JP6484379B1 - Electronic tag sticking apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic tag in which information is individually written can be attached to a plurality of types of objects.
An object of the present invention is to attach an electronic tag supply unit 20 for sequentially supplying an electronic tag 10 having an adhesive portion and an electronic tag 10 supplied from the electronic tag supply unit 20 to an object 50 to be applied. , An affixing unit 30, 40, a reader / writer 60 for writing information on the object 50 to the electronic tag 10 in the process until it is affixed to the object 50, and an individual information sensor 71 for detecting individual information of the object 50. And writing information including part or all of the individual information detected by the individual information sensor 71 and at least one of the related information acquired based on the detected individual information by the reader / writer 60. This is solved by the electronic tag attaching device 1 that writes in the electronic tag 10 to be attached to the object 50 that has been detected.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic tag pasting apparatus having an adhesive portion and a method therefor.

  As is well known, an electronic tag (also referred to as an RF tag, IC tag, RF label, etc.) includes an IC chip and an antenna connected to the IC chip in order to perform storage and reading of information in a non-contact manner by short-range wireless communication. It is what you have. In addition, in general, an electronic tag has an adhesive surface on the back surface for attaching to an object. RFID (Radio frequency identification) uses such an electronic tag to automatically write individual information on an object to the electronic tag and read individual information on the object stored in the electronic tag by wireless communication. System.

  Various studies and proposals have been made on electronic tags, and some of them are realized, and some are not realized. For example, electronic tags are expected to be applied to individual product management as an alternative to optically readable tags such as barcodes, but are used in retail businesses where unit prices are low, such as convenience stores. Has not been realized in Japan. The main reason for this is that the unit price of the electronic tag is high, but there are problems with reading accuracy (interruption of radio waves due to water and metal product containers contained in the product contents) and the attachment of the electronic tag to individual products. The incompleteness of technology is also a drag on the spread.

  Among these, with regard to the technology for attaching electronic tags to individual products, certain information (for example, manufacturing information, truck loading information, inventory information, sales information, loss information, delivery information, expiration date information, A technique for attaching an electronic tag in which (consumption information) is written has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4).

  However, source tagging (manufacturers attach electronic tags to products) is performed on almost all products in order to achieve individual product management using a method of attaching electronic tags with certain information written. It takes a lot of time to improve the environment.

  Even if it becomes possible, the technique of attaching an electronic tag in which certain information is written cannot respond to a request for attaching an original electronic tag on the retail store side and writing original information. That is, when an electronic tag is affixed at a retail store, it is necessary to affix an electronic tag on which information is individually written for products of different types (size, packaging, etc.), quantities, etc. However, it is unrealistic to perform this manually, and the present situation is that an apparatus for automatically performing this is not provided. Of course, it is needless to say that there is a demand similar to that of a retail store as long as it is a manufacturer of a small quantity and a variety of products other than the retail store.

JP-A-2005-104521 JP 2007-091246 A JP 2007-091298 A JP 2008-046661 A JP 2008-62965 A

  Then, the main subject of this invention is providing the technique which sticks the electronic tag which wrote the information separately with respect to multiple types of sticking target object.

<First aspect>
An electronic tag supply section for sequentially supplying electronic tags having an adhesive section;
Affixing the electronic tag supplied from the electronic tag supply unit to an object to be applied;
In an electronic tag pasting device comprising:
A reader / writer that writes information on the object to an electronic tag that is in the process of being pasted on the object;
An individual information sensor for detecting individual information of the object,
The individual information detected by the reader / writer is written information including part or all of the individual information detected by the individual information sensor and at least one of the related information acquired based on the detected individual information. Write on the electronic tag that will be affixed to the object.
An electronic tag sticking device characterized by that.

(Function and effect)
In this electronic tag pasting device, individual information of an object is detected within the device, and write information based on the detection result is written to an electronic tag to be pasted on the target for which the individual information has been detected. Therefore, even when the electronic tags are affixed to a plurality of types of objects in random order, it is possible to automatically affix an electronic tag in which appropriate information is written. For example, when attaching an electronic tag at a retail store, the worker is not aware of the type of the target object, such as the type (size, packaging, etc.) The electronic tag in which appropriate information is written can be automatically and sequentially attached.

<Second aspect>
The individual information sensor is at least one of a code reader, an optical character reader, a color sensor, and a weight sensor.
The electronic tag sticking device of the first aspect.

(Function and effect)
In the electronic tag attaching apparatus, when the individual information sensor is a code reader such as a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code, the electronic tag in which the read information is written can be attached. Thus, for example, a retailer can attach such an electronic tag to a product for sale to identify products for cash register / inspection / inventory operations, shoplifting prevention using a security gate, etc. You can do it all at once. In addition, when the individual information sensor is an optical character reader, the product size, product color, content, date of manufacture, expiration date, etc. attached to the object (usually product exterior or product itself) An electronic tag in which the read information is written can be attached. Furthermore, when the individual information sensor is a color sensor, an electronic tag in which information about the color of the object is written can be attached. When the individual information sensor is a weight sensor, information about the weight of the object is written. You can attach an electronic tag. Therefore, for example, a retailer can attach these electronic tags to a sale product, and can manage the product based on individual information not included in the one-dimensional code or the two-dimensional code that is normally attached.

<Third Aspect>
An input device for selecting the continuous processing of the same object;
When continuous processing of the same object is selected by the input device, a part or all of the individual information detected by the individual information sensor is detected when an electronic tag is attached to the first object. Write information including at least one of the related information acquired based on the individual information is written to the electronic tag to be attached to the object on which the individual information is detected by the reader / writer,
When affixing an electronic tag to the same object after the first object, writing information on the first object is affixed to the object after the first object by the reader / writer; Write on the electronic tag
The electronic tag sticking device according to the first or second aspect.

(Function and effect)
According to this apparatus, the operator can select a continuous process using the input device, and while the selection is effective, a plurality of the same objects can be processed continuously. If the target object is processed, it is possible to efficiently write and paste information on the electronic tag. Further, compared with the case of automatically recognizing a product, the control is simplified and there is no possibility of erroneous recognition.

<Fourth aspect>
An object conveyor for conveying the object;
The affixing unit has a robot that receives an electronic tag supplied from the electronic tag supply unit and affixes the object to be conveyed on the object conveyor,
The individual information sensor is provided on the upstream side of the object conveyor, where the robot can be pasted.
After the robot receives the electronic tag supplied from the electronic tag supply unit, the electronic tag is brought close to the reader / writer, the writing is performed, and the electronic tag is attached to the object.
The electronic tag sticking device according to any one of the first to third aspects.

(Function and effect)
As described above, when an electronic tag is attached to the object being conveyed by the robot while the object is being conveyed by the object conveyor, a large number of objects can be continuously processed. In addition, by writing information on the electronic tag immediately before pasting, not only can the electronic tag on which information is individually written be pasted on a plurality of types of pasting objects, but also wasteful writing can be suppressed. Thus, efficient writing and pasting of information can be performed.

<Fifth aspect>
In the object conveyor, having a passage sensor that detects the passage of the object upstream of the individual information sensor,
When the individual information is not detected by the individual information sensor until a predetermined time elapses after the passage of the object is detected by the passage sensor, at least the object conveyor is stopped.
An electronic tag pasting device according to a fourth aspect.

(Function and effect)
If the position of the target individual information (one-dimensional code, etc.) on the target object is present on a surface that cannot be detected by the individual information sensor, or if the package with the individual information attached has a large wrinkle, the individual information sensor Individual information cannot be detected, and the object is simply transported on the object conveyor. In this case, it is unclear whether an individual information reading error has occurred or a problem has occurred in the robot control. On the other hand, when individual information is not detected by the individual information sensor until a predetermined time elapses after the passage of the object is detected by the passage sensor arranged on the upstream side of the individual information sensor as in this aspect. Therefore, it can be determined that a reading error of the individual information sensor has occurred. Therefore, in such a case, at least when the object conveyor is stopped, the operation can be resumed without wasting the electronic tag by taking out the object and starting again from the start of the apparatus.

