JP2022102469A - Dyeing system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a dyeing system capable of stably measuring color information of a dyed resin body.SOLUTION: A dyeing system includes a dye fixation device, a color information measurement device 61, and a temperature reduction part 90. The dye fixation device heats a resin body to which a dye is attached, and thereby fixes a dye to the resin body. The color information measurement device 61 measures color information of the resin body to which the dye is fixed by the dye fixation device. The temperature reduction part 90 lowers the temperature of the resin body heated by the dye fixation device before the color information is measured by the color information measurement device 61. In a state in which the influence of discoloration of the resin body that may occur according to the temperature is suppressed by the temperature reduction part 90, the color information measurement device 61 measures the color information of the resin body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present disclosure relates to a dyeing system for dyeing a resin body.

Various techniques for dyeing resin bodies such as plastic lenses have been proposed. For example, in a dyeing method called a dyeing method, a resin body is dyed by immersing the resin body in a dyeing solution. However, it is difficult to improve the working environment by the dyeing method, and it is difficult to dye a part of the resin body (for example, a lens having a high refractive index).

Therefore, a technique has been proposed in which a dye is transferred to the surface of a resin body and the resin body to which the dye is attached is heated to dye the resin body. For example, in the dyeing method described in Patent Document 1, a sublimable dye is applied (printed) to a substrate by an inkjet printer. Next, the sublimable dye applied to the substrate is sublimated in a state where the resin body and the substrate are arranged in a non-contact manner in a vacuum, so that the dye is transferred to the resin body. Next, the laser beam is scanned against the resin body, so that the resin body is heated and the dye is fixed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-127722

For the purpose of confirming the quality of transfer dyeing or improving the quality, it is also conceivable to measure the color information of the actually dyed resin body by a color information measuring instrument. Here, the inventor of the present invention has newly found that the measurement result of the color information of the resin body by the color information measuring instrument may become unstable depending on the state of the resin body to which the dye is fixed by heating. Unless the color information of the resin body can be stably measured, it is difficult to fully utilize the measured color information.

A typical object of the present disclosure is to provide a dyeing system capable of stably measuring the color information of a dyed resin body.

The dyeing system provided by the typical embodiment in the present disclosure is a dyeing system for dyeing a resin body, and is a dye fixing device for fixing the dye to the resin body by heating the resin body to which the dye is attached. And the color information measuring instrument that measures the color information of the resin body on which the dye is fixed, and the resin body that is heated by the dye fixing device before the color information is measured by the color information measuring device. The color information measuring instrument is provided with a temperature lowering portion that suppresses the influence of discoloration of the resin body that may occur depending on the temperature by lowering the temperature of the resin body. The color information of the resin body is measured in a state where the influence of the above is suppressed by the temperature lowering portion.

According to the dyeing system according to the present disclosure, the color information of the dyed resin body is stably measured.

It is a block diagram which shows the system structure of the dyeing system 1. It is a perspective view of the dyeing tray 80 in the state where two lenses L are installed, seen from the diagonally upper right side. It is a schematic block diagram of a color measuring apparatus 60. It is a flowchart of the color measurement control process executed by the dyeing system 1.

<Overview>
The dyeing system exemplified in the present disclosure includes a dye fixing device, a color information measuring instrument, and a temperature lowering unit. The dye fixing device heats the resin body to which the dye is attached to fix the dye on the resin body. The color information measuring instrument measures the color information of the resin body on which the dye is fixed. The temperature lowering part lowers the temperature of the resin body heated by the dye fixing device before the color information is measured by the color information measuring device, thereby affecting the discoloration of the resin body that may occur depending on the temperature. Suppress. The color information measuring instrument measures the color information of the resin body in a state where the influence of the discoloration of the resin body that may occur depending on the temperature is suppressed by the temperature drop portion.

According to the knowledge obtained by the inventor of the present invention, discoloration (for example, yellowing) may occur on the base material of the resin body depending on the temperature of the resin body. Further, depending on the temperature of the dyed resin body, the dye itself fixed on the resin body may be discolored. On the other hand, in the dyeing system of the present disclosure, the temperature of the resin body heated by the dye fixing device is lowered by the temperature lowering portion before the color information is measured by the color information measuring device. As a result, the color information of the resin body is measured by the temperature lowering portion in a state where the influence of discoloration of the resin body and the dye which may occur depending on the temperature is suppressed. Therefore, the color information of the dyed resin body is stably measured.

The temperature lowering unit may lower the temperature of the resin body to a temperature equal to or lower than the measurement reference temperature at which the color information of the resin body is stably measured by the color information measuring instrument. In this case, the effect of discoloration that may occur depending on the temperature is more appropriately suppressed. The measurement reference temperature may be appropriately set according to at least one of the type of the base material of the resin body and the type of the dye, for example. As an example, if the measurement reference temperature is set to 80 ° C. or lower, the influence of discoloration of the resin body and the dye can be easily suppressed. Further, by setting the measurement reference temperature to 60 ° C. or lower, the influence of discoloration can be further suppressed regardless of the type of the base material of the resin body. Further, by setting the measurement reference temperature to 50 ° C. or lower, the influence of discoloration due to temperature is more appropriately suppressed.

