JP7179309B2 - label applicator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a labeling device, for example a labeling device for test tubes.

Handwritten or printed labels were often hand-applied to label cylindrical products such as test tubes and syringes for dispensers. However, manual work is always prone to mistakes, and such mistakes can lead to serious accidents due to the difference between the contents of test tubes and the characters printed on labels. Therefore, in order to appropriately automate the labeling, the applicant has developed, for example, a barcode label (printing) pasting device for test tubes as described in Patent Document 1 in the past.

JP-A-4-154534

FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the interior of a conventional test tube bar code label (printing) pasting device 201 developed by the applicant. A conventional test tube barcode labeling apparatus 201 includes a roll mount stocker 203 on which a roll mount 205 with a label is wound, a print head 211 for printing on the roll mount 205 with a label, and a release plate 207 for peeling off the label from the mount. , and the printed label is automatically affixed to the test tube 209 .

However, with this test tube bar code label (printing) attaching apparatus 201, the height of labeling must be adjusted according to the type of test tube 209, and the difference between the printed content and the type of test tube is automatically detected. cannot be prevented.

In view of such circumstances, the present invention is a compact, simple, tabletop type automatic label sticking device that is excellent in operability and maintainability, and that integrates many types of test tubes with different thicknesses and lengths. To provide an automatic label pasting device equipped with a handleable stocker, capable of simply conveying, label printing, pasting, and discharging test tubes of the same kind, and capable of preventing mistakes between the contents of printing and the type of test tube. is.

(1) The present invention is a label affixing apparatus for affixing a label to the outer surface of a substantially cylindrical work, wherein a plurality of work accommodation spaces, which are spaces for guiding the work, are arranged along the conveying direction of the work. a stocker unit, a label sticking unit that peels off a label from a mount and sticks it to the work, and a work holding unit that holds the work, wherein the work holding unit extends from the stocker to the label sticking unit. and a plurality of gates, which are respectively provided downstream in the guide direction of the work in the work-specific accommodation spaces and open/close to determine whether the work is to be carried into the work holding unit. reverse movement determination means provided in the transport device for determining whether the work holding portion is moved in a direction opposite to the transport direction of the work (hereinafter referred to as a counter-transport direction); and the reverse movement determination. and gate opening means for displacing the gate to an open state in conjunction with determination of the movement in the counter-conveying direction by the means.

According to the invention described in (1) above, the work is transported according to the movement direction of the transport device that transports a substantially cylindrical work, such as a test tube, from the storage space for each work to the label pasting section. type is selected, it is possible to accurately select the required work and attach the appropriately printed label only by a simple mechanism of controlling the moving direction of the conveying device.

(2) In the present invention, the reverse movement determining means has an engaging portion provided in the conveying device and moves together with the work holding portion, and the gate opening means is in a state of interlocking with the gate. Provided is the label application device according to (1) above, characterized by having a gate receiving portion that is provided and engages with the engaging portion to open the gate.

According to the invention described in (2) above, since the type of work to be transported can be selected and transported by a mechanical method without a special mechanism such as an image sensor, the label pasting device is easy to maintain with few failures. There is an excellent effect of being able to provide

(3) In the present invention, the reverse movement determining means further includes an engaging portion swing shaft that rotatably holds the engaging portion and an engaging portion that biases the engaging portion in the conveying direction. and a biasing means, and when the engaging portion is moved in the conveying direction of the work together with the work holding portion, the engaging portion resists the biasing force of the engaging portion biasing means. and swings in the counter-conveying direction about the swing shaft of the engaging portion, thereby performing a relief operation to avoid engagement with the gate receiving portion, thereby maintaining the closed state of the gate and the workpiece. When the engaging portion is moved together with the holding portion in the counter-conveying direction of the workpiece, the engaging portion engages with the gate receiving portion to open the gate. (2) to provide a labeling device;

According to the invention described in (3) above, since the reverse movement determination means can select the type of work to be conveyed by a mechanical method and the work can be conveyed, the label pasting device is less likely to break down and is easy to maintain. There is an excellent effect of being able to provide

(4) In the present invention, the conveying device includes a substantially cylindrical rotor having a hollow portion, the rotor is held rotatably about a shaft fixed to a housing, and the work holding portion is 3. The label application device according to any one of the above (1) to (3), characterized in that the outer surface of the rotor is a concave portion extending in the axial direction and concave inward in the radial direction.

