JP4802080B2 - Container printing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a container printing apparatus that performs printing such as printing on a predetermined outer peripheral surface of a container that is continuously conveyed on a conveyor.

  For example, in a bottle beverage production line, a sheet-like label or a cylindrical shrink label is attached to the outer periphery of a container after filling and sealing the beverage, and the expiration date, lot number, etc. are printed (printed) on the label surface. It is widely done. In addition, the same date and lot number may be directly printed on a container having a pattern or pattern formed on the outer peripheral surface. When printing on the outer peripheral surface of such a container, since the pattern or pattern formed on the outer peripheral surface usually has light and shade, if printing is performed randomly, the pattern or pattern overlaps with a small date or number, etc. The printed content may be unreadable or difficult, and it is necessary to print at an appropriate position with respect to the pattern or pattern on the outer peripheral surface of the container.

  In addition, in the case of shrink labels for plastic containers such as PET bottles that have been widely used in recent years, the date and lot number etc. are printed on the label in the labeler's machine or immediately downstream thereof, so that the outer peripheral surface of the container can be printed. The printing position is secured. However, since this shrink label is applied to the outer periphery of the container and is then heat-shrinked in the heating tunnel, depending on the shape of the container and the heating conditions, the shrink label is shrunk and the label surface has a small date or number. This causes a problem that the printed content becomes difficult to read.

  In order to avoid such a problem, it is desirable to perform printing at the downstream position of the conveyor after passing through the heating tunnel, but the container rotates on the conveyor and the pattern direction of the outer peripheral surface is scattered, In the prior art, there has been no suitable printing apparatus capable of performing printing at an appropriate position of the container pattern at a downstream position after passing through the heating tunnel.

In addition, the technique (for example, patent document 1) which rotates cylindrical articles, such as a container, on a conveyance conveyor, and the technique (for example, patent document) which aligns the direction of a container on a conveyance conveyor using the unevenness | corrugation of a container external shape. 2 and 3), but none of them had a function of directly facing the outer peripheral predetermined surface to the printing device corresponding to the container design. Further, the technology for detecting the reference mark on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical container and controlling the rotation direction of the container (see, for example, Patent Document 4) lacks the degree of freedom of signal detection for container designs of various products, The device configuration in which the rotation direction control unit reciprocates has a problem that it cannot be used in a high-speed line due to insufficient high-speed suitability.
JP 2003-98099 A Utility Model Registration No. 3089671 JP-A-48-11758 JP-A-5-42664

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is effective and efficient to perform accurate printing on a predetermined appropriate printing position corresponding to the design and pattern on the outer peripheral surface of the container continuously conveyed on the conveyor. An object of the present invention is to provide a container printing apparatus that can be performed well.

That is, the invention of claim 1 is an apparatus for printing on a predetermined outer peripheral surface of a container continuously conveyed on a conveyor, and a plurality of the devices are arranged from different angular positions with respect to a single outer peripheral surface of the container. Design recognition means for recognizing and processing data on the outer peripheral surface of the container, container rotating means for rotating the container as necessary to position the container at a predetermined printing position on the conveyor based on data by the design recognition means, The container printing apparatus includes: a printing unit that performs printing on a container whose position is controlled at a predetermined printing position on the conveyor by the rotating unit.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the symbol recognition means is arranged at two detection positions corresponding to a non-printing portion having a direction perpendicular to the container transport direction and within a predetermined angle range of the outer peripheral surface of the container. The container printing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a photoelectric sensor (31A, 31B) and a photoelectric sensor (31C) disposed forward with respect to the transport direction .

The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the symbol recognition means includes one or more imaging devices arranged forward with respect to the transport direction of the container, and one or more imaging devices disposed rearward with respect to the transport direction. The container printing apparatus according to claim 1, including :

A fourth aspect of the present invention relates to the container printing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein a plurality of sets of the symbol recognition means and the container rotation means are arranged in series in the conveyor direction.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is the container printing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the conveyor includes a container bottom surface suction means for sucking the container bottom surface with negative pressure air to prevent the container from overturning. Concerning.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the printing means is provided with a printing quality inspection means for inspecting printing quality on the downstream side of the conveyor and removing defective products from the conveyor. According to the container printing apparatus described.

