JP7709731B2 - Labeling Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a labeling device that applies labels to items.

Conventionally, in the process of transporting an article and attaching a label to the article, a robot arm as shown in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 has been used.
In such a label application process, for products that are difficult to align, such as frozen or chilled products, the orientation of the product has been adjusted manually in order to apply the label in the correct orientation.

JP 2019-204858 A Special Publication No. 2021-500244

In this regard, the robot arms described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 require large equipment and cannot be installed in limited spaces.

The present invention aims to provide a labeling device that can apply labels in the correct position and orientation even to items that are difficult to align, and that can be installed in a limited space.

To achieve the above object, the labeling device of the present invention comprises an item conveying section that conveys items, an imaging section that captures images of the items conveyed by the item conveying section, and a labeling section that is provided to the side of the item conveying section and that applies a label to the item at an angle corresponding to the orientation of the item captured by the imaging section, the labeling section having an applicator that holds and applies the label, and an actuator that moves the applicator, the actuator moving the applicator only in two directions: the vertical direction and a horizontal direction that is perpendicular to the direction in which the items are conveyed.

1A and 1B are diagrams showing a label sticking device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a plan perspective view showing a label sticking device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a plan view showing a label sticking device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing an article detection unit constituting the label sticking device according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1A is a front view showing a label issuing unit constituting a label application device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A shows a state in which the label printing mechanism is set in a state in which it can issue labels, and FIG. 1B shows a state in which the label printing mechanism is pulled out and tucked away. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a label issuing unit and a label pasting unit that constitute a label pasting device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a control device that controls the label sticking device according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a plan view showing an example of an article to which a label is to be affixed by a label sticking device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram showing a flow of a process performed by the label sticking device according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1A to 1D are diagrams showing the operation of a label sticking unit constituting a label sticking device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is stopped, (b) is on standby, (c) a state in which a label is being attracted, and (d) a state in which a label is being stuck to an article.

Overview A label application device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.
1 is a device that issues labels to articles and affixes the labels to the articles. The labeling device 1 is made up of an article transport unit 11, an article detection unit 12, a label issuing unit 13, a label affixing unit 14, and a display and operation unit 15.

In this embodiment, there is no particular limit to the items to which the labels can be affixed, but the labels are suitable for use on items that are difficult to align or have irregular shapes, such as vacuum-packed items where the shape of the contents is visible on the outside, as in frozen and chilled products, deep-drawn packaged items, and items packed in round containers.

The label application device 1 is configured as an integrated device by a frame 16 assembled in a rack shape.
The frame 16 includes a pillar frame portion 161 that stands vertically from the installation surface, a lower end connecting frame portion 162 that connects the lower ends of each pillar frame portion 161, and an upper end connecting frame portion 163 that connects the upper ends of each pillar frame portion 161.

An openable and closable door-like panel 17 is fitted between the support frame parts 161-2 and 161-3. This panel 17 prevents unexpected external interference with the transport of items and prevents workers from becoming caught up in the operation of the label-affixing equipment or mechanism. In this embodiment, the panel 17 is transparent, and the operation of the equipment can be seen even when the panel 17 is closed. In addition, the panel 17 can be opened to perform equipment maintenance, such as replacing the label roll.

As shown in FIG. 2, the downstream upper end connecting frame part 163-3 of the upper end connecting frame part 163 has a length in a direction perpendicular to the article conveying direction, and a groove 163a-3 is provided on its upper surface in the length direction. In addition, a pair of short protruding members 164 having a length in a direction perpendicular to the article conveying direction are provided at approximately the middle position of the pair of upper end connecting frame parts 163-2, 163-4 of the upper end connecting frame part 163, which have a length in the article conveying direction, protrude inward. The upper surface side of this protruding member 164 also has grooves 164a-1, 164a-2 provided in the length direction, similar to those provided on the upper surface of the upper end connecting frame part 163-3.

