Label coating device, label mounting device, and label coating program

Abstract

To prevent a label from being torn, by reducing a load applied to the label at each predetermined length feeding of a label raw material.SOLUTION: A label coating device 100 is configured to coat a container B with a label L while cutting a belt-like label raw material Z by a predetermined length to thereby obtain the label L., and includes: a feeding unit 11 for feeding the label raw material Z to a cutter 20 by predetermined length; a guide roller 13 which is provided in front of the feeding unit 11, and around which the label raw material Z is wound, and which guides conveyance of the label raw material Z; and a control part 12 for controlling rotation of the guide roller 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a label coating device, a label attaching device, and a label coating program.

Background Art

[0002] As a conventional label coating device, as shown in Patent Document 1, there is one configured to cut a strip-shaped label web into a cylindrical label by feeding it to a cutter in predetermined lengths and covering a container with the label.

[0003] A pair of feed rollers for sandwiching the label web is used in this device, and the label web is configured to be intermittently fed by repeating the rotation and stop of these feed rollers.

[0004] In such a configuration, a guide roller for guiding the conveyance of the label web is provided on the upstream side of the feed rollers, and the label web is wound around this guide roller.

[0005] However, in such a configuration, if the guide roller is a fixed roller that does not rotate, for example, friction occurs between the fed label web and the guide roller, and a load is applied to the label.

[0006] Then, due to this load, if the label is made of film, the perforations will be torn, and if the label is made of paper, it will also be torn halfway.

[0007] In order to reduce the load, a configuration in which the guide roller is a freely rotatable free roller is also conceivable. However, in this case, at the timing when the feeding of the label web is stopped, the label web is fed from the guide roller to the feed roller side due to inertia, slack occurs, or the free roller rotates due to inertia. Eventually, friction occurs at the contact point between the free roller and the label web, and it may not be possible to solve the above-described problems. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-178420 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0009] Therefore, the present invention was made to solve the above problems all at once, and its main objective is to prevent labels from tearing and to reduce slack in the label roll by reducing the load on the labels when the label roll is fed out in predetermined lengths. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In other words, the label covering mechanism according to the present invention is a label covering device that covers a container with labels by cutting a strip of label material into predetermined lengths, and is characterized by comprising: a feeding unit that feeds the label material into a cutter in predetermined lengths; a guide roller provided in front of the feeding unit, around which the label material is wrapped and which guides the transport of the label material; and a control unit that controls the rotation of the guide roller.

[0011] Unlike configurations that use fixed or free rollers as guide rollers, this type of label coating device allows for the control of the guide roller's rotation in accordance with the timing of the label roll's transport and stopping. This reduces the stress on the labels, prevents them from tearing, and also reduces sagging in the label roll.

[0012] Preferably, the feeding unit has a pair of feed rollers that rotate while gripping the label roll, and the control unit repeatedly rotates and stops the feed rollers, and rotates the guide rollers simultaneously with the rotation of the feed rollers. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent an increase in tension when the label roll starts to be fed out, thereby preventing damage to the labels during the feeding of the label roll.

[0013] On the other hand, when stopping the feeding of the label roll, it might seem theoretically possible to stop the rotation of the guide roller at the same time as the rotation of the feed roller, thereby preventing tension from being applied to the label roll. However, in reality, due to factors such as slippage between the feed roller and the label, and deformation of the feed roller caused by the label roll getting caught, the amount of material fed by the feed roller is less than the theoretical value, resulting in slack in the label roll.

[0014] However, stopping the guide roller after the feed roller would cause the label roll to sag even more.

[0015] Therefore, it is preferable for the control unit to stop the rotation of the guide roller before stopping the rotation of the feed roller. With this configuration, the rotation of the guide roller can be adjusted to stop at the appropriate timing, and the tension on the label material between the feed roller and the guide roller can be varied. This allows for a balance between the load and slack on the label base material, which are in a trade-off relationship.

[0016] Preferably, the guide roller is positioned above the feed unit. With this configuration, space can be secured between the guide roller and the feed unit for installing various optional equipment, such as a camera for capturing prints or barcodes, thereby expanding the product lineup.

[0017] On the other hand, if the distance from the feed unit to the guide roller is increased in order to provide more space for mounting optional equipment, the guide roller will cause the label roll to hang down. As a result, the winding angle of the label roll around the guide roller increases, making the issues described in the background technology more pronounced. Specifically, if the guide roller is a fixed roller, the load on the label roll increases when it is fed out, while if the guide roller is a free roller, the inertia generated when the transport stops causes unintended excess feed, resulting in slack in the label roll.