According to the invention described in (4) above, the work (test tubes) can be transported from the initial storage section to the labeling section without a special transport device for gripping and transporting the work (test tubes). An excellent effect is achieved in that a compact and reliable conveying device can be realized.

(5) In the present invention, the label affixing unit includes an affixing roller that affixes the label by pressing the label against the work, and the conveying device is provided in the work holding unit to A plurality of driven rollers that hold a work are provided, and when the work holding unit is moved to the label pasting unit, the driven roller and the pasting roller work together to rotate the work. , the label sticking device according to any one of the above (1) to (4), wherein the label is stuck around the work.

According to the invention described in (5) above, the label application unit includes an application roller, and the conveying device includes a plurality of driven rollers that hold the workpiece. A superior effect is achieved in that the label can be pasted onto the workpiece with a small number of parts.

(6) In the present invention, a cam is arranged near the conveying device, and the conveying device includes a roller supporting portion that supports the plurality of driven rollers, and a roller support portion that urges the driven rollers radially outward. and a cam follower that takes a retracted posture by retracting the driven roller radially inward against the biasing force of the roller biasing means by coming into contact with the cam. , when the work holding section passes the stocker section, the driven roller is in the retracted posture, and when the work holding section reaches the label pasting section, the driven roller is There is provided the label sticking device according to (5) above, characterized in that it assumes the forward posture.

According to the invention described in (6) above, by selectively using the forward attitude and the retracted attitude of the driven roller provided in the conveying device by a mechanical mechanism such as a cam structure, the workpiece can be pasted by the driven roller and the pasting roller when the label is pasted. At the same time as being able to hold the workpiece, there is an excellent effect that the workpiece can be smoothly conveyed without applying unnecessary force to the workpiece at other times.

(7) The present invention is described in any one of (1) to (6) above, wherein the stocker section has a detachable stocker cassette for holding a wide variety of works. labeling device.

According to the invention described in (7) above, since the stocker portion is detachable and has a stocker cassette capable of holding various kinds of works, the stocker portion can be removed from the label pasting device to replenish the works, and a large number of works can be replenished. It has the excellent effect of being able to handle various types of workpieces.

(8) The present invention is provided with a control device that controls the movement of the conveying device to control the position of the work holding section, and the control device controls the work holding section in a preselected storage space for each work. A standby process in which the transfer device is moved in the transfer direction so as to pass by and waits, and a state in which the transfer device is reversely moved to open the gate provided in the connection path connected to the preselected storage space for each work. Then, a storage process of storing the work in the work holding part and a work transfer process of moving the transfer device in the transfer direction and transferring the work holding part to the label attaching part are sequentially performed. A labeling device according to any one of the above (1) to (7) is provided.

According to the invention described in (8) above, by controlling the movement direction of the work holding portion of the conveying device for conveying the work by the control device, the work is transferred from the preselected storage space for each work to the work holding portion. Since it can be stored, there is an excellent effect that a properly printed label can be attached to a preselected suitable work.