The control unit of the dyeing system may change the measurement reference temperature according to at least one of the type of the base material of the resin body and the type of the dye. In this case, a more appropriate measurement reference temperature is set. As an example, the dyeing system may include a reading unit (eg, an identifier reading unit, etc.) that reads information about the resin body to be dyed. The control unit may set the measurement reference temperature for each unit of the resin body to be dyed according to the reading result by the reading unit.

In addition, the temperature drop portion is the resin until the required time elapses after the dye fixing process by the dye fixing device is completed until the time required for the color information of the resin body to be stably measured by the color information measuring instrument is high. Body cooling (at least one of natural cooling and forced cooling) may be performed. That is, the configuration and operation of the temperature lowering portion may be determined based on the temperature of the resin body, or may be determined based on the elapsed time after the dye fixing step is completed.

The temperature drop section may include a transport section. The transport unit lowers the temperature of the resin body while transporting the resin body heated by the dye fixing device toward the measurement position by the color information measuring instrument, thereby causing discoloration of the resin body depending on the temperature. Suppress the influence of. In this case, the resin body to which the dye is fixed by the dye fixing device is automatically conveyed toward the measurement position of the color information. Further, the time for the temperature of the heated resin body to be naturally cooled is appropriately secured during transportation. Therefore, for example, the resin body can be appropriately transported and the color can be conveyed without the need for an operator to move the resin body to the measurement position of the color information and to lower the temperature of the resin body. Information is measured properly. When the resin body is naturally cooled, the possibility that the base material is damaged due to the temperature difference generated in each part of the resin body is also reduced. Therefore, the color information of the resin body is measured by the color information measuring instrument in a state where the influence of the discoloration of the resin body that may occur depending on the temperature is more appropriately suppressed by the temperature lowering portion.

The transport unit may suppress the influence of discoloration of the resin body that may occur depending on the temperature by making the resin body stand by on the transport path of the resin body and lowering the temperature of the resin body. In this case, the time for the temperature of the resin body to decrease (that is, the time for the resin body to be naturally cooled) is appropriately secured during the transportation by the conveying unit. In order to lower the temperature of the resin body, it is not necessary to deliberately design a long transport path for the resin body by the transport section. Further, when the resin body is naturally cooled, it is unlikely that the base material will be damaged due to the temperature difference of each part of the resin body. Therefore, both the transport of the resin body and the temperature decrease are efficiently performed. As a result, the color information of the resin body is measured in a state where the influence of the discoloration of the resin body that may occur depending on the temperature is appropriately suppressed.

The method in which the transport unit makes the resin body stand by on the transport path can be appropriately selected. For example, the transport unit may include a stack unit for stacking a plurality of resin bodies that are sequentially heated by the dye fixing device. In this case, the temperature of the resin bodies heated by the dye fixing device is appropriately lowered while the plurality of resin bodies are stacked and waited by the stack portion. It is also possible to suppress an increase in the area for allowing a plurality of resin bodies to stand by.

However, it is also possible to change the method of making the resin body stand by on the transport path. For example, the transport unit may allow a plurality of resin bodies on which dyes are fixed to stand by in a horizontally arranged state without stacking. Even in this case, the temperature of the resin body is appropriately lowered during standby. Further, the transport unit can lower the temperature while transporting the resin body without causing the resin body to stand by on the transport path. In this case, at least one of the length of the transport path of the resin body and the transport speed may be set so that the time required for the temperature of the resin body to decrease is secured during the transport. Further, the temperature lowering section may lower the temperature of the resin body by another method (for example, a method using a cooling section described later) without lowering the temperature of the resin body by the transport section.

The dyeing system may further include a temperature measuring unit for measuring the temperature of the resin body on which the dye is fixed by the dye fixing device. The control unit of the dyeing system may acquire the measurement result of the color information of the resin body by the color information measuring instrument in a state where the temperature of the resin body measured by the temperature measuring unit is lowered to the measurement reference temperature or less. In this case, the possibility that the color information affected by the color change due to temperature is used is appropriately reduced.

The control unit may measure the color information by the color information measuring instrument after the temperature of the resin body drops below the measurement reference temperature. Specifically, when the dyeing system includes a transport unit, the control unit transports the resin body to the measurement position by the color information measuring instrument by the transport unit after the temperature of the resin body drops below the measurement reference temperature. , Color information may be measured. Further, the control unit may wait until the temperature of the resin body becomes the measurement reference temperature or less at the measurement position by the color information measuring device, and measure the color information when the temperature becomes the measurement reference temperature or less. Further, the control unit may have the color information measuring instrument measure the color information of the resin body regardless of whether or not the temperature of the resin body is equal to or lower than the measurement reference temperature. In this case, the control unit may use the color information measured after the temperature of the resin body becomes equal to or lower than the measurement reference temperature for various processes.

The temperature drop section may further include a forced cooling section that lowers the temperature of the resin body by a temperature drop amount larger than the temperature drop amount due to natural cooling. In this case, after the dye fixing process by the dye fixing device is completed, the time required for acquiring the measurement result of the color information by the color information measuring device is shortened by the forced cooling unit. Therefore, the time required for the dyeing process of the resin body is appropriately shortened.