[0018] Therefore, in such cases, the effects of the present invention can be demonstrated more significantly, reducing the load when feeding the label roll, suppressing the occurrence of slack when stopped, and also ensuring sufficient space for mounting optional equipment.

[0019] The label attachment device according to the present invention is characterized by comprising the label coating mechanism described above and a heating tunnel that heats and shrinks the cylindrical label to attach it to the container.

[0020] Furthermore, the label application program according to the present invention is a program used in a label application device that cuts a strip of label material into predetermined lengths and applies the cut labels to a container, wherein the label application device has a feeding unit that feeds the label material into a cutter in predetermined lengths, and a guide roller provided in front of the feeding unit, around which the label material is wrapped and which guides the transport of the label material, and the program is characterized in that it causes a computer to perform the function of a control unit that controls the rotation of the guide roller.

[0021] With respect to the label attaching device and the label attaching program configured as described above, the same operational effects as those of the label coating device described above can be exhibited.

Effect of the Invention

[0022] According to the present invention configured as described above, the problems that occur when using a fixed roller or a free roller as the guide roller can be solved. That is, it is possible to reduce the load when feeding out the label web, prevent the label from being torn, and suppress the occurrence of slack when the label web stops. As a result, the speed at which the label is coated on the container can be improved, and the capacity of the device can be increased.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the label attaching device of one embodiment. [Figure 2] Schematic diagram showing the configuration of the label coating device of the same embodiment. [Figure 3] Graph for explaining the operation of the control unit of the same embodiment. [Figure 4] Schematic diagram showing the configuration of the label coating device of other embodiments.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0024] [[ID=3-4]] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a label coating device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the label attaching device X of the present embodiment includes a label coating device 100 that coats a cylindrical label L on a container B, and a heating tunnel 200 that heats and shrinks the container B coated with the cylindrical label L to attach it to the container B. The cylindrical label L is a film label called a shrink label in this embodiment, but it may be a paper label.

[0026] The heating tunnel 200 can be of various types, such as one that uses hot air, steam, or superheated steam to thermally shrink the cylindrical label L. However, the label mounting device X does not necessarily need to be equipped with a heating tunnel 200, for example, when the cylindrical label L is made of paper.

[0027] As shown in Figure 2, the label coating device 100 cuts the label roll Z into predetermined lengths and coats the container B with the resulting tubular labels L.

[0028] The label roll Z is, for example, a roll made up of many cylindrical labels L connected together, and is set on a rotating drum D or the like. However, the label roll Z does not necessarily have to be in the form of a roll; it may also be a roll of many cylindrical labels L connected together and folded together.

[0029] Specifically, as shown in Figure 2, the label coating device 100 includes a transport mechanism 10 for transporting the label roll Z, a cutter 20 for cutting the label roll Z, and a so-called mandrel 30 through which the cut tubular film is passed and which opens into a tubular shape.

[0030] The label coating apparatus 100 according to the present invention has a key feature in its transport mechanism 10, which will be described in detail below.

[0031] As shown in Figure 2, the transport mechanism 10 includes a feed unit 11 that feeds the label roll Z to the cutter 20 in predetermined lengths, a control unit 12 that controls the operation of the feed unit 11, and a guide roller 13 that guides the transport of the label roll Z.

[0032] The feeding unit 11 has a pair of feed rollers 14 that rotate while gripping the label roll Z. These feed rollers 14 have equal diameter dimensions and are connected to, for example, a servo motor so that their rotational speed is variable.

[0033] Physically, the control unit 12 is a general-purpose or dedicated computer equipped with a CPU, memory, etc. Functionally, it has the function of controlling the rotation of the feed roller 14 by controlling the servo motor described above, through the cooperation of the CPU and its peripheral devices according to the label coating program stored in the memory.

[0034] The control unit 12 alternately rotates the feed roller 14 and stops its rotation. Specifically, it is configured to repeatedly rotate the feed roller 14 by a predetermined angle (hereinafter also referred to as the feed angle) and then stop the rotation of the feed roller 14 for a predetermined time (hereinafter also referred to as the feed stop time). As a result, the label roll Z is fed out from the feed roller 14 towards the cutter 20 in predetermined lengths.

[0035] The guide roller 13 is located in front of the feeding unit 11, in other words, on the upstream side in the transport direction of the label roll Z, and the label roll Z is wound around it.

