JPS61115831A - Automatic labelling method and device thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an automatic labeling method and an automatic labeling device that are applied to a system for weighing and pricing products.

(Conventional technology) For supermarkets, at the product packing center, etc., the weight of the product is measured and the weight of the product is calculated based on the weighed weight. At the same time, a system is used that automatically and continuously prints the price, weight, etc. on a label and attaches it to the product. In the system, an automatic label affixing device is used to automatically affix the above-mentioned labels to products.

Conventionally, this automatic label affixing device uses suction force generated by a blower to adsorb and hold the label issued by the printer on the lower surface of the suction head, and when the product is located below the suction head, the blower generates the label in the direction of air flow. The label held on the bottom surface of the suction head is sprayed onto the product by switching the
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 571), a suction box for holding labels by suction is attached to the lower end of the labeler rod so that the upper label receiving position and the lower label pasting position can be moved between the device and the suction box. It is known that a box and a blower are connected with a bellows hose. However, with the former type of apparatus that sprays labels onto products, it is difficult to accurately affix the labels to predetermined positions on the products, and the labels are affixed to each product in uneven positions. In addition, according to the latter device, the suction box itself moves to the lower position when pasting the label, so the position remains constant when pasting the label on the product. Since the suction force acts through the box and the bellows hose, depending on the properties of the glue applied to the back of the label and the condition of the surface, the adhesive force of the glue may be overcome by the suction force, and the label may be attached to the product. In some cases, the stickers were not attached to the surface of the suction box and remained on the bottom of the suction box.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention is intended to address the above-mentioned problems regarding automatic label pasting in a weighing system, etc., and to ensure that the label does not remain on the bottom surface of the suction head or the suction box and that the product is properly attached. 4) The object of the present invention is to realize a method and an automatic labeling device for a label that can be pasted on a product and always accurately pasted at a predetermined position on a product.

(R Ming no Yokosei) That is, the automatic label pasting method according to the first invention of the present application receives a label issued from a printer with the adhesive side facing downward on the bottom surface of a suction head, and moves the head downward. In the method of attaching the above-mentioned label to the item located below, at the upper label receiving position, a large suction force is applied to the label via the above-mentioned suction head to ensure that the label is held in the suction head, and the suction head It is characterized by weakening the suction force acting on the label as the label moves downward.

Further, an automatic label pasting device according to a second invention of the present application uses the method according to the first invention, and includes a suction head that receives a label issued from a printer at an upper receiving position, and the suction head. is attached to the lower end, a motor that moves the arm up and down, a latch mechanism that holds the arm at its upper end, and the lower end is an opening and when the suction head is in the receiving position, the suction head It consists of an intake box whose opening is opened and closed, and a blower that sucks out the air inside the intake box. When the suction head is in the upper receiving position, it closes the opening of the suction box, so the inside of the suction box becomes a large negative pressure state due to the suction action of the blower, and this negative pressure is applied to the suction head through the slit provided in the suction head. It acts on the lower surface of the head through the. Therefore, the label issued by the printer is reliably suctioned and held on the lower surface of the suction head with a large suction force. When the motor is operated in this state, the suction head is moved down to the lower pasting position via the arm, but as the head moves away from the intake box, the suction head moves away from the intake box. The suction force acting on the suction head or label due to negative pressure gradually weakens, and when attaching a label to an item in the downward attachment position, the suction force to hold it on the bottom surface of the suction head is almost zero. state. Therefore, the label is reliably affixed to the item by the adhesive action of the glue applied to the back side, and the label is carried to the position by the downward movement of the suction bed, so that the desired affixation on the item is carried to the position. It will always be pasted accurately.

In particular, in the embodiment of the present invention, since a torque motor is used as the motor, the height of the item located below is uneven, and the suction head is pressed against the top surface of the item. At that point, the reaction force stops the product without causing any burnout.

In addition, since the suction head is tiltably attached to the lower end of the arm, even if the surface of the item is sloped or uneven, the suction head will tilt accordingly, ensuring that the label will always be attached securely. be pasted on.

Furthermore, in the structure of the latch that holds the arm at the upper moving end, a roller is installed at the tip of the latch lever that engages with the latch on the arm side, so that the engagement movement with respect to the latch due to swinging of the lever is prevented. The release operation is performed smoothly and is designed to prevent malfunctions.

(Example) Examples of the present invention will be described below.

