JPH1191749A - Apparatus and method for sticking label - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a low-noise label sticking apparatus which is easy to control and is excellent in label sticking ability. SOLUTION: A label sticking apparatus 10 comprises a label supply mechanism 12 for supplying adhesive labels 46 one by one, a sucking conveyer 52 which can suck and hold the labels from the label supply mechanism and also can carry them, a pressing roller 74 placed in contact with a surface of a carried object during transporting for pressing the label fed from the sucking conveyer to the surface of the object, and a pressing/transporting mechanism 86 for carrying the object while pressing it toward the pressing roller. Since this constitution allows the sucking conveyer to carry the labels, the labels can be fed while the pressing roller is in contact with the object. In addition, since the object can be reliably fed by the pressing/transporting mechanism, a shift in position of the label can be prevented for enabling rapid processing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a label attaching apparatus for automatically attaching a label to a surface of a conveyed article being conveyed by a conveyor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a device for attaching a label to a surface of a conveyed material being conveyed on a conveyor, for example, a container (plastic container) or a box-shaped material such as a cardboard box, a pressure-sensitive device temporarily attached to a band-shaped backing paper is used. A type in which a label is pressed and attached to a conveyed object while peeling the label is known. Such a pressure-sensitive label sticking apparatus is disclosed in, for example,
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 99957 and the like, an adsorption plate for adsorbing and holding a label peeled off from the mount,
And a pressing roller for pressing the label held by the suction plate against the conveyed article. The suction plate is in a suction state when a label is sent. Further, at the time of label sticking, the pressing roller must first press the leading end of the label held by the suction plate against the conveyed object, so that a pressing operation by an actuator is required.

[0003]

In the conventional label sticking apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-99957, a stopped label is pressed against a moving label. When the speed was high, the accuracy of the sticking position tended to deteriorate. For this reason, in order to maintain the accuracy of the sticking position at a high level, it is necessary to convey the article at a low speed, and the label sticking ability is relatively low.

Also, the on / off control of the suction and the control of the actuator for reciprocating the pressing roller are complicated, and the noise caused by the pressing operation of the pressing roller is considerably large.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a low-noise label attaching apparatus which is easy to control and has a high label attaching ability.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a label sticking apparatus for sticking a label on a surface of a conveyed article being conveyed along a conveying path. A label supply mechanism that supplies the labels one by one, a suction conveyor that suctions and holds the labels supplied from the label supply mechanism, and conveys the labels at a predetermined speed, and is disposed so as to contact the surface of the conveyed article being conveyed. A pressing roller for pressing the label sent from the suction conveyor onto the surface of the conveyed object, a sensor for detecting the conveyance state of the conveyed object, and a control device for controlling the operations of the label supply mechanism and the suction conveyer in accordance with a signal from the sensor And characterized in that:

In such a configuration, it is preferable that the control device performs control according to the following label attaching method according to the present invention. In other words, the suction conveyor holds the pressure-sensitive label while holding it, and when the conveyed object passes a predetermined position on the conveyance path, the conveyance of the label is started by the adsorption conveyor, and the conveyance of the label is conveyed. The label is sent at substantially the same speed as the transport speed of the article, and the label sent from the suction conveyor is pressed and adhered to the surface of the article by the pressing roller. In this method, the adsorption conveyor can be kept in the adsorption state at all times. Further, since the label conveying speed, that is, the label feeding speed to the conveyor and the conveying speed of the conveyed article are substantially equal, the relative speed of the label to the conveyor becomes zero or extremely small, and the sticking position accuracy can be improved. Furthermore, since the label can be sent out in the direction of the conveyed object by the suction conveyor, an actuator for operating the pressing roller is not required.

The label sticking apparatus according to the present invention preferably further comprises a pressing / transporting mechanism for elastically pressing the conveyed article toward the pressing roller and applying a conveying force to the conveyed article. . With such a pressing / transporting mechanism, the transporting speed of the transported object is further stabilized, and the above-described action can be reliably exhibited.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

A label sticking apparatus 1 according to the present invention shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 0 denotes a label attached to the side surface of the container 12 which is transported along the transport path. Basically, a label supply mechanism 14 for supplying the label and a label supplied from the label supply mechanism 14 are provided. Received the label, and the container 12 is placed in the label attaching area 16 in the transport route.
, A standby mechanism 20 for performing standby and release of the container 12 transported along the transport path, and a plurality of sensors 22, 24, 26, 28 for detecting the transport state of the container 12. , 30 and a control device 32 for controlling the operations of the label supply mechanism 14, the label sticking mechanism 18, and the standby mechanism 20 in accordance with signals from these sensors.

