Processing system, processing method and program

Abstract

To reduce the waiting time of a printer and a robot.SOLUTION: A processing system 1 includes a printer 3, a robot 5, and an electronic device 9. The printer 3 performs a printing process on a medium M. The robot 5 collects the medium M after the printing process from the printer 3. An estimation unit 93 of the electronic device 9 estimates an end time tend of the printing process on the basis of a data set. The data set may include at least one of print data for controlling operation of print processing in the printer 3, print conditions, environment information of the printer 3, and actual processing time data obtained by measuring an actual processing time of the print processing. The robot 5 starts a collection operation flow for collecting the medium M from the printer 3 before the end time tend estimated by the estimation unit 93 of the electronic device 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing system, a processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] The processing system includes, for example, a droplet ejection device that performs a process of ejecting droplets onto media. To perform processing using the droplet ejection device, the media must be placed on a table, and the processed media must be collected from the table. If workers are assigned to supply and collect the media, labor costs increase.

[0003] In order to reduce personnel costs, it has been proposed to build a system that includes, for example, a droplet ejection device and a robot that supplies and collects media from the droplet ejection device (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This makes it possible to automate the printing process on media and reduce personnel costs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-183595 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The time it takes to print varies depending on the print data input to the droplet ejection device. Also, there are individual differences between droplet ejection devices, and the time it takes to print may vary even for the same print data. The robot starts operating when an operation command is input. When an operation command to collect the media is input to the robot after the printing process is completed by the droplet ejection device, the droplet ejection device is unable to operate and is on standby for a longer period of time due to the time it takes for the robot to move from its initial position to the droplet ejection device. A longer standby time for the droplet ejection device or robot may affect the processing efficiency of the processing system.

[0006] In processing systems, there is a demand for reducing the standby time of droplet ejection devices and robots. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In one aspect of the present invention, a processing system includes: (1) a droplet ejection device that performs a droplet ejection process on a medium; a robot that collects the medium from the droplet discharge device after the droplet discharge process; an estimation device that estimates an end time of the droplet discharge process based on a data set including at least one of control data that controls the operation of the droplet discharge process in the droplet discharge device, processing conditions for the droplet discharge process, environmental information about the droplet discharge device, and actual processing time data that measures an actual processing time of the droplet discharge process; The robot starts a recovery operation flow for recovering the medium from the droplet ejection device before the end time estimated by the estimation device.

[0008] (2) In the processing system of (1), As the recovery operation flow, the robot moves from an initial position toward a standby position of the droplet ejection device, waits until the droplet ejection process is completed, then retrieves the media after the droplet ejection process from the droplet ejection device, moves to a media recovery location, and releases the media.

[0009] (3) In the processing system of (1) or (2), the estimation device estimates the end time if the data included in the data set satisfies an estimation criterion; If the data included in the data set does not satisfy the estimation criterion, the robot starts the collection operation flow after the droplet discharge process is completed.

[0010] (4) In any one of the processing systems (1) to (3), The robot is a human-collaborative robot.

[0011] (5) In any one of the processing systems (2) to (4), the droplet ejection device includes a table on which the medium is placed, The standby position is a position where at least a portion of the robot overlaps the table when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the media placement surface of the table.

[0012] (6) In the processing system of (5), the droplet ejection device includes a droplet ejection unit disposed above the table; At the standby position, the robot positions the portion that overlaps with the table when viewed from the orthogonal direction above the discharge unit until the droplet discharge process is completed.

[0013] (7) In the processing system according to (5) or (6), a determination device that determines the end of the droplet discharge process based on the state of the droplet discharge device; When the determination device determines that the droplet discharge process has ended, the robot picks up the media that has been subjected to the droplet discharge process and that is placed on the table.

[0014] (8) In any one of the processing systems (5) to (7), the droplet ejection device includes a droplet ejection unit disposed above the table; a plurality of media can be placed on the table of the droplet ejection device; The robot waits for the completion of the droplet discharge process at a position that at least partially overlaps, when viewed from the orthogonal direction, with the placement location of the medium that is farthest from the discharge unit when the droplet discharge process is completed.

[0015] (9) In any one of the processing systems (2) to (8), the droplet ejection device includes a table on which the medium is placed, the standby positions of the robot include a first standby position where the robot does not overlap the table when viewed from an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the media placement surface of the table, and a second standby position where at least a portion of the robot overlaps the table when viewed from the orthogonal direction; As the recovery operation flow, the robot moves from the initial position to the first standby position of the droplet discharge device, and then moves to the second standby position.

[0016] (10) In the processing system according to (9), a monitoring device that monitors a state of at least one of the droplet ejection device and the robot while the robot is stopped at the first standby position; The robot moves to the second standby position when the monitoring device determines that the state is not abnormal.

[0017] (11) In the processing system according to (10), While the robot is stopped at the second standby position, the monitoring device monitors the state of the droplet ejection device.

[0018] (12) In the processing system according to (11), If the monitoring device determines that the robot is in an abnormal state while the robot is stopped at the second standby position, the robot retreats to the first standby position.

[0019] (13) In any one of the processing systems (2) to (12), a monitoring device that monitors the state of the droplet ejection device; the monitoring device determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the state of the droplet discharge device at a timing when more than half of the time has elapsed from the start of the droplet discharge process to the end time; If the monitoring device determines that no abnormality has occurred, the robot starts moving from the initial position and arrives at the standby position of the droplet ejection device before the end time.

[0020] (14) In any one of the processing systems (2) to (13), the estimation device estimates a travel time required for the robot to travel from the initial position to the droplet discharge device; The robot starts the collection operation flow at a timing determined based on the movement time.

[0021] (15) In any one of the processing systems (2) to (14), After starting the recovery operation flow for the droplet discharge device, if the droplet discharge process is not completed within a predetermined time from the completion time estimated by the estimation device, the robot returns to the initial position.

[0022] (16) In any one of the processing systems (1) to (15), the droplet ejection device includes a first droplet ejection device and a second droplet ejection device, and includes a plurality of the droplet ejection devices; After starting the recovery operation flow for the first droplet ejection device, if the droplet ejection process of the first droplet ejection device is not completed within a predetermined time from the completion time estimated by the estimation device, the robot moves to the second droplet ejection device and recovers the media.

[0023] (17) In any one of the processing systems (1) to (16), a plurality of the droplet ejection devices; the estimation device estimates an end time of the droplet discharge process for each of the plurality of droplet discharge devices; The robot starts the recovery operation flow for the droplet ejection device that has the shortest time remaining until the end time estimated by the estimation device.

[0024] (18) In any one of the processing systems (1) to (17), a plurality of the droplet ejection devices; the estimation device estimates the end time of the droplet discharge process of each of the plurality of droplet discharge devices and the travel time required for the robot to collect the media from each of the plurality of droplet discharge devices; The robot starts the recovery operation flow for the droplet ejection device for which the total processing time, which is the sum of the time until the end time and the movement time, is shortest.

[0025] In one embodiment of the present invention, the processing method comprises: (19) A droplet ejection device that performs a droplet ejection process on a medium; a robot that collects the media from the droplet discharge device after the droplet discharge process, estimating an end time of the droplet discharge process based on a data set including at least one of control data for controlling the operation of the droplet discharge process of the droplet discharge device, processing conditions for the droplet discharge process, environmental conditions for the droplet discharge device, and actual processing time data relating to past processing times of the droplet discharge process; The robot is caused to initiate a retrieval operation flow for retrieving the media before the estimated end time.

[0026] In one embodiment of the present invention, the program (20) A program for controlling the operation of a robot that collects a medium from a droplet discharge device that performs a droplet discharge process on the medium, the program comprising: For electronic devices, estimating an end time of the droplet discharge process based on a data set including at least one of control data for controlling the operation of the droplet discharge process of the droplet discharge device, processing conditions for the droplet discharge process, environmental conditions of the droplet discharge device, and actual processing time data relating to past processing times of the droplet discharge process; The robot is caused to initiate a retrieval operation flow for retrieving the media before the estimated end time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0027] According to the present invention, the standby time of the droplet discharge device and the robot in the processing system can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of a processing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a processing system. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a flow of a printing process by a printer and a supply operation by a robot. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a flow of a printing process by a printer and a collection operation by a robot. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an electronic device. [Figure 6] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating the operations of an electronic device, a printer, and a robot in chronological order. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a process performed when the electronic device executes a print job. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a process performed when the electronic device executes a print job. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a processing system according to Modification 1. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a standby position of a robot. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the flow of a recovery operation of a robot in a processing system according to a second modification. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing by an electronic device according to Modification 2. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a processing system according to a third modification. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a movement path of a robot. [Figure 15] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of selection of a printer as a target for executing a collection operation flow. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing system 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the processing system 1. In FIG. 1, the medium M is cross-hatched, and the moving mechanisms 37, 37 of the printer 3 are hatched. As shown in FIG. 1, the processing system 1 includes, for example, a printer 3 which is an example of a droplet ejection device, and a robot 5. In the following explanation, the positional relationship will be described based on the X, Y, and Z directions in FIG. 1. The Z direction is the direction along the direction of gravity, and is the direction from the front side to the back side of the paper in FIG. 1. The X and Y directions are directions perpendicular to the Z direction. The X direction is the up-down direction in the drawing, and the Y direction is the left-right direction in the drawing that is perpendicular to the X direction. Furthermore, the left side in the Y direction in the drawing is the Y1 side, and the right side in the drawing is the Y2 side.

[0030] The printer 3 performs a printing process (droplet ejection process) of ejecting ink (droplets) onto the medium M. The robot 5 collects the media M from the printer 3 after the printing process. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the processing system 1 includes one printer 3 and one robot 5, but the number of printers 3 and robots 5 can be changed as needed. The processing system 1 may include, for example, multiple printers or multiple robots 5. In this case, for example, the number of robots 5 may correspond to the number of printers 3, and each robot 5 may collect media M from one printer 3. Alternatively, the number of printers 3 and the number of robots 5 may be different. In this case, one robot 5 may collect media M from multiple printers 3, or multiple robots 5 may collect media M from one printer 3. The robot 5 may also collect and supply media M from the printer 3. Alternatively, separate robots 5 may collect and supply media M. Note that the following example describes a case in which the robot 5 both collects and supplies media M from the printer 3.

[0031] The shape and material of the medium M used in the printing process are not limited to any particular one, as long as they can be printed on by the printer 3 and transported by the robot 5. The medium M can be made of, for example, synthetic resins such as acrylic, vinyl chloride, and polyester, paper, cloth (woven fabric, nonwoven fabric), wood, ceramics, metal, food, leather, etc. FIG. 1 shows a thin panel as an example of the medium M. The image printed on the medium M includes, for example, characters, figures, patterns, colors, etc., and combinations of these.

[0032] As shown in Figure 1, processing area A1, where printing processing of media M is performed, is provided with a supply point 7 and a collection point 8 for media M. Robot 5 acquires media M stocked at supply point 7 before printing processing and supplies it to printer 3. Robot 5 also acquires media M after printing processing from printer 3 and stocks it at collection point 8. At the supply point 7 and the recovery point 8, for example, a stocker St can be disposed, which stores the media M by stacking them in the Z direction. A belt conveyor capable of transporting media M may be provided at the supply point 7 or the collection point 8 instead of the stocker St. By providing a belt conveyor at the supply point 7, media M before printing can be transported to the processing area A1 from other areas. The other areas can be, for example, a storage room for media M or an area where pre-processing for printing is performed on media M. By providing a belt conveyor at the collection point 8, the media M after printing can be transported from the processing area A1 to another area. The other area can be, for example, a storage room for the media M or an area where post-printing processing of the media M is performed.