[0036] In addition, rollers for guiding the transport of the label roll Z are provided at multiple locations in front of the feed unit 11, but the guide roller 13 in this embodiment is the one of these rollers that is positioned closest to the feed unit 11. Note that "close" here refers to the proximity along the transport direction of the label roll Z, not the spatial distance.

[0037] The guide roller 13 is positioned vertically above the feed unit 11, and the label roll Z is wrapped around it from below, causing the label roll Z to hang down. As a result, the label roll Z is stretched vertically between the pair of feed rollers 14 and the guide roller 13.

[0038] In this embodiment, the guide roller 13 has the same diameter as the feed roller 14 described above, so that the guide roller 13 and the feed roller 14 rotate at the same rotational speed and rotational acceleration as each other.

[0039] In this configuration, the guide roller 13 is connected to a servo motor, for example, and its rotational speed is variable, and the control unit 12 described above is configured to control the rotation of the guide roller 13.

[0040] More specifically, the control unit 12 rotates the guide roller 13 simultaneously with the rotation of the feed roller 14 as the feed roller 14 rotates and stops before stopping the rotation of the feed roller 14.

[0041] In this context, "to stop" can mean either the timing at which the stopping process begins or the timing at which it ends; in this embodiment, it is used in the former sense.

[0042] In other words, as shown in Figure 3, the control unit 12 of this embodiment starts rotating the guide roller 13 at the same time as the feed roller 14 rotates, and in this case, both rollers 13 and 14 start rotating with the same acceleration.

[0043] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 3, when the system is stopped, the control unit 12 starts stopping the rotation of the guide roller 13 before it starts stopping the rotation of the feed roller 14, and then both rollers 13 and 14 come to a complete stop at the same time. In other words, the time from when the guide roller 13 starts to stop until it comes to a complete stop is set to be longer than the time from when the feed roller 14 starts to stop until it comes to a complete stop. To put it another way, the acceleration (velocity gradient) of the guide roller 13 when it is stopped is smaller than the acceleration (velocity gradient) of the feed roller 14 when it is stopped.

[0044] The timing at which the guide roller 13 starts rotating, the time it takes for its rotational speed to reach the target speed, the timing at which it starts to stop rotating, and the time it takes for the rotation to completely stop are all adjustable. The target speed is also variable.

[0045] Similarly, with respect to the feed roller 14, the timing for starting rotation, the time it takes for the rotational speed to reach the target speed, the timing for starting to stop the rotation, and the time it takes for the rotation to completely stop are all adjustable. The target speed is also variable.

[0046] In this embodiment, the control unit 12 controls the rotation of the guide roller 13 and the feed roller 14 so that the amount of label material fed by the feed roller 14 (hereinafter referred to as the second feed amount) is less than the amount of label material fed by the guide roller 13 (hereinafter referred to as the first feed amount). Specifically, it is preferable that the second feed amount is 60% to 90% of the first feed amount, and more preferably 75% to 80%.

[0047] <Effects of this embodiment> With the label coating device 100 configured in this way, unlike configurations that use fixed rollers or free rollers as guide rollers 13, the rotation of the guide rollers 13 can be controlled in accordance with the timing of the transport and stopping of the label roll Z. This reduces the load on the label roll Z, prevents tearing of the label roll Z, and also reduces slack in the label roll Z. Consequently, it is possible to improve the speed at which the tubular label L is applied to the container B, thereby increasing the capacity of the device.

[0048] Furthermore, since the control unit 12 rotates the guide roller 13 at the same time as the feed roller 14 rotates, it is possible to prevent an increase in tension when the label roll Z starts to be fed out, and thus prevent damage to the label roll Z when it is fed out.

[0049] On the other hand, when stopping the feeding of the label roll Z, it might seem theoretically possible to stop the rotation of the guide roller 13 at the same time as the rotation of the feed roller 14, thereby preventing tension from being applied to the label roll Z.

[0050] However, in reality, due to slippage between the feed roller 14 and the label roll Z, and deformation of the feed roller 14 caused by the label roll Z being pinched, the amount of material fed by the feed roller 14 is less than the theoretical value, resulting in slack in the label roll Z.

[0051] However, stopping the guide roller 13 after the feed roller 14 would cause the label roll Z to slacken even more.

[0052] In contrast, the control unit 12 of this embodiment stops the rotation of the guide roller 13 before stopping the rotation of the feed roller 14, so that the rotation of the guide roller 13 can be adjusted to stop at an appropriate timing, and it becomes possible to vary the tension on the label roll Z between the feed roller 14 and the guide roller 13. This allows for a balance between the load and slack on the label base material Z, which are in a trade-off relationship.