First, an embodiment of the automatic label pasting method according to the first invention will be explained. In this method, as shown in FIG. 1, a label A issued by a printer 1 is received on the lower surface of a suction head 2 with the adhesive side facing downward, and the label A is moved downward by moving the suction head 2 downward. First, the suction head 2 is vertically movable between the upper label receiving position X shown by the solid line and the lower label sticking position Y shown by the chain line. . At the upper label receiving position fifX, the suction head 2 is positioned so as to close the opening 4a at the lower end of the intake box 4 from which the air inside is sucked out by the blower 3. Negative pressure is applied to the lower surface of the suction head 2 through a slit 2a provided in the suction head 2, and the label A delivered to the lower surface of the head 2 is reliably held by the suction force. Then, in this state, the suction head 2 is moved downward to position Y for pasting, but at this time, as the head 2 moves away from the intake box 4, it is affected by the negative pressure inside the box 4. As a result, the suction force against the label 8 held on the lower surface of the suction head 2 gradually weakens, and by the time the head 2 is pressed against the item B below, the suction force has almost disappeared.

As a result, label pasting is performed at position ff1Y with label A.
When the label A is pressed onto the item B, the adhesive applied to the back side of the label A will be firmly attached to the item B, and the suction force will overcome the adhesive force of the glue and the label A will be attached to the item B. No residue remains on the suction head 2 side. In addition, the label A is pasted downward by the suction head 2 at position Y.
Therefore, it is always affixed accurately to a predetermined position on item B. When the suction head 2 moves downward, the suction force holding the label A gradually weakens, but the negative pressure inside the intake box 4 acts to some extent, and the suction head 2 descends at a speed faster than the falling speed of the label △ due to its own weight. Since the label A is moved, the label A does not separate 119 from the lower surface of the head 2 during the downward movement of the head 2.

Next, a description will be given of how the automatic label pasting device according to the second invention is turned over on its real side.

As shown in FIG. 233, the automatic label pasting device 10 has a cover 11 with openings on the front (left side in FIG. 2) and bottom, and is fixed to both sides 11a and 1 lb of the cover 11, respectively. It has parallel first and second frames 13.14 connected to each other by a plurality of stays 12...12, and each component is disposed between both frames 13.14.

That is, a blower base 15 is installed on the front side between both frames 13 and 14, a blower 16 is installed on the front side of the base 15, and an intake cover 17 is installed on the rear side of the base 15. Intake box 1 whose lower end is opened by pro-a base 15 and intake cover 17
8 is formed. Then, the intake port 16a of the blower 16 is inserted into the box 18, and the box 1
It is designed to suck out the air inside 8.

Furthermore, an L-shaped bracket 1 is provided on the inner surface of the first frame 13.
Two guide shafts 20.20 supported at both upper and lower ends using 9.19 are installed in the vertical direction, and both guide shafts 20.20
A box-shaped slide member 21 is fitted into the box so as to be slidable up and down, and a drive mechanism 22 for moving the slide member 21 up and down is provided behind the box-shaped slide member 21 . This drive mechanism 22 includes a motor 24 attached via a bracket 23 to the rear upper part of the first frame 13, and
a driving pulley 25 fixed to the rotating shaft of the first frame 13 , a driven pulley 27 pivotally supported at the lower rear of the first frame 13 via a bracket 26 , and a belt 28 wound between the driving pulley 25 and the driven pulley 27 . It is made up of. Then, the rear side surface 21a of the slide member 21
and the holding member 29 fixed to the surface 21a, the drive mechanism 2
2, the belt 28 is held at a predetermined position in FIG. It is designed to move up and down guided by. Here, the belt 28 is a toothed belt, and the teeth 28a...-288 of the belt 28 are engaged with two clamping members that press the belt 28 from the toothed surface side, as shown in FIG. Matching slit 29a
. . 29a is provided, whereby the clamping member 29 or slide member 21 and the belt 28 are reliably connected. Further, as the motor 24, a torque motor is used which stops when the drive reaction force exceeds a certain limit.

