Issuing machine and printing failure identification method

Abstract

To provide an issuing machine capable of identifying a cause of a foreign matter without human intervention and without damaging an issued matter even when a defective matter is issued.SOLUTION: This issuing machine of an embodiment comprises: a printing unit that generates a printed matter by transferring ink from an ink ribbon to a printing medium in accordance with a predetermined print image for a printed matter; a first imaging unit that images an ink transfer surface of the printed matter; a second imaging unit that images a part of the ink ribbon from which the ink has been transferred to the printing medium; a calculation unit that compares the transfer surface image captured by the first imaging unit with the print image for each dot to calculate a matching rate; a determination unit that determines the printed matter is good when the matching rate is equal to or higher than a preset permissible value, and determines a printing failure when the matching rate is lower than the permissible value; and an unmatched dot identification unit that identifies unmatched dots between the print image and the transfer surface image of the printed matter determined to be the printing failure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an issuing machine that issues media on which information is recorded, such as identification cards or booklet pages, or cards for financial institutions, such as cash cards, credit cards, debit cards, and prepaid cards, and a method for identifying printing defects caused by the issuing machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, when issuing this type of card at a store or the like using an issuing machine, if the base material on which the printing is done has foreign matter such as dust on it, the foreign matter can cause part of the print to be missing.

[0003] Therefore, before printing, users of issuing machines check that the substrate is free of foreign matter either visually or by running the publication through a dedicated inspection machine.

[0004] Visual inspection of foreign matter is performed by the user checking the publication for missing print or scratches, or the presence of foreign matter, etc. However, this inspection by the user takes a considerable amount of time.

[0005] Using an inspection machine allows for more reliable and faster inspection of foreign objects than visual inspection. However, this requires the user to operate the inspection machine, which requires additional time and effort. Furthermore, when inspecting the card surface with the inspection machine, the user may take the card out of the issuing machine and touch it with their hands, or subject the card to other impacts, which could result in scratches or stains on the card surface.

[0006] When a foreign object is found, the user needs to identify the cause of the foreign object and take appropriate action. However, the user may not be able to determine whether the cause of the foreign object is due to the issuing process of the issuing machine or to some other process, and may not be able to identify the cause of the foreign object.

[0007] The user could call a service engineer for the issuing machine and ask about the cause of the foreign object, but the service engineer's specialty is fixing malfunctions in the issuing machine, and identifying the cause of the foreign object is outside of their expertise. Moreover, since the service engineer was not actually present when the abnormality occurred in the issuing machine, they do not know the specific situation and are likely unable to identify the cause.

[0008] Thus, when foreign matter is found in a publication, it is often difficult to take appropriate action because the cause is unknown.

[0009] In addition, particularly in financial institutions, if a defective document containing a foreign object is issued from an issuing machine, it must be strictly managed to prevent third parties from seeing or touching it, even if it is a defective document, in order to prevent the leakage or theft of personal information or important information.

[0010] However, currently, financial institutions determine whether printing has failed by having inspectors directly look at and even touch the printed document, which means that it is not possible to completely eliminate the possibility of personal or important information being leaked or stolen, or the printed information being copied, or information being stolen from IC cards, etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0011] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-101540 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-092407 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-143759 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an issuing machine that can identify the cause of foreign matter without human intervention and without damaging the issued material, even when a defective issued material is issued in which foreign matter is found, and a method for identifying printing defects caused by the issuing machine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a first aspect of the present invention is a issuing machine comprising: a printing unit that creates a printed matter by transferring ink from an ink ribbon to a printing medium in accordance with a printing image predetermined for the printed matter; a first imaging unit that images the surface of the printed matter to which the ink has been transferred to obtain an image of the transfer surface; a second imaging unit that images the portion of the ink ribbon to which ink has been transferred to the printing medium to obtain an image of the transferred ink ribbon portion; a calculation unit that calculates the match rate between the printed image and the transfer surface image by comparing the printed image and the transfer surface image dot by dot using image processing; a determination unit that judges the printed matter to be well-printed if the match rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined tolerance value, and judges the printed matter to be poorly printed if the match rate is less than the tolerance value; a mismatch dot identification unit that identifies mismatch dots that do not match between the printed image and the transfer surface image of the printed matter that has been judged to be poorly printed; and a timing identification unit that identifies the timing when a printing defect occurred in the ink ribbon based on the mismatch dots and the image of the transferred ink ribbon portion.

[0014] A second aspect of the present invention is the issuing machine of the first aspect, which is fixed to a floor surface.

[0015] A third aspect of the present invention is an issuing machine of the first aspect, further comprising a storage cabinet for storing printed materials determined to be poorly printed, and an ejection unit for ejecting printed materials determined to be well printed outside the issuing machine.