(9) The present invention is a label affixing apparatus for affixing a label to the outer surface of a substantially cylindrical work, wherein a plurality of work accommodation spaces, which are spaces for guiding the work, are arranged along the conveying direction of the work. a stocker unit, a label pasting unit that peels off a label from a backing paper and affixes it to the work, and a work holding unit that holds the work by rotating a rotator, whereby the work holding unit is moved from the stocker unit. A conveying device that moves to the label pasting section so as to rotate, and a conveying device that is provided downstream in the guide direction of the work in the plurality of storage spaces for each work, and is opened and closed to carry the work into the work holding section. By synchronizing a plurality of gates for determining whether or not to hold the workpiece, the opening/closing timing of the plurality of gates, and the passage timing of the workpiece holding unit passing through the gates, the workpiece is transferred from the specific gate to the workpiece holding unit. and a work selection mechanism for storing the work in a section, wherein the conveying device conveys the work selected by the work selection mechanism to the label attaching section, and affixes the label to the work. To provide a labeling device that

According to the invention described in (9) above, there is provided a conveying device that pivotally moves the work holding portion from the stocker portion to the label attaching portion by rotating the rotating body having the work holding portion that holds the work. In addition, a plurality of gates for determining whether or not to carry the work into the work holding portion by opening and closing, the opening/closing timing of the plurality of gates, and the work By synchronizing the passing timing when the holding part passes through the gate, there is a work selection mechanism that allows a work to be stored in the work holding part from a specific gate. It has an excellent effect of being able to

According to the labeling apparatus according to claims 1 to 9 of the present invention, it is possible to select an appropriate work from a plurality of types of works, convey the work, and affix a label printed according to the work. It can produce the excellent effect of being able to.

(A) is a front cross-sectional view of a labeling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. (B) is a side cross-sectional view of the labeling apparatus; (C) An explanatory view of the operation of mounting the detachable stocker cassette to the labeling apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of a conveying apparatus and a gate. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a work selection and storage operation by a gate section and a conveying device; (A) is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state in which the conveying device moves in the conveying direction and the engaging portion is performing an escape operation with respect to the gate receiving portion. (B) is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state immediately before the conveying device moves in the counter-conveying direction, the engaging portion climbs over the gate receiving portion, and the work is stored in the work holding portion. (C) An operation of moving the conveying device in the counter-conveying direction, opening the gate by engaging the engaging portion with the gate receiving portion, and storing the work from the work-specific storage space into the work holding portion. It is an explanatory diagram for. (D) is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation in which the conveying device moves in the opposite conveying direction, the engaging portion climbs over the gate receiving portion, and the gate is closed. (A) is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation in which the conveying device moves in the conveying direction and conveys the work held by the work holding unit from the vicinity of the work storage space to the label attaching unit. (B) is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state in which the driven roller is in the forward posture and the driven roller and the pasting roller cooperate to start the operation of pasting the label on the work. (C) is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state in which the operation of affixing a label to a work is continued. (D) is an explanatory view for explaining the operation of ejecting the labeled workpiece from the workpiece outlet. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional test tube labeling device; FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 4 show an example of the embodiment of the invention, and in the figures, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. In addition, in each figure, a part of the configuration is appropriately omitted to simplify the drawing. Then, the size, shape, thickness, etc. of the members are appropriately exaggerated.

FIG. 1(A) shows a cross-sectional view of a label sticking device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front. The labeling device 1 is a labeling device that affixes a label to the outer surface of a substantially cylindrical workpiece 5 . As the workpiece 5, for example, a tube-shaped object such as a test tube or a dispenser syringe can be considered.

The label applying apparatus 1 includes a stocker unit 15 having a plurality of workpiece storage spaces 10A to 10C, which are spaces for guiding the workpieces 5, along the direction in which the workpieces 5 are conveyed, and a label peeled off from the mount and attached to the workpieces 5. It has a labeling section 25 and a work holding section 100 that holds the work 5 . The labeling apparatus 1 also includes a gate section 17 in which a plurality of gates 60, which will be described later, are arranged along the conveying direction. The stocker section 15 preferably has a detachable stocker cassette capable of holding various kinds of works 5 .

The gate portion 17 preferably includes a manual feed gate 12 through which a single workpiece 5 can be manually fed. Moreover, it is desirable that the manual feed gate 12 can be equipped with a detachable stocker cassette (not shown) that can be used together with a plurality of other workpiece accommodation spaces 10 .