[0033] 1, the processing system 1 can include an electronic device 9. The electronic device 9 outputs operation commands to the printer 3 and the robot 5, thereby managing the printing process of the media M in the processing system 1 in an integrated manner. The printer 3 and robot 5 are communicatively connected to the electronic device 9 via a LAN network or the like, or by wireless communication or the like. The electronic device 9 can be placed, for example, in an area A2 where a user resides, separate from the processing area A1 where the printer 3 and robot 5 are placed. The electronic device 9 can also communicate with a sensor installed in the processing area A1 to acquire environmental information about the processing area A1 detected by the sensor. The environmental information can be, for example, temperature, humidity, etc.

[0034] <Printer> As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 3 includes a table 31 on which the medium M is placed, a carriage 34 disposed above the table 31, and a guide bar 36 that supports the carriage 34. The table 31 has a placement surface 31a for the media M. The placement surface 31a extends horizontally (X direction and Y direction). A placement area Pa on which the media M is placed is set on the placement surface 31a. The guide bar 36 extends horizontally in the Y direction above the table 31. When viewed from the Z direction, the guide bar 36 crosses the table 31 in the Y direction. The ends of the guide bar 36 in the Y direction protrude beyond the table 31 on the Y1 side and the Y2 side, respectively. The guide bar 36 is provided with a guide rail (not shown) along the Y direction, and the carriage 34 is driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) to be movable in the Y direction along the guide rail. A head 35 (discharge unit) that discharges ink is mounted on the carriage 34. By moving the carriage 34 in the Y direction, the head 35 mounted on the carriage 34 also moves in the Y direction.

[0035] The underside of the head 35 is provided with a plurality of nozzles N (see FIG. 3(a)) for ejecting ink. The underside of the head 35 faces the table 31 in the Z direction with a small gap between them. This allows ink ejected from the nozzles N on the underside of the head 35 to land on the medium M placed on the table 31. The ink used in the printer 3 is not limited to a specific type, but may be, for example, ultraviolet curable ink that is cured by ultraviolet rays or heat curable ink that is cured by heat. In this case, although not shown, the carriage 34 of the printer 3 may be equipped with an ultraviolet irradiation device or a heating device for curing the ink ejected onto the medium M. Furthermore, the droplets ejected by the printer 3 are not limited to ink, and any droplets having viscosity that allows them to adhere to the medium M can be used as appropriate. The head 35 may be one that ejects ink of a single color, or may be one that ejects ink of multiple colors. The inks may be, for example, C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black) process color inks (hereinafter referred to as "color inks"). Alternatively, the inks may be special color inks such as LC (light cyan), LM (light magenta), Gy (gray), W (white), CL (clear), Pr (primer), O (orange), violet, metallic colors (gold, silver), and fluorescent colors. Furthermore, the droplets ejected by the printer 3 are not limited to ink, and any droplets having viscosity that allows them to adhere to the medium M can be used as appropriate.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 1, a maintenance station 41 is provided at the end of the guide bar 36 on the Y1 side that protrudes from the table 31. Although not shown, the maintenance station 41 has a built-in device that performs flushing, cleaning, etc. of the nozzles N (see Fig. 3(a)) of the head 35. When the carriage 34 moves to the maintenance station 41, the head 35 is flushed and cleaned.

[0037] An ink supply device 42 is provided at the Y2-side end of the guide bar 36 that protrudes beyond the table 31. Although not shown, an ink tank is built into the ink supply device 42. The ink tank and the head 35 are connected via an ink tube (not shown), and ink is supplied from the ink tank to the head 35.

[0038] Movement mechanisms 37, 37 are provided at the ends of the table 31 on the Y1 side and the Y2 side. The movement mechanisms 37, 37 move the guide bar 36, the maintenance station 41, and the ink supply device 42 together in the X direction. When the guide bar 36 moves in the X direction, the carriage 34 supported by the guide bar 36 and the head 35 mounted on the carriage 34 also move in the X direction.

[0039] 2, the printer 3 includes a controller 30 that controls the operation of each unit. The controller 30 is communicably connected to the electronic device 9. The controller 30 controls the operation of each unit of the printer 3 based on print data input from the electronic device 9, thereby performing print processing. The controller 30 of the printer 3 also sends a signal to the electronic device 9 to notify the status of the printer 3. The electronic device 9 outputs an operation command to the robot 5 based on the status of the printer 3, allowing the printer 3 and the robot 5 to operate in cooperation with each other.

[0040] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the flow of the printing process of the printer 3 and the supply operation of the robot 5. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the flow of the printing process of the printer 3 and the collection operation of the robot 5. 3 and 4, the left side in the X direction is the X1 side, and the right side in the X direction is the X2 side. Also, in Figures 3 and 4, the area of ​​the media placement position Pa on the table of printer 3 is indicated by hatching.

[0041] 3A shows a state in which the head 35 of the printer 3 is at the home position Hp, while FIG. 3B shows a state in which the head 35 has been displaced from the home position Hp and is performing a printing process. As described above, the head 35 of the printer 3 can be displaced above the table 31 in the X direction by the movement mechanisms 37, 37 (see FIG. 1). When print data is input from the electronic device 9, the printer 3 displaces the head 35 to the home position Hp, as shown in FIG. 3(a), and transitions to a standby state for print processing. The home position Hp is set at a position that overlaps the end of the table 31 on the X2 side when viewed from the Z direction, for example. The placement location Pa of the medium M on the table 31 is set at a position offset from the home position Hp of the table 31 toward the X1 side when viewed from the Z direction, for example.

[0042] When the printer 3 has completed standby, the robot 5 moves from the initial position Ip (see FIG. 1) to the supply location 7, retrieves the media M, and moves to the printer 3. The robot 5 positions the shaft 54, which will be described later, above the placement location Pa for the media M on the table 31 of the printer 3. The robot 5 lowers the shaft 54, bringing the media M held by the suction pad 55 at the tip closer to the placement surface 31a. The robot 5 releases the media M from the suction pad 55 and places it on the placement surface 31a. After releasing the media M, the robot 5 returns to the initial position Ip.

[0043] As shown in (b) of FIG. 3, the printer 3 displaces the head 35 from the home position Hp to the X1 side. The printer 3 displaces the head 35 to the placement position Pa of the medium M. The head 35 faces the medium M with a small gap in the Z direction. The head 35 ejects ink from the nozzles N while moving in the Y direction. After completing one reciprocating movement in the Y direction (one pass), the head 35 moves a predetermined distance in the X direction, and then moves in the Y direction again while ejecting ink from the nozzles N. In other words, the printer 3 can print on the medium M by alternately repeating one reciprocating movement of the head 35 in the Y direction (one pass) and an operation to feed the medium M a predetermined distance in the X direction. It should be noted that the head 35 may be any mechanism that can move relative to the table 31. Therefore, the movement mechanisms 37, 37 of the printer 3 (see FIG. 2) may move the table 31 in the X direction instead of the guide bar 36. Alternatively, the movement mechanisms 37, 37 may move both the guide bar 36 and the table 31 in the X direction.

[0044] As shown in (a) of Figure 4, before the printing process of the printer 3 is completed, the robot 5 starts moving from the initial position Ip (see Figure 1) toward the printer 3, stops at the standby position Wp, and waits until the printing process is completed. The standby position Wp is a position where at least a portion of the robot 5 overlaps the table 31 when viewed, for example, from the Z direction (orthogonal direction) perpendicular to the X and Y directions in which the placement surface 31a of the table 31 extends. "At least a portion of the robot 5" can be, for example, the shaft 54 ​​at the tip of the arm, as shown in the figure. The standby position Wp can be, for example, a position where the shaft 54 ​​of the robot 5 overlaps the placement location Pa of the media M when viewed from the Z direction. Furthermore, at the standby position Wp, the robot 5 positions the shaft 54 ​​above the head of the printer 3. This reduces the possibility that the shaft 54 ​​at the standby position Wp will come into contact with the head that is performing the printing process on the media M.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 4(b), when the printing process is completed, the printer 3 returns the head 35 to the home position Hp on the X2 side. After the head 35 returns to the home position Hp, the robot 5 descends from the standby position Wp toward the placement surface 31a of the table 31 and retrieves the media M for which printing has been completed from the placement location Pa. The robot 5 then moves to the collection location 8 (see FIG. 1), releases the media M collected from the printer 3 into a stocker at the collection location 8, and returns to the initial position Ip. In this way, the recovery operation flow of the robot 5 includes an operation of waiting until the printing process of the printer 3 is completed if the printing process of the printer 3 has not been completed when the robot 5 arrives at the waiting position Wp from the initial position Ip.

[0046] When the printer 3 returns the head 35 to the home position Hp, the maintenance station 41 (see FIG. 1) performs maintenance on the head 35 as needed. When the printer 3 is ready for the next printing process, the robot 5 supplies the next medium M to the printer 3.

[0047] Here, if the robot 5 starts moving from the initial position Ip toward the printer 3 after the printer 3 has finished printing, the media M will not be collected immediately after the printer 3 has finished printing, and the printer 3 will have to wait for a while. As mentioned above, if a collaborative robot with a slow operating speed is used as the robot 5, the printer 3 will wait even longer. If there is a delay in collecting the media M that has already been printed from the printer 3, it will take time for the printer 3 to stand by to print the next media M, and this may also lengthen the standby time of the robot 5. Meanwhile, as described above, in this embodiment, the robot 5, as part of the collection operation flow, begins moving from the initial position Ip toward the printer 3 before the printer 3 finishes printing, and waits at a standby position Wp near the printer 3 until printing finishes. This allows the robot 5 to quickly collect the media M that have already been printed upon completion of the printing process by the printer 3. By reducing the standby time of the printer 3, the robot 5 can smoothly transition to standby for the printing process of the next media M, thereby reducing the standby time of the robot 5. In this embodiment, the electronic device 9 adjusts the timing at which the robot 5 starts the collection operation flow.

[0048] <Electronic equipment> FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the electronic device 9. As shown in FIG. 5, the electronic device 9 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 901, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 902, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 903, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 904, a display 905, an input device 906, a speaker 907, a communication I / F 908, and a media I / F 909. Each component is interconnected by a bus.

[0049] The CPU 901 controls the entire electronic device 9. The CPU 901 can load the OS, various programs, etc. stored in the ROM 902 or the HDD 904 into the RAM 903 and execute them. Alternatively, the CPU 901 can load a program stored in a storage medium RM into the RAM 903 via the media I / F 909 and execute it. The storage medium RM can be an optical storage medium, a magneto-optical storage medium, a magnetic storage medium, a conductive memory tape medium, a semiconductor memory, etc. The electronic device 9 may include a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and the like as well as the CPU 901 as a processor. The CPU 901 performs processing in response to user operations via the input device 906, and displays the processing results on the display 905. The input device 906 can be, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad, or the like.

[0050] The HDD 904 stores programs executed by the CPU 901, data used by the programs, etc. The communication I / F 908 outputs data received from other devices to the CPU 901 via a network NW such as the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network). The communication I / F 908 also transmits data generated by the CPU 901 to other devices. The other devices may be devices such as the robot 5 and printer 3 that constitute the processing system 1, or devices external to the processing system 1. The CPU 901 may load required programs onto the RAM 903 from other devices via the network NW.