The label supply mechanism 14 has a supply reel 36 for holding a band-shaped backing sheet 34 on which labels are temporarily attached at equal intervals in a roll shape. Label supply mechanism 1
At 4, the labeled backing sheet 34 is unwound from the supply reel 36 and proceeds along the backing sheet conveyance path defined by the plurality of guide rollers 38, and finally, the take-up reel 40.
Is wound up. One of the guide rollers 38 is driven by an electric motor 42, and the electric motor 42
, It is possible to control the feed of the backing sheet 34 and, consequently, the label. In the illustrated embodiment, since a label is attached to a substantially vertical side surface of the container 12, the supply reel 36, the take-up reel 40
The guide rollers 38 are arranged such that their axes are oriented vertically and the mounts 34 are fed horizontally.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, the label is coated with a heat-sensitive recording material on its front surface and a pressure-sensitive adhesive on its back surface so that thermal printing can be performed. Further, since the surface of the backing sheet 34, that is, the surface on which the label is temporarily attached, has releasability from the pressure-sensitive adhesive, and in addition, the rigidity of the label is considerably higher than that of the backing sheet 34,
When the mount 34 is bent to a certain radius of curvature or less, the label temporarily attached to the curved portion is naturally separated from the mount 34.

As clearly shown in FIG. 2, the label supply mechanism 1
In the vicinity of the edge of the frame 44 of the No. 4 and at an appropriate position in the middle part of the backing paper conveyance path, a guide roller 38 'for label peeling
Is provided. Mount 34 on which label 46 was temporarily attached
The feed direction is substantially reversed by the rollers 38 '. Since the radius of the roller 38 ′ is smaller than the radius of curvature required for peeling the label 46,
The label 46 sent together with the backing sheet 34 is separated from the backing sheet at a fixed position of the roller 38 '(the point at which the backing sheet 34 starts to bend), and proceeds straight. Accordingly, only the backing sheet 34 is wound on the take-up reel 40.

In the illustrated embodiment, a well-known thermal printer 48 is provided between the peeling guide roller 38 'and the supply reel 36 as printing means. The thermal head 50 of the printer 48 is arranged at a position in contact with the surface (print surface) of the label 46, and can print desired characters or symbols on the label 46.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a label sticking mechanism 18 is attached at a position adjacent to the peeling guide roller 38 '. The label sticking mechanism 18 includes a suction conveyor 52 that conveys the label 46 peeled off from the backing sheet 34 by the guide roller 38 'while holding the label 46 by suction. The suction conveyor 52 includes a pair of upper and lower substantially trapezoidal plates 53 and 54 arranged at a predetermined interval.
Pulleys 55, 56, 57, 58 arranged vertically at respective corners between the plates 53, 54 and an endless suction belt 60 wound around these pulleys are provided. The interval between the plates 53 and 54 is larger than the width of the label 46, and is preferably substantially equal to the width of the label 46 so as to function as a guide for preventing the label 46 from laterally shifting. Further, the width of the suction belt 60 is smaller than the interval between the plates 53 and 54, and a fiber end 63 of a reflective fiber optical sensor 62 for detecting the position of the label 46 is provided in the gap formed between the two. Are located.

As the suction belt 60, any air-permeable belt can be used. However, in order to obtain a high suction force with low power, in the illustrated embodiment, a belt having a large number of small holes 64 formed in a fixed pattern is used. Used. The suction belt 60 is exposed between the pulley 55 and the pulley 58, and the remaining portion is preferably covered by a cover plate 66 attached between the plates 53 and 54. The suction belt 60 is connected to the electric motor 6 connected to the pulley 57.
8, the circulating drive is performed in the direction of arrow A in FIG.
Reference numeral 59 in FIG. 2 denotes a tension wheel that keeps the tension of the suction belt 60 constant.

The center of one plate 54 has a through hole 7
0 is provided. An intake fan 72 is attached to the outer surface of the plate 54 so as to cover the through hole 70. When the intake fan 72 is driven, the plates 53, 54
The air in the space surrounded by the suction belt 60 is exhausted, and the pressure in the space is reduced. Thereby, the pulley 55,
At the exposed portion of the suction belt 60 between 58, suction force is generated.

