Apparatus for forming identification marks and method for forming identification marks

Abstract

To provide an identification mark forming apparatus and an identification mark forming method that can form an identification mark on an object to be marked by a new method. [Solution] An identification mark forming apparatus EA comprises a mark forming means 10 that applies a marking agent MA, which is forcibly fixed by a predetermined fixing process, to an object WK to be marked, and forms a predetermined mark SM molded by the marking agent MA on the object WK, and a fixing means 30 that applies a predetermined fixing process to the marking agent MA applied to the object WK to forcibly fix the marking agent MA to the object WK, wherein the marking agent MA flows and changes shape moment by moment from the time it is applied to the object WK until it is fixed, and the fixing means 30 forcibly fixes the marking agent MA to the object WK after the predetermined mark SM has been transformed into an identification mark DM that can be individually recognized by the shape-deformed marking agent MA.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an identification mark forming device and an identification mark forming method.

Background Art

[0002] Techniques for forming an identification mark on an object to be marked are known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In Patent Document 1, a technique for forming an anti-counterfeiting pattern (identification mark) on a base material 9 (object to be marked) by plate-less printing is disclosed. However, in recent years, there has been a demand for a technique for forming an identification mark on an object to be marked by a new method.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an identification mark forming device and an identification mark forming method capable of forming an identification mark on an object to be marked by a new method.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention employs the configuration described in the claims.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, a marking agent is used that is forcibly fixed by a predetermined fixing process, and that flows and changes shape moment by moment between being applied to the object and being fixed. After the predetermined mark is transformed into an individually recognizable identification mark by the shape-changed marking agent, the marking agent is forcibly fixed to the object, thus enabling the formation of an identification mark on the object by a new method. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

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

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

[0010] An identification mark forming apparatus EA for implementing the identification mark forming method of the present invention includes: a mark forming means 10 that performs a mark forming step of applying a marking agent MA, which is forcibly fixed by ultraviolet irradiation as a predetermined fixing treatment, to an object WK to be applied to, and forming a predetermined mark SM (see Figures 1(B) and (E)) molded by the marking agent MA on the object WK; a flow promoting means 20 that performs a flow promoting step of promoting the flow of the marking agent MA applied to the object WK; and a flow promoting means 20 that applies ultraviolet irradiation to the marking agent MA applied to the object WK to forcibly fix the marking agent MA to the object WK. The device includes a fixing means 30 that performs a fixing process, a lamination means 40 that performs a lamination process to form an object WK by laminating an adhesive sheet AS as a covering material onto a base material BM, an energy application means 50 that performs an energy application process to apply heat HA as a predetermined energy to the adhesive sheet AS laminated onto the base material BM, an imaging means 60 that performs an imaging process to capture an identification mark DM (see Figures 1(F), (G)) to form an image and transmit the image to another device TA that performs a predetermined processing on the object WK, and a moving means 70 that performs a moving process to move the object WK, all of which are located in the vicinity of the device. Furthermore, the marking agent MA is a UV-curing liquid ink that is forcibly fixed by UV irradiation, and also flows and changes shape moment by moment from the time it is applied to the target object WK until it is fixed. Furthermore, the adhesive sheet AS undergoes hardening as a change specific to that heat HA when it is applied as a predetermined energy.

[0011] The mark-forming means 10 includes linear motors 11 as two drive devices that can move each slider 11A in the front-rear direction, linear motors 12 supported by each slider 11A and that can move slider 12A in the left-right direction, an inkjet nozzle 13 supported by slider 12A and that sprays marking agent MA into fine particles onto the object WK to be marked, forming a predetermined mark SM on the object WK that is molded by the collective shape of the marking agent MA, and an ink tank 14 as a storage device that stores the marking agent MA internally and sends the marking agent MA to the inkjet nozzle 13 via a hose 14A. In this embodiment, the mark-forming means 10 is configured to form a predetermined mark SM consisting of the letters "ABC" on the surface of the object WK to be marked, as shown in Figure 1(B).

[0012] The flow promotion means 20 includes a vibrator 21, which is a flow promotion device that applies vibration to the object WK to be treated.

[0013] The fixing means 30 includes a timer 31 as a measuring device capable of measuring time and an ultraviolet light emitter 32 as a fixing device capable of emitting ultraviolet UV light. The means is configured to forcibly fix the mark MA to the object WK after the predetermined mark SM has been transformed into an individually recognizable identification mark DM by the morphologically deformed mark agent MA. In this embodiment, it has been found that 30 seconds after the marking agent MA is applied to the object WK is sufficient for the predetermined mark SM to transition to the identification mark DM due to the deformation of the marking agent MA by flow.

