JP5955820B2 - Display control device - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a display control apparatus.

  In recent years, a system has been used in which a label on which information is printed by a printer is attached to an article such as a baggage or a product conveyed by a conveyor with a labeler. If this system is used, a label can be automatically attached to an article conveyed on a conveyor.

  Then, the display control device displays the printer state and the labeler state on the display device to notify the user.

  In the normal state, the display control apparatus displays that both the printer and the labeler are in the normal state. When an error occurs in the printer or labeler, the display control device displays an error for a device in an error state.

  Thus, since the display control device displays the status of the printer and the labeler, it is necessary to display the status of each device in an easy-to-understand manner.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a display control device that displays the printer and labeler status display in an easy-to-understand manner.

The display control apparatus embodiment, the operation state of the label sticking apparatus for sticking a information and a printer display unit indicating the operating state of the printing apparatus for printing on a label, a printed label to the article which has been conveyed by the conveyor at the printer A display device for displaying a labeler display unit on a display surface oriented in parallel with the alignment direction of the printing device and the label applicator, and the printer device and the labeler display unit on the display device. The display of the device in which the error has occurred, based on an error signal received from the printing device or the labeling device, and arranged according to the order of arrangement on the display surface side of the printing device and the labeling device part displays an error condition, and displayed as paused the display portion of the device which is not an error has occurred Table And a control means.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the appearance of the system. FIG. 3 is a front view showing the appearance of the display device. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the appearance of the system. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the inside of the system. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the inside of the labeler. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the system. FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the display control device. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of control processing of the display control apparatus. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of printer control processing. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of the labeler control process. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the display device. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating another display example of the display device. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing still another display example of the display device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a display control device will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, embodiment described below is one Embodiment of a display control apparatus, Comprising: The structure, a specification, etc. are not limited.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the system includes a display control device 1, a printer 2 as a printing device, a labeler 3 as a labeling device, and a conveyor 4.

  The printer 2 prints information such as merchandise on the conveyed label paper 111. The labeler 3 affixes the label 131 printed by the printer 2 to an article W such as a cardboard containing goods, goods or goods conveyed by the conveyor 4. The conveyor 4 conveys the articles W mounted on a rotating belt conveyor or the like in the direction of arrow 83. The conveyor 4 includes a conveyor control unit 81. The conveyor control unit 81 includes a conveyor sensor 811 that detects the article W. When the conveyor sensor 811 detects the article W conveyed on the conveyor 4, the conveyor control unit 81 transmits a detection signal to the display control device 1 via the line 82 (see FIG. 7). The conveyor 4 can also transport the article W in the direction opposite to the arrow 83 by reversing the rotation direction of the belt conveyor.

  The display control device 1 is installed on the upper part of the labeler 3. The labeler 3 is installed continuously with the conveyor 4. The printer 2 is installed continuously with the labeler 3. The printer 2 is installed with the labeler 3 interposed between the conveyor 4 and the labeler 3.

  FIG. 2 is a front view showing the appearance of the system. In FIG. 2, the conveyor 4, the labeler 3, and the printer 2 are arranged on a substantially straight line in the direction of the article W and about 90 degrees. A display device 18 that is a part of the display control device 1 is installed on the upper portion of the labeler 3.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the display device 18 in detail. In FIG. 3, the display device 18 includes a display surface 185. The display device 18 includes an operation unit 17. The operation unit 17 includes an operation button 171, a stop button 173, a reset button 172, an emergency stop button 174, and the like.

  The operation button 171 is a button for transmitting a signal for starting the operation of the system to the printer 2 and the labeler 3. The stop button 173 is a button for transmitting a signal for stopping the operation of the system to the printer 2 and the labeler 3. The reset button 172 is a button for canceling various error states that have occurred in the printer 2 and the labeler 3 described later. The emergency stop button 174 is a button for transmitting a signal for stopping the operation of the system to the printer 2, the labeler 3, and the conveyor 4. When the emergency stop button 174 is operated, the operation of the entire system is stopped. The emergency stop button 174 is disposed so as to protrude as compared with the other buttons 171 to 173. As a result, the emergency stop button 174 can be operated immediately in an emergency.

  The display device 18 includes a display surface 185. The display surface 185 is provided toward the side where the installed printer 2 and labeler 3 are arranged. That is, the arrangement direction of the printer 2 and the labeler 3 and the display surface 185 are installed so as to be substantially parallel.

  FIG. 4 is a side view of the printer 2 and the labeler 3. In FIG. 4, the display device 18 is installed to be rotatable about an axis (not shown). The virtual line display device 18 indicates that the solid line display device 18 has been rotated approximately 180 degrees. Therefore, the display surface 185 of the display device 18 rotated approximately 180 degrees is also provided toward the side where the installed printer 2 and labeler 3 are arranged. That is, the arrangement direction of the printer 2 and the labeler 3 and the display surface 185 are installed so as to be substantially parallel.

