JP7012886B2 - Marking device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a marking device and a method for manufacturing a product with protrusions, and in particular, a marking device for marking dot-shaped protrusions using a dispenser, and a product with protrusions by marking dot-shaped protrusions using a dispenser. Regarding the manufacturing method of the product with protrusions to be manufactured.

Conventionally, as a marking device of this type, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a Braille display board creating device that draws Braille using a dispenser to create a Braille display board. Specifically, in the Braille display board creating device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a drawing tool is used to draw and cure a black image with resin, and then a dispenser is used to draw and cure Braille resin. ..

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-319295

However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, dot-shaped protrusions such as Braille used by the visually impaired are marked on the work transported in-line without stopping or reversing the work (the work is marked. It is difficult to form). In particular, it is difficult to mark a dot-shaped protrusion having a thickness that satisfies the requirements for Braille with a dispenser for a work that is conveyed in-line at high speed in a certain direction.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and a marking device capable of marking dot-shaped protrusions on demand on a workpiece transported in-line, and dot-shaped protrusions are formed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a product with a protrusion.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the marking device according to the present invention is a marking device that marks dot-shaped protrusions by ejecting droplets on each of a plurality of workpieces continuously transported by a transport path. Therefore, based on a jet-type dispenser capable of ejecting the droplets in a non-contact manner at a fixed cycle and a marking pattern of the protrusions, the droplets are given to the dispenser at a plurality of timings at each fixed cycle. A control unit for transmitting a discharge command to the dispenser at the discharge timing is provided separately for a discharge timing for discharging the liquid and a non-discharge timing for not discharging the droplet to the dispenser, and the dispenser receives from the control unit. The droplet is ejected based on the ejection command.

Further, one aspect of the method for manufacturing a product with protrusions according to the present invention is to use a jet-type dispenser capable of non-contactly ejecting droplets at regular intervals, and to form dots on a workpiece conveyed by a transport path. It is a method of manufacturing a product with protrusions by marking the protrusions of the above, and the droplets are sent to the dispenser at a plurality of timings at a fixed cycle based on the marking pattern of the protrusions. The liquid is discharged from the dispenser based on the control step of transmitting the discharge command to the dispenser at the discharge timing and the non-discharge timing of not discharging the droplet to the dispenser. Includes a ejection step that ejects a drop.

Dot-shaped protrusions can be marked on demand on workpieces transported in-line.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a marking device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the marking device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the marking device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a marking device according to the first modification. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating the marking device according to the second modification. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a dispenser for explaining the marking device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the marking device according to the second embodiment.

(Background to Obtaining One Aspect of the Present Invention)
As a method of marking protrusions on a work, a method of using embossing by lining is known. For example, on the top surface of a beverage can, Braille for distinguishing between alcoholic beverages and others is marked by the above method. However, the above method has restrictions such as a material that can be deformed by the lining and a thickness. Further, the above method is complicated because it is necessary to provide an embossing process separately from the production line.

Further, apart from the above method, a method of applying a resin material and marking protrusions on the work is known. This is known as, for example, a silk screen for marking protrusions by applying and curing a resin material according to the holes using a plate-shaped screen having holes in a shape for which the protrusions are to be marked. In order to carry out this method in-line without stopping the production line, there are restrictions on the processing capacity and the like, and it is common to provide a separate step of applying a resin material.

Further, for example, as a method for applying the resin material, there is a method as disclosed in Patent Document 1 in which the resin material is discharged from a nozzle that moves along a position where a protrusion is desired to be marked. In this case, a contact type is used in which the tip of the dispenser from which the resin material is fed is brought into contact with the surface to be marked and applied. However, in order to use such a contact type dispenser, it is necessary to keep the relative positional relationship between the marked surface and the dispenser constant for a period of contact with the dispenser.

Therefore, in order to incorporate it into the production line (in other words, it is carried out in-line), it is necessary to stop the production line once or make the dispenser movable in synchronization with the production line. Since the resin material to be applied has viscosity to maintain the three-dimensional shape, if the relative positional relationship is broken, the resin material dragged to the dispenser side may be applied to other positions of the work. There is.

Further, each of the mass-produced workpieces has manufacturing variations, and the position of the surface to be marked is not stable. Therefore, for example, when the resin material is applied to the top surface of the work, there is a problem that the dispenser that feeds out the resin material from above the top surface comes into contact with the work, and the amount of the resin material applied is not stable due to the variation in the contact area. Occurs. For this reason, when the above-mentioned contact type dispenser is used, the positions of the work and the dispenser need to be strictly controlled.

Therefore, as a result of diligent studies by the inventor of the present application, by using a jet-type dispenser instead of the embossing, silk screen, and contact-type dispensers, the work can be stopped for the work being conveyed in-line. We obtained the finding that dot-shaped protrusions such as Braille can be marked on demand without reversing.

The marking device according to the present invention and the method for manufacturing a product with protrusions on which protrusions are marked on the work are based on such knowledge.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to arbitrarily set whether or not to mark for each work, or for each production lot or product type. According to such a setting, the marking device according to the present invention can mark dot-shaped protrusions on demand on a work to be conveyed in-line.

Hereinafter, a marking device according to an embodiment of the present invention and a method for manufacturing a product with protrusions will be described with reference to the drawings.

It should be noted that all of the embodiments described below are comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement positions of the components, connection forms, steps, the order of steps, etc. shown in the following embodiments are examples, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Further, among the components in the following embodiments, the components not described in the independent claims will be described as arbitrary components.

Further, each figure used in the explanation is a schematic view and is not necessarily exactly illustrated. Further, in each figure, substantially the same configuration may be designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations may be omitted or simplified.

(Embodiment 1)
[Marking device]
First, the marking device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a marking device 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 shows x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis that are orthogonal to each other. The marking device 100 is arranged so that the belt surface (that is, the transport surface) of the transport path is on the xy plane and the moving direction of the work 20 is the x-axis plus direction. Hereinafter, in the z-axis direction perpendicular to the belt surface of the transport path, the side on which the work 20 is placed will be described as the z-axis plus direction (or upward), and the opposite side will be described as the z-axis minus direction (or downward). do.

FIG. 1A is a top view of the production line 200 including the marking device 100. Further, FIG. 1B is a view of the production line 200 including the marking device 100 as viewed from the side (y-axis minus direction). Further, FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the marking device 100 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1A, the hidden part of the work 20 and the encoder 11 is shown by a broken line. Further, in FIG. 1B, a hidden part of the work 20 is shown by a broken line.

In the embodiment, the description will be made on the assumption that a product with protrusions is manufactured. Hereinafter, the product on the production line 200 will be described as the work 20, and the product with protrusions marked and ready to be shipped will be described as a product with protrusions.

As shown in FIG. 1, the marking device 100 in the present embodiment is installed in the production line 200 of the work 20, and the resin material is discharged to the cap 20a of the work 20 conveyed in the production line 200 and cured. Mark the dot-shaped protrusions. The production line 200 of the work 20 is, for example, a line where the cap 20a is attached after being filled with the liquid which is the content of the work 20, and a plurality of works 20 to which the cap 20a is attached are continuously conveyed. It is a thing. In particular, in the present embodiment, the liquid of the contents will be described as a beverage. The content may be a liquid other than a beverage, such as oil, detergent, or paint.