Between the upper connecting frame part 163-3 and the protruding member 164-1, and between the upper connecting frame part 163-3 and the protruding member 164-2, respectively, strip-shaped hanging frames 165-1 and 165-2 having a length in the direction of transport of the goods are suspended. On the underside of both ends of the length of the hanging frame 165, there are fitting parts that slidably fit into the groove 163a-3 of the upper connecting frame part 163-3 and the grooves 164a-1 and 164a-2 of the protruding members 164-1 and 164-2, respectively. This allows the hanging frame 165 to move on the upper connecting frame part 163-3 and the protruding members 164-1 and 164-2 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of transport of the goods.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, inside the upper end connecting frame parts 163-2, 163-4, which have a length in the direction of transporting the goods, there is a damper 181, such as a spring, which elastically expands and contracts in a direction perpendicular to the direction of transporting the goods, between the hanging frames 165-1, 165-2 and the upper end connecting frame parts 163-2, 163-4.

A pair of support frames 166-1, 166-2, whose length is perpendicular to the direction of article transport, are suspended between a pair of hanging frames 165-1, 165-2 that are spaced apart from each other. These support frames 166-1, 166-2 support the actuator 142 that constitutes the label application unit 14 so that it is suspended from above. The support frames 166-1, 166-2 are also connected to the hanging frames 165-1, 165-2 via dampers 182, such as springs that elastically expand and contract in the vertical direction.

As a result, in the process of attaching a label to an item by operating the actuator 142 as described below, the horizontal oscillations transmitted to the device by the operation of the arms 1424, 1425 and sliders 1422, 1423 that move the applicator 141 and attach the label to the item are absorbed by the damper 181, and the vertical oscillations are absorbed by the damper 182.

Item conveying section 11
The article conveying unit 11 conveys an article to which a label is to be affixed. The article conveying unit 11 rotates an endless belt by a predetermined drive source, and the upper surface of the endless belt constitutes an article conveying surface 110 that conveys the article in one direction.
In this embodiment, as described later, the arms 1424 and 1425 constituting the label application unit 14 move only in directions perpendicular to the article conveying direction, i.e., only up, down, left and right when viewed from the article conveying direction, and do not move in the article conveying direction. Therefore, there is no need to secure an operating area for the arms 1424 and 1425 in the article conveying direction, and the length of the article conveying surface 110 in the article conveying direction can be shortened.
Furthermore, the imaging section 121, the label issuing section 13, and the label pasting section 14, which will be described later, are arranged within the overall length of the item conveying section 11, so that the label pasting device 1 is configured to be compact.

Upstream of the item transport section 11, an item detection section 12 is provided above the item transport surface 110. A label issuing section 13 and a label application section 14 are provided on the side of the item transport section 11, in sequence downstream from the position where the item detection section 12 is provided. In addition, a display and operation section 15 is provided on the opposite side of the item transport surface 110 from the label issuing section 13.

The upstream and downstream ends of the item conveying section 11 can be appropriately connected to other conveying sections that convey items to the item conveying section 11, or other conveying sections that convey items conveyed from the item conveying section 11 to a loading platform or a sorting mechanism.

Item detection unit 12
4 detects articles on the article conveying surface 110 upstream of the article conveying section 11. The article detection section 12 is made up of an imaging section 121 and an illumination section 122.

The imaging unit 121 is realized by a vision sensor or the like. This imaging unit 121 is provided above the upstream portion of the item conveying surface 110, detects items conveyed on the item conveying surface 110, and captures an image of the top surface of the detected item, generates an image of the item, and sets a coordinate system for the image.

A plate-shaped mounting plate 123 with a circular through hole 123a formed therein is provided below the imaging unit 121 and above the item conveying surface 110. An illumination unit 122 composed of an LED or the like is attached to the lower surface side of the mounting plate 123. The illumination unit 122 is formed in an annular shape with a larger diameter than the through hole 123a of the mounting plate 123, and illuminates the item conveying surface 110 from above.
The imaging unit 121 is capable of capturing an image of the item conveying surface 110 through the through hole 123a of the mounting plate 123. As a result of the item conveying surface 110 being illuminated from above by the illumination unit 122, the accuracy of item detection by the imaging unit 121 can be improved, and the captured image showing the top surface of the item obtained by imaging can be made clearer.