The amount of temperature decrease indicates the amount at which the temperature of the resin body heated by the dye fixing device decreases per unit time. The amount of temperature decrease due to natural cooling indicates the amount of temperature decrease of the resin body while the heated resin body is simply kept on standby or transported in the installation environment of the dyeing system.

The specific configuration of the forced cooling unit can be appropriately selected. For example, a cooling fan that blows gas (for example, air) to the resin body may be used as the forced cooling unit. Further, at least one of a refrigerator, a Pelche element, and the like may be used as the forced cooling unit. Further, the temperature lowering portion of the dyeing system can also lower the temperature of the resin body only by natural cooling without providing the forced cooling portion.

The dyeing system may include a temperature measuring unit for measuring the temperature of the resin body. The control unit of the dyeing system may execute cooling of the resin body by the forced cooling unit in a state where the temperature of the resin body measured by the temperature measuring unit is lowered to the forced cooling reference temperature or lower. When the temperature of the resin body is rapidly lowered by the forced cooling unit while the temperature of the resin body is very high, the temperature difference between each part in the resin body (for example, the temperature difference between the surface and the inside of the resin body) becomes large. As a result, the resin body may be deformed or damaged. On the other hand, by performing forced cooling while the temperature of the resin body has dropped below the forced cooling reference temperature, the temperature of the resin body rapidly rises while the deformation of the resin body is suppressed. descend.

The forced cooling reference temperature may be set to be equal to or lower than the glass transition temperature of the base material of the resin body. In this case, the possibility that the resin body is deformed by forced cooling is further reduced. The forced cooling reference temperature is higher than the measurement reference temperature described above.

The control unit may change the forced cooling reference temperature according to the type of the base material of the resin body. In this case, an appropriate forced cooling reference temperature is set according to the type of the base material. As an example, the dyeing system may include a reading unit (eg, an identifier reading unit, etc.) that reads information about the resin body to be dyed. The control unit may set a forced cooling reference temperature corresponding to the type of the base material of the resin body according to the reading result by the reading unit.

The temperature measuring unit used to determine whether the temperature of the resin body is below the measurement reference temperature and the temperature measuring unit used to determine whether the temperature of the resin body is below the forced cooling reference temperature. The temperature measuring units to be measured may be the same or different.

The dyeing system may further include a disturbance light blocking portion that suppresses the arrival of disturbance light to the resin body by covering the periphery of the resin body arranged at the measurement position by the color information measuring instrument. In this case, the color information of the resin body is measured in a state where the influence of ambient light is suppressed. Therefore, the color information of the resin body is measured more appropriately.

The dyeing system may further include a printing device and a transfer device. The printing device prints the dye on the substrate. The transfer device transfers the dye to the resin body in a state where the resin body is opposed to the substrate on which the dye is printed (the substrate with the dye). In this case, the dye is transferred to the resin body and fixed from the dyed substrate in which at least one of the amount, concentration, distribution, etc. of the dye is appropriately adjusted by the printing apparatus. Therefore, the dyeing quality of the resin body is appropriately improved.

Further, in the present disclosure, as a transfer method for transferring a dye to a resin body, the sublimable dye printed on the substrate is sublimated in a state where the resin body and the dyed substrate face each other in a non-contact manner in a vacuum. , An example of a vapor phase transfer method for transferring a dye to a resin body. However, it is also possible to change the transfer method. For example, the dye may be transferred to the resin body in a state where the dyed substrate is in contact with the resin body.

The control unit of the dyeing system may execute a discharge amount determination step, a result color information acquisition step, and a correction step. In the discharge amount determination step, the control unit determines the discharge amount of the dye to the substrate by the printing apparatus for dyeing the resin body with the color to be dyed (planned color) according to the determination procedure. In the result color information acquisition step, the control unit uses the dye of the discharge amount determined in the discharge amount determination step to obtain the resin body actually dyed by the printing device, the transfer device, and the dye fixing device. Color information Acquires the result color information, which is the color information measured by the measuring instrument. In the correction step, the control unit corrects the discharge amount of the dye determined in the discharge amount determination step based on the result color information and the planned color, thereby adjusting the color of the resin body to be dyed in the subsequent dyeing step. , Get closer to the planned color.

In this case, the discharge amount of the dye (that is, the planned color is the resin body) determined in the discharge amount determination step thereafter according to the planned color to be dyed and the color of the actually dyed resin body (result color). The amount of dye discharged for dyeing) is corrected. As a result, in the subsequent dyeing step, the discharge amount of the dye printed on the substrate for dyeing the planned color is corrected, so that the color of the resin body to be actually dyed appropriately approaches the planned color. Therefore, the planned color is appropriately dyed on the resin body.

A specific method for correcting the discharge amount of the dye determined in the discharge amount determination step can be appropriately selected. For example, the control unit may correct the discharge amount of the dye according to the result of the comparison processing of the result color information and the color information of the planned color. The comparison process may be, for example, a process of acquiring the difference between the result color information and the color information of the scheduled color, or a process of acquiring the ratio of the result color information and the color information of the scheduled color. ..

