Printing System

Abstract

To efficiently rewrite printing information of printing objects that are successively conveyed.SOLUTION: A position determination unit of a printing system according to one embodiment determines a printing position of printing information printed on a printing object conveyed by a conveyor. A deletion unit deletes printing information printed by using thermochromic ink by applying heat from the direction vertical to the conveyance direction by a heat source whose height position is adjusted in accordance with the printing position according to the timing at which the printing position determined on the basis of the printing position passes. A printing unit includes a printer arranged on the rear stage with respect to the heat source along the conveyance direction and using the thermochromic ink, and prints information on the printing object from the direction vertical to the conveyance direction by the printer whose height position is adjusted in accordance with the printing position according to the timing at which the printing position passes. A facing mechanism makes the printing surface of the printing object face a printer head of the printer at a time point at which at least information is printed by the printing unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a printing system. [Background technology]

[0002] Printers using thermochromic coloring agents are known. Printed information such as characters and handwriting formed on printed matter using thermochromic coloring agents by such printers can be erased, for example, by a device that applies heat to the entire area of ​​the printed matter. Alternatively, the printed information can be erased by frictional heat generated by rubbing the printed matter with a special rubber provided at the rear end of the pen or the top of the cap.

[0003] For example, on a factory line, there are situations where printing objects such as cardboard boxes and returnable boxes are transported one after another, and destinations and the like must be printed on the printing objects. In such situations, reuse of the printing objects is considered from the viewpoint of resource saving. For this reason, there is a demand for a printing system that utilizes an inkjet printer using a thermochromic coloring agent, efficiently erases old printed information already formed on the label of the printing object using the thermochromic coloring agent, and then prints necessary information again using the thermochromic coloring agent. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6820628 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a printing system capable of efficiently rewriting print information on print objects which are conveyed one after another. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A printing system according to an embodiment includes a conveyor, a position determination unit, an erasing unit, a printing unit, and a facing mechanism. The present invention relates to a method for printing a printing medium comprising: a conveyor belt extending in a conveying direction; and a printing surface on which printed information is printed using a thermochromic ink, the printing surface being a rectangular parallelepiped surface of the conveyor belt and being placed on the conveying surface of the conveyor belt such that the printed surface is a side surface of the conveyor belt in the conveying direction perpendicular to the conveying surface of the conveyor belt. The position determination unit detects the position of the printing object being conveyed by the conveyor. On the printed surface The printing position of the print information is determined. The printing device is disposed downstream of the position determination unit along the conveying direction and faces the printing object on a plane perpendicular to the conveying direction of the printing object by the conveyor. heat source a heat source height position adjustment mechanism that moves the heat source in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance surface so that the heat source faces the printing position determined by the position determination unit; According to the timing at which the printing position passes, which is determined based on the printing position, By heat source of the printing object Print position By applying heat, the printed information printed in the printing position using thermochromic ink is erased. The printing unit is disposed downstream of the heat source of the erasing unit along the conveying direction. , facing the printing object in a plane perpendicular to the conveying direction of the printing object by the conveyor Printer using thermochromic ink a printer height position adjustment mechanism that moves the printer in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance surface so that the printer faces the printing position determined by the position determination unit; According to the timing at which the printing position passes, which is determined based on the printing position, Depending on the printer Printing material To The facing mechanism is configured to: Placed on the conveying surface of the conveyor belt The printing surface of the printing object, which has the printing position, is placed directly opposite the printer head of the printer. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view for explaining an example of the configuration of a printing system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows examples of various printing objects that can be used. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a pre-operation state of a pressing plate that presses an object to be printed. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the state after the pressing plate is operated. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the positional relationship between the printing object and the printer. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the printing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the write information stored in the temporary storage unit in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the object information stored in the database in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a control operation of the control unit in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining an example of the configuration of a printing system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a printing system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the printing object table in FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a control operation of the control unit in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining an example of a control operation of the control unit of the printing system according to the third embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of adjusting the position and attitude of the printer so that the print target is directly opposed to the printer head. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing another example of the write information stored in the temporary storage unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] [First embodiment] 1 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of a printing system 10 according to a first embodiment. The printing system 10 is a system for rewriting printing information in order to reuse a printing object OB on which printing information has already been printed using thermochromic ink.

[0009] The printing system 10 includes a conveyor belt BE on which the print object OB is placed. The conveyor belt BE is moved by a driving source (not shown) to convey the placed print object OB to a plurality of process positions for rewriting the print information as shown by the white arrows in FIG. 1, whereby the print information on the print object OB is rewritten. The plurality of processes include an erasing process for erasing the print information by applying heat, a printing process for printing necessary information again using thermochromic ink, and a reading process for reading the printed print information. In this manner, the conveyor belt BE and a driving source (not shown) constitute a conveyor for conveying the print object OB. Although four conveyor belts BE are shown in FIG. 1, one conveyor belt covering all process positions may be used, or a plurality of conveyor belts other than four may be used to cover all process positions.

[0010] The printing object OB has a rectangular parallelepiped shape such as a cardboard box or a returnable box, and a label LA of a color different from the printing object OB, such as white, is attached to one surface. Printing information is printed on this label LA. In other words, the label LA is the printing position, and the surface to which the label LA is attached is the printing surface. The printing information includes a character string representing the destination of the printing object OB, that is, the destination of the item stored in the printing object OB, and at least a two-dimensional barcode such as a QR code (registered trademark) that encodes this character string. The printing object OB with the item stored therein is picked up by an operator or an appropriate pick-up mechanism, and placed on the conveyor belt BE with the printing surface facing the side of the conveyor belt BE, that is, in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the printing object OB. Here, the label LA has printed information about the previous stored item printed thereon, and since it is not printed information about the currently stored item, it needs to be rewritten.