In the present embodiment, a configuration will be described in which the top surface of the attached cap 20a is used as the surface to be marked, and dot-shaped protrusions are marked on the surface to be marked for each of the plurality of works 20. The top surface of the cap 20a is a surface parallel to the transport surface of the transport path. Therefore, the work 20 in the present embodiment will be described assuming that the surface to be marked is a surface parallel to the transport surface of the transport path.

The work 20 is a main body of an article, a container filled with contents, an article packaged in an outer box or the like, or the like. The production line 200 may be a line before filling the contents in which the container is prepared, a line after packaging in an outer box or the like, or the like. Therefore, the marking device 100 may be installed on the production line 200 corresponding to any process in the production of a series of products with protrusions.

In addition, a resin material (that is, droplets) before curing is applied to any surface (marked surface) such as the main body of an article, a container filled with contents, an exterior film, or a package such as an exterior box. If possible, the form of the work 20 may be any. Further, surface treatment such as coating for improving the fixability of the resin material may be appropriately performed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the marking device 100 in the present embodiment includes an encoder 11, a detection unit 12, a dispenser 13, a control unit 14, an acquisition unit 15, a vertical belt 16, and a curing unit 17. Be prepared.

The marking device 100 is installed in a transport path for transporting the work 20 in the production line 200. The transport path is specifically a belt-type conveyor 21. The transfer path is not limited to this, and may be a roller type or linear type conveyor, or may be a transfer robot or the like. The transport path may have any structure as long as the work 20 is configured to move along a predetermined route.

As an example, the conveyor 21 moves the work 20 placed on the belt surface 21a at a speed of 400 mm / s in the moving direction (x-axis plus direction) shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. The moving speed of the work 20 by the conveyor 21 (that is, the transport speed of the conveyor 21) is not limited to this, and may be faster or slower than 400 mm / s. Such a limitation on the moving speed of the work 20 will be described together with the dispenser 13 described later.

Further, a plurality of works 20 are placed on the belt surface 21a of the conveyor 21 at an average interval of 200 mm (that is, a pitch). The marking device 100 in the present embodiment can mark each of the plurality of workpieces 20 with dot-shaped protrusions. That is, the marking device 100 can mark the protrusions on 120 workpieces 20 per minute. The spacing on which the work 20 is placed is not limited to the above, and may be wider or narrower than 200 mm. The interval at which the work 20 is placed will be described later together with the dispenser 13 together with the moving speed of the work 20. The works 20 from which the resin material is discharged may be arranged at regular intervals, or may be arranged irregularly with variations in the intervals.

The main body 10 of the marking device 100 including the detection unit 12, the dispenser 13, the control unit 14, and the acquisition unit 15 is installed above the belt surface 21a of the conveyor 21 by a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance is a distance through which the work 20 conveyed by the conveyor 21 can pass, and is set according to the size of the work 20 to which the marking device 100 is to be applied in the z-axis direction. Further, the predetermined distance is configured so as to correspond to the positional deviation of the marked surface of the work 20 in the z-axis direction. As an example, when the marked surface of the work 20 has a blur of about 2 to 3 mm in the z-axis direction, the lower tip of the nozzle 13a of the dispenser 13 for discharging the resin material is the marked surface of the work 20 for a predetermined distance. The value is set so as to be separated from each other by about 5 to 10 mm. For example, the main body 10 of the marking device 100 is provided with columns extending in the vertical direction on both sides of the conveyor 21 in the y-axis direction, and is supported by the columns so as to be separated from the upper side of the conveyor 21 by a predetermined distance. Will be installed.

For example, if the support column has a mechanism that can be expanded and contracted in the vertical direction, the position of the main body portion 10 in the vertical direction can be appropriately set according to the size of the work 20. This eliminates the need to design a support column for each work 20 so that the position of the main body 10 in the vertical direction satisfies a predetermined distance condition.

It should be noted that a mechanism for suspending the main body 10 from above may be used without providing such a support. Such a hanging mechanism may be configured by hanging from the ceiling or the like of a building having a production line 200 by means such as a chain.

Hereinafter, each component constituting the marking device 100 will be described in detail.

[Encoder]
The encoder 11 is provided in the drive unit 21b that operates the conveyor 21, and is communicably connected to the control unit 14 described later. The encoder 11 is realized by, for example, a servomotor. The encoder 11 detects the operation of the conveyor 21 and generates (outputs) a pulse corresponding to the operation. The generated pulse is converted into the drive amount of the drive unit 21b by counting the wave number of the pulse, and the operation amount of the conveyor 21 (in other words, the movement amount of the work 20) is calculated. Therefore, the movement amount of the work 20 can be detected by the encoder 11.

The pulse generated by the encoder 11 is received by the control unit 14, and the cycle of the pulse is used as a master clock (that is, a constant cycle). Therefore, the control unit 14 can calculate the movement amount of the work 20 by counting the master clock. The pulse generated by the encoder 11 has a frequency higher than the maximum ejection frequency in the ejection of the resin material by the dispenser 13 described later.

That is, the pulse generated by the encoder 11 has a higher resolution than the ejection of the resin material by the dispenser 13. Therefore, the discharge of the resin material controlled based on the pulse generated from the encoder 11 is controlled with sufficient accuracy for the discharge of the resin material from the dispenser 13. Further, the place where the encoder 11 is installed is not limited to the drive unit 21b of the conveyor 21, and may be configured by, for example, a rotary encoder that is in contact with the belt surface 21a of the conveyor 21 and detects the movement of the work 20.

[Detection unit]
The detection unit 12 is included in the main body 10 of the marking device 100, and detects the position of the work 20 when the work 20 placed on the conveyor 21 is conveyed along with the operation of the conveyor 21. More specifically, the detection unit 12 is realized by means such as image recognition using a camera, a processor, and a memory. For example, the detection unit 12 detects the position of the work 20 in the image acquired by the camera by using software stored in the memory. Such image recognition is performed by recognizing a feature (or a marker attached to the work 20) of the work 20 registered in advance in the software.

Such a detection unit 12 is installed, for example, on the upstream side (minus side in the x-axis direction) of the dispenser 13 described later. Further, the detection unit 12 can accurately eject the resin material by photographing the direction perpendicular to the transport surface and detecting the position of the work 20. That is, after detecting that the work 20 is in the position corresponding to the detection unit 12, the time required for moving from the position where the detection unit 12 is installed to the landing position of the resin material discharged from the dispenser 13 has elapsed. The resin material is discharged from the dispenser 13.

The above camera may have a configuration capable of photographing the landing position of the resin material discharged by the dispenser 13 installed on the downstream side. That is, the above camera may be configured by using a wide-angle lens such that the landing position is within the angle of view. Further, the above-mentioned camera may be installed on the upstream side and arranged so that the axial direction of the lens is tilted toward the landing position on the downstream side, or may be installed on the downstream side and placed at the landing position on the upstream side. It may be configured so that the axial direction of the lens is tilted toward the lens. The detection unit 12 may be arranged at any location as long as the landing position is within the angle of view of the camera. In this case, when the position of the work 20 detected by the detection unit 12 coincides with the preset position, the resin material is discharged from the dispenser 13.