For example, the control unit may correct the discharge amount of the dye, which is subsequently determined in the discharge amount determination step, by correcting the determination procedure for determining the discharge amount of the dye in the discharge amount determination step. Various procedures can be adopted for the determination procedure for determining the discharge amount of the dye (that is, the algorithm for determining the discharge amount of the dye). For example, a table for associating each color for dyeing the resin body with the discharge amount of each dye may be stored in the storage device. The control unit may determine the discharge amount by acquiring the discharge amount of each dye corresponding to the planned color from the table. In this case, in the correction step, the determination procedure may be corrected by correcting the information in the table. In addition, information on the discharge amount of each dye for dyeing a resin body with each of a plurality of dyes having different colors (for example, Red, Yellow, and Blue) at a predetermined concentration (for example). The base color information) may be stored in the storage device. The control unit may determine the discharge amount by calculating the discharge amount of each dye for dyeing the planned color based on the base color information. In this case, in the correction step, the determination procedure may be corrected by correcting the base color information.

Further, the control unit of the staining system may execute the pass / fail determination step and the error output step. In the pass / fail determination step, the control unit determines whether or not the difference between the planned color and the result color information measured for the actually dyed resin body is within the threshold value. In the error output step, the control unit outputs an error when the difference between the scheduled color and the result color information is not within the threshold value and the scheduled color and the result color are significantly different. In this case, the resin body in which the quality of the actual dyeing is not good is appropriately excluded.

However, it is also possible to change the method of utilizing the color information measured by the color information measuring instrument. For example, the color information measured by the color information measuring instrument may be referred to simply in order to confirm the dyeing quality of the resin body or the like.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, one of the typical embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The dyeing system 1 automatically and continuously dyes the resin body. In the present embodiment, the resin body to be dyed is a plastic lens L (see FIG. 2 and the like) used for eyeglasses. However, at least a part of the techniques exemplified in the present disclosure can be applied to the case of dyeing a resin body other than the lens L. For example, when dyeing various resin bodies such as goggles, mobile phone covers, light covers, accessories, toys, films (for example, thickness of 400 μm or less), plates (for example, thickness of 400 μm or more), etc. It is also possible to apply at least some of the techniques exemplified in the disclosure. The resin body to be dyed also includes a resin body added to a member (for example, wood or glass) different from the resin body. Further, the dyeing system 1 of the present embodiment dyes while continuously transporting a plurality of resin bodies. However, at least a part of the techniques exemplified in the present disclosure can also be adopted in a dyeing system in which resin bodies are transported and dyed one set at a time.

(System configuration)
With reference to FIG. 1, the system configuration of the dyeing system 1 of the present embodiment will be schematically described. The dyeing system 1 of the present embodiment includes an overall transfer device 10, a printing device 30, a transfer device 40, a dye fixing device 50, a color measuring device 60, and a control device 70.

The overall transport device 10 transports the dyeing tray 80 (see FIG. 2) on which the lens L, which is a resin body, is placed, to each device in the dyeing system 1. Specifically, the whole transfer device 10 of the present embodiment continuously conveys a plurality of dyeing trays 80 in the entire dyeing system 1. The overall transport device 10 of the present embodiment transports the dyeing tray 80 in the order of the printing device 30, the transfer device 40, the dye fixing device 50, and the color measuring device 60 (that is, from left to right in FIG. 1).

The printing apparatus 30 prints the dye on the sheet-shaped substrate. In the present embodiment, a paper or a metallic film (made of aluminum in the present embodiment) having an appropriate hardness is used as the substrate. However, it is also possible to use other materials such as a glass plate, a heat-resistant resin, and ceramic as the material of the substrate. In the dyeing system 1 of the present embodiment, in order to appropriately transfer the dye to the lens L while preventing the dye from agglomerating or the like, the substrate and the lens L are separated from each other in a vacuum (including substantially vacuum) environment and face each other. By heating the dye on the substrate in this state, the dye is transferred (deposited) to the surface of the lens L (the dyeing method in the present embodiment is referred to as a vapor phase transfer dyeing method). Therefore, as the printing apparatus 30, an inkjet printer that prints ink containing a sublimation dye on a substrate is used. The printing device 30 executes printing based on the printing data created by the control device 70, which is an information processing device (in this embodiment, a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “PC”). As a result, the printing device 30 is placed at an appropriate position on the substrate. An appropriate amount of ink (dye) adheres. It is also easy to prepare a dyed substrate for gradation dyeing.

It is also possible to change the configuration of the printing device 30. For example, the printing device may be a laser printer. In this case, the toner may contain a sublimation dye. Further, instead of the printing device 30, the dye may be attached to the substrate by a dispenser (liquid quantitative coating device), a roller, or the like.

The transfer device 40 transfers the dye from the substrate to the lens L in a state where the dye adhering to the substrate is opposed to the lens L. As described above, in the present embodiment, the dye is transferred from the substrate to the lens L by the vapor phase transfer method. However, it is also possible to change the method of transferring the dye to the lens L. For example, the dye may be transferred from the substrate to the lens L in a state where the dye on the substrate is in contact with the lens L.

The dye fixing device 50 heats the lens L to which the dye is transferred by the transfer device 40 to fix the dye adhering to the surface of the lens L to the resin body. The dye fixing device 50 of the present embodiment heats the lens L by irradiating the lens L with a laser beam which is an electromagnetic wave. However, a device (for example, an oven or the like) that irradiates the lens L with an electromagnetic wave other than the laser light may be used as the dye fixing device.

