Marking apparatus and method for edible objects

Abstract

The present application provides a kind of edible marking device (1), it has: conveying device (20) of conveying edible;Detection part (210) of detecting edible;And the laser processing part (220) of forming mark pattern in edible by the scanning of laser, conveying device (20) sequentially conveys edible to detection part (210) and laser processing part (220), wherein, detection part (210) shoots edible and obtains direction information about the direction of this edible, laser processing part (220) is pre-stored in storage part with different direction information respectively associated with multiple mark order information about the formation order of mark pattern, according to the mark order information extracted from storage part based on the direction information obtained by detection part (210), mark pattern is formed in edible.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an edible marking device and method for forming a marking pattern on an edible such as medicine or food. Background Art

[0002] As a conventional edible object marking device, for example, the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. This marking device comprises: a conveying mechanism that conveys the edible object; a detection mechanism that detects the edible object; and a marking mechanism that forms a marking pattern on the edible object by scanning with a laser. The detection mechanism captures the edible object conveyed by the conveying mechanism and obtains directional data of the edible object. The marking mechanism is configured to form a predetermined marking pattern that matches the orientation of the edible object based on the directional data.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2015 / 008742 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0007] Generally, when forming a marking pattern such as a character or logo on a conveyed workpiece by scanning with a laser, the starting point and the end point of the marking are set in advance in order to form the marking efficiently in a short time.

[0008] For example, when the marking device of the above-mentioned patent document 1 is used to mark the characters "XYZ" along the cutting line of the tablet according to the key points drawn in one stroke and in the order of "Z", "Y", and "X", Figure 15 As shown in (a), when the tablet E moves in the same direction as the arrangement order of "XYZ" formed on the opposite side of the engraving S across the cutting line C, the moving distance La of the tablet E during the period when the laser irradiation point moves from the starting point SP to the end point EP is short, and the formation of the marking pattern M can be completed in a short time.

[0009] However, since the directions of the transported tablets E are random, e.g. Figure 15 As shown in (b), if the tablet E is reversed and moved in the direction opposite to the "XYZ" arrangement order, the tablet E moves a longer distance Lb during scanning from the starting point SP to the end point EP, which may take time to form the marking pattern M. On the other hand, if the tablet E moves faster to shorten the time it takes to form the marking pattern M, the laser scanning speed must also be increased, resulting in a problem of reduced marking quality.

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present application is to provide a marking device and method for edible objects that can rapidly and accurately perform laser marking without being limited by the orientation of the edible objects.

[0011] Technical solution for solving the problem

[0012] The above object of the present application can be achieved by a marking device for edible objects, which has: a conveying device that conveys edible objects; a detection section that detects edible objects; and a laser processing section that forms a mark pattern on edible objects by scanning of a laser, the conveying device sequentially conveys edible objects to the detection section and the laser processing section, the detection section photographs edible objects to acquire orientation information about the orientation of the edible objects, the laser processing section pre-stores a plurality of mark order information about the formation order of the mark pattern in a storage section in association with different orientation information, respectively, and forms the mark pattern on edible objects using the mark order information extracted from the storage section based on the orientation information acquired by the detection section.

[0013] In the marking device for edible objects, it is preferable that, among the plurality of mark order information, the starting points of marks in the mark pattern are different from each other.

[0014] It is preferable that, among the plurality of mark order information, the starting points of marks are set at positions on the downstream side of the conveying direction from the center of the edible objects.

[0015] It is preferable that the detection section further acquires position information about the position of the edible objects, and the laser processing section forms the mark pattern on edible objects based on the orientation information and the position information.

[0016] The laser processing section forms the mark pattern on edible objects packaged by a transparent package that is permeable to a laser through the package.

[0017] In addition, the above object of the present application can be achieved by a marking method for edible objects, which includes: a detection step of detecting edible objects conveyed by a conveying device; and a marking step of forming a mark pattern on edible objects, in the detection step, edible objects are photographed to acquire orientation information about the orientation of the edible objects, in the marking step, the mark pattern is formed on edible objects using mark order information extracted from a storage section based on the orientation information acquired by the detection step, and a plurality of the mark order information is stored in the storage section in association with different orientation information, respectively.

