JP6465279B2 - Stamping machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a stamping device for forming a stamping surface on a workpiece such as a stamp or a label sheet.

  The marking surface processing apparatus abuts a thermal head on a processing object such as a porous material, and selectively heat-generates a heat generating element of the thermal head while moving the relative head, thereby forming a desired marking surface on the processing object. It is an apparatus which performs the heat processing to form (for example, refer patent document 1). The porous material whose stamping surface has been processed by the stamping device is mounted on an ink impregnated body attached to a holder, thereby assembling a stamp having a stamping pattern ordered by a customer. In recent years, the stamping apparatus is required to have versatility capable of processing stamps or label sheets of various stamping patterns and sizes according to customer orders, and convenience that anyone can perform processing operations at the store. Therefore, for example, multiple types of dedicated attachments suitable for the types of workpieces such as stamps and label sheets and their stamping sizes are prepared in advance, and the attachments with the workpieces are loaded into the stamping machine and processed The stamping of the object is performed.

  As a prior art related to the present invention, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a label producing apparatus that forms a print on a print tape accommodated in a tape cartridge. This type of tape cartridge is a consumable item, and in order to print information on the type of cartridge currently used at the time of cartridge replacement on the tape end, the label producing apparatus of Patent Document 2 has its attribute (tape The switch hole for detecting the width, color, etc.) is formed.

JP 2014-43092 A JP 2013-95048 A

  With the above-mentioned stamping device that performs the stamping process by installing the workpiece on the dedicated attachment, various types of workpieces can be stamped, but the attachment does not match the type of object to be stamped In addition, there is a possibility that a user (including the customer himself / herself) will erroneously load the processing apparatus with an attachment of a type different from the type and size of the processing object ordered by the customer.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and is a stamping device that performs a stamping process by placing a workpiece on a dedicated attachment, and an attachment loading error that does not match the workpiece or It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing surface processing apparatus that has high versatility and convenience, such as prevention of processing operation mistakes.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a thermal head having a plurality of heating elements arranged in a line, and a dedicated head in which the processing object is installed at the time of processing to form a marking surface on the processing object. Attachment, a conveying means for relatively moving the workpiece and the thermal head installed in the attachment in contact with each other, and controlling the relative movement by the conveying means while controlling the relative movement of the thermal head. A printing surface processing apparatus that selectively heats and drives each heating element to form a marking surface on the object to be processed, and is installed on a part of the attachment main body. workpiece is stamp for a for or label sheet of the or the type and dot pattern hole form of predetermined according to the size of the stamp surface of the workpiece that will It is stamp surface machining apparatus according to claim being.

  According to the stamp processing apparatus having this configuration, it is possible to specify the type of the processing object installed in the attachment based on the dot pattern hole of the loaded attachment. For this reason, it is possible to prevent an attachment loading mistake or a machining operation mistake that is not suitable for the workpiece.

  The stamping apparatus may further include a reading unit that reads the dot pattern hole formed in the attachment at a position where the attachment is loaded.

  According to the marking surface processing apparatus having this configuration, the reading unit can read the dot pattern hole and specify the type of the processing object at the position where the attachment before starting the processing is loaded. For this reason, processing operation mistakes etc. can be prevented beforehand.

  In the stamping apparatus, it is preferable that the reading unit is an optical sensor that reads the dot pattern hole by transmitting or reflecting light.

  According to the stamping apparatus having this configuration, the optical sensor can read the dot pattern hole in a non-contact manner. For this reason, there is no attachment displacement due to unnecessary contact for reading the dot pattern hole, and the accuracy of the relative positional relationship between the workpiece and the thermal head can be maintained.

  Further, in the stamp processing apparatus, a terminal device that can be operated by a user is connected to the control means so as to be able to communicate, and the control means includes information on the type of the processing object input to the terminal device by the user and the control means. It is preferable to perform a process of inspecting the consistency with the dot pattern hole information read by the reading means.

  According to the stamp processing apparatus having this configuration, the consistency between the type information of the current processing target specified based on the dot pattern hole of the loaded attachment and the type information of the processing target input by the user is inspected. The For this reason, for example, even if an attachment of a type different from the type and size of the processing object ordered by the customer is erroneously loaded into the stamp processing apparatus, the processing start can be prevented. Therefore, processing operation mistakes and the like are prevented in advance, and user convenience is improved.

