattern only by optimizing the first condition regarding the characteristics of the laser. By devising the printing method, it means that there is a potential to improve the sufficient recognition of the pattern printed on the work. That is, according to the first feature point in the present embodiment, there is an advantage that the degree of freedom in selecting the material of the work for printing the pattern can be improved.

Subsequently, the second feature point in the present embodiment is that, as the second condition, not only the optimum printing method is determined, but also the optimum size of the unit pattern is determined. As a result, for example, depending on the material of the work, even if the unit pattern is printed outside the cell area due to "bleeding" of the printing image, an appropriate size is selected so that the unit pattern does not protrude from the cell area. By doing so, the recognition of the pattern printed on the work can be improved. That is, the second feature point in the present embodiment is a useful technical idea in that the optimum printing conditions can be determined in consideration of "bleeding" of the printing in addition to the printing method for printing the pattern. Is.

Next, the third feature point in the present embodiment is that the optimum printing conditions determined by the printing condition determining device are stored in association with the material of the work. Thereby, for example, if the material constituting the work is specified, the optimum printing conditions for printing the identification mark on the work can be immediately derived. For example, when printing an identification mark with a laser marking device for a work composed of a material whose optimum printing conditions have already been determined by the printing condition determining device, the laser marking device transfers the work to the printing condition determining device. When the material is output, the printing condition determining device outputs the optimum printing condition associated with the material of the work to the laser marking device. As a result, the laser marking device can print the identification mark on the work under the optimum printing conditions output from the printing condition determining device.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described above based on the embodiment thereof, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment and can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof. Needless to say.

1 Printing system 10 Laser marking device 11 Laser 12 Work arrangement unit 13 Printing control unit 20 Printing condition determination device 21 Sample pattern setting unit 22 First condition setting unit 23 Second condition setting unit 24 Image acquisition unit 25 Printing condition determination unit 26 Color development Pattern selection unit 27 1st condition determination unit 28 Printing pattern selection unit 29 2nd condition determination unit 30 Data storage unit 31 Sample pattern group 32 Color development condition 33 Selection condition 34 Printing condition storage unit 100 Sample pattern 200 Printing pattern formation area 300A Unit pattern 300B unit pattern 300C unit pattern 300D unit pattern 400A unit pattern 500A unit pattern

Claims (11)

It is a printing condition determination device that determines the printing conditions for printing a pattern by irradiating an object with a laser beam based on a sample pattern.
The printing conditions are
The first condition regarding the characteristics of the laser beam and
The second condition regarding the printing method for printing the pattern and
Including
The printing condition determination device is
The first condition determination unit that determines the first condition, and
One printing pattern is selected from a plurality of printing patterns obtained by printing the same sample pattern under the first condition determined by the first condition determining unit by a plurality of different printing methods. A printing pattern selection unit that selects based on predetermined selection conditions,
A second condition determining unit that determines a printing method for printing the one printing pattern selected by the printing pattern selection unit as the second condition of the printing condition, and a second condition determining unit.
A printing condition determination device. In the printing condition determination device according to claim 1,
It has an image acquisition unit that acquires images of the plurality of printing patterns, and has an image acquisition unit.
The printing pattern selection unit is a printing condition determining device that selects the one printing pattern from the plurality of printing patterns based on the image acquired by the image acquisition unit. In the printing condition determination device according to claim 2,
The selection condition is a printing condition determining device including a condition relating to pattern thickening or a condition relating to pattern contrast. In the printing condition determination device according to claim 1,
The plurality of different printing methods are printing condition determining devices in which the scanning modes of the laser light for printing the sample pattern are different from each other. In the printing condition determination device according to claim 4,
In one of the plurality of different printing methods, the laser beam is scanned linearly.
In the other one of the plurality of different printing methods, the laser beam is scanned in a rectangular shape.
In the other one of the plurality of different printing methods, the laser beam is spirally scanned.
In another one of the plurality of different printing methods, a printing condition determining device that scans the laser beam in a dot shape. In the printing condition determination device according to claim 5,
In the other one of the plurality of different printing methods, the laser beam is scanned in a dot shape with the printing time of one dot as the first time.
In another one of the plurality of different printing methods, a printing condition determining device that scans the laser beam in a dot shape by setting the printing time of one dot to a second time different from the first time. In the printing condition determination device according to claim 1,
The printing pattern forming region in which each of the plurality of printing patterns is formed is composed of a plurality of cell regions arranged in a matrix.
A printing condition determining device in which each of the plurality of printing patterns is formed by printing a unit pattern associated with a printing method in a part of the cell areas of the plurality of cell areas. In the printing condition determination device according to claim 7,
The plurality of printing patterns include
A group of first printing patterns that are printed by the first printing method and have two or more printing patterns having different unit pattern sizes.
A second printing pattern group having two or more printing patterns printed by a second printing method different from the first printing method and having different unit pattern sizes from each other.
Is included,
The printing pattern selection unit selects one printing pattern from the plurality of printing patterns including the first printing pattern group and the second printing pattern group based on the selection conditions.
The second condition determining unit sets the size of the unit pattern constituting the one printing pattern as the second condition of the printing condition together with the printing method for printing the one printing pattern selected by the printing pattern selection unit. Imprint condition determination device to determine. In the printing condition determination device according to claim 1,
The first condition determining unit is one of the plurality of different first conditions based on the color development states of the plurality of color development patterns obtained by printing the same sample pattern under a plurality of different first conditions. A printing condition determining device that determines the first condition. In the printing condition determination device according to claim 1,
The first condition is a printing condition determining device including any of a condition relating to the frequency of the laser beam, a condition relating to the power of the laser beam, and a condition relating to the pulse width of the laser beam. It is a printing condition determination method that determines the printing conditions for printing a pattern by irradiating an object with a laser beam based on a sample pattern.
The printing conditions are
The first condition regarding the characteristics of the laser beam and
The second condition regarding the printing method for printing the pattern and
Including
The first condition determination step for determining the first condition and
One printing pattern is selected from a plurality of printing patterns obtained by printing the same sample pattern under the first condition determined in the first condition determining step by a plurality of different printing methods. A printing pattern selection process for selecting based on predetermined selection conditions, and
A second condition determination step of determining the printing method for printing the one printing pattern selected in the printing pattern selection step as the second condition of the printing conditions, and a second condition determination step.
A method for determining printing conditions.

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