[0014] The lamination means 40 includes a base plate 41 that directly or indirectly supports the components constituting the lamination means 40, a support roller 42 that supports a raw roll RS on which an adhesive sheet AS is temporarily attached to a strip-shaped release sheet RL, a guide roller 43 that guides the raw roll RS, a release plate 44 as a release means that folds the release sheet RL at the release edge 44A and peels the adhesive sheet AS from the release sheet RL, a pressing roller 45 as a pressing means that presses the adhesive sheet AS onto the object to be laminated WK and laminates it, a drive roller 46 supported on the output shaft (not shown) of a rotary motor 46A as a drive device and sandwiches the release sheet RL between itself and a pinch roller 46B, and a recovery roller 47 supported on the output shaft of a drive device (not shown) and constantly applies a predetermined tension to the release sheet RL between itself and the pinch roller 46B while the identification mark forming device EA is in automatic operation and recovers the release sheet RL.

[0015] The energy supply means 50 includes a coil heater 51, which is an energy supply device capable of supplying heat HA.

[0016] The imaging means 60 is equipped with a CCD camera 61 as an imaging device, and forms an image by magnifying the identification mark DM applied to the object WK to a predetermined magnification and imaging it, and transmits the image to another device TA.

[0017] The moving means 70 includes a linear motor 71 as a drive device and a support table 72 which is supported by a slider 71A of the linear motor 71 via a flow promoting means 20 and has a support surface 72A that can be held by suction using a pressure reducing means (holding means) not shown, such as a pressure reducing pump or a vacuum ejector.

[0018] The operation of the identification mark forming device EA described above will now be explained. First, the user of the identification mark forming device EA (hereinafter simply referred to as "user") sets the raw material RS as shown in the figure, with the components positioned in the initial positions shown by the solid lines in Figure 1(A). Then, a signal to start automatic operation is input via an operating means (not shown), such as an operation panel or a personal computer. The lamination means 40 then drives the rotary motor 46A to feed out the raw material RS. As shown in Figure 1(A), when the leading end of the adhesive sheet AS in the feeding direction is peeled off from the release sheet RL by a predetermined length at the folded portion of the release sheet RL, which is folded back by the release edge 44A of the release plate 44, the driving of the rotary motor 46A is stopped. Next, when the user or a transport means (not shown), such as an articulated robot or a belt conveyor, places the base material BM in a predetermined position on the support table 72 as shown in Figure 1(A), the moving means 70 drives a depressurization means (not shown) to start suction holding on the support surface 72A, and then drives the linear motor 71 to move the support table 72 to the left.

[0019] Subsequently, when the base material BM reaches a predetermined position relative to the lamination means 40, the lamination means 40 drives the rotary motor 46A to feed out the raw material RS in accordance with the movement speed of the base material BM. As a result, the adhesive sheet AS is peeled from the release sheet RL at the folded portion of the release sheet RL, and is pressed by the pressure roller 45 and laminated onto the base material BM as shown by the dashed line in Figure 1(A), forming the object to be applied WK. Next, after the entire leading adhesive sheet AS is laminated onto the object to be applied WK to form the object to be applied WK, when the leading edge in the feeding direction of the next adhesive sheet AS following the leading adhesive sheet AS is peeled from the release sheet RL by a predetermined length at the folded portion of the release sheet RL, the lamination means 40 stops driving the rotary motor 46A.

[0020] Then, when the object WK to be applied reaches the energy application position EP of the energy application means 50 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1(A), the moving means 70 stops driving the linear motor 71. Next, the energy application means 50 drives the coil heater 51, applies heat HA to the adhesive sheet AS, and cures the adhesive sheet AS. After that, when the adhesive sheet AS is cured, the energy application means 50 stops driving the coil heater 51, and the moving means 70 drives the linear motor 71 to move the support table 72 to the left.

[0021] Next, when the object WK to be applied reaches the mark formation position MP of the mark formation means 10 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1(A), the moving means 70 stops driving the linear motor 71. Then, the mark formation means 10 drives the linear motors 11, 12 and the inkjet nozzle 13, sprays the granular marking agent MA onto the object WK to be applied, and forms a predetermined mark SM on the surface of the object WK to be applied as shown in FIGS. 1(B) and (E). Next, when the predetermined mark SM is formed, after the mark formation means 10 stops driving the inkjet nozzle 13, the linear motors 11, 12 are driven to return the inkjet nozzle 13 to the initial position. When the mark formation means 10 stops driving the inkjet nozzle 13, the flow promotion means 20 and the fixing means 30 drive the vibrator 21 and the timer 31, start applying vibration to the marking agent MA and measuring time, and the moving means 70 drives the linear motor 71 to move the support table 72 to the left.