A seventh aspect of the invention relates to the container printing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the printing means is a printing means for a shelf life and a lot number.

The container printing device according to the invention of claim 1 is a device that performs printing on a predetermined outer peripheral surface of a container that is continuously conveyed on a conveyor, and a plurality of containers are arranged from different angular positions with respect to a single outer peripheral surface of the container. , the symbol recognizing means for recognizing the data processing a pattern of the outer peripheral surface of the container, the container rotation for rotating the container by requiring container on the basis of data by the pattern recognition means in order to position at a predetermined printing position on the conveyor And printing means for performing printing on the container whose position is controlled at a predetermined printing position on the conveyor by the rotating means. Therefore, a predetermined appropriate value corresponding to the pattern or pattern on the outer peripheral surface of the container is obtained. It becomes possible to perform accurate printing with respect to the printing position effectively and efficiently.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the design recognizing means is located at a detection position corresponding to a non-printing portion that is perpendicular to the container transport direction and within a predetermined angle range of the outer peripheral surface of the container. Since the two photoelectric sensors (31A, 31B) arranged and the photoelectric sensor (31C) arranged forward with respect to the transport direction are included, it is possible to recognize the symbols on the outer peripheral surface of the container with a very simple configuration. Can be implemented.

The invention of claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the symbol recognition means is one or a plurality of imaging devices arranged forward with respect to the transport direction of the container, and 1 arranged rearward with respect to the transport direction. Alternatively, since it includes a plurality of imaging devices, it is possible to accurately calculate an angle and a direction necessary for rotating the container.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first to third aspects, since the symbol recognition means and the container rotation means are arranged in series in the conveyor direction, the rotation of the container is more stably and reliably performed. Can do.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first to fourth aspects, since the conveyor is provided with a container bottom suction means for sucking the container bottom with negative pressure air to prevent the container from overturning, the container is stably conveyed. It becomes possible.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, in claims 1 to 5 examines the quality of the printing on the conveyor downstream of the printing means, since the defective product and a printing quality inspection device for eliminating from the conveyor, the good Securement can be carried out accurately.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is that, in any of the first to sixth aspects, since the printing means is a printing means for a shelf life and a lot number, information relating to quality control is efficiently and effectively printed at an easily understandable position. Is possible.

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 is a plan view of a container printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the container printing apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a side view and a top view of the container, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the container rotating means, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the periphery of the conveyor, and FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example in which the outer peripheral surface of the container is recognized by the photoelectric sensor. FIG. 8, FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of recognizing the pattern on the outer peripheral surface of the container by the imaging device, FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of arranging a plurality of imaging devices, and FIG. 10 is a symbol recognition unit and a container rotating unit. It is a top view showing the example which has arrange | positioned 2 sets in series.

  A container printing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 performs printing on a predetermined outer peripheral surface 25 of the container 20 shown in FIG. The pattern recognition means 30, the container rotation means 40, and the printing means 50 are included. In this embodiment, the container 20 is indexed by a known timing screw 15 disposed on the side of the conveyor 11, and is transported at a predetermined interval in the traveling direction. 1 and 2, reference numeral 12 denotes a supply unit that supplies the containers 20 to the conveyor 11, and 13 denotes a discharge unit that sends out the well-printed containers 20 to a downstream container packaging line (not shown) or the like. is there.

  A container 20 shown in FIG. 3 is made of a substantially cylindrical plastic container, and a shrink label 22 is provided on the outer peripheral surface 21 by a shrink labeler (not shown) installed on the upstream side of the supply unit 12. In the embodiment, the shrink label 22 is heated through a heating tunnel (not shown), so that the vertical width is in a range of a width H1 that is slightly smaller than the height H of the container 20 as shown in FIG. The design 23A of the manufacturing company / product name, etc., and the design 23B describing the quality details of the product raw material / preservation method / manufacturing factory, etc. are appropriately displayed at predetermined positions. Yes. Further, in this embodiment, the outer peripheral portion 26 in the width H2 of the substantially central portion of the outer peripheral surface 21 of the container 20 corresponds to a target range in which printing by the container printing apparatus 10 is possible, and particularly shown in FIG. In this way, printing is performed on the outer peripheral predetermined surface 25. In this figure, reference numeral 27 denotes a symbol printed in advance within the range of the predetermined angle θ of the outer peripheral portion 26 and corresponds to a non-printing portion that should not be printed by the container printing apparatus 10.

