Apparatus for forming identification marks and method for forming identification marks

Abstract

To provide an identification mark forming apparatus and an identification mark forming method that employ new technologies for forming identification marks on objects to be marked. [Solution] An identification mark forming apparatus EA is provided with a marking agent application means 10 that applies a marking agent MA that flows after being applied to an object WK to be applied to the object WK, and forms an identification mark DM that has individual recognition properties with the applied marking agent MA. The marking agent application means 10 applies dot-shaped marking agent MA to the object WK to be applied, and forms an identification mark DM in an application pattern in which six marking agent MAs located at the shortest distance from any one marking agent MA applied to the object WK are arranged at each vertex of a regular hexagon.

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present invention relates to an identification mark forming apparatus and an identification mark forming method. [[Background Art]]

[0002] A technology for forming an identification mark on an object to be marked is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [[Prior Art Documents]] [[Patent Documents]]

[0003] [[Patent Document 1]] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-207107 [[Patent Document 2]] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-196851 [[Summary of the Invention]] [[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]]

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for forming an anti-counterfeit pattern (identification mark) on a base material 9 (object to be marked) by plateless printing, and Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for an ejection port 300 (marking agent applying means) that applies dot-shaped dots (marking agent). In recent years, new technology has been demanded for forming identification marks on objects to be marked.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an identification mark forming apparatus and an identification mark forming method that employ a new technology for forming an identification mark on an object to be marked. [[Means for Solving the Problem]]

[0006] The present invention employs the configurations described in the claims. [[Effects of the Invention]]

[0007] According to the present invention, a marking agent is applied to an object to be marked, and for any one marking agent applied to the object, six marking agents located at the shortest distance are arranged at each vertex of a regular hexagon in an application pattern to form an identification mark. Therefore, an identification mark forming apparatus and identification mark forming method employing a new technology for forming an identification mark on an object to be marked can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] (A) to (F) are explanatory diagrams of an identification mark forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention and an explanatory diagram of the operation of the apparatus. (G) and (H) are explanatory diagrams of comparative examples to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the X, Y, and Z axes are orthogonal to each other. The X and Y axes are axes within a predetermined plane, and the Z axis is an axis perpendicular to the predetermined plane. Furthermore, in this embodiment, using the view from the front direction in Figure 1(A), which is parallel to the Y axis, as the reference, when directions are indicated without specifying a figure, "up" is the direction of the Z-axis arrow and "down" is the opposite direction, "left" is the direction of the X-axis arrow and "right" is the opposite direction, and "front" is the front direction in Figure 1(A), which is parallel to the Y axis and "back" is the opposite direction.

[0010] An identification mark forming apparatus EA for implementing the identification mark forming method of the present invention includes: a marking agent application means 10 that performs a marking agent application step of applying a marking agent MA that flows after being applied to an object WK to be marked, and forming an identification mark DM (see Figures 1(C) and (D)) that has individual recognition capability with the applied marking agent MA to the object; a flow promotion means 20 that performs a flow promotion step of promoting the flow of the marking agent MA applied to the object WK to be marked; a verification means 30 that performs a verification step of verifying whether the identification mark DM can be individually recognized; and an ultraviolet irradiation as a predetermined fixing treatment applied to the marking agent MA applied to the object WK to be marked. The device includes a fixing means 40 that performs a fixing process to forcibly fix the marking agent MA to the object WK to be applied, a lamination means 50 that performs a lamination process to form the object WK by laminating an adhesive sheet AS as a covering material onto a base material BM, an energy application means 60 that performs an energy application process to apply heat HA as a predetermined energy to the adhesive sheet AS laminated onto the base material BM, an imaging means 70 that performs an imaging process to capture an identification mark DM to form an image and transmit the image to another device TA that performs a post-processing process to apply a predetermined processing to the object WK to be applied, and a moving means 80 that performs a moving process to move the object WK to be applied. In this embodiment, the marking agent MA employs an ultraviolet-curing liquid ink as a forced-fixing agent that is forcibly fixed to the target object WK by ultraviolet irradiation as a predetermined fixing treatment. Furthermore, the adhesive sheet AS of this embodiment undergoes hardening as a change specific to the heat HA when heat HA is applied as a predetermined energy.

[0011] The marking agent application means 10 comprises a tank 11 as a storage device for storing the marking agent MA, and an inkjet nozzle 13 as an application device for applying the marking agent MA, which has been sent from the tank 11 via a hose 12, in granular form to the object WK to be applied. As shown in Figure 1(E), the marking agent MA is applied in a dot-like manner to the object WK, and an identification mark DM is formed in an application pattern in which six marking agent MAs located at the shortest distance from any one marking agent MA applied to the object WK (for example, a marking agent MA located at the position where one end of the bidirectional arrow shown in the figure is concentrated) are arranged at each vertex of a regular hexagon. In this embodiment, the inkjet nozzles 13 are arranged at predetermined spacing PS (see Figure 1(B)) on a straight line extending in the front-to-back direction, and apply the marking agent MA to the object WK that is moving relative to them, forming an identification mark DM consisting of the letters "ABC" as shown in Figures 1(C) and (D).

[0012] The flow promotion means 20 includes a vibrator 21 as a flow promotion device that applies vibration to the target object WK, and by applying vibration, it promotes the deformation of the marking agent MA.