The label applicator 1 is provided downstream in the guide direction of the workpiece 5 in the plurality of workpiece storage spaces 10, and is opened and closed to determine whether the workpiece 5 is carried into the workpiece holder 100 or not. a gate 60, and a reverse movement determining means provided in a conveying device 65 for determining whether the work holding unit 100 is moved in the direction opposite to the conveying direction F of the work 5 (hereinafter referred to as the counter-conveying direction R). , gate opening means for displacing the gate 60 to the open state in conjunction with determination of movement in the opposite conveying direction R by the reverse movement determination means.

The label attaching unit 25 includes a label stocker unit 30 that holds the roll mount with the label attached thereon, a label peeling unit 50 that separates the label 75 from the mount, and a label 75 that is pressed against the outer surface of the work 5 to be attached. A sticking roller 55 for sticking and a backing paper take-up part 35 for winding up the backing paper remaining after the label 75 is peeled off are provided. Preferably, the labeling section 25 further includes an RFID antenna section 45 that is an antenna for writing data to an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) included in the label 75 .

Briefly explaining the overall operation of the label sticking apparatus 1, the work 5 corresponding to the printed label 75 is selected by the gate 60, stored in the work holding unit 100, and the work is picked up by the rotation of the conveying device 65. 5 is conveyed to the label affixing section 25 , a label 75 is affixed thereto, and the work is ejected from the work take-out port 70 .

FIG. 1B shows a cross-sectional view of the labeling apparatus 1 as viewed from the side.

The workpieces (test tubes) 5 are stored in a laid state in the workpiece storage space 10 of the stocker unit 15 . The bottom surface of the work 5 abuts along the work alignment surface 85 to determine the position of the work 5 in the axial direction of the work holding unit 100, and finally to which part of the work 5 the label 75 is attached. is determined. The work aligning surface 85 preferably has an inclination to support the bottom surface of each work 5 vertically downward so that the bottom surface of each work 5 is brought into contact with gravity.

As another aspect of the work-specific storage space 10, the opening side cap of the work 5 is located at a fixed position in the axial direction in the work holding part 100, so that the end of the work-specific storage space 10 opposite to the bottom surface is provided. Work aligning means may be provided.

The workpiece 5 is determined to be stored in the workpiece holder 100 by opening/closing control of the gate 60 . The work holding unit 100 has an opening that allows the internal space of the work holding unit 100 to be exposed radially inwardly of the rotor 95, and the plurality of driven rollers 90 contact the work 5 through the opening to attach the label. In the attaching section 25 , the label 75 is attached to the outer surface of the work 5 by rotating the work 5 in the inner space of the work holding section 100 in cooperation with the attachment roller 55 .

FIG. 1(C) is an explanatory view of the operation of mounting the detachable stocker cassette 16 to the labeling apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. The stocker cassette 16 is such that each of the plurality of workpiece accommodation spaces 10 of the stocker section 15 can be separated and detached. For example, when a large number of labels need to be attached to only one type of workpiece 5 among three kinds of workpieces 5 having different shapes, a stocker corresponding to the workpiece storage space 10 corresponding to the workpieces 5 to which the large number of labels must be attached. Since the cassette 16 can be separated and a new work 5 can be replenished, the replenishment work can be performed safely and reliably while the pasting work to another kind of work 5 is continued. It has an excellent effect of becoming

FIG. 2 shows an explanatory diagram of the conveying device 65 and the gate 60. As shown in FIG. The transport device 65 is preferably a rotor 95 rotatably held with respect to the housing 80 . The axis of rotor 95 is horizontally supported. The rotor 95 as a whole has a substantially cylindrical shape, and has a workpiece holding portion 100 which is a concave portion extending in the axial direction and concave inward in the radial direction on the outer surface thereof. The internal space of the work holding part 100 has a size large enough to hold the work 5 .