  Further, in the stamping apparatus, a notch groove that is blocked by a part of the processing object when the processing object is installed is formed in the attachment main body, and the reading is performed at a position where the attachment is carried in. The means for reading the state of the cutout groove may inspect the installation state of the workpiece on the attachment.

  According to the marking surface processing apparatus having this configuration, the reading unit that reads the dot pattern hole of the attachment can also inspect the installation state of the processing object on the attachment. For this reason, when the attachment is loaded in the stamping apparatus without installing the workpiece, or when the workpiece is loaded in the stamping apparatus in a state where the workpiece is not properly installed in the attachment, the start of machining can be prevented. Therefore, processing operation mistakes and the like are prevented in advance, and user convenience is improved. Further, since the reading unit has two functions of reading the dot pattern hole and inspecting the installation state of the object to be processed, the overall structure of the stamping apparatus can be simplified.

  According to the stamping surface processing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to prevent an attachment loading error that does not match the object to be processed, a processing operation error different from that ordered by the customer, and the like. Therefore, it is possible to provide a stamping apparatus with high versatility and convenience.

It is an external view which shows the whole structure of the stamping system including a stamping apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of a stamping surface processing apparatus. It is a two-view figure which shows the head surface and its side surface of a thermal head. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the porous marking body installed in an attachment. It is sectional drawing which shows the porous stamp body installed in an attachment. It is sectional drawing of the porous stamped body at the time of heat processing. It is a figure which illustrates a block data, gradation image data, drive amount data, and a porous material cross section. It is a front view of the attachment for porous stamps. It is a figure which illustrates the dot pattern predetermined corresponding to the type of a processing target object. It is a figure which shows embodiment of a reading means. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of a reading means. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of a reading means. It is a figure which shows embodiment which a reading means test | inspects the installation state of a workpiece. It is a figure for demonstrating the method to assemble a porous stamp from the porous stamped body in which the stamping surface was processed. It is a flowchart which shows the stamping process in a stamping apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the stamping process operation | movement in a stamping apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating further the stamping process operation | movement in a stamping apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating the stamping process operation | movement by other embodiment.

(Description of overall configuration of stamping system)
Hereinafter, specific embodiments of a stamping apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view showing the overall configuration of a stamping system including a stamping apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. 1, a terminal device 90 as an input operation unit for a user (including an operator and a customer) to operate is connected to the stamp processing apparatus 10 so as to communicate with each other. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a personal computer (PC) as the terminal device 90. However, in addition to the PC, there is no particular limitation as long as it is capable of communicating with the stamp processing apparatus 10 and includes means that allows the user to perform an input operation. is there. Further, instead of the terminal device, for example, a system in which a touch panel computer is integrally connected to the stamping apparatus 10 may be used.

  The stamp pattern of the stamp ordered by the customer is created by, for example, editor software that operates on the terminal device 90, and the created stamp pattern data (block data, monochrome image data) is transferred to the stamp processing apparatus 10. Alternatively, image data read by a scanner, a camera, or the like may be taken into the terminal device 90 and the stamp pattern data may be created using dedicated software. Alternatively, the customer may upload the stamp pattern data to a host server on the website in advance, and the processor may download the stamp pattern data to the terminal device 90 and perform processing by the stamp processing apparatus 10.

  One of the workpieces that can form a marking surface by the marking surface processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is a porous marking body 101 shown in FIG. 1, for example. As will be described later, this porous stamp 101 is mounted on the ink impregnated body 110 attached to the holder 112 after the stamp pattern is processed and formed by the stamp processing apparatus 10, whereby the stamp according to the customer's order. A porous stamp 100 having a pattern is assembled (see FIG. 12). Further, the processing target object on which the stamp surface can be formed by the stamp surface processing apparatus 10 may be a label sheet (not shown). As described above, at least a stamp and a label sheet are examples of processing objects that can form a stamp surface by the stamp processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. A plurality of stamped surface processing sizes can be selected for each type of processing object. Therefore, a plurality of types of attachments 50 that are manufactured exclusively for the type of workpiece are prepared in advance. Here, the “type” of the object to be processed means to include the above-mentioned “kind” and “processing size” of the stamp face corresponding thereto.