[0013] The verification means 30 includes a CCD camera 31 as an imaging device, an image matching device 32 as a verification device, and a RAM 33 as a storage device, and is configured to verify whether or not the identification mark DM can be individually recognized. The CCD camera 31 forms an image by magnifying the identification mark DM formed on the object WK to be marked to a predetermined magnification and capturing the image. The image matching device 32 verifies the image captured by the CCD camera 31 by comparing it with the image stored in the RAM 33. If no matching image is found (including cases where no image is stored in the RAM 33), the device determines that the identification mark DM captured by the CCD camera 31 can be individually recognized. Conversely, if a matching image is found, the device determines that the identification mark DM captured by the CCD camera 31 cannot be individually recognized. The RAM 33 stores the image that the image matching device 32 has determined to be individually recognizable.

[0014] The fixing means 40 includes an ultraviolet light emitter 41, which is a fixing device capable of emitting ultraviolet UV light.

[0015] The lamination means 50 includes a base plate 51 that directly or indirectly supports the components constituting the lamination means 50, a support roller 52 that supports a raw roll RS on which an adhesive sheet AS is temporarily attached to a strip-shaped release sheet RL, a guide roller 53 that guides the raw roll RS, a release plate 54 as a release means that folds the release sheet RL at the release edge 54A and peels the adhesive sheet AS from the release sheet RL, a pressing roller 55 as a pressing means that presses the adhesive sheet AS onto the object to be laminated WK and laminates it, a drive roller 56 supported on the output shaft (not shown) of a rotary motor 56A as a drive device and sandwiches the release sheet RL between itself and a pinch roller 56B, and a recovery roller 57 supported on the output shaft of a drive device (not shown) and constantly applies a predetermined tension to the release sheet RL between itself and the pinch roller 56B while the identification mark forming device EA is in automatic operation and recovers the release sheet RL.

[0016] The energy supply means 60 includes a coil heater 61, which is an energy supply device capable of supplying heat HA.

[0017] The imaging means 70 includes a CCD camera 71 serving as an imaging device equivalent to the imaging device of the verification means 30, and is configured to form an image by imaging the identification mark DM imparted to the object WK to be imparted, and transmit the formed image to another apparatus TA.

[0018] The moving means 80 includes a linear motor 81 serving as a drive device, and a support table 82 supported by a slider 81A of the linear motor 81 via the flow promotion means 20 and having a support surface 82A that can be suction-held by a not-shown decompression means (holding means) such as a decompression pump or a vacuum ejector.

[0019] The operation of the identification mark forming apparatus EA described above will be described. First, after a user of the identification mark forming apparatus EA (hereinafter simply referred to as "user") sets an original fabric RS in the identification mark forming apparatus EA with each member arranged at the initial position shown by the solid line in FIG. 1(A) as shown in the figure, the user inputs a signal for starting automatic operation via an unshown operation means such as an operation panel or a personal computer. Then, the laminating means 50 drives a rotation motor 56A to feed out the original fabric RS, and as shown in FIG. 1(A), when the leading end of the leading adhesive sheet AS in the feeding direction is peeled off from the release sheet RL by a predetermined length at the folded portion of the release sheet RL folded back by the peeling edge 54A of the peeling plate 54, the driving of the rotation motor 56A is stopped. Next, when the user or an unshown conveying means such as an articulated robot or a belt conveyor places a base material BM at a predetermined position on the support table 82 as shown in FIG. 1(A), the moving means 80 drives an unshown decompression means to start suction holding on the support surface 82A, and then drives the linear motor 81 to move the support table 82 leftward.

[0020] Thereafter, when the base material BM reaches a predetermined position relative to the laminating means 50, the laminating means 50 drives the rotation motor 56A to feed out the raw fabric RS in accordance with the moving speed of the base material BM. As a result, the adhesive sheet AS is peeled from the release sheet RL at the folded portion of the release sheet RL, and as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1(A), is pressed by the pressing roller 55 and laminated on the base material BM, whereby the application target object WK is formed. Next, after the entire leading adhesive sheet AS is laminated on the base material BM to form the application target object WK, when the leading end portion, in the feeding direction, of the next adhesive sheet AS following the leading adhesive sheet AS is peeled by a predetermined length from the release sheet RL at the folded portion of the release sheet RL, the laminating means 50 stops driving the rotation motor 56A.

[0021] Then, when the application target object WK reaches the energy application position EP of the energy application means 60 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1(A), the moving means 80 stops driving the linear motor 81. Next, the energy application means 60 drives the coil heater 61 to apply heat HA to the adhesive sheet AS and cure the adhesive sheet AS. Thereafter, when the adhesive sheet AS is cured, the energy application means 60 stops driving the coil heater 61, and the moving means 80 drives the linear motor 81 to move the support table 82 leftward.

[0022] Next, when the object WK to be marked reaches a predetermined position relative to the marking agent application means 10, the marking agent application means 10 drives each inkjet nozzle 13 to spray granular marking agent MA in accordance with the moving speed of the object WK, thereby applying the marking agent MA to the object WK. At this time, the marking agent application means 10 controls the driving of the inkjet nozzles 13 so that, with a time difference calculated as (S / √3) / V for adjacent inkjet nozzles 13, the marking agent MA is applied to the object WK at time intervals calculated as (2×S / √3) / V, where S is the distance between the placement intervals PS and V is the transport speed of the object WK. As a result, the distance between the marking agent MA applied to the object WK becomes an interval calculated as 2×S / √3, and as shown in Figure 1(E), there are six marking agent MAs located at the shortest distance from any one marking agent MA, and an identification mark DM is formed in an application pattern in which these six marking agent MAs are arranged at each vertex of a regular hexagon. Then, once the identification mark DM of a predetermined shape is formed, the marking agent application means 10 stops driving the inkjet nozzle 13, the flow promotion means 20 drives the vibrator 21 to start applying vibration to the marking agent MA, and the moving means 80 drives the linear motor 81 to move the support table 82 to the left. It should be noted that the marking agent MA application pattern refers to the rules governing the application of marking agent MA to an object. This does not mean that there are six marking agent MAs located at the shortest distance from all the marking agent MAs applied to the object. For example, there are not six marking agent MAs located at the shortest distance from the marking agent MA on the outer edge of the identification mark DM.