  Further, a substantially cylindrical pole 34 protruding upward from the printer 2 is provided at the top of the printer 2. A pole display portion 349 for displaying the states of the printer 2 and the labeler 3 with colors is provided at the tip of the pole 34. The pole display unit 349 lights one of blue, yellow, and red. Blue indicates that the printer 2 and the labeler 3 are operating. Yellow indicates that the printer 2 or the labeler 3 is temporarily stopped. Red indicates that the printer 2 or the labeler 3 is in an error state.

  FIG. 5 is a side view schematically showing the printer 2, the labeler 3, and the conveyor 4. The printer 2 and the labeler 3 are arranged in a row. In addition, a conveyor 4 that conveys an article W, which is an article to be attached to the label 131, to a position facing the labeler 3 is arranged continuously with the labeler 3.

  First, the printer 2 will be described. A holding shaft 211 is provided at a lower portion of the housing (not shown) of the printer 2 to rotatably hold the label paper 111 wound in a roll shape. The label paper 111 has a configuration in which a plurality of labels 131 are carried on a long mount 121 at regular intervals.

  The label paper 111 held on the holding shaft 211 is drawn out and conveyed by a conveying roller 221 constituted by a pair of driving rollers and driven rollers, and is finally taken up by a mount winding shaft 222. The label paper 111 is conveyed over auxiliary rollers 223, 224, and 225 and conveyed. Thereby, tension is generated in the label paper 111 during conveyance. An RFID tag (not shown) is buried in the label 131.

  An RFID reader / writer 261 is provided in the transport path of the label paper 111. The RFID reader / writer 261 reads and writes data by performing wireless communication with the RFID tag embedded in the label 131 positioned above the RFID reader / writer 261 in the process of transporting the label paper 111. Therefore, the RFID reader / writer 261 has a built-in reader / writer antenna 242 for executing such wireless communication.

  A printing unit 231 that performs printing on the printing surface of the label 131 is disposed on the downstream side of the RFID reader / writer 261. The printing unit 231 is mainly configured by a print head 232 and a platen 233 that are arranged to face each other through a conveyance path of the label paper 111. Then, the ink ribbon 234 is conveyed between the print head 232 and the platen 233. That is, the roll-shaped ink ribbon 234 is rotatably held by the ink ribbon holding shaft 236 in the housing. The ink ribbon 234 held on the ink ribbon holding shaft 236 is wound around the auxiliary roller 237 and the auxiliary roller 238 arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side of the print head 232, and is taken up by the ribbon take-up shaft 235. It is conveyed by being done.

  When the print head 232 generates heat and is pressed against the platen 233 via the ink ribbon 234, the ink ribbon 234 melts and printing on the printing surface of the label 131 is performed.

  On the downstream side of the printing unit 231, a peeling edge 251 around which the label paper 111 to be conveyed is stretched is disposed. The peeling edge 251 has a sharp folded end. When the label paper 111 is conveyed along the peeling edge 251, the label 131 is peeled off from the base paper 121 and supplied to the labeler 3 side. Then, only the mount 121 is wound on the mount winding shaft 222.

  FIG. 6 is a side view showing the labeler 3. As shown in FIG. 5, the labeler 3 has a first driven roller 341 disposed at a position for receiving the label 131 peeled by the peeling edge 251 of the printer 2, and a position closer to the conveyor 4 than the first driven roller 341. The driving roller 342 is disposed, and the second driven roller 361 is disposed on the conveyor 4 side and below the driving roller 342. The first driven roller 341 and the driving roller 342 are horizontally arranged.

  The rotation axis directions of the first driven roller 341, the driving roller 342, and the second driven roller 361 are parallel to the rotation directions of various rollers such as the conveyance roller 221 and the shaft of the printer 2. A first conveying belt 343 that is a non-adhesive silicon belt is stretched between the first driven roller 341 and the driving roller 342. A second conveying belt 362, which is also a non-adhesive silicon belt, is stretched between the driving roller 342 and the second driven roller 361.

  The driving roller 342 is rotated by the rotational driving force of a motor (not shown) being transmitted through a power transmission mechanism including gears and the like. As the driving roller 342 rotates, the first conveying belt 343 rotates with the rotation of the first driven roller 341 and the second conveying belt 362 rotates with the rotation of the second driven roller 361.

  The first driven roller 341 and the driving roller 342 are arranged in a triple manner with respect to the roller shaft 341a and the roller shaft 342a, respectively. The second driven roller 361 is arranged in two series with respect to the roller shaft 361a. The first transport belt 343 is three thin O-ring belts, and the second transport belt 362 is two thin O-ring belts. Accordingly, a groove for fitting the first conveying belt 343 or the second conveying belt 362 as an O-ring belt is formed in the circumferential portion of the first driven roller 341, the driving roller 342, and the second driven roller 361. Has been.