[0016] A fourth aspect of the present invention is an issuing machine of the third aspect, in which the storage has an insertion port through which printed materials determined to be poorly printed are inserted, the width of the insertion port being narrower than the size of a human finger, and the issuing machine further comprises a weight sensor that detects the weight of printed materials stored in the storage, and an alert control unit that outputs an alert if there is a discrepancy between the weight estimated from the number of printed materials determined to be poorly printed by the judgment unit and the weight detected by the weight sensor.

[0017] A fifth aspect of the present invention is an issuing machine of the fourth aspect, further comprising an impact sensor that detects an impact applied to the storage cabinet, and the alert control unit further outputs an alert if the impact sensor detects an impact greater than a predetermined value.

[0018] A sixth aspect of the present invention is the issuing machine of the fourth aspect, in which the storage cabinet is made of metal and is disposed inside the issuing machine main body.

[0019] A seventh aspect of the present invention is an issuing machine of the third aspect, which is equipped with an opening / closing section that opens when a printed material stored in a storage cabinet is to be removed and is closed otherwise, an authentication section that authenticates the requester when a request is made to open the opening / closing section and determines whether the requester is a person who has been previously authorized, and an opening / closing control section that allows the opening of the opening / closing section when the authentication section determines that the requester is a person who has been previously authorized.

[0020] An eighth aspect of the present invention is an issuing machine of the first aspect, in which the image processing includes binarization processing, and the calculation unit, when comparing the print image and the transfer surface image dot by dot, compares the binarized print image and the transfer surface image dot by dot.

[0021] A ninth aspect of the present invention is an issuing machine of the first aspect, further comprising a database that stores a print image, a transfer surface image, an image of the transferred ink ribbon portion, a match rate, and mismatch dots, linked to the printed matter.

[0022] A tenth aspect of the present invention is an issuing machine of the ninth aspect, in which the ink ribbon consists of a plurality of color panels, and the database further stores transferred dots corresponding to the ink portions of the color panels transferred to the mismatched dots, color panels that do not contain transferred dots, tolerance values, and judgment results by the judgment unit.

[0023] An eleventh aspect of the present invention is the issuing machine of the ninth or tenth aspect, further comprising an estimation unit that estimates the cause of the printing defect based on information stored in the database.

[0024] A twelfth aspect of the present invention is the issuing machine of the ninth or tenth aspect, further comprising a display control unit that causes at least some of the information stored in the database to be displayed on the display.

[0025] A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is a method for identifying printing defects in printed matter printed by an issuing machine, the method including the steps of: determining a printing image for the printed matter; using the issuing machine to create the printed matter by transferring ink from an ink ribbon to a printing medium in accordance with the printing image; imaging the surface of the printed matter to which the ink has been transferred to obtain an image of the transfer surface; imaging the portion of the ink ribbon to which ink has been transferred to the printing medium to obtain an image of the transferred ink ribbon portion; calculating the match rate between the printed image and the transfer surface image by comparing the printed image and the transfer surface image dot by dot using image processing; determining the printed matter as being well-printed if the match rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined tolerance value; and determining the printed matter as being poorly printed if the match rate is less than the tolerance value; identifying mismatched dots that do not match between the printed image and the transfer surface image of the printed matter determined to be poorly printed; and identifying the timing when the printing defect occurred in the ink ribbon based on the mismatched dots and the image of the transferred ink ribbon portion.

[0026] A fourteenth aspect of the present invention is a method for identifying printing defects of the thirteenth aspect, further including a step of storing printed materials determined to be printing defective in a storage cabinet, and a step of ejecting printed materials determined to be printing well outside the issuing machine. [Effects of the Invention]

[0027] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an issuing machine that can identify the cause of the foreign matter without human intervention and without damaging the publication, even if a defective publication in which foreign matter is found is issued, and a method for identifying printing defects caused by the issuing machine. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of an issuing machine to which a printing defect identification method according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of an electronic circuit configuration of the control device. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for calculating the matching rate between a print image and a transfer surface image. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows the external shape of the NG judgement card storage cabinet, in which (a) is a top view and (b) is a front perspective view. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an image of a portion of the ink ribbon to which the ink is transferred. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the printing defect database displayed on a display. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of the processing performed by the issuing machine. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the details of the process in step S8. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the details of the process in step S11. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings are schematic or conceptual, and the relationship between the thickness and width of each part, the size ratio between parts, etc., are not necessarily the same as those in reality. Furthermore, even when the same part is shown, the dimensions and ratios may be different depending on the drawing. In this specification and each drawing, elements similar to those described above with reference to the previous drawings are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of an issuing machine to which a printing defect identification method according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[0031] An issuing machine 10 to which the printing defect identification method according to this embodiment is applied is realized by, for example, a printer, and includes a housing 11 constituting the issuing machine main body, inside which are a printing unit 12, a first imaging unit 14, a second imaging unit 16, a card hopper unit 18, a card transport unit 20, a card switching unit 22, an NG judgment card storage 26, and a control device 30. Also, a card ejection unit 24 and a storage opening / closing unit 28 are provided in part of the housing 11. The housing 11 is made of metal so that it cannot be easily opened or destroyed, and is firmly fixed to an installation surface 200 so that it cannot be removed.