[0018] The marking step forms the mark pattern on edible objects packaged by a transparent package that is permeable to a laser through the package.

[0019] Inventive Effects

[0020] The edible object marking apparatus and method according to the present application can rapidly and correctly perform laser marking regardless of the direction of the edible object. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic configuration view of an edible object marking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] Figure 2 is Figure 1 is an enlarged view of a main part of the edible object marking apparatus shown in

[0023] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing other main parts of the edible object marking apparatus shown in Figure 1

[0024] Figure 4 is a view showing an example of a marking order information table.

[0025] Figure 5 is a view for explaining a marking method performed by the edible object marking apparatus shown in Figure 1

[0026] is a view for explaining a marking order. Figure 6

[0027] is a view schematically showing an edible object marked by the marking order shown in Figure 7 Figure 6 is a view for explaining a marking order.

[0028] Figure 8 is a view schematically showing an edible object marked by the marking order shown in

[0029] Figure 9 Figure 8 is a view showing another example of a marking order information table.

[0030] Figure 10 is a view for explaining a marking order.

[0031] Figure 11 is a view for explaining a marking order.

[0032] Figure 12 is a view schematically showing an edible object marked by the marking order shown in Figure 11

[0033] is a view showing a modification of a main part of the edible object marking apparatus shown in Figure 13 Figure 1

[0034] ​​​​​Figure 14 is a mark device for an edible object Figure 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of another modification example of a mark device for an edible object.

[0035] Figure 15 is a diagram schematically showing an edible object marked by a conventional method. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present application will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a mark device for an edible object of one embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1 The mark device 1 for an edible object includes a supply device 10 that supplies an edible object, a first conveying device 20 that receives the edible object supplied from the supply device 10 and conveys it, a second conveying device 30 that receives the edible object from the first conveying device 20 and conveys it, and a discharge device 40 that receives the edible object from the second conveying device 30 and discharges it to the outside.

[0037] The supply device 10 includes a hopper 11 into which a tablet, a capsule, an empty capsule, or the like, which is an edible object having a predetermined shape, is put, a feeder 12 that arranges the edible objects in the hopper 11 in order, and a supply cylinder 13 that conveys the edible objects guided by the feeder 12, and the edible objects are supplied from the supply cylinder 13 to the first conveying device 20 via an intermediate cylinder 14. The supply cylinder 13 and the intermediate cylinder 14 have a plurality of holding portions 13a, 14a formed of recesses arranged in the axial direction and the circumferential direction along the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical shape, and are capable of attracting and holding the edible objects accommodated in the respective holding portions 13a, 14a and conveying them.

[0038] The first conveying device 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape like the supply cylinder 13 or the intermediate cylinder 14, and as Figure 2 As shown by a portion cut out and indicated, the holding portions 22 that hold the edible objects E are provided at a plurality of intervals along both the circumferential direction and the axial direction. The holding portions 22 are formed with suction holes 24 in the bottom portion, and the inside of the first conveying device 20 is depressurized by a vacuum suction device (not shown), whereby the edible objects E accommodated in the holding portions 22 are attracted and held via the suction holes 24, the direction of the edible objects E is prevented from changing during conveyance, and the edible objects E can be conveyed in the direction of rotation of the first conveying device 20.

[0039] The second conveying device 30 is configured like the first conveying device 20, and holding portions 32 are formed in the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical shape. The edible objects conveyed by the first conveying device 20 are reversed in the front and back surfaces when handed over to the second conveying device 30 and are conveyed to the discharge device 40.

[0040] The marking device 1 of the edible object having the above-described structure is provided with the first detection section 210, the first laser processing section 220, and the first mark inspection section 230 in this order in the vicinity of the first conveyance device 20 along the conveyance direction of the first conveyance device 20.

[0041] Figure 3 is a block diagram of the first detection section 210 and the first laser processing section 220. As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 3 The first detection section 210 includes an irradiation section 212 that irradiates an edible object conveyed to a detection region Al with illumination light, an imaging section 214 such as a CCD area camera or a CCD line camera that images the edible object from a direction different from the irradiation direction of the irradiation section 212, and an image processing section 216 that performs image processing on image information of the edible object imaged by the imaging section 214 to acquire direction information of the edible object.