[0011] FIG. 2 shows examples of various printing objects that are used. Here, four printing objects OB1, OB2, OB3, and OB4 are shown. In this way, the printing objects OB may have different sizes and ratios of height, width, and depth. A label LA (LA1, LA2, LA3, LA4) is attached to one side of each printing object OB, and printing information can be printed thereon. The size and aspect ratio of each label LA do not have to be constant.

[0012] The printing system 10 further includes a control unit 11, a timing sensor 12, a label sensor 13, a heater 14, a printer 15, a barcode reader 16, a user interface 17, and three motors 18. The timing sensor 12, the label sensor 13, the heater 14 arranged at the erasing process position, the printer 15 arranged at the printing process position, the barcode reader 16 arranged at the reading process position, and the user interface 17 are arranged in this order along the conveyor belt BE. In other words, the erasing process position, the printing process position, and the reading process position are arranged in this order.

[0013] The control unit 11 is a computer that controls the operation of each component of the printing system 10 .

[0014] The timing sensor 12 is composed of, for example, a photoelectric sensor, and detects when the printing object OB reaches the position of the timing sensor 12. Using the point in time when the timing sensor 12 detects the arrival of the printing object OB as a reference, the control unit 11 can control the operation timing of the label sensor 13, heater 14, printer 15, and barcode reader 16 based on the moving speed of the printing object OB by the conveyor belt BE.

[0015] The label sensor 13 is composed of an image sensor such as a camera, and captures an image of the print target OB. The control unit 11 can detect the label LA, i.e., the printing position, on the print target OB from the captured image of the print target OB by well-known image processing. That is, the control unit 11 detects the distance from the front end of the print surface of the print target OB in the transport direction, the distance from the top end of the print surface (the distance from the surface opposite the placement surface), and the vertical and horizontal size of the print position. The label sensor 13 may be a simple color area sensor that can detect the label LA by itself. In this way, the label sensor 13 and the control unit 11 constitute a print position detection unit that detects the label LA on the print target OB being transported, as a position determination unit that determines the print position of the print information printed with thermochromic ink on the print target OB being transported.

[0016] The heater 14 is a heat source for erasing thermochromic ink, which irradiates the label LA with heat capable of erasing the printed information printed on the label LA using thermochromic ink. The heater 14 is supported by a support pole PO in a state in which it can be moved in the height direction by a motor 18 as shown by a solid arrow in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the mechanism for converting the rotational force of the motor 18 into a linear moving force of the heater 14 is not particularly limited. The support mechanism for the support pole PO may be one that matches the driving force conversion mechanism. Any support mechanism may be used as long as the support direction of the heater 14 is such that heat is applied to the label LA from a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the print object OB, that is, from the side of the conveyance direction. The control unit 11 can control the motor 18 based on the print position determined using the label sensor 13, that is, based on the height at which the label LA is affixed to the print object OB, to adjust the height position of the heater 14 to match the print position. Furthermore, the control unit 11 can erase the printed information printed with thermochromic ink by operating the heater 14 at the timing when the printing position passes, which is calculated based on the detection time point by the timing sensor 12. In this way, the heater 14 and the control unit 11 constitute an erasing unit that erases the printed information printed with thermochromic ink at the printing position by applying heat from a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the print object OB using the heater 14, whose height position is adjusted according to the printing position, in accordance with the timing when the printing position passes, which is determined based on the printing position.

[0017] The printer 15 is, for example, an inkjet printer using thermochromic ink. The printer 15 is supported by a support PO in a state in which it can be moved in the height direction by a motor 18 as shown by a solid arrow in FIG. 1. The conversion mechanism of the driving force of the motor 18 and the support mechanism of the printer 15 are not specified in this embodiment, as with those related to the heater 14. The printer 15 is supported by the support PO so that it can print print information on the label LA from a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the print object OB, that is, from the side of the conveyance direction. The control unit 11 can adjust the height position of the printer 15 to match the print position by controlling the motor 18 based on the print position determined using the label sensor 13, that is, based on the height at which the label LA is affixed to the print object OB. The control unit 11 can also print print information using thermochromic ink by operating the printer 15 at the timing at which the print position passes, calculated based on the detection time point by the timing sensor 12. In this way, the printer 15 and control unit 11 form a printing unit that includes a printer 15 that uses thermochromic ink and is positioned downstream of the heater 14 along the transport direction, and prints information on the printing object OB from a direction perpendicular to the transport direction by the printer 15, which adjusts its height position according to the printing position according to the timing at which the printing position determined based on the printing position passes.

[0018] The barcode reader 16 is supported by a support PO in a state in which it can be moved in the height direction by a motor 18 as shown by a solid arrow in FIG. 1. The driving force conversion mechanism of the motor 18 and the support mechanism of the barcode reader 16 are not specified in this embodiment. The barcode reader 16 is supported by the support PO so that the barcode in the printed information printed on the label LA can be read from a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the print object OB, that is, from the side of the print direction. The control unit 11 can adjust the height position of the barcode reader 16 to match the printing position by controlling the motor 18 based on the printing position determined by the label sensor 13, that is, the height at which the label LA is affixed to the print object OB. The control unit 11 can also read the printed barcode and decode the printed information by operating the barcode reader 16 at the timing when the printing position passes, which is calculated based on the detection time by the timing sensor 12.

[0019] The user interface 17 is a system monitor for displaying various information from the control unit 11. The user interface 17 may also include keys and buttons for inputting various instructions to the control unit 11. The user interface 17 may also include a touch panel having touch keys arranged on a monitor screen such as a liquid crystal display.

[0020] To ensure accurate operation in the erasing, printing and reading processes, it is necessary that the label LA, which is the printing position, faces the heater 14, printer 15 and barcode reader 16. In particular, if the printer 15 does not face the printing surface, the characters and images will be distorted, making it difficult to distinguish the characters and making it impossible for the barcode reader 16 to read the barcode. On the other hand, it is difficult to place the printing objects OB, which must be placed one after another, on the conveyor belt BE in the same orientation.