<Sixth aspect>
In addition to the transport space of the object by the object conveyor, it has a temporary pasting part for pasting an electronic tag to be discarded,
When the writing error of the electronic tag occurs, the electronic tag received by the robot is pasted on the temporary pasting unit, and the object that is scheduled to be pasted on the electronic tag is not pasted on the electronic tag. Discharging from the object conveyor,
The electronic tag sticking device according to the fourth or fifth aspect.

(Function and effect)
As described above, it is one preferable method to perform writing by placing the electronic tag received by the robot close to the reader / writer by the robot. However, in this method, when an electronic tag write error occurs, the next process cannot be performed unless the electronic tag is released. Therefore, as in this aspect, a temporary sticking part is provided, and when an electronic tag writing error occurs, the electronic tag received by the robot is stuck on the temporary sticking part, and the electronic tag is stuck on the object. It is preferable to discharge the object from the object conveyor.
Note that the term “write error” means all errors that occur in the process required for writing, as well as errors that occur during actual writing to memory, as well as actual writing to memory. It also includes the errors that occur at the time of reading that are required before. These errors are caused by, for example, hardware failures such as IC chips and antennas, deterioration in communication quality, communication collisions, and the like.

<Seventh aspect>
In the object conveyor, having an imaging device that images the object conveyed on the object conveyor on the upstream side of the pastable range of the robot,
The individual information sensor is provided upstream of the imaging device in the object conveyor,
The image information of the object and the designated pasting position in the object are stored in association with each other,
When the image recognition by the image pickup device is compared with the image information of the object stored in the storage unit by image recognition, and the object is recognized on the object conveyor, it is associated with the recognized object. The designated sticking position is read from the storage unit, and the position of the object on the object conveyor is detected. Based on the designated sticking position and the position of the object, the robot detects the electronic tag. Affixing to the specified affixing position on the object conveyed on the object conveyor,
Before the reading of the designated sticking position is completed, the robot is configured to finish the operation from the receipt of the electronic tag to the writing,
In addition to the transport space of the object by the object conveyor, it has a temporary pasting part for pasting an electronic tag to be discarded,
After the individual information is detected by the individual information sensor, when the designated pasting position is not read until the target object passes through the pastable range of the robot, the electronic tag received by the robot is temporarily stored. Attaching the electronic tag to the affixing part and discharging the object from the object conveyor without attaching the electronic tag,
The electronic tag sticking device according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects.

(Function and effect)
In this way, image recognition is performed using the imaging device, and the electronic tag received by the robot based on the result is pasted on the target pasting position of the target. The electronic tag can be affixed to the designated affixing position of the object even if it is irregularly placed on the object conveyor.
In consideration of the speed of the current robot and the speed of the entire sticking process, it is preferable that the electronic tag is delivered to the robot and the writing is completed before the reading of the designated sticking position is completed.
However, in this case, if an error occurs in reading the designated pasting position due to an image recognition error or because the image of the target object and the designated pasting position are not stored in the storage unit, the robot uses the electronic tag already received. Cannot be pasted on the object. In addition, since the electronic tag held by the robot has already been written, the next processing cannot be performed unless the electronic tag is released. Therefore, as in this aspect, a temporary pasting unit is provided, and after the individual information is detected by the individual information sensor, the designated pasting position is not read until the target object passes through the robot pastable range. It is preferable that the electronic tag received by the robot is pasted on the temporary pasting unit, and the target is ejected from the target conveyor without the electronic tag being pasted, assuming that the sticking position is read out.

<Eighth aspect>
In the object conveyor, having an imaging device that images the object conveyed on the object conveyor on the upstream side of the pastable range of the robot,
The individual information sensor is provided upstream of the imaging device in the object conveyor,
The image information of the object and the designated pasting position in the object are stored in association with each other,
When imaging information by the imaging device is compared with image information of the object stored in the storage unit by image recognition and the object is recognized on the object conveyor, it is the same as the recognized object. The designated paste position associated with the recognized image information of the object is read from the storage unit, and the position of the object on the object conveyor is detected, and the designated paste position and the position of the object are detected. Based on the above, the robot is made to stick the electronic tag to a specified sticking position in an object conveyed on the object conveyor,
The robot is a robot having six or more degrees of freedom including movement in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, the Z-axis direction, and the rotation direction around each of these axes.
The designated pasting position includes a side surface of the object,
The electronic tag sticking device according to any one of the fourth to seventh aspects.

(Function and effect)
In the electronic tag attaching apparatus, the electronic tag can be attached to a specified attaching position (including the direction) including the side surface of the object by using a robot having six or more degrees of freedom. Therefore, depending on the object, the electronic tag can be affixed to a position where it is difficult to affect the product or where communication quality is unlikely to deteriorate. In addition, even if an operator places an object irregularly on the object conveyor without being aware of the position (including direction) of the object on the object conveyor, the electronic tag is placed at the specified application position of the object. Can be affixed.

<Ninth aspect>
Prior to detecting the individual information of the object by the individual information sensor, the robot receives the electronic tag from the electronic tag supply unit, and waits the electronic tag at a writable position by the reader / writer,
After the individual information of the object is detected by the individual information sensor, writing by the reader / writer is performed.
The electronic tag sticking device according to any one of the fourth to eighth aspects.

(Function and effect)
In this way, by waiting the electronic tag in advance at a writable position by the reader / writer, the time from the detection of the individual information to the writing to the electronic tag can be shortened. As a result, not only the overall sticking efficiency can be improved, but also the transport distance from the individual information sensor to the sticking position can be shortened, and the apparatus can be miniaturized.

<Tenth aspect>
In the object conveyor, having an imaging device that images the object conveyed on the object conveyor on the upstream side of the pastable range of the robot,
The individual information sensor is provided upstream of the imaging device in the object conveyor,
The image information of the object and the designated pasting position in the object are stored in association with each other,
When the image recognition by the image pickup device is compared with the image information of the object stored in the storage unit by image recognition, and the object is recognized on the object conveyor, it is associated with the recognized object. The designated sticking position is read from the storage unit, and the position of the object on the object conveyor is detected. Based on the designated sticking position and the position of the object, the robot detects the electronic tag. Affixing to the specified affixing position on the object conveyed on the object conveyor,
The designated pasting position is a position that is the same surface as the individual information detection surface in the object and does not overlap with the individual information.
The electronic tag sticking device according to any one of the fourth to ninth aspects.

(Function and effect)
The position where the electronic tag is attached may be determined as appropriate. However, if the position is the same as the detection surface of the individual information and does not overlap the individual information, the individual information is not hidden by the electronic tag after the electronic tag is attached. It becomes easy to compare and confirm the stored contents of the information and the individual information of the object.

<Eleventh aspect>
A first object conveyor that conveys the object; a second object conveyor that receives and conveys the object sent from the first object conveyor, with a gap on the downstream side of the first object conveyor; Have
The affixing unit has a robot that receives the electronic tag supplied from the electronic tag supply unit and affixes it to the object conveyed on the second object conveyor,
The individual information sensor includes a lower sensor that detects individual information of the object from below the object through a gap between the first object conveyor and the second object conveyor, and a pastable range of the robot. And an upper sensor for detecting individual information of the object from above the object on the upstream side,
The electronic tag sticking device according to any one of the first to tenth aspects.

(Function and effect)
As described above, when an electronic tag is attached to an object being conveyed by the robot while the object is being conveyed by the first object conveyor and the second object conveyor, a large number of objects can be continuously processed. In addition to dividing the object conveyor into the first object conveyor and the second object conveyor, it is possible to detect the individual information of the object from both above and below by using the clearance of the delivery part. Thus, it is possible to continuously process a plurality of types of pasting objects whose positions of individual information to be detected are different from each other without being aware of the vertical direction.

