Processing system, processing method, and program

Abstract

(First Invention) (Purpose) To improve the overall processing efficiency of a processing system by reducing the standby time of a droplet discharge device when a robot performs a medium supply operation and a medium recovery operation on a plurality of droplet discharge devices. (Configuration) A processing system (1) comprises: a plurality of printers (3A, 3B); and a robot (5). The printers (3A, 3B) perform a printing process on a medium (M). The robot (5) performs a supply operation and a recovery operation of a medium (M) on the printers (3A, 3B).　While the robot (5) is performing the recovery operation on a first printer (3A) in which the printing process has been completed and the printing process on a subsequent medium (M) is to be carried out, if the printing process of a second printer (3B) is completed, the robot successively performs the recovery operation and the supply operation of the subsequent medium (M) on the first printer (3A). (Second Invention) (Purpose) To reduce the load of a robot and reduce the power consumption of a processing system by reducing the time during which a servo motor of the robot is in an on state. (Configuration) A processing system (101) comprises: a droplet discharge device (103) that performs a droplet discharge process on a medium (M); and a robot (105) that performs at least one of supply and recovery of the medium (M) on the droplet discharge device (103). The robot (105) has arms (152, 153) that grip and transport the medium (M), a servo motor (57) that drives the arms (152, 153), and a control unit (150) that switches between an on state in which the servo motor (57) can rotate and an off state in which the servo motor (57) cannot rotate. When the arms (152, 153) of the robot (105) are standing by at prescribed positions, the control unit (150) sets the servo motor (57) to the off state, and the control unit sets the servo motor to the on state at a timing when at least one of a supply command and a recovery command for the medium is input to the robot (105). After the robot (105) has performed at least one of the supply and the recovery of the medium (M), if a state in which the arms (152, 153) perform no operation at the prescribed positions continues for longer than a certain period of time, the control unit sets the servo motor (57) to the off state. When the arms (152, 153) of the robot (105) are standing by at the prescribed positions, the control unit sets the servo motor (57) to the off state at a timing when the droplet discharge device (103) performs a predetermined operation.

Description

Processing system, processing method, and program

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

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

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

[0004] JP 2012-183595 A

[0005] For example, when a processing system is provided with multiple droplet ejection devices, due to factors such as introduction costs, operating costs, and installation space, media supply and recovery may be performed by fewer robots than the droplet ejection devices. In this case, each droplet ejection device is likely to have to wait for media to be supplied or recovered. In a processing system, when a robot supplies or recovers media to multiple droplet ejection devices, it is desired to reduce the standby time of the droplet ejection devices and improve the processing efficiency of the entire processing system.

[0006] Furthermore, robots generally have an arm for gripping and transporting media and a servo motor for driving the arm. To efficiently operate the robot in accordance with the timing of processing by the droplet ejection device, it is conceivable to supply power to the servo motor and keep it on at all times. However, keeping the servo motor on all the time places a load on the servo motor's electrical circuitry and may result in increased power consumption.

[0007] In a processing system, it is desired to reduce the time that the servo motor of a robot is turned on, thereby reducing the load on the robot and reducing power consumption.

[0008] A processing system according to one aspect of the present invention is a processing system comprising: (1) a plurality of droplet ejection devices that perform droplet ejection processing on media; and a robot that performs media supply and recovery operations for the plurality of droplet ejection devices, wherein, when the droplet ejection processing of a second droplet ejection device is completed while the recovery operation is being performed on a first droplet ejection device that is scheduled to perform the droplet ejection processing on the next media after the droplet ejection processing of the second droplet ejection device is completed, the robot successively performs the recovery operation on the first droplet ejection device and the supply operation of the next media before performing the recovery operation on the second droplet ejection device.

[0009] (2) In the processing system of (1), the robot continuously performs the recovery operation for the first droplet ejection device and the supply operation of the next media when the droplet ejection process time of the first droplet ejection device is longer than the sum of the time of the supply operation time and the recovery operation time of the robot for the first droplet ejection device.

[0010] (3) In the processing system of (1) or (2), the number of the robots is less than the number of the droplet ejection devices.

[0011] (4) In the processing system according to any one of (1) to (3), the robot starts the recovery operation for each of the droplet ejection devices at a timing before the droplet ejection process of each of the droplet ejection devices ends.

[0012] (5) In any of the processing systems (1) to (4), each of the droplet ejection devices includes a head that ejects droplets onto the media, and a maintenance unit that performs maintenance processing on the head, and the maintenance unit performs the maintenance processing between the time when the robot starts the recovery operation of the media for which the droplet ejection processing has been completed and the time when the robot finishes the supply operation of the next media.