[0023] Here, the marking agent MA applied to the object WK becomes fluid after application, and as shown in Figure 1(F), it comes into contact with each other, undergoing various morphological deformations and random changes in appearance. In this embodiment, the identification mark DM is formed in an application pattern in which there are six marking agent MAs located at the shortest distance to any one marking agent MA. For example, compared to the application pattern of marking agent MA shown in Figures 1(G) and (H), that is, an application pattern in which there are four marking agent MAs located at the shortest distance to any one marking agent MA (for example, a marking agent MA located at the other end of the bidirectional arrow shown in the same figure), the opportunities for the marking agent MAs to come into contact with each other and undergo random changes in appearance, as well as the patterns of these random changes in appearance, increase. In this way, the opportunities for the marking agent MAs to undergo random changes in appearance and the patterns of these random changes increase, preventing the formation of identification mark DMs with the same appearance, or making it extremely rare for identification mark DMs with the same appearance to be formed, thereby ensuring the individual recognizability of the identification mark DM. In this embodiment, the post-application flow of the marking agent MA is promoted by the vibrations applied by the vibrator 21, so that the random changes in the appearance of the marking agent MA become more pronounced compared to when there are no vibrations, and individual recognition is further improved.

[0024] Next, when the object WK to be marked reaches the ultraviolet irradiation position UP of the fixing means 40 shown by the dashed line in Figure 1(A), the moving means 80 stops driving the linear motor 81. After that, when the flow promoting means 20 stops driving the vibrator 21, the fixing means 40 drives the ultraviolet light emitter 41 and irradiates the marking agent MA with ultraviolet UV to forcibly fix the marking agent MA to the object WK, and when fixing is complete, the driving of the ultraviolet light emitter 41 is stopped. Next, the verification means 30 drives the CCD camera 31 to capture an image of the identification mark DM and form an image, and then drives the image matching device 32 and RAM 33 to compare and verify the image captured by the CCD camera 31 with the image stored in RAM 33. As a result of this verification, if the image matching device 32 determines that the identification mark DM captured by the CCD camera 31 can be individually recognized, the verification means 30 drives the RAM 33 to store the image captured by the CCD camera 31 in preparation for future matching, and the moving means 80 drives the linear motor 81 to move the support table 82 to the left. Furthermore, if, as a result of the above verification, the image matching device 32 determines that the identification mark DM that has been captured by the CCD camera 31 cannot be individually recognized, it may output a drive start signal, such as an electrical signal or a radio signal, to a warning means (not shown) such as a light emitter or sound emitter, to inform the user that individual recognition is impossible by light or sound, or it may output a drive start signal to a rejection means (not shown) such as a rejection device or drive device, to remove the object WK that has been captured by the CCD camera 31 from the identification mark forming device EA.

[0025] Then, when the object to be marked WK reaches the imaging position RP of the imaging means 70, indicated by the dashed line in Figure 1(A), the moving means 80 stops driving the linear motor 81. Next, the imaging means 70 drives the CCD camera 71 to capture the identification mark DM applied to the object to be marked WK and transmits the captured image to another device TA. The other device TA, which receives the image transmitted from the imaging means 70, stores the image in the storage device T3. Subsequently, the moving means 80 stops driving the depressurization means (not shown) and releases the suction holding on the support surface 82A. When the user or a transport means (not shown) transports the object to be marked WK, the moving means 80 drives the linear motor 81 to return the support table 82 to its initial position, and the same operation as described above is repeated thereafter. Furthermore, other devices TA capture images of the identification mark DM applied to the object WK using imaging device T1 before or during the processing of the object WK, and verify the captured image by comparing it with the image stored in storage device T3 using verification device T2. If a matching image is found as a result of verification by verification device T2, other devices TA will apply the prescribed processing to the object WK that was captured by imaging device T1, or will continue the prescribed processing. On the other hand, if no matching image is found, other devices TA will not apply the prescribed processing to the object WK that was captured by imaging device T1, or will stop the prescribed processing midway. This prevents other devices TA from applying the prescribed processing to counterfeit products or inappropriate objects WK.

[0026] According to the embodiments described above, a dot-shaped marking agent MA is applied to the object WK, and for any one marking agent MA applied to the object WK, six marking agents MA located at the shortest distance are arranged at each vertex of a regular hexagon in an application pattern to form an identification mark DM. Therefore, an identification mark forming apparatus EA and identification mark forming method employing new technology in forming the identification mark DM on the object WK can be provided.

[0027] The means and processes in this invention are not limited in any way as long as they can perform the operations, functions, or processes described for those means and processes, and are certainly not limited in any way to the components or processes of just one embodiment shown in the above embodiments. For example, the flow-promoting means can be anything that can promote the flow of the marking agent applied to the target object after application, and is not limited in any way as long as it is within the scope of the common technical knowledge at the time of filing (the same applies to other means and processes).