[0021] Therefore, the printing system 10 of this embodiment includes an abutment plate BP and a pressing plate PP on both sides of the conveyor belt BE in the conveying direction. The abutment plate BP is provided to extend along the conveyor belt BE. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the state before the pressing plate PP operates, and FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the state after the pressing plate PP operates. The pressing plate PP is attached to a pressing mechanism PM, and is moved toward the abutment plate BP by the pressing mechanism PM as shown by the dashed arrows in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4. During this moving operation, the pressing plate PP abuts against the printing object OB conveyed by the conveyor belt BE, pressing the printing object OB toward the abutment plate BP, and causing the printing surface of the printing object OB to abut against the abutment plate BP. As a result, the printing surface of the printing object OB is aligned parallel to the conveying direction, and is conveyed in this state. The abutment plate BP's abutment surface that abuts against the printing object OB is formed of a low-friction material so as not to affect the conveyance of the printing object OB. The pressing force of the pressing plate PP by the pressing mechanism PM is also set to a value that does not affect the transport speed of the printing object OB. The pressing force may be adjusted by feeding back the repulsive force of the printing object OB, thereby making it possible to accommodate changes in the weight of the printing object OB due to storage. When the printing surface of the printing object OB abuts against the abutment plate BP, the pressing plate PP is retracted to its initial position. Whether or not the printing surface of the printing object OB has abutted against the abutment plate BP can be detected as a change in the repulsive force, or determined from an image captured by a camera, for example.

[0022] For example, if an operator places the printing object OB on the conveyor belt BE, the operation timing of the pressing plate PP is determined according to an operation instruction from the operator. Also, if the printing object OB is placed by a pickup mechanism, the control unit 11 can control the timing based on the placement operation of the pickup mechanism.

[0023] 1, the abutment plate BP is configured as a single plate, but it may be configured as multiple continuous plates. The abutment plate BP only needs to be disposed at least from the position where the pressing plate PP is disposed to the printing process position.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the positional relationship between the print object OB and the printer. When the print object OB is transported to the printing process position, the print surface having the print area is parallel to the transport direction. The printer 15 is supported by a support PO so that the printer head 151 that ejects ink droplets of thermochromic ink faces in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, in other words, so that the printing angle is perpendicular to the print surface. The installation position of the abutment plate BP along the transport belt BE is determined so that the distance between the print surface of the print object OB and the printer head 151 is a specified distance PD suitable for printing print information. At other process positions, the abutment plate BP can be installed so that the distance between the heater 14 and the barcode reader 16 and the print surface of the print object OB is a constant distance corresponding to this specified distance PD.

[0025] In this way, the printing system 10 is equipped with a facing mechanism that faces the printing surface of the printing object OB, which has the printing position, to the printer head 151 of the printer 15, at least at the time when information is printed by the printing unit. The facing mechanism is equipped with a stop plate BP that extends along the conveying belt BE at least to the installation position of the printer 15 and whose surface facing the conveying belt BE rises a specified distance PD from the printer head 151, and a pressing mechanism PM that is positioned upstream of the installation position of the printer 15 in the conveying direction and presses the printing object OB against the stop plate BP.

[0026] Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the printing system 10. The control unit 11 includes a CPU 111, a ROM 112, a RAM 113, a storage 114, an interface 115, a sensor circuit 116, a head driving circuit 117, and a motor driving circuit 118, all of which are connected to the CPU 111 via a bus 119. Note that in Fig. 6, "interface" is abbreviated as "I / F."

[0027] The CPU 111 is a processor having a function of controlling the operation of the entire printing system 10. The CPU 111 realizes various functions by executing programs previously stored in the ROM 112. The CPU 111 can simultaneously execute multiple information processes by using a multi-core and multi-threaded CPU. Some of the various functions realized by the CPU 111 executing programs may be realized by hardware circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-programmable gate array), and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). In this case, the CPU 111 controls the functions executed by the hardware circuits.

[0028] The ROM 112 is a non-volatile memory in which control programs, control data, and the like are stored in advance.

[0029] The RAM 113 is a volatile memory. The RAM 113 temporarily stores data being processed by the CPU 111. The RAM 113 may also store data necessary for executing a program and the results of executing the program. For example, the RAM 113 may include a temporary storage unit 1131 that stores write information to be written as print information. In FIG. 6, the "temporary storage unit" is written as "TMP."

[0030] The storage 114 is an auxiliary storage device such as an EEPROM (registered trademark) (Electric Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage 114 stores data used by the CPU 111 in performing various processes and data generated by the processes in the CPU 111 in a non-volatile manner. The storage 114 includes, for example, a database 1141 that accumulates print information read by the barcode reader 16. In FIG. 6, "database" is abbreviated as "DB."

[0031] The interface 115 is an interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from an external device via a network such as a LAN, etc. The interface 115 may also be an interface for reading and writing data to and from a removable memory medium such as a USB memory or a memory card.

[0032] The sensor circuit 116 is connected to the timing sensor 12 , the label sensor 13 and the barcode reader 16 , receives signals or data therefrom, and transmits them to the CPU 111 .

[0033] The head driving circuit 117 drives the printer head 151 of the printer 15 based on print data input from the CPU 111 and in accordance with the write information stored in the temporary storage unit 1131 of the RAM 113 .

[0034] The motor drive circuit 118 controls the driving of the motor 18, the belt motor 19, and the pressing motor 20 in accordance with signals from the CPU 111. The motor drive circuit 118 can independently control the motor 18 for the heater 14, the motor 18 for the printer 15, and the motor 18 for the barcode reader 16. The belt motor 19 is a motor for driving the conveyor belt BE. Only one belt motor 19 is shown as a representative, but there may be multiple motors. The pressing motor 20 is a motor for the pressing mechanism PM that moves the pressing plate PP. However, in a configuration in which the operation of the pressing mechanism PM is performed in response to an operation command from an operator, this pressing motor 20 does not need to be connected to the motor drive circuit 118.