Regardless of this embodiment, the item detection unit 12 can also be configured with only the imaging unit 121. Also, the item detection unit 12 detects and captures items, and can be configured with separate devices, a sensor that detects items and a camera that captures images of items.

Label issuing unit 13
1 and 5 is provided between the item detection unit 12 and the label application unit 14 in the item transport direction. The label issue unit 13 is provided on the same side as the label application unit 14 in the item transport direction, issues labels to be affixed to items, and supplies the issued labels to the label application unit 14.

The label issuing unit 13 includes a roll holding unit 131 that holds a label roll, a label printing mechanism 132 that prints on label paper fed from the label roll and cuts it into sheets, and a label transport unit 133 that transports the labels toward the actuator 142. The label printing mechanism 132 is further made up of a guide roller that feeds label paper from the label roll, a printing unit such as a print head, a platen roller, and a cutting unit such as a cutter that cuts the printed label paper to a specified length.

The labels issued in this embodiment are linerless labels with a printing surface on one side and an application surface with an adhesive layer formed on the other side, and the label roll is a long strip of linerless label paper wound into a roll. However, regardless of this embodiment, labels with liner can also be used by providing a means for peeling off the liner. Also, with appropriate design, it can be used with a cassette type in which the label roll is set in a specified cassette.

The label conveying unit 133 conveys labels with predetermined information printed on them to the label application unit 14. As shown in FIG. 6, the label conveying unit 133 is composed of a number of endless belts 1331 arranged side by side at regular intervals in the width direction, and the upper surface side of the endless belts 1331 constitutes the label conveying surface 1330. Each endless belt 1331 is a string-like belt with a circular cross section, which makes it possible to reduce the area of contact between the label sent out onto the label conveying surface 1330 and the endless belts 1331. As a result, the suction unit 1411 of the applicator 141, which will be described later, can separate the label on the label conveying surface 1330 from the label conveying surface 1330 and suction and hold it there without requiring a strong suction force.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the label printing mechanism 132 of the label issuing unit 13 is housed in a case 134, and a handle 135 is provided on the lower side of the case 134 on the side of the item conveying surface 110. When the handle 135 is pulled toward the item conveying surface 110 as shown in FIG. 5(b), the label printing mechanism 132 can be pulled out together with the case 134 onto the item conveying surface 110. As a result of being able to pull out the label printing mechanism 132 together with the case 134 onto the item conveying surface 110 in this way, a worker standing on the opposite side of the label issuing unit 13 across the item conveying surface 110 can perform maintenance such as replacing the label roll without being forced into an uncomfortable position.

Label attachment section 14
The label attachment unit 14 is provided on the side of the downstream portion of the item transport unit 11, and attaches a label to the top surface of the item at an angle corresponding to the orientation of the item imaged by the imaging unit 121. Note that the orientation of the item here refers to the state in which the item transport surface 110 is viewed from above, i.e., the inclination of the item with respect to the transport direction in a plan view. Since the item is not necessarily placed on the item transport surface 110 so as to face directly against the transport direction, the label is attached to the top surface of the item at an angle corresponding to the orientation of the item, so that the label is attached to an appropriate position on the item.
As shown in FIG. 6, the label application section 14 is made up of an applicator 141 that holds a label and applies the label to an article, and an actuator 142 that moves the applicator 141.

The applicator 141 uses the suction unit 1411 to suction and hold the label issued by the label issuing unit 13, and affixes the label to the item to which it is to be affixed. The applicator 141 is composed of the suction unit 1411, which suctions and holds the label sent out onto the label conveying surface 1330, a support unit 1412 that rotatably supports the suction unit 1411 from above, and a connecting unit 1413 that connects to the arms 1424, 1425 and the oscillation suppressing member 1426.

The suction unit 1411 has a label suction surface on the lower side thereof. A suction force is generated on the label suction surface by the rotation of a suction fan due to negative pressure, and this allows a label to be suctioned onto the label suction surface.
The support portion 1412 can rotate the suction portion 1411 in a horizontal plane parallel to the label conveying surface 1330 and the article conveying surface 110. This allows the orientation of the label adsorbed and held on the label adsorption surface of the suction portion 1411 to be aligned with the orientation of the article.