[0028] The marking agent applying means 10 may apply the marking agent MA to at least one of the base material BM and the covering material to form the identification mark DM. For example, the marking agent MA may be applied to form the identification mark DM into any notation, such as characters like "ABCDEF", "aiu", "ichi ni san", numerals including Chinese numerals like "12345", "ichi ni san shi", "hyaku sen man", symbols like "!#%&", "+-×÷", ", 。· / ", patterns like "●■▲", "◎▽◇", etc. The marking agent MA may also be applied to form the identification mark DM as a single notation, such as only "A", only "1", only "#", only "●", etc. The marking agent MA may also be applied to form the identification mark DM as a notation combining a plurality of elements of the same type, such as "iroha", "AAA", "56298", "#$%!?", "●▽◇▲". The marking agent MA may also be applied to form the identification mark DM as a notation combining one or more elements of different types, such as "aA1●#", "K wo C3●▲!&", "%38 go AA▲□+ / ". For example, the marking agent MA may also be applied to form the identification mark DM as a notation such as a barcode or two-dimensional barcode obtained by converting information such as numerals, characters, and symbols into a specific code according to a certain rule. The marking agent MA may also be applied to form the identification mark DM so that the notation is different for each individual object WK to be applied. Alternatively, the marking agent MA may be applied to form the identification mark DM so that all or a part of the notation is the same for all or a plurality of objects WK to be applied. Any applying device that applies the marking agent MA to the object WK to be applied in any form such as mist, cube, cylinder, prism, sphere, or ellipsoid may be employed. The marking agent application means 10 may be configured such that, for example, when the distance between the placement intervals PS is S and the transport speed of the object to be marked WK is V, the adjacent inkjet nozzles 13 are arranged alternately (in a staggered arrangement) on two straight lines extending in the front-to-back direction at intervals determined by S / √3, and the inkjet nozzles 13 are controlled to apply the marking agent MA to the object to be marked WK at time intervals determined by (2×S / √3) / V without any time difference between adjacent inkjet nozzles 13. Alternatively, the inkjet nozzles 13 may be arranged and controlled in any way as long as an identification mark DM can be formed in an application pattern in which the six marking agent MAs located at the shortest distance from any one marking agent MA applied to the object to be marked WK are arranged at each vertex of a regular hexagon. For example, one or more application devices may be placed on each of several straight lines extending in the front-to-back direction. The marking agent application means 10 may employ an application device such as a plate or transfer panel that holds granular marking agent MA and presses the held marking agent MA onto the object WK to be applied, or it may employ a drive device that supports one or more application devices and moves the one or more application devices, or it may apply the marking agent MA to form an identification mark DM by moving the application device while moving the object WK to be applied, or while suppressing the movement of the object WK to be applied, or it may apply the marking agent MA to form an identification mark DM by suppressing the movement of the application device while moving the object WK to be applied, or it may apply the marking agent MA to form an identification mark DM.

[0029] The flow promotion means 20 may employ an eccentric motor, piston vibrator, or electrodynamic vibrator as a flow promotion device, or a flow promotion device that applies vibration in any direction, such as vertical, horizontal, front-back, circumferential, or a direction including at least one of these directional components, or a direction that combines these directions, and is not limited to a flow promotion device that applies vibration to the target object WK or marking agent MA via the support table 82, but may employ any flow promotion device, such as a flow promotion device that applies vibration to the target object WK or marking agent MA via a linear motor 81, or a flow promotion device that applies vibration directly or indirectly to the target object WK or marking agent MA without going through the components of the moving means 80, and for example, a flow promotion device that sprays a gas such as air or gas onto the target object WK or marking agent MA to promote flow after the marking agent MA is applied may be employed, or a flow promotion device that tilts the target object WK to promote flow after the marking agent MA is applied, and the marking agent applied to the target object WK A flow-promoting device may be used to promote the flow of the marking agent MA after application by bringing contact members such as plate-shaped members, rod-shaped members, or brush-shaped members into contact with the marking agent MA. Alternatively, a flow-promoting device may be used to promote the flow of the marking agent MA after application by applying energy such as electromagnetic waves such as ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, visible light, radio waves, X-rays, or gamma rays, or heating such as hot water or hot air, or cooling such as cold water or cold air to the marking agent MA applied to the object WK. Considering the characteristics, features, properties, material, composition, and structure of the marking agent MA, Any flow-promoting device can be used as long as it can promote the flow after application of the marking agent MA. The flow-promoting device may be moved while the object WK to be applied is being moved, or while the movement of the object WK is being suppressed, to promote the flow after application of the marking agent MA. The identification mark forming apparatus EA of the present invention may or may not be equipped with such a device.

[0030] The verification means 30 may employ any imaging device, such as an infrared camera, ultraviolet camera, ultrasonic camera, X-ray camera, optical sensor, ultrasonic sensor, area sensor, line sensor, image sensor, digital camera, microscope camera, film camera, etc., or it may employ an imaging device that enlarges the identification mark DM by 2x, 1000x, etc., reduces it by 1 / 2x, 1 / 15x, etc., or captures it at 1x size, or it may employ an imaging device that captures part or all of the identification mark DM attached to the object WK, or it may employ an imaging device that sees through the object WK from the object WK side to capture the identification mark DM, and captures the identification mark DM, or it may employ any verification device, such as an image comparison tool, AI tool, etc., or it may employ a verification device that can verify the identification mark DM formed by a notation consisting of numbers, symbols or patterns, etc., or it may employ any storage device, such as flash memory, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc., or at least one of the imaging device, verification device and storage device The two may be configured as an integrated unit, or at least one of the functions of the imaging device, verification device, and storage device may be equipped with at least one of the other two functions, or the storage device may be configured to transmit the same image stored in it to another device TA, thereby also functioning as an imaging means 70, or one image may be taken once with the imaging device for one object to be marked WK to form one image, and that one image may be used for verification with the verification device, or multiple images may be taken with the imaging device for one object to be marked WK to form multiple images, and one of those images, some but not all of those images, or all of those images may be used for verification with the verification device, or the identification mark DM may be imaged by moving the imaging device while moving the object to be marked WK or while suppressing the movement of the object to be marked WK, or the identification mark DM may be imaged by suppressing the movement of the imaging device while moving the object to be marked WK or while suppressing the movement of the object to be marked WK, or the identification mark DM may be provided in the identification mark forming apparatus EA of the present invention or not.