One end of the exposed portion of the suction belt 60 (the end on the pulley 58 side) is in contact with the leading end of the printing surface of the label 46 which is peeled off by the label peeling guide roller 38 'of the label supply mechanism 14 and goes straight. Is located in the position.
Therefore, when the electric motor 68 is driven and the intake fan 72 is driven, the label 4
The printing surface of No. 6 is sucked and held by the suction belt 60, and is sent as it is in the direction of arrow A. At the other end of the exposed portion of the suction belt 60, many of the small holes 64 of the suction belt 60 are closed by the pulley 55, and the suction force is reduced. The user moves away from the belt 60 and goes straight ahead.

The labeling mechanism 18 further includes a pressing roller 74 disposed adjacent to the pulley 55 for receiving the label 46 from the suction conveyor 52 and pressing the label 46 against the container 12. The pressing roller 74 is preferably made of a material having a slight elasticity such as rubber.
The support arm 76 is rotatably supported at the distal end.
The support arm 76 is pivotally mounted to the plate 54 at an intermediate portion thereof, and a tension spring 78 is mounted between the other end and the plate 54.
This tension spring 78 urges the pressing support arm 76,
As shown in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2, the pressing roller 74 is configured to slightly protrude from the extension surface of the exposed portion of the suction belt 60.

In the present embodiment, the container 12 is transported by the driving roller conveyor 80. The driving roller conveyor 80 generally includes a number of rollers (not shown) laid between a pair of left and right guide frames 82 and 83, and a driving source (not shown) for driving these rollers. In the area which becomes the label attaching area 16, one of the guide frames 83 has an attaching opening 8.
4 are formed. That is, the label 46 is attached to the side of the container 12 through the opening 84,
The above-described pressing roller 74 is disposed in the opening 84.
When there is no container 12 on the driving roller conveyor 80, a part of the pressing roller 74 is disposed inside the inner surface of the guide frame 83. When the pressing roller 74 is arranged in such a position, the label supply mechanism 14 and the label attaching mechanism 1 are arranged such that the exposed portion of the suction belt 60 is as parallel as possible to the transport path of the container 12.
8 are preferably arranged.

As shown in FIG. 1, a gap is formed in the other guide frame 82 at a position directly opposite the sticking opening 84. In this gap, the container 12 is elastically pressed toward the other guide frame 83 and the container 1
A pressing / transporting mechanism 86 for transporting the sheet 2 at a constant speed is provided. As shown in FIG. 4, the pressing / transporting mechanism 86 includes a support frame 88 and the support frame 8.
8, a pair of short links 90 pivotally connected at one end to
92 and a support frame 88 and short links 90, 92 pivotally connected between the other ends of the short links 90, 92.
And a long link 94 constituting a parallel link mechanism.

Three pulleys 96, 97, 98 are attached to the long link 94 at regular intervals, and an endless belt 100 is wound around these pulleys 96-98. Outside portion of the belt 100 between the pulleys 96 and 97 (portion located on the opposite side to the support frame 88)
Is a portion that contacts the container 12 and applies a conveying force,
This portion is arranged in the gap between the guide frames 82 so as to be parallel to the container transport direction. In addition, the long link 94 is provided so that the outer portion of the belt 100 is always located inside the inner surface of the guide frame 82 and the transported container 12 can be elastically pressed against the other guide frame 83 side. , A spring biasing force is applied to the guide frame 83 side. In the illustrated embodiment, this spring biasing force is applied by a compression spring 102 provided between the short links 90 and 92 and the support frame 88. Although the small-diameter pulley 98 functions as a pulley, it also has a function of forming an inclined portion on the belt 100 between the pulleys 97 and 98 to smoothly guide the container 12 to the portion between the pulleys 96 and 97. ing.

The pulley 96 on the downstream side in the transport direction is
The pulley 104 is provided at a pivot point between the short link 90 and the support frame 88.
Is provided. The pulley 104 is connected to the support frame 88.
The pulleys 96 and 104 are connected by a belt 108 as a transmission means. Pulley 96,
104 is fixed with respect to the long link 94 and the support frame 88, respectively, and the distance between the pulleys 96 and 104 is unchanged, so that regardless of the swing position of the short links 90 and 92,
The driving force from the electric motor 106 is transmitted to the belt 100 without fail.

The drive roller conveyor 80 is provided with a standby mechanism 20 upstream of the label application area 16. The illustrated standby mechanism 20 pushes a stopper 112 against the side of the container 12 by a driving source 110 such as an electromagnetic solenoid or a pneumatic actuator, and sandwiches the container 12 between the guide frame 83 and the opposite side. This is a structure in which the container 12 stays against the transfer force of the container 12. This is of the type often applied to conventional drive roller conveyors 80.