The transport device 65 includes a roller support 125 having a plurality of driven rollers 105 on the rotor 95 . The roller support portion 125 is held by the rotor 95 so as to be rotatable about the roller support portion swing shaft 150, and is a cam follower 140 which is a receiving surface of the cam 135 fixed to the cam fixing shaft 155 fixed to the housing 80. Prepare. The cam follower 140 is urged against the outer peripheral surface of the cam 135 by the roller urging means 130, and the posture of the roller support portion 125 is adjusted. That is, the relative position of the driven roller 105 with respect to the work holding portion 100 is changed by the cam 135 arranged near the conveying device 65 . Specifically, the conveying device 65 includes a roller support portion 125 that supports the plurality of driven rollers 105 , a roller biasing means 130 that biases the driven rollers 105 radially outward to take the forward posture, and a cam 135 . It also has a cam follower 140 in which the driven roller 105 is retracted radially inward against the urging force of the roller urging means 130 by coming into contact with the roller urging means 130 to take the retracted posture. When the work holding unit 100 passes through the stocker unit 10, the driven roller 105 of the conveying device 65 assumes the retracted posture, and when the work holding unit 100 reaches the label attaching unit 25, the driven roller 105 assumes the forward posture. characterized by becoming

Here, the forward posture is a posture in which the driven roller 105 is pressed against the work 5 held inside the work holding unit 100 , and the retracted posture is a posture in which the driven roller 105 retreats away from the work 5 . be. When the driven roller 105 is in the forward posture, the driven roller 105 and the sticking roller 55 work together to rotate the work 5 in the inner space of the work holding unit 100 , and the label 75 is applied to the outer surface of the work 5 by the sticking roller 55 . automatic attachment of the label 75 is completed.

The gate 60 and the transport device 65 are provided with reverse movement determination means and gate opening means. The reverse movement determining means has an engaging portion 115 which is provided in the conveying device 65 and moves together with the workpiece holding portion 100. The gate opening means is provided in a state of interlocking with the gate 60, and the engaging portion 115 and the engaging portion 115 Characterized by having a gate receiving portion 110 that opens the gate 60 by engaging,

The reverse movement determining means further includes an engaging portion swing shaft 120 that rotatably holds the engaging portion 115, and an engaging portion biasing means (not shown) that biases the engaging portion 115 in the conveying direction. Thus, when the engaging portion 115 is moved in the conveying direction of the work 5 together with the work holding portion 100, the engaging portion 115 resists the urging force of the engaging portion urging means and the engaging portion rocks. By swinging about the drive shaft 120 in the counter-conveying direction, an escape operation is performed to avoid engagement with the gate receiving portion 100, and the closed state of the gate 60 is maintained. is moved in the counter-conveying direction of the workpiece 5, the engaging portion 115 engages with the gate receiving portion 110 to open the gate 60. As shown in FIG.

Specifically, the gate 60 is rotatably held around the gate swing shaft 145 . However, a gate stopper (not shown) is provided to restrict rotation in the direction of closing the gate, and a gate biasing means (not shown) is provided to bias the gate in the direction of rotation to close the gate. . Therefore, when the engaging portion 115 is not engaged with the gate receiving portion 110 as will be described later, the gate 60 is normally closed.

The rotor 95 is provided with an engaging portion 115 , and the engaging portion 115 is rotatably held around an engaging portion swing shaft 120 . However, when the gate receiving portion 110 and the engaging portion 115 are in contact with each other, the engaging portion 115 performs an escape operation when the rotor 95 moves in the conveying direction F, and when the rotor 95 moves in the opposite conveying direction R , the gate receiving portion 110 and the engaging portion 115 engage to open the gate 60 . The engaging portion 115 is preferably biased in the conveying direction F by an engaging portion biasing means (not shown). Further, the engaging portion 115 is provided with an engaging portion stopping portion (not shown) so that the rotation of the rotor 95 is restricted when the rotor 95 moves in the counter-conveying direction R.

Next, in the labeling device 1, the work 5 is selected from the work storage space 10 and stored in the work holding unit 100 of the conveying device 65, and the conveying device 65 conveys the work 5 to the labeling unit 25. A series of operations for labeling will be described with reference to FIGS. 3(A) to 3(D) and 4(A) to 4(D).