[0042] The irradiation section 212 is, for example, a ring-shaped illuminator that can uniformly irradiate the edible object from the entire circumference. In the case of a tablet having a groove-shaped cutting line, the direction information of the edible object can be acquired in the image processing section 216 based on the cutting line of the edible object acquired by the imaging section 214. The direction information is not particularly limited as long as it is information that can determine the direction of the edible object, and in the present embodiment, is an angle indicating the direction of the cutting line with respect to the conveyance direction, which is set to a range of 0 to 360 degrees. The discrimination of the upper and lower sides of the edible object across the cutting line (for example, discrimination between the case where the direction information is 0 degrees and the case where it is 180 degrees) can be performed using a feature such as an engraved mark or a mark formed on the edible object, or using the shape in the case where the edible object has a special shape such as a tear shape.

[0043] However, the discrimination of the direction of the edible object is not limited to the method of detecting the cutting line, and for example, in the case where recesses are formed at a plurality of positions of the edible object, the recesses can be used as calibration marks to discriminate the orientation of the edible object. In addition, in the case where the shape of the edible object is a polygonal shape or an elliptical shape or the like, the direction of the edible object can be discriminated based on a part or all of the outline. The position information and the direction information about the position and the direction of the edible object detected in the first detection section 210 are independently associated with the arrangement of each edible object in the first conveyance device 20, and are output to the first laser processing section 220 and the first mark inspection section 230 through Ethernet communication, serial communication, or the like.

[0044] The first laser processing section 220 has a light source section 222 that emits laser light, a scanning section 224 that scans the laser light emitted from the light source section 222 using a galvanometer scanner, a storage section 226 that stores information on a mark pattern, and a control section 228 that controls the output of the light source section 222 and the scanning of the scanning section 224. The edible objects that are conveyed to the mark region A2 can be marked by scanning of the laser light. Further, the storage section 226 is built in the first laser processing section 220, but a storage device that is separate from the first laser processing section 220 can also be used. The laser light emitted from the light source section 222 is preferably incident on the surface of the edible object substantially perpendicularly, whereby the area of the laser light irradiation on the surface of the edible object changes little, and thus the variation in the density of the mark and the like can be suppressed.

[0045] As the laser light emitted from the light source section 222, a solid laser such as a YVO4 laser, a YLF laser, or a YAG laser, a gas laser such as an excimer laser or a carbon dioxide laser, or a liquid laser such as a dye laser can be exemplified. The mark on the edible object can be formed, for example, by causing the surface of the edible object to contain a discoloration-inducing oxide such as titanium oxide, yellow iron sesquioxide, or iron sesquioxide, or by causing a portion of the surface of the edible object to be shaved off, without particular limitation.

[0046] The mark pattern stored in the storage section 226 is, for example, a character, a number, a symbol, a figure, or the like, or a combination thereof, and is stored as coordinate information in a reference coordinate system in advance. The control section 228 converts the coordinate information in the reference coordinate system into coordinate information in a processing coordinate system based on the position information and the direction information of each edible object input from the first detection section 210, and performs drive control of the scanning section 224 in the processing coordinate system to form the mark pattern in accordance with the direction of each edible object.

[0047] Further, the storage section 226 stores mark order information in association with the direction information. The mark order information is information on the formation order of the mark pattern, and includes, for example, coordinate information in the reference coordinate system of the start point and the end point of the mark, information on the start / stop of the light source section 222 for forming a space between characters, and the like, in the case where the mark pattern is formed in accordance with a single stroke. In order to efficiently form the mark in accordance with the direction of the edible object, a plurality of pieces of information on the start points of the mark are stored in association with the direction information.

[0048] Figure 4 is a drawing that shows an example of a mark order information table stored in the storage section 226. Figure 4 In the mark order information table shown in, two mark orders (order A and order B) that differ in the start point are associated with the angle range of the direction information.