[0032] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of an electronic circuit configuration of the control device.

[0033] The control device 30 is a device that controls the operation of the issuing machine 10, and has an electronic circuit configuration as shown in Figure 2. Note that the control device 30 is not limited to being provided inside the issuing machine 10, but can also be realized by a PC or the like that is provided outside the issuing machine 10 and connected to the issuing machine 10 so as to be able to communicate with it.

[0034] The control device 30 includes a CPU 312 , a recording medium reader 313 , a speaker 314 , an input unit 316 such as a keyboard or mouse, a memory 320 , and a storage device 340 , all of which are connected to one another via a bus 311 .

[0035] The memory 320 stores a calculation program 321 , a determination program 322 , a mismatched dot identification program 323 , a timing identification program 324 , an authentication program 325 , an opening / closing control program 326 , an estimation program 327 , a display control program 328 , and an operation control program 329 .

[0036] These programs 321 to 329 may be stored in advance in memory 320, or may be read and stored in memory 320 from an external recording medium 315 such as a memory card via recording medium reading unit 313. These programs 321 to 329 are designed not to be rewritable. Details of each of these programs will be described later.

[0037] In addition to the non-user-rewritable area in which these programs 321 to 329 are stored, the memory 320 also has a writable data area 330 reserved as an area for storing rewritable data.

[0038] The CPU 312 is a computer that controls the operation of each unit in the issuing machine 10 in accordance with each program 321 to 329 stored in the memory 320 .

[0039] The storage device 340 is formed of, for example, an SSD (Solid State Drive) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and stores a print image database 341 and a print defect database 342, which will be described later.

[0040] The card hopper unit 18 stores a large number of blank print media. These print media can be realized by cards such as identification cards, for example. Therefore, the following description will be given assuming that the print media are blank cards.

[0041] The card hopper unit 18, which stores a large number of unprinted cards a, supplies the unprinted cards a one by one to the card transport unit 20 under the control of the operation control program 329.

[0042] For example, the card transport unit 20, which is made up of a number of transport rollers and a conveyor belt, transports unprinted cards a supplied from the card hopper unit 18 to the printing unit 12 under the control of the operation control program 329. The card transport unit 20 further transports cards printed in the printing unit 12, i.e., printed cards b, to the card switching unit 22 located downstream of the printing unit 12.

[0043] A print image I, which is a design to be printed on an unprinted card a, is determined in advance, and is registered and stored in the print image database 341 from an external device (not shown).

[0044] The operation control program 329 sends the print image I stored in the print image database 341 to the printing unit 12 and instructs the printing unit 12 to print the print image I on an unprinted card a transported by the card transport unit 20.

[0045] The printing unit 12 includes a thermal transfer head 121 and an ink ribbon 122 consisting of multiple color panels. In response to instructions from the operation control program 329, the printing unit 12 uses the thermal transfer head 121 to transfer ink from each panel of the ink ribbon 122 to the card a in accordance with the print image I, thereby creating a printed matter, i.e., a printed card b.

[0046] While card b is being transported by card transport unit 20 to card switching unit 22, the transfer surface, which is the surface onto which the ink has been transferred, is imaged by first imaging unit 14, which is, for example, a camera. In this manner, transfer surface image c acquired by first imaging unit 14 is sent from first imaging unit 14 to control device 30.

[0047] Furthermore, the transferred ink ribbon portion, which is the portion of the ink ribbon 122 where the ink has been transferred to the card a, is imaged by the second imaging unit 16, which is, for example, a camera. In this manner, the transferred ink ribbon portion image d acquired by the second imaging unit 16 is sent from the second imaging unit 16 to the control device 30.

[0048] In the control device 30, the calculation program 321 calculates the matching rate between the print image I stored in the print image database 341 and the transfer surface image c from the first imaging unit 14 by comparing them dot by dot through image processing.

[0049] An example of a method for calculating the matching rate will be described with reference to FIG.

[0050] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for calculating the matching rate between a print image and a transfer surface image.

[0051] When calculating the matching rate, the calculation program 321 binarizes the print image I shown in Fig. 3(a) and the transfer surface image c shown in Fig. 3(b). Here, it is assumed that the transfer surface image c includes a foreign substance h, as shown in Fig. 3(b).

[0052] 3(c), the calculation program 321 further determines whether the print image I and the transfer surface image c are identical dot by dot for each corresponding coordinate, and calculates the match rate by subtracting any mismatches, assuming a perfect match of all dots to be 100%. In other words, if a foreign substance h is included, the print image I and the transfer surface image c have different values ​​at the coordinates where the foreign substance h is located, and the match rate drops.

[0053] It should be noted that this method is merely an example and does not limit the present invention. In the present invention, the matching rate may be calculated using other methods as long as they are capable of performing matching comparison.