3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams for explaining the selection and storage operation of the work by the gate section and the conveying device. FIG. 3A is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the conveying device 65 is moved in the conveying direction F and the engaging portion 115 is performing an escape operation with respect to the gate receiving portion 110. FIG. At this time, the gate 60 maintains the closed state to hold the work 5 in the work-specific accommodation space 10 . In the front state of FIG. 3A, even when the workpiece holding unit 100 moves from the right side of the workpiece storage space 10 in the transport direction F, the gate 60 remains closed and the workpiece 5 is directed downward in the vertical direction. support from.

FIG. 3B illustrates a state immediately before the conveying device 65 moves in the opposite conveying direction R, the engaging portion 115 overcomes the gate receiving portion 110, and the work 5 is stored in the work holding portion 100. FIG. It is an explanatory diagram for.

In FIG. 3C, the conveying device 65 moves in the counter-conveying direction R, and the engaging portion 115 engages with the gate receiving portion 110 to open the gate 60 and move the workpiece 5 into the workpiece storage space. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation of storing from 10 to the work holding portion 100; FIG. At this time, the driven roller 105 is preferably in the retracted posture.

FIG. 3D is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of moving the conveying device 65 in the counter-conveying direction R so that the engaging portion 115 climbs over the gate receiving portion 110 to close the gate 60 .

FIG. 4A illustrates the operation of moving the conveying device 65 in the conveying direction F to convey the work 5 held by the work holding unit 100 from the vicinity of the individual work accommodation space 10 to the label attaching unit 25. It is an explanatory diagram for.

FIG. 4B illustrates a state in which the driven roller 105 is in the forward posture and the driven roller 105 and the pasting roller 55 cooperate to start the operation of pasting the label 75 (not shown) onto the work 5. It is an explanatory diagram.

In FIG. 4C, the driven roller 105 and the sticking roller 55 cooperate to rotate the work 5 inside the work holding unit 100, and the sticking roller 55 presses the label 75 against the outer surface of the work 5. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state in which the operation of attaching the label 75 to the workpiece 5 is continued.

FIG. 4D is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of ejecting the work 5 with the label 75 attached from the work take-out port 70. FIG.

Rotation control of the rotor 95 in the operations of FIGS. 3(A) to 3(D) and FIGS. Realized.

The control device is composed of a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and executes various controls. A CPU is a so-called central processing unit, and executes various programs to realize various functions. The RAM is used as a work area and storage area for the CPU, and the ROM stores an operating system and programs executed by the CPU. Preferably, the controller is also controlled by an operation panel 20 (see FIG. 1).

According to the labeling apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the substantially cylindrical workpiece 5 is transported from the workpiece storage space 10 to the labeling section 25 according to the moving direction of the transporting device 65 . Since the type of the work 5 is selected, the necessary work 5 can be accurately selected and the appropriately printed label 75 can be affixed only by a simple mechanism of controlling the movement direction of the conveying device 65. play.

According to the label application apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to select and transport the type of work 5 that should be transported by a mechanical method without using a special work detection mechanism such as a contact sensor or an image sensor. It is possible to provide the label sticking device 1 which requires little maintenance and is easy to maintain.

According to the label sticking apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the reverse movement determination means can select the type of work 5 to be conveyed by a mechanical method, and the work 5 can be conveyed. The excellent effect of being able to provide the label sticking device 1 is exhibited.

According to the labeling apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the work 5 can be transported from the work-specific storage space 10 to the labeling section 25 without a special transfer device for gripping and transporting the work 5 . Therefore, an excellent effect is achieved that a small and reliable transport device 65 can be realized.

According to the label application device 1 according to this embodiment, the label application unit 25 includes the application roller 55, and the transport device 65 includes the plurality of driven rollers 105 that hold the work 5. By cooperating with each other, it is possible to attach the label to the workpiece 5 with a small number of parts, which is an excellent effect.

