Label Affixing Device, Label Affixing Method, and Program

Abstract

To make it possible to stick a label on a proper position of an adherend of an arbitrary shape and size.SOLUTION: A label sticking device that sticks a label to an adherend has a measurement unit that measures a shape of the adherend, and a stickable area determination unit that determines a label stickable area on the adherend based on the shape.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a label affixing device, a label affixing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a film packaging device that covers and packages a product with a film. The film packaging device described in Patent Document 1 detects the tray size, reads out tray information corresponding to the detected tray size, and performs film packaging on the tray based on the tray information. Then, the film packaging device is configured to affix a label at a prescribed affixing position in a predetermined orientation based on the tray information in the film-packaged product.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the film packaging device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the size and shape of the product to be film-packaged are determined in advance as tray information. Also, the label affixing position for the product is prescribed in advance based on the tray information.

[0005] For this reason, the film packaging device disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot affix a label to a product for which information such as size and shape has not been prepared in advance.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to enable a label to be affixed at an appropriate position to an adherend having an arbitrary shape and size.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a label affixing device for affixing a label to an adherend, the device comprising a measuring unit configured to measure the shape of the adherend, and an attachable area determination unit configured to determine an attachable area of the label on the adherend based on the shape. Shi , The measuring unit measures the shape using a parameter based on the height of the adherend from the placement surface on which the adherend is placed. The attachable area determination unit sets, as a threshold value, a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined value from the highest value of the height of the adherend from the placement surface, and determines, as the attachable area, an area where the parameter is equal to or greater than the threshold value. A label affixing device is provided.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the above aspect, since the shape of the adherend is specified and the attachable area of the label is determined based on the specified shape, the label can be affixed at an appropriate position to an adherend of any shape and any size.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

[0010] Hereinafter, a label affixing device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [Label Affixing Device] The label affixing device 1 according to the present embodiment has a measurement unit that measures the shape of an adherend, and an attachable area determination unit that determines an attachable area of a label on the adherend based on the shape, and thus is a device that affixes a label to the attachable area determined based on the shape of the adherend.

[0012] In the present embodiment, the adherend is an article packaged with a packaging material, and the shape of the adherend is the shape of the packaging material covering the article.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration example of the label affixing device 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the label affixing device 1.

[0014] The label affixing device 1 includes an adherend transport unit 10 that transports the adherend A, an upstream detection unit 20 that acquires data regarding the shape of the adherend A, and an affixing arm 30 that affixes a label LB to the adherend A.

[0015] Further, the label affixing device 1 has a printer 40 as a printing unit that prints on the label LB, a label transport unit 50 that transports the printed label LB printed by the printer 40, and a downstream detection unit 60 provided on the downstream side of the affixing arm 30 that detects the adherend A.

[0016] Further, the label affixing device 1 includes a controller 100 for integrating each of the above-described configurations. In the present embodiment, a measurement unit 110 that measures the shape of the adherend A and an attachable area determination unit 120 that determines an attachable area of the label LB on the adherend A are realized as functional configurations of the controller 100.

[0017] Next, each of the above-described components in the label applicator 1 will be described.

[0018] The adherend conveyance unit 10 conveys a plurality of adherends A individually and continuously. Thereby, the label applicator 1 can apply the label LB to the adherend A while conveying the adherend A.

[0019] Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the adherend conveyance unit 10 includes a drive motor 111 that drives the adherend conveyance unit 10 and a conveyor controller 112 that controls the drive of the drive motor 111. The conveyance speed of the adherend A by the adherend conveyance unit 10 is appropriately controlled by the controller 100.

[0020] The upstream detection unit 20 is disposed upstream in the adherend conveyance unit 10. In the present embodiment, a 3D camera can be used as the upstream detection unit 20. The upstream detection unit 20 can image the adherend A before the label LB is attached. The image data captured by the upstream detection unit 20 is used for determining whether the adherend A is loaded onto the adherend conveyance unit 10 and for determining the attachable area on the adherend A where the label LB is to be attached.