[0035] The user interface 17 and the heater 14 are also connected to the bus 119 directly or via an interface (not shown), and can be controlled by the CPU 111. In Fig. 6, the "user interface" is abbreviated as "UI".

[0036] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of written information stored in the temporary storage unit 1131 of the RAM 113. As shown in FIG. 7, the temporary storage unit 1131 stores written information to be printed as print information at the printing position of the print object OB, that is, on the label LA. The written information includes, for example, the destination of the print object OB. This written information can be generated by the CPU 111 upon receiving character input by an operator's operation of the user interface 17, and stored in the temporary storage unit 1131. Alternatively, the CPU 111 can control the interface 115 to receive written information transmitted from an external device via a network or read written information stored in a memory medium, and store the received or read written information in the temporary storage unit 1131. The CPU 111 adds and stores new written information at the end of the temporary storage unit 1131, and deletes the initially stored written information from the temporary storage unit 1131 when the initially stored written information is printed by the printer 15.

[0037] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of object information stored in the database 1141 of the storage 114. The database 1141 stores the contents of the printed information read by the barcode reader 16 as object information in association with a unique object ID. The object ID is arbitrarily assigned by the CPU 111 and is a serial number here. The printed information includes the printing date and time in addition to the written information, and therefore the object information also includes the printing date and time. The example of FIG. 8 shows the situation at the time when the printed information corresponding to the written information of the destination "XX Factory XX Building XX Floor XX" among the written information of FIG. 7 is printed and read. That is, the printed information corresponding to the written information of the destination "△△ Building △ Floor △△ Room △△ Mr. △△" has not yet been printed or has been printed but not yet been read, so the object information corresponding to the written information of the destination "△△ Building △ Floor △△ Room △△ Mr. △△" is not yet stored in the database 1141.

[0038] 9 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the control operation of the control unit 11. When the CPU 111 is started by turning on the power, it displays an operation menu on the user interface 17 in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 112, and executes the operation shown in this flowchart in response to a print start operation on the user interface 17. In parallel with the operation shown in this flowchart, the CPU 111 can execute an operation of storing write information input, received, or read by the user interface 17 or the interface 115 in the temporary storage unit 1131 of the RAM 113.

[0039] First, the CPU 111 controls the belt motor 19 by the motor drive circuit 118 to start the operation of the conveyor belt BE (ACT11).

[0040] Thereafter, the CPU 111 judges whether or not the timing sensor 12 has detected the arrival of the print medium OB based on a signal from the sensor circuit 116 (ACT12). If it is judged that the arrival of the print medium OB has not been detected (ACT12, NO), the CPU 111 judges whether or not a certain time has passed since the previous detection of the arrival of the print medium OB (ACT13). If it is judged that the certain time has passed (ACT13, YES), the CPU 111 controls the belt motor 19 by the motor drive circuit 118 to stop the operation of the conveyor belt BE (ACT14). Then, the CPU 111 ends the operation shown in this flowchart.

[0041] If the printing medium OB is placed on the conveyor belt BE before the fixed time has elapsed, the pressing plate PP is moved in response to an instruction from an operator, and the printing medium OB is pressed against the abutment plate BP. Alternatively, in response to reception of a placement signal from the pickup mechanism by the interface 115, the CPU 111 operates the pressing motor 20 via the motor drive circuit 118, and causes the printing medium OB to abut against the abutment plate BP.

[0042] When the printing object OB reaches the timing sensor 12 while the printing surface is in contact with the abutment plate BP in this manner, it is detected by the timing sensor 12. If the timing sensor 12 determines that it has detected the arrival of the printing object OB (ACT12, YES), the CPU 111 calculates the passing timing of the printing object OB passing each of the erasing, printing and reading process positions (ACT15). This is performed, for example, as follows. First, the CPU 111 calculates the conveying speed of the printing object OB by the conveyor belt BE based on the rotation speed of the belt motor 19, and stores the calculated conveying side in the RAM 113. The CPU 111 also stores the time when the timing sensor 12 detects the arrival of the printing object OB in the RAM 113 to set that time as a reference time. Then, the CPU 111 reads out the distances from the timing sensor 12 to the heater 14, the printer 15, and the barcode reader 16 in each process, which are non-volatilely stored in the ROM 112 or the storage 114, and calculates the time from when the printing object OB reaches the timing sensor 12 to each process position by dividing each distance by the transport speed. The CPU 111 stores in the RAM 113 the calculated passing timing of each process position.

[0043] Thereafter, the CPU 111 judges whether or not the label LA, i.e., the printing position, on the printing object OB has been confirmed by well-known image processing from the image signal of the label sensor 13 input via the sensor circuit 116, or by the label detection signal of the label sensor 13 (ACT16). Confirmation of the label LA here does not simply mean the presence or absence of the label LA, but means detection of the distance of the label LA from the front end of the printing surface of the printing object OB in the transport direction, the distance from the top end of the printing surface (distance from the surface opposite the placement surface), and the vertical and horizontal size. If it is judged that the label LA cannot be confirmed (ACT16, NO), the CPU 111 repeats the process of this ACT16.

[0044] When it is determined that the label LA has been confirmed (ACT16, YES), the CPU 111 stores the print position, that is, the distance and size of the detected label LA, in the RAM 113 (ACT17). After that, the CPU 111 proceeds to the process of ACT12.

[0045] Also, when the arrival of the printing object OB has not been detected but it is determined that a certain time has not yet elapsed since the previous arrival of the printing object OB was detected (ACT13, NO), the CPU 111 determines whether the previous erasing operation has been completed (ACT18). The previous erasing operation means an erasing operation for a printing object OB that is to arrive at the heater 14 among the printing objects OB that are transported one after another. That is, it is necessary to set the heater 14 at a height position corresponding to the label LA, i.e., the printing position, of each printing object OB, but the heater 14 must not be set at a height position corresponding to the next printing object OB before the erasing operation for the printing object OB that has arrived is completed. Therefore, in this ACT18, the end of the erasing operation is confirmed.