[0049] The first mark checking section 230 includes an irradiation section 232 that irradiates the edible object with illumination light that is transported to the checking region A3, and a camera section 234 that is a CCD area camera or a CCD line array camera or the like that photographs the edible object. The irradiation section 232 preferably performs irradiation in a manner that makes the mark pattern formed on the surface of the edible object clear, such as surface light emission using a light guide diffusion plate to diffuse the irradiation light from a light source such as an LED.

[0050] In the first mark checking section 230, the reference pattern information corresponding to the mark pattern is stored in advance in a storage section, and the mark pattern information is extracted from the information obtained by the camera section 234 photographing the edible object, and compared with the reference pattern information based on the direction information input from the first detection section 210, whereby the mark accuracy of the edible object is checked. Since the reference pattern information that is set in advance is set in the reference coordinate system, the mark pattern information is compared with the reference pattern information after the mark pattern information is corrected (or the reference pattern information is corrected) based on the position information and the direction information of the edible object input from the first detection section 210, and pattern matching or the like is performed.

[0051] In addition, in the vicinity of the second transport device 30, a second detection section 310, a second laser processing section 320, and a second mark checking section 330 are provided in this order in the transport direction of the second transport device 30. The structures of the second detection section 310, the second laser processing section 320, and the second mark checking section 330 are the same as those of the first detection section 210, the first laser processing section 220, and the first mark checking section 230, respectively, and the second detection section 310 has an irradiation section 312 and a camera section 314, and the second mark checking section 330 has an irradiation section 332 and a camera section 334. The second transport device 30 receives the edible object from the first transport device 20 and transports it, and the second laser processing section 320 marks the surface opposite to the surface on which the mark pattern is formed by the first transport device 20.

[0052] The discharge device 40 has a sorting section 42 that sorts the edible object based on the results of the mark checking in the first mark checking section 230 and the second mark checking section 330, and guides only the good product to a discharge conveyor 44 and discharges it.

[0053] Next, a method of marking the edible object using the marking device 1 having the above-described structure will be described. From the supply device 10 shown in (a) of FIG. 1, the edible object E is supplied to the first transport device 20 in a state in which the edible object E is individually housed in the holding section 22 in a manner that becomes aligned in the axial direction of the first transport device 20. At this time, the directions of the cutting lines C and the engraved marks S formed in each of the edible objects E are random. Figure 1 Figure 5

[0054] ​​When the edible object E is conveyed to the detection region Al of the first detection section 210, the imaging section 214 captures image information of each row of the edible object E, and the image processing section 216 acquires direction information of the edible object E based on the image information including the cutting line C and the stamp S. The acquired direction information is sent to the first laser processing section 220. In addition, with respect to the edible object E for which the cutting line C is not present in the acquired image information, a message is output instead of the direction information.

[0055] Next, when the edible object E is conveyed to the marking region A2 of the first laser processing section 220, as shown in (b) of FIG. 6, marking is performed in cooperation with the direction of each edible object E, and a marking pattern Ml is formed along the cutting line C. The formation order of the marking pattern Ml is determined based on the direction information of each edible object E and based on the marking order information table shown in (c) of FIG. 6. Figure 5 Figure 4 For example, in the case where the direction information (the angle of the direction of the cutting line C with respect to the moving direction) is 0 degrees, the order A is selected according to the marking order information table, as shown in (a) of FIG. 7, the laser irradiation point is moved from the center of the edible object E, that is, the origin O to the start point SP as shown by the dotted arrow, and marking is started, and marking is performed until the end point EP with the marking stop period shown by the dotted arrow in the middle, whereby marking is performed in the order of "Z", "Y", and "X". According to this marking order information, when marking is performed toward the conveyed edible object E as shown in (a) to (d) of FIG. 8, the formation of the marking pattern Ml can be completed with a shorter moving distance Ll.

[0056] On the other hand, in the case where the direction information is 180 degrees, the order B is selected according to the marking order information table shown in (b) of FIG. 9, as shown in (a) of FIG. 10, the start point SP and the end point EP are set in such a manner that marking is performed in the order of "X", "Y", and "Z". According to this marking order information, when marking is performed toward the conveyed edible object E as shown in (a) to (d) of FIG. 11, the formation of the marking pattern Ml can be completed with a shorter moving distance L2 in this case as well. Figure 6 Figure 7

[0057] Figure 4 Figure 8 Figure 9

[0058] In this way, the marking order information extracted from the storage section 226 based on the direction information acquired by the first detection section 210 is used to form the marking pattern Ml on the edible object E, whereby marking can be performed on the edible object E rapidly and correctly with a shorter conveying distance without being limited by the direction of the edible object E.