According to the label applying apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the driven roller 105 provided in the conveying device 65 can be moved forward or backward by using a mechanical mechanism such as a cam structure. At the same time that the work 5 can be held by 105 and the sticking roller 55, the work 5 can be smoothly conveyed without applying unnecessary force.

According to the labeling apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the stocker section 15 is detachable and has the stocker cassette 16 capable of holding various types of works 5. Therefore, the stocker section 15 can be removed from the labeling apparatus 1 to store the works. 5 can be supplemented, and it is possible to cope with many kinds of works 5, which is an excellent effect.

It should be noted that the labeling apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and of course various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, the reverse movement determination means may be determined by detecting a signal that changes the direction of rotation instead of the mechanical determination means described above. Also, the gate opening means may be performed by controlling a mechanism for opening and closing the gate 60 by a driving device instead of engaging the engaging portion 115 and the gate receiving portion 110 with the control device.

Specifically, the labeling apparatus 1 includes a control device that controls the movement of the conveying device 65 to control the position of the work holding unit 100. The control device controls the work holding unit 100 to move the preselected work. A standby process in which the transfer device 65 is moved in the transfer direction F so as to pass through the separate storage space 10 and waits, and a transfer device 65 is moved in the opposite direction to provide a connection path connected to the preselected storage space 10 for each work. Then, the gate 60 is opened to store the work 5 in the work holding section 100, and the work conveying process moves the conveying device 65 in the conveying direction F to convey the work holding section to the label pasting section. and may be performed sequentially.

According to the label affixing apparatus 1 according to this modified embodiment, the control device controls the moving direction of the work holding unit 100 of the conveying device 65 for conveying the work 5, thereby allowing the preselected storage space 10 for each work to be moved. Since the work 5 can be stored in the work holding portion 100 from the above, an excellent effect is achieved in that the properly printed label 75 can be affixed to a suitable preselected work 5 .

As another modified embodiment, the conveying device 65 may be a rotating body capable of holding the workpiece 5 instead of the substantially cylindrical rotor.

Specifically, in the label applying device 1 that affixes the label 75 to the outer surface of the substantially cylindrical work 5 , the work-specific accommodation space 10 that is a space for guiding the work 5 is arranged along the conveying direction of the work 5 . a plurality of stocker units 15, a label sticking unit 25 for peeling off a label from a mount and sticking it to the work 5, and a work holding unit 100 for holding the work 5. from the stocker unit 15 to the label affixing unit 25, and a conveying device 65 is provided downstream in the guiding direction of the works 5 in the plurality of individual work storage spaces 10, and is opened and closed to move the works 5 are carried into the work holding unit 100, the opening/closing timing of the plurality of gates 60, and the passage timing of the work holding unit 100 passing through the gates 60 are synchronized. a work selection mechanism for storing the work 5 from 60 in the work holding unit 100, and a conveying device 65 conveys the work 5 selected by the work selection mechanism to the label attaching unit 25, and labels the work 5 with a label 75. is affixed.

According to the labeling apparatus 1 according to this modified embodiment, by rotating the rotating body having the work holding part 100 holding the work 5, the work holding part 100 is turned from the stocker part 15 to the labeling part 25. Since it has the transport device 65 that moves in such a way that it is small, it is possible to transport the work 5 reliably. A work selection mechanism that allows a workpiece 5 from a specific gate 60 to be accommodated in the work holding part 100 by synchronizing the opening/closing timing of the gate 60 and the plurality of gates 60 with the passage timing of the work holding part 100 passing through the gate 60. , it is possible to select an appropriate work 5 and convey it to the label attaching section 25, which is an excellent effect.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 label application device 5 workpiece 10 storage space for each workpiece 12 manual feed gate 15 stocker section 16 stocker cassette 17 gate section 20 operation panel 25 label application section 30 label stocker section 35 backing paper winding section 40 printing section 45 RFID antenna section 50 Label peeling section 55 Pasting roller 60 Gate 65 Conveying device 70 Work take-out port 75 Label 80 Case 85 Work alignment surface 90 Driven roller 95 Rotor 100 Work holding section 105 Driven roller 110 Gate receiving section 115 Engagement section 120 Engagement section rocking Drive shaft 125 Roller support 130 Roller biasing means 135 Cam 140 Cam follower
145 Gate rocking shaft 150 Roller support rocking shaft 155 Cam fixing shaft 201 Conventional bar code labeling device for test tube 203 Roll mount stocker 205 Roll mount with label 207 Peeling plate 209 Test tube 211 Print head F Conveying direction R Reverse conveying direction