The color measuring device 60 is used to measure the color information of the lens L on which the dye is fixed by the dye fixing device 50. The color measuring device 60 of the present embodiment measures the color information of the lens L after lowering the temperature of the lens L heated by the dye fixing device 50. The details of the color measuring device 60 will be described later.

The control device 70 controls various controls in the dyeing system 1. As the control device 70, various information processing devices (for example, at least one of a PC, a server, a mobile terminal, and the like) can be used. The control device 70 includes a controller (for example, a CPU or the like) 71 that controls control, and a database 72 that stores various data. It is also possible to change the configuration of the control device 70. First, a plurality of devices may cooperate to function as the control device 70. For example, the control device that controls various controls in the dyeing system 1 and the control device provided with the database 72 may be different devices. Further, the controllers of a plurality of devices may cooperate to execute various controls in the dyeing system 1. For example, at least one of the entire transfer device 10, the printing device 30, the transfer device 40, the dye fixing device 50, and the color measuring device 60 often includes a controller. In this case, the controller of the control device 70 and the controller of another device may cooperate to control the dyeing system 1.

The dyeing system 1 includes a reading unit 2 that reads information about the lens L to be dyed for each unit (including the dyeing tray 80 and the lens L mounted on the dyeing tray 80). As an example, the reading unit 2 of the present embodiment is an identifier reading unit that reads an identifier provided for each unit to be conveyed (for example, for each dyeing tray 80). The unit is specified by the identifier read by the reading unit 2. By specifying the unit, information on the planned color corresponding to the lens L included in the unit, the measurement reference temperature, and the forced cooling reference temperature (details will be described later) are set.

The reading unit 2 of the present embodiment is an identifier reader (for example, a QR code (registered trademark) reader, a barcode reader, an identification hole reader, etc.) corresponding to the identifier used. Further, the reading unit 2 may be a tag reading unit that reads information from a tag (for example, an IC tag) on which information can be written. In this case, the tag may store the measurement reference temperature and the forced cooling reference temperature. In the present embodiment, at least the color measuring device 60 is provided with the reading unit 2 among the plurality of devices constituting the dyeing system 1. However, a reading unit may be provided in a portion of the dyeing system 1 other than the color measuring device 60.

(Tray for dyeing)
The dyeing tray 80 used in the dyeing system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a dyeing tray 80 in a state where two lenses L are installed (mounted) and a substrate is not installed. The dyeing tray 80 of the present embodiment includes a tray body 81, a mounting frame 89, and a spacer 87. A resin body (lens L in this embodiment) to be dyed is placed on the mounting frame 89. The mounting frame 89 of the present embodiment is formed in a ring shape having an outer diameter slightly larger than that of the lens L. The spacer 87 extends upward in a cylindrical shape (cylindrical shape) from the outer peripheral portion of the mounting frame 89 where the lens L is mounted. A mounting portion 82 is formed on the tray body 81. A mounting frame 89 and a spacer 87 are detachably mounted on the mounting portion 82. In this embodiment, two mounting portions 82 are formed on one tray main body 81. Therefore, the pair (left and right) lenses L used for one pair of eyeglasses are dyed while being placed on one dyeing tray 80.

A protrusion 84 projecting upward is provided at a position outside the tray body 81 (specifically, outside the substrate mounting portion 85) of the mounting portion 82. Further, a bottom fitting portion 86, which is a concave portion that is recessed upward, is formed at the bottom of the tray main body 81 (in the present embodiment, two places at the bottom of each mounting portion 82). Of the plurality of protrusions 84 formed on the upper part of the tray main body 81, the four protrusions 84 adjacent to the mounting portion 82 have other dyeing trays 80 (tray main body 81) stacked on the upper part of the dyeing tray 80. When it is made, it fits into the bottom fitting portion 86 of the stacked dyeing trays 80. Therefore, the plurality of dyeing trays 80 are stacked up and down in a stable state.

(Color measuring device)
The color measuring device 60 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the color measuring device 60 measures the color information of the lens L after lowering the temperature of the lens L heated by the dye fixing device 50 (see FIG. 3). In the dyeing system 1 of the present embodiment, a plurality of units of lenses L are continuously dyed by using a dyeing tray 80 on which one or two lenses L are installed as one unit. The color measuring device 60 of the present embodiment continuously measures the color information of the lens L of a plurality of units. As shown in FIG. 3, the color measuring device 60 of the present embodiment includes a color information measuring instrument 61, an ambient light blocking unit 62, a temperature measuring unit 63, and a temperature lowering unit 90.

The color information measuring instrument 61 measures the color information of the lens L on which the dye is fixed by the dye fixing device 50 (see FIG. 1). The color information measuring instrument 61 of the present embodiment is a spectroscopic measuring instrument that measures the spectral spectrum of the lens L (specifically, the transmission spectrum in the present embodiment) as color information. Therefore, as compared with the case of using an RGB camera or the like, the color information is acquired in a state where the influence of ambient light such as a lighting environment is suppressed. Further, even when the lens L is dyed with a plurality of dyes, the spectral spectrum which is the distribution of the intensity for each wavelength is acquired, so that the color information of the dyed lens L is appropriately acquired. Using the acquired spectral spectrum data, values such as CIEL * a * b * color system, XYZ color system, L * C * h * color system, and Munsell color system may be used. However, a device other than the spectroscopic measuring instrument (for example, an RGB camera or the like) may be used as the color information measuring instrument.