[0054] The judgment program 322 judges the printed card b as being of good print quality (OK) if the matching rate is equal to or greater than a preset tolerance, and judges it as being of poor print quality (NG) if the matching rate is below the tolerance.

[0055] The operation control program 329 controls the operation of the card switching unit 22 in accordance with the judgment result by the judgment program 322. That is, if the judgment result by the judgment program 322 is good printing, the operation control program 329 controls the card switching unit 322 to send card b to the card discharge unit 24, and if the judgment result is bad printing, the operation control program 329 controls the card switching unit 22 to send card b to the NG judgment card storage 26.

[0056] As a result, cards b that are determined to have good printing are ejected from the issuing machine 10 through the card ejection section 24. On the other hand, cards b that are determined to have poor printing are sent to the NG judgment card storage 26. The NG judgment card storage 26 is securely fixed and arranged inside the issuing machine 10.

[0057] FIG. 4 shows the external shape of the NG judgement card storage cabinet, in which (a) is a top view and (b) is a front perspective view.

[0058] The NG judgment card storage 26 has a metal box-like shape, and as shown in Figure 4(a), an insertion opening 261 for inserting card b is provided on the top surface, and as shown in Figure 4(b), an extraction opening 262 for removing card b from inside the NG judgment card storage 26 is provided on the front surface.

[0059] Card b sent from card switching unit 22 passes through insertion slot 261, enters inside NG judgment card storage 26, and is stored inside NG judgment card storage 26. Since the width W of insertion slot 261 is narrower than the size of a person's finger, a person cannot insert a finger inside NG judgment card storage 26.

[0060] The outlet 262 is locked while the issuing machine 10 is operating and card b is stored in the NG judgment card storage 26, and the key is managed by an administrator. In addition, the NG judgment card storage 26 is fixedly disposed inside the issuing machine 10 so that the outlet 262 faces the storage opening / closing part 28 provided by penetrating the outer wall of the housing 11, as illustrated in FIG.

[0061] The storage open / close unit 28 is controlled by the open / close control program 326 so as to be closed while the issuing machine 10 is operating and card b is stored in the NG judged card storage 26.

[0062] In this way, while the issuing machine 10 is operating and card b is stored in the NG judgment card storage 26, the removal opening 262 is locked, and the front of the NG judgment card storage 26, where the removal opening 262 is located, is blocked by the storage opening / closing part 28. In this way, while the issuing machine 10 is operating and card b is stored in the NG judgment card storage 26, physical access to the NG judgment card storage 26 from outside the issuing machine 10 is not possible.

[0063] Only those who have been given permission in advance are permitted to take out card b stored in the NG judgement card storage 26, as follows.

[0064] That is, a requester requesting removal of card b stored in NG judged card storage 26 makes an opening request g for storage opening / closing unit 28 by inputting his / her ID information, etc., to control device 30 using input unit 316. In response to this opening request g, authentication program 325 authenticates the requester based on the input ID information and determines whether the requester is a person who has been previously authorized.

[0065] Although not limited to this, for this determination, ID information of pre-authorized persons may be stored in memory device 340, and authentication program 325 may determine whether the requester is a pre-authorized person by comparing the ID information input from input unit 316 with the ID information stored in memory device 340.

[0066] If the authentication program 325 determines that the requester is a previously authorized person, the opening / closing control program 326 permits the storage access unit 28 to be opened. This opens the storage access unit 28, allowing the requester to access the outlet 262 of the NG judgment card storage 26 from outside the issuing machine 10 via the storage access unit 28. The requester then uses a key (either a key received from the administrator, or a key that the requester manages themselves if they are the administrator) to unlock the outlet 262, open the outlet 262, and access card b stored inside the NG judgment card storage 26. Note that the key is not limited to a physical key such as a lock, but can also be an electronic key that is opened using biometric authentication such as a fingerprint. Note that biometric authentication keys are well known, so a detailed description will be omitted here. In this way, only the administrator or someone authorized by the administrator can open the NG judgment card storage 26.

[0067] In order to open the NG card storage 26, the issuing machine 10 must be stopped once. To restart the issuing machine 10 thereafter, the requester closes the outlet 262, locks the outlet 262, closes the storage opening / closing unit 28, and then inputs a restart command from the input unit 316. In response to the input restart command, the operation control program 329 operates, and upon confirming that the outlet 262 is closed and locked and that the storage opening / closing unit 28 is closed, the operation control program 329 executes a restart process for the issuing machine 10. For the operation control program 329 to perform these confirmations, sensors (not shown) may be provided that detect whether the outlet 262 is locked or unlocked, that detect that the outlet 262 is closed, that detect that the storage opening / closing unit 28 is closed, and so forth, and the operation control program 329 may determine that the outlet 262 is closed and locked and that the storage opening / closing unit 28 is closed based on detection information from these sensors.

[0068] The issuing machine 10 also includes an impact sensor 264 that detects an impact applied to the NG card storage 26 .