(Description of stamping device)
Next, the main body of the stamping surface processing apparatus 10 will be described by taking the porous stamp body 101 which is a stamp as the type of processing object. The stamping apparatus 10 selectively heats each heating element 12a of the thermal head 12 while relatively moving the thermal head 12 and the porous stamped body 101 in contact with the porous head 101, so that the porous material This is an apparatus for forming a marking surface line by line by melting and solidifying. Here, “contact” means that the height position of the thermal head 12 and the height position of the surface of the object to be processed (porous seal body 101) coincide. If the porous material is heated and melted by radiant heat from the thermal head 12, a state where the thermal head 12 and the porous material are opposed to each other with a micro gap is also included in the “contact”. In addition, a state where heat from the thermal head 12 is conducted to the porous material through a resin film or the like is also conceptually included in the “contact”. “Relative movement” may be the movement of the porous printing body 101 while fixing the position of the thermal head 12, or the movement of the thermal head 12 while fixing the position of the porous printing body 101. . In the present specification, an embodiment of the former structure in which the position of the thermal head 12 is fixed and the porous stamp body 101 is moved is described.

  The stamping apparatus 10 is provided with a tray 15 that is a means for conveying the attachment 50. The tray 15 is reciprocally conveyed between a discharge position where the attachment 50 can be attached and detached and a storage position in the imprinting apparatus 10 by a conveying mechanism 16 (see FIG. 2) provided inside the imprinting apparatus 10. On the front face of the stamping device 10, the operation status of the device (preparation complete, attachment loading, data reading, printing processing, attachment discharge, error, etc.) and the type (type and size) of the workpiece are displayed in characters. There are provided a display unit 18 for operation and operation switches for various operations. In addition, although not shown in the drawing, the rear surface of the stamping apparatus 10 includes a communication connector such as USB, D-SUB, or Ethernet (registered trademark) and a power supply connector for communication connection with the terminal device 90. Is provided.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the stamp surface processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. The stamping apparatus 10 includes a thermal head 12 having a plurality of heating elements 12a, 12a,..., An attachment 50 on which a porous stamp 101 is installed, a porous stamp 101 and a thermal head installed on the attachment 50. .., And the heat generating elements 12 a, 12 a,... Of the thermal head 12 are driven to generate heat while controlling the movement by the transport mechanism 16. And a control device 11 that performs thermal processing control processing for forming a marking surface on the surface of the body 101.

  FIG. 3 is a two-side view showing the head surface and side surfaces of the thermal head 12. As shown in the figure, a plurality of heating elements 12a, 12a,... Are formed on the head surface of the thermal head 12 (the surface that is in contact with the porous stamping body 101 to be stamped) at regular intervals in a line shape. It is arranged. The arrangement interval of the heating elements 12a and 12a, in other words, the size of one heating element 12a corresponds to the theoretical minimum processing pixel size of the stamping process. The dot density of the heat generating elements 12a in the thermal head 12 can be set to, for example, about 300 dpi (dot / inch). Under the control of the control device 11, the thermal head 12 is made porous by allowing the heat driving means 13 to selectively flow current to each of the heating elements 12a, 12a,. A 1-line marking surface is formed on the marking body 101. In addition, the thermal head 12 is controlled to move to a position where the thermal head 12 approaches and separates from the workpiece by the elevating mechanism 14 under the control of the control device 11.

  Here, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the porous stamp body 101 installed in the attachment 50, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view thereof. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the porous stamp body 101 is formed by having a rectangular frame 103 and a porous film 102 stretched so as to close the front opening of the frame 103. Is done. Here, “front surface” or “front surface” refers to the surface on the side where the marking surface is formed, and “rear surface” or “back surface” refers to the opposite surface on which the marking surface is formed. The rear opening of the frame 103 is formed wider than the front opening, and a concave step 106 is formed in the frame 103 as shown in FIG. The frame 103 having such a shape is molded by, for example, a thermoplastic resin that has a small thermal deformation.

  The material of the porous film 102 is not particularly limited as long as the surface can be heated and melted and solidified by the thermal head 12. As a raw material for the porous material, for example, styrene, vinyl chloride, olefin, polyester, polyamide, and urethane thermoplastic elastomers can be used. In order to obtain porosity, a filler such as starch, sodium chloride, sodium nitrate, calcium carbonate and raw material resin are kneaded with a heating and pressure kneader, a heating roll, etc., cooled to a sheet, and then water or dilute acid The filler is eluted with water. The melting temperature of the porous material produced by this method is the same as that of the raw material resin. Moreover, the melting temperature of the porous material can be adjusted by adding subcomponents such as pigments, dyes, and inorganic substances to the resin. The melting temperature of the porous material according to the present embodiment is 70 ° C to 120 ° C.