[0021] The application arm 30 has a label holding portion 31 that picks up the label LB conveyed by the label conveyance unit 50 with the adhesive surface facing the adherend A side.

[0022] The application arm 30 is provided with actuators that enable movement in the vertical, horizontal, and height directions. As shown in FIG. 2, the application arm 30 includes a vertical actuator 311, a horizontal actuator 312, a height actuator 313, and a rotation actuator 314. Further, the application arm 30 is provided with actuator controllers 321, 322, 323, 324 that control the drive of the above-described actuators.

[0023] The vertical actuator 311 is an actuator that drives in the conveyance direction of the adherend conveyance unit 10. The horizontal actuator 312 is an actuator that drives in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the adherend conveyance unit 10. The height-direction actuator 313 is an actuator that drives in the direction normal to the conveyance surface of the adherend conveyance unit 10. The rotation-direction actuator 314 is an actuator that drives in the rotation direction about the normal to the conveyance surface of the adherend conveyance unit 10.

[0024] Also, the affixing arm 30 includes a holding unit actuator 315 that moves the label holding unit 31 in and out in the direction normal to the conveyance surface of the adherend conveyance unit 10, and an actuator controller 325 that controls the driving of the holding unit actuator 315.

[0025] By including the above-described various actuators, the affixing arm 30 can move the label LB to the adherend A and affix it to a predetermined position on the adherend A.

[0026] Although not shown in this embodiment, the label holding unit 31 has a structure that sucks and holds the label LB at the tip. Although not shown, the label holding unit 31 is provided with a vacuum sensor. Based on the threshold value of the vacuum sensor, it is possible to detect whether or not the label LB is sucked by the label holding unit 31. Further, since the tip of the label holding unit 31 that abuts on the label LB is formed of a flexible material, it is possible to hold the label LB that flexes and deforms following the surface shape of the adherend A.

[0027] By having such a structure, the label holding unit 31 can prevent the label LB from being damaged even when pressed against the label LB when picking up the label LB from the label conveyance unit 50 or when affixing the label LB to the adherend A.

[0028] In addition, the label holding part 31 is formed to be stretchable in the pasting direction for pasting the label LB on the adherend A. Thereby, when pasting the label LB on the adherend A, the label holding part 31 abuts on the adherend A and contracts in the pasting direction, and can absorb the stress during pasting, so that damage to the adherend A can be prevented.

[0029] The printer 40 includes a printer main body 41 that prints necessary information on the label LB, a label roll 42 in which the label LB before printing is temporarily attached to a continuous separator, and a backing roll 43 in a state where the continuous separator after the label LB is peeled off is collected.

[0030] In the present embodiment, the printer 40 is a printer that can set and print the printing content related to the adherend A alone without being connected to an information processing terminal such as a personal computer.

[0031] By including the printer 40, the label pasting device 1 can print information related to the adherend A on the label LB before pasting. Examples of the information related to the adherend A include, for example, the manufacturing date, expiration date, raw material name, etc. if it is food.

[0032] The label conveyance unit 50 includes a conveyance belt 51 that conveys the label LB peeled off from the continuous separator, and conveys a plurality of labels LB continuously and individually. As shown in FIG. 2, the label conveyance unit 50 has a drive motor 511 that drives the label conveyance unit 50 and a conveyor controller 512 that controls the drive of the drive motor 511.

[0033] The downstream side detection unit 60 is disposed on the downstream side of the pasting arm 30 in the adherend conveyance unit 10. In the present embodiment, the downstream side detection unit 60 is a camera that images the adherend A after the label LB is pasted. The image data acquired by the downstream side detection unit 60 is used in the controller 100 for processing to determine the pasting state of the label LB.

[0034] Next, the controller 100 will be described.

[0035] The controller 100 is a computer composed of a microprocessor, a storage unit such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), an input / output interface, a bus connecting these, and the like.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 100 has, as its functional configuration, a measurement unit 110 that measures the shape of the adherend A, and an attachable area determination unit 120 that determines an attachable area of the label LB on the adherend A based on the measured shape.