  Since the first driven roller 341 is disposed at a position for receiving the label 131 peeled off by the peeling edge 251 of the printer 2, the first transport belt 343 supports the label 131. Then, when the first transport belt 343 is rotated by the rotation of the driving roller 342, the label 131 supported by the first transport belt 343 is transported in the rotation direction.

  Since the second conveying belt 362 is also rotated by the rotation of the driving roller 342, the label 131 conveyed by the first conveying belt 343 is continuously supported by the second conveying belt 362 unless the rotation of the driving roller 342 is stopped. And is conveyed obliquely downward. Since both the first conveyance belt 343 and the second conveyance belt 362 are non-adhesive, the label 131 is smoothly conveyed from the first conveyance belt 343 to the second conveyance belt 362.

  A label collection case 371 capable of accommodating the label 131 is disposed at the downstream end in the conveyance direction of the label 131 by the second conveyance belt 362. That is, the second transport belt 362 transports the label 131 toward the label collection position where the label collection case 371 is disposed.

  Since the second conveyance belt 362 is non-adhesive, the label 131 falls by its own weight during conveyance by the second conveyance belt 362 and is stored in the label collection case 371.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a photoelectric label sensor 351 as a label detection unit is disposed between the first driven roller 341 and the driving roller 342. The label sensor 351 detects the label 131 that has been transported by the first transport belt 343. A label detection signal is output in response to detection of the label 131.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the suction head 311 is disposed above the first transport belt 343. A plurality of through holes 313 illustrated by dotted lines are formed in the smooth suction surface 312 of the suction head 311. The through hole 313 reaches the inside of the suction head 311.

  The suction head 311 is held by an arm 321. The air cylinder 331 is held by the rotary holder 333. When the rotary holder 333 is swung by 90 degrees, the air cylinder 331 is turned sideways (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6).

  The air cylinder 331 extends by supplying air. As a result, the suction head 311 is displaced to a first head position (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6) whose suction surface 312 is in contact with the label 131 supported by the first transport belt 343. Moreover, it can raise and return to the original position.

  When a negative pressure is applied to the through hole 313 in a state where the suction head 311 is displaced to the first head position, the label 131 is sucked to the suction surface 312 of the suction head 311.

  The suction head 311 that has sucked the label 131 is returned to the original position, and the air cylinder 331 is turned sideways. Then, by pushing out the suction head 311, the suction head 311 is displaced to a position in contact with the article W positioned at a position facing the labeler 3. Thereby, sticking of the label 131 is performed. At this time, the negative pressure is released from the through-hole 313 to switch to injection of pressurized air, and the label 131 is blown off toward the article W. Thus, the suction of the label 131 by the suction head 311 is released. The suction head 311, the air cylinder 331, and the rotation holder 333 constitute a pasting mechanism for taking out the label 131 on the first transport belt 343 and pasting it on the article W. The label 131 can be attached to the article W by a pressure bonding method that does not use air.

  Next, the hardware of the display control device 1, the printer 2, and the labeler 3 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. First, the hardware configuration of the display control device 1 will be described. In FIG. 7, the display control device 1 includes a control unit 100 for controlling each unit. The control unit 100 sends a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12 and a RAM (Random Access Memory) to a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 that centrally controls each unit via a bus line 15 such as an address bus and a data bus. 13 is connected. Further, the memory unit 14 and the controller 16 are connected to the control unit 100 via the bus line 15. The control unit 100 executes a control process, which will be described later, by the CPU 11 operating according to a control program 141 stored in the memory unit 14 and expanded in the RAM 13.

  The memory unit 14 is a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory that retains stored information even when the power is turned off, and stores a program including the control program 141.

  The RAM 13 temporarily stores information read from the memory unit 14. The RAM 13 has a counter 132 that counts the number of labels 131 to be described later.

  The controller 16 connects the operation unit 17 and the display device 18. The operation unit 17 includes the above-described operation button 171, stop button 173, reset button 172, and emergency stop button 174.

  The display device 18 includes a printer display unit 181, a labeler display unit 182, and a counter display unit 183 that is a pasting number display unit. The printer display unit 181 displays the status of the printer 2. The labeler display unit 182 displays the state of the labeler 3. The counter display unit 183 displays the number of labels 131 attached by the labeler 3.

  Further, the controller 16 controls the pole display unit 349. The controller 16 lights the pole display portion 349 in one of blue, yellow, and red depending on the state of the printer 2 and the labeler 3.

  The bus line 15 is connected to an I / F (Interface) 19. The I / F 19 is connected to the line 82. The I / F 19 transmits and receives signals to and from the printer 2, labeler 3, and conveyor control unit 81 via the line 82.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the printer 2 will be described. The printer 2 includes a control unit 200 for controlling each unit. The control unit 200 is configured by connecting a ROM 22 and a RAM 23 to a CPU 21 that centrally controls each unit via a bus line 25 such as an address bus and a data bus. In addition, the memory unit 24 and the controller 26 are connected to the control unit 200 via the bus line 25. The control unit 200 executes control processing described later by the CPU 21 operating according to the control program 241 stored in the memory unit 24 and expanded in the RAM 23.