[0022] Thereafter, when the object WK to be applied reaches the ultraviolet irradiation position UP of the fixing means 30 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1(A), the moving means 70 stops driving the linear motor 71. Next, when it is confirmed by the timer 31 that 30 seconds have elapsed after the marking agent MA is applied to the object WK to be applied, the flow promotion means 20 stops driving the vibrator 21, and then the fixing means 30 drives the ultraviolet emitter 32 to irradiate the marking agent MA with ultraviolet rays UV to forcibly fix the marking agent MA to the object WK to be applied.

[0023] Here, during the 30 seconds following the application of the marking agent MA to the object WK, the marking agent MA sprayed onto the object WK flows along the surface of the object WK, or penetrates into the surface layer of the object WK, and undergoes various shape changes, such as merging with neighboring marking agent MA as shown in Figure 1(C), or spreading out independently as shown in Figure 1(D). In this way, since the marking agent MA is forcibly fixed to the object WK after a predetermined time has elapsed, sufficient time is secured for the marking agent MA to undergo shape changes so that each shape is different. As a result, the predetermined mark SM is molded by the marking agent MA that has undergone shape changes in various ways, as shown in Figures 1(F) and (G), and transitions into an identification mark DM that can be individually recognized. In this embodiment, the flow of the marking agent MA is promoted by vibrations applied from the vibrator 21, and the shape changes of the marking agent MA are more pronounced compared to when there are no vibrations. Then, once the marking agent MA is fixed to the object WK, the fixing means 30 stops driving the ultraviolet light emitter 32, and the moving means 70 drives the linear motor 71 to move the support table 72 to the left.

[0024] Next, when the object WK to be marked reaches the imaging position RP of the imaging means 60, indicated by the dashed line in Figure 1(A), the moving means 70 stops driving the linear motor 71. Then, the imaging means 60 drives the CCD camera 61 to capture the identification mark DM applied to the object WK to form an image, and transmits the image to another device TA. Next, the moving means 70 stops driving the depressurization means (not shown) and releases the suction holding on the support surface 72A. After the user or a transport means (not shown) transports the object WK to the other device TA, the moving means 70 drives the linear motor 71 to return the support table 72 to its initial position, and the above operation is repeated thereafter. Furthermore, another device TA stores the image transmitted from the imaging means 60 in a storage device (not shown), and later captures the identification mark DM attached to the object to be assigned WK that is transported, forming an image of it with the imaging device (not shown). This image is then compared with the image stored in the storage device (not shown), and if a matching image is found, the object to be assigned WK, which was the target of the imaging device (not shown), is subjected to a predetermined process.

[0025] According to the embodiments described above, a marking agent MA is used that is forcibly fixed by ultraviolet irradiation and flows and changes shape moment by moment between being applied to the object WK and being fixed. After the predetermined mark SM is transformed into an individually recognizable identification mark DM by the shape-changed marking agent MA, the marking agent MA is forcibly fixed to the object WK, so that an identification mark DM can be formed on the object WK by a new method.

[0026] The means and processes in the present invention are not limited in any way as long as they can perform the operations, functions, or processes described for those means and processes, and are certainly not limited in any way to the components or processes of a single embodiment shown in the above embodiments. For example, the mark-forming means can be anything that applies a marking agent, which is forcibly fixed by a predetermined fixing treatment, to an object to be marked, and is capable of forming a predetermined mark molded by the marking agent on the object to be marked, and is not limited in any way as long as it is within the scope of the common technical knowledge at the time of filing the application (the same applies to other means and processes).