[0051] In this embodiment, the CPU 901 of the electronic device 9 executes an application program loaded onto the RAM 903, thereby realizing the functional configuration of the electronic device 9 shown in FIG.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic device 9 (estimation device, determination device, monitoring device) includes a job management unit 91, a print data creation unit 92, an estimation unit 93, and a monitoring unit 94 as functional components. Each functional unit performs processing in response to a user's operation input via an input device 906 (see FIG. 5), and displays the processing results on the screen of a display 905 (see FIG. 5). Each functional unit also obtains data required for processing from the storage unit 96, and temporarily stores the processing results in the storage unit 96 as needed. The storage unit 96 is composed of a ROM 902, RAM 903, HDD 904, etc. shown in FIG. 5. The storage unit 96 stores, as an example, a job list JL.

[0053] The job management unit 91 displays on the display 905 an operation screen for the user to upload image data to be printed on the medium M. On the operation screen, the user can input printing conditions to be specified when printing image data on the medium M. The user can specify the printing conditions, such as the type of media M, the number of copies to print, the print quality (normal mode, high quality mode, ink saving mode, etc.), white printing, clear gloss finish, etc.

[0054] The job management unit 91 creates a print job in response to a user's operation via the operation screen, and registers the print job in the job list JL. The print job includes image data uploaded by the user and the details of the print process according to the printing conditions specified by the user.

[0055] When the user selects a print job to be executed from the job list JL, inputs the number of copies to be printed on the medium M, and inputs an instruction to start printing, the job management unit 91 performs processing to execute the print job for the specified number of copies to be printed.

[0056] The job management unit 91 outputs the image data registered in the specified print job to the print data creation unit 92, causing it to create print data. The print data creation unit 92 creates print data for controlling the operation of the print processing of the printer 3. When registering a print job, the user can specify various print conditions via the operation screen. The job management unit 91 outputs the specified print conditions together with image data to the print data creation unit 92. The print data creation unit 92 creates print data according to the print conditions.

[0057] The print data creation unit 92 creates print data by performing RIP (Raster Image Processing) on ​​image data according to the specified printing conditions. RIP is a process for generating a raster image that specifies the ejection positions for ejecting ink of a color corresponding to the image data. In RIP, a raster image is generated by performing halftone processing on a grayscale image corresponding to each of the C, M, Y, and K color inks and spot color inks. Furthermore, various commands for controlling the printer 3 according to the specified printing conditions are added to the generated raster image, and print data is created.

[0058] The job management unit 91 outputs a print job together with print data to the printer 3, and causes the printer 3 to perform printing processing on the medium M. The job management unit 91 outputs an operation command to the robot 5 to cause it to perform a media M supply operation flow and a media M collection operation flow.

[0059] In this embodiment, the job management unit 91 adjusts the timing of outputting an operation command for the collection operation flow to the robot 5. In order to adjust the timing, the job management unit 91 estimates the time when the printer 3 will finish the print processing for the print job (hereinafter, "end time t end The details of the processing by the job management section 91 will be described later.

[0060] The estimation unit 93 estimates the end time t end To estimate, we construct the following dataset DS. The data set DS is the end time of the printing process t endThe data set DS may include, for example, at least one of the following data (a) to (e): (a) Print data The estimation unit 93 acquires the print data related to the print job, which is created by the print data creation unit 92 . (b) Printing conditions The estimation unit 93 acquires the printing conditions designated by the user when registering the print job. (c)Environmental information The estimation unit 93 acquires environmental information of the processing area A1 from a sensor provided in the processing area A1. (d) Actual processing time data The actual processing time data is a measurement of the time taken for printing processes that the printer 3 has actually performed in the past. The job management unit 91 measures the time taken for printing processes each time a print job is executed and stores the data in the storage unit 96. Therefore, the amount of actual processing time data increases as the number of times the printer 3 performs printing processes increases. Note that if the amount of actual processing time data to be accumulated is small, for example, actual processing time data for different printers 3 of the same model may be stored in the storage unit 96. The job management unit 91 can, for example, add tags to classify the actual processing time data. The tags can be tags that can classify, for example, print data used in the print process, printing conditions, environmental information, etc. The data included in the data set DS is not limited to the above example. end If the data contains elements that vary, they can be added to the dataset DS as appropriate.

[0061] When constructing the data set DS, the estimation unit 93 first acquires (a) print data, (b) printing conditions, and (c) environmental information. The estimation unit 93 then performs a search using tags and can acquire, from the storage unit 96, actual processing time data that has similar (a) print data, (b) printing conditions, and (c) environmental information. The estimation unit 93 first estimates the time T required for the printer 3 to execute the print process for the print job, for example, based on the constructed data set DS. start The time T has passed since the end time t end It is calculated as follows. The algorithm used by the estimation unit 93 for estimation can be set by machine learning a data set DS prepared in advance. The estimation unit 93 may further perform machine learning using actual processing time data accumulated by the job management unit 91, and update the algorithm.

[0062] The estimation unit 93 may estimate the end time only when the data included in the dataset DS satisfies an estimation criterion. The estimation criterion is a criterion for determining whether the data included in the dataset DS can ensure a certain level of estimation accuracy. The estimation criterion may be based on, for example, the amount of data included in the dataset DS or the quality of the data. For example, there may be a case where the amount of actual processing time data stored in the storage unit 96 is small, and when the estimation unit 93 performs a search using tags, it is not possible to obtain a sufficient amount of similar actual processing time data. In such a case, the amount of data in the dataset DS may fall below the estimation criterion.

[0063] The monitoring unit 94 monitors the state of the processing area A1, including the state of the printer 3 and the robot 5. The monitoring unit 94 can perform monitoring by, for example, communicating with the printer 3 and the robot 5 and receiving signals notifying the respective states. Alternatively, the monitoring unit 94 can perform monitoring using sensors such as cameras installed at various locations in the processing area A1, such as the printer 3, the robot 5, the supply location 7, and the recovery location 8. If the monitoring unit 94 detects an abnormality in the state of the processing area A1, it notifies the user. Specific examples of abnormalities in the processing area A1 include the following. Printer 3 or Robot 5 malfunctions or stops working Robot 5 contacts Printer 3, etc. Printer 3 is out of ink -Feed point 7 is out of media -Recovery point 8 has reached its storage limit for M media

[0064] The monitoring unit 94 is not limited to these examples and can report various abnormalities. The manner in which the monitoring unit 94 reports an abnormality is also not limited. The monitoring unit 94 can report an abnormality, for example, using text, graphics, animation, etc. on the display 905 (see FIG. 5) of the electronic device 9. Alternatively, the monitoring unit 94 can report an abnormality using voice or an alarm sound via the speaker 907 of the electronic device 9. Alternatively, the monitoring unit 94 may send a message reporting an abnormality to another electronic device carried by the user. This allows the user to be aware of an abnormality that has occurred in the processing area A1 and to respond to it even when the user is absent from the processing area A1. The job management unit 91 uses the information on the status of the printer 3 and the robot 5 acquired by the monitoring unit 94 to adjust the timing of the collection operation flow of the robot 5, which will be described later.

[0065] <Robot> The robot 5 is not limited to a specific type as long as it can acquire and transport media M, but for example, a horizontally articulated robot (a so-called SCARA robot) or a vertically articulated robot as shown in Figure 1 can be used. A SCARA robot is made up of a combination of multiple arms that rotate horizontally. The robot 5 may be, for example, a human-collaborative robot. A human-collaborative robot is a robot 5 that can work in collaboration with humans in areas where human access is not restricted by fences or the like. Although not shown, the human-collaborative robot is equipped with a sensor that detects approach or contact with a person or object to ensure safety, and can stop operation depending on the detection result. In addition, the operating speed of the human-collaborative robot is set to be relatively slow to ensure safety. Even in the case of a human-collaborative robot, the area including the rotation range of the arm of the robot 5 may be isolated by a safety fence or the like to ensure the safety of the worker.

[0066] 1, the robot 5 includes a base 51, an arm 52 supported by the base 51, and an arm 53 supported by the arm 52. The arms 52 and 53 each extend horizontally. The base 51 is installed, for example, on the floor surface of the processing area A1. The base end of the arm 52 is supported on the upper surface of the base 51 so as to be rotatable about an axis Z1 along the Z direction. The base end of the arm 53 is connected to the tip of the arm 52 so as to be rotatable about an axis Z2 parallel to the axis Z1. A shaft 54 ​​extending in the Z direction passes through the tip of the arm 53. The shaft 54 ​​is movable up and down by a drive mechanism (not shown).

[0067] A mechanism for acquiring media M is provided at the lower end of shaft 54. The mechanism for holding media M can be, for example, a suction pad 55 (see FIG. 3(a)). When suction pad 55 comes into contact with the surface of media M and negative pressure is applied, suction pad 55 adsorbs media M. When positive pressure is applied to suction pad 55 with media M adsorbed, suction pad 55 releases media M. The mechanism by which the robot 5 acquires the media M is not limited to the suction pad 55, and other mechanisms such as a hand that holds the media M may also be used as appropriate.

[0068] 1, the robot 5 can move the shaft 54 ​​at the tip of the arm 53 in the X and Y directions by combining the rotation angles of the arms 52 and 53. Then, by moving the shaft 54 ​​up and down at a desired position, the media M can be acquired or released. The rotation range of the robot 5 may be limited to a predetermined angle, for example, to avoid interference with a cable connected to a power source. In FIG. 1, an example of the rotation range RA of the arms 52 and 53 of the robot 5 is indicated by a dashed line. The robot 5 can move back and forth within the range RA in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions from the initial position Ip. In the processing area A1, the printer 3, supply point 7, and collection point 8 are arranged within the range RA. In the example of FIG. 1, the supply point 7, collection point 8, and printer 3 are arranged in this order in a counterclockwise direction from the initial position Ip. This arrangement allows the robot 5 to perform both the operation flow of supplying media M to the printer 3 and the operation flow of collecting media M by moving back and forth along the same movement path. In the supply operation flow, the robot 5 moves from the initial position Ip to the supply location 7 and acquires the media M. The robot 5 moves to the printer 3, releases the media M, and returns to the initial position Ip. In the collection operation flow, the robot 5 moves from the initial position Ip to the printer 3 and retrieves the media M. The robot 5 then moves to the collection point 8, releases the media M, and returns to the initial position Ip. The movement path of the robot 5 described here is merely an example, and can be changed as appropriate depending on the range in which the robot 5 can turn and the locations of the printer 3, supply point 7, and collection point 8.

[0069] 2, the robot 5 includes a controller 50 communicably connected to the electronic device 9. Teaching data is set in the controller 50 through a prior teaching operation to cause the robot 5 to execute a supply operation flow and a collection operation flow for the media M.

[0070] The teaching data includes, for example, the following data: Media M information (type, thickness, size, etc.) Robot 5's movement path Stop position of robot 5 (initial position Ip, supply point 7, collection point 8, printer 3) Robot 5 movement speed Acquisition position of the media M at the supply point 7 (position in the height direction) Release position of media M at collection point 8 (height position) The standby position Wp of the robot 5 in the printer 3, the pick-up position and release position of the media M (position in the height direction) Pressure setting of suction pad 55 when retrieving media M

[0071] The controller 50 of the robot 5 is also communicably connected to the electronic device 9. Operation commands instructing a supply operation flow and a collection operation flow are input from the electronic device 9 to the controller 50.