[0031] The fixing means 40 may be an electromagnetic wave irradiation device such as an infrared irradiation device or an X-ray irradiation device if the marking agent MA is a forcibly fixable agent that is forcibly fixed by an electromagnetic wave irradiation treatment that irradiates it with electromagnetic waves such as ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, visible light, radio waves, X-rays or gamma rays, or if the marking agent MA is a forcibly fixable agent that is forcibly fixed by a heating treatment that applies a heating medium such as hot air or hot water, or if the fixing means 40 is an electromagnetic wave irradiation device such as an infrared irradiation device or an X-ray irradiation device if the marking agent MA is a forcibly fixable agent that is forcibly fixed by a heating medium such as hot air or hot water, or if the fixing means 40 is an electromagnetic wave irradiation device such as an infrared irradiation device or an X-ray irradiation device if the marking agent MA is forcibly fixed by a heating treatment that applies a heating medium such as hot air or hot water, or if the fixing means 40 is an electromagnetic wave irradiation device such as an infrared irradiation device or an X-ray irradiation device if the marking agent MA is forcibly fixed by a heating medium such as hot air or hot water In the case of a forcibly fixable agent that is forcibly fixed by a cooling process that applies a cooling medium such as cold water, cooling equipment such as a blower or Peltier element may be used as fixing equipment. If the marking agent MA is a forcibly fixable agent that is forcibly fixed by a drying process such as blowing air or heating, drying equipment such as a coil heater or blower may be used as fixing equipment. If the marking agent MA is a forcibly fixable agent that is forcibly fixed by a fixing agent application process that applies other fixing agents such as oxygen or a hardener, oxygen spraying equipment or hardener application equipment may be used as fixing equipment. A fixing agent application device such as an apparatus may be used, and any device that can forcibly fix the forcibly fixing agent to the object WK, taking into consideration the characteristics, features, properties, material, composition and structure of the forcibly fixing agent, may be used as a fixing device, and it may be provided in a location other than the location shown in the above embodiment, and it may be provided anywhere as long as it can forcibly fix the forcibly fixing agent to the object WK, and a predetermined fixing treatment may be performed on the forcibly fixing agent immediately after it is applied to the object WK, or after a predetermined time has elapsed, or the fixing device may be moved while the object WK is being moved or while the movement of the object WK is being suppressed, and the marking agent MA may be forcibly fixed to the object WK, and it may or may not be provided in the identification mark forming apparatus EA of the present invention.

[0032] The lamination means 50 may peel off the adhesive sheet AS from the roll RS, where a predetermined area partitioned by the cut is an adhesive sheet AS, and laminate it onto the base material BM, by forming a closed loop-shaped or entire-length cut in the adhesive sheet substrate that is temporarily attached to the strip-shaped release sheet RL, and laminating the adhesive sheet AS onto the base material BM. Alternatively, a strip-shaped adhesive sheet roll in which a strip-shaped adhesive sheet substrate is temporarily attached to the strip-shaped release sheet RL may be used, and while the strip-shaped adhesive sheet roll is being fed out, a closed loop-shaped or entire-length cut in the adhesive sheet substrate may be formed with a cutting blade as a cutting means, and the adhesive sheet AS may peel off from the roll RS, where a predetermined area partitioned by the cut is an adhesive sheet AS, and laminate it onto the base material BM. Alternatively, the strip-shaped adhesive sheet AS may peel off from the roll RS in which a strip-shaped adhesive sheet AS is temporarily attached to the strip-shaped release sheet RL and laminate it onto the base material BM. When laminating the adhesive sheet AS onto the base material BM, the speed of the fed-out roll RS is... Lamination tension control may be performed to control the tension so that a predetermined tension is applied to the adhesive sheet AS, or so that tension is not applied. Alternatively, the adhesive sheet AS may be peeled off from a raw material RS that has been fan-folded, for example, without being wound, and laminated onto the base material BM. Alternatively, a pressing means may be employed in which the adhesive sheet AS is held by a holding member supported on the output shaft of a linear motor as a drive device and can be held by adsorption by a depressurization means (not shown) such as a depressurization pump or a vacuum ejector, and the adhesive sheet AS held by the holding member is pressed onto the base material BM for lamination. Alternatively, a recovery means may be employed to recover the release sheet RL without winding, for example by fan-folding, shredding, or haphazardly accumulating it. Alternatively, no recovery means may be employed, or an adhesive sheet AS that is not temporarily attached to the release sheet RL may be used. The lamination means 50 may laminate the coating material on only one surface or only the other surface of the base material BM, or on both the one surface and the other surface, or as shown in Figure 1(C), it may laminate the coating material on a part of one surface of the base material BM, or on the entire surface of one surface of the base material BM, or on all or part of all surfaces of the base material BM, or it may laminate the coating material on the base material BM by spraying or coating the coating material, or any method that can form the object WK to be applied by laminating the coating material on the base material BM, or the base plate 51 may be moved while the base material BM is being moved or while the movement of the base material BM is being suppressed and the movement of the base plate 51 is being suppressed and the coating material on the base material BM may be laminated, or it may be provided in the identification mark forming apparatus EA of the present invention or not.