[0059] ​​​​​​​The mark pattern Ml is formed only in consideration of the direction of the cutting line C, and for example, if it is a configuration that does not coincide with the cutting line C, it is not necessarily formed along the cutting line C. With respect to the edible object E in which the cutting line C does not exist, as shown in (b) of FIG. 10, a mark pattern M2 different from the above-described mark pattern Ml can be formed, or a mark pattern can not be formed. Figure 5

[0060] In the case where it is not necessary to discriminate the upper and lower sides of the edible object as in the case of the circular edible object without the engraved mark S, the direction information can be set to the range of 0 to 180 degrees. In this case, as shown in the mark order information table of (b) of FIG. 11, for example, it is possible to set two orders of 0 degrees or more and less than 45 degrees and 135 degrees or more and less than 180 degrees, and 45 degrees or more and less than 135 degrees. Figure 4

[0061] Next, when the edible object E is transported to the inspection region A3 of the first mark inspection section 230, the imaging section 234 acquires image information of the edible object E of each row. Thereafter, the inclination of the mark pattern information is corrected based on the direction information acquired by the first detection section 210, the corrected mark pattern information is compared with the reference pattern information set in advance, and the inspection of the mark accuracy is performed using a known inspection method such as pattern matching.

[0062] After the marking and inspection of one face of the edible object E are performed as described above, the edible object E is handed over from the first transport device 20 to the second transport device 30, and is sequentially transported to the second detection section 310, the second laser processing section 320, and the second mark inspection section 330, whereby the marking and mark inspection of the other face of the edible object E are performed as described above. That is, in the second laser processing section 320, the marking to the edible object is performed using the mark order information extracted based on the direction information acquired by the second detection section 310, and in the second mark inspection section 330, the inspection of the mark accuracy is performed based on the direction information acquired by the second detection section 310. In the second laser processing section 320 and the second mark inspection section 330, instead of the direction information acquired by the second detection section 310, the marking and mark inspection can be performed based on the direction information acquired by the first detection section 210, whereby it is possible to make the marking directions on the front and back faces of the edible object coincide.

[0063] ​​After that, the edible product E is transported from the second transport device 30 to the discharge device 40. The mark good / bad judgment information of each edible product E is input to the discharge device 40 from the first mark inspection section 230 and the second mark inspection section 330, and the edible product E judged to be a good product is guided to the discharge conveyer 44 via the sorting section 42, while the edible product E judged to be a defective product is guided to the defective discharge chute 46 by air blowing in the defective discharge section 45. The defective discharge confirmation sensor 47 confirms that there is no defective edible product E remaining in the second transport device 30, and in the case where there is a defective edible product E remaining, the edible product E is guided to the waste chute 48 in the sorting section 42.

[0064] The mark order information stored in the storage section 226 is two, order A and order B in this embodiment, but is not particularly limited as long as it is plural. For example, in the case where the characters of "XYZ" and "ABC" are printed on both sides sandwiching the cut line of the edible product, four mark order information (orders C to F) can be associated with the direction information of every 90 degrees as shown in the mark order information table. Figure 10 Figure 11 (a) to (d) of FIG. 10 correspond to the orders C to F of FIG. 9, and the start points SP in the mark pattern are different from each other. Figure 10 Figure 12 (a) to (d) of FIG. 10 show the edible product marked by the mark order of each of the orders C to F in the case where the direction information is 0 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, and 270 degrees. The transport distances L11, L12, L13, and L14 until the formation of the mark pattern is completed are suppressed to short distances in any case, and the marking can be performed rapidly and correctly without being limited to the direction of the edible product E. Further, in the case where the mark order information is four, the mark order information can be associated with the direction information of every 45 degrees. Figure 12 In FIG. 10, the illustration of the engraved mark S is omitted.