The actuator 142 is a so-called cylinder type actuator, and is disposed to the side of the article conveying section 11. This actuator 142 includes a base 1421 composed of a pair of left and right cylinders 14211, 14212 and a connecting section 14213 connecting the pair of cylinders 14211, 14212, a pair of sliders 1422, 1423 that move vertically along the cylinders 14211, 14212, and a pair of arms 1424, 1425 connected at one end to the sliders 1422, 1423 and at the other end to the applicator 141. By appropriately controlling the sliders 1422, 1423 and the arms 1424, 1425, this actuator 142 can move the applicator 141 only in two directions: the vertical direction and the horizontal direction perpendicular to the article conveying direction.

A pair of left and right cylinders 14211, 14212 constituting the base 1421 use a servo motor, stepping motor, or the like as a drive unit to move the sliders 1422, 1423 up and down, thereby moving the applicator 141 attached to the tip of the arm 1424, 1425 to a predetermined position. The mechanism or structure is not particularly limited, but for example, a ball screw shaft connected to the drive unit is provided within the internal operating area. A ball nut is screwed onto the ball screw shaft, and the sliders 1422, 1423 are attached to the ball nut. When the drive unit is rotated to rotate the ball screw shaft in a predetermined direction, the sliders 1422, 1423 move up and down via the ball nut which moves accordingly.

The pair of sliders 1422, 1423 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the cylinders 14211, 14212 when viewed from the direction of transport of the goods, and move up and down independently of each other by the independently driven cylinders 14211, 14212.

The arm 1424 is composed of a first arm 14241 extending outward from the slider 1422, and second arms 14242-1 and 14242-2 which split into two and extend inward from the tip of the first arm 14241. One end of the first arm 14241 is rotatably connected to the slider 1422, and the other end is connected to one end of the second arms 14242-1 and 14242-2. The first arm 14241 and the second arms 14242-1 and 14242-2 are rotatably connected to each other, and the applicator 141 is connected to the tips of the second arms 14242-1 and 14242-2.

The arm 1425 is configured in the same manner as the arm 1424. That is, it is configured from a first arm 14251 extending outward from the slider 1423, and second arms 14252-1 and 14252-2 that branch out from the tip of the first arm 14251 and extend inward. One end of the first arm 14251 is connected to the slider 1423 so as to be freely rotatable, and the other end is connected to one end of the second arms 14252-1 and 14252-2. In addition, the first arm 14241 and the second arms 14252-1 and 14252-2 are connected to each other so as to be freely rotatable, and the applicator 141 is connected to the tips of the second arms 14252-1 and 14252-2.

Of the second arms 14242 and 14252, the second arms 14242-1 and 14252-1, and the second arms 14242-2 and 14252-2 are each connected to the applicator 141 at the same location.
The base 1421 and the applicator 141 are also connected by a rod-shaped rocking suppressing member 1426 that connects the base 1421 and the connecting portion 1413 of the applicator 141. The rocking suppressing member 1426 is connected to the applicator 141 at a location different from the location where the second arm portions 14242 and 14252 are connected. This allows the applicator 141 to be supported at three points, and rocking of the applicator 141 caused by the operation can be suppressed when the applicator 141 is moved by a predetermined control or when the moved applicator 141 is stopped at a predetermined position. As a result, it is possible to accurately attach a label to an appropriate position on an article and prevent malfunctions caused by rocking of the applicator 141.

In the label application section 14 configured as above, the up-down (vertical) movement of the sliders 1422, 1423 is converted into the left-right (horizontal) movement of the applicator 141 in a plane perpendicular to the article transport direction.
As shown in Fig. 10A, when the sliders 1422 and 1423 are at the same height, the arms 1424 and 1425 are at symmetrical positions, and the applicator 141 is located directly below the base 1421 to which the arms 1424 and 1425 are connected. Here, as shown in Fig. 10B, when the position of the slider 1422 is made higher than the position of the slider 1423, the tip of the arm 1425 protrudes toward the arm 1424 side, and the applicator 141 moves toward the arm 1424 side on the right side of the figure, i.e., toward the label conveying unit 133 side. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 10D, when the position of the slider 1423 is made higher than the position of the slider 1422, the tip of the arm 1424 protrudes toward the arm 1425 side, and the applicator 141 moves toward the arm 1425 side on the left side of the figure, i.e., toward the item conveying unit 11 side.