[0033] The energy-imparting means 60 may impart a predetermined energy to the entire coating material or a part of the coating material. As the energy-imparting device, any type of energy-imparting device may be used, such as an electromagnetic wave-imparting device that imparts electromagnetic waves such as ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, visible light, radio waves, X-rays, or gamma rays; a heating device that imparts a heating medium such as hot water or hot air; or a cooling device that imparts a cooling medium such as cold water or cold air. Any type of device that can cause a change in the coating material specific to that energy, taking into consideration the characteristics, properties, materials, composition, and structure of the coating material, may be used. For example, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 1(A), the device may be arranged inside the support table 82 or on the support surface 82A and impart a predetermined energy A coil heater 62 capable of supplying heat as energy may be used as an energy supply device, both coil heater 61 and coil heater 62 may be used, or either coil heater 61 or coil heater 62 may be used, or the energy supply device may be moved while the object WK to be supplied with energy is moved, or while the movement of the object WK to be supplied with energy is suppressed, and the energy supply device may be moved while the movement of the object WK to be supplied with energy is suppressed, and the energy supply device may be moved, or it may not be provided in the identification mark forming apparatus EA of the present invention.

[0034] The imaging means 70 may be configured with an imaging device equivalent to or different from the imaging device of the verification means 30, or it may image the identification mark DM in a method equivalent to or different from the imaging device of the verification means 30, or it may perform one image with the imaging device for one object to be marked WK to form one image and transmit that one image to another device TA, or it may perform multiple images with the imaging device for one object to be marked WK to form multiple images and transmit one of those images, multiple of those images but not all of them, or all of them to another device TA, or it may move the imaging device while moving the object to be marked WK or while suppressing the movement of the object to be marked WK to image the identification mark DM, or it may suppress the movement of the imaging device while moving the object to be marked WK or while suppressing the movement of the object to be marked WK to image the identification mark DM, or it may be provided in or not provided in the identification mark forming apparatus EA of the present invention.

[0035] The moving means 80 may be a support table 82 that cannot be held by suction on the support surface 82A, or the support table 82 may be supported by the slider 81A without the flow promoting means 20, or it may or may not be provided in the identification mark forming apparatus EA of the present invention.

[0036] The identification mark forming apparatus EA may be directly or indirectly connected to the flow promotion means 20, verification means 30, fixing means 40, stacking means 50, energy supply means 60, imaging means 70, moving means 80 or other apparatus TA, or it may not be directly or indirectly connected to them, and the marking agent application means 10, flow promotion means 20, verification means 30, fixing means 40, stacking means 50, energy supply means 60, imaging means 70, moving means 80 and other apparatus TA may be positioned appropriately, and the marking agent application process, flow promotion process, verification process, fixing process, stacking process, energy supply process, imaging process, moving The processes and processing steps may be carried out in an appropriate order. For example, the operation may be modified while maintaining the arrangement configuration of the above embodiment, so that the energy application process is performed after the marking agent application process. This can be done by applying the marking agent MA to the object WK with the marking agent application means 10, then the moving means 80 transports the object WK to the right, and the energy application means 60 applies a predetermined amount of energy to the adhesive sheet AS. Alternatively, the arrangement of the above embodiment may be modified so that the energy application means 60 is placed between the marking agent application means 10 and the fixing means 40, or between the fixing means 40 and the imaging means 70, etc. The identification mark forming apparatus EA may perform a verification process before performing the fixing process. If the verification process determines that the identification marks DM cannot be individually recognized, the apparatus may repeat a retry operation, which involves driving the flow acceleration process for a predetermined time, or after a predetermined time has elapsed without performing the flow acceleration process, until the verification process determines that the identification marks DM can be individually recognized. Alternatively, if the retry operation is repeated a predetermined number of times and the verification process still determines that the identification marks DM cannot be individually recognized, the apparatus may output a drive start signal to a warning means or a elimination means, and remove the object WK that has been imaged by the CCD camera 31 from the identification mark forming apparatus EA.

[0037] Other devices TA may be any device, such as a cleaning device, etching device, immersion device, cutting device, oxide film forming device, nitriding device, grinding device, sandblasting device, polishing device, painting device, lamination device, sheet bonding device, surface treatment device, drilling device, bending device, inspection device, verification device, irradiation device, plating device, counterfeit detection device, etc., and may be directly or indirectly connected to the identification mark forming device EA, or not directly or indirectly connected to the identification mark forming device EA. For example, it may be located in the same building or on the same premises as the identification mark forming device EA without being directly or indirectly connected to the identification mark forming device EA, or it may be located in a different building or on a different premises than the same building or on the same premises as the identification mark forming device EA, or it may be located in the building or on the premises of the destination where the object to be marked WK was shipped, or it may be located anywhere, and may or may not be equipped with the identification mark forming device EA of the present invention. Other devices TA may configure imaging device T1, verification device T2, or storage device T3 with devices equivalent to or different from the imaging device, verification device, or storage device of verification means 30, or may image, verify, or store the identification mark DM in a method equivalent to or different from the imaging device, verification device, or storage device of verification means 30. Imaging device T1 can be any device that can form an image that can be matched by verification device T2, verification device T2 can be any device that can verify the image captured by imaging device T1 and the image transmitted from imaging means 70, and storage device T3 can store the image captured by imaging device T1 and can be any device that can store the image transmitted from imaging means 70.