[0072] 6 is a diagram illustrating the operations of the electronic device 9, the printer 3, and the robot 5 in chronological order. For convenience of explanation, in FIG. 6, the end time of the printing process estimated by the estimation unit 93 and the actual end time of the printing process are set to the same time t end However, the estimated end time may differ from the actual end time. As shown in FIG. 6, when a command to start printing is received, the job management unit 91 of the electronic device 9 performs the following process. The print data creation unit 92 creates print data, and outputs the print data to the printer 3. -Output the print job to printer 3. Outputs a supply operation flow command to the robot 5. The estimation unit 93 receives the end time t end is estimated.

[0073] When the robot 5 supplies the medium M to the printer 3 in accordance with the operation command of the supply operation flow, the printer 3 starts the printing process in accordance with the print job. The job management unit 91 calculates the time t start The estimation unit 93 estimates the time T required for the printer 3 to execute the print process for the print job, and calculates the time T from the start time t start The time T has passed since the end time t endIt is calculated as follows.

[0074] The job management unit 91 starts the job at the start time t start From the end time t end If more than half (T / 2) of the time T has passed and the printer 3 and robot 5 are operating normally, the end time t end Before this, the robot 5 is made to start the retrieval operation flow. Specifically, the job management unit 91 determines the start time t start When time T / 2 has elapsed since the end of the job, the job management unit 91 acquires information on the status of the printer 3 and the robot 5 monitored by the monitoring unit 94. The job management unit 91 determines the status of the printer 3 and the robot 5 based on the information acquired from the monitoring unit 94. If there is no abnormality in the status of the printer 3 and the robot 5, the job management unit 91 determines the end time t end Time t, which is an earlier timing m Then, an operation command for the recovery operation flow is output to the robot 5.

[0075] In response to the operation command, the robot 5 moves from the initial position Ip to the standby position Wp of the printer 3 and waits until the printing process of the printer 3 is completed. When the printing process of the printer 3 is completed, a notification of the end of standby is input from the job management unit 91 to the robot 5, and the robot 5 collects the media M after the printing process from the table 31 of the printer 3. In this case, the end time of the printing process of the printer 3 is t end In this case, the media M can be collected from the table 31 more quickly after printing compared to when the robot 5 starts moving after a certain time has elapsed. This reduces the waiting time before the printer 3 performs the next printing process. Here, in order to simply reduce the standby time of the printer 3, the time t mIt is also conceivable that the robot 5 may start moving to the standby position Wp (see FIG. 4(a)) at an earlier timing. However, if the robot 5 moves to the standby position Wp too early, there is a possibility that an abnormality may occur in the printer 3 or the robot 5 during the printing process. If the robot 5 is temporarily retreated from the standby position Wp to the initial position Ip to deal with the abnormality, the operation of the robot 5 will be wasted.

[0076] That is, the robot 5 waits for the end time t end End time t before end By the printer 3 arriving at the standby position Wp as close as possible to the timing, the standby time of the printer 3 can be reduced and the possibility of waste in the operation of the robot 5 can be reduced. Furthermore, if the printing process is progressing normally up to half (T / 2) of the time T, the overall printing process is more likely to end normally. In other words, by determining the status of the printer 3 and robot 5 when the time T / 2 has elapsed, the possibility of wasteful operation of the robot 5 can be further reduced.

[0077] The time t when the robot 5 starts the collection operation flow m is, for example, the end time t end It is acceptable for the time to be earlier than time t m can be set based on, for example, the printing time of the printer 3 or the movement time of the robot 5. For example, the printing time of the printer 3 or the movement time of the robot 5 can be measured in a simulation or test, and the time t m Alternatively, the job management unit 91 may measure the movement time of the robot 5 and the printing time of the printer 3 while the processing system 1 is in operation, and store the statistical data in the storage unit 96. The estimation unit 93 performs machine learning on the stored statistical data and estimates the end time t end When estimating, time t m may be estimated.

[0078] Below, time t mAn example of the settings will be explained. (i) Setting based on the movement time of robot 5 As described above, the robot 5 starts printing at the end time t end End time t before end Therefore, the estimation unit 93 estimates the time required for the robot 5 to move from the initial position Ip to the standby position Wp (hereinafter referred to as the "moving time T move ") can be estimated. The estimation unit 93 may, for example, estimate the travel time T move Add a margin to the end time t end By subtracting from time t m can be set. The margin may also be set to a fixed value initially, and may be changed once statistical data has been accumulated. For example, the margin can be set to 10 seconds at the initial stage. In this case, the ideal value is that the robot 5 should wait until the end time of the printing process t end The robot 5 arrives at the standby position Wp 10 seconds before the target time. The estimation unit 93 analyzes the tendency of the deviation between the ideal value and the actual measured value from the statistical data, and can adjust the length of the margin so as to further reduce the standby time.

[0079] (ii) Settings based on the print time of Printer 3 As described above, the printer 3 performs printing by combining one reciprocating movement (one pass) of the head 35 in the Y direction with a movement that feeds the medium M a predetermined distance in the X direction. m is, for example, the time t last The estimation unit 93 can set the time t last is estimated and at time t m can be set.

[0080] Here, as in the conventional method, the end time of the printing process t end If this is not estimated, it is not possible to determine the timing for outputting an operation command for the collection operation flow to the robot 5. The job management unit 91 needs to frequently communicate with the printer 3 and monitor the state of the printer 3 so that it can output an operation command to the robot 5 promptly after the printing process of the printer 3 is completed. This places a communication load on the electronic device 9 and the printer 3. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the end time t end By estimating the timing at which the operation command for the recovery operation flow is output to the robot 5 (time t m For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the job management unit 91 determines the time t m The status monitoring can be performed after the time T / 2 has elapsed, which is before the time T / 2 has elapsed. This reduces the communication load on the electronic device 9 and the printer 3.

[0081] 7 and 8 are flowcharts showing the process when the electronic device 9 executes a print job. FIG. 7 shows the process of selecting a print job from the job list JL and specifying the number of copies to be printed PN m 10 shows the processing of the electronic device 9 after the user specifies the print job and inputs an operation to start printing.

[0082] 7, the job management unit 91 of the electronic device 9 acquires image data and printing conditions of a print job designated by a user (step S01). The printing conditions include the number of copies PN to be printed on the medium M. m The job management unit 91 resets to 0 a counter that counts the number PN of media M for which printing processing has been completed (step S02). The job management unit 91 outputs the image data and printing conditions to the print data creation unit 92 to create print data, and outputs the created print data together with the print job to the printer 3 (step S03).

[0083] The job management unit 91 outputs an operation command for the supply operation flow to the robot 5 (step S04). The robot 5 supplies the media M to the printer 3 in accordance with the operation command. When the robot 5 has finished supplying the media M to the printer 3, it sends a notification of the completion of supply to the electronic device 9. When the job management unit 91 receives a notification of the completion of supply from the robot 5 (step S05: Yes), it instructs the printer 3 to start printing (step S06). The printer 3 executes the print job in accordance with the print data input in step S03. The job management unit 91 starts measuring the time required for the printing process by the printer 3 (step S07). The estimation unit 93 constructs a data set DS including the print data created in step S03 (step S08). If the data included in the data set DS satisfies the estimation criteria (step S09: Yes), the estimation unit 93 uses the data set DS to estimate the end time t end (Step S10). In Step S10, the estimation unit 93 estimates the end time t end At the same time, the robot 5 starts the retrieval operation flow at time t m may be estimated. If the data included in the data set DS does not satisfy the estimation criteria (step S09: No), the estimation unit 93 estimates the end time t end The process proceeds to step S19 without estimating the value of the parameter.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 8, the job management unit 91 starts the print processing of the printer 3 at the start time t start The estimated end time t end When half (T / 2) of the time T has elapsed (step S11: Yes), the status of the printer 3 and the robot 5 is determined (step S12). The job management unit 91 can make this determination by acquiring information on the status of the printer 3 monitored by the monitoring unit 94.

[0085] If there is no abnormality in the status of the printer 3 and the robot 5 (step S12: No), the job management unit 91 proceeds to step S13.

[0086] Here, the "abnormal" state means that the robot 5 is in a state where the end time t end This means that if the collection operation flow is started based on the above, there is a possibility that the media M after the printing process may not be collected properly. That is, the criteria by which the job management unit 91 determines whether an abnormality has occurred in step S12 may differ in part from the criteria by which the monitoring unit 94 determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the processing area A1. For example, if the printer 3 stops operating or there is a significant delay in the progress of the printing process of the printer 3, the job management unit 91 can determine that an abnormality has occurred. m Even if the movement to the waiting position Wp starts at the end time t end There is a possibility that the robot 5 will not be able to collect the media M immediately and will have to wait for a long time. Alternatively, there is a possibility that the robot 5 will come into contact with the stopped printer 3.

[0087] On the other hand, for example, if the delay in the progress of the printing process of the printer 3 is small, the robot 5 m Even if the robot 5 starts moving to the standby position Wp, the standby time of the robot 5 does not become longer. In such a case, the job management unit 91 can determine that there is no abnormality.

[0088] In step S13, the job management unit 91 calculates the estimated end time t end time t before m Then, it outputs an operation command for the collection operation flow to the robot 5. In accordance with the operation command, the robot 5 moves from the initial position Ip to the standby position Wp of the printer 3 and waits for the printer 3 to finish printing processing.

[0089] When the printing process is completed, the printer 3 transmits a print job completion notification to the electronic device 9. If the job management unit 91 receives a completion notification from the printer 3 within a predetermined time after outputting an operation command for the supply operation flow to the robot 5 and determines that the printing process has ended (step S14: Yes), it notifies the robot 5 that waiting has ended (step S15). When the robot 5 receives the notification from the electronic device 9 , it collects the media M after the printing process from the table 31 of the printer 3 and releases it to the collection point 8 . When the job management unit 91 receives a notification of completion of the collection operation flow from the robot 5 (step S16), it updates the counter to PN=PN+1 (step S17). m If it has not reached (step S18: No), the process returns to step S04 in FIG. In the second and subsequent print processes, the job management unit 91 determines the end time t end Alternatively, the job management unit 91 may estimate the end time t end After estimating, the fluctuation range of the estimated value may be calculated. If the fluctuation range of the estimated value is small, the job management unit 91 may calculate the fixed value of the end time t end A fixed end time t end For example, the estimated end time t end It can be the mean or median of the

[0090] In step S09 of FIG. 7, if the data included in the data set DS does not satisfy the estimation criteria, the estimation unit 93 end If the estimation is not performed (step S09: No), the job management unit 91 causes the robot 5 to perform the collection operation flow after the printing process of the printer 3 is completed. When the job management unit 91 receives a print job completion notification from the printer 3 (step S19: Yes), it outputs an operation command for the collection operation flow to the robot 5 (step S20), and proceeds to step S16. In response to the operation command, the robot 5 moves from the initial position Ip to the standby position Wp of the printer 3 and retrieves the printed media M from the table 31. In this case, the printing process has already ended when the robot 5 moves to the standby position Wp, so the robot 5 does not perform standby operations at the standby position Wp.

[0091] In step S12, if the job management unit 91 determines that the printer 3 is in an abnormal state (step S12, Yes), the process proceeds to step S21. In step S21, the job management unit 91 determines whether the print job can be continued. For example, if there is a significant delay in the progress of the print processing of the printer 3 but the print processing can be continued, the job management unit 91 determines Yes in step S21. For example, if the printer 3 has stopped operating and the print job cannot be continued, the job management unit 91 determines No in step S21. If the print job can be continued (step S21: Yes), the job management unit 91 proceeds to step S19 in Fig. 7. After the print process of the printer 3 is completed, the job management unit 91 causes the robot 5 to perform the collection operation flow. If the print job cannot be continued (step S21: No), the job management unit 91 causes the monitoring unit 94 to notify the abnormality (step S23), and ends the process.