[0046] If it is determined that the previous erasing operation has ended (ACT18, YES), the CPU 111 reads out the printing position of the printing object OB that is expected to arrive next from the RAM 113, and drives the motor 18 for the heater 14 by the motor drive circuit 118 to adjust the height of the heater 14 (ACT19). Then, the CPU 111 reads out the passing timing of the printing object OB stored in the RAM 113, and operates the heater 14 in accordance with the timing when the printing position passes the heater 14, applying heat to the printing position and erasing the printing information printed there using thermochromic ink (ACT20). After that, the CPU 111 proceeds to the processing of ACT12.

[0047] If the CPU 111 is a multi-core and multi-thread CPU, it can execute other processes in parallel with the operations shown in this flowchart. Therefore, when it is determined that the previous erasure operation has ended (ACT18, YES), the CPU 111 may start the processes of ACT19 and ACT20 as parallel processes with the operations in this flowchart, and immediately proceed to the process of ACT12.

[0048] Furthermore, when it is determined that the previous erasing operation has not been completed (ACT18, NO), the CPU 111 determines whether the previous printing operation has been completed (ACT21). The previous printing operation means a printing operation on a printing object OB that is to arrive at the printer 15 among the printing objects OB that are transported one after another. That is, the printer 15 needs to be set at a height position corresponding to the label LA, i.e., the printing position, on each printing object OB, but the heater 14 must not be set at a height position corresponding to the next printing object OB before the printing operation on the printing object OB that has arrived is completed. Therefore, in this ACT21, the completion of the erasing operation is confirmed.

[0049] When it is determined that the previous printing operation has ended (ACT21, YES), the CPU 111 reads out the printing position of the printing object OB that will be reached next from the RAM 113, and drives the motor 18 for the printer 15 by the motor drive circuit 118 to adjust the height of the printer 15 (ACT22). Then, the CPU 111 reads out the passing timing of the printing object OB stored in the RAM 113, and causes the printer 15 to print printing information at the printing position using thermochromic ink in accordance with the timing when the printing position passes the printer 15 (ACT23). That is, the CPU 111 reads out the writing information stored in the temporary storage unit 1131 of the RAM 113 that was stored first, creates printing data for printing the writing information as characters, and creates printing data of a two-dimensional code that represents the current date and time measured by a clock (not shown) and the writing information. Then, the CPU 111 supplies the created printing data to the head drive circuit 117, and further supplies a print execution command in accordance with the timing when the printing position passes the printer 15. Then, the CPU 111 deletes the read-out written information from the temporary storage unit 1131. In response to the print execution command, the head driving circuit 117 drives the printer head 151 of the printer 15 based on the supplied print data, and prints the print information on the label LA, which is the printing position. Then, the CPU 111 proceeds to the processing of ACT12.

[0050] In addition, if CPU 111 is a multi-core and multi-threaded CPU, when it determines that the previous printing operation has been completed (ACT21, YES), CPU 111 may start the processing of ACT22 and ACT23 in parallel with the operation of this flowchart, and immediately proceed to the processing of ACT12 above.

[0051] Also, when it is determined that the previous printing operation is not completed (ACT21, NO), the CPU 111 determines whether the previous reading operation is completed (ACT24). The previous reading operation means a reading operation for a printing object OB that is to reach the barcode reader 16 among the printing objects OB that are transported one after another. That is, the barcode reader 16 needs to be set at a height position corresponding to the label LA, i.e., the printing position, of each printing object OB, but the barcode reader 16 must not be set at a height position corresponding to the next printing object OB before the reading operation for the printing object OB that has arrived is completed. Therefore, in this ACT24, the end of the reading operation is confirmed.

[0052] When it is determined that the previous reading operation has been completed (ACT24, YES), the CPU 111 reads the printing position of the printing object OB that will be reached next from the RAM 113, and drives the motor 18 for the barcode reader 16 by the motor drive circuit 118 to adjust the height of the barcode reader 16 (ACT25). Then, the CPU 111 reads the passing timing of the printing object OB stored in the RAM 113, and reads the two-dimensional code in the printing information by the barcode reader 16 via the sensor circuit 116 in accordance with the timing when the printing position passes the barcode reader 16 (ACT26). The CPU 111 decodes the read two-dimensional code to obtain written information such as the printing date and time and the destination, and stores the obtained information in the database 1141 of the storage 114 as object information in association with the object ID to be newly issued (ACT27). After that, the CPU 111 proceeds to the processing of ACT12.

[0053] In addition, if CPU 111 is a multi-core and multi-threaded CPU, when it determines that the previous reading operation has been completed (ACT 24, YES), CPU 111 may start the processing of ACT 25 to ACT 27 in parallel with the operation of this flowchart, and immediately proceed to the processing of ACT 12 above.

[0054] Moreover, if it is determined that the previous reading operation has not been completed (ACT24, NO), the CPU 111 proceeds to the process of ACT12.

[0055] As described above, the printing system 10 according to the present embodiment erases the printed information printed with thermochromic ink at the printing position by applying heat from a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the print object OB using the heater 14 whose height position is adjusted according to the printing position according to the timing of passing the printing position determined based on the printing position of the printed information on the print object OB transported by the transport belt BE. The printing system 10 also includes a printer 15 using thermochromic ink arranged after the heater 14 along the transport direction, and prints information on the print object OB from a direction perpendicular to the transport direction using the printer 15 whose height position is adjusted according to the printing position according to the timing of passing the printing position determined based on the printing position. The printing system 10 then makes the printing surface of the print object OB including the printing position face the printer head 151 of the printer 15 at least at the time when the printer 15 prints the information. This makes it possible to provide the printing system 10 that can efficiently rewrite the printing information on the printing objects OB that are transported one after another.