[0027] The marking means 10 may employ an articulated robot as a driving device instead of at least one of the linear motors 11 and 12, or a marking agent MA may be applied to at least one of the base material BM and the coating material. For example, characters such as "ABCDEF", "あいう", "壱弐参", numbers including Chinese numerals such as "12345", "一二三四", "百千万", and symbols such as "!#%&", "+", "-", "×", "÷", "、", "。A predetermined mark SM may be formed on the object to be marked WK in any form, such as symbols like "· / 」, patterns like "●■▲", "◎▽◇", etc. For example, a predetermined mark SM consisting of only one notation, such as only "A", only "1", only "#", only "●", etc., may be formed on the object to be marked WK. For example, a predetermined mark SM consisting of a notation formed by combining a plurality of elements from the same form, like "いろは", "AAA", "56298", "#$%!?", "●▽◇▲", may be formed on the object to be marked WK. For example, a predetermined mark SM consisting of a notation formed by combining one or more elements from different forms, like "あA1●#", "KをC3●▲!&", "%38語AA▲□+ / ", may be formed on the object to be marked WK. Instead of a collective shape, a single marking agent MA may imitate a predetermined mark. For each object to be marked WK, a predetermined mark SM consisting of different notations may be formed respectively. For all objects to be marked WK, a predetermined mark SM consisting of the same notation may be formed. The marking agent MA may be applied to the object to be marked WK in any form, such as cube-shaped, cylindrical, prismatic, spherical, ellipsoidal, etc. As a marking device, for example, in addition to a letterpress printer, intaglio printer, lithographic printer, silk printer or screen printer that applies the marking agent MA to the object to be marked WK using a plate, an inkjet printer, dot impact printer, thermal printer, thermal transfer printer, laser printer, etc. may also be adopted. As long as a predetermined mark SM imitated by the marking agent MA can be formed on the object to be marked WK considering the characteristics, properties, nature, material, composition and structure, etc. of the marking agent MA, any marking device may be adopted. While moving the object to be marked WK, or in a state where the movement of the object to be marked WK is suppressed, the marking device may be moved to apply the marking agent MA to the object to be marked WK. While moving the object to be marked WK, or in a state where the movement of the object to be marked WK is suppressed, the movement of the marking device may be suppressed to apply the marking agent MA to the object to be marked WK.

[0028] The flow promotion means 20 may employ an eccentric motor, piston vibrator, or electrodynamic motor as a flow promotion device, or it may employ a flow promotion device that applies vibration in any direction, such as vertical, horizontal, front-back, circumferential, or other directions, or vibration in a combination of these directions, and it is not limited to a flow promotion device that applies vibration to the target object WK or marking agent MA via the support table 72, but any flow promotion device may be employed, such as a flow promotion device that applies vibration to the target object WK or marking agent MA via a linear motor 71, or a flow promotion device that applies vibration directly or indirectly to the target object WK or marking agent MA without going through the components of the moving means 70, and for example, a flow promotion device that promotes the flow of the marking agent MA by blowing a gas such as air or gas onto the target object WK or marking agent MA may be employed, or a flow promotion device that promotes the flow of the marking agent MA by tilting the target object WK may be employed, or a plate A flow-promoting device that promotes the flow of the marking agent MA by bringing contact members such as shaped members, rod-shaped members, and brush-shaped members into contact may be used. Alternatively, a flow-promoting device that promotes the flow of the marking agent MA by applying energy such as electromagnetic waves such as ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, visible light, sound waves, X-rays, or gamma rays, heating such as hot water or hot air, or cooling such as cold water or cold air to the marking agent MA applied to the object WK may be used. Any flow-promoting device that can promote the flow of the marking agent MA, taking into consideration the characteristics, properties, materials, composition, and structure of the marking agent MA, may be used. The flow of the marking agent MA may be promoted by moving the flow-promoting device while moving the object WK, or while suppressing the movement of the flow-promoting device while moving the object WK, or while suppressing the movement of the flow-promoting device, or the flow of the marking agent MA may be promoted by suppressing the movement of the flow-promoting device. The identification mark forming apparatus EA of the present invention may or may not be equipped with such a device.

[0029] The fixing means 30 may be an infrared irradiation device or an X-ray irradiation device if the marking agent MA is forcibly fixed by an electromagnetic wave irradiation treatment, such as irradiating it with electromagnetic waves such as ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, visible light, sound waves, X-rays, or gamma rays; a coil heater or an infrared irradiator may be used as the fixing device if the marking agent MA is forcibly fixed by a heating treatment, such as applying a heating medium such as hot air or hot water; a blower or a Peltier element may be used as the fixing device if the marking agent MA is forcibly fixed by a cooling treatment, such as applying a cooling medium such as cold air or cold water; a coil heater or a blower may be used as the fixing device if the marking agent MA is forcibly fixed by a drying treatment, such as blowing air or heating; or a fixing means 30 may be an infrared irradiation device or an X-ray irradiation device if the marking agent MA is forcibly fixed by a heating treatment, such as applying another substance. In the case of a fixed application, an oxygen spraying device or a hardening agent filling device may be used as the fixing device, and any device that can forcibly fix the marking agent MA to the object WK, taking into consideration the characteristics, features, properties, material, composition and structure of the marking agent MA, may be used as the fixing device, and it may be installed in a location other than the location shown in the above embodiment, and it may be installed anywhere as long as it can forcibly fix the marking agent MA to the object WK, and the fixing device may be moved while the object WK is being moved or while the movement of the object WK is being suppressed, and the fixing device may be suppressed, and the marking agent MA may be forcibly fixed to the object WK. The predetermined time between the application of the marking agent MA to the object WK and the application of the predetermined fixing treatment to the marking agent MA may be 30 seconds or less, such as 2 seconds or 15 seconds, or 30 seconds or more, such as 1 minute or 5 minutes. Any time interval is acceptable as long as it is sufficient time for the predetermined mark SM to transition to the identification mark DM, taking into consideration the characteristics, features, properties, material, composition, and structure of the object WK and the marking agent MA. In the above embodiment, the timer 31 measures the time until the predetermined mark SM transitions to the identification mark DM, and the marking agent MA is forcibly fixed to the object WK. However, the transition of the predetermined mark SM to the identification mark DM may be detected by detection means such as an imaging device or optical sensor, or by an AI tool, and then the marking agent MA may be forcibly fixed to the object WK.