<Twelfth aspect>
An object conveyor for conveying the object;
The affixing unit has a robot that receives an electronic tag supplied from the electronic tag supply unit and affixes the object to be conveyed on the object conveyor,
The individual information sensor is provided on the upstream side of the object conveyor, where the robot can be pasted.
The electronic tag supply unit includes an electronic tag sheet including a continuous strip-like release sheet and an electronic tag repeatedly attached at a predetermined interval in the continuous direction, and transfers the electronic tag sheet in the continuous direction. The electronic tag is peeled in order from the downstream side in the direction, and has a delivery unit that delivers it to the robot.
The delivery unit includes a folding guide that guides the release sheet so as to be folded back to the side opposite to the side having the electronic tag,
The end effector of the robot is a suction unit that holds the electronic tag by suction,
The robot adsorbs the electronic tag on the release sheet by the adsorbing unit, and after adhering the electronic tag from the release sheet by the movement of the adsorbing unit, the robot sticks to the object.
After adsorbing the adsorbing portion to the electronic tag on the release sheet on the front side of the release portion at the start of folding of the release sheet,
The adsorbing portion is moved together with the release sheet while adsorbing the electronic tag up to the folding start position, and the peeling is performed in a tangential direction of the moving direction of the release sheet while adsorbing the electronic tag after the folding start position. By moving it at the same speed as the sheet, the electronic tag peeled off from the release sheet by folding the release sheet was transferred to the suction portion.
The electronic tag sticking device according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects.

(Function and effect)
An electronic tag having an adhesive portion is sold as an electronic tag sheet including a continuous strip-like release sheet and an electronic tag repeatedly attached at a predetermined interval in the continuous direction. It is preferable that the tag sheet is transferred in the continuous direction, and the electronic tag is peeled in order from the downstream side in the transfer direction and transferred to the robot. And when holding the electronic tag which has an adhesion part in this way with a robot, it is desirable to make the end effector of a robot into an adsorption part, and adsorb | suck the surface opposite to an adhesion part.

  However, in order to reliably transfer the electronic tag attached on the release sheet to the robot's adsorption unit, a strong adsorption force or a mechanism for assisting the separation is required. When the electronic tag is transferred to the suction portion of the robot, if the electronic tag suction position is deviated, the robot cannot be attached to the target attachment position.

  On the other hand, in this aspect, the suction part of the robot is moved at the same speed as the release sheet in the tangential direction of the release sheet while adsorbing the electronic tag after the release start position of the release sheet. As a result, the peeling force that acts on the electronic tag by folding the peeling sheet is mainly used, and the adsorption part is held from the peeling sheet by holding it with the electronic tag with little use of the force due to the separation from the peeling sheet. Can be peeled off. Therefore, although it is a very simple mechanism, it is possible to reliably transfer the electronic tag with a smaller adsorption force, and the attachment position of the electronic tag is difficult to shift.

<13th aspect>
An electronic tag supply section for sequentially supplying electronic tags having an adhesive section;
Affixing the electronic tag supplied from the electronic tag supply unit to an object to be applied;
A reader / writer that writes information on the object to an electronic tag that is in the process of being pasted on the object;
Using an electronic tag pasting device comprising an individual information sensor for detecting individual information of the object,
The individual information of the object is detected by the individual information sensor,
The individual information detected by the reader / writer is written information including part or all of the individual information detected by the individual information sensor and at least one of the related information acquired based on the detected individual information. Write on the electronic tag that will be affixed to the object.
A method of attaching an electronic tag, characterized in that

(Function and effect)
The same effects as the first aspect are achieved.

  According to the present invention, advantages such as being able to affix an electronic tag in which information is individually written to a plurality of types of affixing objects are provided.

It is a front view which shows the sticking apparatus of an electronic tag schematically. It is a side view which shows roughly the sticking apparatus of an electronic tag. It is a front view which shows the example of an electronic tag supply part. It is (a) top view which shows the example of an electronic tag, (b) side view, (c) bottom view, (d) top view, (e) side view, (f) bottom view. It is a front view which shows the delivery part of an electronic tag. It is a perspective view which shows the target object which stuck the electronic tag. It is a front view which shows roughly the principal part of the sticking apparatus of an electronic tag. It is a front view which shows roughly the principal part of the sticking apparatus of an electronic tag. It is a front view which shows roughly the principal part of the sticking apparatus of an electronic tag. It is a front view which shows roughly the principal part of the sticking apparatus of an electronic tag. It is a front view which shows roughly the principal part of the sticking apparatus of an electronic tag. It is a side view which shows roughly the sticking apparatus of an electronic tag. It is a side view which shows roughly the sticking apparatus of an electronic tag. It is a front view which shows the example of an electronic tag supply part roughly. It is a front view which shows roughly the sticking apparatus of a child tag. It is a flowchart which shows an example of control.

  Hereinafter, an example of an electronic tag attaching apparatus will be described. FIG.1 and FIG.2 has shown an example of the sticking apparatus of an electronic tag. The electronic tag attaching device 1 includes an electronic tag supply unit 20 that sequentially supplies electronic tags 10 having an adhesive surface 11, and an electronic tag 10 that is supplied from the electronic tag supply unit 20, such as a product to be attached. Attaching portions 30 and 40 to be attached to the object 50 are provided. In addition, the electronic tag pasting apparatus 1 includes a reader / writer 60 that writes the write information on the target object 50 to the electronic tag 10 in the process until the target object 50 is pasted, and the individual information for detecting the individual information on the target object 50. Information sensor 71, and writing information including at least one of all or part of the individual information detected by the individual information sensor 71 and related information related to the detected individual information is read by the reader / writer 60. A control unit 90 for writing to the electronic tag 10 to be affixed to the object 50 from which information has been detected is provided.

  Therefore, in the electronic tag pasting apparatus 1, the individual information of the target object 50 is detected in the apparatus, and the write information based on the detection result is pasted on the target object 50 on which the individual information is detected. Therefore, even when the electronic tags 10 are affixed to the plurality of types of objects 50 in any order, the electronic tag 10 with appropriate information written therein is automatically affixed. be able to. For example, when the electronic tag 10 is affixed at a retail store, the worker is aware of the type of goods (size, packaging, etc.), the quantity of goods received, etc. The electronic tag 10 in which appropriate information is written can be pasted automatically and automatically without being performed. Hereinafter, each part is demonstrated in order.

<Attached part>
As long as the electronic tag 10 supplied from the electronic tag 10 supply unit can be attached to the object 50 to be attached, the attaching parts 30 and 40 are operated by an operator like a handy type labeler. In this case, it is preferable to incorporate the individual information sensor 71 and the reader / writer 60, but at least one of the electronic tag 10 supply unit and the pasting unit and the individual information sensor 71 and the reader / writer 60 may be separated. it can. The affixing units 30 and 40 in the illustrated example receive the object conveyor 30 that conveys the object 50 to which the electronic tag 10 is affixed and the electronic tag 10 supplied from the electronic tag supply unit 20. Is attached to the object 50 to be transported. As described above, when the electronic tag 10 is attached to the object 50 being conveyed by the robot 40 while the object 50 is being conveyed by the object conveyor 30, a large number of objects 50 can be automatically and continuously processed.

<Object conveyor>
As the object conveyor 30, any known conveyor can be used as long as it can move the moving body in the conveying direction by the driving force of the driving source and can convey the object 50 on the moving body. A belt conveyor, a plate conveyor, or the like can be suitably used. It is preferable that the object conveyor 30 has a loading surface wider than the object 50 because, for example, an operator can load a variety of objects 50 having different sizes without being aware of the position and orientation. Of course, the object conveyor 30 may have a constant type and stacking position (including direction) of the object 50. Moreover, the loading of the object 50 on the object conveyor 30 can be performed mechanically.