The symbol recognizing means 30 is configured to recognize the symbol (27) on the outer peripheral surface 21 (the outer peripheral portion 26) of the container 20 and perform data processing. As shown in FIG. 4, the symbol recognition means 30 includes photoelectric sensors 31 (31A, 31B, 31C). In this symbol recognition means 30, in particular, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of symbol recognition means 30 (photoelectric sensors 31) are arranged from different angular positions with respect to the outer peripheral surface 21 of the single container 20, The plurality of photoelectric sensors 31 (31A, 31B, 31C) detect the pattern 27 of the outer peripheral portion 26, and the data processing unit 32 uses a container based on the detection signals from the photoelectric sensors 31 (31A, 31B, 31C). Data processing for specifying the positions of the twenty symbols 27 is performed.

  As the photoelectric sensor 31 of the embodiment, an appropriate one such as a line sensor or a photoelectric tube sensor is used, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, two sensors 31 </ b> A arranged in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the container 20. , 31B and a sensor 31C disposed approximately 45 ° forward with respect to the transport direction. The detection positions of the sensors 31A and 31B correspond to the range of a predetermined angle θ on which the pattern 27 on the outer peripheral surface 21 (outer peripheral portion 26) of the container 20 is printed. It is comprised so that it may detect whether it is located in the side. The sensor 31 </ b> C is configured to detect whether the symbol 27 is located on the conveyance direction side of the container 20.

  The container rotating means 40 rotates the container 20 as necessary in order to position the container 20 at a predetermined printing position on the conveyor 11 based on the data from the symbol recognition means 30. The container rotation means 40 of an Example consists of a pair of container rotation apparatus 41 and 46 arrange | positioned at the left-right both sides of the conveyor 11, as shown to FIG. The pair of container rotating devices 41 and 46 includes a drive unit 42 and 47 that rotate at an appropriate speed by a motor or the like, and a plurality of pulley units 43 and 48 that are rotatably arranged in parallel with the conveyor 11, respectively. Belts 44 and 49 which are rotated through the drive units 42 and 47 and the pulley units 43 and 48 and arranged so as to be able to come into contact with the outer peripheral surface 21 of the container 20. In the container rotating means 40, when the container is gripped by the belts 44 and 49 of the container rotating devices 41 and 46, the belts of the container rotating device 41 and the container rotating device 46 are based on the data from the symbol recognition means 30. By differentiating the rotational speeds 44 and 49, the container 20 is rotated to a predetermined printing position while being conveyed on the conveyor 11. The rotation angle of the container 20 is controlled by the data processing unit 32 of the symbol recognition means 30 in consideration of the contact time between the container 20 and the belts 44 and 49. The

The printing unit 50 performs printing on the container 20 whose position is controlled at a predetermined printing position on the conveyor 11 by the container rotating unit 40. The printing means 50 is arranged on the side of the conveyor 11 on which the symbol recognition means 30 is arranged so as to face the predetermined outer peripheral surface 25 of the container 20 rotated by the container rotating means 40. Since the outer peripheral predetermined surface 25 of the container 20 is located within the range of the predetermined width H2, the height position of the printing means 50 is fixed at the predetermined position. As the print unit 50 of the embodiment, characters, symbols, although the bar code (including a two-dimensional) known an inkjet printing apparatus such as a printing capable of predetermined items of the graphic display such as are used, relish By using the printing means for the deadline and lot number, it is possible to efficiently and effectively print information on quality control in an easily understandable position, and quality control is possible not only for producers but also for distributors and consumers. There is an effect that becomes easy.