[0030] The lamination means 40 may peel off the adhesive sheet AS from the roll RS, where a predetermined area partitioned by the cut is an adhesive sheet AS, and laminate it onto the base material BM, by forming a closed loop-shaped or a cut along the entire short width direction in the strip-shaped adhesive sheet substrate that is temporarily attached to the strip-shaped release sheet RL, and then peel off the adhesive sheet AS from the roll RS, where a predetermined area partitioned by the cut is an adhesive sheet AS, and laminate it onto the base material BM, or it may use a strip-shaped adhesive sheet roll, where a strip-shaped adhesive sheet substrate is temporarily attached to the strip-shaped release sheet RL, and while the roll is being fed out, a closed loop-shaped or a cut along the entire short width direction is formed in the adhesive sheet substrate with a cutting blade as a cutting means, and then peel off the adhesive sheet AS from the roll RS, where a predetermined area partitioned by the cut is an adhesive sheet AS, and laminate it onto the base material BM, and when laminating the adhesive sheet AS onto the base material BM, the speed of the roll RS being fed out Lamination tension control may be performed to control the tension so that a predetermined tension is applied to the adhesive sheet AS, or so that tension is not applied. Alternatively, the adhesive sheet AS may be peeled off from a raw material RS that has been fan-folded, for example, without being wound, and laminated onto the base material BM. Alternatively, a pressing means may be employed in which the adhesive sheet AS is held by a holding member supported on the output shaft of a linear motor as a drive device and can be held by adsorption by a depressurization means (not shown) such as a depressurization pump or a vacuum ejector, and the adhesive sheet AS held by the holding member is pressed onto the base material BM for lamination. Alternatively, a recovery means may be employed to recover the release sheet RL without winding, for example by fan-folding, shredding, or haphazardly accumulating it. Alternatively, no recovery means may be employed, or an adhesive sheet AS that is not temporarily attached to the release sheet RL may be used. The lamination means 40 may laminate the adhesive sheet AS on only one surface or only the other surface of the base material BM, or on both the one surface and the other surface, or as shown in Figure 1(B), it may laminate the adhesive sheet AS on a part of one surface of the base material BM, or on the entire surface of one surface of the base material BM, or on all or part of all surfaces of the base material BM, or it may move the base plate 41 while moving the base material BM or while the movement of the base material BM is suppressed and the adhesive sheet AS is laminated onto the base material BM, or it may move the base plate 41 while moving the base material BM or while the movement of the base material BM is suppressed and the adhesive sheet AS is laminated onto the base material BM, or it may spray or apply the coating material and laminate the coating material onto the base material BM, and any method that can form the object WK to be applied by laminating the coating material onto the base material BM is acceptable, and it may or may not be provided in the identification mark forming apparatus EA of the present invention.

[0031] The energy-imparting means 50 may apply a predetermined amount of energy to the coating material by moving the energy-imparting device while moving the object WK to be imparted, or while moving the object WK to be imparted, or while suppressing the movement of the energy-imparting device to apply a predetermined amount of energy to the coating material, or it may apply a predetermined amount of energy to the entire coating material or a part of the coating material, and the energy-imparting device may apply electromagnetic waves such as ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, visible light, sound waves, X-rays or gamma rays, or a heating medium such as hot water or hot air, or a cooling medium such as cold water or cold air, or any other type of energy. Any device may be used, and any device may be used as long as it can cause the coating agent to undergo an energy-specific change, taking into consideration the characteristics, properties, materials, composition and structure of the coating agent. For example, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 1(A), a coil heater 52 may be used as an energy supply device that is placed inside the support table 72 or on the support surface 72A and can supply heat as a predetermined energy. Both coil heaters 51 and 52 may be used, or either coil heater 51 or coil heater 52 may be used. The identification mark forming apparatus EA of the present invention may or may not be equipped with such a device.