[0038] The marking agent MA, which is designed to flow after application, can be any substance that flows after being applied to the object WK to be marked. For example, it can be any oil-based or water-based ink, paint, varnish, coating, adhesive, etc. It can also be molten metal, molten solder, molten resin, molten rubber, etc., which are molten before fixing. It can also be thermosetting, energy ray curing, drying curing, or mixed curing type resins or adhesives that are not cured before fixing. It can also flow after application even without any load applied to the object WK, or it can flow after application when a load is applied to the object WK, or it can flow after application when energy is applied to the object WK, such as electromagnetic waves like ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, visible light, radio waves, X-rays, or gamma rays, or heating such as hot water or hot air, or cooling such as cold water or cold air. The marking agent MA may be one whose flow is promoted after application by any method, such as gas spraying, tilting, or contact with contacting members, or it may be one whose flow is not promoted after application. The marking agent MA may be any forcibly fixable agent that is forcibly fixed to the target object WK by any predetermined fixing treatment, such as electromagnetic wave irradiation, heating, cooling, drying, or application treatment. Examples of forcibly fixable agents that are forcibly fixed to the target object WK by electromagnetic wave irradiation include ultraviolet-curing inks and paints, infrared-curing resins and adhesives, etc. Examples of forcibly fixable agents that are forcibly fixed to the target object WK by heating include thermosetting resins, adhesives and toners, etc. Examples of forcibly fixable agents that are forcibly fixed to the target object WK by cooling include molten metal, molten solder, molten resin and molten rubber, etc. Examples of forcibly fixable agents that are forcibly fixed to the target object WK by drying include paints, varnishes and adhesives, etc. Examples of forcibly fixable agents that are forcibly fixed to the target object WK by application treatment include oxygen-bonding inks and resins, two-component mixed resins and paints, etc. The marking agent MA may adhere to the target object WK by means of natural cooling, natural drying, natural oxidation, etc., even without a predetermined fixing treatment. Examples of materials that adhere to the target object WK by natural cooling include molten metal, molten solder, molten resin, molten rubber, etc. Examples of materials that adhere to the target object WK by natural drying include paint, varnish, coating, adhesive, etc. Examples of materials that adhere to the target object WK by natural oxidation include resins, adhesives, etc., that harden by bonding with oxygen present in the atmosphere. The marking agent MA is one that adheres to the object WK by natural cooling, natural drying, natural oxidation, etc., even without a predetermined fixing treatment, and may also be a forcibly fixable agent that adheres to the object WK by a predetermined fixing treatment. Examples of forcibly fixable agents that adhere to the object WK by natural cooling and adhere to the object WK by a predetermined fixing treatment include molten metal, molten solder, molten resin, molten rubber, etc. In this case, the fixing means 40 can employ a blower or a Peltier element as fixing equipment. Furthermore, examples of forcibly fixable agents that adhere to the object WK by natural drying and adhere to the object WK by a predetermined fixing treatment include paint, varnish, coating, adhesive, etc. In this case, the fixing means 40 can employ a coil heater or a blower as fixing equipment. Furthermore, while some agents are fixed to the target object WK by natural oxidation, examples of forcibly fixable agents that are forcibly fixed to the target object WK by a predetermined fixing treatment include resins and adhesives that harden by bonding with oxygen present in the atmosphere. In this case, the fixing means 40 can employ oxygen spraying equipment, blowers, etc., as fixing equipment. The marking agent MA, which is forcibly fixed by a predetermined fixing treatment, may be an agent that does not permanently fix to the object WK simply by being applied to it, and is forcibly fixed to the object WK by a predetermined fixing treatment, or it may be an agent that will eventually fix to the object WK simply by being applied to it, and is forcibly fixed to the object WK by a predetermined fixing treatment to accelerate the fixing time to the object WK. The marking agent MA can be any color, such as black, white, red, green, or yellow, and can also be colorless or colored and transparent.

[0039] The identification mark DM may be a representation formed by a collective shape consisting of marking agent MA applied to multiple locations, or it may be a representation formed by marking agent MA applied to only one location. The identification mark DM may be used for determining whether an object WK is counterfeit, genuine, or tampered, or for determining whether it is acceptable or unacceptable, or for determining whether an object WK is acceptable or unacceptable, or for determining whether it is a factual determination or a qualification, and may be used for any purpose whatsoever.

[0040] The object WK to be coated may have the coating material laminated on both one and the other surface of the base material BM, or it may consist only of the base material BM, or it may not have the coating material laminated on it, or it may be supported by an adhesive sheet different from the adhesive sheet AS, or it may be supported by an adhesive sheet and said adhesive sheet may be supported by a support member such as a ring-shaped member or a rod-shaped member.

[0041] The coating material can be anything that can cover the base material BM, such as adhesive sheets, adhesive tapes, adhesive tapes, adhesives, adhesives, resin materials, rubber materials, metal materials, solder, wax, varnish, etc. It can be a solid, a liquid, or a gel-like substance, and it can be larger, smaller, or the same size as the object WK to be coated. The predetermined energy can be any energy that causes a change specific to that energy, such as ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, visible light, radio waves, X-rays, or gamma rays, heating energy such as hot water or hot air, or cooling energy such as cold water or cold air. The specific change caused by the application of the predetermined energy can be any change, such as hardening, softening, shrinking, expanding, vaporizing, liquefaction, solidification, discoloration, oxidation, penetration, fixing, decrease in adhesive strength, or increase in adhesive strength. It can also be a material that does not cause a change specific to the predetermined energy when the predetermined energy is applied, and it does not have to be laminated onto the object WK to be coated.