Further, in the container printing apparatus 10 configured as described above, when the container 20 is transported by the conveyor 11, in order to prevent the tipping over, the container 20 is gripped by belts from both sides of the container 20 transported on the conveyor 11. Appropriate means are preferably used. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, the container bottom suction means 60 that sucks the container 20 bottom surface 24 onto the conveyor 11 with negative pressure air to prevent the container 20 from overturning. It is preferably recommended to provide In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of through holes 11 a are formed at predetermined intervals all around the center position of the upper surface of the conveyor 11, and communicated with the through holes 11 a on the lower surface side of the conveyor 11. A cylindrical frame portion 16 having a through-groove 16a formed in a predetermined length is disposed on the frame portion 16 and a vacuum pump 61 is connected to a side surface of the frame portion 16 via a pipe 62 to connect the frame portion. It is comprised so that the inside of 16 may be attracted | sucked to a negative pressure state. As a result, the bottom surface 24 of the container 20 conveyed on the conveyor 11 is sucked by the negative pressure air from the through hole 11a, and in particular, the container 20 can be stably conveyed by preventing the container 20 from overturning when rotating. It becomes.

Further, in the container printing apparatus 10, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a printing quality inspection unit 70 that inspects printing quality on the downstream side of the conveyor 11 of the printing unit 50 and excludes defective products from the conveyor 11. Is preferably provided. The print quality inspection means 70 of the embodiment images the outer peripheral predetermined surface 25 of the container 20 with a known imaging device 71 such as a CCD camera, and the known data processing device 72 misaligns the printed portion of the outer peripheral predetermined surface 25. When the printing state such as shading, shading, or fading is inspected and it is determined that the product is defective, the defective product is discharged from the conveyor 11 by a discharge device 73 such as an air jet. Thereby, the non-defective product can be ensured accurately. In addition, the printing quality inspection means 70 appropriately manages the operation status of the container printing apparatus 10 by providing appropriate notification means for grasping the occurrence status of defective products and issuing an alarm as necessary. Is possible. Reference numeral 74 in the figure is a receiving box for defective products discharged by the discharging device 73.

  Next, the operation of the container printing apparatus 10 will be described. First, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of containers 20 whose outer peripheral surface 21 has been subjected to shrink label 22 in advance by a shrink labeler (not shown) are continuously supplied from the supply unit 12 onto the conveyor 11, and It is conveyed at a predetermined interval. At that time, as shown in FIG. 6, the container 20 is suctioned by the negative pressure air from the through-hole 11 a by bringing the inside of the frame portion 16 into a negative pressure state by the container bottom suction means 60. It is transported in a stable state.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the position of the symbol 27 on the outer peripheral surface 21 (outer peripheral portion 26) of the container 20 conveyed at a predetermined interval by the photoelectric sensor 31 (31 </ b> A, 31 </ b> B, 31 </ b> C) of the symbol recognition means 30. Is detected, and data processing for specifying the position of the symbol 27 is performed in the data processing unit 32, and an operation signal for rotating the container 20 with respect to the container rotating means 40 based on the result of the data processing. Is sent.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the photoelectric sensors 31 </ b> A, 31 </ b> B, and 31 </ b> C detect the pattern 27 on the outer peripheral surface 21 (outer peripheral portion 26) of the container 20, the pattern 27 is printed by the printing unit 50. A signal is transmitted from the data processing unit 32 to the container rotating means 40 so as to rotate the container by about 120 ° clockwise.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the photoelectric sensors 31A and 31C detect the symbol 27 and the photoelectric sensor 31B does not detect the symbol 27, the symbol 27 is printed by the printing unit 50. A signal is transmitted from the data processing unit 32 to the container rotating means 40 so as to rotate the container about 60 ° clockwise.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7C, when the photoelectric sensor 31B detects the symbol 27 and the photoelectric sensors 31A and 31C do not detect the symbol 27, the symbol 27 is printed by the printing means 50. A signal is transmitted from the data processing unit 32 to the container rotating means 40 so as to rotate the container about 60 ° counterclockwise.

  As shown in FIG. 7D, when the photoelectric sensors 31A, 31B, and 31C do not detect the symbol 27, it is recognized that the symbol 27 is not at the printing position by the printing means 50, and data No signal is transmitted from the processing unit 32.

  As described above, after the rotation direction and angle of the container 20 are appropriately determined by the data processing of the symbol recognizing unit 30 according to the position of the symbol 27, the container rotating unit 40 determines each container rotating device 41 based on the data. , 46 are rotated at different speeds, and the container 20 is rotated so that the predetermined outer peripheral surface 25 of the container 20 is at a printing position facing the printing means 50.