[0065] Each of the mark order information is preferably set to mark the start point on the downstream side of the transport direction from the center (origin) of the edible product (for example, the right side from the origin O in FIG. 10), and thus the rapid marking can be reliably performed. Figure 8

[0066] In this embodiment, both the first transport device 20 and the second transport device 30 are formed as transport cylinders, but as long as the posture of the held edible product does not change in the transport, other structures can be used. For example, as shown in (a) and (b) of FIG. 11, the first transport device 20 and the second transport device 30 can be formed as a transport belt and a transport roller, respectively. Figure 13 Figure 13 ​​​​As shown in (b), the first conveying device 20 and the second conveying device 30 are both formed into conveying devices such as slat conveyors or belt conveyors, so that the edible objects horizontally conveyed by the first conveying device 20 are reversed by the reversing mechanism 60 and carried on the second conveying device 30 for horizontal conveyance. Thus, as in the present embodiment, it is possible to mark both sides of the edible objects. Figure 13 As shown in (c), the second conveying device 30 is composed of a suction belt with suction holes that can vacuum-suction the edibles from above, so that the edibles transported horizontally by the first conveying device 20 are adsorbed and retained on the second conveying device 30 and marked from below, thereby making it possible to mark both the front and back sides of the edibles. Figure 13 In (a) to (c), Figure 1 The same components are marked with the same reference numerals. In addition, the first detection unit 210, the first laser processing unit 220 and the first mark inspection unit 230 are not necessarily arranged along the same conveyor cylinder (or conveyor device). Figure 1 The edible object marking device 1 shown can also include a new detection device, such as a conveyor cylinder disposed between the supply device 10 and the first conveyor device 20, to detect one surface of the edible object being conveyed by the conveyor cylinder and obtain directional information about the edible object. This configuration allows marking and marking inspection on another surface of the edible object based on directional information obtained from one surface of the edible object. Therefore, even if the marked surface lacks a structure indicating direction, such as a secant line, marking can be performed to match the orientation of the edible object.

[0067] The first laser processing unit 220 (or the second laser processing unit 320) can also form a marking pattern on an edible object packaged in a transparent packaging material (e.g., transparent plastic) that is transmissive to laser light, such as a PTP package. Marking order information is extracted based on directional information obtained through the packaging material by the first detection unit 210 (or the second detection unit 310). Based on this marking order information, a marking pattern can be formed on the edible object through the packaging material. In this case, the type of laser can also be appropriately selected from the types described above, depending on the material of the packaging material.

[0068] In addition, in the present embodiment, the marking is performed in the conveyance of the edible object by the first conveyance device 20 and the second conveyance device 30, and thus marking to both sides of the edible object can be achieved. For example, in a case where only one side of the edible object on which a cutting line is formed is marked, the marking device 1 for the edible object can be configured so that the marking is performed only in the conveyance of the edible object by the first conveyance device 20, and the structure can be formed so as not to have the second conveyance device 30 and the second detection section 310, the second laser processing section 320, and the second mark inspection section 330 disposed in the vicinity thereof.

[0069] The marking device 1 for the edible object of the present embodiment is configured in a multi-row manner in which the first conveyance device 20 and the second conveyance device 30 have a plurality of holding sections 22 in the rotational axis direction, and can be configured so as to convey the edible object one by one. Figure 14 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of a marking device of such a single-row manner, and the same reference numerals are attached to the constituent sections having the same functions as Figure 1 The same reference numerals are attached to the constituent sections having the same functions.

[0070] Figure 14 In the marking device 1 for the edible object illustrated in FIG. 1, the supply device 10 is a conveyance device that arranges the edible objects in a row by rotation of a turntable, and the first conveyance device 20 and the second conveyance device 30 are configured by suction rollers that vacuum-adsorb the edible objects to outer peripheral surfaces. In accordance with the Figure 14 In the marking device 1 illustrated in FIG. 1, the edible objects arranged in a row by the supply device 10 are held by the first conveyance device 20 and the second conveyance device 30 to be conveyed in the upward direction in a single row, and marking to both sides is performed by the first laser processing section 220 and the second laser processing section 320. The conveyance speed of the edible objects is preferably as high as possible in order to perform the marking rapidly and efficiently, and for example, is preferably set to a range of 100 to 2000 mm / sec.