By using sliders 1422 and 1423 that move up and down independently of each other, it is possible to accommodate items of various heights. In addition, since a sufficient range of movement in the vertical direction can be obtained without lengthening the arms 1424 and 1425, the width of the label application device 1 as viewed from the direction in which the items are transported (depth as viewed from the front) can be made more compact than in a device that does not use sliders 1422 and 1423.

●Display/operation section 15
The display and operation unit 15 is a device that allows an operator to input and output information to the label application device 1, and is realized, for example, by a touch panel display in which an information input means and an information output means are integrated. The label application device 1 uses the display and operation unit 15 to receive print information to be printed on labels and information related to articles, and to output information detected by the article detection unit 12 and information related to the label application results.

The display and operation unit 15 may be configured with separate information input and output means. In this embodiment, it is provided near one of the support frame sections 161-2, but regardless of this, it may be provided at a location physically separated from mechanisms such as the item transport section 11, item detection section 12, label printing section 13, and label application section 14 via a wired or wireless communication line. It may also be configured as a general-purpose terminal such as a personal computer.

Configuration of the Control Device FIG. 7 shows an example of the functional configuration of a control device that controls the label sticking device 1 according to this embodiment.
The control device includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 that executes a program to generally control the operation of the label application device 1, information storage means such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) 102 and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 103, a display and operation unit 15, and an interface circuit 104. The control device is further connected to the article transport unit 11, the article detection unit 12, the label issuing unit 13, and the label application unit 14 via the interface circuit 104.

The label application device 1 uses the above-mentioned CPU 101, RAM 102, and ROM 103 as information storage means to configure at least the following functional blocks as software resources: a control unit, an item information storage unit, a label information storage unit, a setting information storage unit, and a calculation processing unit.

The control unit controls the operation of the item transport unit 11, the item detection unit 12, the label printing unit 13, and the label application unit 14.

The product information storage unit is a storage unit that stores product information relating to products.
The product information includes, for example, the product name, product number, price, and a symbol code that encodes various information.

The item information storage unit also stores a reference image for each item, which indicates a reference position for attaching a label to the item. The reference image is included in the item and is configured by something that can be identified as an image by the imaging unit 121, such as the contents of the print or a sticker printed on the package of the item.
8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an article W, a reference image M, and a label affixing position. In this example, a sticker affixed to the article W constitutes the reference image M. Also, when the reference image M is viewed from the front, an affixing area F for affixing a label R is set to the right of the reference image M and at a position a certain length inward from the end of the article W.
When the reference image M on the item W is identified by the item detection unit 12, the attachment position and orientation of the label R are determined by a calculation processing unit, which will be described later.

The label information storage unit is a storage unit that stores label information related to the label format. The label information includes, for example, the label length that determines the length to which the label paper is cut, the printing position on the label, the items to be printed, and the font of the characters to be printed.

The setting information storage unit is a storage unit that stores setting information that needs to be set individually for each item to which a label is to be affixed. This setting information includes, for example, calibration information according to the height of the item. That is, depending on the height of the item on the item conveying surface 110, a deviation occurs in the camera coordinates per pixel captured by the imaging unit 121, and this deviation in the camera coordinates leads to a deviation in the label attachment position. In this regard, a correction coefficient according to the height of the item is stored in the setting information storage unit as calibration information, and the imaging unit 121 corrects the camera coordinates by referring to this calibration information, thereby generating an accurate captured image of the item.

The calculation processing unit calculates the timing for attaching a label to the item, the position and orientation for attaching the label on the item, and the position when the label is attached on the item transport surface 110 based on the detection timing of the item by the item detection unit 12 and the captured image.
That is, the calculation processing unit calculates the time it takes for the item to travel from the detection point to the label affixing position based on the distance from the detection position of the item by the item detection unit 12 to the position where the label is to be affixed and the item transport speed by the item transport unit 11, and thereby determines the timing for affixing the label.