  The porosity and pore diameter of the porous membrane 102 can be adjusted by the particle size of the dissolved substance to be kneaded and the content thereof. The porosity of the porous membrane 102 according to the present embodiment is 50% to 80%, and the pore diameter is 1 μm to 20 μm. The porous membrane 102 may have a two-layer structure, and the porosity of the lower layer (rear surface side) may be 50 μm to 100 μm. The porous stamped body 101, which is an object for the stamping process, is created by thermally bonding the porous film 102 to the peripheral edge (front end surface) of the front opening of the frame 103.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the porous stamped body 101 during heat processing. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the porous stamp body 101 is installed on the attachment 50 by fitting the concave step portion 106 to the convex step portion 52 of the pedestal 51 from the rear surface side of the frame body 103. . In a state where the porous stamp 101 is installed on the pedestal 51 of the attachment 50, the horizontal position of the back surface of the porous film 102 and the surface of the convex stepped portion 52 coincide with each other, and preferably contact. In other words, the frame body 103 of the porous stamp body 101 is held by the pedestal 51 and the back surface of the porous film 102 is received by the surface of the protruding step portion 52. The thermal head 12 is brought into contact with the surface of the porous marking body 101 installed on the pedestal 51, and the porous marking body 101 is moved in a direction orthogonal to the line of the thermal head 12, thereby making the marking surface line by line. Processing is performed.

  Further, when the thermal head 12 is directly brought into contact with the surface of the porous stamp 101 and the heating element 12a is driven, the heated and melted porous material is welded to the thermal head 12, causing an increase in frictional force and a plate making failure. There is an inconvenience. In order to solve these problems, a resin film (not shown) may be interposed between the porous stamp body 101 and the thermal head 12. Such a resin film is required to have heat resistance having a higher melting point than the porous material used for the porous stamp 101 and low friction and smoothness that does not cause wrinkles on the printing surface. Is done. As this resin film, for example, a polyfilm such as cellophane, acetate, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene terephthalate, polytetrafluoroethylene, or polyimide can be used. By interposing such a resin film, in addition to preventing wrinkles generated in the porous material, the influence of residual heat remaining in the thermal head 12 can be reduced.

The heat generation amount Q when one heat generating element 12a of the thermal head 12 is driven is expressed by the following mathematical formula (1).
Q = k × I × t (1)
Here, k is a heat conversion efficiency coefficient, I is a drive current, and t is a drive time. According to Equation (1), the heat generation amount Q of the heating element is proportional to the drive amount Dq (Dq = I × t), which is the product of the drive current and the drive time.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the composition data representing the stamp pattern stored in the memory of the terminal device 90 is stored in a binary (monochrome) bitmap format. For example, a so-called “black” pixel value corresponding to a printing portion (printing portion) of a stamp is “1”, and a so-called “white” pixel value corresponding to a non-printing portion (non-printing portion) is “0”. It is. This binary block data representing the stamp pattern to be processed is referred to as “monochrome image data”. The basic operation of the stamping process in the stamping apparatus 10 is to drive the heat generating element 12a of the thermal head 12 to generate heat and heat and melt and solidify the surface of the porous stamping body 101 in contact with the thermal head 12, This is to form a non-printed part in which the porosity is lost on the surface of the porous stamped body 101. Therefore, basically, the control device 11 does not drive the heating element of the printing part (printing part) according to the monochrome image data (Dq = 0) and drives the heating element of the non-printing part (non-printing part) (Dq = Dqmax), so to speak, it is possible to process the stamp surface by performing on / off control.

  However, in the simple on / off control according to such binary monochrome image data, the residual heat accumulated in the thermal head 12 at the edge position of the non-printed part is conducted to the area of the neighboring printed part. There is a problem. As a result, a part of the porosity (ink permeability) of the outline portion of the print is lost, and there is a case where the print outline becomes narrower or deforms than the original image data. In order to prevent such deformation of printing, in the terminal device 90 of the present embodiment, gradation data for creating gradation image data having gradation of, for example, 8 bits (256 gradations) based on monochrome image data. Creation means are provided.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the gradation data creating means provided in the terminal device 90 has a boundary area (monochrome value is inverted) between a printing part (printing part) and a non-printing part (non-printing part) of monochrome image data. The gradation image data corrected so that the pixel value changes monotonically in a stepwise manner in the region) is created. The “monotonic change” here includes a case where the gradation image data is corrected nonlinearly based on the monochrome image data. Then, the drive amount conversion means provided in the control device 11 converts the generated gradation image data into drive amount data of each heating element 12a of the thermal head 12. When calculating the drive amount Dq of the heat generating element 12a, the drive amount converting means can consider the correlation characteristic between the drive amount of the heat generating element 12a and the porosity (ink permeability).