[0032] The imaging means 60 may employ any imaging device, such as an infrared camera, ultraviolet camera, ultrasonic camera, X-ray camera, optical sensor, ultrasonic sensor, area sensor, line sensor, image sensor, digital camera, microscope camera, film camera, etc. It may also image the identification mark DM by magnifying it to 2x or 1000x, reducing it to 1 / 2x or 1 / 15x, or at 1x magnification. It may also image part or all of the identification mark DM applied to the object WK. It may also image the identification mark DM by moving the imaging device while moving the object WK or while suppressing the movement of the object WK. It may also image the identification mark DM while moving the object WK or while suppressing the movement of the object WK, with the movement of the imaging device suppressed. The identification mark forming apparatus EA of the present invention may or may not be equipped with these features. The imaging means 60 may perform imaging multiple times on a single object WK to be assigned, forming multiple images. In this case, one of these images, some but not all of them, or all of them may be transmitted to another device TA.

[0033] The moving means 70 may be a support table 72 that cannot be held by suction on the support surface 72A, or the support table 72 may be supported by the slider 71A without the flow promoting means 20, or it may or may not be provided in the identification mark forming apparatus EA of the present invention.

[0034] The identification mark forming apparatus EA may or may not be directly or indirectly connected to the flow promotion means 20, the stacking means 40, the energy supply means 50, the imaging means 60, or the moving means 70. The mark forming means 10, the flow promotion means 20, the fixing means 30, the stacking means 40, the energy supply means 50, the imaging means 60, and the moving means 70 may be arranged in appropriate positions so that the mark forming process, the flow promotion process, the fixing process, the stacking process, the energy supply process, the imaging process, and the moving process can be performed in an appropriate order. For example, the mark forming process may be performed with the arrangement configuration of the above embodiment. The marking means 10 applies the marking agent MA to the object WK so that an energy application process is carried out later. After that, the moving means 70 transports the object WK to the right, and the energy application means 50 applies a predetermined amount of energy to the adhesive sheet AS. Alternatively, the arrangement of the above embodiment may be changed so that the energy application means 50 is placed between the marking means 10 and the fixing means 30, or between the fixing means 30 and the imaging means 60, etc. It is sufficient that the marking means 10 and the fixing means 30 are arranged in appropriate positions so that at least the marking process and the fixing process can be carried out.

[0035] Other devices TA may be any device, such as a cleaning device, etching device, immersion device, cutting device, oxide film forming device, nitriding device, grinding device, sandblasting device, polishing device, painting device, lamination device, sheet bonding device, surface treatment device, drilling device, bending device, inspection device, verification device, irradiation device, plating device, counterfeit detection device, etc., and may be directly or indirectly connected to the identification mark forming device EA, or not connected at all. For example, it may be located in the same building, on the same site, or in a different building as the identification mark forming device EA, without being directly or indirectly connected to the identification mark forming device EA, or the object to be marked. The WK may be located inside the building or on the premises of the shipping destination, or other imaging equipment (not shown) that is equivalent to or different from the imaging equipment of imaging means 60 may be used, and any equipment that can form an image that can be matched by the matching equipment (not shown) may be used, and if no matching image is found as a result of matching by the matching equipment (not shown), the specified processing may not be performed on the object WK that was the target of imaging by the imaging equipment (not shown), and operations such as removing the object WK or discarding the object WK may be performed, and the identification mark forming apparatus EA of the present invention may or may not be equipped with this.