  The object conveyor 30 can be configured by connecting a plurality of conveyors 31, 32 as in the example shown in FIG. 1 or the like, or only one object conveyor 30 can be provided as shown in FIG. Further, if the object conveyor 30 is provided with a free roller conveyor 33 at the most downstream side, the object 50 is pushed onto the free roller conveyor 33 and stopped, so that the subsequent work becomes easy.

  The object conveyor 30 is desirably transported continuously at a constant speed, but is intermittently driven with a waiting time at an appropriate position in order to match various timings such as the timing of attaching the electronic tag 10. You can also

<Individual information sensor>
The individual information sensor 71 is not particularly limited as long as it can detect information that the object 50 has individually. Here, the information that the object 50 has individually means information that can be detected from the object 50. In addition to the identification information for identifying the object 50 from other objects, the object 50 may be other information. Although it cannot be distinguished from the object, it includes both attribute information representing the characteristics and properties of the object 50. Examples of the identification information include a product code and a serial number added to the object 50 as a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code. Examples of attribute information include character strings added to the object 50 by printing, for example, trademarks such as date of manufacture, expiry date, and product name, as well as product and packaging colors, and product weight. can do.

  For example, the individual information sensor 71 can be at least one of a code reader, an optical character reader, a color sensor, and a weight sensor. When the individual information sensor 71 is a code reader such as a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code, the electronic tag 10 in which the read information is written can be attached. Thus, for example, by attaching such an electronic tag 10 to a product sold by a retailer, product identification for registering / inspection / inventory operations, shoplifting prevention using a security gate, etc. can be performed in a non-contact manner. Can be done at once. Further, when the individual information sensor 71 is an optical character reader, the product size, the color of the product, the content, the date of manufacture, the expiration date, etc. attached to the object 50 (usually the product exterior or the product itself) The electronic tag 10 in which the notation is read and the read information is written can be attached. Furthermore, when the individual information sensor 71 is a color sensor, the electronic tag 10 in which information on the color of the object 50 is written can be attached. When the individual information sensor 71 is a weight sensor, the object 50 An electronic tag 10 in which information on weight is written can be attached. Thus, for example, a retailer can attach the electronic tag 10 to a product for sale, and perform product management based on individual information not included in the one-dimensional code or the two-dimensional code that is usually attached.

  The detection target by the individual information sensor 71 preferably includes at least identification information, and more preferably includes both identification information and attribute information.

  The code reader, the optical character reader, and the color sensor are preferably realized using an image sensor (image sensor) such as a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor. In the method using the image sensor, not only a wide range of detection is possible, but also a multi-purpose reader that detects a plurality of types of detection targets. That is, in this case, it is possible to detect a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code, a character, and a color with one sensor without providing a sensor for each detection target. Of course, the individual information sensor 71 is not limited to an image sensor. For example, in the case of a code reader, various known sensors such as a laser scanning method can be used.

  It is preferable that the individual information sensor 71 can detect all surfaces of the object 50. For this reason, when detecting with the individual information sensor 71, conveying the target object 50 by the target conveyor 30, it is preferable to set it as the apparatus structure shown in FIG. That is, the electronic tag sticking device 1 is connected to the first object conveyor 31 that conveys the object 50 with a gap on the downstream side of the first object conveyor 31, and is sent out from the first object conveyor 31. A second object conveyor 32 that receives and conveys the object 50 to be conveyed, and the individual information sensor 71 passes through the gap between the first object conveyor 31 and the second object conveyor 32 from below the object 50. A lower sensor 71L that detects individual information of the object 50 and an upper sensor 71U that detects individual information of the object 50 from above the object 50 on the upstream side of the pastable range of the robot 40 are included.

  In this way, not only the object conveyor 30 is divided into the first object conveyor 31 and the second object conveyor 32, but also the individual information of the object 50 is detected from both above and below by using the clearance of the delivery part. Therefore, it is possible to continuously process a plurality of types of pasting objects 50 whose positions of individual information in the object 50 are different from each other without being aware of the vertical direction.

  In particular, when an image sensor is used as the individual information sensor 71 and detection is possible in a wide range, as shown in FIG. 2, an upper sensor 71U that detects from diagonally above in the CD direction across the object conveyor 30, By providing an upper sensor 71U that detects from the other upper side in the CD direction and a lower sensor 71L that detects from directly below the object conveyor 30, it is possible to detect four surfaces of the object 50 with three sensors. This is preferable because it is possible. That is, as shown in FIGS. 6A, 6 </ b> B, and 6 </ b> C, individual information on the upper surface, the side surface, and the lower surface of the object 50 can be detected. The MD direction means the machine direction (conveyance direction), and the CD direction means the horizontal direction orthogonal to the MD direction.

<Electronic tag supply unit>
The electronic tag supply unit 20 is not particularly limited, and any known supply mechanism (for example, those described in Patent Documents 1 to 5) is adopted as long as the electronic tag 10 can be supplied to the pasting units 30 and 40. be able to. FIG. 3 shows an example of an electronic tag supply unit 20 to which the electronic tag roll 23R is attached for use. The electronic tag roll 23R is obtained by winding a continuous strip-shaped electronic tag sheet 15 in a roll shape, and the electronic tag sheet 15 is repeatedly attached to the continuous direction of the continuous strip-shaped release sheet 16 at a predetermined interval. 10. The electronic tag roll 23R is rotatably supported on a rotation shaft (not shown).

  The electronic tag supply unit 20 assumes a case where an electronic tag is attached to an object 50 by a robot 40 described later. The electronic tag supply unit 20 transfers the electronic tag sheet 15 in the continuous direction and from the downstream side in the transfer direction. The electronic tag 10 is peeled in order, and it has the delivery part delivered to the robot 40, and the winding shaft 23W which winds up the continuous strip | belt-shaped peeling sheet 16 after peeling the electronic tag 10. FIG. The delivery unit is provided with a folding guide 23G for guiding the release sheet 16 so as to be folded back to the side opposite to the side having the electronic tag 10 (in addition to a plate-like one as shown in the figure, a rotating shaft or a non-rotating shaft may be used). The electronic tag sheet 15 is peeled off when the release sheet 16 is folded. The winding shaft 23 </ b> W is rotated by a stepping motor (not shown), and each time the leading electronic tag 10 is peeled off, the succeeding electronic tag 10 moves to the leading position at an appropriate control timing. (Ie, one sheet at a time) is taken up.

  The electronic tag sheet 15 is fed from the electronic tag roll 23R and then folded back at an acute angle by the folding guide 23G. At the time of turning back, the rigid electronic tag 10 naturally peels from the release sheet 16, and therefore can be delivered directly to the robot 40 or indirectly via a belt conveyor or the like. The release sheet 16 remaining after the electronic tag 10 is peeled is wound around the winding shaft 23W.

  The electronic tag supply unit 20 is a two-dimensional guide for guiding a retailer's logo and the electronic tag 10 on the surface (non-adhesive surface 11) of the electronic tag 10 on the electronic tag sheet 15, and for guiding to a WEB site related thereto. A printer 23P for printing predetermined additional information such as a code can be provided. Thereby, the additional information can be sequentially printed on the electronic tag 10 as much as it is used.

<Electronic tag>
If the electronic tag 10 has the adhesion surface 11, the shape and structure will not be specifically limited, The well-known electronic tag 10 can be used suitably. For example, the shape of the electronic tag 10 is generally a rectangular shape with corners as in the examples shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C and the examples shown in FIGS. 4D to 4F. It is not limited to. Also, one of the typical RFID tags 10 is a passive type having IC chips 10i and antennas 10a connected thereto as inlets 10a and 10i, for example, as shown in FIGS. Although it is the electronic tag 10, it is not limited to this.