On the other hand, the upper end of an arm 30 extending in the vertical direction is fixed to the front side surface 21b of the slide member 21, and a suction head 31 is attached to the lower end of the arm 30. Along with the movement, the suction head 31 is moved up and down via the arm 30, and as shown in the figure, the suction head 31 is moved up and down at the upper end of movement (label receiving position) X.
The attachment head 31 is located at the opening 1 at the lower end of the intake box 18.
8a is closed. This suction head 31
As shown in FIGS. 2.3 and 4.5, the base plate 32 has a plurality of slits 32a...32a, and the slits 32a...32a are fixed to the top surface of the base plate 32, and the slits 32a...32a are fixed to the top surface of the base plate 32. The suction box 3 has an opening 33a that faces upward and has an open top surface.
3, a shock absorbing member 34 made of sponge fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 32 and having a plurality of intake holes 34a...34a corresponding to the slits 32a...32a of the base plates 1 to 32; It is composed of a U-shaped connecting member 35 fixed to the surface and the side. As shown in FIG. 5, this connecting member 35 is connected to the lower end of the arm 30 using two front and rear bins 36 and 37, whereby the entire suction head 31 is connected to the arm 30. Of the two bottles 36 and 37, the front bottle 36 is inserted into the elongated hole 35a provided on both sides of the connecting member 35, so that the connecting member 35 or the suction can be drawn around the rear bottle 37. The entire head 31 can be tilted in the direction a from the illustrated position with respect to the arm 30. The connecting member 35 and the suction head 31 are biased in the direction a by a spring 38 which is inserted into the rear bottle 37 and is received at one end by the connecting member 35 and the other end by the arm 30. When the head 31 is located at the label receiving position X as shown in FIG. By coming into contact with the spring 38, the suction head 31 is held in an upwardly inclined position against the spring 38.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, on the front side surface 21b of the slide member 21, there is a latch mechanism 40 that holds the suction head 31 at the label receiving position X via the slide member 21 and the arm 30. It is equipped. This latch mechanism 40 includes a latch 41 fixed to a slide member 21, and an L-shaped latch in which a hook-shaped portion 41a protruding forward provided at the upper end of the latch 41 is engaged with a roller 42 provided at its tip. It consists of a lever 43 and a solenoid 45 that rotates the lever 43 in the direction b about a support shaft 44 from the state shown in FIG. The lever 43 is held in a position where it contacts the stopper 47 by the urging force of the spring 46, and in this state, the roller 42 at the tip of the lever 43 engages the hook-shaped portion 41a of the latch 41 from below, and the solenoid 45 is energized. Then, the rod 45a of the solenoid 45 moves downward and the latch lever 43 is rotated in the direction b via the C link member 48, thereby releasing the engagement between the roller 42 and the latch 41. The latch 41 or slide member 21, arm 30, and suction head 31 are configured to be able to move downward. Furthermore, four shutters are fixed to the rear surface of the latch 41, and a photosensor 51 is fixed to the first frame 13 via an L-shaped bracket 50.
When is in the position shown in the figure (when the suction head 31 is in the label receiving position @X), the shutter 49 blocks light from the light emitting element to the light receiving element in the photosensor 51. A signal indicating that the label is at the label receiving position X is output. Here, the bracket 50 or the photosensor 5
1 is attached to the first frame 13 so that its vertical position can be adjusted.

In addition to the above configuration, a label peeling groove 52 is provided in this embodiment. This mechanism 52 has the second to fourth
As shown in the figure, an arm portion 53a along the lower end of the second frame 14 and a front end of the arm portion 53a are bent toward the first frame 13 to form an arm portion 53a that extends downward from the front of the suction head 31. Label jump part 53 extending in the horizontal direction
an edge cutting material 53 whose planar shape is L-shaped by b;
It is composed of a solenoid 54. The edge cutting member 53 has the rear part of the arm part 53a pivotally attached to the lower part of the second frame 14 using a support shaft 55, so that the label flip-up part 53b can be moved upward (in the C direction) from the position shown in FIG. The flip-up portion 53b is urged to be positioned downward by a spring 56 installed between the rear end of the arm portion 53a and the second frame 14. And the rod 54 of the solenoid 54
a is connected to the arm portion 53a via a link member 57, and when the solenoid 54 is energized, the rod 54a moves upward, thereby swinging the flip-up portion 53b upward.

Then, the automatic label pasting device 1 configured as above
0 is loaded into the printer 60 with the front side facing the printer 60 as shown in FIG. They are located close to each other due to their positional relationship.

Here, to explain the configuration of the label issuing section 61 in J3 of the printer 60, the label issuing section 61 includes a platen roller 62, a print head 63 that is in contact with the roller 62,
A peeling root 64 disposed in front of the platen roller 62 (on the suction head 31 side) is removed. Then, when the label sheet 70 consisting of a large number of labels 72 . At the same time as letters, numbers, etc. are printed, the printed label 72 is peeled off from the mount 71 as the mount 71 is directed downward at an acute angle by the peeling root 63, and sent out as it is in the n-1 direction. It is now possible to The suction head 31 is located in front of the feeding direction.
The lower surface 34b of the buffer member 34 is positioned in an inclined state.