The detection unit 12 is communicably connected to the control unit 14, and transmits the detected position of the work 20 to the control unit 14. The detection unit 12 may transmit a simple position of the work 20, or may be configured to transmit that the preset position and the detected position of the work 20 match.

The detection unit 12 may be configured by a distance sensor using sound wave or infrared reflection instead of the camera. Further, even if it is composed of an infrared transmission unit arranged so as to sandwich the conveyor 21 in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the work 20 by the conveyor 21 (y-axis direction), and a passage sensor of the work 20 by the reception unit. good. When such a passage sensor is used, a configuration is used in which the work 20 transmits to the control unit 14 that the work 20 has passed a preset position (that is, the installation position of the passage sensor in the transport direction).

[Dispenser]
The dispenser 13 is included in the main body 10 of the marking device 100, and is a device that discharges the resin material without contacting the work 20. The dispenser 13 can discharge the resin material at a fixed cycle by the jet type. The resin material is discharged from the dispenser 13 by a piezo jet type, but may be a thermal jet type. Further, any method may be used as long as it has a high responsiveness and can discharge the resin material in a non-contact manner. The dispenser 13 is communicably connected to the control unit 14, and discharges the resin material based on the discharge command received from the control unit 14 to discharge the resin material to the dispenser 13.

More specifically, the dispenser 13 has a storage chamber for storing the resin material, a piezo element, and a nozzle 13a. When the discharge command is received from the control unit 14, a voltage is applied to the internal electrode of the piezo element, and the piezo element is deformed. The piezo element is in contact with the storage chamber and deforms to press the contact surface of the storage chamber. The pressing reduces the volume of the storage chamber and increases the internal pressure of the storage chamber. As a result, the internal pressure escapes to the nozzle 13a that communicates between the storage chamber and the outside, and at that time, a part of the resin material in the storage chamber is discharged. When the voltage applied to the internal electrode of the piezo element is released, the piezo element returns to its original shape and the internal pressure of the storage chamber decreases, so that the resin material that communicates with the storage chamber is different from the nozzle 13a. The resin material is refilled in the storage chamber via the supply pipe.

The dispenser 13 repeats such a discharge operation every time a discharge command is received, and discharges one drop of resin material for each discharge command. Here, the resin material discharged from the dispenser 13 is, for example, a high-viscosity material having a viscosity of 10 Pa · s or more and 2000 Pa · s or less. More preferably, the viscosity of the resin material is 15 Pa · s or more and 2000 Pa · s or less. By using such a high-viscosity material, the resin material discharged to the surface to be marked can maintain a dot-shaped three-dimensional shape without losing its shape before curing. Therefore, by curing, it is possible to mark protrusions that can be sensed by touch.

Here, the maximum discharge frequency in the discharge of the resin material by the dispenser 13 will be described. In the present embodiment, the ejection frequency required for the dispenser 13 (that is, how many droplets of the resin material can be ejected per second) differs depending on the marking pattern of the protrusion.

When only one drop is performed on one work 20, the required discharge frequency is determined depending on the number of works 20 for which the protrusions are to be marked. Any dispenser 13 having a maximum discharge frequency equal to or higher than the required discharge frequency can be preferably used. For example, if you want to make only one drop on one work 20 and mark protrusions on 120 works 20 per minute, use a dispenser 13 with a maximum discharge frequency of 120 pieces ÷ 60 seconds = 2 Hz or more. You can use it. Similarly, in order to mark the protrusions on the 600 workpieces 20, the dispenser 13 may be 600 pieces ÷ 60 seconds = 10 Hz or more.

The distance between each of the plurality of works 20 placed on the conveyor 21 is defined by the moving speed of the works 20 and the number of works 20 to be marked. As an example, when the work moves at 400 mm / s and protrusions are marked on 120 works 20 per minute, the works 20 are arranged at an average interval of 200 mm. The moving speed of the work 20 is proportional to the interval at which the work 20 is placed when marking protrusions on the same number of works 20 within the same time, and if the moving speed is doubled, the work 20 is placed. The interval is also doubled.

Further, when two or more drops are performed on one work 20, the required discharge frequency is determined depending on the moving speed of the work 20 by the conveyor 21 and the interval of each drop in one work 20. Will be done. Any dispenser 13 having a maximum discharge frequency equal to or higher than the required discharge frequency can be preferably used. For example, when two or more drops are performed on one work 20, the moving speed of the work 20 by the conveyor 21 is 400 mm / s, and the interval between each drops is 2 mm, 400 mm / s ÷ 2 mm = 200 Hz. The above dispenser 13 may be used. Similarly, if the moving speed is 1000 mm / s and the interval between each droplet is 1 mm, the dispenser 13 may be 1000 mm / s ÷ 1 mm = 1000 Hz or more.

In the present embodiment, the marking device 100 will be described as including, for example, a dispenser 13 having a maximum discharge frequency of 1000 Hz. That is, if only one drop is applied to one work 20, 60,000 works 20 can be marked with protrusions per minute. Further, if the structure is such that two or more drops are applied to one work 20 and the interval between the drops is 2.1 mm, it is possible to cope with the moving speed of the work 20 at 2100 mm / s.

The dispenser 13 discharges a high-viscosity resin material as described above. Therefore, the heating device may be provided in the storage chamber, the tank of the resin material, or the like to reduce the viscosity of the resin material and improve the discharge performance. Further, a cooling device may be provided in a storage chamber or a tank of the resin material to increase the viscosity of the resin material so that the resin material can easily maintain a three-dimensional shape after landing on the surface to be marked. Such an additional device may be appropriately configured according to the specifications of the dispenser 13 used for marking and the resin material. When the resin material is made of a material having high thixotropic properties, the dispenser 13 may be provided with a stirring device in a storage chamber, a tank of the resin material, or the like.

[Control unit]
The control unit 14 is a processing device including a processor and a memory, and is included in the main body unit 10 of the marking device 100. The control unit 14 transmits a discharge command for discharging the resin material to the dispenser 13 based on the movement amount of the work 20 based on the pulse received from the encoder 11 and the position of the work 20 received from the detection unit 12.

More specifically, the control unit 14 uses the pulse cycle acquired from the encoder 11 as the master clock, determines the discharge timing of the resin material, and transmits the discharge command to the dispenser 13. More specifically, the control unit 14 acquires a pulse cycle from the encoder 11 and divides a plurality of timings for each cycle into a discharge timing and a non-discharge timing. At this time, the control unit 14 separates the discharge timing and the non-discharge timing based on the marking pattern of the protrusion acquired by the acquisition unit 15 described later. The discharge timing is the timing at which the resin material is discharged to the dispenser 13, and the non-discharge timing is the timing at which the resin material is not discharged to the dispenser 13.

The control unit 14 generates a timing chart including the discharge timing divided from the plurality of timings and the non-discharge timing in this way, and transmits the discharge command to the dispenser 13 at the discharge timing on the timing chart. As a result, the control unit 14 causes the dispenser 13 to discharge the resin material according to the marking pattern of the protrusions.