The calculation processing unit also performs a process of identifying the reference image in the captured image of the article and determining its orientation and position by referring to the reference image and label attachment area information for each article stored in the article information storage unit, and determining the attachment position and orientation of the label on the surface of the article. Furthermore, the calculation processing unit performs a process of calculating the position where the label is attached to the article on the article transport surface 110 and the orientation of the suction unit 1411 according to the orientation of the label.
8, a label R is attached to a predetermined position on the right side of the reference image M, which is determined based on the position of the reference image M on the item W identified by the captured image of the item W. Furthermore, the orientation of the reference image M is determined based on the shape of the reference image M, the orientation of the characters, and the like, and the orientation of the label R to be attached is determined based on the determined orientation of the reference image M.

Processing Flow by the Labeling Apparatus 1 The processing flow by the labeling apparatus 1 will be described together with the operation of the labeling section 14 with reference to FIGS.
When the label application apparatus 1 starts a series of label application processes, setting information including information on the height of the object to which the label is to be applied and calibration information corresponding thereto is input.

When the label application process starts, the label application device 1 transitions from a stopped state to a standby state. At this time, as shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(b), the label application unit 14 holds the pair of sliders 1422, 1423 at the same height, and from a state in which the applicator 141 has not been moved to either the item conveying surface 110 or the label conveying surface 1330, moves the applicator 141 onto the label conveying surface 1330, and sets this state as a standby state in which it waits to receive a command for the label application operation (S101).

When the item detection unit 12 detects an item on the item transport surface 110 using the imaging unit 121 (S102), it generates an image of the detected item (S103).
In addition, when generating a captured image, the imaging unit 121 executes a correction process for the captured image according to the height of the article based on setting information input in advance.

The calculation processing unit calculates the position and orientation of the label on the item, and the label attachment position on the item conveying surface 110, based on the reference image in the captured image (S104). The calculation processing unit also calculates the time it takes for the item to travel from the detection point to the label attachment position, based on the distance from the item detection position to the label attachment position and the item conveying speed by the item conveying unit 11, and thereby determines the timing of attaching the label (S105).

After an item is detected by the item detection unit 12, a label is printed by the label printing unit 13 (S106) simultaneously with the generation of an image by the imaging unit 121 (S103) and the processing by the calculation processing unit (S104, S105).

As shown in FIG. 10(c), when a label is issued and sent out onto the label transport surface 1330, the label application unit 14 controls the actuator 142 to lower the applicator 141 close to the label, and then adsorbs and holds the label using the suction unit 1411 (S107).
Furthermore, the label application unit 14 rotates the support portion 1412, thereby rotating the suction portion 1411 connected to the support portion 1412, and aligns the orientation of the adsorbed label with the orientation of the article (S108).

As shown in FIG. 10(d), the label application section 14 moves the applicator 141, with the label adsorbed and held by the adsorption section 1411, to a label application position on the item conveying surface 110 (S109).
When the timing calculated by the calculation processing unit arrives (S110), the label application unit 14 lowers the applicator 141 to press the label against the item on the item conveying surface 110 and apply the label to the item (S111).
As a result, when the label application process for one item is completed, the label application unit 14 moves the applicator 141 above the label transport surface 1330 so as to wait for the label application process for the next item to be performed.

According to the label application device 1 of this embodiment described above, the position and orientation of an article on the article conveying surface 110 can be detected with high accuracy, and labels can be applied in the correct position and orientation even to articles that are difficult to align.
In addition, since the operating range of the actuator 142 and the applicator 141 is limited to a two-dimensional range, that is, a direction perpendicular to the article transport direction, the label application device 1 is compact and can be installed in a limited space.