[0069] When the impact sensor 264 detects an impact applied to the NG decision card storage 26 , it sends a detection signal f to the control device 30 .

[0070] When the detection signal f is sent from the impact sensor 264, the operation control program 329 outputs an alert, such as a warning, from the speaker 314. Alternatively, the operation control program 329 may use a communication function to send an alert to a terminal owned by the administrator.

[0071] Furthermore, the issuing machine 10 is provided with a weight sensor 263 inside the NG decision card storage 26 that detects the weight of card b stored inside the NG decision card storage 26.

[0072] When the weight sensor 263 detects the weight of the card b stored inside the NG decision card storage 26, it sends the detection result e to the control device 30.

[0073] If the weight estimated from the number of cards b determined by the determination program 322 to be defectively printed contradicts the weight detected by the weight sensor 263, i.e., if the detected weight is significantly smaller than the estimated weight, the operation control program 329 outputs an alert such as a warning from the speaker 314. Alternatively, the operation control program 329 can use the communication function to send an alert to a terminal owned by the administrator. Note that, to avoid frequent false alerts, the criteria for issuing an alert can be set appropriately, such as when the value obtained by subtracting the detected weight from the estimated weight is equal to or greater than the weight of 10 cards.

[0074] The mismatched dot identification program 323 identifies mismatched dots that do not match between the print image I and the transfer surface image c of the card b that has been determined to be defective in printing.

[0075] This will be explained using FIG. 3 mentioned above. FIG. 3(a) shows print image I. FIG. 3(b) shows transfer surface image c of card b determined to have a printing defect. In transfer surface image c shown in FIG. 3(b), dots corresponding to the portion where foreign matter h is printed do not match the dots at the corresponding positions in print image I shown in FIG. 3(a). Therefore, the mismatched dot identification program 323 identifies the dots corresponding to the portion where foreign matter h is printed in FIG. 3(b) as mismatched dots. Note that image processing may be used for this identification.

[0076] The mismatched dot identification program 323 compares the transfer surface image c containing such mismatched dots with the transferred ink ribbon partial image d for each panel, and determines the panel to which the mismatched dots have been transferred from the transferred ink ribbon partial image d.

[0077] This will be explained with reference to FIG.

[0078] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an image of a portion of the ink ribbon to which the ink is transferred.

[0079] Both Figures 5(a) and 5(b) are transferred ink ribbon partial images d showing a portion of the ink ribbon used to print an identification card having a transfer surface image c as illustrated in Figure 3(b), and show a cyan panel Cy, a magenta panel M, a yellow panel Y, and a black panel K.

[0080] In the example of the transferred ink ribbon portion image d shown in Figure 5(a), two foreign objects h are found on the cyan panel Cy, and similarly, two foreign objects h are found on the magenta panel M and the yellow panel Y, but no foreign objects h are found on the black panel K.

[0081] In this case, the mismatched dot identification program 323 compares the transfer surface image c with the transferred ink ribbon portion image d for each panel, and determines that the panels to which the mismatched dots are transferred are the cyan panel Cy, the magenta panel M, and the yellow panel Y.

[0082] On the other hand, in the example of the transferred ink ribbon partial image d shown in FIG. 5(b), no foreign matter h is found on the cyan panel Cy and the black panel K, while two foreign matters h are found on the magenta panel M and the yellow panel Y.

[0083] In this case, the mismatched dot identification program 323 determines that the panels onto which the mismatched dots are transferred are the magenta panel M and the yellow panel Y.

[0084] Furthermore, the timing identification program 324 identifies the outline of the foreign matter h (size, position, shape, proportion of the foreign matter to the entire card, etc.) from the mismatched dots.

[0085] The timing identification program 324 identifies on which panel and at what timing a printing defect occurred based on the mismatched dots and the transferred ink ribbon portion image d.

[0086] For example, in the transfer surface image c shown in Figure 3(b), the location where the foreign matter h exists is a mismatched dot. In the transferred ink ribbon portion image d shown in Figure 5(a), the foreign matter h is found in the cyan panel Cy, the magenta panel M, and the yellow panel Y. In this case, the timing identification program 324 can identify that the locations where the foreign matter h is found in the cyan panel Cy, the magenta panel M, and the yellow panel Y correspond to the timing at which the printing defect occurred.

[0087] On the other hand, in the transferred ink ribbon partial image d shown in Figure 5(b), foreign matter h is found in the magenta panel M and the yellow panel Y. In this case, the timing identification program 324 can identify that the locations where foreign matter h is found in the magenta panel M and the yellow panel Y correspond to the timing at which the printing defect occurred.

[0088] From the above results, when printing directly from the cyan panel Cy to card a during the printing process, if there is foreign matter h on the cyan panel Cy, as shown in Figure 5(a), it can be assumed that the foreign matter h was attached to the surface of card a from the beginning, although this may be due to the influence of the ink ribbon 122.