  Then, the expiration date and lot number are printed by the printing means 50 on the outer peripheral predetermined surface 25 of the container 20 rotated to the printing position, and then the printing state of the outer peripheral predetermined surface 25 is inspected by the imaging device 71. When it is determined that the product is defective, it is discharged from the conveyor 11 to the receiving box 74 by a discharge device 73 made of an air jet. Further, when it is determined that the product is a non-defective product, the container 20 is transferred from the conveyor 11 to the discharge unit 13 as it is, and appropriate subsequent processes such as a packaging process are performed.

  As described above, in the container printing apparatus 10 of the present invention, the printing position of the outer peripheral predetermined surface 25 of the container 20 is determined by the data processing of the symbol recognition means 30 for the container 20 continuously conveyed on the conveyor 11. Since the container 20 is rotated by the container rotating unit 40 based on the data processing and the outer peripheral predetermined surface 25 is positioned at a predetermined printing position, the printing unit 50 performs printing. It is possible to clearly print a predetermined item at a desired position. In particular, the container printing apparatus 10 according to the embodiment is preferably used for the container 20 that has passed through the heating tunnel and has been subjected to thermal shrinkage of the shrink label, and the distortion after printing due to the difference in partial shrinkage rate of the label. Can be printed accurately.

  Further, in the container printing apparatus 10, since the pattern recognition means 30 includes the photoelectric sensor 31 (31 </ b> A, 31 </ b> B, 31 </ b> C), the recognition of the pattern 27 on the outer peripheral surface 21 (outer peripheral portion 26) of the container 20 is extremely simple. In particular, if a plurality of photoelectric sensors 31 (31A, 31B, 31C) are arranged from different angular positions, the certainty of recognition of the symbol 27 can be improved.

  In addition, the container printing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented by appropriately changing a part of the configuration without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the embodiment, printing is performed on a container to which a shrink label is applied. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is applied to various kinds of containers having a certain design on the outer peripheral surface, such as a sheet label and a printing container. be able to. The shape of the container may be a substantially cylindrical shape as in the embodiment, or may have a polygonal cross section. In this case, the container rotating means is appropriately configured according to the shape of the container.

In the embodiment, the container recognition unit 30 includes the photoelectric sensor 31. However, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the container recognition unit 30 may include the imaging device 36. In the container recognition unit 35 shown in FIG. 8, first, a known imaging device 36 such as a CCD camera is used for the container 20 based on a detection signal from a container detection device 38 that detects the passage of the container 20 conveyed on the conveyor 11. In the data processing unit 37 in which an image of the entire outer peripheral surface 21 is captured and an image of the entire outer peripheral surface 21 is stored in advance, the image of the outer peripheral surface 21 captured by the imaging device 36 is compared with the image of the entire outer peripheral surface 21. Is done. At that time, an angle deviation between the printing position by the printing unit 50 and the position of the outer peripheral predetermined surface 25 of the container 20 is calculated based on a known image processing method, and the container 20 by the container rotating unit 40 is calculated from the calculation result of the angle deviation. The rotation direction and rotation angle are calculated. In this way, by recognizing the pattern 27 using the imaging device 36, the rotation angle and rotation direction of the container 20 necessary for positioning the outer peripheral predetermined surface 25 of the container 20 at the printing position are accurately calculated. It becomes possible.

  Furthermore, in this container recognition means 35, as shown in FIG. 9, with respect to the outer peripheral surface 21 of the single container 20, it images from a different angle position with the some imaging device 36 (36A, 36B, 36C, 36D). It is preferably recommended that the above be configured. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9A, the imaging device 36A is disposed approximately 45 ° forward with respect to the transport direction of the container 20, and the imaging device 36B is disposed approximately 45 ° rearward with respect to the transport direction. A half surface (about 180 °) of the outer peripheral surface 21 of the container 20 is configured to be capable of imaging. Thus, by arranging the plurality of imaging devices 36 (36A, 36B), the outer peripheral surface 21 of the container 20 can be imaged over a wide range, and the design 27 can be recognized more reliably. . 9B, if a plurality of imaging devices 36A, 36B, 36C, and 36D are respectively disposed on the four sides of the container 20, the entire outer surface 21 of the container 20 can be imaged. The certainty of recognition of the symbol 27 is further improved.