[0036] The marking agent MA can be any material that is forcibly fixed by ultraviolet irradiation and flows and changes shape moment by moment between being applied to the object WK and being fixed. For example, it can be any oil-based or water-based ink, paint, varnish, coating, adhesive, etc., or molten metal, molten solder, molten resin, molten rubber, etc. that are molten before fixing, or thermosetting, energy ray curing, drying curing resin, or adhesive, etc. that are not cured before fixing, or it can flow even without a load applied when applied to the object WK, or it can flow when a load is applied when applied to the object WK, or it can flow when energy is applied when applied to the object WK, such as electromagnetic waves such as ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, visible light, sound waves, X-rays or gamma rays, or heating such as hot water or hot air, or cooling such as cold water or cold air, or its flow can be promoted by any method such as gas spraying, tilting, or contact of contacting members. The marking agent MA may be forcibly fixed to the target object WK by any predetermined fixing treatment, such as electromagnetic wave irradiation, heating, cooling, drying, or application treatment. Examples of substances that can be forcibly fixed to the target object WK by electromagnetic wave irradiation include ultraviolet-curing inks and paints, infrared-curing resins and adhesives, etc. Examples of substances that can be forcibly fixed to the target object WK by heating include thermosetting resins and adhesives, etc. Examples of substances that can be forcibly fixed to the target object WK by cooling include molten metal, molten solder, molten resin, molten rubber, etc. Examples of substances that can be forcibly fixed to the target object WK by drying include paints, varnishes, coatings, adhesives, etc. Examples of substances that can be forcibly fixed to the target object WK by application treatment include oxygen-bonding inks and resins, two-component mixed resins and coatings, etc. The marking agent MA is designed to adhere to the object WK by natural cooling, natural drying, natural oxidation, etc., even without a predetermined fixing treatment, or it may be forcibly fixed to the object WK by a predetermined fixing treatment. Examples of marking agents that adhere to the object WK by natural cooling and are forcibly fixed to the object WK by a predetermined fixing treatment include molten metal, molten solder, molten resin, molten rubber, etc. In this case, the fixing means 30 may employ a blower or a Peltier element as fixing equipment. Examples of marking agents that adhere to the object WK by natural drying and are forcibly fixed to the object WK by a predetermined fixing treatment include paint, varnish, coatings, adhesives, etc. In this case, the fixing means 30 may employ a coil heater or a blower as fixing equipment. Furthermore, while some materials are fixed to the target material WK by natural oxidation, others are forcibly fixed to the target material WK by a predetermined fixing treatment. Examples of such materials include resins and adhesives that harden by bonding with oxygen present in the atmosphere. In this case, the fixing means 30 can employ oxygen spraying equipment, blowers, etc., as fixing equipment. The marking agent MA, which is forcibly fixed by a predetermined fixing treatment, may be one that does not permanently fix to the object WK simply by being applied to it, and is fixed to the object WK by a predetermined fixing treatment, or it may be one that will eventually fix to the object WK simply by being applied to it, and the timing of its fixation to the object WK is accelerated by a predetermined fixing treatment.

[0037] The specified mark SM and identification mark DM may be modeled by a collective shape of multiple marking agents MA, or they may be modeled by a single marking agent MA rather than a collective shape. The identification mark DM may be a modified form of all marking agents MA that mimic a predetermined mark SM, or a modified form of some of the marking agents MA that mimic a predetermined mark SM, and may be used for determining whether an object WK to be marked is counterfeit, genuine or fake, altered or unacceptable, or for individual certification or unacceptable certification of an object WK to be marked, or for factual determination or qualification certification, and may be used for any purpose.

[0038] The object WK to be coated may have the coating material laminated on both one and the other surface of the base material BM, or it may consist only of the base material BM, or it may not have the coating material laminated on it, or it may be supported by an adhesive sheet different from the adhesive sheet AS, or it may be supported by an adhesive sheet and said adhesive sheet may be supported by a support member such as a ring-shaped member or a rod-shaped member.

[0039] The coating material can be anything that can cover the base material BM, such as adhesive sheets, adhesive tapes, adhesive tapes, adhesives, adhesives, resin materials, rubber materials, metal materials, solder, wax, varnish, etc. It can be a solid, a liquid, or a gel-like substance, and it can be larger, smaller, or the same size as the object WK to be coated. The predetermined energy can be any energy that causes a change specific to that energy, such as ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, visible light, sound waves, X-rays or gamma rays, heating energy such as hot water or hot air, or cooling energy such as cold water or cold air. The specific change caused by the application of the predetermined energy can be any change, such as hardening, softening, shrinking, expanding, vaporizing, liquefaction, solidification, discoloration, oxidation, penetration, fixing, decrease in adhesive strength, or increase in adhesive strength. It can also be a material that does not cause a change specific to the predetermined energy when the predetermined energy is applied, and it does not have to be laminated onto the object WK to be coated.

[0040] The materials, types, shapes, etc., of the object to be marked WK, the base material BM, the marking agent MA, and the coating material in this invention are not particularly limited. For example, the object to be marked WK, the base material BM, and the coating material may be circular, elliptical, polygonal (such as triangle or square), or other shapes. The coating material may also be of a pressure-sensitive adhesive or heat-sensitive adhesive type. If a heat-sensitive adhesive sheet AS is used, it can be bonded by an appropriate method, such as providing a suitable heating means to heat the adhesive sheet AS, such as a suitable coil heater or the heating side of a heat pipe. Furthermore, such adhesive sheets AS can be any type, such as a single layer consisting only of an adhesive layer, a two-layer sheet with a substrate and an adhesive layer laminated together, a three-layer or more-layer sheet with one or more intermediate layers laminated between the substrate and the adhesive layer, a three-layer or more-layer sheet with one or more cover layers laminated on the upper surface of the substrate, a sheet in which the substrate, intermediate layer, or cover layer is provided in a peelable manner, a single-layer double-sided adhesive sheet consisting only of an adhesive layer, or a double-sided adhesive sheet with adhesive layers laminated on both outermost surfaces of one or more intermediate layers. In addition, the base material BM or the object to which the adhesive is applied WK can be, for example, a semiconductor wafer such as a silicon semiconductor wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, or a diamond semiconductor wafer, as well as individual items such as food, a resin container, an information recording substrate such as a circuit board or optical disc, a glass plate, a steel plate, a ceramic, a wooden board, or a resin, or a composite object formed from two or more of these, and any form of component or article can also be targeted. The adhesive sheet AS may be any sheet, film, tape, etc., such as information labels, decorative labels, protective sheets, dicing tapes, die attach films, die bonding tapes, or recording layer forming resin sheets.