  The memory unit 24 is a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory that retains stored information even when the power is turned off, and stores a program including the control program 241.

  The RAM 23 temporarily stores information read from the memory unit 24. The RAM 23 includes a counter 239 that stores the number of labels 131 printed by a printing unit 231 described later.

  The controller 26 connects an operation unit 27, a display unit 28, various sensors 29, a conveyance unit 30, an RFID reader / writer 261, and a printing unit 231.

  The operation unit 27 includes an on / off button of the printer 2 and operation buttons for operating various settings. The display unit 28 displays the number of printed labels 131 printed by the printer 2 and stored in the counter 239. Although not shown, the various sensors 29 include a sensor such as a sensor for detecting the label 131 conveyed to the printing unit 231. The conveyance unit 30 conveys the label 131 to the position of the printing unit 231.

  The bus line 25 is connected to the I / F 33. The I / F 33 is connected to the line 82. The I / F 33 transmits and receives signals to and from the display control device 1, the labeler 3, and the conveyor control unit 81 via the line 82.

  Next, the hardware configuration of the labeler 3 will be described. The labeler 3 includes a control unit 300 for controlling each unit. The control unit 300 is configured by connecting a ROM 52 and a RAM 53 to a CPU 51 that centrally controls each unit via a bus line 55 such as an address bus or a data bus. In addition, a memory unit 54 and a controller 56 are connected to the control unit 300 via a bus line 55. The control unit 300 executes control processing described later by the CPU 51 operating according to a control program 541 stored in the memory unit 54 and expanded in the RAM 53.

  The memory unit 54 is a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory that retains stored information even when the power is turned off, and stores a program including the control program 541.

  The RAM 53 temporarily stores information read from the memory unit 54. The RAM 53 includes a counter 531 that stores the number of labels 131 attached to the article W by the attaching unit 62 described later.

  The controller 56 connects an operation unit 57, a display unit 58, various sensors 59, a suction unit 60, a transport unit 61, and a pasting unit 62.

  The operation unit 57 includes an on / off button of the labeler 3 and operation buttons for operating various settings. The display unit 58 displays the number of labels 131 pasted and the like stored in the counter 531. Various sensors 59 are various sensors including a label sensor 351. The suction unit 60 has various suction configurations for sucking the label 131 including the suction head 311. The transport unit 61 includes the first transport belt 343 and transports the label 131 printed by the print unit 231 to the suction position. The affixing unit 62 includes an arm 321, an air cylinder 331, and a rotation holder 333, and is configured to affix the label 131 sucked by the suction unit 60 to the article W.

  The bus line 55 is connected to the I / F 67. The I / F 67 is connected to the line 82. The I / F 67 transmits and receives signals to and from the display control device 1, the printer 2, and the conveyor control unit 81 via the line 82.

  Next, control of the display control device 1, the printer 2, and the labeler 3 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of the display control device 1. The display control apparatus 1 realizes the display control unit 101, the display form control unit 102, and the stop signal transmission unit 103 by the control unit 100 operating according to a program such as the control program 141 stored in the memory unit 14.

  The display control means 101 has a function of arranging and displaying the printer display unit 181 and the labeler display unit 182 on the display device 18 in accordance with the order of arrangement on the display surface side of the printing device and the label sticking device.

  The stop signal transmission unit 102 has a function of transmitting a stop signal for stopping the conveyance of the article W by the conveyor 4 to the conveyor control unit 81 that controls the conveyor 4 when an error occurs in the printing apparatus or the label sticking apparatus. .

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of control processing of the display control device 1. In FIG. 9, the control unit 100 determines whether or not a power-on signal has been received from the printer 2 (step S11). If it is determined that it has been received (Yes in step S11), the control unit 100 displays “standby” indicating that the printer 2 is on standby on the printer display unit 181 (step S12). The “standby” display is displayed in white. On the other hand, when determining that it has not been received (No in Step S11), the control unit 100 determines whether or not a power-on signal has been received from the labeler 3 (Step S13). If it is determined that it has been received (Yes in step S13), the control unit 100 displays “standby” indicating that the labeler 3 is waiting on the labeler display unit 182 (step S14). The “standby” display is displayed in white. If it is determined that it has not been received (No in step S13), the control unit 100 returns to step S11 and waits.

  In this case, the control unit 100 (display control unit 101) displays, on the display device 18, a counter display unit 183 that displays the number of labels 131 affixed to the article W in order from the side closer to the conveyor 4. Is displayed in white, and a printer display unit 181 in which “standby” is displayed in white is displayed.

  The control unit 100 displays a printer display unit 181, a labeler display unit 182, and a counter display unit 183 on the display device 18. The control unit 100 displays a counter display unit 183 at a position closest to the conveyor 4 of the display device 18, then displays a labeler display unit 182, and displays a printer display unit 181 at a position farthest from the conveyor 4.