[0092] In step S14, if the job management unit 91 does not receive a print job completion notification from the printer 3 within a predetermined time after outputting an operation command to the robot 5 (step S14: No), it is possible that some kind of abnormality has occurred in the printer 3. In this case, the job management unit 91 outputs an operation command to the robot 5 to cancel the collection operation flow and return from the standby position Wp to the initial position Ip (step S22). The job management unit 91 then notifies the monitoring unit 94 of the abnormality in the printer 3 (step S23) and ends the process. If an abnormality occurs in the printer 3, an operator may need to perform work on the printer 3, such as repairing it or replenishing consumables. In such a case, if the robot 5 remains in the standby position Wp, the operator may not be able to perform the work promptly. In step S24, the job management unit 91 returns the robot 5 from the standby position Wp to the initial position Ip, allowing the operator to smoothly respond to the abnormality in the printer 3.

[0093] As described above, the processing system 1 described in the embodiment has, for example, the following configuration. (1) The processing system 1 includes a printer 3 (a droplet ejection device), a robot 5, and an electronic device 9. The printer 3 performs a printing process (a droplet ejection process) on the medium M. The robot 5 collects the media M from the printer 3 after the printing process. The estimation unit 93 of the electronic device 9 (estimation device) estimates the end time t end The data set DS can include at least one of print data (control data) that controls the operation of the print process in the printer 3, print conditions (processing conditions for the droplet ejection process), environmental information about the printer 3, and actual processing time data that measures the actual processing time of the print process. The robot 5 determines the end time t end Before this, the collection operation flow for collecting the media M from the printer 3 starts.

[0094] By configuring the processing system 1 in this way, the standby time of the printer 3 and the robot 5 can be reduced. If the robot 5 starts moving from the initial position Ip after the printer 3 has completed the printing process, it will take time for the robot 5 to arrive at the standby position Wp, which will lengthen the time the printer 3 is in standby and delay the start of the printing process for the next medium M. If the start of the printer 3's printing process is delayed, the robot 5's standby time will also be longer. In this embodiment, the electronic device 9 determines the end time t end and robot 5 estimates the end time t end The robot 5 starts moving from the initial position Ip before the printer 3 finishes printing the media M. This allows the robot 5 to quickly collect the media M after printing has been completed by the printer 3. This reduces the standby time of the printer 3 and the robot 5, and improves the efficiency of the printing process for the media M in the processing system 1.

[0095] In this embodiment, the end time of the printing process t end By estimating the timing at which the operation command for the recovery operation flow is output to the robot 5 (time t m ) can be determined. Therefore, the job management unit 91 does not need to monitor the state of the printer 3 as frequently as when an operation command is output to the robot 5 after the printing process of the printer 3 is completed, and the communication load of the electronic device 9 and the printer 3 can be reduced.

[0096] In the above embodiment, an example in which the electronic device 9 functions as an estimation device has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the controller 30 of the printer 3 or the controller 50 of the robot 5 may function as an estimation device. In this case, the controller 30 of the printer 3 and the controller 50 of the robot 5 may communicate via the electronic device 9, or may communicate directly without using the electronic device 9.

[0097] (2) As a collection operation flow, the robot 5 moves from the initial position Ip toward the standby position Wp of the printer 3, waits until the printing process is completed, then retrieves the media M after the printing process from the table 31 of the printer 3, moves to the collection point 8 for the media M, and releases the media M.

[0098] The robot 5 starts moving from the initial position Ip before the end of the printing process and waits for the end of the printing process at the standby position Wp of the printer 3. This allows the robot 5 to quickly collect the media M as soon as the printing process in the printer 3 is completed.

[0099] (3) If the data included in the data set DS satisfies the estimation criteria, the estimation unit 93 of the electronic device 9 estimates the end time t end If the data included in the data set DS does not satisfy the estimation criteria, the robot 5 can start the collection operation flow after the printing process of the printer 3 is completed.

[0100] For example, when the number of printing operations by the printer 3 is small and the amount of actual processing time data stored in the storage unit 96 is small, the end time t end The accuracy of the estimated end time t end The timing of the collection operation flow based on the above is not adjusted, and priority can be given to the robot 5 reliably collecting the media M.

[0101] (4) The robot 5 can be a human-collaborative robot.

[0102] Because collaborative robots operate in areas where human access is not restricted by fences or the like, their operating speeds are sometimes set slow to ensure safety. Therefore, if a collaborative robot starts moving after the printing process of the printer 3 has finished, the standby time of the printer 3 tends to become longer. In other words, in the case of a collaborative robot, the effect of reducing standby time by starting to move before the printing process finishes, as in this embodiment, is greater.

[0103] (5) The printer 3 includes a table 31 on which the medium M is placed. The standby position Wp in the printer 3 can be a position where at least a portion of the robot 5 overlaps the table 31 when viewed from the Z direction (orthogonal direction) perpendicular to the media M placement surface 31a of the table 31.

[0104] By waiting for the printer 3 to finish printing at a position close to the printer 3, the robot 5 can more quickly obtain the printed media M from the table 31. This further reduces the waiting time for the printer 3 and the robot 5. "At least a part of the robot 5" may be, for example, a part of the mechanism for acquiring the media M in the robot 5. The mechanism for acquiring the media M may be, for example, a shaft 54 ​​with a suction pad 55 attached to the bottom end, or a hand that holds the media M.

[0105] (6) The printer 3 includes a head 35 (a droplet ejection unit) disposed above the table 31. At the standby position Wp, the robot 5 positions the portion that overlaps with the table 31 when viewed from the Z direction above the head 35 until the printing process is completed.

[0106] This reduces the possibility of contact between the robot 5 and the head 35 undergoing printing processing while the robot 5 is waiting at the waiting position Wp. The "portion that overlaps with the table 31 when viewed from the Z direction" may be, for example, the part of the mechanism for acquiring the media M in the robot 5. The mechanism for acquiring the media M may be, for example, a shaft 54 ​​with a suction pad 55 attached to the bottom end, or a hand that holds the media M. The robot 5 positions the media M held by the suction pad 55 at the bottom end of the shaft 54 ​​above the head 35. In the above-described embodiment, the printer 3 equipped with the head 35 that ejects ink from nozzles is shown as an example of a droplet ejection device, but the droplet ejection device is not limited to this example. For example, the droplet ejection device may be an application device that has an ink dispenser that applies ink as an ejection unit, or a device that has a spray that sprays ink as an ejection unit.

[0107] (7) The job management unit 91 of the electronic device 9 (determination device) determines the end of the printing process based on the state of the printer 3. When the job management unit 91 determines that the printing process has ended, the robot 5 picks up the media M placed on the table 31 after the printing process.

[0108] The end time t estimated by the estimation unit 93 endThe time may differ from the actual end time of the printing process. By having the robot 5 collect the media M after it has determined that the printing process has ended, the possibility of the robot 5 picking up media M for which printing has not yet finished or the possibility of the robot 5 coming into contact with the head 35 during printing can be reduced. As described above, the collaborative robot has a mechanism that detects and stops the robot 5 when it approaches or comes into contact with a person or object. Therefore, if the robot 5 comes into contact with the head 35 of the printer 3, the robot 5 may stop operating, potentially resulting in a loss of time before it can be restarted. Reducing the possibility of contact between the robot 5 and the head 35 of the printer 3 can improve the processing efficiency of the processing system 1.

[0109] In the above embodiment, the electronic device 9 functions as a determination device, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the controller of the printer 3 or the controller of the robot 5 may function as the determination device. When the controller of the printer 3 functions as the determination device, the controller of the printer 3 may transmit the determination result to the controller of the robot 5 via the electronic device 9, or may transmit the determination result directly to the robot 5. The determination device can acquire information about the status of the printer 3 in various ways. For example, as in the embodiment, the job management unit 91 of the electronic device 9 can determine the status of the printer 3 based on a notification signal from the printer 3. Alternatively, a sensor that detects the state of the printer 3 may be provided on the printer 3 or the robot 5, and the electronic device 9 may acquire the detection results of the sensor. For example, a camera may be provided as a sensor on the shaft 54 ​​of the robot 5. When the robot 5 moves to the standby position Wp, the camera on the shaft 54 ​​can take an image of the table 31 of the printer 3. The electronic device 9 can determine the state of the printer 3 by analyzing the image taken by the sensor and identifying the position of the carriage of the printer 3.

[0110] (13) The monitoring unit 94 of the electronic device 9 (monitoring device) can monitor the status of the printer 3. For example, the job management unit 91 of the electronic device 9 can monitor the status of the printer 3 from the start to the end time t end When more than half (T / 2) of the time T has elapsed, the job management unit 91 acquires information about the status of the printer 3 from the monitoring unit 94 and determines whether there is an abnormality in the status of the printer 3. If there is no abnormality in the status of the printer 3, the job management unit 91 outputs an operation command for the collection operation flow to the robot 5 before the end time estimated by the electronic device 9. If the job management unit 91 determines that no abnormality has occurred, the robot 5 starts moving from the initial position Ip and finishes at the end time t end The printer 3 arrives at the standby position Wp before the printer 3 arrives at the standby position Wp.

[0111] If the robot 5 arrives at the standby position Wp too early, for example, if a malfunction occurs in the printer 3 during printing processing, the robot 5 must be temporarily retreated from the standby position Wp to the initial position Ip to deal with the malfunction. In this case, a loss of movement of the robot 5 occurs. If more than half of the printing process has progressed normally, there is a relatively high possibility that the entire printing process will be completed normally. When more than half of the printing process has progressed, the robot 5 starts moving, and the printing process completion time t end By arriving at the standby position Wp earlier, the standby time of the printer 3 and the robot 5 can be reduced, and the possibility of loss of operation of the robot 5 can be reduced.

[0112] (14) The estimation unit 93 (estimation device) of the electronic device 9 calculates the travel time T required for the robot 5 to travel from the initial position Ip to the printer 3. move can be estimated. The robot 5 moves, for example, with a movement time T move The timing t is determined based on m Then, the collection operation flow can be started.

[0113] Robot 5's travel time T move By estimating, for example, the end time tend The robot 5 starts moving at time t m This reduces the possibility of contact between the robot 5 and the printer 3, and also reduces the time that the robot 5 waits at the standby position Wp.

[0114] (15) After starting the collection operation flow for the printer 3, if the printing process is not completed within a predetermined time from the completion time estimated by the electronic device 9, the robot 5 can return to the initial position Ip.

[0115] If the printing process of the printer 3 does not finish within a predetermined time after the robot 5 moves to the standby position Wp, it is highly likely that some kind of malfunction has occurred in the printer 3, making it difficult to continue the printing process. In this case, an operator must go to the processing area A1 to deal with the malfunction of the printer 3. If the robot 5 has already retreated to the initial position Ip when the operator goes to the processing area A1, the operator can quickly deal with the malfunction of the printer 3.

[0116] The effects described above also apply to the processing method in the processing system 1 and the operation control program for the robot 5. The present invention also applies to the media M processed (manufactured) by the processing method (manufacturing method) of the processing system 1.