[Acquisition department]
The acquisition unit 15 is a device for acquiring information indicating a marking pattern, and is included in the main body unit 10 of the marking device 100. The acquisition unit 15 transmits information indicating the acquired marking pattern to the control unit 14. Therefore, the acquisition unit 15 is communicably connected to the control unit 14 and is also communicably connected to the external device 22 that generates information indicating the marking pattern. As shown in FIG. 2, the acquisition unit 15 is wirelessly connected to the external device 22 so as to be communicable, but may be connected by wire.

The external device 22 is, for example, a user interface such as a touch panel provided in the marking device 100. The marking pattern of the protrusions input by the user via the touch panel is included in the information indicating the marking pattern and is acquired by the acquisition unit 15. The external device 22 may be a mobile terminal, or may be configured to transmit information indicating a marking pattern generated by an application stored in the mobile terminal to the acquisition unit 15.

[Vertical belt]
The vertical belt 16 has at least two belts 16a whose belt surfaces face each other and a pulley 16b that rotates at least two belts 16a. The vertical belt 16 has at least two belts from both sides in a direction (y-axis direction) orthogonal to the moving direction of the work 20 by the conveyor 21 in a top view seen from the direction in which the conveyor 21 and the work 20 overlap (that is, upward). The work 20 is arranged so as to sandwich the work 20 by the belt surface of 16a.

With the above configuration, the vertical belt 16 sandwiches the work 20 and suppresses the shake of the marked surface due to the movement of the work 20 by the conveyor 21 or the like. It is desirable that the vertical belt 16 is synchronized with the movement of the work 20 by the conveyor 21. That is, the pulley 16b of the vertical belt 16 is configured to rotate at least two belts 16a at a speed corresponding to the moving speed of the work 20 by the conveyor 21.

Since the pulley 16b of the vertical belt 16 synchronizes with the drive unit 21b of the conveyor 21, the drive force may be shared by an appropriate power transmission means such as a gear.

Further, for example, when the surface to be marked is sufficiently wide and the protrusion may be marked at any position on the surface to be marked, it may not be necessary to suppress such blurring of the work 20 in the y-axis direction. Therefore, in such a case, the vertical belt 16 may not be provided. Further, instead of the vertical belt 16, a guide rail that partially suppresses the shake of the work 20 in the y-axis direction may be provided.

[Hardened part]
The curing unit 17 is a device provided with curing means for curing the three-dimensional shape of the discharged resin material. Here, in the present embodiment, since it is a line for producing a beverage, it is desirable not to use curing of the resin by heating. For example, the resin material is composed of an ultraviolet photocurable resin. That is, it is necessary to irradiate ultraviolet light in order for the resin material to be cured. Therefore, the cured portion 17 includes a light source that irradiates the three-dimensional shape of the resin material discharged on the marked surface of the work 20 with ultraviolet light. Further, the cured portion 17 extends along the moving direction of the work 20 by the conveyor 21 so that ultraviolet light is irradiated for a required time according to the amount of the resin material discharged to the marked surface of the work 20. It exists.

Further, the curing unit 17 may be controlled by the control unit 14. More specifically, the control unit 14 determines the curing unit 17 only for the required curing time from the time when the work 20 enters the ultraviolet light irradiation range of the cured unit 17 depending on the amount of the discharged resin material and the position of the work 20. The light source may be turned on and the light source may be turned off when the curing time has elapsed. Further, the control unit 14 may control the emission intensity of the light source.

Further, the cured portion 17 may be replaced with an apparatus that acts to appropriately cure the resin material according to the curing characteristics of the resin material.

[Operation of marking device]
Next, the operation of the marking device 100 described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the marking device 100 according to the first embodiment.

First, the acquisition unit 15 acquires information indicating the marking pattern of the protrusions to be marked in the product with protrusions (S101). This is performed by the acquisition unit 15 receiving information indicating the marking pattern possessed by the external device 22 by communicating with the external device 22. The acquired information indicating the marking pattern is further transmitted to the control unit 14 and stored in the memory of the control unit 14.

The control unit 14 reads out the information indicating the stored marking pattern, and generates a timing chart in which the discharge timing and the non-discharge timing are arranged according to the marking pattern.

The control unit 14 detects the amount of movement of the work 20 from the pulse generated by the encoder 11 (S102). Specifically, the control unit 14 detects the movement amount of the work 20 moved by the conveyor 21 by receiving the pulse transmitted from the encoder 11 and using the cycle of the pulse as the master clock and counting the master clock. The control unit 14 updates the generated timing chart based on the detected movement amount of the work 20. More specifically, the length between each of the discharge timings included in the timing chart or a plurality of timings that are non-discharge timings is set, and between each discharge or non-discharge and the next discharge or non-discharge. Set the distance that the work 20 moves.

Further, the detection of the movement amount by the encoder 11 as described above is continuously executed. Therefore, the control unit 14 has started to detect the movement amount of the work, and has continuously detected the movement amount of the work 20 thereafter. That is, when the operation amount of the conveyor 21 fluctuates, the control unit 14 receives a pulse having a fluctuating period, and the master clock fluctuates in synchronization with this. Here, the moving distance of the work 20 between each of the plurality of timings set on the timing chart is specified based on the master clock. That is, the timing chart specifies the wave number of the pulse generated by the encoder 11 from the ejection or non-ejection of the resin material to the next ejection or non-ejection. Therefore, the control unit 14 detects the fluctuation of the movement amount of the work 20 from the fluctuation of the master clock and updates the timing chart to accurately discharge the resin material regardless of the fluctuation of the operation amount of the conveyor 21. Can be controlled.

In other words, the control unit 14 divides a plurality of timings on the master clock into discharge timings and non-discharge timings based on the marking pattern by the processing up to this point, and includes timings that can accurately discharge the resin material. Generating a chart.

Here, the detection unit 12 detects the position of the work 20 moved by the conveyor 21 by image recognition (S103). More specifically, on the upper surface of the work 20 (the surface to which the cap 20a is attached), a marker printed in advance on a part of the plus side in the x-axis direction of the cap 20a is recognized and acquired by image recognition. The position of the work 20 is detected based on where the position of the marker is in the image to be printed. The detected position of the work 20 is transmitted to the control unit 14. Such detection of the position of the work 20 is continuously executed. Therefore, the detection unit 12 starts detecting the position of the work and continuously transmits the position of the work 20 thereafter.

For example, a case where at least two discharge timings are associated with the marking pattern will be described. The first ejection timing of these at least two ejection timings is based on the time when the position of the work 20 detected by the detection unit 12 and the predetermined predetermined position coincide with each other. That is, the first ejection timing is when the time required for the work 20 to move from the predetermined position to the position corresponding to the nozzle 13a of the dispenser 13 has elapsed. The time required for such movement is calculated based on the movement amount of the work 20 based on the pulse received from the encoder 11.

Therefore, after the position of the work 20 detected by the detection unit 12 coincides with a predetermined position set in advance and the time required for the work 20 to move elapses, the control unit 14 performs 1 on the timing chart. A control step (S104) for transmitting a discharge command at the second discharge timing to the dispenser 13 is performed. The dispenser 13 carries out a discharge step (S105) of discharging the resin material without contacting the work 20 according to the received discharge command. Here, as an example, the discharge amount of the resin material is three-dimensional due to the solvent volatilized during curing and the resin material due to the fluidity so that the height of the marked protrusions is higher than at least 0.5 mm. It is set in consideration of the radial spread of the shape and the like.