Further, in the container printing apparatus 10, the container 20 is rotated by the one container rotating unit 40. However, when the rotation angle is large, strong rotation occurs when the container 20 passes through the container rotating unit 40. For this reason, the behavior becomes unstable, and there is a risk that problems such as falling may occur. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, it is preferable to arrange a plurality of symbol recognition means 30 and container rotation means 40 in series in the conveyor direction. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, two sets of symbol recognition means 30 (30A, 30B) and container rotation means 40 (40A, 40B) are arranged in series, and each container rotation means 40A, 40B requires each. The rotation angle is shared (for example, in the case of 120 ° rotation, each is 60 °). Thereby, the rotation angle of the container 20 by the one container rotation means 40 can be made small, and it can suppress that the container 20 becomes unstable at the time of rotation.

  Further, in the symbol recognition means 30 (30A, 30B) and the container rotation means 40 (40A, 40B) arranged in the above-mentioned plurality of sets in series, the container 20 is required by the one set of symbol recognition means 30A and the container rotation means 40A. It is possible to improve the reliability of position control by rotating the angle and finely adjusting the rotation angle by the other symbol recognition means 30B and the container rotation means 40B.

  In FIG. 10, reference numeral 31A denotes a photoelectric sensor of the symbol recognition unit 30A, 31B denotes a photoelectric sensor of the symbol recognition unit 30B, 32A denotes a data processing unit of the symbol recognition unit 30A, 32B denotes a data processing unit of the symbol recognition unit 30B, and 41A. 46A is a container rotating device of the container rotating means 40A, 41B and 46B are container rotating devices of the container rotating means 40B, 42A and 47A are drive units of the container rotating devices 41A and 46A, and 42B and 47B are the container rotating devices 41B and 46B. Drive unit, 43A and 48A are pulley units of container rotating devices 41A and 46A, 43B and 48B are pulley units of container rotating devices 41B and 46B, 44A and 49A are belts of container rotating devices 41A and 46A, and 44B and 49B are container rotating units. The belts of the devices 41B and 46B are represented.

It is a top view of the container printing apparatus which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a front view of the container printing apparatus of FIG. It is the side view and top view of a container. It is a top view of a design recognition means and a container rotation means periphery. It is principal part sectional drawing of a container rotation means. It is principal part sectional drawing of a conveyor periphery. It is the schematic showing the example which recognizes the pattern of a container outer peripheral surface with a photoelectric sensor. It is the schematic showing the example which recognizes the pattern of a container outer peripheral surface with an imaging device. It is the schematic showing the example which has arrange | positioned two or more imaging devices. It is a top view showing the example which has arrange | positioned 2 sets of symbol recognition means and a container rotation means in series.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Container printing apparatus 11 Conveyor 20 Container 30 Pattern recognition means 40 Container rotation means 50 Printing means 60 Container bottom suction means 70 Printing quality inspection means

Claims (7)

A device that performs printing on a predetermined peripheral surface of a container that is continuously conveyed on a conveyor,
A plurality of symbols from different angular positions with respect to the outer peripheral surface of a single container, and a symbol recognition means for recognizing and processing data of the outer peripheral surface of the container;
Container rotating means for rotating the container as necessary to position the container at a predetermined printing position on the conveyor based on the data by the symbol recognition means;
A container printing apparatus comprising: a printing unit that performs printing on a container whose position is controlled at a predetermined printing position on a conveyor by the rotating unit. Two photoelectric sensors (31A, 31B) arranged at a detection position corresponding to a non-printing portion that the symbol recognition means has in a direction perpendicular to the container transport direction and within a predetermined angle range of the outer peripheral surface of the container The container printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a photoelectric sensor (31 </ b> C) disposed in front of the transport direction . The said symbol recognition means includes one or a plurality of imaging devices arranged forward with respect to the conveyance direction of the container and one or a plurality of imaging devices arranged rearward with respect to the conveyance direction. The container printing apparatus as described. The container printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a plurality of sets of the symbol recognition means and the container rotation means are arranged in series in the conveyor direction. Containers printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 comprises a container bottom suction means 4 for preventing the overturning of the container by sucking the bottom of the container to the conveyor at a negative pressure air. The container printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , further comprising a printing quality inspection unit that inspects printing quality on the downstream side of the printing unit to remove defective products from the conveyor. Containers printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is a printing means for the printing means expiration date, and lot number.

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