Claims (8)

A label affixing device for affixing a label to the outer surface of a substantially cylindrical workpiece,
a stocker unit having a plurality of storage spaces for each work, which are spaces for guiding the work, along the direction of transport of the work;
a label attaching unit that peels off the label from the mount and attaches it to the work;
a conveying device having a work holding part provided on a rotating body to hold the work, and rotating the rotating body in a forward direction to move the work holding part from the stocker part to the label attaching part; ,
a plurality of gates respectively provided downstream in the guide direction of the work in the plurality of work-specific accommodation spaces, and opening and closing the gates to carry the work into the work holding section;
gate opening means for closing the gate when the rotating body rotates in the forward direction and displacing the gate to the open state in conjunction with the reverse rotation of the rotating body;
A label application device comprising: The gate opening means is
an engaging portion provided on the rotating body and rotationally moving together with the rotating body;
a gate receiving portion provided in a state interlocking with the gate and configured to open the gate by engaging with the engaging portion that rotates in the opposite direction together with the rotating body;
characterized by having
2. A labeling device according to claim 1. The rotating body of the conveying device further
an engaging portion swing shaft that rotatably holds the engaging portion;
an engaging portion biasing means for biasing the engaging portion in the positive direction;
and
When the engaging portion is rotated in the forward direction together with the work holding portion, the engaging portion moves the engaging portion swing shaft against the biasing force of the engaging portion biasing means. By swinging in the opposite direction from the starting point, the gate is maintained in a closed state by performing an escape operation to avoid engagement with the gate receiving portion,
3. When the engaging portion is rotated in the opposite direction together with the workpiece holding portion, the engaging portion engages with the gate receiving portion to open the gate. 3. The labeling device according to 2. The conveying device includes a substantially cylindrical rotor having a hollow portion,
The rotor is rotatably held about a shaft fixed to the housing,
The label attachment according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the workpiece holding portion is a recess extending axially and recessed radially inward on the outer surface of the rotor. Device. The label affixing unit includes an affixing roller that affixes the label by pressing it against the work,
The conveying device includes a plurality of driven rollers that are provided in the work holding unit and hold the work,
When the work holding unit is moved to the label pasting unit, the driven roller and the pasting roller cooperate to rotate the work, thereby pasting the label around the work.
5. The labeling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: A cam is arranged near the conveying device,
The conveying device is
a roller supporting portion that supports the plurality of driven rollers;
a roller urging means for urging the driven roller radially outward to assume a forward posture;
a cam follower that is in a retracted posture by contacting the cam to retract the driven roller radially inward against the biasing force of the roller biasing means;
and
When the work holding section passes the stocker section, the driven roller assumes the retracted posture, and when the work holding section reaches the label pasting section, the driven roller assumes the forward posture. 6. A labeling device according to claim 5. 7. The labeling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stocker section has a detachable stocker cassette for holding a wide variety of works. A control device that controls the movement of the rotating body of the conveying device to control the position of the work holding unit,
The control device is
a standby process of rotating the rotating body in the positive direction so as to pass the preselected storage space for each work and waiting the work holding unit;
a storage process of rotating the rotating body in the opposite direction to open the gate corresponding to the preselected workpiece storage space and storing the workpiece in the workpiece holding unit;
8. A work conveying process of rotating the rotating body in the forward direction and conveying the work holding section to the label pasting section is sequentially performed. A labeling device as described in paragraph 1 above.

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