[0013] (6) In any of the processing systems (1) to (5), the robot is switchable between a second operation mode in which it performs the supply operation and the recovery operation in the order of the media supply requests or recovery requests input from the plurality of droplet ejection devices, and a first operation mode in which it performs the recovery operation and the supply operation of the next media consecutively, in response to instructions input by a user.

[0014] (7) The processing system of (6) includes an estimation unit that estimates the time of the droplet ejection process and / or the time of the supply operation and the time of the recovery operation based on control data that controls the droplet ejection process of each of the droplet ejection devices, statistical data regarding the time of the droplet ejection process, and / or statistical data regarding the time of the supply operation and the recovery operation; a determination unit that determines a recommended mode from the first operating mode and the second operating mode based on the estimation result of the estimation unit; and a display unit that displays the determination result of the determination unit.

[0015] (8) In any of the processing systems (1) to (7), when the first droplet ejection device and the second droplet ejection device each perform the droplet ejection process multiple times and then finish the droplet ejection process at the same time, the robot performs the media recovery operation by prioritizing the droplet ejection device that finished the initial droplet ejection process first among these droplet ejection devices.

[0016] (9) In any of the processing systems (1) to (8), when the first droplet ejection device and the second droplet ejection device have performed the droplet ejection process multiple times and then finished the droplet ejection process at the same time, the robot performs the media recovery operation by prioritizing the droplet ejection device with the faster printing speed among these droplet ejection devices.

[0017] (10) In any of the processing systems (1) to (9), the plurality of droplet ejection devices are each assigned a number of media for which the droplet ejection process is to be performed, and when the first droplet ejection device and the second droplet ejection device have performed the droplet ejection process multiple times and then finished the droplet ejection process at the same time, the robot prioritizes the droplet ejection device among these droplet ejection devices that has a larger number of media for which the remaining droplet ejection process is to be performed, and performs the media recovery operation.

[0018] (11) In any of the processing systems (1) to (10), when the first droplet ejection device and the second droplet ejection device have performed the droplet ejection process multiple times and then finished the droplet ejection process at the same time, the robot prioritizes the droplet ejection device that takes the shorter time for the supply operation and the recovery operation to perform the recovery operation of the media.

[0019] (12) In any of the processing systems (1) to (11), when the first droplet ejection device and the second droplet ejection device have performed the droplet ejection process multiple times and then finished the droplet ejection process at the same time, the robot gives priority to the droplet ejection device designated by the user among these droplet ejection devices and performs the media recovery operation.

[0020] (13) In any of the processing systems (1) to (12), the plurality of droplet ejection devices are each input with control data for controlling the operation of the droplet ejection process, and the robot causes the first droplet ejection device and the second droplet ejection device to complete the droplet ejection process at the same timing after performing the droplet ejection process multiple times, and when control data for the next droplet ejection process that is different from that for the completed droplet ejection process is input to the first droplet ejection device and the second droplet ejection device performs the next droplet ejection process using the same control data as the completed droplet ejection process, the second droplet ejection device is given priority in performing the media recovery operation.

[0021] A processing method according to one aspect of the present invention is (14) a processing method in a processing system including a plurality of droplet ejection devices that perform droplet ejection processing on media, and a robot that performs media supply and recovery operations for the plurality of droplet ejection devices, wherein, when the droplet ejection processing of a second droplet ejection device is completed while the robot is performing the recovery operation for a first droplet ejection device that has completed the droplet ejection processing and for which a command for the droplet ejection processing on the next media has been input, the robot successively performs the recovery operation for the first droplet ejection device and the supply operation for the next media before performing the recovery operation for the second droplet ejection device.

[0022] A program according to one aspect of the present invention is (15) a program for causing an electronic device to control the operation of a robot in a processing system including a plurality of droplet ejection devices that perform droplet ejection processing on media, and a robot that performs media supply and recovery operations for the plurality of droplet ejection devices, wherein, when the droplet ejection processing of a second droplet ejection device is completed while the robot is performing the recovery operation for a first droplet ejection device that has completed the droplet ejection processing and has received an instruction to perform the droplet ejection processing on the next media, the electronic device outputs an instruction to the robot to successively perform the recovery operation for the first droplet ejection device and the supply operation for the next media before performing the recovery operation for the second droplet ejection device.

[0023] Furthermore, a processing system according to one aspect of the present invention is (16) a processing system comprising: a droplet ejection device that performs a droplet ejection process on media; and a robot that at least one of supplies and recovers the media to the droplet ejection device, wherein the robot has an arm that grasps and transports the media, a servo motor that drives the arm, and a control unit that switches between an ON state in which the servo motor is rotatable and an OFF state in which the servo motor is not rotatable, and the control unit turns the servo motor OFF when the arm of the robot is waiting at a predetermined position, and turns the servo motor ON when at least one of a media supply command and a media recovery command is input to the robot.