Next, the operation of this automatic label pasting device will be explained.

First, with the suction head 31 located at the upper label receiving position To do this, use the suction head 3 above.
Since the lower surface 34b of the buffer member 34 in 1 is waiting in an inclined state, the label 72 is placed along the lower surface 34b of the buffer member 34 with the adhesive side facing downward. At this time, the opening 18a at the lower end of the suction box 18 in the pasting device 10 is open and closed by the suction head 31, and the air inside is being sucked out by the blower 16, so the inside of the suction box 18 is large. The negative pressure is in a negative pressure state, and the negative pressure is applied to the opening 33a at the bottom of the intake box 33 that constitutes the suction head 31, and the base plate 1.
It acts on the lower surface 34b of the buffer member 34 through the slits 32a...32a in J5 and J5 and the intake holes 34a...34a in the buffer member 34. Therefore,
A suction force acts on the label 72 along the surface 34b, and the label 72 is suctioned and held on the lower surface 34b of the buffer member 34. In that case, as shown in FIG. 2, the rear part of the label 72 adsorbed to the lower surface 34b of the suction head 31 (buffer member 34) may remain adhered to the mount 71, but the label peeling mechanism 52 When the solenoid 54 is energized and the label flip-up portion 53b of the edge-cutting member 53 is swung upward (in the C direction), the label 72 is completely peeled off from the mount 71 and the entire label is held by the suction head 31. The state will be as follows.

Then solenoid 4 in latch i 4fl) 40
5 is energized, and accordingly, the latch lever 43 is rotated in the direction b from the position shown in FIG. 2, whereby the engagement between the latch lever 43 and the latch 41 is released. In that case, the latch lever 43 has a roller 42 pivotally supported at the tip thereof engaged with the hook-shaped portion 41a of the latch 41, so that
The release operation is performed smoothly. Thereafter, the motor 24 in the drive mechanism 22 is rotated in a predetermined direction, and the belt 28 in the mechanism 22 is run in the dh direction, so that the slide portion 021 coupled to the belt 28 is moved to the guide @20.20. An arm 30 that is guided and slid downward and has its upper end fixed to the slide member 21; and the arm 30. The suction head 31 attached to the upper end of the suction head 31 moves down integrally. As a result, the seventh
As shown in the figure, the label 72 held on the lower surface 34b of the three heads (buffer member 34) is attached to the upper surface of the item 80 waiting below, and the adhesive action of the glue applied to the back surface It will be attached to the top surface of the item 80 by. In this case, the downward movement of the suction head 31 causes the opening 18a at the lower end of the suction box 18 to be heard, and the negative pressure inside the suction box 18 decreases, and the suction head 31 separates from the box 18, resulting in a negative pressure. The lower surface 34 of the head 31 is therefore less subject to pressure.
The suction force against the label 72 held at b will gradually weaken. When the label attachment shown in FIG. 7 is moved down to position @Y, the suction force becomes almost zero. As a result, the label 72 is reliably attached to the item 80 by the adhesive action of the glue, and the suction head 3
This prevents the head 31 from remaining on the lower surface 34b of the head 31 and being carried away when the head 31 moves upward.

Further, since the label 72 is carried downward by the suction head 31 to the attachment position @Y, the label 72 is always accurately affixed to a predetermined position on the upper surface of the item 80, and the label 72 is conveyed by the suction head 31 to the position @Y.
During the downward movement of the label 72b), the lower surface of the suction head 31 is affected by the negative pressure in the suction box 18 and because the downward movement speed of the head 31 is faster than the natural falling speed of the label 72. It will not fall off from 34b.

Furthermore, the motor 24 that moves the suction head 31 downward is a torque motor, and stops rotating easily when the drive reaction force exceeds a certain limit. Even if the height is higher than the bottom dead center of the suction head 31, the rotation will be stopped when the head 31 is pressed against the top surface of the item 80. Therefore, the suction head 31 is not pressed against the article 80 with more force than necessary and the article 80 is damaged, or the motor 24 is not forced to stop and the motor 24 is burnt out. In addition, since the suction head 31 is tiltably attached to the lower end of the arm 30, even if the surface of the item 80 is sloped or uneven, the suction head 31 can be tilted to accommodate this. This ensures that the label 72 is always adhered well.