[0053] Furthermore, since the guide roller 13 is positioned above the feed unit 11, space can be secured between the guide roller 13 and the feed unit 11 for mounting various optional equipment, such as a camera for capturing prints or barcodes, thereby expanding the product lineup.

[0054] On the other hand, if the distance from the feed unit 11 to the guide roller 13 is increased in order to provide more space for mounting optional equipment, the guide roller 13 will cause the label roll Z to hang down. As a result, the winding angle of the label roll Z with respect to the guide roller 13 increases. If the guide roller 13 is a fixed roller, the load on the label roll Z increases when it is fed out. On the other hand, if the guide roller 13 is a free roller, the inertia generated when transport stops causes unintended excess feed, resulting in slack in the label roll Z.

[0055] In contrast, the configuration of this embodiment makes it possible to reduce the load on the label roll Z when it is being fed out, suppress the occurrence of slack when it is stopped, and also ensure sufficient space for mounting optional equipment.

[0056] <Other modified embodiments> However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

[0057] For example, the guide roller 13 does not necessarily have to be one on which the label roll Z hangs down; it may also be one on which the label is wrapped from the side, as shown in Figure 4.

[0058] Furthermore, the number of guide rollers 13 whose rotation is controlled by the control unit 12 is not limited to one; multiple guide rollers 13 may be rotated and controlled by the control unit 12.

[0059] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the guide roller 13 was stopped before the feed roller 14 stopped, but the guide roller 13 may be stopped at the same time as the feed roller 14 stops.

[0060] In addition, in the above embodiment, the guide roller 13 was started to rotate at the same acceleration as the feed roller 14 at the same rate of rotation. However, considering, for example, slippage of the feed roller 14, the guide roller 13 may be rotated simultaneously while its acceleration is smaller than that of the feed roller 14.

[0061] Furthermore, although the feed roller 14 and the guide roller 13 had the same diameter dimensions in the above embodiment, they may have different diameter dimensions.

[0062] Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes a configuration in which the feed roller 14 is controlled by a servo motor, it is not necessarily required to use a servo motor. In this case, a configuration can be considered in which the rotation angle of the feed roller 14 is detected by an encoder or the like, and the rotation of the guide roller 13 is controlled using the detected signal.

[0063] Furthermore, although the label covering device 100 according to the present invention has been described as covering a container B with a cylindrical shrink label, it may also cover (i.e., attach) a sticker-type paper label or a paper label that is glued during transport to the container B. In this case, the label base Z is a series of multiple paper labels connected together.

[0064] Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] X ···Labeling device 100... Label coating device 200...Heated tunnel L... Label B...container Z...Label raw material 10 ··· Conveying mechanism 11 ···Feed unit 12 ···Control Unit 13 ··· Guide Roller 14 ···Feed roller 20...Cutter 30 ···Mandrel

Claims

1. A label coating apparatus that cuts a strip of label material into predetermined lengths and coats a container with the cut labels, A feeding unit that feeds the label roll into a cutter in predetermined lengths, A guide roller is provided, located in front of the aforementioned feeding unit, on which the label roll is wound and which guides the transport of the label roll. A label coating apparatus comprising a control unit for controlling the rotation of the guide roller.

2. The feeding unit has a pair of feeding rollers that rotate while gripping the label roll, The label coating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit repeatedly rotates and stops the feed roller, and rotates the guide roller simultaneously with the rotation of the feed roller.

3. The feed unit has a pair of feed rollers that rotate while sandwiching the strip-shaped film, The label coating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit stops the rotation of the guide roller before stopping the rotation of the feed roller.

4. The label coating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide roller is positioned above the feeding unit.

5. The label coating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide roller causes the label raw material to hang down.

6. The label coating mechanism according to claim 1, A label attachment device characterized by comprising a heating tunnel for attaching the aforementioned strip-shaped label to the container by heating and shrinking it.

7. A program used in a label coating device that cuts a strip of label material into predetermined lengths and coats a container with the cut labels, The label coating device, A feeding unit that feeds the label roll into a cutter in predetermined lengths, It is located in front of the aforementioned feeding unit and has guide rollers on which the label roll is wound and which guide the transport of the label roll, A label coating program characterized by causing a computer to perform the function of a control unit that controls the rotation of the guide roller.

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