[0024] A processing system according to one aspect of the present invention is (17) a processing system comprising: a droplet ejection device that performs a droplet ejection process on media; and a robot that performs at least one of supplying and recovering the media to the droplet ejection device, wherein the robot has an arm that grasps and transports the media, a servo motor that drives the arm, and a control unit that switches between an on state in which the servo motor is rotatable and an off state in which the servo motor is not rotatable, and the control unit switches the servo motor to the off state if the arm does not operate at a predetermined position for a certain period of time after the robot has performed at least one of supplying and recovering the media.

[0025] A processing system according to one aspect of the present invention is (18) a processing system comprising: a droplet ejection device that performs a droplet ejection process on media; and a robot that performs at least one of supplying and recovering the media to the droplet ejection device, wherein the robot has an arm that grasps and transports the media, a servo motor that drives the arm, and a control unit that switches the servo motor between an on state in which the servo motor is rotatable and an off state in which the servo motor is not rotatable, and the control unit switches the servo motor to the off state when the droplet ejection device performs a predetermined operation while the arm of the robot is waiting at a predetermined position.

[0026] (19) In any of the processing systems (16) to (18), a management device is provided that creates a job for managing the progress of the droplet ejection process in the droplet ejection device and transmits print data for controlling the droplet ejection process to the droplet ejection device, and the supply command is input to the robot from the management device or the droplet ejection device, and the supply command is input to the robot at the timing when the management device instructs the droplet ejection device to start executing the job, when the management device transmits the print data to the droplet ejection device, or when the droplet ejection device receives the print data.

[0027] (20) In any of the processing systems (16) to (19), the droplet ejection device includes a table on which the media to be subjected to the droplet ejection process is placed, and a sensor capable of detecting the media placed on the table, and the supply command is input to the robot when the media is not detected on the table by the sensor.

[0028] (21) In any of the processing systems (16) to (20), a management device is provided that creates a job for managing the progress of the droplet discharge process in the droplet discharge device based on conditions specified by a user, including the number of media to be processed, and transmits print data to the droplet discharge device for controlling the droplet discharge process, and the recovery command is input to the robot from the management device or the droplet discharge device, and the recovery command is input to the robot when the management device or the droplet discharge device determines that the droplet discharge process for each media in the job has been completed, when the droplet discharge device notifies the management device of the completion of the droplet discharge process, or when the management device receives a notification of the completion of the droplet discharge process from the droplet discharge device.

[0029] (22) In any of the processing systems (16) to (21), the droplet ejection device continuously performs the droplet ejection process on a number of media designated by a user, and the control unit maintains the on state of the servo motor if the collection of the media and the supply of the next media are performed consecutively within a predetermined time interval.

[0030] (23) In any of the processing systems (16) to (22), the droplet ejection device includes a head that ejects droplets onto the medium, and a maintenance unit that performs maintenance processing on the head, and the predetermined time interval is determined based on the time required for the maintenance processing.

[0031] (24) In the processing system of any one of (16) to (23), the predetermined time interval is determined based on the sum of the time it takes for the robot to collect the media and the time it takes for the robot to supply the media.

[0032] (25) In the processing system according to any one of (16) to (24), the predetermined position is a home position where the arm of the robot is positioned before and after supplying or collecting the media.

[0033] (26) In any of the processing systems (16) to (25), the droplet ejection device includes a table on which the medium on which the droplet ejection process is performed is placed, and at the predetermined position, the arm of the robot is positioned above the table.

[0034] (27) In the processing system according to any one of (16) to (26), a stocker is provided for stocking the media to be supplied to the droplet ejection device, and the predetermined position is a position above the stocker.

[0035] (28) In the processing system according to any one of (16) to (27), the predetermined position is a position above a discharge point where the robot discharges the medium collected from the droplet discharge device.

[0036] (29) In any of the processing systems (16) to (28), the droplet ejection device comprises: a table on which the medium to be subjected to the droplet ejection process is placed; a head disposed opposite the table and ejecting droplets onto the medium; and a movement mechanism that moves the head relatively between an initial position where the head does not overlap the medium placed on the table when viewed vertically, and a printing position where the head overlaps the medium; and the control unit of the robot turns off the servo motor at the timing when the head starts to move from the initial position toward the printing position.

[0037] (30) In any of the processing systems (16) to (29), the droplet ejection device includes a head that ejects droplets onto the medium, and the control unit of the robot turns the servo motor off at the timing when the head starts ejecting droplets onto the medium.

[0038] (31) In any of the processing systems (16) to (30), when the supply or recovery of the media to the first droplet ejection device and the supply or recovery of the media to the second droplet ejection device are performed consecutively within a predetermined time interval, the robot maintains the on state of the servo motor.

[0039] (32) In any of the processing systems (16) to (31), the predetermined time interval is determined based on the time it takes for the robot to finish supplying or collecting the media and for the arm to move to the predetermined position.