Label supply mechanism 14, label sticking mechanism 1
8. Control of the drive source of the drive roller conveyor 80, the pressing / transporting mechanism 86 and the standby mechanism 20 and the printer 48 is performed based on a control signal from the control device 32 including a microcomputer or the like.

The control unit 32 is connected to the above-mentioned reflective fiber optical sensor 62 and sensors 22 to 30 for detecting the transport state of the container 12, and performs predetermined control based on detection signals from these sensors. Done. Sensor 2
Although there are various types as 2 to 30, a transmissive optical sensor which includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element and can detect the presence or absence of an article by blocking light is simple and suitable. In the illustrated embodiment, the first optical sensor 22 is arranged near the stopper 112 in order to detect whether or not the container 12 is waiting by the standby mechanism 20. Further, in order to detect whether or not there is a container 12 in the label attaching area 16, a position corresponding to the upstream edge of the attaching opening 84,
The second and third optical sensors 24 and 26 are arranged at positions corresponding to the downstream side edge, respectively. Further, in order to confirm that the container 12 to which the label has been applied has been sent out from the label application area 16, a pressing / transporting mechanism 8 is required.
The fourth optical sensor 28 is disposed at a position corresponding to the sixth downstream pulley 96. In consideration of the case where the container 12 stagnates downstream of the labeling area 16, the fifth optical sensor 30 may be arranged at a considerable distance downstream of the fourth optical sensor 28. It is suitable.

Next, a procedure for attaching the label 46 to the container 12 in the above configuration will be described.

First, the operation is started to drive the drive roller conveyor 80 and the pressing / transporting mechanism 86. Then, the first container 12 crosses the first optical sensor 22 and the first
The controller 32 closes the stopper 112 of the standby mechanism 20 and stops the container 12 when a light-shielding signal is issued from the optical sensor 22. At this time, when the light shielding signal is continuously emitted from the fifth optical sensor 30 for a predetermined time or more,
The control device 32 determines that there is some abnormality (for example, the container 12 is stagnant) on the downstream side, and
Maintain the standby state of.

On the other hand, when the operation is started, the control unit 32
Sends a control signal to the electric motor 42 of the label supply mechanism 14 to drive it, and also drives the electric motor 68 of the suction conveyor 52 and the intake fan 72. When the electric motor 42 of the label supply mechanism 14 is driven, the mount 34 advances along the mount transport path. When the print surface of the leading label 46 passes below the thermal head 50 of the printer 48, the control device 32 issues a print control signal to the printer 48, and prints predetermined characters and the like on the print surface of the label 46.

The label printing process is completed, and the signal from the fifth optical sensor 30 is only a light transmission signal (a signal emitted when no object exists between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the optical sensor). In the case of, or in the case where the light transmission signal and the light shielding signal are repeated in a certain cycle, the control device 32 determines that the label attaching process is possible, cancels the standby state by the stopper 112, and releases the container 12 Is restarted. At this time, the following container 12 moves forward together,
When the second container 12 shields the first optical sensor 22 from light, the stopper 112 is closed again and the subsequent container 12 is closed.
Is set to a standby state (state shown in FIG. 1).

The leading container 12 is conveyed by the driving roller conveyor 80 to the label attaching area 16, and is held between the belt 100 of the pressing / conveying mechanism 86 and the guide frame 83. As described above, since the belt 100 of the pressing and conveying mechanism 86 is urged toward the guide frame 83 by the spring force, the container 12 and the belt 1
The frictional force between 00 and 00 is large, and the conveying force from the belt 100 is reliably transmitted to the container 12. Therefore, even if the container 12 contacts the pressing roller 74 and receives resistance from the pressing roller 74, the container 12 is transported at a constant speed. In particular, since a large number of reinforcing ribs are provided on the surface of the container 12, the resistance of the pressing roller 74 is large. However, when the container 12 receives an excessive resistance, the belt 100 moves in the direction of arrow C in FIG. , The container 12 is stably transported.