[0056] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the printing system 10 uses the label sensor 13 to detect the printing position on the printing medium OB being transported by the transport belt BE. Therefore, even if printing information is printed on labels LA that are affixed to print objects OB of various sizes at various positions, it is possible to determine the printing position by simply detecting the label LA.

[0057] In addition, in this embodiment, the printer head 151 of the printer 15 is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and as a facing mechanism for facing the printing surface of the printing object OB to this printer head 151, the printing system 10 includes a stop plate BP that extends along the transport belt BE at least to the installation position of the printer 15 and whose surface facing the transport belt BE rises a specified distance from the printer head 151, and a pressing mechanism that is arranged in front of the installation position of the printer 15 in the transport direction and has a pressing plate PP that presses the printing object OB against the stop plate BP. Therefore, it is possible to reliably position the printing surface of the printing object OB directly facing the printer head 151.

[0058] In this embodiment, the timing at which the printing position passes the heater 14 and printer 15 is calculated based on the point at which the timing sensor 12, which is positioned earlier in the transport direction than the installation position of the heater 14, detects the arrival of the printing object OB, and the pressure plate PP is positioned earlier in the transport direction than the timing sensor 12. Therefore, the posture of the printing medium OB can be made the same when it reaches the timing sensor 12 as when it reaches the printer 15, thereby preventing timing deviations from occurring.

[0059] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the printing system 10 includes a barcode reader 16 that reads information printed by the printer 15 from the print object OB, and a database 1141 that records the information read by the barcode reader 16. Therefore, by using the information recorded in the database 1141, various management operations, including destination management, can be performed on the print objects OB for which printing has been completed.

[0060] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described. Note that the same configurations and operations as those of the first embodiment described above will be denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted. Below, the parts that differ from the first embodiment will be described.

[0061] FIG. 10 is a perspective view for explaining a configuration example of a printing system 10 according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the printing system 10 has an object sensor 21 arranged therein instead of the label sensor 13 in the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block configuration diagram of the printing system according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the printing system 10 has an object sensor 21 connected to a sensor circuit 116 of the control unit 11 instead of the label sensor 13 in the first embodiment. In addition to the database 1141, the storage 114 also stores a printing object table 1142 that describes the printing positions on printing objects OB of various sizes. In FIG. 11, the "printing object table" is abbreviated as "TBL".

[0062] The object sensor 21 includes a photoelectric sensor array arranged perpendicular to the conveyor belt BE and a photoelectric sensor array arranged horizontally to the conveyor belt BE and perpendicular to the conveying direction, and detects the presence or absence of the print object OB being conveyed by the conveyor belt BE. The CPU 111 can confirm the height of the print object OB, i.e., the height size of the printing surface, based on the detection result of the photoelectric sensor array arranged perpendicularly to the conveyor belt BE of the object sensor 21. Furthermore, the CPU 111 can confirm the width of the print object OB in the conveying direction, i.e., the width size of the printing surface, based on the detection result of the photoelectric sensor array and the conveying speed of the conveyor belt BE. The CPU 111 can also confirm the depth size of the print object OB based on the detection result of the photoelectric sensor array arranged horizontally to the conveyor belt BE and perpendicular to the conveying direction of the object sensor 21.

[0063] Note that instead of a photoelectric sensor array, a camera or a ToF (Time Of Flight) sensor may be used as the object sensor 21. By using a ToF sensor, it becomes possible to determine the size of the printing object OB based on the distance.

[0064] This embodiment is an example of a case where a label LA is not attached to the printing object OB, and printing information is printed directly on the printing surface. If the label LA is not used, it is not easy to detect the printing position. Therefore, in this embodiment, the printing position on the printing surface is specified for each size of the printing object OB.

[0065] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the printing object table 1142. In the printing object table 1142, the size and printing position of the printing object OB are described in association with a unique setting ID. The unit is cm. In this example, the size of the printing object OB is given in the order of the width of the printing surface, the height of the printing surface, and the depth of the printing object OB. Also, in this example, the printing position is given in the order of the position from the end of the printing surface in the transport direction, and the position from the top end of the printing surface. Of course, the order in which these sizes and printing positions are described is not limited to this order.

[0066] Such size and print position are, for example, previously input by the CPU 111 through the user interface 17 by an operator, or obtained through the interface 115 from an external device or memory medium, and are arbitrarily assigned a setting ID and registered in the print object table 1142. The setting ID is a serial number here. Also, whenever a print object OB of a size not registered in the print object table 1142 is transported, the size and print position can be added each time.

[0067] 13 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the control operation of the control unit 11. Here, the parts different from the control operation of the first embodiment are extracted and shown. Note that it is assumed that the size and print position of the print object OB are already registered in the print object table 1142 of the storage 114, and the description of the registration operation will be omitted.

[0068] In ACT15 as described in the first embodiment, after calculating the passing timing of the printing object OB passing through each process position, in this embodiment, the CPU 111 determines whether or not the size of the printing object OB has been recognized based on a signal from the object sensor 21 input via the sensor circuit 116 (ACT31). If it is determined that the size of the printing object OB cannot be recognized (ACT31, NO), the CPU 111 repeats the process of this ACT31.

[0069] When it is determined that the size of the printing object OB has been recognized (ACT31, YES), the CPU 111 determines whether or not the recognized size of the printing object OB is registered in the printing object table 1142 of the storage 114 (ACT32). When it is determined that the corresponding size is registered in the printing object table 1142 (ACT32, YES), the CPU 111 determines that the printing position registered as the printing position for the corresponding size in the printing object table 1142 is the printing position on the printing surface of the printing object OB (ACT33). Then, the CPU 111 stores the determined printing position in the RAM 113 (ACT17). Thereafter, the CPU 111 proceeds to the processing of ACT12 above.