  The electronic tag 10 desirably separates at least a part of the antenna 10a from the object to be pasted 50 in order to prevent deterioration in communication quality. For this reason, in the case of the electronic tag 10 having the adhesive surface 11, as shown in FIGS. 4D to 4F, a part including the antenna 10a of the electronic tag 10 is folded at the folding position 10p, and the adhesive surfaces 11 are pasted. The combined non-adhesive portion 12 and the residual adhesive portion 13 where the adhesive surface 11 is exposed can be formed and attached to the object 50 by the adhesive surface 11 of the residual adhesive portion 13. Such folding of the electronic tag 10 may be performed by a mechanism in the electronic tag supply unit 20 (see, for example, Patent Document 5), or the electronic tag 10 partially folded in advance is attached to the electronic tag. 1 may be supplied.

<Handling of electronic tags to robots>
When the electronic tag is attached to the object 50 by the robot 40, the robot 40 receives the electronic tag 10 supplied from the electronic tag supply unit 20 and attaches it to the object 50 conveyed on the object conveyor 30. The electronic tag 10 is not particularly limited as long as it has an adsorbing portion 41 that holds an object by sucking air as an end effector and is attached to the first belt 21B of the first belt conveyor 21 as shown in the illustrated example. Is adsorbed by the adsorbing part 41, and the electronic tag 10 is preferably peeled off from the belt by the movement of the adsorbing part 41, and then attached to the object 50. The suction portion 41 in the illustrated example is a tubular body having a rubber cup attached to the tip, but is not limited to this, and a known structure / material can be adopted.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the delivery of the electronic tag 10 to the robot 40 having the adsorption unit 41 is a state in which the adsorption unit 41 of the robot 40 is adsorbed on the surface of the electronic tag 10 attached on the release sheet 16. Thus, the electronic tag 10 can be peeled off the belt by raising the suction part 41 (see, for example, Patent Document 5). However, when the electronic tag 10 adhered on the release sheet 16 is peeled off due to the upward movement of the suction portion 41, the delivery may be uncertain.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), by the drive control of the robot 40, the suction portion 41 is attracted to the electronic tag 10 on the release sheet 16 on the front side of the turn-off start position P3 of the release sheet 16 in the delivery portion. After that, the adsorbing portion 41 is moved together with the release sheet 16 while adsorbing the electronic tag 10 until the folding start position P3, and tangent to the movement direction MD of the peeling sheet 16 while adsorbing the electronic tag 10 after the folding start position P3. A delivery mechanism is proposed in which the electronic tag 10 peeled from the release sheet 16 by the folding of the release sheet 16 is transferred to the suction portion 41 by moving in the direction TD at the same speed as the release sheet 16. In this case, the peeling force that acts on the electronic tag 10 due to the folding of the release sheet 16 is mainly used, and the suction portion 41 is hardly used with the electronic tag 10 without using the force due to the separation of the suction portion 41 from the release sheet 16. It can be held and peeled from the release sheet 16. Therefore, the electronic tag 10 can be reliably delivered with a smaller suction force while having a very simple mechanism.

  In a state where the suction part 41 is attracted to the electronic tag 10, the suction part 41, the electronic tag 10 and the release sheet 16 are integrated, so that the suction part 41 can be freely moved in the moving direction without being driven by a driving source. It is possible to move the suction portion 41 by using the moving force of the release sheet 16 only by supporting it as much as possible. However, in order to enable a more reliable operation, the suction unit 41 is moved together with the release sheet 16 while adsorbing the electronic tag 10 to the folding start position P3 by driving the robot 40, and after the folding start position P3. It is preferable that the electronic tag 10 is moved in the tangential direction TD of the moving direction MD of the release sheet 16 while adsorbing the electronic tag 10.

  When adsorbing the adsorbing part 41 to the electronic tag 10, it is preferable that the release sheet 16 and the electronic tag 10 affixed thereto are stopped, but the first belt 21B is not stopped and moves together with the release sheet 16. The adsorbing part 41 may be adsorbed to the electronic tag 10 to be performed.

  In the present delivery mechanism, as long as the suction unit 41 is supported so as to be movable, the support device may not be the robot 40 but may be a movable unit that moves at a constant cycle. Further, the adsorbing part 41 of the present delivery mechanism does not attach the electronic tag 10 to the final object to be attached 50 such as a product, but a transfer device such as another conveyor, a temporary attachment table, It can also be attached to the suction part.

<Reader / Writer>
The position of the reader / writer 60 is not particularly limited as long as the reader / writer 60 can write on the electronic tag 10 in the process of being attached to the object 50. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, writing information related to the object 50 is written to the electronic tag 10 between the electronic tag supply unit 20 and the object conveyor 30 (side of the object conveyor 30 in the illustrated example). The reader / writer 60 is installed, and the robot 40 receives the electronic tag 10 supplied from the electronic tag supply unit 20 and moves the electronic tag 10 to a writable position by the reader / writer 60 as shown in FIG. The reader / writer 60 writes the information about the object 50 to the electronic tag 10 during this time, and then the robot 40 moves the electronic tag 10 from the reader / writer 60 to the object 50 as shown in FIG. And can be attached to the object 50.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the reader / writer 60 can be integrated with the suction unit 41 so that writing to the electronic tag 10 sucked by the suction unit 41 can be performed. In this case, after the electronic tag 10 is adsorbed to the adsorbing portion 41, the electronic tag 10 is in an appropriate stage from when the adsorbing portion 41 is pasted to the object 50 (the adsorbing portion 41 may be stopped in addition to the movement of the adsorbing portion 41). Information can be written to the tag 10.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 14, a reader / writer 60 can be installed on the transport path of the electronic tag 10 in the electronic tag supply unit 20, and information can be written to the electronic tag 10 before delivery to the robot 40. In the example shown in FIG. 14, the reader / writer 60 is provided below the electronic tag 10 to be sent out next in the electronic tag supply unit 20, but appropriate modifications such as providing it on the side are possible. is there.

  Depending on the installation position of the reader / writer 60, the unwritten electronic tag 10 to be written next may be located near the electronic tag 10 to be written. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the position of the reader / writer 60 and the delivery position of the electronic tag 10 of the electronic tag supply unit 20 are close to each other. If the next electronic tag 10 is prepared at a position where it can be delivered, a so-called collision (communication by two or more electronic tags 10 occurs simultaneously in the electromagnetic field of one reader / writer 60, resulting in an error. Or the communication target tag recognized by the reader / writer 60 is not the electronic tag 10 adsorbed by the robot 40 but an electronic device prepared to be a subsequent writing target. There is a risk of becoming a tag 10. This is because a plurality of electronic tags 10 exist in the communicable range of the reader / writer 60. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a shield 61 (mask) that shields at least between the reader / writer 60 and the electronic tag 10 not to be written is provided, and the communication direction of the reader / writer 60 is set to a predetermined writing position ( In the illustrated example, it is preferable to limit to the reader / writer 60). The shield 61 can be formed using a material such as a metal plate that shields radio waves. The shape of the shield 61 is not particularly limited. For example, the shield 61 has a hole between the reader / writer 60 and a predetermined writing position. A plate or foil having no holes around the writing position can be used.

  For the writing process by the reader / writer 60, a known method can be employed without any particular limitation.

<Write information>
The information written to the electronic tag 10 includes at least one of part or all of the individual information detected by the individual information sensor 71 and related information related to the detected individual information. The individual information is information that can be detected from the object 50 by the individual information sensor 71 as described above, whereas the related information is not directly detected from the object 50 by the individual information sensor 71, but is detected. Information acquired based on individual information. For example, in the case of the electronic tag 10 attached to a product, the identification information such as the one-dimensional code described above is detected by the individual information sensor 71, and the control unit 90 determines the identification information, the product name and the expiration date based on the detection result. The attribute information can be acquired from the storage unit 80 that is stored in association with the attribute information such as the attribute information, and only the acquired attribute information or the identification information and the acquired attribute information can be written to the electronic tag 10 as write information.