[0089] Conversely, as in Figure 5(b), if there is no foreign matter h on the cyan panel Cy and no defects are confirmed, it can be inferred that there was no foreign matter h on the card a to begin with, and that there is a high possibility that there is a defect in the internal process of the issuing machine 10. Other patterns can also provide useful information for determining the cause of printing defects due to the inclusion of foreign matter h.

[0090] The printing defect database 342 stores the print image I, transfer surface image c, transferred ink ribbon portion image d, match rate, mismatched dots, foreign substance outline, and transferred dots, linked to unique information of card a (for example, the ID number or serial number assigned to card a). Note that the transferred dots are dots that correspond to the ink portion of the panel that has been transferred to the mismatched dots. The printing defect database 342 can also store color panels that do not contain transferred dots, tolerances, and judgment results from the judgment program 322.

[0091] The estimation program 327 estimates the cause of the printing defect based on the information stored in the printing defect database 342 .

[0092] The display control program 328 can cause any of the information stored in the printing defect database 342 to be displayed on the display 29 .

[0093] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the printing defect database displayed on a display.

[0094] In the example shown in Figure 6, the display 29 displays the print image I, transfer surface image c, transferred ink ribbon portion image d, summary of foreign matter h (size, position, shape, influence ratio), tolerance, and judgment result for each measurement time.

[0095] The operation control program 329 controls the operations of the printing unit 12, the first imaging unit 14, the second imaging unit 16, the card hopper unit 18, the card transport unit 20, the card switching unit 22, the NG judged card storage 26, and the storage opening / closing unit 28. The specific control has already been described.

[0096] Furthermore, although not limited to this, the calculation program 321, judgment program 322, mismatched dot identification program 323, timing identification program 324, authentication program 325, opening / closing control program 326, estimation program 327, display control program 328, and operation control program 329 can realize the calculation unit, judgment unit, mismatched dot identification unit, timing identification unit, authentication unit, opening / closing control unit, estimation unit, display control unit, and alert control unit in the claims.

[0097] Next, the operation of the issuing machine to which the printing defect identification method according to this embodiment configured as described above is applied will be described.

[0098] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of the processing performed by the issuing machine.

[0099] When printing on card a using the issuing machine 10, the operator sets an acceptable value for the matching rate at which printing can be determined to be good, and inputs the set acceptable value into the control device 30 using the input unit 316 (S1). The input acceptable value is written into the printing defect database 342 and is used by the determination program 322 to determine whether printing is good or bad.

[0100] Next, the operator stores the print image I in the print image database 341 (S2). The print image I is a design to be printed on the card a, and can be created in advance using a dedicated device.

[0101] Since steps S1 and S2 are preliminary preparations before operating the issuing machine 10, the order of execution is arbitrary, and step S2 does not necessarily have to be performed after step S1. Also, step S1 may be performed after step S2, or steps S1 and S2 may be performed simultaneously.

[0102] After steps S1 and S2 are performed, the operator starts the issuing machine 10 and starts the card issuing process (S3).

[0103] When the issuing machine 10 is started, the card a supplied from the card hopper unit 18 is transported by the card transport unit 20 to the printing unit 12 in response to instructions from the operation control program 329 (S4), and the printing image I is printed on the card surface in the printing unit 12 (S5).

[0104] The card b printed in the printing unit 12 is further transported by the card transport unit 20, and along the way, the card face is imaged by the first imaging unit 14, and a transfer surface image c of the card face is obtained (S6).

[0105] On the other hand, the second imaging unit 16 captures an image of the transferred ink ribbon portion of the ink ribbon 122, which is the portion where ink has been transferred to the card a, and an image d of the transferred ink ribbon portion is obtained (S7).

[0106] Next, in step S8, it is determined whether the printing on card b is good or bad.

[0107] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the details of the process in step S8.

[0108] In step S8, the calculation program 321 first compares the print image I and the transfer surface image c dot by dot using image processing such as binarization (S81), and calculates the match rate between the print image I and the transfer surface image c (S82). Furthermore, the judgment program 322 judges the printed card b to be of good print if the match rate is equal to or greater than a preset tolerance, and judges the print to be defective if it is below the tolerance (S83). For cards b judged to be of poor print, various information about the mismatched areas in the transfer surface image c that do not match the print image I is also obtained (S84).

[0109] Card b determined to be well printed in step S83 (S8: Yes) is ejected from the issuing machine 10 by the card ejection unit 24 (S9). On the other hand, card b determined to be poorly printed in step S83 (S8: No) is stored in the NG-determined card storage 26 (S10).

[0110] After step S10, in step S11, the timing at which the printing defect occurred is determined.

[0111] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the details of the process in step S11.