[0070] On the other hand, if it is determined that the corresponding size is not registered in the printing object table 1142 (ACT32, NO), the CPU 111 controls the belt motor 19 by the motor drive circuit 118 to temporarily stop the operation of the conveyor belt BE (ACT34). Then, the CPU 111 accepts the input of the printing position from the operator through the user interface 17 (ACT35). The CPU 111 registers the input printing position in the printing object table 1142 in association with the new setting ID (ACT36). After that, the CPU 111 controls the belt motor 19 by the motor drive circuit 118 to resume the operation of the conveyor belt BE (ACT37). Also, depending on the time that the conveyor belt BE was temporarily stopped, the CPU 111 recalculates the passing timing at which each printing object OB passes through each process position, and stores it in the RAM 113 (ACT38). After that, the CPU 111 proceeds to the process of ACT33.

[0071] As described above, in the printing system 10 of this embodiment, instead of the label sensor 13, an object sensor 21 is provided which is a size measurement sensor that measures the height and width of the printing object OB being transported by the conveyor belt BE, and the CPU 111 functions as a calculation unit that calculates the printing position based on the height and width of the printing object OB. This makes it possible to provide the printing system 10 that can efficiently rewrite the printing information on the printing objects OB without labels LA that are conveyed one after another.

[0072] [Third embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment is a combination of the first and second embodiments. That is, the label sensor 13 and the object sensor 21 are both arranged in this order between the timing sensor 12 and the heater 14. Both the label sensor 13 and the object sensor 21 are connected to the sensor circuit 116 of the control unit 11.

[0073] FIG. 14 is a flow chart for explaining an example of the control operation of the control unit 11 of the printing system 10 according to the third embodiment, and shows a portion corresponding to FIG. 13 in the second embodiment. After calculating the passing timing of the printing object OB passing through each process position in ACT15, the CPU 111 in this embodiment judges whether or not the label LA on the printing object OB, i.e., the printing position, has been confirmed based on the signal from the label sensor 13, as described in the first embodiment (ACT16). If it is judged that the label LA has not been confirmed (ACT16, NO), the CPU 111 judges whether or not the size of the printing object OB has been recognized based on the signal from the object sensor 21 (ACT31). If it is judged that the size of the printing object OB cannot be recognized (ACT31, NO), the CPU 111 proceeds to the processing of ACT16. In this way, the CPU 111 repeats the processing of ACT16 and the processing of ACT31, and waits until the printing position or the size of the printing object OB can be acquired.

[0074] Then, if it is determined that the label LA has been confirmed (ACT16, YES), the CPU 111 proceeds to the process of ACT17.

[0075] Moreover, if it is determined that the size of the printing object OB has been recognized (ACT31, YES), the CPU 111 proceeds to the process of ACT32.

[0076] As described above, in this embodiment, a printing system 10 can be provided that can efficiently rewrite printed information on both a printing object OB on which the printed information is printed on a label LA, and a printing object OB on which the printed information is printed directly on the printing object OB.

[0077] [Other embodiments] In the above-described embodiments, an example is shown in which abutment plate BP and pressing plate PP are used as a facing mechanism for facing the printing surface of the printing object OB to the printer head 151 of the printer 15 at least at the printing process position, but the facing mechanism is not limited to this configuration. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram for explaining the position and attitude adjustment operation of the printer 15 for facing the printing object to the printer head 151. For example, by using the object sensor 21 as described in the second embodiment, it is possible to determine the placement position and attitude of the printing object OB placed obliquely on the conveyor belt BE, that is, the position and the degree of obliqueness from the printer 15 side end of the conveyor belt BE. Therefore, the facing mechanism is configured to be able to change not only the height position as shown by the solid arrow in FIG. 15, but also the orientation and distance of the printer head 151 of the printer 15 to the printing object OB, as shown by the solid double-headed arrow. In such a facing mechanism, the printing surface of the printing object OB can be faced directly to the printer head 151 of the printer 15 by adjusting the distance and angle of the printer head 151 relative to the printing object OB according to the determined placement position and posture of the printing object OB.

[0078] Also, a barcode reader may be added in front of the heater 14 in the transport direction to read the print information printed on the print object OB, and the print information to be newly printed may be specified based on the contents of the read information. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing another example of the write information stored in the temporary storage unit 1131 of the RAM 113. In this way, the write information is stored in association with the object ID and object information of the print object OB stored in the database 1141 of the storage 114. That is, the print information already printed on the print object OB and the write information to be newly written are stored in association with each other in the temporary storage unit 1131. This allows the CPU 111 to easily and accurately obtain the write information to be printed instead of the print information printed on the print object OB. This eliminates the constraint that the order in which the print objects should be printed must be stored in the temporary storage unit 1131 and that the print objects OB must be placed on the transport belt BE in that order, as in the above-mentioned embodiments, and improves usability.

[0079] 9, 13, and 14 are merely examples, and are not limited to these orders. As long as there is no discrepancy with the preceding or succeeding process, the process order may be changed or the processes may be performed in parallel.

[0080] In each of the above-described embodiments, the transport speed of the print target OB is calculated when calculating the passing timing of the print target OB passing each process position in ACT 15. However, if the CPU 111 controls the belt motor 19 by the motor drive circuit 118 so that the transport speed is a predetermined constant speed, this calculation of the transport speed becomes unnecessary. In this case, since the distance from the timing sensor 12 to each process position is constant, if a constant based on the moving speed and distance is obtained and stored non-volatilely in the ROM 112 or storage 114, the passing timing of the print target OB can be easily calculated from the arrival timing of the timing sensor 12.

[0081] Furthermore, if a sensor is used to detect the arrival of each process position individually, the operation timing of each process can be controlled independently, so the position of the pressure plate PP in the first embodiment is not particularly limited. In this case, the pressure plate PP may be installed in multiple locations.