<Control unit>
The control unit 90 can be configured by using a known industrial control device such as a sequencer (PLC) or a computer (PC, microcontroller) alone, or by combining a plurality of them according to functions or the like. For example, the basic control and interface of object conveyors, sensors, robots, etc. are realized by a sequencer, and information processing and instructions to the sequencer (mode setting, parameter setting, operation start instruction, etc.) are realized by a computer. Can do.

<Storage unit>
The storage unit 80 is a storage device such as a hard disk or SSD built in or external to the control unit 90, and is also a network access storage, cloud storage, or other server storage connected via a local network or the Internet. Can do. When there are a plurality of types of stored contents, in addition to providing the storage unit 80 for each type, it is also possible to provide a single storage unit 80 for storing all the stored contents. For example, in the illustrated example, it is assumed that the above-described writing information and paste position information described below are stored in a single storage unit 80, but the present invention is not limited to this.

<Robot>
The robot 40 only needs to have at least two horizontal degrees of freedom and two or more degrees of freedom capable of vertical movement. For example, when the position of the object 50 on the object conveyor 30 is irregular. In order to cope with this, the robot 40 having a degree of freedom of 4 or more is suitable so that the movement in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, the Z-axis direction, and the rotation direction around the Z-axis is possible. Thereby, as shown to Fig.6 (a) (c), the electronic tag 10 can be affixed with respect to the upper surface of the target object 50 by all directions. Further, when the robot 40 having six or more degrees of freedom is used, the electronic tag 10 can be attached not only to the upper surface of the object 50 but also to the side surface as shown in FIG. Therefore, according to the object 50, the electronic tag 10 can be affixed to a position where it is difficult to affect the product or a position where communication quality is unlikely to deteriorate. As the robot 40, a known industrial robot such as a vertical articulated robot, a horizontal articulated robot, an orthogonal robot, etc. can be used as well as a parallel link robot as shown in the illustrated example.

  When the electronic tag 10 is pasted by the robot 40, it is desirable to designate an appropriate pasting position that differs depending on the type of the object 50, and to stick to the designated pasting position. Thereby, according to the target object 50, the electronic tag 10 can be affixed to a position where it is difficult to affect the product or a position where communication quality is unlikely to deteriorate. Even if the worker places the target object 50 irregularly on the target object conveyor 30 without being aware of the position (including direction) of the target object 50 on the object object conveyor 30, the designation of the object object 50 is performed. The electronic tag 10 can be affixed to the affixing position. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, when the electronic tag 10 is attached to the same surface as the detection surface of the individual information 51 and does not overlap the individual information 51, the electronic tag 10 is attached after the electronic tag 10 is attached. Since the individual information 51 is not hidden, it is easy to compare and confirm the stored content of the electronic tag 10 and the individual information 51 of the object 50. However, as shown in FIG. It may be a different surface, or may be a position where a part or all of the individual information 51 overlaps although not shown.

  Specifically, an imaging device 72 for imaging the object 50 conveyed on the object conveyor 30 is provided upstream of the object 40 on the object conveyor 30 where the robot 40 can be pasted. Provided upstream of the imaging device 72. Moreover, the memory | storage part 80 in which the image information of the target object 50 and the designation | designated sticking position in the target object 50 were linked | related and memorize | stored is provided. And the control part 90 compares the imaging information by the imaging device 72 with the image information of the target object 50 memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 80 by image recognition, and when the target object 50 is recognized on the target conveyor 30, The designated pasting position associated with the recognized object 50 is read from the storage unit 80, the position of the object 50 on the object conveyor 30 is detected, and based on the designated pasting position and the position of the object 50, The robot 40 is caused to attach the electronic tag 10 to a designated application position on the object 50 conveyed on the object conveyor 30. Here, among the position information of the object 50 on the object conveyor 30, the position coordinates in the MD direction can be calculated based on the imaging timing by the imaging device 72 and the conveyance speed of the object conveyor 30. The position coordinates and the direction in the direction orthogonal to the MD direction can be obtained by image recognition from the imaging information by the imaging device 72. The conveyance speed of the object conveyor 30 can be detected by attaching a rotary encoder (not shown) to the drive system (for example, a belt) of the object conveyor 30, for example. Therefore, the control unit 90 can cause the robot 40 to attach the electronic tag 10 to the designated application position on the object 50 at a timing when the object 50 is within a range where the object can be applied by the robot 40 based on the position information.

  In order to attach the electronic tag 10 to the designated application position of the object 50 in this manner, it is assumed that delivery from the electronic tag supply unit 20 to the robot 40 is reliable. It is desirable to adopt.

<Operation flow>
In the electronic tag pasting device 1, a worker places an object 50 on a supply position of the object conveyor 30 and an individual information sensor 71 detects individual information of the object 50 conveyed by the object conveyor 30. A step, a step of detecting position information of the object 50 conveyed by the object conveyor 30, a part or all of the individual information detected by the individual information sensor 71, and a relation acquired based on the detected individual information. Basically, it includes a step of writing write information including at least one of the information on the electronic tag 10 and a step of sticking the electronic tag 10 on which the information is written to the object 50 conveyed by the object conveyor 30. . As long as these steps can be executed, detailed control such as operation timing of each unit can be appropriately performed.

  FIG. 16 is an example of the operation flow. When the operation of the electronic tag pasting device 1 is started, the object conveyor 30 is driven by the control unit 90, and detection and photographing by the individual information sensor 71 and the imaging device 72 are started. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 7, the robot 40 receives the electronic tag 10 from the electronic tag supply unit 20, moves the electronic tag 10 to a writable position by the reader / writer 60, and waits. As described above, by waiting the electronic tag 10 in a position where the reader / writer 60 can write in advance, it is possible to shorten the time from the detection of the individual information to the writing to the electronic tag 10. As a result, not only the overall sticking efficiency can be improved, but also the transport distance from the individual information sensor 71 to the sticking position can be shortened, and the apparatus can be miniaturized. Instead of this, from writing to writing of the electronic tag 10 can be performed at a time when writing to the electronic tag 10 described later.

  Next, the worker places the object 50 on the supply position (upstream side of the individual information sensor 71) on the object conveyor 30 and conveys it. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 8, the target object 50 first passes through the detection position by the individual information sensor 71, and the individual information of the target object 50 is detected at that time. Here, as in the illustrated example, a passage sensor 73 that detects the passage of the object 50 is provided in front of the individual information sensor 71, and a predetermined time (after the passage of the object 50 is detected by the passage sensor 73 ( If the individual information is not detected by the individual information sensor 71 before the elapse of several seconds (for example, about several seconds), the control unit 90 determines that an individual information detection error has occurred and can at least stop the object conveyor 30. In this case, of course, the entire apparatus 1 may be temporarily stopped. For example, such a situation occurs when the position of the target individual information (one-dimensional code or the like) on the object 50 is present on a surface that cannot be detected by the individual information sensor 71. In this case, after the object 50 is taken out, the operation can be resumed without wasting the electronic tag 10 by starting again from the start of the apparatus. When an individual information detection error occurs, only the driving of the object conveyor 30 may be continued for a time during which the object 50 can be discharged, and then the normal operation may be automatically restored. In any case, when such an individual information detection error occurs, writing to the electronic tag 10 becomes impossible. As the passage sensor 73, the light emitting element and the light receiving element are arranged opposite to each other with the passage position of the object 50 on the object conveyor 30, and the light output of the light emitting element is blocked by the passage of the object 50. A known passage sensor 73 such as a photo sensor that detects the above can be used.