During this time, the printed label 46 is transported in the label supply mechanism 14 together with the backing paper 34. When the printed label 46 reaches the peeling guide roller 38 'and the mount 34 is greatly curved by the roller 38', the label 46 is peeled from the mount 34 and advances straight toward the suction conveyor 52 of the label applying mechanism 18. . Suction conveyor 5
2 is already in a state in which the label 46 can be attracted, and since the electric motor 68 is driven, when the label 46 is sent from the label supply mechanism 14, the printing surface of the label 46 is exposed at the exposed portion of the suction belt 60. And conveys it to the pressing roller 74 side. When the tip of the label 46 reaches the detection position of the fiber optical sensor 62 and a signal indicating the state is issued from the fiber optical sensor 62, the control device 32 stops driving the electric motor 68 and
Is in a standby state.

The label standby state is set when the container 12 crosses the second and third optical sensors 24 and 26 provided at both ends of the sticking opening 84 and these optical sensors 24 and 26 emit a light-shielding signal. It is released. The release of the label standby state is performed by restarting the electric motor 68 and circulating the suction belt 60 at substantially the same speed as the transport speed of the container 12. Thereafter, the label 46 moves straight over the pulley 55 without stopping the intake fan 72, and is sent between the container 12 and the pressing roller 74 pressed against the container 12 by the tension spring 78.
Since the adhesive surface of the label 46 faces the container 12 side, as the transport of the container 12 proceeds, the pressing roller 7
It is pressed by 4 and attached to the side of the container 12. At this time, the transport speed of the suction belt 60, that is, the label 4
6 and the transport speed of the container 12, the position where the label 46 first contacts the container 12 is constant. Further, the label 46 does not wrinkle or roll up due to the coincidence between the label feeding speed and the container transport speed. Further, even if the label affixing surface of the container 12 is depressed as shown in the drawing, the belt 100 of the pressing and conveying mechanism 86 can be elastically retracted, so that the resistance when the pressing roller 74 comes out of the depressed portion is absorbed,
The label 46 can be smoothly attached.

When the attachment of the label 46 is completed, the container 12 with the label comes out of the label attaching area 16. When the processing is proceeding normally, since the container 12 crosses the fourth optical sensor 28 within a certain period of time, the control device 32 can determine whether or not it is normal based on the signal from the fourth optical sensor 28, If it is determined to be abnormal, processing such as stopping the operation is performed. The above procedure is repeated for the next container 12.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, the label sticking apparatus 10 of the present invention is applicable not only to the case where the label 46 is stuck to the side surface of the container 12 but also to the case where the label is stuck to the upper surface of another conveyed material such as a cardboard box. Also,
The suction conveyor 52 is not limited to the above-described type, but may be of any type as long as the label 46 can be conveyed while being suctioned. The pressing / conveying mechanism 86 also elastically urges the conveyed object toward the pressing roller 74,
In addition, other types such as a roller type can be used as long as a conveying force can be applied.

[0036]

As described above, according to the present invention, the suction conveyor can be kept in the suction state at all times, so that the on / off control of the suction becomes unnecessary. Further, since the label can be sent out in the direction of the conveyed object by the suction conveyor, an actuator for operating the pressing roller is not required. Therefore, the control is easy and the sticking processing ability is improved. Also, there is no problem of noise generated by the press operation.

Further, when the label conveying speed, that is, the label feeding speed to the conveyor and the conveying speed of the conveyed material are made equal, the label can be stuck at a predetermined sticking position with high accuracy.

Further, since the conveyance of the conveyed article is stabilized by the pressing / conveying mechanism, the sticking accuracy is further improved, and the conveyed article can be separated from the pressing roller so as to be able to elastically return. It can handle irregularities on the surface.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the entire configuration of a label sticking apparatus according to the present invention.

2 is a horizontal sectional view showing a configuration of a label sticking mechanism in the label sticking apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration of a pressing / transporting mechanism in the label pasting device of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

10: label sticking device, 12: container (conveyance), 1
4 ... Label supply mechanism, 16 ... Label attaching area, 18 ...
Label attaching mechanism, 20 ... Standby mechanism, 22, 24, 2,
6, 28, 30 sensor, 32 control device, 34 mount, 46 label, 48 printer, 52 suction conveyor, 60 suction belt, 62 fiber optical sensor, 72
... intake fan, 74 ... pressing roller, 80 ... drive roller conveyor, 86 ... pressing and conveying mechanism, 100 ... belt, 11
2. Stopper.

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] October 2, 1997

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0002

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a device for attaching a label to a surface of a conveyed material being conveyed by a conveyor, for example, a container (plastic container) or a box-shaped material such as a cardboard box, an adhesive label temporarily attached to a band-shaped backing paper is used. There is known a type in which a sheet is pressed and attached to a conveyed object while peeling the sheet. Such a label sticking apparatus is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-99957.
As disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H10-210, the apparatus includes a suction plate for sucking and holding a label peeled from a mount, and a pressing roller for pressing the label held by the suction plate against a conveyed object. The suction plate is in a suction state when a label is sent. Also, when applying the label, the pressing roller must first press the leading end of the label held by the suction plate against the conveyed object,
A press operation by an actuator is required.