[0037] The measurement unit 110 acquires image data including three-dimensional information from the upstream detection unit 20 as data regarding the shape of the adherend A. The measurement unit 110 can acquire height information of the target adherend A and size information such as the length and width of the adherend from the image data. The measurement unit 110 calculates a parameter based on the height of the adherend A from the placement surface of the adherend transport unit 10 on which the adherend A is placed, and measures the shape of the adherend A using the parameter.

[0038] The attachable area determination unit 120 determines, as the attachable area of the label LB, an area that is an area where the height of the adherend A from the placement surface measured by the measurement unit 110 is equal to or greater than a threshold value (hereinafter, may be referred to as a slice line), and that has an area where a label LB of a predetermined size can be attached.

[0039] When the height of the adherend A from the placement surface is less than the slice line, the attachable area determination unit 120 sets, as a new slice line, a value obtained by subtracting a certain value from the highest value of the height of the adherend A from the placement surface.

[0040] The attachable area determination unit 120 determines a position to attach the label LB with reference to the center of the determined attachable area.

[0041] In addition, the attachable area determination unit 120 can determine the position to attach the label LB to the adherend A so that the center of the attachable area corresponds to the center of the label LB.

[0042] Even if there are irregularities, gaps, etc. on the surface of the adherend A, the label LB may be adhered and held by the adhesive force of the label LB and the bending of the label LB. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the height displacement on the surface of the adherend A to such an extent that the label LB can be adhered and held to the adherend A by the adhesive force of the label LB and the bending of the label LB is treated as an allowable attachment displacement and can be selected as an attachable area.

[0043] In the controller 100, the above-described processes executed as the measurement unit 110 and the attachable area determination unit 120 are stored in the ROM or the storage unit 200 of the controller 100 as a program executable in the microprocessor.

[0044] The storage unit 200 is a storage medium readable by the controller 100. The storage unit 200 may be configured to be detachable from the label attaching device 1.

[0045] In addition, the range of values such as the size of the label LB, the slice line, and the irregularities and gaps treated as the allowable attachment displacement is stored in the ROM or the storage unit 200 as a default value. Further, these can be set and changed from the outside of the controller 100.

[0046] The controller 100 can execute processes for operating the attachment arm 30 and processes for adjusting the conveyance speed in the adherend conveyance unit 10 by executing the control program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 200 in the microprocessor.

[0047] In this embodiment, the controller 100 generates control signals for actuators (longitudinal actuator 311, lateral actuator 312, height-direction actuator 313, rotation-direction actuator 314, and holding-section actuator 315) and drive motors (drive motor 111 and drive motor 511), and supplies them to respective controllers (actuator controllers 321, 322, 323, 324, 325 and conveyor controllers 112, 512) via the input / output interface.

[0048] Also, the controller 100 executes a control program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 200 by the microprocessor, and can determine whether or not the label LB is attached to the adherend A based on the image data of the adherend A acquired by the downstream detector 60.

[0049] The controller 100 can detect the label LB by detecting features representing the label LB, such as the shape and color of the label LB, from the image data of the adherend A acquired by the downstream detector 60. Data regarding features such as the shape and color of the label LB are stored in the ROM or the storage unit 200. Also, data regarding features such as the shape and color of the label LB can be set and changed via the input / output interface.

[0050] When the label LB on the adherend A is not detected based on the image data from the downstream detector 60, the controller 100 discards, as an error handling process, the label LB that could not be attached to the adherend A in a disposal area 70 (see FIG. 1) provided at a position different from that of the adherend conveyor 10.

[0051] As another error handling process, the controller 100 can attach the label LB that could not be attached to the adherend A to the next adherend A to be conveyed after this adherend A.

[0052] There may be cases where the attachable area determination unit 120 cannot determine the attachable area of the adherend A. In such cases, the controller 100 executes a process to retract the adherend A out of the label applicator 1 without attaching the label LB to the adherend A for which the attachable area could not be determined.