The disturbance light blocking unit 62 covers the periphery of the lens L arranged at the measurement position by the color information measuring instrument 61, thereby suppressing the disturbance light from reaching the lens L. Therefore, the color information of the lens L is appropriately measured by the color information measuring instrument 61 in a state where the influence of the disturbance light is suppressed by the disturbance light blocking unit 62.

The disturbance light blocking unit 62 of the present embodiment is the entire periphery of the lens L arranged at the measurement position, other than the transport path of the lens L (dyeing tray 80) transported by the transport unit 91 described later. Cover the part. That is, the ambient light blocking unit 62 of the present embodiment covers a part of the entire periphery of the lens L arranged at the measurement position. However, the ambient light blocking unit 62 may cover the entire periphery of the lens L. In this case, the influence of ambient light when the color information of the lens L is measured is more appropriately suppressed.

The temperature measuring unit 63 measures the temperature of the lens L on which the dye is fixed by the dye fixing device 50 (see FIG. 1). As an example, the temperature measuring unit 63 of the present embodiment measures the temperature of the lens L placed on the dyeing tray 80 at a position where the lens L can be cooled by the forced cooling unit 95 described later. Specifically, in the present embodiment, a pair of temperature measuring units 63 are provided so that each of the two lenses L placed on the dyeing tray 80 is measured separately. However, it is also possible to change at least one of the positions and numbers of the temperature measuring units 63. For example, a temperature measuring unit may be provided at a position where the temperature of the lens L arranged at the measuring position by the color information measuring instrument 61 is measured.

The temperature lowering unit 90 lowers the temperature of the lens L heated by the dye fixing device 50 (see FIG. 1) before the color information of the lens L is measured by the color information measuring device 61. Therefore, the effect of discoloration that may occur depending on the temperature (specifically, at least one of the effect of discoloration of the base material of the lens L and the effect of discoloration of the dye) is suppressed by the temperature lowering portion 90. , The color information of the lens L is measured by the color information measuring instrument 61.

The temperature lowering unit 90 of the present embodiment lowers the temperature of the lens L to a temperature equal to or lower than the measurement reference temperature at which the color information of the lens L is stably measured before the color information of the lens L is measured. Therefore, the effect of discoloration that may occur depending on the temperature is more appropriately suppressed. As an example, if the measurement reference temperature is set to 80 ° C. or lower, the influence of discoloration of the lens L and the dye can be easily suppressed. Further, by setting the measurement reference temperature to 60 ° C. or lower, the influence of discoloration can be easily suppressed regardless of the type of the base material of the lens L and the like. In this embodiment, by setting the measurement reference temperature to 50 ° C. or lower, the influence of discoloration due to the temperature change is more appropriately suppressed.

The temperature lowering unit 90 of the present embodiment includes a transport unit 91 and a forced cooling unit 95. Further, the transport unit 91 of the present embodiment includes a stack unit 93.

The transport unit 91 transports the lens L heated by the dye fixing device 50 toward the measurement position of the color information by the color information measuring instrument 61. Specifically, the transport unit 91 lowers the temperature of the lens L to the measurement reference temperature or lower while transporting the lens L toward the measurement position of the color information by the color information measuring instrument 61. Therefore, the lens L is appropriately conveyed to the measurement position and the lens L is properly conveyed without the need for an operator to move the lens L to the measurement position and lower the temperature of the lens L. Color information is measured properly.

The stack portion 93 is provided on the transport path of the lens L by the transport portion 91. The transport unit 91 of the present embodiment stacks a plurality of units of lenses L (in this embodiment, a plurality of dyeing trays 80 on which the lenses L are installed) sequentially heated by the dye fixing device 50 in the stack unit 93. Then, the lens L is put on standby. That is, the stack unit 93 is an example of a lens standby unit that lowers the temperature of the lens L by making the lens L stand by on the transport path of the lens L by the transport unit 91. In the present embodiment, the lens L stands by in the stack portion 93 of the transport portion 91, so that a time for the temperature of the lens L to decrease (that is, a time for the lens L to be naturally cooled) is secured. Therefore, in order to naturally cool the lens L, it is not necessary to deliberately design a long transport path for the lens L by the transport unit 91.

The forced cooling unit 95 lowers the temperature of the lens L by a temperature drop larger than the temperature drop due to natural cooling. That is, the forced cooling unit 95 forcibly cools the lens L (faster than natural cooling). Therefore, after the dye fixing step by the dye fixing device 50 (see FIG. 1) is completed, the time required for the color information measurement result by the color information measuring instrument 61 to be acquired is shortened by the forced cooling unit 95. ..

As an example, a cooling fan that blows gas (air) to the lens L is used in the forced cooling unit 95 of the present embodiment. However, a device other than the cooling fan (eg, at least one such as a refrigerator and a Pelche element) may be used as the forced cooling unit 95.