  Here, the permeation ratio of the ink, which is an index for quantitatively indicating the porosity, is set to 1 (100%) as the initial porosity of the porous material before heat processing, and heat is generated at the maximum driving amount (Dq = Dqmax). It can be defined as the ratio when the porosity of the porous material after the element is driven and thermally processed is standardized as 0 (0%). Since the porous material slightly shrinks and changes its thermal conductivity and the like as it is heated and melted, the driving amount of the heating element and the ink penetration ratio are not necessarily proportional. Therefore, nonlinear correlation characteristic data between the driving amount of the heating element and the ink permeation ratio measured in advance through experiments or the like is stored in the memory (for example, the ROM 19b) of the terminal device 90 or the control device 11.

Incidentally, gradation data generating means, on the basis of the monochrome image data, and creates a gradation image data corrected by considering a nonlinear correlation properties described above (the relationship of the permeation ratio of the driving amount and the ink of the heating element) Also good. In this case, by creating the gradation image data having a relationship proportional and the driving amount of the heating element 12a and the gradation value of the gradation image data, driving amount conversion means of the control unit 11, the gradation image data The drive amount data can be obtained directly (specifically, without performing nonlinear correction processing or the like).

  The heat generation drive control means provided in the control device 11 controls the heat drive means 13 by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) to control the heat generation drive amount Dq according to the drive amount data for each heat generating element 12a of the thermal head 12. By doing so, a marking face is formed on the porous marking body 101 line by line. Here, the PWM control is a method of controlling the driving amount Dq to the heating element 12a by making the amplitude of the driving current flowing through the heating element 12a constant and controlling the pulse time width (duty ratio). Note that the heat generation drive amount Dq may be controlled by PWM control with the voltage amplitude applied to the heat generating element 12a being constant.

  According to the stamp surface processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the above-described gradation data creation means, drive amount conversion means, and heat generation drive control means are applied, and for the purpose of decorating the print, the contour of the stamped portion, the logo mark, etc. It is also possible to make a stamped surface with a tone. In this case, the pattern data (block data) on the stamp surface decorated with gradation or the like may have gradation values in advance.

  Next, the attachment 50 loaded in the stamping apparatus 10 will be described. On the attachment 50, a processing object of the stamping surface processing apparatus 10, such as the porous stamp body 101, is installed. FIG. 8 is a front view of the attachment 50 for the porous stamp body 101. A pedestal 51 is formed on the upper surface of the main body of the attachment 50 so as to be fitted to the back side of the porous stamp 101. Further, a hole 53, 53,... Of a dot pattern determined in advance according to the type of the workpiece to be installed is formed in a part of the attachment 50 main body in a line through the attachment 50 main body. Yes. Further, a notch groove 55 that is notched in a U-shape is formed from the end of the attachment 50 to a part of the pedestal 51.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of a dot pattern that is predetermined according to the type of object to be processed. The dot pattern for identifying the type of the object to be processed and / or the type of the attachment 50 is an array pattern composed of combinations of holes 53, 53,... And blanks 54, 54,. Here, “blank” means a region of the dot pattern in which no hole is formed in the attachment 50 main body. As can be seen with reference to FIG. 9, for example, the dot pattern of the holes 53, 53,... Shown in FIG. 8 is “01011” in binary notation. The attachment type “4” for the processing size “15 × 30 mm” can be identified.

  The stamping device 10 is provided with reading means for reading the dot patterns of the holes 53, 53,... At the position where the attachment 50 is loaded. The “loading position” of the attachment 50 is either a position where the attachment 50 is placed on the discharged tray 15 or a position where the attachment 50 is slightly carried into the stamping apparatus 10 (first loading position). Good. In addition, as shown in FIG. 10A, the reading unit may be configured by, for example, a photodiode 17S that emits light from below the attachment 50, and a photodetector 17D that is disposed above the attachment 50 and faces the photodiode 17S. Yes (transmission type optical sensor). The photodiode 17S may be provided above the attachment 50, and the photodetector 17D may be provided below the attachment 50. For example, if the number of dots in the hole pattern is 5, an optical sensor including five pairs of photodiodes 17S and photodetectors 17D corresponding to the positions of the holes 53 and the blanks 54 is provided. According to the configuration of the reading means of the transmissive optical sensor, the light emitted from the photodiode 17S and passed through the hole 53 is detected by the photodetector 17D. On the other hand, when the light emitted from the photodiode 17S is blocked by the blank 54, the light is not detected by the photodetector 17D.