[0053] As an example of the retraction process, the controller 100 can stop the adherend transport unit 10 and notify the user of an error message such as "Please reinsert the product that could not be measured" by a notification unit (not shown).

[0054] By having the above-described functions, the controller 100 can determine the attachable area of the label LB on the adherend A based on the measured shape of the adherend A. For this reason, even for an adherend A for which information such as the size of the adherend A and the shape of the adherend A is not prepared in advance, the label LB can be attached to an appropriate position of the adherend A.

[0055] [Label Attachment Method] Subsequently, the label attachment method by the label applicator 1 will be described.

[0056] FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the label attachment process executed in the label applicator 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the shape of the adherend A measured by the measurement unit 110 using a parameter based on the height of the adherend A from the placement surface of the adherend transport unit 10 and the attachable area T1 determined based on the slice line SL1.

[0057] The label attachment method according to the present embodiment is performed in the label applicator 1 based on a process of determining the attachable area of the label LB.

[0058] In step S1, the controller 100 acquires, via the measurement unit 110, the image data obtained from above the adherend A by the 3D camera serving as the upstream detection unit 20. Then, the controller 100 measures the shape of the adherend A using the parameter based on the height of the adherend A from the placement surface on which the adherend A is placed, which is obtained from the acquired image data.

[0059] FIG. 4(a) shows the cross-sectional shape of the adherend A along the line IV-IV in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4(b) shows the shape C1 of the adherend A and the attachable region T1 determined based on the slice line SL1.

[0060] The parameter based on the height is data such as the measured value data of the distance from the placement surface to the surface of the adherend A, or data obtained by quantifying the height difference of a predetermined reference value on the surface of the adherend A. In the present embodiment, the measured value data of the distance from the placement surface to the surface of the adherend A is used.

[0061] By using the measured value data of the distance from the placement surface to the surface of the adherend A, the controller 100 measures, in step S1, the shape C1 as the shape obtained by projecting the entire adherend A onto a plane.

[0062] Next, in step S2, the controller 100 compares the preset slice line SL1 with the height of the adherend A. That is, when it is determined by the attachable region determination unit 120 that there are coordinates at which the measured value data of the distance from the placement surface of the adherend A to the surface of the adherend A reaches the height of the preset slice line SL1 (step S2: Yes), the process proceeds to step S4.

[0063] In step S4, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the controller 100 determines, by the attachable region determination unit 120, the region that is above the slice line SL1, satisfies the attachment allowable displacement, and has an area where a label LB of a predetermined size can be attached as the attachable region T1 of the label LB.

[0064] Subsequently, in step S5, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the controller 100 attaches the label LB to the adherend A such that the center P1 of the determined attachable region T1 corresponds to the center LP1 of the label LB.

[0065] On the other hand, in step S2, if the controller 100 determines that there is no coordinate at which the height of the adherend A has reached the height of the preset slice line SL1 (step S2: No), the process proceeds to step S3.

[0066] In step S3, the controller 100 sets a new slice line SL2 by the attachable region determination unit 120.

[0067] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the process of setting a new slice line SL2 and forming an attachable region T2 based on the slice line SL2.

[0068] In step S3, the attachable region determination unit 120 sets, as the new slice line SL2, a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined value Δh from the highest value (Tm shown in FIG. 5) of the height of the adherend A from the placement surface.

[0069] Subsequently, in step S4, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the controller 100 determines, by the attachable region determination unit 120, a region that is above the slice line SL2, satisfies the attachment allowable displacement, and has an area where a label LB of a predetermined size can be attached, as the attachable region T2 of the label LB.

[0070] In step S1, since the controller 100 has acquired the data of the measured value of the distance from the placement surface to the surface of the adherend A, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the shape obtained by projecting the entire adherend A onto a plane is shape C1.

[0071] In step S5, the controller 100 attaches the label LB to the attachable area T2 such that the center P2 of the determined attachable area T2 corresponds to the center LP1 of the label LB.

[0072] Subsequently, in step S6, the controller 100 determines whether the label LB is attached to the adherend A.