The transport unit 91 of the present embodiment transports the dyeing tray 80 transported from the dye fixing device 50 (see FIG. 1) by the overall transport device 10 to the stack unit 93. The transport unit 91 stacks a plurality of units of lenses L (a plurality of dyeing trays 80 in the present embodiment) in the stack unit 93. Specifically, the transport unit 91 of the present embodiment transports the dyeing tray 80 conveyed from the dye fixing device 50 to the lower part of the dyeing tray 80 waiting in the stack unit 93, thereby transmitting a plurality of dyeing trays 80. Stack the dyeing trays 80. Further, in the transport unit 91, among the lenses L located in the stack unit 93, the lens L in which the dye fixing process by the dye fixing device 50 is completed first (in the present embodiment, the uppermost dyeing tray in the stack unit 93). 80) is conveyed to a position where the lens L can be cooled by the forced cooling unit 95 (hereinafter referred to as “forced cooling position”). Further, the transport unit 91 transports the lens L (dyeing tray 80) from the forced cooling position to the color information measurement position (hereinafter referred to as “color information measurement position”) by the color information measuring instrument 61.

The method of transporting the lens L (dyeing tray 80 in this embodiment) by the transport unit 91 can be appropriately selected. For example, the transport unit 91 may include an arm unit for transporting the dyeing tray 80. Further, the transport unit 91 may transport the dyeing tray 80 using a transport belt.

(Color measurement control processing)
The color measurement control process executed by the controller 71 of the dyeing system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In the color measurement control process, the measurement (color measurement) of the color information of the lens L is controlled. When an instruction to start the dyeing process of the lens L is input, the controller 71 executes the color measurement control process illustrated in FIG. 4 according to the color measurement control program stored in the storage device. In order to facilitate the understanding of the explanation, the color measurement control process illustrated in FIG. 4 is performed for each unit of dyeing (one dyeing tray 80 in this embodiment). However, the color measurement control process may be set to perform the process in parallel for a plurality of dyeing units.

First, the controller 71 confirms that the dye fixing step by the dye fixing device 50 is completed (S1). As described above, the dye fixing device 50 fixes the dye on the lens L by heating the lens L installed on the dyeing tray 80. When the fixing process is completed (S1), the controller 71 controls the drive of the transport unit 91 to transport the dyeing tray 80 (lens L) for which the fixing process has been completed from the entire transport device 10 to the stack section 93. And make it stand by (S2).

Next, the controller 71 determines whether or not there is a vacancy in the forced cooling position where the lens L can be cooled by the forced cooling unit 95 (S4). If the dyeing tray 80 is arranged at the forced cooling position (S4: NO), it stands by. If the dyeing tray 80 is not arranged at the forced cooling position and there is a vacancy (S4: YES), the controller 71 controls the drive of the transport unit 91 to control the drive of the transport unit 91, so that the lens L located in the stack unit 93 is located. Among them, the lens L (in this embodiment, the uppermost dyeing tray 80 in the stack portion 93) for which the dye fixing step by the dye fixing device 50 is completed first is conveyed to the forced cooling position (S5). Further, the controller 71 sets the forced cooling reference temperature Tf and the measurement reference temperature Tm based on the information read by the reading unit 2 with respect to the lens L of the dyeing tray 80 conveyed to the forced cooling position (S6). .. The forced cooling reference temperature Tf is a temperature for determining whether or not forced cooling is performed on the lens L at the forced cooling position. The measurement reference temperature Tm is a temperature for determining whether or not to acquire the measurement result of the color information of the lens L by the color information measuring instrument 61. In the present embodiment, the forced cooling reference temperature Tf and the measurement reference temperature Tm are dyed according to at least one of the type of the base material of the lens L and the type of the dye (dyeing tray 80 in the present embodiment). ) Is set for each.

The forced cooling reference temperature Tf is set to be equal to or lower than the glass transition temperature of the base material of the lens L. Therefore, since the forced cooling is executed only when the temperature of the lens L drops below the forced cooling reference temperature Tf, the resin body is less likely to be deformed during the forced cooling. Further, the forced cooling reference temperature Tf is higher than the measurement reference temperature Tm.

Next, the controller 71 determines whether or not the temperature of the lens L at the forced cooling position measured by the temperature measuring unit 63 is equal to or lower than the forced cooling reference temperature Tf (S7). If the temperature of the lens L is higher than the forced cooling reference temperature Tf (S7: NO), the lens L stands by without executing the forced cooling. If the temperature of the lens L is equal to or less than the forced cooling reference temperature Tf (S7: YES), the controller 71 executes forced cooling of the lens L by the forced cooling unit 95 (S8).

Next, the controller 71 determines whether or not the temperature of the lens L at the forced cooling position measured by the temperature measuring unit 63 is equal to or less than the measurement reference temperature Tm (S10). If the temperature of the lens L is higher than the measurement reference temperature Tm (S10: NO), forced cooling is continued. When the temperature of the lens L becomes equal to or less than the measurement reference temperature Tm (S10: YES), the controller 71 controls the drive of the transport unit 91 to transport the dyeing tray 80 at the forced cooling position to the color information measurement position. (S11). The controller 71 acquires the measurement result of the color information of the lens L by the color information measuring instrument 61 (S12). That is, the controller 71 acquires the measurement result of the color information in a state where the temperature of the lens L measured by the temperature measuring unit 63 is equal to or less than the measurement reference temperature Tm. As a result, the possibility of using color information affected by color change due to temperature is appropriately reduced.