The predetermined position includes the processing time from the generation, update, transmission / reception, and reception of the timing chart to the start of the resin material ejection operation, and the flight time from the ejection of the resin material to the impact. , Set in consideration of the time lag. Therefore, the predetermined position is set on the upstream side (minus side) in the x-axis direction by the distance corresponding to the moving distance of the work 20 within the time lag, in addition to the distance to the position corresponding to the nozzle 13a of the dispenser 13.

Further, the control unit 14 transmits a discharge command at each discharge timing on the timing chart (S104), and causes the dispenser 13 to perform an operation (S105) of discharging the resin material. Further, as described above, when the fluctuation of the operation amount of the conveyor 21, that is, the fluctuation of the movement amount of the work 20, is detected, the dispenser 13 is transmitted from the control unit 14 at the discharge timing based on the updated timing chart. Receives the discharge command and discharges the resin material. In this way, the marking device 100 discharges the resin material to the surface to be marked according to the marking pattern. Therefore, the marking device 100 can mark the dot-shaped protrusions on the work 20 transported in-line on demand.

On the other hand, for example, a case where one discharge timing is associated with the marking pattern will be described. In this case, similarly, the position of the work 20 detected by the detection unit 12 coincides with a predetermined position set in advance, and after the time required for the work 20 to move elapses, the control unit 14 discharges. A control step (S104) for transmitting a command to the dispenser 13 may be performed.

Further, for example, under the condition that the intervals at which the plurality of works 20 are placed on the conveyor 21 are constant, the resin material may be discharged from the dispenser 13 at regular intervals. Therefore, regardless of the detection unit 12, the discharge command may be transmitted to the dispenser 13 at regular intervals based on the pulse transmitted from the encoder 11 (S104). In this case, an aligning device for aligning the works 20 may be provided, and the positions of the plurality of works 20 may be aligned with the discharge interval of the resin material by the dispenser 13 by the aligning device.

Such an alignment device is realized, for example, by stopping the movement of each of the plurality of workpieces 20 at equal intervals against the operation of the conveyor 21 by each of the plurality of comb-shaped holders arranged at equal intervals. After that, by releasing the plurality of holders at the same time, the work 20 is returned to the movement driven by the conveyor 21 again. By matching the release timing of the plurality of holders with the discharge timing of the dispenser 13, the marking device 100 marks the work 20 conveyed in-line with dot-shaped protrusions on demand even in such a configuration. be able to.

Since the resin material discharged to the marked surface of the work 20 by the above operation is a high-viscosity material as described above, the resin material continues to move by the conveyor 21 while maintaining the three-dimensional shape. A hardened portion 17 is further installed downstream in the moving direction of the work 20 by the conveyor 21, and the work 20 for which the resin material has been discharged moves to a position corresponding to the hardened portion 17 as the conveyor 21 operates. However, the three-dimensional shape made of the resin material is cured. More specifically, the cured portion 17 is provided with a light source that irradiates ultraviolet light, and is always in a lit state. As described above, the resin material in the present embodiment is an ultraviolet photocurable resin, and is irradiated with ultraviolet light when passing through a position corresponding to the cured portion 17 (S106), so that the resin on the surface to be marked The three-dimensional shape of the material is cured.

The color of the protrusions formed by curing the resin material is, for example, the same color as the surface to be marked, but is not limited thereto. The formed protrusions may have a different color from the surface to be marked. For example, the formed protrusions may be transparent, and the protrusions may be transmitted through the protrusions so that the surface to be marked can be visually recognized by a healthy person. In this case, information that can be visually recognized by a healthy person may be printed on the surface to be marked by the color scheme and shading. That is, any color scheme can be configured without limitation for the color of the surface to be marked.

In the above, the configuration in which one or more dot-shaped protrusions are provided for one work 20 has been described. In particular, regarding the configuration for marking a plurality of protrusions, if the dispenser 13 is configured to be able to scan in a direction (y-axis direction) orthogonal to the moving direction of the work 20 in the top view, the dot-shaped protrusions are arranged in 3 rows and 2 columns. 6 points can be marked. That is, it is also possible to mark a plurality of protrusions in units of 6 points in 3 rows and 2 columns on the marked surface of the work 20, and 6-point braille is formed by these protrusions.

The above operation is sequentially performed for each of the plurality of works 20 flowing through the production line 200. Therefore, the marking device 100 is incorporated in the production line 200 of the mass-produced product with protrusions, and the dot-shaped protrusions are used for the movement of the work 20 and the marking pattern of the protrusions for each of the works 20 transported in-line. It can be marked on demand based on.

[effect]
As described above, the marking device 100 according to the present embodiment divides a plurality of timings at regular intervals into discharge timing and non-discharge timing based on the jet type dispenser 13 and the marking pattern of the protrusions. A control unit 14 for transmitting a discharge command to the dispenser 13 at the discharge timing is provided, and the dispenser 13 discharges the resin material based on the received discharge command.

The jet-type dispenser 13 enables the marking device 100 to discharge the resin material at high speed, and controls the dispenser 13 by setting the timing of discharge and non-discharge from the marking pattern, based on the marking pattern at high speed. Discharge of resin material can be realized. Therefore, the marking device 100 can mark the dot-shaped protrusions on the work 20 which is incorporated in the production line 200 (in-line) and is being conveyed without deteriorating the productivity.

Further, for example, the marking device 100 is further provided on the conveyor 21 and includes an encoder 11 that outputs a pulse corresponding to the movement of the work 20, and the constant cycle may be the cycle of the pulse output by the encoder 11.

Thereby, the operating amount of the conveyor 21, that is, the moving amount of the mounted work 20 can be detected based on the pulse transmitted from the encoder 11. Therefore, even when the movement amount of the work 20 fluctuates, the resin material can be accurately discharged to the marked surface of the work 20 in response to the fluctuation.

Further, for example, the marking device 100 further includes a detection unit 12 for detecting the position of the work 20, the marking pattern is associated with at least two discharge timings, and the first discharge timing out of at least two discharge timings is detected. It may be based on the time point at which the position of the work 20 detected by the unit 12 and the predetermined predetermined position coincide with each other.

As a result, the position of the work 20 moving by the conveyor 21 can be detected, and the resin material can be discharged based on the detected position of the work 20. Therefore, even if the placement interval of the work 20 placed on the conveyor 21 varies, the resin material can be accurately discharged to the marked surface of the work 20 starting from the position of the work 20.

Further, for example, the marking device 100 may further include an acquisition unit 15 for acquiring information indicating a marking pattern.

As a result, it is possible to acquire the marking pattern specified by the external device 22 configured by introducing the application into an existing input device or the like or a mobile terminal or the like. Therefore, it is not necessary to newly provide a device for designating the marking pattern, and a simple marking device 100 can be realized.

Further, for example, the height of the protrusion may be at least 0.5 mm.

As a result, the dot-shaped protrusions marked by the marking device 100 have a shape that can be easily identified by touch. Therefore, it is possible to mark protrusions with high legibility in the visually impaired.

Further, for example, the transport speed of the conveyor 21 may be 400 mm / s or more.

As a result, the marking device 100 can be incorporated into the production line 200 having a transfer speed of at least 400 mm / s. Therefore, the productivity of the production line 200 can be maintained above a certain level.