  Next, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the operation button 171 of the operation unit 17 has been operated (step S21). When it is determined that it has been operated (Yes in step S21), the control unit 100 transmits an operation signal to the printer 2, the labeler 3, and the conveyor 4 (step S22). Since the printer 2 and the labeler 3 that have received the operation signal are in a pause state until the article W is conveyed by the conveyor 4, has the control unit 100 received a pause signal from the labeler 3 and the printer 2? It is determined whether or not (steps S23 and S25). When it is determined that the pause signal is received from the labeler 3 (Yes in step S23), the control unit 100 displays “pause” indicating that the labeler 3 is paused on the labeler display unit 182. It performs (step S24). “Pause” is displayed in yellow. If it is determined that a pause signal has not been received from the labeler 3 (No in step S23), the control unit 100 determines whether a pause signal has been received from the printer 2 (step S25). If it is determined that it has been received (Yes in step S25), the control unit 100 displays “pause” indicating that the printer 2 is paused on the printer display unit 181 (step S26). “Pause” is displayed in yellow. If it is determined that the temporary stop signal has not been received from the printer 2 (No in step S25), the control unit 100 returns to step S23 and waits.

  If it is determined in step S21 that the operation button has not been operated (No in step S21), the control unit 100 detects the article W conveyed on the conveyor 4 from the conveyor sensor 811 of the conveyor control unit 81. It is determined whether or not an article detection signal indicating that it has been received is received (step S31). If it is determined that it has been received (Yes in step S31), the control unit 100 transmits an operation request signal to the printer 2 and the labeler 3 (step S32). Then, the control unit 100 determines whether or not an operation signal has been received from the labeler 3 and the printer 2 (step S33 and step SP35). When it is determined that the operation signal is received from the labeler 3 (Yes in Step S33), the control unit 100 displays on the labeler display unit 182 that the labeler 3 is in the operation state (Step S34). For example, a display “in operation” is displayed as a display indicating the operation state. “In operation” is displayed in blue. On the other hand, when determining that the operation signal is not received from the labeler 3 (No in Step S33), the control unit 100 determines whether or not the operation signal is received from the printer 2 (Step S35). If it is determined that it has been received (Yes in step S35), the control unit 100 displays on the printer display unit 181 that the printer 2 is operating (step S36). For example, “Issuing” is displayed as a display indicating the operation state. “Issuing” is displayed in blue. If it is determined that no operation signal has been received from the printer 2 (No in step S35), the control unit 100 returns to step S33 and waits.

  In this case, the control unit 100 (display control unit 101) displays, on the display device 18, a counter display unit 183 that displays the number of labels 131 affixed to the article W in order from the side closer to the conveyor 4. The labeler display unit 182 in which the characters are displayed in blue and the printer display unit 181 in which the characters “Issuing” are displayed in blue are displayed.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing that a display indicating that both the printer 2 and the labeler 3 are in the operating state is displayed on the display device 18. In FIG. 12, the display device 18 displays “Issuing” indicating that the printer 2 is operating on the printer display unit 181, and indicates that the labeler 3 is operating on the labeler display unit 182. “In operation” is displayed. The “Issuing” display and the “Active” display are displayed in blue. The counter display unit 183 displays the number of labels that the labeler 3 has attached the label 131 to the article W. The number of labels 131 attached to the article W by the labeler 3 is transmitted from the labeler 3.

  The number reset button 72 is a button for resetting the number of labels displayed on the counter display unit 183 to “0”.

  Returning to the description of FIG. If it is determined in step S31 that an article detection signal indicating that the article W has been detected has not been received (No in step S31), the control unit 100 has received an error signal from the printer 2 or the labeler 3. Is determined (step S41).

  The types of errors in the printer 2 include transport-related errors such as paper jams, RFID writing or reading errors, printing errors in the printing unit 231, errors in which the printer 2 cover is open, label paper 111 and ink ribbon 234. An error indicating that there is no more. The types of errors of the labeler 3 are a transport system error, a suction error, a pasting error, a cover opening error, and the like. When these errors occur, an error signal is transmitted from the device (printer 2 or labeler 3) in which the error has occurred to the display control device 1 (see FIGS. 10 and 11).

  If it is determined that an error signal has been received (Yes in step S41), the control unit 100 determines whether an error signal has been received from the labeler 3 (step S42). If it is determined that the labeler 3 has been received (Yes in step S42), the control unit 100 displays an “error” indicating that the labeler 3 is stopped due to an error on the labeler display unit 182 (step S43). The control unit 100 displays this “error” in red. The control unit 100 (stop signal transmission means 102) transmits an error signal to the printer 2 and the conveyor control unit 81 (step S44). When the conveyor control unit 81 receives the error signal, the conveyor control unit 81 stops the operation of the conveyor 4 and stops the conveyance of the articles W on the conveyor 4. Then, the control unit 100 determines whether a temporary stop signal is received from the printer 2 (step S45). The control unit 100 waits for reception (No in step S45), and if it is determined that it has been received (step S45: Yes), the control unit 100 indicates that the printer 2 is temporarily stopped displaying the printer display unit 181. “Pause” is displayed (step S46). “Pause” is displayed in yellow.