[0073] If it is determined in step S6 that the label LB is not attached to the adherend A (step S6: No), the controller 100 executes error handling in step S7.

[0074] As error handling in step S7, the controller 100 discards the label LB that could not be attached to a position different from the adherend transport unit 10 in the discard area 70. After executing the error handling, the controller 100 repeats from step S1.

[0075] In step S7 in this embodiment, another error handling can also be executed. As another error handling, when the controller 100 detects that the label LB remains in the label holding unit 31 by the vacuum sensor provided in the label holding unit 31, the controller 100 attaches the label LB that could not be attached to the adherend A to the next adherend A.

[0076] In the above-described label attachment process, in step S1, there are cases where the upstream detection unit 20 fails to acquire image data, the measurement unit 110 cannot receive the image data from the upstream detection unit 20, or the measurement unit 110 cannot measure the shape of the adherend A. Also, in step S4, there may be cases where the attachable area determination unit 120 cannot determine the attachable area of the adherend A.

[0077] To be able to handle such errors, it is possible to set a step of setting an error flag when an error occurs in each process and a step of detecting the error flag.

[0078] When the controller 100 detects an error flag, it can execute a process for retracting the adherend A on which the label LB could not be pasted outside the label pasting device 1.

[0079] As an example of the retraction process, the controller 100 stops the adherend conveyance unit 10 and notifies the user of an error message such as "Please re-insert the product that could not be measured".

[0080] By doing so, the adherend A on which the label LB could not be pasted due to an error is reinserted into the label pasting device 1, so that it is possible to prevent the problem that the adherend A is circulated in a state where the label LB is not pasted.

[0081] By executing the above process, the label pasting device 1 can determine the label pasting possible areas T1 and T2 on the adherend A based on the measured shape of the adherend A. As a result, the label pasting device 1 can accurately paste the label LB at an appropriate position on the adherend A even for an adherend A for which information such as the size of the adherend A and the shape of the adherend A is not prepared in advance.

[0082] Further, according to the label pasting device 1 according to the present embodiment, the label pasting possible areas T1 and T2 are determined based on the slice line, and the position for pasting the label LB is determined based on the centers of the pasting possible areas T1 and T2. Therefore, for the user, the label LB can be pasted on the adherend A in a good-looking manner.

[0083] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining that the label pasting possible area T3 is determined based on the slice line SL3 for the adherend B, and the label LB is pasted on the label pasting possible area T3.

[0084] The adherend B shown in Fig. 6 has a shape in which the lower surface and the upper surface are offset in the normal direction, and the cross-section is substantially rhombic. In the adherend B, according to the image data acquired from above by the 3D camera as the upstream detection unit 20, the contour of the adherend B is measured as the shape C3 in Fig. 6(b).

[0085] On the other hand, the attachable region determination unit 120 determines the attachable region T3 based on the slice line SL3.

[0086] In Fig. 6, the center P3 based on the contour (shape C3) of the adherend B and the center P4 of the attachable region T3 are at displaced positions. For example, in a label affixing device that determines the label affixing position based only on the image data of the upper 3D camera without applying a slice line, the label may be affixed based on the center P3 of the shape C3, giving the user an impression that the label is affixed off-center.

[0087] On the other hand, according to the label affixing device 1 according to the present embodiment, the label LB can be affixed to the adherend B such that the center P4 of the attachable region T3 determined based on the slice line SL3 corresponds to the center LP1 of the label LB.

[0088] Therefore, it is possible to give the user an impression that the label is affixed at an appropriate position.

[0089] Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining that an attachable region T4 is determined for the adherend C based on the slice line SL4, and the label LB is affixed to the attachable region T4.

[0090] The adherend C shown in Fig. 7 has irregularities on the upper surface that exceed the allowable displacement for attachment. In the adherend C, according to the image data acquired from above by the 3D camera as the upstream detection unit 20, the contour of the adherend C is measured as the shape C4 in Fig. 7(b).

[0091] On one hand, the attachable area determination unit 120 determines an attachable area T4 based on the slice line SL4.