Further, for example, a plurality of works 20 may be placed on the conveyor 21, and the marking device 100 may mark at least 120 works 20 with protrusions per minute.

As a result, the marking device 100 can be incorporated into the production line 200 in which at least 120 workpieces 20 are produced per minute. Therefore, the productivity of the production line 200 can be maintained above a certain level.

Further, for example, the marking device 100 may mark a plurality of protrusions on the work 20 and form Braille by the plurality of protrusions.

As a result, the marking device 100 can form Braille on the marked surface of the work 20 without significantly impairing the productivity of the production line 200. Therefore, it is possible to mark a dot-shaped protrusion that can be discriminated by a visually impaired person and has more information.

Further, for example, the resin material is composed of an ultraviolet photocurable resin, and the marking device 100 further includes a curing portion 17 that irradiates the three-dimensional shape of the resin material discharged to the work 20 with ultraviolet light to cure the resin material. You may.

As a result, the marking device 100 can quickly cure the three-dimensional shape of the resin material by irradiation with ultraviolet light, and can mark the dot-shaped protrusions without significantly impairing the productivity of the production line 200.

Further, for example, the resin material may be a high-viscosity material having a viscosity of 10 Pa · s or more and 2000 Pa · s or less.

As a result, the resin material discharged to the marked surface of the work 20 is cured while having a three-dimensional shape. Therefore, dot-shaped protrusions can be marked.

Further, with the above configuration, the marking device 100 includes a wide range of production including those accompanied by stoppage and acceleration / deceleration of the production line 200, and those in which the work 20 has irregular placement intervals (pitch) and the works are arranged irregularly. It is compatible with line 200. Therefore, the marking device 100 can be additionally introduced into the existing production line 200 that produces various products. By introducing the marking device 100 of the present invention into the production line 200 of such various products, for example, a visually impaired person can easily mark dot-shaped protrusions such as Braille that can be read by touch. Can be done.

(Modification 1 of Embodiment 1)
Next, the marking device according to the first modification of the first embodiment will be described.

In the first embodiment described above, an example in which the marked surface of the work 20 is a surface parallel to the transport surface on which the work 20 of the conveyor 21 is placed has been described. On the other hand, in this modification, an example in which the marked surface of the work is inclined with respect to the transport surface on which the work of the conveyor 21 is placed will be described. That is, in this modification, a marking device capable of marking dot-shaped protrusions on a work whose surface to be marked is inclined with respect to the conveyed surface will be described.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a marking device 101 according to a modification 1 of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4A shows the relative positional relationship between the work 20 and the dispenser 13 in the first embodiment. FIG. 4B shows the relative positional relationship between the work 23 and the dispenser 13 in the first modification. In this modification, the dispenser 13 of the marking device 101 is shown in the figure, and the others are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the marked surface of the work 20 in the first embodiment is the top surface of the cap 20a of the container filled with the liquid beverage, and the work 20 of the conveyor 21 is placed on the surface. It is a surface parallel to the transport surface. With respect to such a marked surface, the dispenser 13 has a configuration in which the axial direction of the nozzle 13a substantially coincides with the vertical direction of the marked surface. Therefore, the axial direction of the nozzle 13a substantially coincides with the vertical direction on the transport surface of the work 20. This is because the marked surface of the work 20 is a surface parallel to the transport surface, and a configuration in which the resin material is ejected in the direction of gravity is most preferable because the accuracy of the landing position of the resin material is high. It depends on the composition.

The marked surface of the work 23 in the present modification shown in FIG. 4B is common to the above-described first embodiment in that it is the top surface of the cap 23a of the container filled with the liquid beverage. However, the top surface is different from the first embodiment in that the top surface is a surface at a predetermined angle with the transport surface on which the work 23 of the conveyor 21 is placed. When a configuration in which the vertical direction of the transport surface and the axial direction of the nozzle 13a shown in FIG. 4A are substantially the same is applied to the work 23 whose surface to be marked is inclined with respect to the transport surface, the mark is to be marked. Since the resin material enters from the direction inclined with respect to the surface, the allowable range for landing deviation is narrowed. That is, the required accuracy of the landing position becomes higher.

In addition, since the propulsive force of the discharged resin material acts as inertia in the inclined direction of the marked surface, the resin material flows on the marked surface in the inclined direction after landing, and the three-dimensional shape cannot be maintained. It may not be possible to mark the shaped protrusions. In order to stop the progress of the discharged resin material, it is desirable that the surface to be marked is such that the resin material is landed on a surface perpendicular to the traveling direction of the discharged resin material.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4B, the dispenser 13 in this modification is arranged so as to be inclined so that the traveling direction of the resin material is the vertical direction with respect to the surface to be marked. With such an arrangement, the dispenser 13 substantially coincides with the axial direction of the nozzle 13a and the vertical direction of the surface to be marked. The traveling direction of the resin material discharged from the nozzle 13a substantially coincides with the axial direction of the nozzle 13a, and the resin material penetrates the surface to be marked from the vertical direction. Therefore, it is possible to realize a marking device 101 capable of accurately marking the dot-shaped protrusions with high accuracy of the landing position even on the work 23 having the marked surface inclined with respect to the transport surface.

If the axial direction of the nozzle 13a substantially coincides with the vertical direction of the surface to be marked, the same effect can be obtained. Therefore, the dispenser 13 and the nozzle 13a may be tilted so that the axial direction of the nozzle 13a is tilted with respect to the transport surface. Further, the main body portion 10 and the dispenser 13 may be tilted so that the axial direction of the nozzle 13a is tilted with respect to the transport surface. Further, the marking device 101 and the main body 10 may be tilted so that the axial direction of the nozzle 13a is tilted with respect to the transport surface. Further, the nozzle 13a may discharge the resin material in the direction of gravity, and the transport surface may be inclined with respect to the horizontal plane orthogonal to the direction of gravity to alleviate the inclination of the surface to be marked. Such a configuration may be realized by inclining the conveyor 21 or the vertical belt 16.

As described above, in the marking device 101 in the present modification, in the work 23 conveyed by the conveyor 21, the surface to be marked on which the protrusion is formed is inclined with respect to the conveyed surface on which the work 23 is placed. The dispenser 13 is arranged so as to be inclined with respect to the transport surface so that the vertical direction of the surface to be marked and the axial direction of the nozzle 13a from which the resin material is discharged coincide with each other.

As a result, the marking device 101 can discharge the resin material to the work 23 having the marked surface inclined with respect to the transport surface by using the similarly inclined dispenser 13. Therefore, the marking device 101 has high accuracy of the landing position and can accurately mark the dot-shaped protrusions. In the marking device 101 in this modification, the dispenser 13 is tilted in accordance with the tilt of the marked surface of the work 23 with respect to the first embodiment described above, so that the marking device 101 marks a wider variety of workpieces with dot-shaped protrusions. be able to.