  As another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10B, a pair of a photodiode 17S and a photodetector 17D may be provided below the attachment 50 in order to read the patterns of blanks 54, 54,. (Reflective optical sensor). According to the configuration of the reading means of this reflection type photosensor, the light emitted from the photodiode 17S and reflected by the surface of the blank 54 is detected by the adjacent photodetector 17D. On the other hand, when the light emitted from the photodiode 17S passes through the hole 53, the light is not detected by the adjacent photodetector 17D.

  The transmissive or reflective optical sensors 17S and 17D can read the dot patterns 53 and 54 in a non-contact manner. For this reason, the positional displacement of the attachment 50 due to unnecessary contact for reading the dot patterns 53 and 54 does not occur, and the accuracy of the relative positional relationship between the workpiece and the thermal head 12 can be maintained.

  As still another embodiment, in order to read the pattern of the holes 53, 53,... And the blanks 54, 54,..., Microswitches 17m, 17m,. It can also be provided (mechanical switch).

  Moreover, the optical sensors 17S and 17D, which are the above-described reading means provided in the stamping apparatus 10, also have a function of inspecting the installation state of the workpiece on the attachment 50 at the position where the attachment 50 starts processing or the loading position. ing. That is, the main body of the attachment 50 is formed with a cutout groove 55 cut out to a part of the pedestal 51, and the porous stamped body 101, which is an object to be processed, is porous when placed on the pedestal 51. The cutout groove 55 is blocked by a part of the stamp body 101. As shown in FIG. 11, the optical sensor 17S, 17D reads the state of the cutout groove 55, thereby inspecting the installation state of the porous stamp 101 on the attachment 50. That is, if the light emitted from the photodiode 17S to the cutout groove 55 is blocked by a part of the porous stamp 101 and is not detected by the photodetector 17D, it is determined that the object to be processed is normally installed on the attachment 50. it can.

  According to this configuration, the reading means (the optical sensors 17S and 17D) for reading the dot patterns 53 and 54 of the attachment 50 can also inspect the installation state of the processing object on the attachment 50. For this reason, even when the attachment 50 is loaded in the stamp processing apparatus 10 without setting the processing target, or when the processing target is loaded in a state where the processing target is not properly set on the attachment 50, the start of processing can be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to improve the convenience of the user by preventing machining operation mistakes and the like in advance. Further, the reading means (the optical sensors 17S and 17D) have two functions of reading the dot patterns 53 and 54 of the attachment 50 and inspecting the installation state of the workpiece, so that the entire structure of the stamping apparatus 10 is simplified. It can also be converted.

(Description of stamping method)
Next, a stamping method using the stamping apparatus 10 of the present embodiment will be described by taking the production of the porous stamp 100 as an example.
1. Operation Performed by User First, a user (including a customer) inputs data of a stamp pattern to be created (monochrome composition data) via the terminal device 90. The stamp pattern data may be created by dedicated editor software that operates on the terminal device 90. Further, text data created in advance by the user may be input to the terminal device 90. Alternatively, image data read by a scanner or camera may be taken into the terminal device 90. Then, in accordance with an instruction of dedicated human interface software operating on the terminal device 90, type information such as the type of the processing target (a stamp or label sheet) and the processing size is input. The monochrome image data of the input stamp pattern and the type information of the processing object are stored in the memory in the terminal device 90.

  Next, the user places the porous stamp 101 on the pedestal 51 of the attachment 50 and places the attachment 50 on the tray 15 discharged from the apparatus 10. When the attachment 50 is loaded, the tray 15 is carried into the stamping device 10 and the attachment 50 is accommodated. Then, after a predetermined initial process is performed in the stamping apparatus 10, the stamping process of the porous stamped body 101 is automatically performed.

  When the stamping process is completed, the tray 15 is automatically ejected. The user can take out the attachment 50 from the tray 15 and obtain the porous stamped body 101 with the stamped surface processed. As shown in FIG. 12, by attaching an ink impregnated body 110 and a holder 112 to a porous stamped body 101 having a stamped surface formed thereon, a porous stamp 100 having a unique stamped surface pattern according to the order is obtained. .

2. Next, a processing operation in the stamping apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13, 14A, and 14B. The stamping processing in the stamping apparatus 10 shown mainly in the flowchart of FIG. 13 is realized by arithmetic processing executed by a CPU provided in the control device 11 according to a program stored in a storage unit such as the ROM 19b.