[0041] The drive equipment in the above embodiment may be electric motors such as rotary motors, linear motors, single-axis robots, and so-called articulated robots with two or three or more joints, or actuators such as air cylinders, hydraulic cylinders, rodless cylinders, and rotary cylinders, either individually or in combination directly or indirectly. Furthermore, the drive equipment may be capable of or incapable of torque control or speed control of the output section of the electric motors or actuators.

[0042] In the above embodiment, an object (hereinafter referred to as "object A") and an object moving relative to object A (hereinafter referred to as "object B"), that is, object A and object B moving relative to object A, object B may move relative to object A which does not move, object A may move relative to object B which does not move, both object A and object B may move, or either object A or object B may move as long as the result achieved by the movement is the same, if a rotating member such as a roller is used, a drive device for rotating the rotating member may be provided, the surface of the rotating member or the rotating member itself may be made of a deformable material such as rubber or resin, or the surface of the rotating member or the rotating member itself may be made of a non-deformable material, other members such as rotating or non-rotating shafts or blades may be used instead of rollers, or non-rotating members may be used, if a means or member for pressing an object to be pressed, such as a pressing roller or pressing head, is used, in addition to rollers, round bars, blade materials, brush-like members, a method of blowing gas such as air or gas may be used instead of or in combination with those exemplified above, or pressing The object may be made of a deformable material such as rubber, resin, or sponge, or it may be made of a non-deformable material such as metal or glass. If a means or member for peeling off the object to be peeled off, such as a peeling plate or peeling roller, is used, then a plate-shaped member, a round bar, a roller, or other member may be used instead of or in combination with those exemplified above. The object to be peeled off may be made of a deformable material such as rubber or resin, or it may be made of a non-deformable material. If a means or member for supporting (holding) the supported (held) member is used, then... In such cases, a configuration may be adopted in which the member to be supported is supported (held) by gripping means such as a chuck motor or chuck cylinder, Coulomb force, adhesive (adhesive sheet, adhesive tape), adhesive agent (adhesive sheet, adhesive tape), magnetic force, Bernoulli adsorption, suction adsorption, drive equipment, etc., or if a cutting means or cutting member is used to cut the member to be cut or to form a cut incision or cutting line in the member to be cut, a cutting method using a cutter blade, laser cutter, ion beam, thermal power, heat, water pressure, electric heating wire, spraying of gas or liquid, etc. may be used instead of or in combination with the examples given above.It may also be possible to move the object to be cut by combining it with appropriate drive devices. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] EA...Identification mark forming device 10…Mark forming means 20…Flow promoting means 30… means of fixation DM…Identification mark MA... Marking agent SM... Designated mark WK... Items to be awarded

Claims

1. A mark forming means that applies a marking agent to an object to be marked, which is forcibly fixed by a predetermined fixing process, and forms a predetermined mark molded by the marking agent on the object to be marked, An identification mark forming apparatus comprising fixing means for forcibly fixing the marking agent applied to the object to be marked by applying a predetermined fixing treatment to the marking agent applied to the object to be marked, The marking agent is designed to flow and change shape moment by moment from the time it is applied to the object to be marked until it is fixed. The fixing means is characterized by forcibly fixing the marking agent to the object to be applied after the predetermined mark has been transformed into an individually recognizable identification mark by the morphologically deformed marking agent.

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

3. A marking step involves applying a marking agent to an object to be marked, which is forcibly fixed by a predetermined fixing process, and forming a predetermined mark on the object using the marking agent. An identification mark forming method comprising a fixing step of applying a predetermined fixing treatment to the marking agent applied to the object to be marked, thereby forcibly fixing the marking agent to the object to be marked, The marking agent is designed to flow and change shape moment by moment from the time it is applied to the object to be marked until it is fixed. The method for forming an identification mark is characterized in that, in the fixing step, the predetermined mark is transformed into an individually recognizable identification mark by the morphologically deformed marking agent, and then the marking agent is forcibly fixed to the object to be applied.

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