[0092] In FIG. 7, the center P5 based on the contour (shape C4) of the adherend C is at a deviated position from the center P6 of the attachable area T4. Therefore, in a label attaching device that determines the label attaching position based only on the image data of the upper 3D camera, even if the attaching position is determined based on the position of the center P5, there may be a case where the label cannot be attached at that position.

[0093] On the other hand, according to the label attaching device 1 according to the present embodiment, the label LB can be attached to the adherend C such that the center P6 of the attachable area T4 determined based on the slice line SL4 corresponds to the center LP1 of the label LB.

[0094] Therefore, the label LB can be accurately attached to the attachable area T4. Also, an impression that the label is attached at an appropriate position can be given to the user.

[0095] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining that an attachable area T5 is determined based on the slice line SL5 for the adherend D, and the label LB is attached to the attachable area T5.

[0096] The adherend D shown in FIG. 8 has a donut shape with a void H formed in the center. According to the label attaching device 1 according to the present embodiment, the attachable area T5 determined based on the slice line SL5 overlaps with the contour (shape C5) of the adherend D, and it can be detected that the void H is continuously surrounded by a part of the adherend D.

[0097] Therefore, the label attaching device 1 can determine that the packaging material surface also continuously exists above the void H, and can handle the attachable area T5 as a circular surface without the void H.

[0098] Accordingly, according to the label affixing device 1, even if there is a gap H at the center of the affixable area T5, the center P7 of the affixable area T5 determined based on the slice line SL5 is made to correspond to the center LP1 of the label LB so that the label LB is positioned on the surface of the packaging material corresponding to the upper surface of the gap H, and the label LB can be affixed to the adherend D.

[0099] Therefore, it is possible to give the user an impression that the label LB is affixed at an appropriate position.

[0100] As described above, according to the label affixing device 1, even if the shapes of the adherends are different from each other, it is possible to determine an affixable area corresponding to the shape of the adherend, and to affix the label LB at an appropriate position in the affixable area.

[0101] [Label Affixing Program] The above-described label affixing method can also be provided as a program executable by a microprocessor in the controller 100 of the label affixing device 1.

[0102] That is, the program according to the present embodiment is a program for causing a computer to execute a procedure for specifying the shape of each of the adherends A to be conveyed and a procedure for determining the affixable area T1 of the label LB on the adherend A based on the shape of the adherend A.

[0103] This program is stored in the ROM of the controller 100 or in the storage unit 200.

[0104] [Other Embodiments] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments merely show a part of the application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

[0105] In the label affixing device 1, the upstream detection unit 20 for acquiring data regarding the shape of the adherend A may be a sensor that irradiates an object with infrared light, laser light, or the like and measures distance based on the reflection time.

[0106] In the label affixing device 1, the manner of conveying the label LB in the label conveyance unit 50 is not limited to the form described in FIG. 1.

[0107] In the present embodiment, the printer 40 may be a printer that is connected to an information processing device such as a personal computer (PC) (not shown) and can receive input of information regarding the adherend A from the user via the PC and perform settings of the printer 40 itself and the like.

[0108] In the label affixing device 1, the controller 100 may be able to determine whether or not the affixing position of the label LB is within the allowable range in addition to the process of determining whether or not the label LB is affixed to the adherend A.

[0109] When it is determined that the affixing position of the label LB on the adherend A is not within the allowable range, the controller 100 notifies the user of an error message indicating that the label has not been affixed, for example, by a notification unit (not shown).

[0110] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the affixable region T does not necessarily have to be a region that is substantially horizontal with respect to the placement surface of the adherend A. As long as the label LB can adhere to and be held on the adherend A due to the adhesive force of the label LB and the deflection of the label LB, the affixable region may be inclined with respect to the placement surface.