[0071] Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0072] 1 Marking device for edible object

[0073] 20 First conveyance device

[0074] 210 First detection section

[0075] 212 Irradiation section

[0076] 214 Imaging section

[0077] 216 Image processing section

[0078] 220 First laser processing section

[0079] 222 Light source section

[0080] 224 scanning section

[0081] 226 storage section

[0082] 228 control section

[0083] 230 first mark checking section

[0084] 232 irradiation section

[0085] 234 imaging section

Claims

1. A mark device for a consumable, having: a conveyance device that conveys the consumable; a detection section that detects the consumable; and a laser processing section that forms a mark pattern on the consumable by scanning of a laser, the conveyance device conveying the consumable to the detection section and the laser processing section in this order, the mark device for the consumable characterized in that: the detection section photographs the consumable to acquire direction information about a direction of the consumable, the laser processing section pre-stores, in a storage section, a plurality of mark order information about a start point of a mark different for each of a plurality of mark orders with respect to a formation order of the mark pattern in association with different direction information, and forms the mark pattern on the consumable using the mark order information extracted from the storage section based on the direction information acquired by the detection section.

2. The mark device for the consumable according to claim 1, characterized in that: a start point of a mark is set at a position on a downstream side in a conveyance direction from a center of the consumable in the plurality of mark order information.

3. The mark device for the consumable according to claim 1, characterized in that: the detection section further acquires position information about a position of the consumable, the laser processing section forms the mark pattern on the consumable based on the direction information and the position information.

4. The mark device for the consumable according to claim 1, characterized in that: the laser processing section forms the mark pattern on the consumable through a transparent package that is transparent to the laser.

5. A mark method for a consumable, having: a detection step of detecting the consumable conveyed by a conveyance device; and a mark step of forming a mark pattern on the consumable, the mark method for the consumable characterized in that: in the detection step, the consumable is photographed to acquire direction information about a direction of the consumable, in the mark step, the mark pattern is formed on the consumable using mark order information extracted from a storage section based on the direction information acquired by the detection step, a plurality of the mark order information different for each of a mark start point being stored in the storage section in association with different direction information.

6. The mark method for the consumable according to claim 5, characterized in that: in the mark step, the mark pattern is formed on the consumable through a transparent package that is transparent to the laser.

7. A mark device for a consumable, having: a conveyance device that conveys the consumable; a detection section that detects the consumable; and a laser processing section that forms a mark pattern on the consumable by scanning of a laser, the conveyance device conveying the consumable to the detection section and the laser processing section in this order, the mark device for the consumable characterized in that: the detection section photographs the consumable to acquire direction information about a direction of the consumable, the laser processing section extracts mark order information about a formation order of the mark pattern pre-stored in a storage section based on the direction information acquired by the detection section, and forms the mark pattern on the consumable.

8. The mark device for the consumable according to claim 7, characterized in that: a start point of a mark is set at a position on a downstream side in a conveyance direction from a center of the consumable in the mark order information.

9. The mark device for the consumable according to claim 7, characterized in that: the detection section further acquires position information about a position of the consumable, the laser processing section forms the mark pattern on the consumable based on the direction information and the position information.

10. The mark device for the consumable according to claim 7, characterized in that: the laser processing section forms the mark pattern on the consumable through a transparent package that is transparent to the laser.

5. A method of marking an edible object comprising: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The laser processing section makes the starting points of the marks different from each other between the edible objects based on the different direction information of the plurality of edible objects.

8. The mark device for edible objects according to claim 7, wherein The detection section further acquires position information about the position of the edible object, The laser processing section forms the mark pattern on the edible object based on the direction information and the position information.

9. The mark device for edible objects according to claim 7, wherein The laser processing section acquires the direction information from one face of the edible object and forms the mark pattern on the other face of the edible object.

10. The mark device for edible objects according to claim 7, wherein The laser processing section starts marking from a position on the downstream side in the conveyance direction from the center of the edible object.

Images