(Modification 2 of Embodiment 1)
Next, the marking device according to the second modification of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating the marking device 102 according to the second modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5A is a top view of the production line 201 including the marking device 102. Further, FIG. 5B is a side view of the production line 201 including the marking device 102. Similarly to FIG. 1, in (a) of FIG. 5 and (b) of FIG. 5, the hidden part of the work 20 is shown by a broken line. The upstream side (x-axis minus side) of the hardened portion 17 of the conveyor 21 of the production line 201 is omitted. Further, in this modification, the protrusions formed by curing the resin material are inspected. Therefore, the product on the production line 201 until the inspection is completed will be described as the work 20, and the product in a state where the inspection is completed and it is determined that the product can be shipped will be described as a product with protrusions.

In this modification, a load device for applying a load to the protrusions marked on the work 20 and an observation device for observing the protrusions after the load is applied by the load device are further provided on the work 20. A marking device 102 including an inspection unit for inspecting whether or not the protrusions of the above have a predetermined drop resistance will be described.

FIG. 5 shows a further downstream side (x-axis plus side) of the hardened portion 17 in the marking device 102 installed on the production line 201. As shown in FIG. 5, a load roller 31 (an example of a load device) and an observation camera 32 (an example of an observation device) are arranged in this order downstream of the curing portion 17. The load roller 31 and the observation camera 32 constitute an inspection unit for inspecting whether or not the protrusions on the work 20 have a predetermined drop resistance.

Hereinafter, the load roller 31 and the observation camera 32 will be described in more detail.

[Load roller]
The load roller 31 has a motor, a cylindrical roller that rotates around the rotation axis of the motor by driving the motor, and a brush including a hair-like member formed along the radial direction of the roller. The motor rotates the roller on which the brush is formed at a predetermined speed and force. In the brush rotated together with the roller, the hair-like member comes into contact with the protrusion marked with respect to the work 20. The load roller 31 is set with a predetermined load applied to the protrusions by the force (torque) of the motor and the hardness of the hair-like member. The predetermined load is a value that virtually sets the load that can be applied to the protrusions when the produced product with protrusions is handled, and the load due to vibration during transportation of the product with protrusions is set. ..

Since the load actually applied to the protrusion has a force in all directions, a plurality of load rollers 31 may be provided so that the force in a plurality of directions can be applied to the protrusion. Further, the load roller 31 may be replaced with a device that applies a load that leads to any protrusion falling off, in accordance with various loads that can be applied to the protrusions.

[Observation camera]
The observation camera 32 is a camera that acquires an image for determining whether or not the protrusions marked on the work 20 are formed according to the marking pattern of the protrusions. The observation camera 32 is further provided with a processing device including a processor, a memory, and an application. The observation camera 32 analyzes the acquired image by the processing device to determine whether or not the protrusion marked on the work 20 has fallen off.

The observation camera 32 may have a function of detecting not only the protrusions falling off due to the load roller 31 but also the protrusion formation defects due to the discharge defects of the dispenser 13.

The observation camera 32 further outputs an alarm signal that issues an alarm to the manager of the production line 201 (for example, the person in charge of manufacturing the product with protrusions) when the image determined that the protrusions have fallen off is acquired. It may be configured to be used. Further, the observation camera 32 may be configured to output a stop signal for stopping the production line 201 when an image determined to have the protrusions dropped is acquired.

As described above, the marking device 102 in the present modification further observes the load roller 31 that applies a load to the protrusions marked on the work 20, and the protrusions after the load is applied by the load roller 31. It has an observation camera 32 and an inspection unit for inspecting whether or not the protrusion on the work 20 has a predetermined drop resistance.

As a result, the marking device 102 determines whether or not the marked protrusions are normally formed, and guarantees that the dot-shaped protrusions can be accurately marked for each of the plurality of mass-produced products with protrusions. can. It should be noted that this modification can be applied not only to the first embodiment but also to the above-mentioned modification 1.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, the marking device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a dispenser 40 for explaining the marking device 103 according to the second embodiment. Since the configuration of the dispenser is mainly different in the present embodiment, the difference from the dispenser 13 in the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of other substantially the same components will be omitted.

[Dispenser]
The marking device 103 in the present embodiment is different from the marking device 100 in the first embodiment in that it includes a plurality of dispensers 40. FIG. 6 illustrates a plurality of dispensers 40 and a cap 20a of a container filled with a liquid beverage having a surface to be marked on the top surface. A three-dimensional shape 45 discharged from a plurality of dispensers 40 is formed on the top surface of the cap 20a. Further, in this description, the plurality of dispensers 40 are composed of three dispensers, a dispenser 41, a dispenser 42, and a dispenser 43, but the present invention is not limited to this. The number of the plurality of dispensers 40 may be four, five, or six. The number of the plurality of dispensers 40 is appropriately set according to the marking pattern and in consideration of various restrictions such as the size of the surface to be marked.

Further, each of the dispensers 41 to 43 has nozzles 41a to 43a for discharging the resin material.

Here, a discharge command is transmitted from the control unit 14 to each of the plurality of dispensers 40, and the respective dispensers 41 to 43 can independently discharge the resin material. More specifically, the dispenser 41 receives a discharge command for discharging the resin material to the dispenser 41 from the control unit 14. Further, the dispenser 42 receives a discharge command for discharging the resin material to the dispenser 42 from the control unit 14. Further, the dispenser 43 receives a discharge command for discharging the resin material to the dispenser 43 from the control unit 14.

Of the plurality of dispensers 40, each of the dispensers 41 to 43 is assigned a row for discharging the resin material on the marking pattern. That is, the dispensers 41 to 43 are fixed in positions in the direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the work 20, and are assigned to discharge the resin material at each position in the orthogonal direction. Therefore, the nozzles 41a to 43a are arranged so as to be offset from each other in the direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the work 20, and are assigned to the dispensers 41 to 43 in the first row i to the third row on the marking pattern. The resin material is discharged according to the row pattern specified in row iii (two-dot chain line in FIG. 6).

[Operation of marking device]
The discharge of the resin material by the dispenser 40 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the marking device 103 according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows the plurality of dispensers 40 and the marked surface of the cap 20a, and the marking pattern 400 corresponding to the marked surface is virtually superimposed and shown.

In FIG. 7, as an example, when a matrix of protrusions shown in the marking pattern 400 is assigned to each of the three dispensers in one row (first row i to third row iii), the discharge of the resin material is performed for each drop. It is shown by separating it into. Further, in FIG. 7, the movement of the marking pattern 400 (that is, the movement of the marked surface of the work 20) is a movement in the direction from the right side to the left side of the paper surface.

FIG. 7A shows the operation of the plurality of dispensers 40 in the first dropping. Further, FIG. 7B shows the operation of the plurality of dispensers 40 in the second dropping. Further, FIG. 7 (c) shows the operation of the plurality of dispensers 40 in the third dropping. Further, FIG. 7D shows the operation of the plurality of dispensers 40 in the fourth dropping.

In FIG. 7A, in the work 20 moving by the operation of the conveyor 21, the discharge timing (discharge position) shown in the first row i coincides with the position of the nozzle 41a of the dispenser 41. Therefore, the dispenser 41 discharges the resin material, and the three-dimensional shape 45a of the resin material is formed on the surface to be marked by the first dropping. Next, in FIG. 7B, the work 20 is further moved, and the discharge timing shown in the second row ii coincides with the position of the nozzle 42a of the dispenser 42. Therefore, the dispenser 42 discharges the resin material, and the three-dimensional shape 45b made of the resin material of the second droplet is formed on the surface to be marked.