  In this case, the control unit 100 (display control means 101) displays, on the display device 18, a counter display unit 183 that displays the number of labels 131 attached to the article W in order from the side closer to the conveyor 4. A labeler display unit 182 in which characters are displayed in red and a printer display unit 181 in which the characters “pause” are displayed in yellow are displayed.

  If it is determined in step S42 that no error signal has been received from the labeler 3 (No in step S42), the control unit 100 determines that the error signal is received from the printer 2 and displays the printer display unit 181 with a printer. “Error” indicating that 2 is stopped due to an error is displayed (step S47). The control unit 100 displays this “error” in red. And the control part 100 (stop signal transmission means 102) transmits an error signal with respect to the labeler 3 and the conveyor control part 81 (step S48). When the conveyor control unit 81 receives the error signal, the conveyor control unit 81 stops the operation of the conveyor 4 and stops the conveyance of the articles W on the conveyor 4. And the control part 100 judges whether the temporary stop signal was received from the labeler 3 (step S49). The control unit 100 waits for reception (No in step S49), and when determining that it has been received (Yes in step S49), the control unit 100 indicates that the labeler 3 is temporarily stopped displaying the labeler display unit 182. “Temporary stop” is displayed (step S50). “Pause” is displayed in yellow.

  In this case, the control unit 100 (display control unit 101) displays, on the display device 18, a counter display unit 183 that displays the number of labels 131 attached to the article W in order from the side closer to the conveyor 4, “pause”. The labeler display unit 182 in which the characters “Y” are displayed in yellow and the printer display unit 181 in which the characters “ERROR” are displayed in red are displayed.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing that the labeler 3 is in an error state and the printer 2 is in a temporary stop state accordingly. In FIG. 13, the display device 18 displays “error” indicating that the labeler 3 is in an error state on the labeler display unit 182. “Error” is displayed in red. In addition, a “pause” display indicating that the printer 2 is in a pause state is displayed on the printer display unit 181. The “pause” display is displayed in yellow.

  In FIG. 13, the error type and content of the labeler 3 are displayed on the error state display unit 75. The content of the error is transmitted to the display control device 1 together with the error signal transmitted in step S93 and step S153.

  Returning to the description of FIG. If it is determined in step S41 that no error signal has been received (No in step S41), the control unit 100 determines whether the stop button 173 of the operation unit 17 has been operated (step S61). If it is determined that it has been operated (Yes in step S61), the control unit 100 transmits a stop signal to the printer 2 and the labeler 3 (step S62).

  In this case, the control unit 100 (display control means 101) displays, on the display device 18, a counter display unit 183 that displays the number of labels 131 attached to the article W in order from the side closer to the conveyor 4. A labeler display unit 182 in which characters are displayed in red and a printer display unit 181 in which “error” characters are displayed in red are displayed.

  If it is determined in step S61 that the stop button 173 of the operation unit 17 has not been operated (No in step S61), the control unit 100 determines whether or not the emergency stop button 174 of the operation unit 17 has been operated. Judgment is made (step S63). If it is determined that it has been operated (Yes in step S63), the control unit 100 transmits a stop signal to the printer 2, the labeler 3, and the conveyor control unit 81 (step S64). When it is determined that the emergency stop button 174 of the operation unit 17 is not operated (No in step S63), the control unit 100 returns to step S21 and waits.

  In this case, the control unit 100 displays a counter display unit 183 that displays the number of labels 131 affixed to the article W in order from the side closer to the conveyor 4 on the display device 18, and the characters “error” are displayed in red. The labeler display unit 182 and the printer display unit 181 in which the characters “error” are displayed in red are displayed.

  Although not shown, the control unit 100 displays the number of labels 131 counted by the counter 531 every time the labeler 3 attaches the label 131 to the article W when the printer 2 and the labeler 3 are in operation. 1 to send. Each time this is received, the control unit 100 displays the received number on the counter display unit 183. Therefore, the counter display unit 183 displays the number of labels 131 attached to the article W by the labeler 3.

  Next, the control of the printer 2 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 10, the control unit 200 determines whether or not the printer 2 is turned on (step S61). The controller 200 waits until it is turned on (No in step S61). If it is determined that it is turned on (Yes in step S61), the control unit 200 places the printer 2 in a standby state (step S62). Then, the control unit 200 transmits a printer power-on signal to the display control device 1 (step S63).

  Next, the control unit 200 determines whether or not an operation signal has been received from the display control device 1 (step S71). If it is determined that it has been received (Yes in step S71), the control unit 200 causes the printer 2 to be temporarily stopped (step S72). The temporarily stopped state means, for example, that the printer 2 is temporarily taken offline. And the control part 200 transmits a temporary stop signal with respect to the display control apparatus 1 (step S73).