[0117] In the following modifications, the same components as those in the embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. (Variation 1) FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a processing system 1A according to the first modification. As shown in FIG. 9, in a processing system 1A according to the first modification, a printer 3 has a table 31 on which a plurality of media M can be placed. FIG. 9 shows an example in which four media M placement positions Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd are provided on the table 31 of the printer 3. The placement positions Pa and Pb are provided side by side in the Y direction near the home position Hp on the X1 side of the table 31. The placement position Pa is provided on the Y2 side of the placement position Pb. The placement positions Pc and Pd are provided side by side in the Y direction on the X2 side of the table 31. The placement position Pc is provided on the Y2 side of the placement position Pd. Note that FIG. 9 is merely an example, and the number of placement areas Pa for media M on table 31 and the positions of each placement area Pa can be changed as appropriate depending on the size of the media M used in the printing process.

[0118] As in the embodiment, the printer 3 performs printing by moving the head 35 (see FIG. 2) in the X and Y directions from the home position Hp and sequentially facing each of the media M placement locations Pa to Pd. The printer 3 may perform printing processing of the same content on the media M placed at all of the placement locations Pa to Pd, or may perform printing processing of different content on at least some of the placement locations Pa from the other placement locations Pa.

[0119] In the first modification, the robot 5 supplies the media M to each of the placement locations Pa to Pd of the printer 3. When the printer 3 finishes printing on the media M placed on the placement locations Pa to Pd, the head 35 returns to the home position Hp. The robot 5 supplies the media M after printing from the placement locations Pa to Pd. In Variation 1, the robot 5 also starts the collection operation flow before the end of the printing process. This allows the robot 5 to quickly collect the media M after the printer 3 finishes the printing process, reducing the standby time of the printer 3 and the robot 5.

[0120] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the standby position Wp of the robot 5. 10, the table 31 is shown as a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 9, but the hatching indicating the cross section is omitted. Also, the areas where the placement positions Pc and Pb are formed when viewed from the Y direction are shown by hatching. 10, similarly to the embodiment, the standby position Wp can be a position where at least a part of the robot 5 (for example, the shaft 54) overlaps with the table 31 when viewed from the Z direction. In the first modification, the standby position Wp can be a position where the shaft 54 ​​of the robot 5 overlaps with the placement location that is farthest in a straight line from the head 35 when the printing process is completed when viewed from the Z direction. As described above, the head 35 returns to, for example, the home position Hp when the printing process of the printer 3 is completed. In this case, the standby position Wp of the robot 5 can be set to a position overlapping with the placement location that is farthest from the head 35 located at the home position Hp when viewed from the Z direction. In the example of FIG. 9, when the printing process of the printer 3 is completed, the head 35 is positioned closer to the end on the Y1 side of the home position Hp. In this case, of the placement positions Pa to Pd, placement position Pb is closest in a straight line to the position of the head 35 at the end of the printing process, and placement position Pc is the farthest. In this case, as shown in Fig. 10, a position overlapping with placement position Pc when viewed from the Z direction can be set as the standby position Wp of the robot 5.

[0121] If the standby position Wp of the robot 5 is set to a position overlapping with the placement location Pb, there is a high possibility that the robot moving to the standby position Wp will come into contact with the head 35 returning to the home position Hp. By setting the standby position Wp at the placement location Pc, the possibility of contact between the head 35 and the robot 5 can be reduced. The position of the head 35 at the end of the printing process is not limited to the home position Hp. For example, a maintenance station 41 that cleans the head 35 after the printing process may be provided in a position different from the home position Hp. In that case, the standby position Wp may be set at the placement location farthest from the maintenance station 41.

[0122] As described above, the processing system 1A according to the first modification has, for example, the following configuration. (8) The printer 3 includes a head 35 that is disposed above the table 31 and ejects ink. A table 31 of the printer 3 can accommodate a plurality of media M. The robot 5 can wait for the end of the printing process at a standby position Wp that at least partially overlaps, when viewed from the Z direction, with the placement location of the media M that is farthest from the head 35 at the end of the printing process (for example, placement location Pc). When the head 35 is located at the home position Hp of the table 31 at the end of the printing process, the standby position Wp can be set to a position overlapping the placement position Pc of the medium M that is the farthest from the home position Hp.

[0123] With this configuration, the media M can be quickly collected from the table 31 after the printing process is completed, and the possibility of contact between the robot 5 and the head 35 of the printer 3 can be reduced.

[0124] (Variation 2) FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the flow of the recovery operation of the robot 5 in the processing system 1B according to the second modification. In the second modification, an example will be described in which the robot 5 moves in two stages between a first standby position Wp1 and a second standby position Wp2 in the collection operation flow. 11(a), the first standby position Wp1 is a position where the robot 5 does not overlap the table 31 when viewed from the Z direction. The first standby position Wp1 is a position closer to the table 31 than the initial position Ip (see FIG. 1). As in the embodiment, the robot 5 determines the end time t end Before this, the robot starts moving from the initial position Ip (see FIG. 1) and first stops at the first standby position Wp1.

[0125] 11(b), the second standby position Wp2 is closer to the table 31 than the first standby position Wp1. For example, the second standby position Wp2 can be a position where at least a portion of the robot 5 overlaps the table 31 when viewed from the Z direction. For example, the second standby position Wp2 can be a position where the shaft 54 ​​of the robot 5 overlaps the placement location Pa for the media M. After waiting for a predetermined time at the first standby position Wp1, the robot 5 moves to the second standby position Wp2 and waits until the end of the printing process of the printer 3. When the head 35 of the printer 3 returns to the home position Hp and the printing process is completed, the robot 5 collects the media M after the printing process from the table 31, as in the embodiment.

[0126] The time t when the robot 5 starts moving from the initial position Ip to the first standby position Wp1 m1 and the time t when the movement from the first standby position Wp1 to the second standby position Wp2 starts. m2 is the end time t end Any time earlier than this is acceptable, and the timing is not limited to a specific time. The time t described in the embodiment m (See Figure 6) and time t m1 , t m2 may be set based on the printing time of the printer 3 or the moving time of the robot 5 measured by simulation or test. Alternatively, the estimation unit 93 may use machine learning to estimate the end time t end When estimating, time t m1 , t m2 may be estimated.

[0127] The timing at which the robot 5 starts moving to the first standby position Wp1 and the second standby position Wp2 is controlled by the job management unit 91 of the electronic device 9, as in the embodiment. In Modification 2, the job management unit 91 of the electronic device 9 (monitoring device) monitors the status of at least one of the printer 3 and the robot 5 while the robot 5 is stopped at each of the first standby position Wp1 and the second standby position Wp2. The job management unit 91 can determine whether to move the robot 5 from each standby position depending on the status determination result.

[0128] As explained in the embodiment, the job management unit 91 also determines the states of the printer 3 and the robot 5 when moving the robot 5 from the initial position Ip (see step S12 in FIG. 8). When the robot 5 is stopped at the first standby position Wp1 or the second standby position Wp2, the distance between the robot 5 and the printer 3 is short. That is, in the second modification, the job management unit 91 can make a determination that takes advantage of the close positional relationship between the robot 5 and the printer 3. For example, when the robot 5 approaches the printer 3, the camera attached to the robot 5 becomes able to photograph the printer 3. Also, the camera attached to the printer 3 becomes able to photograph the robot 5. From the photographed images, the job management unit 91 can determine the operating status of the printer 3 and the robot 5, and measure the distance and positional relationship between them.

[0129] For example, the job management unit 91 can monitor the status of the printer 3 and the robot 5 while the robot 5 is stopped at the first standby position Wp1. The job management unit 91 can, for example, monitor the operation of the moving parts of the printer 3 (guide bar 36, carriage 34, table 31, etc.) from images captured by a camera attached to the robot 5, and measure the distance between the table 31 and the lower end of the shaft 54 ​​of the robot 5. The job management unit 91 can monitor the state of the robot 5, for example, using a sensor such as a camera attached to the printer 3. The job management unit 91 can monitor the operation of the robot 5, the position of the shaft 54, and the positional relationship between the lower end of the shaft 54 ​​and the movable parts of the printer 3 (guide bar 36, carriage 34, table 31, etc.) from images captured by the camera attached to the printer 3, for example. For example, if there is a high possibility that the printer 3 and the robot 5 will come into contact if the robot 5 continues to operate, the job management unit 91 can determine that there is an abnormality in the status. The job management unit 91 can determine the possibility of contact between the printer 3 and the robot 5 from factors such as delays in the operation of the printer 3 and the distance between the shaft 54 ​​of the robot 5 and the moving parts of the printer 3.

[0130] For example, the job management unit 91 can monitor the state of the printer 3 while the robot 5 is stopped at the second standby position Wp2. At the second standby position Wp2, the robot 5 is positioned above the table 31 of the printer 3, and the robot 5 may not appear in the image captured by the camera of the printer 3. In such a case, the determination of the operation of the robot 5 may be omitted. The job management unit 91 can, for example, monitor the operation of the moving parts of the printer 3 (guide bar 36, carriage 34, table 31, etc.) from images captured by a camera attached to the robot 5, and measure the distance between the table 31 and the lower end of the shaft 54 ​​of the robot 5. For example, if there is a high possibility that the printer 3 and the robot 5 will come into contact if the robot 5 continues to operate, the job management unit 91 can determine that there is an abnormality in the status. The job management unit 91 can determine the possibility of contact between the printer 3 and the robot 5 from factors such as delays in the operation of the printer 3 and the distance between the shaft 54 ​​of the robot 5 and the moving parts of the printer 3.

[0131] If an abnormality in the state of the printer 3 is determined while the robot 5 is stopped at the second standby position Wp2, the job management unit 91 can retreat the robot 5 from the second standby position Wp2 to the first standby position Wp1. If there is a possibility of contact between the printer 3 and the robot 5, the robot 5 can be retracted from the second standby position Wp2 to the first standby position Wp1, which is away from the printer 3, thereby reducing the possibility of contact. Furthermore, if a malfunction occurs in the printer 3 that makes it impossible to continue the print job, the user must take action to resolve the malfunction. If the robot 5 is located at the second standby position Wp2 overlapping the table 31 of the printer 3, the user must move the robot 5, which may affect the ability to respond promptly. In such a case, the job management unit 91 can cause the robot 5 to retreat to the first standby position Wp1 in advance, allowing the user to deal with the malfunction of the printer 3 promptly.

[0132] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the electronic device 9 according to the second modification. Steps S131 to S138 in Fig. 12 can be executed by replacing them with step S13 in Fig. 8. The processes before and after steps S131 to S138 are the same as those described in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 12, the job management unit 91 of the electronic device 9 calculates the estimated end time t end time t before m1 Then, an operation command for the recovery operation flow is output to the robot 5 (step S131). In accordance with the operation command, the robot 5 moves from the initial position Ip to the first standby position Wp1 and waits there. When the job management unit 91 receives a notification from the robot 5 that the robot 5 has completed moving to the first standby position Wp1 (step S132: Yes), the job management unit 91 monitors the status of the printer 3 and the robot 5 (step S133). If there is no abnormality in the status of the printer 3 and the robot 5 (step S133: No), the job management unit 91 m2Then, the electronic device 9 notifies the robot 5 that standby at the first standby position Wp1 has ended (step S134). Upon receiving the notification from the electronic device 9, the robot 5 moves from the first standby position Wp1 to the second standby position Wp2 and waits there.

[0133] When the job management unit 91 receives a notification from the robot 5 that the robot 5 has completed moving to the second standby position Wp2 (step S135: Yes), the job management unit 91 monitors the state of the printer 3 (step S136). If there is no abnormality in the status of the printer 3 (step S136: No), the job management unit 91 proceeds to step S14 in Figure 8, makes the robot 5 wait until the printing process of the printer 3 is completed, and makes the robot 5 collect the media M after the printing process is completed.