[0042] The materials, types, shapes, etc., of the object to be marked WK, the base material BM, the marking agent MA, and the coating material in this invention are not particularly limited. For example, the object to be marked WK, the base material BM, and the coating material may be circular, elliptical, polygonal (such as triangle or square), or other shapes. The coating material may also be of a pressure-sensitive adhesive or heat-sensitive adhesive type. If a heat-sensitive adhesive sheet AS is used, it can be bonded by an appropriate method, such as providing a suitable heating means to heat the adhesive sheet AS, such as a suitable coil heater or the heating side of a heat pipe. Furthermore, such adhesive sheets AS can be any type, such as a single layer consisting only of an adhesive layer, a two-layer sheet with a substrate and an adhesive layer laminated together, a three-layer or more-layer sheet with one or more intermediate layers laminated between the substrate and the adhesive layer, a three-layer or more-layer sheet with one or more cover layers laminated on the upper surface of the substrate, a sheet in which the substrate, intermediate layer, or cover layer is provided in a peelable manner, a single-layer double-sided adhesive sheet consisting only of an adhesive layer, or a double-sided adhesive sheet with adhesive layers laminated on both outermost surfaces of one or more intermediate layers. In addition, the base material BM or the object to which the adhesive is applied WK can be, for example, a semiconductor wafer such as a silicon semiconductor wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, or a diamond semiconductor wafer, as well as individual items such as food, a resin container, an information recording substrate such as a circuit board or optical disc, a glass plate, a steel plate, a ceramic, a wooden board, or a resin, or a composite object formed from two or more of these, and any form of component or article can also be targeted. The adhesive sheet AS may be any sheet, film, tape, etc., such as information labels, decorative labels, protective sheets, dicing tapes, die attach films, die bonding tapes, or recording layer forming resin sheets.

[0043] The drive equipment in the above embodiment may be electric motors such as rotary motors, linear motors, single-axis robots, and so-called articulated robots with two or three or more joints, or actuators such as air cylinders, hydraulic cylinders, rodless cylinders, and rotary cylinders, either individually or in combination directly or indirectly. Furthermore, the drive equipment may be capable of or incapable of torque control or speed control of the output section of the electric motors or actuators.

[0044] In the above embodiment, an object (hereinafter referred to as "object A") and an object moving relative to object A (hereinafter referred to as "object B"), that is, object A and object B moving relative to object A, object B may move relative to object A which does not move, object A may move relative to object B which does not move, or both object A and object B may move, and either object A or object B may move as long as the result achieved by the movement is the same. If a rotating member such as a roller is used, a drive device for rotating the rotating member may be provided. The surface of the rotating member or the rotating member itself may be made of a deformable material such as rubber or resin, or the surface of the rotating member or the rotating member itself may be made of a non-deformable material. Other members such as rotating or non-rotating shafts or blades may be used instead of rollers. If a means or member for pressing an object to be pressed, such as a pressing roller or pressing head, is used, in addition to rollers, round bars, blade materials, brush-like members, a method of blowing gas such as air or gas may be used instead of or in combination with those exemplified above. The object may be made of a deformable material such as rubber, resin, or sponge, or it may be made of a non-deformable material such as metal or glass. If a means or member for peeling off the object to be peeled off, such as a peeling plate or peeling roller, is used, then a plate-shaped member, a round bar, a roller, or other member may be used instead of or in combination with those exemplified above. The object to be peeled off may be made of a deformable material such as rubber or resin, or it may be made of a non-deformable material. If a means or member for supporting (holding) the supported (held) member is used, then... In such cases, a configuration may be adopted in which the member to be supported is supported (held) by gripping means such as a chuck motor or chuck cylinder, Coulomb force, adhesive (adhesive sheet, adhesive tape), adhesive agent (adhesive sheet, adhesive tape), magnetic force, Bernoulli adsorption, suction adsorption, drive equipment, etc., or if a cutting means or cutting member is used to cut the member to be cut or to form a cut incision or cutting line in the member to be cut, a cutting method using a cutter blade, laser cutter, ion beam, thermal power, heat, water pressure, electric heating wire, spraying of gas or liquid, etc. may be used instead of or in combination with the examples given above.It may also be possible to move the object to be cut by combining it with appropriate drive devices. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] EA...Identification mark forming device 10...Method for applying marking agent 20…Flow promoting means 40… means of fixing DM…Identification mark MA... Marking agent WK... Items to be awarded

Claims

1. An identification mark forming apparatus comprising a marking agent application means for applying a marking agent that flows after being applied to an object to be marked, and for forming an identification mark having individual recognition properties with the applied marking agent, The marking agent application means is characterized by applying dot-shaped marking agents to the object to be applied, and forming the identification mark in an application pattern in which six marking agents located at the shortest distance from any one marking agent applied to the object to be applied are arranged at each vertex of a regular hexagon.

2. The identification mark forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a flow promoting means for promoting the flow of the marking agent applied to the object to be marked.

3. The marking agent is a forcibly fixable agent that is forcibly fixed to the object to be marked by a predetermined fixing treatment. The identification mark forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising fixing means for forcibly fixing the forcibly fixing agent applied to the object to be applied to by applying a predetermined fixing treatment to the forcibly fixing agent to the object to be applied.

4. In a method for forming an identification mark, the process involves applying a marking agent to an object to be marked, which is a marking agent that flows after being applied to the object, and forming an identification mark with individual recognizability using the applied marking agent, The method for forming an identification mark is characterized in that, in the marking agent application step, dot-shaped marking agents are applied to the object to be applied, and for any one marking agent applied to the object to be applied, six marking agents located at the shortest distance are arranged at each vertex of a regular hexagon in an application pattern, thereby forming the identification mark.

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