  In Step S71, when it is determined that the operation signal is not received from the display control device 1 (No in Step S71), the control unit 200 determines whether or not the operation request signal is received from the display control device 1. Judgment is made (step S81). If it is determined that it has been received (Yes in step S81), the control unit 200 puts the printer 2 into an operating state (step S82). The operation state refers to a state in which a printing process can be executed at any time when a printing command is issued for the label 131. In this operating state, when there is a print command, the control unit 200 controls the print unit 231 to execute a print process on the label 131. The control unit 200 controls the transport unit 30 to transport the printed label 131 to the labeler 3 side. Then, the counter 239 counts the number of printed labels 131. And the control part 200 transmits an operation signal with respect to the display control apparatus 1 (step S83).

  If it is determined in step S81 that an operation request signal has not been received from the display control device 1 (No in step S81), the control unit 200 determines whether an error has occurred in the printer 2 ( Step S91). If it is determined that an error has occurred (Yes in step S91), the control unit 200 places the printer 2 in a stopped state (step S92). The stop state is, for example, that the printer 2 is set offline. And the control part 200 transmits an error signal with respect to the display control apparatus 1 (step S93).

  If it is determined in step S91 that no error has occurred in the printer 2 (No in step S91), the control unit 200 determines whether an error signal has been received from the labeler 3 (step S101). . An error signal is received from the labeler 3 via the line 82. If it is determined that it has been received (Yes in step S101), the control unit 200 places the printer 2 in a paused state (step S102). The temporarily stopped state means, for example, that the printer 2 is temporarily taken offline. And the control part 200 transmits a pause signal to the display control apparatus 1 (step S103). When the error of the labeler 3 is resolved and the printer 2 enters the operating state, the printer 2 returns to the operating state.

  If it is determined in step S101 that an error signal has not been received from the labeler 3 (No in step S101), the control unit 200 determines whether or not a stop signal has been received from the display control device 1 ( Step S111). If it is determined that it has been received (Yes in step S111), the control unit 200 puts the printer 2 in a stopped state (step S112). The stop state is, for example, that the printer 2 is offline. If it is determined that the stop signal is not received from the display control device 1 (No in step S111), the control unit 200 returns to step S71 and waits.

  Next, control of the labeler 3 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 11, the controller 300 determines whether or not the labeler 3 is powered on (step S121). It waits until it is turned on (No in step S121), and when it is determined that it is turned on (Yes in step S121), the control unit 300 puts the labeler 3 in a standby state (step S122). Then, the control unit 300 transmits a labeler power-on signal to the display control device 1 (step S123).

  Next, the control unit 300 determines whether or not an operation signal has been received from the display control device 1 (step S131). If it is determined that the label has been received (Yes in step S131), the control unit 300 causes the labeler 3 to be temporarily stopped (step S132). The temporarily stopped state is, for example, that the labeler 3 is temporarily taken offline. And the control part 300 transmits a temporary stop signal with respect to the display control apparatus 1 (step S133).

  In Step S131, when it is determined that the operation signal is not received from the display control device 1 (No in Step S131), the control unit 300 determines whether or not the operation request signal is received from the display control device 1. Judgment is made (step S141). If it is determined that it has been received (Yes in step S141), the control unit 300 puts the labeler 3 into an operating state (step S142). The operation state refers to a state in which a pasting process can be executed at any time when a pasting command is given to the label 131. In this operation state, when there is a sticking command, the control unit 300 controls the sticking unit 62 to stick the label 131 to the article W. Then, the counter 531 counts the number of attached labels 131. And the control part 300 transmits an operation signal with respect to the display control apparatus 1 (step S143). The control unit 300 transmits the number information of the counter 531 to the display control device 1 every time the counter 531 counts the number of labels 131.

  In Step S141, when it is determined that the operation request signal has not been received from the display control device 1 (No in Step S141), the control unit 300 determines whether an error has occurred in the labeler 3 ( Step S151). If it is determined that an error has occurred (Yes in step S151), the control unit 300 puts the labeler 3 into a stopped state (step S152). The stopped state is, for example, that the labeler 3 is set offline. And the control part 300 transmits an error signal with respect to the display control apparatus 1 and the conveyor control part 81 (step S153).

  If it is determined in step S151 that no error has occurred in the labeler 3 (No in step S151), the control unit 300 determines whether an error signal has been received from the printer 2 (step S161). . An error signal is received from the printer 2 via the line 82. If it is determined that it has been received (Yes in step S161), the control unit 300 causes the labeler 3 to be temporarily stopped (step S162). The temporarily stopped state is, for example, that the labeler 3 is temporarily taken offline. And the control part 300 transmits a temporary stop signal to the display control apparatus 1 (step S163). When the error of the printer 2 is resolved and the labeler 3 that has been temporarily stopped enters the operating state, the labeler 3 also returns to the operating state.