[0134] If the job management section 91 determines that an abnormality has occurred in step S133 (step S133: Yes), the process proceeds to step S138. If the job management unit 91 determines that an abnormality has occurred in step S137 (step S136: Yes), it retreats the robot 5 from the second standby position Wp2 to the first standby position Wp1 (step S137), and proceeds to step S138. In step S138, the job management unit 91 determines whether the print job can be continued. For example, if the robot 5 is moved after the printer 3 has finished printing and returned to the home position Hp, and contact with the robot 5 can be avoided, the job management unit 91 can determine that the print job can be continued. If the job management unit 91 determines that the print job can continue (step S138: Yes), it proceeds to step S14 in FIG. 8, waits until the printer 3 finishes printing, and then collects the media M after printing. In this case, the robot 5 moves from the first standby position Wp1 to the second standby position Wp2 and then collects the media M. In other words, the standby time for the printer 3 and robot 5 can be reduced compared to when the robot 5 moves from the initial position Ip to the second standby position Wp2 to collect the media M.

[0135] If the job management unit 91 determines in step S138 that the print job cannot be continued (step S138: No), the process proceeds to step S22 in FIG. 8, where the collection operation flow is canceled and an abnormality is notified to the user.

[0136] As described above, the processing system 1B according to the second modification has the following configuration. (9) The printer 3 includes a table 31 on which the medium M is placed. The standby positions of the robot 5 can include a first standby position Wp1 and a second standby position Wp2. The first standby position Wp1 can be a position where the robot 5 does not overlap the table 31 when viewed from the Z direction perpendicular to the placement surface 31a of the table 31 on which the media M is placed. The second standby position Wp2 can be a position where at least a portion of the robot 5 overlaps the table 31 when viewed from the Z direction. For example, the second standby position Wp2 can be a position where the shaft 54 ​​of the robot 5 overlaps the placement location Pa of the media M on the table 31 when viewed from the Z direction. In the collection operation flow, the robot 5 moves from the initial position Ip to the first standby position Wp1 of the printer 3, and then moves to the second standby position Wp2.

[0137] For example, the end time t end If the operation of the printer 3 is delayed relative to this, the robot 5 is likely to come into contact with the head 35 of the printer 3 if it moves directly from the initial position Ip to a position where it overlaps with the table 31 . In the second modification, the robot 5 temporarily stops at a first standby position Wp1 that is closer to the table 31 than the initial position Ip and does not overlap with the table 31 when viewed from the Z direction. end When the end time t end This reduces the possibility that the robot 5 will come into contact with the printer 3 even if there is a discrepancy in the actual operation of the printer 3. In the second modification, an example has been described in which two standby positions, the first standby position Wp1 and the second standby position Wp2, are set, but the number of standby positions may be three or more.

[0138] (10) The job management unit 91 of the electronic device 9 (monitoring device) monitors the status of at least one of the printer 3 and the robot 5 while the robot 5 is stopped at the first standby position Wp1. If the job management unit 91 determines that there is no abnormality in the status of the robot 5, the robot 5 moves to the second standby position Wp2.

[0139] When the robot 5 is stopped at the first standby position Wp1, the distance to the printer 3 is closer than when the robot 5 is at the initial position Ip. Therefore, for example, information about the state of the robot 5 and the printer 3 can be obtained from images captured by cameras attached to each of the robot 5 and the printer 3. When the robot 5 and the printer 3 are close to each other, it is possible to more accurately determine the possibility of contact between the robot 5 and the printer 3.

[0140] In the second modification, an example in which the electronic device 9 functions as a monitoring device has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the controller of the printer 3 or the controller of the robot 5 may function as a monitoring device. When the controller of the printer 3 functions as a monitoring device, the controller of the printer 3 may transmit the determination result to the controller of the robot 5 via the electronic device 9, or may transmit the determination result directly to the robot 5.

[0141] (11) While the robot 5 is stopped at the second standby position Wp2, the job management unit 91 of the electronic device 9 can monitor the status of the printer 3.

[0142] By having the job management unit 91 monitor at two stages, at the first standby position Wp1 and the second standby position Wp2, the possibility of contact between the robot 5 and the printer 3 is further reduced, enabling reliable collection of the media M. Furthermore, at the second standby position Wp2, the robot 5 is closer to the printer 3, allowing the job management unit 91 to perform highly accurate monitoring.

[0143] (12) If the job management unit 91 determines that the printer 3 is in an abnormal state while the robot 5 is stopped at the second standby position Wp2, the robot 5 can retreat to the first standby position Wp1.

[0144] As a result of monitoring by the job management unit 91, for example, if it is determined that there is a possibility of contact between the printer 3 and the robot 5, the robot 5 can retreat from the second standby position Wp2 to the first standby position Wp1, thereby increasing the distance from the printer 3 and reducing the possibility of contact. Furthermore, if a malfunction or the like occurs in the printer 3, the robot 5 moves away from the printer 3, so that the user can deal with the malfunction quickly without being interfered with by the robot 5. The position to which the robot 5 is retracted from the second standby position Wp2 is not limited to the first standby position Wp1, and the robot 5 can also be retracted to, for example, the initial position Ip. 12, it may be possible to continue the print job even if the job management unit 91 determines that the status is abnormal. In such a case, if the robot 5 retreats to the first standby position Wp1, it can collect the media M in a shorter distance than when it is moved to the initial position Ip, thereby reducing the standby time of the printer 3 and robot 5.

[0145] (Variation 3) FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing system 1C according to the third modification. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a movement path of the robot 5. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 13, an example will be described in which a processing system 1C includes a plurality of printers 3A, 3B, and 3C. As an example, printers 3A and 3C are arranged in processing area A1 with their main scanning direction aligned with the X direction and their sub-scanning direction aligned with the Y direction. Printer 3B is arranged with its main scanning direction aligned with the Y direction and its sub-scanning direction aligned with the X direction. In the following description, when printers 3A, 3B, and 3C are mentioned without distinction, they will be simply referred to as "printers 3." In the processing area A1, printers 3A, 3B, and 3C, a supply point 7, and a collection point 8 are provided within a reachable range (rotation range) of arms 52 and 53 of the robot 5.

[0146] In the example of FIG. 14, the supply location 7, the collection location 8, the printers 3A, 3B, and 3C are arranged in this order in a counterclockwise direction from the initial position Ip of the robot 5. By arranging the robot 5 in this manner, the robot 5 can move counterclockwise and clockwise between the initial position Ip and each printer 3, thereby both supplying and collecting media M to each of the printers 3A, 3B, and 3C along the same movement path. In the third modification, the teaching data set for the robot 5 includes movement paths for each of the printers 3A, 3B, and 3C. Although FIG. 14 shows only the movement route R1 for the printer 3C and the movement route R2 for the printer 3B, a movement route can be set similarly for the printer 3A.

[0147] The printers 3A, 3B, and 3C may have the same printing functions, or may have at least some printing functions that are different from each other. The printing function can be, for example, the type of ink that can be printed, the print quality that can be set, optional functions that can be added to the printing process, and the like. Also, in Figure 13, an example is shown in which one placement area Pa for media M is provided on the table 31 of each printer 3, but multiple placement areas for media M (see Figure 9) may be provided on the table 31 of at least one printer 3.

[0148] In the processing system 1C of the third modification, the efficiency of the printing process can be improved by having the multiple printers 3A, 3B, and 3C perform printing processes in parallel. Printers 3A, 3B, and 3C may each perform printing processing individually on different media M. In this case, printers 3A, 3B, and 3C may print the same image on media M, or may print different images on media M. Alternatively, printers 3A, 3B, and 3C may perform printing processing consecutively on one medium M to produce one printed product.

[0149] In the third modification, the robot 5 supplies and collects media M to each of the multiple printers 3A, 3B, and 3C. In the third modification, while the robot 5 is transporting media M to one of the printers 3, the other printers 3 may be placed on standby. In order to make the most of the advantage of multiple printers 3A, 3B, and 3C performing printing processes in parallel, it is desirable that the robot 5 operates efficiently and that the standby time of the printers 3 be reduced.

[0150] In the third modification, the job management unit 91 (see FIG. 2) of the electronic device 9 outputs print jobs to the printers 3A, 3B, and 3C in sequence, and causes the robot 5 to supply media M in sequence from the printers 3 that have completed standby. The printers 3A, 3B, and 3C start printing in sequence when the media M are supplied. As a result, the printers 3A, 3B, and 3C perform printing in parallel, although there is a time lag between them.

[0151] As in the embodiment, the job management unit 91 sends to the estimation unit 93 the end times t end is estimated. The job management unit 91 calculates the end time t end Based on this, the printer 3 that is the target for executing the collection operation flow of the robot 5 can be selected from among the printers 3A, 3B, and 3C.

[0152] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of selection of a printer 3 that is to be the target of the collection operation flow. 15, for the sake of simplicity, an example is shown in which the execution target is selected from two printers 3, printers 3A and 3B. For the sake of convenience, the start time t start is considered to be the same.

[0153] The job management unit 91 can select the printer 3 that is to be the execution target of the collection operation flow in the following two ways, for example. (i) Select printer 3, which will complete the printing process the fastest. For example, the job management unit 91 may manage the job of a plurality of printers 3 by end The printer 3 with the shortest time T until the print job is completed, that is, the printer 3 that is estimated to finish the print job the soonest, can be selected as the printer to which the collection operation flow is to be executed. In the example of FIG. 15, the estimation unit 93 estimates the end time t end The end time t of the printing process of printer 1 and printer 3B end 2. The start time of the printing process t start From the end time t end The print process start time t start From the end time of the printing process t end The time T2 until printer 2 is completed is shorter (T1>T2). That is, it is estimated that printer 3B will complete the printing process the earliest. In this case, the job management unit 91 selects printer 3B as the printer to which the collection operation flow is to be executed. In this mode (i), the robot 5 can quickly collect the media M from the printer 3 after the printing process has finished, which can contribute to improving the efficiency of the printing process of each printer 3.

[0154] (ii) Select printer 3 that will complete collection of media M the fastest. In this embodiment, the job management unit 91 notifies the estimation unit 93 of the end time t endIn addition, the travel time T for the robot 5 to collect the media M from each printer 3 is r Also estimate. Travel time T r Specifically, this is the time it takes for the robot 5 to pick up the media M after printing at the standby position Wp of each printer 3, move to the collection point 8, place the media M there, and then return to the initial position Ip. The estimation unit 93 estimates the end time t end Similarly, for example, by machine learning statistical data, the movement time T r can be estimated.

[0155] The job management unit 91 calculates the end time t end Travel time T r The total processing time T total It is calculated as follows. The job management unit 91 calculates the total processing time T total The printer 3 with the shortest time, that is, the printer 3 that can complete collection of the media M after printing processing the fastest, can be selected as the printer for the robot 5 to execute the collection operation flow. In the example of FIG. 15, the estimation unit 93 estimates the travel time T r1 and the travel time T for collecting the media M from the printer 3B. r2 It is estimated that: Time T1 and travel time T r1 The total processing time T total1 is the time T2 and travel time T r2 The total processing time T total2 shorter than (T total1 (T1+T r1 ) <T total2 (T2+T r2 )) In other words, it is estimated that printer 3A is the printer 3 that will most quickly complete collection of media M. In this case, the job management unit 91 selects printer 3A as the printer that will execute the collection operation flow. In the aspect (ii), the printer 3 is selected taking into consideration not only the printing process of the printer 3 but also the time for the recovery operation of the robot 5, which can contribute to improving the processing efficiency of the entire processing system 1C.