  When the individual information of the object 50 is detected, the control unit 90 includes at least one of part or all of the individual information detected by the individual information sensor 71 and related information acquired based on the detected individual information. Write information is acquired or created, and written by the reader / writer 60 to the electronic tag 10 to be attached to the object 50 for which the individual information has been detected. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, the object 50 advances further on the object conveyor 30 and is imaged by the imaging device 72, and the imaging result by the imaging device 72 is continuously input to the control unit 90. Yes. The control unit 90 compares the image information obtained by the imaging device 72 with the image information of the object 50 stored in the storage unit 80 by image recognition, and recognizes the object 50 when it is recognized on the object conveyor 30. The designated pasting position associated with the object 50 is read from the storage unit 80 and the position of the object 50 on the object conveyor 30 is detected. Then, based on the designated pasting position and the position of the target object 50, the control unit 90 sends the target object 50 to the robot 40 at a timing when the target object 50 is within the pastable range by the robot 40 as shown in FIG. The electronic tag 10 is pasted at the designated pasting position in FIG. The object 50 with the electronic tag 10 attached is advanced by the object conveyor 30 as shown in FIG. 1 and taken out by the operator. As shown in FIG. 1, if the object conveyor 30 is provided with a free roller conveyor 33 on the most downstream side, the object 50 is pushed onto the free roller conveyor 33 and stopped, so that the subsequent work becomes easy. . After the robot 40 has attached the electronic tag 10, it returns to the start, and the robot 40 receives the electronic tag 10 from the electronic tag supply unit 20 regardless of the presence or absence of the object 50 on the object conveyor 30, and is read by the reader / writer 60. The electronic tag 10 is moved to a writable position and waits.

  When writing to the electronic tag 10, a writing error may occur. In this case, since the detection timing of the write error is during the conveyance of the object 50, the conveyance is continued if the rewriting of the time is in time, or the conveyance is temporarily stopped if the rewriting of the time is not in time. Thus, it is desirable to perform rewriting as shown in the flow of FIG. However, in the method of writing with the electronic tag 10 received by the robot 40 being brought close to the reader / writer 60 by the robot 40 as in the illustrated example, when the writing error of the electronic tag 10 occurs, the electronic tag 10 is released. Only then can the next process be performed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, a temporary pasting unit 35 for pasting the electronic tag 10 to be discarded is provided in addition to the space for transporting the target 50 by the target conveyor 30. When the writing error of the electronic tag 10 occurs, as shown in FIG. 11, the electronic tag 10 received by the robot 40 is pasted on the temporary pasting portion 35 and the electronic tag 10 is planned to be pasted. It is preferable to discharge the object 50 from the object conveyor 30 without attaching the electronic tag 10 to the object 50. When discharging the object 50 from the object conveyor 30, in addition to discharging as in normal operation as shown in FIG. 11, a defective discharge part 36 such as a discharge chute on the side of the conveyor as shown in FIG. It is also possible to provide an extruding device 37 such as an air cylinder that extrudes the object 50 on the object conveyor 30 to the defective discharge portion 36. In addition, when the writing error of the electronic tag 10 is repeated, it is often not solved by rewriting the writing. Therefore, as shown in the flow of FIG. 16, the control unit 90 counts the writing error and the error is repeated a predetermined number of times. At least the object conveyor 30 can be stopped. In this case, of course, the entire apparatus 1 may be temporarily stopped.

  When reading the designated pasting position, an error in image recognition or an error in reading the designated pasting position may occur due to the fact that the image of the object 50 and the designated pasting position are not stored in the storage unit 80. is there. In this case, the robot 40 cannot attach the already received electronic tag 10 to the object 50. In addition, as described above, the electronic tag 10 is delivered to the robot 40 before the reading of the designated pasting position is completed for the purpose of speeding up the processing and the writing is completed. The next process can only be performed after releasing. Therefore, when the temporary pasting unit 35 is provided and the individual information is detected by the individual information sensor 71, the designated pasting position is not read until the target 50 passes through the pastable range of the robot 40. It is assumed that the electronic tag 10 received by the robot 40 is pasted to the temporary pasting unit 35 and the electronic tag 10 is pasted, as in the case of the above-described writing error of the electronic tag 10. It is preferable to discharge the object 50 from the object conveyor 30 without attaching the electronic tag 10 to the object 50.

  Here, “after the individual information is detected by the individual information sensor 71 and until the object 50 passes through the pastable range of the robot 40” means, for example, the object 50 positioned upstream of the imaging device 72. A sensor for detection (as this sensor, the above-described passage sensor 73 and individual information sensor 71 may be used, or a dedicated sensor may be provided). be able to. Of course, a passage sensor 73 may be provided on the downstream side of the imaging device 72, and the timing at which the object 50 passes through the pastable range of the robot 40 may be detected based on the detection result.

  As another example, an input device 81 that selects continuous processing of the same object 50 is provided. When the continuous processing of the same object 50 is selected by the input device 81, the control unit 90 When the electronic tag 10 is affixed to the first target object 50, writing information including at least one of part or all of the individual information detected by the individual information sensor 71 and related information acquired based on the detected individual information Is written to the electronic tag 10 to be attached to the target object 50 whose individual information has been detected by the reader / writer 60, and the electronic tag 10 is attached to the same target object 50 after the first target object 50. In some cases, the electronic tag 1 will be written to the target object 50 after the first target object 50 by the reader / writer 60 using the writing information in the first target object 50. Also it proposes to write to. In this case, since the worker selects the continuous processing using the input device 81, a plurality of the same objects 50 can be processed continuously while the selection is effective. If the object 50 is processed, information can be written and pasted on the electronic tag 10 more efficiently (semi-automatic). Moreover, compared with the case where goods are automatically recognized, control becomes simple and there is no possibility of erroneous recognition of the object 50. The input device 81 can be a keyboard, a mouse, or a dedicated switch. It is also preferable to provide a display device 82 that displays a graphical user interface such as a button for executing a continuous process in order for an operator to select the continuous process. In this case, a touch panel in which the input device 81 and the display device 82 are integrated is provided, and selection input for continuous processing is performed by touching a button or the like for executing the continuous processing displayed on the display device 82. Particularly preferred. Although not shown, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone having the display device 82 and the input device 81 can be connected to the control unit 90 via the network, near field communication, or wired communication. The display device 82 and the input device 81 of the portable terminal can be used to select continuous processing.

  The present invention can be used to attach an electronic tag having an adhesive portion to an object such as a product.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electronic tag sticking apparatus, 10 ... Electronic tag, 10a, 10i ... Inlet, 10a ... Antenna, 10i ... IC chip, 11 ... Adhesive surface, 12 ... Non-adhesive part, 13 ... Residual adhesive part, 15 ... Electronic tag Sheet, 16 ... release sheet, 20 ... electronic tag supply unit, 21 ... first belt conveyor, 21B ... first belt, 23G ... folding guide, 23R ... electronic tag roll, 23W ... take-up shaft, 30, 40 ... sticking unit, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 ... Object conveyor, 31 ... 1st object conveyor, 32 ... 2nd object conveyor, 33 ... Free roller conveyor, 35 ... Temporary sticking part, 36 ... Defect discharge part, 37 ... Extruding device, 40 ... Robot, 41 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Adsorption part, 50 ... Object, 60 ... Reader / writer, 61 ... Shield, 71 ... Individual information sensor, 71L ... Lower sensor, 71U ... Upper sensor, 72 ... Imaging device, 7 ... passage sensor, 80 ... storage unit, 81 ... input apparatus, 82 ... display, 90 ... controller, TD ... tangentially.