  If it is determined in step S161 that no error signal has been received from the printer 2 (No in step S161), the control unit 300 determines whether a stop signal has been received from the display control device 1 (step S161). Step S171). If it is determined that it has been received (Yes in step S171), the control unit 300 puts the labeler 3 into a stopped state (step S172). The stopped state is, for example, that the labeler 3 is offline. When it is determined that the stop signal is not received from the display control device 1 (No in step S171), the control unit 300 returns to step S131 and waits.

  In the embodiment, the display device 18 can be rotated 180 degrees as indicated by the solid line and the virtual line in FIG. When the display device 18 is rotated 180 degrees from the solid line position to the virtual line position, the control unit 100 performs the display illustrated in FIG. 14 on the display device 18. In FIG. 14, the control unit 100 displays the counter display unit 183 on the rightmost side, that is, the position closest to the conveyor 4. Next, the control unit 100 displays a labeler display unit 182. Then, the control unit 100 displays the printer display unit 181 on the left side of the display device 18, that is, the position farthest from the conveyor 4.

  As described above, according to the embodiment, the display surface 185 of the display device 18 is arranged along the line of the printer 2 and the labeler 3, and the printer display unit 181 and the labeler display unit 182 are aligned in the arrangement order of the printer 2 and the labeler 3. Arranged and displayed. Accordingly, the operation state of the printer 2 displayed by the printer display unit 181 and the operation state of the labeler 3 displayed by the labeler display unit 182 are displayed in the same order as the installation positions of the printer 2 and the labeler 3. It is easy to understand which of the labelers 3 has an error. In addition, it is possible to quickly grasp which error has occurred.

  Further, according to the embodiment, the display unit in which the error has occurred and the display unit in the paused state are displayed by changing the display form of the error display and the paused state, for example, by changing the display color. The error state and the pause state can be clearly distinguished by color.

  According to the embodiment, the display device 18 displays the number of labels 131 affixed to the article W at the position closest to the conveyor 4, so that the number of labels 131 affixed can be immediately grasped in a natural state. Can do.

  According to the embodiment, since the display device 18 displays the counter display unit 183, the labeler display unit 182, and the printer display unit 181 in this order from the side closer to the conveyor 4, the number of labels 131 can be immediately grasped. At the same time, the state of the actual labeler 3 and the printer 2 can be displayed together.

  In addition, according to the embodiment, even when the display device 18 is rotated 180 degrees in the horizontal direction, the counter display unit 183, the labeler display unit 182, and the printer display unit 181 are displayed in this order from the side close to the conveyor 4. Even if the display device 18 is rotated, the number of labels 131 can be immediately grasped and the state of the labeler 3 and the printer 2 can be displayed together.

  According to the embodiment, when an error occurs in the labeler 3, the conveyor control unit 81 stops the operation of the conveyor 4 and stops the conveyance of the articles W on the conveyor 4 when receiving an error signal from the labeler 3. Therefore, the article W to which the label 131 is not attached is not conveyed downstream.

  The embodiment is presented as an example, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. This embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  For example, in the embodiment, the error state displayed on the printer display unit 181 and the labeler display unit 182 is displayed in red, the temporary suspension state is displayed in yellow, the standby state is displayed in white, and the operation state is displayed in blue. As shown, the display is displayed with the color changed depending on the state. However, the display form may be changed in addition to the color. For example, the displayed font may be different, the background pattern may be different, or the character may be turned on and off.

  In the embodiment, the RFID reader / writer 261 writes data in the RFID embedded in the label 131 in the printer 2, but this is not an essential requirement.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Control part 101 Display control means 102 Display form control means 103 Stop signal transmission means

JP 2009-62087 A

Claims (4)

Wherein the printer display unit indicating the operating state of the printing apparatus for printing information on labels, and a labeler display unit indicating the operating state of the label sticking apparatus for sticking to an article conveyed by a conveyor labels are printed by the printer A display device for displaying on a display surface oriented in parallel with the alignment direction of the printing device and the labeling device ;
On the display device, the printer display unit and the labeler display unit are arranged and displayed in the order of arrangement on the display surface side of the printing device and the label sticking device, and from the printing device or the label sticking device. on the basis of the received error signal, and a display control unit that the error of the display unit displays an error state of the apparatus generated and displayed as paused the display portion of the device where the error has not occurred,
A display control device. The display control means transmits an error signal to a device in which the error has not occurred based on the reception of the error signal, and is temporarily received from a device in which the error has not occurred in response to the transmitted error signal. Displaying the display unit of the device in which the error has not occurred based on a stop signal as a paused state;
The display control apparatus according to claim 1. The display control means displays a number-of-pasting number display section for displaying the number of labels attached to the article by the label sticking device at a position closest to the conveyor of the display device.
The display control apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. A stop signal transmission means for transmitting a stop signal for stopping conveyance of the article by the conveyor to a conveyor control unit that controls the conveyor when an error occurs in the printing apparatus or the label sticking apparatus;
The display control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising:

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