The controller 71 corrects the amount of dye discharged by the printing apparatus 30 based on the measurement result of the color information acquired in S12 (S13). In the present embodiment, the controller 71 determines the amount of dye discharged to the substrate by the printing apparatus 30 for dyeing the lens L with the color to be dyed (planned color) according to the determination procedure (discharge amount determination step). ). The controller 71 is a color information measuring instrument for the lens L actually dyed by the printing device 30, the transfer device 40, and the dye fixing device 50 by using the dye of the discharge amount determined in the discharge amount determination step. Acquire the result color information which is the color information measured by 61 (result color information acquisition step). In S13, the controller 71 corrects the discharge amount of the dye determined in the discharge amount determination step based on the result color information and the planned color, so that the color of the lens L dyed in the subsequent dyeing step is changed. Get closer to the planned color. As a result, the dyeing quality is appropriately improved.

Further, the controller 71 determines the quality of the dyed lens L based on the measurement result of the color information acquired in S12 and the difference in the planned color, and conveys the dyeing tray 80 to a position corresponding to the determined quality. (S14). In the present embodiment, a position where the lens L having good dyeing quality is conveyed and a position where the lens L having poor dyeing quality is conveyed are provided in advance. The controller 71 conveys the dyeing tray 80 to one of the two positions according to the quality of the dyeing determined based on the color information. If the dyeing quality is not good (in the present embodiment, the difference between the planned color and the result color information is not within the threshold value), the controller 71 outputs an error by image display, voice, or the like.

Next, the controller 71 determines whether or not an instruction to end the process has been input (S16). If it is not input (S16: NO), the process returns to S1 and the processes of S1 to S16 are repeated. When the end instruction is input (S16: YES), the color measurement control process ends.

The techniques disclosed in the above embodiments are merely examples. Therefore, it is possible to modify the techniques exemplified in the above embodiments. For example, only some of the plurality of techniques exemplified in the above embodiments may be adopted. As an example, in the above embodiment, the forced cooling reference temperature Tf and the measurement reference temperature Tm are set for each unit to be dyed, depending on at least one of the type of the base material of the lens L and the type of the dye. However, at least one of the forced cooling reference temperature Tf and the measurement reference temperature Tm may be set to one value regardless of the unit to be stained. Further, the dyeing system 1 may lower the temperature of the lens L only by natural cooling without using the forced cooling unit 95.

1 Dyeing system 30 Printing device 40 Transfer device 50 Dye fixing device 60 Color measuring device 61 Color information measuring device 62 Disturbant light blocking unit 63 Temperature measuring unit 70 Control device 80 Dyeing tray 90 Temperature drop unit 91 Transport unit 93 Stacking unit 95 Forced Cooling part L lens

Claims (7)

It is a dyeing system that dyes resin bodies.
A dye fixing device that fixes the dye to the resin body by heating the resin body to which the dye is attached.
A color information measuring instrument that measures the color information of the resin body on which the dye is fixed, and
By lowering the temperature of the resin body heated by the dye fixing device before the color information is measured by the color information measuring device, the influence of discoloration of the resin body that may occur depending on the temperature is suppressed. And the temperature drop part
Equipped with
The color information measuring instrument is a dyeing system characterized in that the color information of the resin body is measured in a state where the influence of discoloration of the resin body that may occur depending on the temperature is suppressed by the temperature lowering portion. The dyeing system according to claim 1.
The temperature lowering portion lowers the temperature of the resin body while transporting the resin body heated by the dye fixing device toward the measurement position by the color information measuring instrument, so as to respond to the temperature. A dyeing system including a transport portion that suppresses the influence of discoloration of the resin body that may occur. The dyeing system according to claim 2.
The transport unit makes the resin body stand by on the transport path of the resin body to lower the temperature of the resin body, thereby suppressing the influence of discoloration of the resin body that may occur depending on the temperature. Characterized dyeing system. The dyeing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
Further, a temperature measuring unit for measuring the temperature of the resin body on which the dye is fixed by the dye fixing device is provided.
The control unit of the staining system
A dyeing system characterized by acquiring the measurement result of the color information of the resin body by the color information measuring instrument in a state where the temperature of the resin body measured by the temperature measuring unit is lowered to the measurement reference temperature or less. .. The dyeing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The temperature drop part is
A dyeing system further provided with a forced cooling unit that lowers the temperature of the resin body by a temperature drop larger than the temperature drop due to natural cooling. The dyeing system according to claim 5.
Further, a temperature measuring unit for measuring the temperature of the resin body on which the dye is fixed by the dye fixing device is provided.
The control unit of the staining system
A dyeing system characterized in that cooling of the resin body by the forced cooling unit is performed in a state where the temperature of the resin body measured by the temperature measuring unit is lowered to a forced cooling reference temperature or lower. )
The dyeing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
A dyeing system further provided with an disturbance light blocking portion that suppresses the arrival of disturbance light to the resin body by covering the periphery of the resin body arranged at the measurement position by the color information measuring instrument.

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