[0082] Also, if a camera is provided instead of the barcode reader 16 and the contents of the printed information are identified by character recognition, it becomes unnecessary to print a two-dimensional code as the printed information.

[0083] Furthermore, the conveyor that conveys the printing medium OB may be configured other than the conveyor belt BE, such as rollers arranged adjacent to each other in succession.

[0084] In addition, the functions described in the above embodiments can be realized not only by using hardware but also by loading a program that describes each function into a computer using software. Also, each function may be realized by appropriately selecting either software or hardware.

[0085] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. The invention as originally claimed in the present application is set forth below. [1] A conveyor for conveying an object to be printed; a position determination unit that determines a printing position of printed information printed using thermochromic ink on the printing object being transported by the transporter; an erasing unit that includes a heat source and erases the printed information printed at the printing position using thermochromic ink by applying heat from a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the print object by the conveyer, using the heat source whose height position is adjusted according to the printing position according to the timing at which the printing position passes, which is determined based on the printing position; a printing unit including a printer using thermochromic ink, the printer being disposed downstream of the heat source of the erasing unit along the transport direction, the printer adjusting a height position according to the printing position in accordance with a timing at which the printing position, which is determined based on the printing position, passes the printing object, and printing information on the printing object from a direction perpendicular to the transport direction by the printer; a facing mechanism that faces a printing surface of the printing object, which includes the printing position, to a printer head of the printer at least at the time when the information is printed by the printing unit; A printing system comprising: [2] The printing system described in [1], wherein the position determination unit includes a printing position detection unit that detects the printing position on the printing object being transported by the transport device. [3] The position determination unit: a size measuring sensor for measuring the height and width of the printing object being conveyed by the conveyor; A calculation unit that calculates the printing position based on the height and width of the printing object; The printing system according to [1] or [2], [4] The conveyor includes a conveyor belt that carries the printing object and conveys it in the conveying direction; a printer head of the printer is provided facing in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, The facing mechanism includes: a stopper plate extending along the conveyor belt of the conveyor at least to an installation position of the printer, the stopper plate having a surface facing the conveyor belt at a specified distance from the printer head; a pressing mechanism that is disposed in front of an installation position of the printer in the transport direction and presses the printing object against the abutment plate; A printing system according to any one of [1] to [3], comprising: [5] The conveyor includes a conveyor belt that carries the printing object and conveys it in the conveying direction, The facing mechanism includes: a position and orientation detection unit that detects the position and orientation of the printing object placed on the conveyor belt; an adjustment unit that adjusts the orientation of the printer head and the distance to the printing surface of the printing object according to the position and orientation of the printing object; A printing system according to any one of [1] to [3], comprising: [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 10...printing system, 11...control unit, 12...timing sensor, 13...label sensor, 14...heater, 15...printer, 151...printer head, 16...barcode reader, 17...user interface, 18...motor, 19...belt motor, 20...pressure motor, 21...object sensor, 111...CPU, 112...ROM, 113...RAM, 1131...temporary memory unit, 114...storage, 1141...database, 1142...print object table, 115...interface, 116...sensor circuit, 117...head drive circuit, 118...motor drive circuit, 119...bus, BE...conveyor belt, BP...stop plate, LA,LA1,LA2,LA3,LA4...label, OB,OB1,OB2,OB3,OB4...print object, PD...prescribed distance, PM...pressure mechanism, PO...support, PP...pressure plate.

Claims

1. A conveyor including a conveyor belt extending in a conveying direction, the conveyor conveying a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped print object placed on the conveying surface of the conveyor belt so that a printed surface on which printing information is printed using thermochromic ink is a side surface in the conveying direction perpendicular to the conveying surface of the conveyor belt; a position determination unit that determines a printing position of the print information on the printing surface of the print object being transported by the transporter; a heat source that is disposed downstream of the position determination unit along the transport direction and faces the print object on a plane perpendicular to the transport direction of the print object by the transport device, and a heat source height position adjustment mechanism that moves the heat source in a direction perpendicular to the transport plane so that the heat source faces the printing position determined by the position determination unit, and an erasure unit that erases the printed information printed at the printing position using thermochromic ink by applying heat to the printing position of the print object by the heat source in accordance with a timing at which the printing position determined based on the printing position passes; a printer using thermochromic ink, which is disposed downstream of the heat source of the erasing unit along the transport direction and faces the print object on a plane perpendicular to the transport direction of the print object by the transport device; and a printer height position adjustment mechanism that moves the printer in a direction perpendicular to the transport plane so that the printer faces the print position determined by the position determination unit, and a printing unit that prints information on the print object using the printer in accordance with a timing at which the print position determined based on the print position passes; a facing mechanism that faces a print surface of the print target placed on the conveying surface of the conveying belt, the print surface including the print position, to a printer head of the printer at least at the time when the information is printed by the printing unit; A printing system comprising:

2. The printing system according to claim 1 , wherein the position determination unit includes a print position detection unit that detects the print position on the print object being transported by the transporter.

3. The position determination unit is a size measuring sensor for measuring the height and width of the printing object being conveyed by the conveyor; A calculation unit that calculates the printing position based on the height and width of the printing object; The printing system of claim 1 .

4. The facing mechanism is a stopper plate extending along the conveyor belt of the conveyor at least to an installation position of the printer, the stopper plate having a surface facing the conveyor belt at a specified distance from the printer head; a pressing mechanism that is disposed in front of an installation position of the printer in the transport direction and presses the printing object against the abutment plate; 4. The printing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

5. The facing mechanism is a position and orientation detection unit that detects the position and orientation of the printing object placed on the conveyor belt; an adjustment unit that adjusts the orientation of the printer head and the distance to the printing surface of the printing object according to the position and orientation of the printing object; 4. The printing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

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