  First, when a discharge operation of the tray 15 is accepted (step S10: YES), in the next step S11, the transfer control means provided in the control device 11 controls the transfer mechanism 16 to transfer the tray 15 to the discharge position. . Then, the user attaches the attachment 50 to the tray 15 (FIG. 14A (a)). The transport control means carries the tray 15 into the first carry-in position according to the carry-in operation of the tray 15 (FIG. 14A (b)), and the holes 53 and 53 formed in the attachment 50 by the optical sensors 17S and 17D. ,... Are read (step S12). The dot pattern of the holes 53, 53,... Is read at a position where the attachment 50 is placed on the tray 15 (discharge position) or a position where the attachment 50 is further accommodated inside (for example, an origin position described below or in the vicinity thereof). May be.

  In subsequent step S <b> 13, the control device 11 specifies the type of the attachment 50 loaded and the type (type and processing size) of the processing object installed in the attachment 50 based on the read dot pattern. The type information of the specified processing object may be displayed on the display unit 18 of the stamp processing apparatus 10. In step S14, the consistency between the type information of the processing object input to the terminal device 90 and the type and / or type information of the processing object specified from the dot pattern of the attachment 50 is determined. The If these pieces of information are not consistent (step S14: NO), an error is displayed on the display unit 18 in step S15, and the accommodation of the attachment 50 can be refused. As described above, when the attachment 50 before starting the processing is loaded, the reading means (the optical sensors 17S and 17D) can read the dot pattern and specify the type of the processing object. For this reason, processing operation mistakes etc. can be prevented beforehand.

  If it is determined that the type information is consistent (step S14: YES), in step S16, the conveyance control means of the control device 11 controls the conveyance mechanism 16, and the tray 15 and the attachment 50 are in the stamping device 10. Then, it is carried into a second carry-in position which is a carry-in position in the middle. It should be noted that the processing for specifying the type of the workpiece based on the dot pattern in step S13 and the processing for determining the consistency of the type information in step S14 may be performed at the origin position described later or a position accommodated in the vicinity thereof. Good. In this case, if the type information is not consistent, the tray 15 may be returned to the discharge position. This can prompt the user to redo the operation.

  In step S17, the tray 15 and the attachment 50 are in the printing surface processing apparatus 10, and the installation state of the porous printing body 101, which is a processing target, on the attachment 50 is inspected by the photo detector 17D, which is a reading unit (FIG. 14A ( c)). If the porous stamp 101 is not installed on the attachment 50 or is not installed correctly (step S17: NO), an error is displayed on the display unit 18 in step S18, and the tray 15 is returned to the discharge position. Thereby, it is possible to prompt the user to install the processing object on the attachment 50.

If it is determined that the porous stamp 101 is correctly installed on the attachment 50 (step S17: YES), in the next step S21, the gradation data creating means provided in the terminal device 90 determines the floor level from the monochrome image data. Create tonal image data. For example, the gradation data creation means creates gradation image data corrected so that the pixel value changes monotonically in a stepwise manner in the boundary region where the value of the monochrome image data is reversed in black and white. In step S22, the drive amount conversion means of the control device 11 converts the gradation image data to create drive amount data for each heating element 12a.
In step S21, the gradation data creating means may create the gradation image data from the monochrome image data in consideration of the non-linear correlation between the pre-measured driving amount of the heating element and the ink penetration ratio. . Alternatively, in step S22, the driving amount conversion means may create driving amount data from the gradation image data in consideration of the nonlinear correlation.

  In the next step S23, the tray 15 and the attachment 50 are located at the deepest position (third carry-in position; origin position), and the origin sensor 30 is turned on at this position, thereby setting the origin of conveyance. (FIG. 14A (d)). The origin sensor 30 may be an optical sensor that senses light blockage by contact with the tray 15 or the attachment 50. Note that the origin (discharge position) at which the tray 15 and the attachment 50 shown in FIG. In the next step S <b> 24, the control device 11 determines a processing start position based on information on the type and processing size of the processing target specified from the dot pattern of the hole 53. In step S25, the conveyance control unit controls the conveyance mechanism 16, and moves the porous stamp body 101 to the determined processing start position.