[0112] In step S11, to determine the timing at which the printing defect occurred, the mismatched dot identification program 323 first uses image processing to identify mismatched dots, which are dots that do not match between the print image I and the transfer surface image c of the card b determined to be defective (S111). The mismatched dot identification program 323 then compares the transfer surface image c containing the mismatched dots with the transferred ink ribbon partial image d for each panel (S112), determines the panel on which the mismatched dots were transferred from the transferred ink ribbon partial image d (S113), and identifies which panel and when the printing defect occurred (for example, whether a foreign substance was mixed in) (S114). Information about the identified panel and timing is then acquired (S115).

[0113] The information acquired in steps S84 and S115 is linked to the unique information of card a (for example, the ID number or serial number assigned to card a), and is registered and stored in the printing defect database 342 (S12).

[0114] The information stored in the print defect database 342 is used by the estimation program 327 to estimate the cause of the print defect.

[0115] Furthermore, by displaying the information stored in the print defect database 342 on the display 29, a service engineer can use the information when investigating the cause of the print defect.

[0116] As described above, in the issuing machine 10 to which the printing defect identification method according to this embodiment is applied, the first imaging unit 14 provided inside the housing 11 captures the transfer surface image c, which indicates the printing condition of the card face of the card a. Then, by comparing the transfer surface image c with the print image I, it is possible to determine whether the printing on the card is good or bad. In other words, both the post-printing inspection and the determination of the print quality can be performed inside the issuing machine 10. This eliminates the need for the user to diagnose the card face condition, which not only prevents card deterioration but also reduces the need for personnel for inspection. Furthermore, there is no need for a special inspection machine or the like to inspect the print quality. Therefore, the user can concentrate on normal operation of the issuing machine 10 without having to spend time operating the inspection machine.

[0117] The quality of the print can be determined using, for example, a binarization process, which allows defects to be identified and their actual state to be accurately expressed in numerical form, and can be performed automatically within the printing machine, making it easier to guess the cause of the print defect and allowing appropriate measures to be taken quickly.

[0118] Furthermore, with the issuing machine 10 to which the print defect identification method according to this embodiment is applied, data obtained during the process of determining print defects can be stored in the print defect database 342. The data stored in the print defect database 342 is used to estimate the cause of the defect using the estimation program 327. Furthermore, by providing the data to a service engineer via the display 29, the service engineer can refer to the necessary data and use it to improve work efficiency in the future, such as by dealing with any future abnormalities that may occur.

[0119] According to the issuing machine 10 to which the printing defect identification method of this embodiment is applied, the second imaging unit 16 provided inside the housing 11 further captures an image of the transferred ink ribbon portion d, which indicates the portion of the ink ribbon 122 where ink has been transferred to the card a. Then, by comparing the mismatched portions between the print image I and the transfer surface image c with each panel of the ink ribbon 122 actually used for printing, it is possible to identify on which panel and at what transfer timing an abnormality occurred (for example, foreign matter was mixed in).

[0120] Furthermore, according to the issuing machine 10 to which the printing defect identification method according to this embodiment is applied, many measures are taken to prevent theft of card b determined to be defective in printing. For example, card b determined to be defective in printing is stored in a metal NG determination card storage 26 provided inside the housing 11, but the removal opening 262 of the NG determination card storage 26 is locked and blocked by the storage opening / closing part 28, making it extremely difficult to steal card b through the removal opening 262.

[0121] The NG judged card storage 26 is provided with an insertion slot 261 for receiving a card b judged to have a printing defect, but the width W of the insertion slot 261 is only large enough for the card b to pass through and a person's finger cannot be inserted, so the card b cannot be removed from the insertion slot 261.

[0122] Furthermore, even if someone attempts to destroy the NG judgment card storage 26 to open the inside, or remove the NG judgment card storage 26 from the issuing machine 10 and take it away, the impact applied to the NG judgment card storage 26 when it is destroyed or removed will be detected by the impact sensor 264, and an alert, such as an alarm, will be output from the speaker 314, thereby preventing such attempts from happening.

[0123] In the unlikely event that the NG judgment card storage 26 is destroyed without being detected by the impact sensor 264 and the inside of the NG judgment card storage 26 is accessed, the weight sensor 263 will operate and an alert such as an alarm will be output from the speaker 314 as soon as card b is removed from the NG judgment card storage 26, thereby similarly preventing card b from being removed in advance.

[0124] In this way, it becomes almost impossible to steal a card b that has been determined to be defectively printed from the issuing machine 10.