Once the label 72 has been applied to the item 80 in this manner, the motor 24 is then rotated in the opposite direction to the bell 1.
8 is moved in the anti-d direction, the slide member 2
1 and the arm 30, the suction head 31 is moved upward,
It is returned to the label receiving position X shown in FIG. At this time,
The sloped surface 41b of the upper surface of the hook-shaped portion 41a of the latch 41 fixed to the slide member 21
The latch lever 42 is spun in the direction b by contacting the roller 42 from below through the roller 42, and when the hook-shaped portion 41a passes the roller 42, the latch lever 43 is moved by the spring 46 as shown in FIG. The latch lever 43 and the latch 41 are thereby engaged, and the latch 41, the slide member 21, and the arm 3 are returned to the position shown in FIG.
0 and the suction head 31 are fixed at the positions shown in FIG. At this time, the shutter 49 fixed to the rear surface of the latch 41 is located between the light emitting element and the light receiving element in the sensor 51, so that a signal is output from the sensor 51, and this signal causes the motor 24 will be stopped. In addition, the suction head 31 is attached to the base plate 32.
When the protruding piece 32b comes into contact with the stopper 39, the printer 60 is tilted in an artistic manner against the spring 38 urging the head 31 in the direction a.
It is held in a posture suitable for receiving the label 72 issued by the user. In this way, it is ready to wait for the next label 72 to be issued from the printer 60.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the automatic label affixing method and self-label CJ affixing apparatus according to the present invention, the label is affixed to the item located below by the immobility of the suction head that attracts and holds the label. As a result, the label is always accurately affixed to a predetermined position on the item, and since the suction force that causes the suction head to hold the label is weakened as the head remains stationary, the label is not affixed to the item. This prevents the label from remaining on the suction head side.In this way, it is possible to prevent the appearance of the label from being deteriorated due to errors in label pasting or uneven label pasting in the planned value attaching system.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an embodiment of the automatic label pasting method according to the first invention of the present application, and FIGS. 2 to 7 show an embodiment of the automatic label pasting apparatus according to the second invention of the present application. The figure is a longitudinal side view, Figure 3 is a longitudinal rear view taken along line ■-■ in Figure 2, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional plan view taken along line IV-rV in Figure 2, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-rV in Figure 2. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the main part taken along the line V-V* in Figure 2, Figure 6 is a cross-sectional plan view of the main part taken along the line Vl-Vl in Figure 2, and Figure 7 is a longitudinal side view of the main part showing one operating state. . 1...Printer, 2...Suction head, A...Label, B...Item, X...Label receiving position, Y...
・Label pasting position. 10... Label pasting device, 16... Blower, 18.
...Intake box, 18a...Opening, 24...Motor, 30...Arm, 31...Suction head, 40
... Latch mechanism, 41 ... Latch, 41a ... Hook-shaped portion, 42 ... Roller, 43 ... Latch lever, 4
5... Solenoid, 46... Spring, 60...
・Printer, 72...Label, 80...Item. Figure 5 Figure 6

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) An automatic label pasting method in which a label issued from a printer is received with the adhesive side facing downward on the bottom surface of a suction head, and the head is moved downward to pasted the label on an item located below, comprising: Automatic label pasting characterized in that at the upper label receiving position, a large suction force is applied to the label via the suction head to cause the head to hold the label, and the suction force is weakened as the head moves downward. Method. (2) An automatic label affixing device that receives labels issued from a printer with the adhesive side facing downward and affixes them to items located below, comprising a suction head that receives the labels issued from the printer at an upper receiving position; , an arm to which the suction head is attached at the lower end, a motor that moves the arm up and down to move the suction head up and down between an upper receiving position and a lower pasting position, and holding the suction head in the receiving position. a removable latch mechanism that holds the arm at its upper moving end; and an intake box having an opening at its lower end and closing the opening with the suction head when the suction head is in the receiving position; An automatic label pasting device comprising: a blower that sucks out the air in the air intake box and applies suction force to hold the label on the lower surface of the suction head at the receiving position. (3) The motor that moves the arm up and down is a torque motor that stops rotating due to the reaction force when the suction head is pressed against the item at the lower attachment position.
Automatic label affixing device as described in section. (4) The automatic label pasting device according to claim 2, wherein the suction head is tiltably attached to the lower end of the arm so as to adapt to the unevenness of the label pasting surface of the item. (5) The latch mechanism that holds the arm at its upper moving end includes a latch fixed to the arm side, a latch lever whose tip engages with the hook-shaped portion of the latch by the biasing force of a spring, and the latch mechanism that holds the arm at its upper moving end. a solenoid that swings the lever against the spring to disengage the tip of the lever from the hook of the latch; 3. The automatic label pasting device according to claim 2, further comprising a roller for smooth engagement and release.