  After the porous stamp 101, which is the processing target, has moved to the processing start position, in step S26, the control device 11 determines the thermal head 12 based on the information on the type of processing target specified from the dot pattern of the hole 53. Determine the heating height position. Here, the “heating height position” corresponds to a height position at which the thermal head 12 abuts the porous printing body 101. In step S27, the control device 11 controls the lifting mechanism 14 to lower the thermal head 12 to the determined heating height position. At this stage, the thermal head 12 comes into contact with the porous stamp 101 at the processing start position (FIG. 14B (e)).

  In step S28, the heat generation drive control means of the control device 11 performs PWM control of the heat drive means 13 according to the drive amount data for one line, and selectively heats the heat generation elements 12a of the thermal head 12. As a result, the porous stamped body 101 is thermally processed for only one line. In the next step S29, the transport control means of the control device 11 controls the transport mechanism 16 to move the porous stamp body 101 by one line width in the unloading direction. The control device 11 repeats the processes of step S28 and step S29, thereby marking the porous stamped body 101 line by line (FIG. 14B (f)). Then, when the processing of the final line is completed as determined in step S30 (FIG. 14B (g)), the tray 15 is conveyed to the discharge position in step S31. Thereby, the user can acquire the porous stamp body 101 on which the stamp face pattern is formed.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 15, you may perform a stamping process, moving the porous stamp body 101 to a carrying-in direction. That is, the control device 11 determines the processing start position (right end in FIG. 15) after setting the origin, and moves the porous stamp body 101 to the processing start position determined by controlling the transport mechanism 16 (FIG. 15A). )). Then, the control device 11 controls the transport mechanism 16 to drive the heat generating element 12a of the thermal head 12 by heat generation by PWM control while moving the porous stamp 101 in the carrying-in direction line by line (FIG. 15B). . When the processing of the final line (the left end in FIG. 15) of the porous stamped body 101 is completed, the stamping process is completed (FIG. 15 (c)).

  According to the stamp surface processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the type of the workpiece to be processed installed in the attachment 50 is specified based on the dot pattern formed of the hole 53 or the blank 54 of the loaded attachment 50 or a combination thereof. can do. For example, even if an attachment of a type different from the type and size of the processing object ordered by the customer is erroneously loaded into the stamping surface processing apparatus, the start of processing can be prevented. For this reason, it is possible to prevent in advance an attachment loading mistake or a machining operation mistake that is not suitable for the workpiece. Therefore, the stamp surface processing apparatus 10 can have high versatility and convenience.

  Although the preferred embodiment of the stamping apparatus according to the present invention has been described above, the technical idea of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment described here. Those skilled in the art can appropriately change or improve this embodiment without departing from the gist or technical idea of the present invention. It is to be understood that the stamping apparatus with such changes or improvements and related peripheral technologies are included in the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Stamping apparatus 11 Control apparatus 12 Thermal head 12a Heating element 13 Thermal drive means 14 Elevating mechanism 15 Tray 16 Conveying mechanism 17S, 17D Reading means (optical sensor)
30 Origin sensor 50 Attachment 51 Pedestal 53 Hole 54 Blank 55 Notch groove 90 Terminal device 100 Porous stamp 101 Porous stamp 102 Porous film 103 Frame 112 Holder 110 Ink impregnated body

Claims (5)

A thermal head having a plurality of heating elements arranged in a line;
A dedicated attachment on which the object to be processed is installed at the time of the processing for forming the stamp surface on the object to be processed;
A conveying means for relatively moving the workpiece and the thermal head in contact with each other installed in the attachment;
A stamping surface processing apparatus comprising: control means for selectively processing the heating elements of the thermal head to generate heat while controlling the relative movement by the transport means to form a marking surface on the workpiece. There,
A predetermined dot pattern hole is formed in a part of the attachment main body depending on whether the processing object to be installed is for a stamp or a label sheet and the size of the marking surface of the processing object A stamping apparatus characterized by being made.   The stamping apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reading unit that reads the dot pattern hole formed in the attachment at a position where the attachment is loaded.   The stamp processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the reading unit is an optical sensor that reads the dot pattern hole by transmitting or reflecting light.   A terminal device operable by a user is communicably connected to the control means, and the control means inputs information about the type of the processing object input to the terminal device by the user and the dots read by the reading means. The stamping surface processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a process for inspecting consistency with information on a pattern hole is performed. The attachment main body is formed with a notch groove that is blocked by a part of the object to be processed when the object to be processed is installed, and the reading means is in the state of the notch groove at a position where the attachment is loaded. The stamp surface processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein an installation state of the object to be processed on the attachment is inspected by reading.

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