[0125] Although the best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. Those skilled in the art may conceive of various modifications and alterations within the scope of the technical ideas of the invention as defined in the claims, and it is understood that such modifications and alterations also fall within the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0126] 10 Issuing machine 11. Housing 12 Printing Department 14 First imaging unit 16 Second imaging unit 18 Card hopper section 20 Card transport section 22 Card switching unit 24 Card ejection section 26 NG Judgment Card Storage 28 Storage opening / closing part 29 Display 30 Control device 121 Thermal transfer head 122 Ink ribbon 200 Installation surface 261 Insertion port 262 Outlet 263 Weight Sensor 264 Impact Sensor 311 Bus 312 CPU 313 Recording medium reading unit 314 Speaker 315 External recording media 316 Input section 320 memory 321 Calculation Program 322 Judgment Program 323 Mismatched Dot Identification Program 324 Timing Specific Program 325 Certification Program 326 Opening and Closing Control Program 327 Estimation Program 328 Display Control Program 329 Motion Control Program 330 Writable Data Area 340 Storage device 341 Print Image Database 342 Print Defect Database a Unprinted card b Pre-printed cards c Transfer surface image d Image of ink ribbon area to be transferred e. Detection results f detection signal g open request h Foreign matter I Print image W width

Claims

1. An issuing machine, a printing unit that creates a print by transferring ink from an ink ribbon to a print medium according to a print image that has been predetermined for the print; a first imaging unit that captures an image of the surface of the printed matter onto which the ink has been transferred, and acquires an image of the transfer surface; a second imaging unit that captures an image of the ink ribbon portion onto which ink has been transferred to the print medium; a calculation unit that calculates a matching rate between the print image and the transfer surface image by comparing the print image and the transfer surface image dot by dot through image processing; a determination unit that determines the printed matter to be a good print when the matching rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined tolerance, and determines the printed matter to be a bad print when the matching rate is less than the tolerance; a mismatched dot identifying unit that identifies mismatched dots that do not match between the print image and the transfer surface image of the print determined to be defective; a timing specifying unit that specifies a timing at which the printing defect occurs on the ink ribbon based on the mismatched dots and the image of the ink ribbon portion to be transferred; An issuing machine equipped with

2. The issuing machine of claim 1 , which is fixed to a floor surface.

3. a storage cabinet for storing the printed matter determined to be defective; a discharge unit that discharges the printed matter that has been determined to be of good print quality to the outside of the issuing machine; The issuing machine of claim 1 further comprising:

4. the storage cabinet has an insertion opening into which the printed matter determined to be defective is inserted, the width of the insertion opening being narrower than the size of a human finger; The issuing machine further comprises: a weight sensor for detecting the weight of the printed matter stored in the storage; The issuing machine of claim 3, further comprising an alert control unit that outputs an alert when the weight estimated from the number of printed materials determined by the determination unit to be defective in printing is inconsistent with the weight detected by the weight sensor.

5. Further provided is an impact sensor that detects an impact applied to the storage cabinet, The issuing machine according to claim 4 , wherein the alert control unit further outputs the alert when the impact sensor detects an impact of a predetermined value or greater.

6. The issuing machine according to claim 4 , wherein the storage cabinet is made of metal and is disposed inside the issuing machine body.

7. an opening / closing section that is opened when a printed matter stored in the storage cabinet is to be taken out and is closed otherwise; an authentication unit that authenticates a requester when a request is made to open the opening / closing unit and determines whether the requester is a person who has been authorized in advance; The issuing machine according to claim 3 , further comprising an opening / closing control unit that allows the opening / closing unit to be opened when the authentication unit determines that the requester is a person who has been previously authorized.

8. the image processing includes binarization processing, The issuing machine according to claim 1 , wherein when the calculation unit compares the print image and the transfer surface image dot by dot, the calculation unit compares the binarized print image and the transfer surface image dot by dot.

9. The issuing machine according to claim 1, further comprising a database that stores the print image, the transfer surface image, the transferred ink ribbon portion image, the match rate, and the mismatch dots in association with the printed matter.

10. the ink ribbon comprises a plurality of color panels; The issuing machine of claim 9, wherein the database further stores transferred dots corresponding to the ink portions of the color panels transferred to the mismatched dots, color panels that do not include the transferred dots, the tolerance value, and the judgment result by the judgment unit.

11. The issuing machine according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising an estimation unit that estimates a cause of the printing defect based on the information stored in the database.

12. The issuing machine according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising a display control unit that displays at least some of the information stored in the database on a display.

13. 1. A method for identifying printing defects in printed material printed by a printing machine, comprising: determining a print image for the printed matter; creating the print by transferring ink from an ink ribbon to a print medium using the issuing machine in accordance with the print image; capturing an image of the surface of the printed matter onto which the ink has been transferred, and acquiring an image of the transferred surface; capturing an image of the ink ribbon portion onto which ink has been transferred to the print medium; a step of calculating a matching rate between the print image and the transfer surface image by comparing the print image and the transfer surface image dot by dot through image processing; determining the printed matter as being of good print quality if the matching rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined tolerance, and determining the printed matter as being of poor print quality if the matching rate is less than the tolerance; A step of identifying mismatched dots that do not match between the print image and the transfer surface image of the printed matter determined to be a print defect; determining the timing at which the printing defect occurred on the ink ribbon based on the mismatched dots and the transferred ink ribbon partial image; A method for identifying print defects, comprising:

14. storing the printed matter determined to be defective in a storage cabinet; a step of discharging the printed matter determined to be of good print quality to the outside of the issuing machine; The method of claim 13 further comprising:

Images