In the above embodiment, a correction coefficient according to the height of the article is stored in the setting information storage unit as calibration information, and the imaging unit 121 corrects the camera coordinates by referring to this calibration information to generate an accurate captured image of the article.
Meanwhile, in another embodiment, a drive mechanism for moving the imaging unit 121 may be provided, and the vertical position of the imaging unit 121 may be moved by a predetermined control unit based on information related to the height of the article. Also, a mechanism for manually moving the imaging unit 121 may be provided, and an operator may move the imaging unit 121 to a predetermined position in the vertical direction based on information related to the height of the article. This also makes it possible to generate an accurate captured image of the article and set an accurate coordinate system based on the captured image, regardless of the height of the article.
As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, a through hole 123a is formed in the mounting plate 123, so that the imaging unit 121 can be moved in the vertical direction via the through hole 123a.
Summary of the implementation form

The present invention relates to a labeling device that applies labels to items.

Conventionally, in a process of transporting an object and attaching a label to the object, a robot arm shown in Patent Document 1 (JP 2019-204858 A) and Patent Document 2 (JP 2021-500244 A) has been used.
In such a label application process, for products that are difficult to align, such as frozen or chilled products, the orientation of the product has been adjusted manually in order to apply the label in the correct orientation.

In this regard, the robot arms described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 require large equipment and cannot be installed in limited spaces.

The present invention aims to provide a labeling device that can apply labels in the correct position and orientation even to items that are difficult to align, and that can be installed in a limited space.

In order to achieve the above object, the labeling device of the present invention comprises an item conveying section that conveys items, an imaging section that captures images of the items conveyed by the item conveying section, and a labeling section that is provided to the side of the item conveying section and that attaches a label to the top surface of the item at an angle according to the orientation of the item captured by the imaging section, the labeling section having an applicator that holds and attaches the label, and an actuator that moves the applicator, the actuator moving the applicator only in two directions: the vertical direction and a horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of the item.

The actuator may have a pair of sliders arranged symmetrically in the direction of transport of the article, and a pair of arms, one end of which is connected to the slider and the other end of which is connected to the applicator, and may be disposed to the side of the article transport section.

The arm may convert the upward and downward movement of the slider into the left and right movement of the applicator.

The apparatus may further include a label issuing unit provided on the same side as the label affixing unit in the conveying direction of the item conveying unit, the imaging unit being provided above the upstream portion of the item conveying unit, the label affixing unit being provided to the side of the downstream portion of the item conveying unit, the label issuing unit being provided between the imaging unit and the label affixing unit in the conveying direction of the item conveying unit, and the imaging unit, the label issuing unit, and the label affixing unit being disposed within the overall length of the item conveying unit.

The device may further include a control unit that moves the vertical position of the imaging unit based on preset information about the items being transported by the item transport unit.

The label attachment unit may attach a label to the item according to a position and orientation of the label determined based on a reference image of the item.

The label application device according to this embodiment can accurately detect the position and orientation of an article on an article conveying surface, and can apply a label in the correct position and orientation even to articles that are difficult to align.
In addition, since the range of motion of the actuator and applicator is limited to a two-dimensional range in a direction perpendicular to the article conveying direction, the label application device is compact and can be installed in a limited space.

1: Label application device 11: Item transport section 110: Item transport surface 12: Item detection section 121: Imaging section 122: Illumination section 13: Label issuing section 131: Roll holding section 132: Label printing mechanism 133: Label transport section 1330: Label transport surface 14: Label application section 141: Applicator 1411: Suction section 1412: Support section 1413: Connection section 142: Actuator 1421: Base 14211, 14212: Cylinder 1422, 1423: Slider 1424, 1425: Arm 1426: Swing suppression member 15: Operation section 16: Frame 181, 182: Damper

Claims (2)

an article transport unit that transports articles;
an imaging unit that images an article being transported by the article transport unit;
a label attachment unit provided on a side of the article transport unit and configured to attach a label to the article at an angle corresponding to the orientation of the article captured by the imaging unit;
The label attachment unit includes:
an applicator for holding and applying the label;
an actuator for moving the applicator;
The actuator comprises:
A pair of sliders provided symmetrically in the direction in which the article is transported;
a pair of arms, one end of which is connected to the slider and the other end of which is connected to the applicator;
The article conveying section is disposed to the side of the article conveying section,
The applicator is moved only in two directions: a vertical direction and a horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the article.
1. A label application device comprising:
The arm converts the vertical movement of the slider into the horizontal movement of the applicator.
2. The labeling device of claim 1 .