[0111] When the adherend A to D is a product packaged with a packaging material, the surface of the adherend A to D has a shape in which a part of the shape of the product appears, and includes those that are not smooth surfaces as shown in FIGS. 4 to 8.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0112] 1 Label Affixing Device 10 Object Carrier 20 Upstream Detection Unit 30 Affixing Arm 31 Label Holder 40 Printer 41 Printer Main Body 42 Label Roll 43 Mounting Paper Roll 50 Label Carrier 51 Conveyor Belt 60 Downstream Detection Unit 70 Waste Area 100 Controller 110 Measuring Unit 111 Driving Motor 112 Conveyor Controller 120 Affixable Area Determination Unit 200 Storage Unit 311 Vertical Actuator 312 Horizontal Actuator 313 Height Actuator 314 Rotation Actuator 315 Holder Actuator 321, 322, 323, 324, 325 Actuator Controllers 511 Driving Motor 512 Conveyor Controller A, B, C, D Objects LB Label

Claims

1. A label affixing device for affixing a label to an adherend, comprising: a measuring unit that measures the shape of the adherend; an attachable area determination unit that determines an attachable area of the label on the adherend based on the shape; wherein the measuring unit measures the shape using a parameter based on the height of the adherend from a placement surface on which the adherend is placed; the attachable area determination unit sets, as a threshold value, a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined value from the highest value of the height of the adherend from the placement surface, and determines, as the attachable area, an area where the parameter is equal to or greater than the threshold value; a label affixing device.

2. The label affixing device according to claim 1, wherein the attachable area determination unit determines a position for affixing the label with reference to the center of the attachable area. a label affixing device.

3. The label affixing device according to claim 2, wherein the attachable area determination unit determines a position for affixing the label such that the center of the attachable area corresponds to the center of the label. a label affixing device.

4. The label affixing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an adherend conveyance unit that conveys a plurality of the adherends individually and continuously; a label conveyance unit that conveys a plurality of the labels individually and continuously; and a label holding unit that picks up the label conveyed by the label conveyance unit with the adhesive surface facing the adherend side; wherein the measuring unit measures the shape of each of the adherends; the attachable area determination unit determines the attachable area of the label on the adherend based on each shape; and the label held by the label holding unit is affixed to the attachable area. a label affixing device.

5. The label affixing device according to claim 4, further comprising a downstream detection unit for detecting the label affixed to the adherend; wherein when the label on the adherend is not detected by the downstream detection unit, the label that could not be affixed is affixed to the next adherend to be conveyed after the adherend to which the label could not be affixed. a label affixing device.

6. The label affixing device according to claim 4, further comprising a downstream detection unit for detecting the label affixed to the adherend. When the downstream detection unit fails to detect the label on the adherend, the label that could not be pasted is discarded in a waste area provided at a position different from the adherend conveyance unit. Label pasting device.

7. The label pasting device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, When the attachable area determination unit fails to determine the attachable area of the adherend, the adherend for which the attachable area could not be determined is retracted outside the label pasting device without pasting the label on the adherend. Label pasting device.

8. The label pasting device according to any one of claims 4 to 7, Further comprising a printing unit for printing on the label, The printed label printed by the printing unit is pasted on the adherend. Label pasting device.

9. The label pasting device according to any one of claims 4 to 8, The label holding unit is formed to be stretchable in the pasting direction for pasting the label on the adherend. Label pasting device.

10. A label pasting method for pasting a label on an adherend, Measuring the shape of the adherend using a parameter based on the height of the adherend from the placement surface on which the conveyed adherend is placed, Setting, as a threshold value, a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined value from the highest value of the height of the adherend from the placement surface, and determining, based on the shape, an area where the parameter is equal to or greater than the threshold value as the attachable area of the label on the adherend. Label pasting method.

11. A program executable by a computer of a label pasting device for pasting a label on an adherend, A procedure for measuring the shape of the adherend using a parameter based on the height of the adherend from the placement surface on which the conveyed adherend is placed, and A procedure for setting, as a threshold value, a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined value from the highest value of the height of the adherend from the placement surface, and determining, based on the shape, an area where the parameter is equal to or greater than the threshold value as the attachable area of the label on the adherend. A program for causing the computer to execute.

12. The label pasting device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, The threshold value is a preset value. Label pasting device.

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