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0006

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a label sticking apparatus for sticking a label on a surface of a conveyed article being conveyed along a conveying path. A label supply mechanism that supplies labels one by one, a suction conveyor that suctions and holds the labels supplied from the label supply mechanism, and conveys the labels at a predetermined speed, and is disposed so as to contact the surface of the conveyed object being conveyed. A pressure roller that presses the label sent from the suction conveyor onto the surface of the conveyed object, a sensor that detects the conveyed state of the conveyed object, and controls the operation of the label supply mechanism and the suction conveyor according to a signal from the sensor. And a pressing / transporting mechanism that elastically presses the conveyed article toward the pressing roller and applies a conveying force to the conveyed article. It is set to.

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0007

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

In such a configuration, it is preferable that the control device performs control according to the following label attaching method according to the present invention. In other words, the apparatus waits while holding the label by the suction conveyor, and when the conveyed article passes a predetermined position on the conveyance path, starts conveyance of the label by the adsorption conveyer and conveys the label to conveyance of the conveyed article. This is performed at substantially the same speed as the speed, and the label sent from the suction conveyor is pressed against the surface of the conveyed object by the pressing roller and is attached. In this method, the adsorption conveyor can be kept in the adsorption state at all times. Further, since the label conveying speed, that is, the label feeding speed to the conveyor and the conveying speed of the conveyed article are substantially equal, the relative speed of the label to the conveyor becomes zero or extremely small, and the sticking position accuracy can be improved. Furthermore, since the label can be sent out in the direction of the conveyed object by the suction conveyor, an actuator for operating the pressing roller is not required.

[Procedure amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0008

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Further, the label sticking apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a pressing / transporting mechanism which elastically presses a conveyed article toward the pressing roller side and applies a conveying force to the conveyed article. The transport speed of the object is further stabilized, and the above operation can be surely exhibited.

[Procedure amendment 6]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0012

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Although not shown in FIG. 1, the label is a so-called adhesive label, and an adhesive (pressure-sensitive adhesive) is provided on the back surface.
Is applied. A thermal recording material is applied to the surface so that thermal printing can be performed.
In addition, the surface of the backing sheet 34, that is, the surface on which the label is temporarily attached, has releasability from the adhesive, and in addition, the rigidity of the label is considerably higher than that of the backing sheet 34. When the label is bent to a certain radius of curvature or less, the label located at the bent portion is naturally separated from the backing sheet 34.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Shunji Araki 6-5 Nihonbashi Tomizawacho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Inside Oaks Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A label sticking apparatus (10) for sticking a label (46) on a surface of a conveyed article (12) being conveyed along a conveying path (80), wherein a pressure-sensitive label (46) is provided. A label supply mechanism (14) for supplying one by one, and a label (4) supplied from the label supply mechanism (14).
6) is arranged so as to be in contact with the surface of the conveyed object (12) being conveyed while adsorbing and holding 6) and conveyed at a predetermined speed, and sent out from the conveyed conveyor (52). A pressure roller (74) for pressing the label (46) against the surface of the conveyed object (12); and a sensor (22, 2) for detecting the conveyed state of the conveyed object (12).
4, 26, 28, 30) and a control device for controlling the operations of the label supply mechanism (14) and the suction conveyor (52) in accordance with signals from the sensors (22, 24, 26, 28, 30). (32)
A label sticking apparatus comprising: 2. A conveyed object (12) being elastically pressed against the pressing roller (74) while being conveyed.
2. The label sticking apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pressing / conveying mechanism (86) for applying a conveying force to (2). 3. A label sticking method for sticking a label (46) on a surface of a conveyed article (12) being conveyed along a conveying path (80), wherein the label is pressure-sensitive by a suction conveyor (52). Waiting while holding the label (46) by suction, and when the transported object (12) has passed a predetermined position of the transport path (80), the transport of the label (46) by the suction conveyor (52) is started. Then, the label (46)
Is transported at substantially the same speed as the transport speed of the transported object (12), and the label (46) sent from the suction conveyor (52) is pressed by the pressing roller (74) into the transported object (1).
2) A method for attaching a label, wherein the method is applied by pressing on the surface.