Claims (13)

An electronic tag supply section for sequentially supplying electronic tags having an adhesive section;
Affixing the electronic tag supplied from the electronic tag supply unit to an object to be applied;
In an electronic tag pasting device comprising:
A reader / writer that writes information on the object to an electronic tag that is in the process of being pasted on the object;
An individual information sensor for detecting individual information of the object,
The individual information detected by the reader / writer is written information including part or all of the individual information detected by the individual information sensor and at least one of the related information acquired based on the detected individual information. Write on the electronic tag that will be affixed to the object.
An electronic tag sticking device characterized by that. The individual information sensor is at least one of a code reader, an optical character reader, a color sensor, and a weight sensor.
The electronic tag sticking device according to claim 1. An input device for selecting the continuous processing of the same object;
When continuous processing of the same object is selected by the input device, a part or all of the individual information detected by the individual information sensor is detected when an electronic tag is attached to the first object. Write information including at least one of the related information acquired based on the individual information is written to the electronic tag to be attached to the object on which the individual information is detected by the reader / writer,
When affixing an electronic tag to the same object after the first object, writing information on the first object is affixed to the object after the first object by the reader / writer; Write on the electronic tag
The electronic tag sticking apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. An object conveyor for conveying the object;
The affixing unit has a robot that receives an electronic tag supplied from the electronic tag supply unit and affixes the object to be conveyed on the object conveyor,
The individual information sensor is provided on the upstream side of the object conveyor, where the robot can be pasted.
After the robot receives the electronic tag supplied from the electronic tag supply unit, the electronic tag is brought close to the reader / writer, the writing is performed, and the electronic tag is attached to the object.
The electronic tag sticking apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. In the object conveyor, having a passage sensor that detects the passage of the object upstream of the individual information sensor,
When the individual information is not detected by the individual information sensor until a predetermined time elapses after the passage of the object is detected by the passage sensor, at least the object conveyor is stopped.
The electronic tag sticking device according to claim 4. In addition to the transport space of the object by the object conveyor, it has a temporary pasting part for pasting an electronic tag to be discarded,
When the writing error of the electronic tag occurs, the electronic tag received by the robot is pasted on the temporary pasting unit, and the object that is scheduled to be pasted on the electronic tag is not pasted on the electronic tag. Discharging from the object conveyor,
The electronic tag sticking device according to claim 4 or 5. In the object conveyor, having an imaging device that images the object conveyed on the object conveyor on the upstream side of the pastable range of the robot,
The individual information sensor is provided upstream of the imaging device in the object conveyor,
The image information of the object and the designated pasting position in the object are stored in association with each other,
When the image recognition by the image pickup device is compared with the image information of the object stored in the storage unit by image recognition, and the object is recognized on the object conveyor, it is associated with the recognized object. The designated sticking position is read from the storage unit, and the position of the object on the object conveyor is detected. Based on the designated sticking position and the position of the object, the robot detects the electronic tag. Affixing to the specified affixing position on the object conveyed on the object conveyor,
Before the reading of the designated sticking position is completed, the robot is configured to finish the operation from the receipt of the electronic tag to the writing,
In addition to the transport space of the object by the object conveyor, it has a temporary pasting part for pasting an electronic tag to be discarded,
After the individual information is detected by the individual information sensor, when the designated pasting position is not read until the target object passes through the pastable range of the robot, the electronic tag received by the robot is temporarily stored. Attaching the electronic tag to the affixing part and discharging the object from the object conveyor without attaching the electronic tag,
The electronic tag sticking device according to any one of claims 4 to 6. In the object conveyor, having an imaging device that images the object conveyed on the object conveyor on the upstream side of the pastable range of the robot,
The individual information sensor is provided upstream of the imaging device in the object conveyor,
The image information of the object and the designated pasting position in the object are stored in association with each other,
When imaging information by the imaging device is compared with image information of the object stored in the storage unit by image recognition and the object is recognized on the object conveyor, it is the same as the recognized object. The designated paste position associated with the recognized image information of the object is read from the storage unit, and the position of the object on the object conveyor is detected, and the designated paste position and the position of the object are detected. Based on the above, the robot is made to stick the electronic tag to a specified sticking position in an object conveyed on the object conveyor,
The robot is a robot having six or more degrees of freedom including movement in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, the Z-axis direction, and the rotation direction around each of these axes.
The designated pasting position includes a side surface of the object,
The electronic tag sticking device according to any one of claims 4 to 7. Prior to detecting the individual information of the object by the individual information sensor, the robot receives the electronic tag from the electronic tag supply unit, and waits the electronic tag at a writable position by the reader / writer,
After the individual information of the object is detected by the individual information sensor, writing by the reader / writer is performed.
The electronic tag sticking device according to any one of claims 4 to 8. In the object conveyor, having an imaging device that images the object conveyed on the object conveyor on the upstream side of the pastable range of the robot,
The individual information sensor is provided upstream of the imaging device in the object conveyor,
The image information of the object and the designated pasting position in the object are stored in association with each other,
When the image recognition by the image pickup device is compared with the image information of the object stored in the storage unit by image recognition, and the object is recognized on the object conveyor, it is associated with the recognized object. The designated sticking position is read from the storage unit, and the position of the object on the object conveyor is detected. Based on the designated sticking position and the position of the object, the robot detects the electronic tag. Affixing to the specified affixing position on the object conveyed on the object conveyor,
The designated pasting position is a position that is the same surface as the individual information detection surface in the object and does not overlap with the individual information.
The electronic tag sticking device according to any one of claims 4 to 9. A first object conveyor that conveys the object; a second object conveyor that receives and conveys the object sent from the first object conveyor, with a gap on the downstream side of the first object conveyor; Have
The affixing unit has a robot that receives the electronic tag supplied from the electronic tag supply unit and affixes it to the object conveyed on the second object conveyor,
The individual information sensor includes a lower sensor that detects individual information of the object from below the object through a gap between the first object conveyor and the second object conveyor, and a pastable range of the robot. And an upper sensor for detecting individual information of the object from above the object on the upstream side,
The electronic tag sticking device according to any one of claims 1 to 10. An object conveyor for conveying the object;
The affixing unit has a robot that receives an electronic tag supplied from the electronic tag supply unit and affixes the object to be conveyed on the object conveyor,
The individual information sensor is provided on the upstream side of the object conveyor, where the robot can be pasted.
The electronic tag supply unit includes an electronic tag sheet including a continuous strip-like release sheet and an electronic tag repeatedly attached at a predetermined interval in the continuous direction, and transfers the electronic tag sheet in the continuous direction. The electronic tag is peeled in order from the downstream side in the direction, and has a delivery unit that delivers it to the robot.
The delivery unit includes a folding guide that guides the release sheet so as to be folded back to the side opposite to the side having the electronic tag,
The end effector of the robot is a suction unit that holds the electronic tag by suction,
The robot adsorbs the electronic tag on the release sheet by the adsorbing unit, and after adhering the electronic tag from the release sheet by the movement of the adsorbing unit, the robot sticks to the object.
After adsorbing the adsorbing portion to the electronic tag on the release sheet on the front side of the release portion at the start of folding of the release sheet,
The adsorbing portion is moved together with the release sheet while adsorbing the electronic tag up to the folding start position, and the peeling is performed in a tangential direction of the moving direction of the release sheet while adsorbing the electronic tag after the folding start position. By moving it at the same speed as the sheet, the electronic tag peeled off from the release sheet by folding the release sheet was transferred to the suction portion.
The electronic tag sticking device according to any one of claims 1 to 11. An electronic tag supply section for sequentially supplying electronic tags having an adhesive section;
Affixing the electronic tag supplied from the electronic tag supply unit to an object to be applied;
A reader / writer that writes information on the object to an electronic tag that is in the process of being pasted on the object;
Using an electronic tag pasting device comprising an individual information sensor for detecting individual information of the object,
The individual information of the object is detected by the individual information sensor,
The individual information detected by the reader / writer is written information including part or all of the individual information detected by the individual information sensor and at least one of the related information acquired based on the detected individual information. Write on the electronic tag that will be affixed to the object.
A method of attaching an electronic tag, characterized in that

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