[0156] The above-mentioned aspects (i) and (ii) can be appropriately adopted depending on whether the efficiency of the printing process of each printer 3 is to be increased or the processing efficiency of the entire processing system 1C is to be increased.

[0157] As in the embodiment, the job management unit 91 starts the movement of the robot 5 before the estimated end time of the printing process. As in the embodiment and other modified examples, a standby position Wp (see FIGS. 4, 10, 11, etc.) is set for each of the printers 3A, 3B, and 3C in the robot 5. The robot 5 waits at the standby position Wp of each printer 3 until the printing process is completed, and collects the media M from the printer 3 as soon as the printing process is completed. Here, a delay occurs in the operation of the printer 3 where the robot 5 is waiting, and the estimated end time t end If the robot 5 continues to wait for the printer 3 that is experiencing a delay in the printing process, the waiting time for other printers 3 will increase, which may affect the efficiency of the printing process.

[0158] The job management unit 91 determines the estimated completion time t end If the printing process does not end after a predetermined time has elapsed, it is determined whether the medium M can be collected from another printer 3 (second droplet ejection device). The job management section 91 can determine that the job can be collected in the following situations, for example. Estimated end time t end There are 3 other printers nearby. Estimated end time t end There is another printer 3 that has already arrived. There is another printer 3 that has already received the notification that the printing process has finished.

[0159] "The estimated end time is near" includes, for example, the following situations: End time within a certain time t end will arrive. The robot 5 moves from the current standby position Wp to the standby position Wp of the printer 3 within the end time t end will arrive.

[0160] The job management unit 91 outputs an operation command to the robot 5 to cancel the collection operation flow currently being executed and to execute the collection operation flow to the other printer 3 that has been determined to be capable of collection. In this case, the job management unit 91 does not return the robot 5 to the initial position Ip, but moves it directly from the current standby position Wp to the standby position Wp of the other printer 3. This allows the robot 5 to quickly move to the other printer 3 and collect the media M. The movement path for the robot 5 to move directly between the printers 3A, 3B, and 3C can be set in the robot 5 in advance by teaching work.

[0161] As described above, the processing system 1C according to the third modification has, for example, the following configuration. (16) The processing system 1C may include multiple printers 3 (for example, printers 3A, 3B, and 3C). After starting the recovery operation flow for any of the printers 3 (first droplet ejection devices), the robot 5 starts the recovery operation flow for any of the printers 3 (first droplet ejection devices) until the end time t end If the printing process (droplet ejection process) of the printer 3 is not completed within a predetermined time from the time of printing, the media M can be moved to another printer 3 (second droplet ejection device) and collected.

[0162] If a delay occurs in the operation of a printer 3 while the robot 5 is waiting, and the robot 5 continues to wait, the waiting time of other printers 3 will become longer, which may affect the processing efficiency of the entire processing system 1C. In the third modification, the end time t end If the printing process is not completed after 10 minutes, the robot 5 can switch to collecting the media M from another printer 3, thereby reducing the waiting time of the other printer 3. Furthermore, by having the robot 5 move directly to the other printer 3 without returning to the initial position Ip, the robot 5 can quickly collect the media M from the other printer 3, which contributes to improving the processing efficiency of the entire processing system 1C.

[0163] (17) The estimation unit 93 estimates the end time t end Estimate. The robot 5 determines the end time t end The collection operation flow is started for the printer 3 with the shortest time T until the end of the print job.

[0164] With this configuration, the robot 5 can quickly collect the media M from the printer 3 after the printing process has finished, which can contribute to improving the efficiency of the printing process of each printer 3.

[0165] (18) The estimation unit 93 estimates the end time t end and the travel time T for the robot 5 to collect the media M from each of the multiple printers 3. r Estimate. Robot 5 waits for the time t end and the total processing time including travel time t total The collection operation flow can be started for the printer 3 with the shortest time.

[0166] Depending on the relative positions of the robot 5 and the printer 3, the travel time T r The job management unit 91 determines the end time t of the printing process of the printer 3. end The travel time of robot 5 is T rIt is possible to select the printer 3 that will perform the collection operation flow taking these factors into consideration, thereby contributing to an improvement in the processing efficiency of the entire processing system 1C.

[0167] In the third modification, an example in which the processing system 1C includes multiple printers 3 has been described, but the processing system 1C may also include a processing device that performs pre-processing or post-processing for the printer 3 in addition to the printer 3. The robot 5 can supply and collect media M from the processing device 6 in the same way as the printer 3. The estimation unit 93 of the electronic device 9 can estimate the end time t end and the travel time of robot 5, T r The job management unit 91 can select the printer 3 and the processing device as the execution target of the collection operation flow based on the estimation result of the estimation unit 93.

[0168] The above-described modified examples may not only be applied to the embodiment, but also at least a part of the content of each may be applied to other modified examples. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0169] 1, 1A, 1B, 1C Processing Systems 3(3A, 3B, 3C) Printer (droplet ejection device) 5. Robot 7 Supply points 8 Collection points 9. Electronic devices (estimation devices, judgment devices, monitoring devices) 31 Table 35 Head (discharge part) 54 Arm (at least part of the robot) 91 Job Management Department 93 Estimation part DS dataset Pa, Pb, Pc, Pd placement location Wp standby position Wp1 First standby position Wp2 Second standby position

Claims

1. a droplet ejection device that performs a droplet ejection process on a medium; a robot that collects the medium from the droplet discharge device after the droplet discharge process; an estimation device that estimates an end time of the droplet discharge process based on a data set including at least one of control data that controls the operation of the droplet discharge process in the droplet discharge device, processing conditions for the droplet discharge process, environmental information about the droplet discharge device, and actual processing time data that measures an actual processing time of the droplet discharge process; The processing system is characterized in that the robot starts a recovery operation flow for recovering the medium from the droplet discharge device before the end time estimated by the estimation device.

2. In claim 1, The processing system is characterized in that, as a recovery operation flow, the robot moves from an initial position toward a standby position of the droplet ejection device, waits until the droplet ejection process is completed, then retrieves the media after the droplet ejection process from the droplet ejection device, moves to a media recovery location, and releases the media.

3. In claim 1 or claim 2, the estimation device estimates the end time if the data included in the data set satisfies an estimation criterion; The processing system is characterized in that, if the data included in the data set does not satisfy the estimation criterion, the robot starts the recovery operation flow after the droplet discharge process is completed.

4. In claim 1 or claim 2, The processing system is characterized in that the robot is a human-collaborative robot.

5. In claim 2, the droplet ejection device includes a table on which the medium is placed, The processing system is characterized in that the standby position is a position where at least a portion of the robot overlaps the table when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the media placement surface of the table.

6. In claim 5, the droplet ejection device includes a droplet ejection unit disposed above the table; A processing system characterized in that, at the standby position, the robot positions the portion that overlaps with the table when viewed from the orthogonal direction above the discharge unit until the droplet discharge process is completed.

7. In claim 5, a determination device that determines the end of the droplet discharge process based on the state of the droplet discharge device; The processing system is characterized in that, when the determination device determines that the droplet discharge process has ended, the robot retrieves the media placed on the table after the droplet discharge process.

8. In claim 5, the droplet ejection device includes a droplet ejection unit disposed above the table; a plurality of media can be placed on the table of the droplet ejection device; A processing system characterized in that the robot waits for the completion of the droplet ejection process at a position that at least partially overlaps with the media placement location that is farthest from the ejection section when the droplet ejection process is completed, when viewed from the perpendicular direction.

9. In claim 2, the droplet ejection device includes a table on which the medium is placed, the standby positions of the robot include a first standby position where the robot does not overlap the table when viewed from an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the media placement surface of the table, and a second standby position where at least a portion of the robot overlaps the table when viewed from the orthogonal direction; The processing system is characterized in that, as the recovery operation flow, the robot moves from the initial position to the first standby position of the droplet discharge device, and then moves to the second standby position.

10. In claim 9, a monitoring device that monitors a state of at least one of the droplet ejection device and the robot while the robot is stopped at the first standby position; The processing system is characterized in that the robot moves to the second standby position when the monitoring device does not determine that the state is abnormal.

11. In claim 10, The processing system is characterized in that the monitoring device monitors the state of the droplet ejection device while the robot is stopped at the second standby position.

12. In claim 11, A processing system characterized in that, if the monitoring device determines that the robot is in an abnormal state while the robot is stopped at the second standby position, the robot retreats to the first standby position.

13. In claim 2, a monitoring device that monitors the state of the droplet ejection device; the monitoring device determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the state of the droplet discharge device at a timing when more than half of the time has elapsed from the start of the droplet discharge process to the end time; A processing system characterized in that, if no abnormality is detected by the monitoring device, the robot starts moving from the initial position and arrives at the standby position of the droplet ejection device before the end time.

14. In claim 2, the estimation device estimates a travel time required for the robot to travel from the initial position to the droplet discharge device; The processing system is characterized in that the robot starts the collection operation flow at a timing determined based on the movement time.

15. In claim 2, A processing system characterized in that, after starting the recovery operation flow for the droplet ejection device, the robot returns to the initial position if the droplet ejection process is not completed within a predetermined time from the completion time estimated by the estimation device.

16. In claim 1 or claim 2, the droplet ejection device includes a first droplet ejection device and a second droplet ejection device, and includes a plurality of the droplet ejection devices; A processing system characterized in that, after the robot starts the recovery operation flow for the first droplet ejection device, if the droplet ejection process of the first droplet ejection device is not completed within a predetermined time from the end time estimated by the estimation device, the robot moves to the second droplet ejection device and recovers the media.

17. In claim 1 or claim 2, a plurality of the droplet ejection devices; the estimation device estimates an end time of the droplet discharge process for each of the plurality of droplet discharge devices; The processing system is characterized in that the robot starts the recovery operation flow for the droplet discharge device that has the shortest time remaining until the end time estimated by the estimation device.

18. In claim 1 or claim 2, a plurality of the droplet ejection devices; the estimation device estimates the end time of the droplet discharge process of each of the plurality of droplet discharge devices and the travel time required for the robot to collect the media from each of the plurality of droplet discharge devices; The processing system is characterized in that the robot starts the recovery operation flow for the droplet discharge device for which the total processing time, which is the sum of the time until the end time and the movement time, is the shortest.

19. a droplet ejection device that performs a droplet ejection process on a medium; a robot that collects the media from the droplet discharge device after the droplet discharge process, estimating an end time of the droplet discharge process based on a data set including at least one of control data for controlling the operation of the droplet discharge process of the droplet discharge device, processing conditions for the droplet discharge process, environmental conditions of the droplet discharge device, and actual processing time data relating to past processing times of the droplet discharge process; A processing method comprising causing the robot to start a collection operation flow for collecting the media before the estimated end time.

20. A program for controlling the operation of a robot that collects a medium from a droplet discharge device that performs a droplet discharge process on the medium, the robot comprising: For electronic devices, estimating an end time of the droplet discharge process based on a data set including at least one of control data for controlling the operation of the droplet discharge process of the droplet discharge device, processing conditions of the droplet discharge process, environmental conditions of the droplet discharge device, and actual processing time data relating to past processing times of the droplet discharge process; A program that causes the robot to start a collection operation flow for collecting the media before the estimated end time.

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