Next, in FIG. 7C, the work 20 moves further, and the discharge timing shown in the first row i coincides with the position of the nozzle 41a of the dispenser 41. Therefore, the dispenser 41 discharges the resin material, and a three-dimensional shape 45c made of the resin material of the third drop is formed on the surface to be marked. Next, in FIG. 7D, the work 20 is further moved, and the discharge timing shown in the third row coincides with the position of the nozzle 43a of the dispenser 43. Therefore, the dispenser 43 discharges the resin material, and a three-dimensional shape 45d made of the resin material of the fourth droplet is formed on the surface to be marked.

As described above, the first droplet shown in FIG. 7A is performed based on the time when the position of the work 20 detected by the detection unit 12 coincides with a preset predetermined position. .. Further, the second to fourth droplets shown in FIGS. 7 (b) to 7 (d) start from the position of the work 20 at the time of the first droplet, and the work is based on the pulse transmitted by the encoder 11. It is managed by 20 travel distances.

As described above, the configuration of the marking device 103 using the three dispensers can be particularly preferably used for marking the three-row matrix-shaped protrusions. That is, the marking device 103 is suitable for use in Braille marking such as 6 Braille represented by a matrix of protrusions having 3 rows and 2 columns. The marking device 103 is not limited to the above Braille marking, and can be used for any purpose of marking dot-shaped protrusions such as convex symbols.

As described above, the marking device 103 in the present embodiment further includes a plurality of dispensers 40, and each of the plurality of dispensers 40 is made of a resin material in a top view viewed from the direction in which the work 20 and the conveyor 21 overlap. The nozzles 41a to 43a for discharging are arranged so as to be offset from each other in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the conveyor 21, and the control unit 14 transmits a discharge command to each of the plurality of dispensers 40.

As a result, as compared with the first embodiment described above, each dispenser 41 to 43 does not require a scanning mechanism, and it is possible to discharge a plurality of resin materials including Braille and the like over two-dimensional surfaces. Further, as compared with the case of using a single dispenser, the apparent discharge frequency of the plurality of dispensers 40 increases in proportion to the number of dispensers included in the plurality of dispensers 40, so that the marking device 103 has finer marking. It can also be adapted to patterns. Therefore, the marking device 103 can be incorporated in the production line 200 (in-line) and can mark a plurality of dot-shaped protrusions on demand on the workpiece 20 to be conveyed without deteriorating the productivity.

<Other embodiments>
Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

Further, although the components constituting the marking device have been illustrated in the above embodiment, each function of the components included in the marking device may be distributed to a plurality of parts constituting the marking device in any way.

In addition, it can be realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions in each embodiment to the extent obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that can be conceived by those skilled in the art, or to the extent that the gist of the present invention is not deviated. The form to be used is also included in the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the resin material is cured by the cured portion 17 has been described. For example, a cooling unit may be provided to assist in maintaining the three-dimensional shape until the resin material is further cured. This may be realized by a configuration in which the ambient temperature of the work 20 is lowered on the downstream side of the position corresponding to the dispenser 13 on the production line 200. Alternatively, it may be realized by applying cold air to the three-dimensional shape 45 made of the resin material discharged to the work 20 to cool the three-dimensional shape 45 made of the resin material.

Further, in the above embodiment, it has been described that the surface to be marked and the axis of the nozzle 13a of the dispenser 13 are orthogonal to each other. For example, in a configuration including a dispenser 13 capable of controlling the ejection speed and ejecting a resin material having high accuracy such as position accuracy, the positional relationship between the marked surface and the axial direction of the nozzle 13a may not be vertical. good.

In the above embodiment, the control unit 14 has described the configuration of transmitting the discharge command to the dispenser 13. For example, the control unit 14 may transmit the timing chart to the dispenser 13. At that time, the dispenser 13 may control to discharge the resin material at the discharge timing and not to discharge the resin material at the non-discharge timing according to the received timing chart.

Further, since the timing chart is updated at any time according to the fluctuation of the master clock, it is necessary to transmit the updated timing chart. The transmission of such a timing chart may be configured such that the latest timing chart at that time is transmitted every time the timing chart is updated, every preset period, or every discharge of one droplet.

Further, for example, when the melting point of the surface to be marked is a sufficiently high metal or the like, a molten metal, molten glass or the like may be used as the droplet.

Further, for example, if the work 20 has a configuration in which the position can be controlled more strictly than the landing blur in the discharge by the dispenser 13, it is not necessary to include either or both of the encoder 11 and the detection unit 12.

Further, for example, although the configuration in which the marking pattern 400 is acquired by the acquisition unit 15 has been described, the marking pattern 400 may be provided in the marking device in advance. In this case, the marking device can be realized without the acquisition unit 15.

Further, for example, the dispensers may be arranged at a plurality of places on the production line 200, and a three-dimensional shape made of a resin material may be formed at different places on the surface to be marked. More specifically, in the second embodiment, the configuration in which one marking pattern is divided into three and assigned to the respective dispensers 41 to 43 has been described. On the other hand, each of the plurality of dispensers may discharge the resin material according to an individual marking pattern.

Further, for example, the example in which the height of the protrusion is at least 0.5 mm has been described, but since the height of the protrusion can be controlled by the amount of the resin material discharged by the dispenser 13, even if the protrusion of an arbitrary height is marked. good.

The resin material used in the embodiment was an ultraviolet photocurable resin, and the resin material was cured by a cured portion 17 irradiated with ultraviolet light to form protrusions. For example, the resin material may be composed of a curable resin by thermosetting, infrared light curing, or radiation light curing, and the cured portion may be composed of a heat source necessary for curing each resin and a light source.

The marking device or the like in the present invention can form protrusions on the work in-line, and is useful, for example, in applications where a tactilely readable description or the like is given to a product.

10 Main body 11 Encoder 12 Detection part 13, 40, 41, 42, 43 Dispenser 13a, 41a, 42a, 43a Nozzle 14 Control part 15 Acquisition part 16 Vertical belt 16a Belt 16b Pulley 17 Hardened part 20, 23 Work 20a, 23a Cap 21 Conveyor 21a Belt surface 21b Drive unit 22 External device 31 Load roller 32 Observation camera 45, 45a, 45b, 45c, 45d Three-dimensional shape 100, 101, 102, 103 Marking device 200, 201 Production line 400 Marking pattern

Claims (1)

It is a marking device that marks dot-shaped protrusions by ejecting droplets on each of a plurality of workpieces continuously transported by a transport path.
A jet-type dispenser that can eject the droplets in a non-contact manner at regular intervals,
Based on the marking pattern of the protrusion, the plurality of timings at regular intervals are divided into a ejection timing for ejecting the droplet to the dispenser and a non-ejection timing for not ejecting the droplet to the dispenser. It is equipped with a control unit that sends a discharge command to the dispenser at the timing.
The dispenser discharges the droplet based on the discharge command received from the control unit.
In the work transported by the transport path, the surface to be marked on which the protrusion is formed is inclined with respect to the transport surface on which the work is placed.
The dispenser is arranged at an angle with respect to the transport surface so that the vertical direction of the marked surface and the axial direction of the nozzle from which the droplet is ejected coincide with each other.
Marking device.

Images