[0040] A processing method according to one aspect of the present invention is (33) a processing method in a processing system including a droplet ejection device that performs a droplet ejection process on media, and a robot that at least one of supplies and recovers the media to the droplet ejection device, wherein the robot has an arm that grasps and transports the media, a servo motor that drives the arm, and a control unit that switches between an ON state in which the servo motor is rotatable and an OFF state in which the servo motor is not rotatable, and the control unit turns the servo motor OFF when the arm of the robot is waiting at a predetermined position, and turns the servo motor ON when at least one of a media supply command and a media recovery command is input to the robot.

[0041] A program according to one aspect of the present invention is (34) a program for causing an electronic device to control the operation of a robot in a processing system including a droplet ejection device that performs a droplet ejection process on media, and a robot that at least one of supplies and recovers the media to the droplet ejection device, wherein the robot has an arm that grasps and transports the media, a servo motor that drives the arm, and a control unit that switches between an ON state in which the servo motor is rotatable and an OFF state in which the servo motor is not rotatable, and the electronic device outputs a command to the control unit to turn the servo motor OFF when the arm of the robot is waiting at a predetermined position, and to the robot at the timing when at least one of a media supply command and a media recovery command is input to turn the servo motor ON.

[0042] According to the present invention, when a robot in a processing system supplies and recovers media to and from a plurality of droplet ejection devices, the standby time of the droplet ejection devices can be reduced, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the entire processing system. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the time that the servo motor of the robot is turned on can be reduced, thereby reducing the load on the robot and reducing power consumption.

[0043] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing system. FIG. 3 is a diagram explaining the configuration of a printer and a robot. FIG. 4 is a diagram explaining the supply operation of the robot. FIG. 5 is a diagram explaining the recovery operation of the robot. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an electronic device. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of an electronic device when mode B is selected. (a) is a time chart showing the operation timing of the robot and the printer in mode A, and (b) is a time chart showing the operation timing of the robot and the printer in mode B. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing system according to a first modification. (a) is a schematic diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between a robot and a printer, and (b) is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the robot in the positional relationship of (a). FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the determination process of a recommended operation mode by a determination unit. FIG. 10 is a flowchart explaining the processing flow of an electronic device according to a first modification. (b) is a diagram showing an example of the operation of a robot in a first modification. (c) is a diagram showing an example of the operation of a robot in a first modification. (d) is a diagram showing another example of the control of the operation of a robot in a processing system according to a first modification. 1 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of an electronic device when executing a print job. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation flow of a robot. FIG. 3 is a diagram explaining the supply of media by a robot. FIG. 4 is a diagram explaining the collection of media by a robot. FIG. 5 is a diagram explaining how a printer inputs a supply command to a robot in a processing system according to Modification 2-1. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a processing system according to Modification 2-2. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of an electronic device according to Modification 2-2. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a specific example of a predetermined operation of a printer in a processing system according to Modification 2-3. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example configuration of a processing system according to Modification 2-4. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a processing system according to Modification 2-4. FIG. 11 is a time chart showing the operation timing of a robot and a printer.

[0044] First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a processing system 1 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the processing system 1. In FIG. 1, media M are indicated by hatching. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the processing system 1 includes, for example, printers 3A and 3B, which are examples of droplet ejection devices, and a robot 5. In the following description, positional relationships will be described based on the X, Y, and Z directions in FIG. 1. The Z direction is a direction along the vertical line (the direction of gravity) and extends from the front side to the back side of the paper in FIG. 1. The X and Y directions are directions perpendicular to the Z direction. The X direction is the left-right direction in the drawing, and the Y direction is the up-down direction in the drawing that is perpendicular to the X direction. The right side in the X direction is the X1 side, the left side in the drawing is the X2 side, the upper side in the Y direction is the Y1 side, and the lower side in the Y direction is the Y2 side. Furthermore, when referring to the printers 3A and 3B without distinction, they will be referred to as "printer 3."

[0045] The printers 3A and 3B perform a printing process (droplet ejection process) that ejects ink (droplets) onto the media M. The robot 5 is capable of grasping and transporting the media M. The robot 5 can perform at least one of supplying and retrieving media M from the printers 3A and 3B. In the embodiment, an example is described in which the robot 5 performs both supplying and retrieving media M. While FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which one robot 5 corresponds to multiple printers 3A and 3B, the number of printers 3 and robots 5 and the corresponding relationship between the printers 3 and robots 5 can be changed as appropriate. For example, a number of robots 5 corresponding to the number of printers 3 may be provided so that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the printers 3 and the robots 5. Alternatively, a single printer 3 may be associated with a plurality of robots 5. For example, different robots 5 may perform the supplying and retrieving of media M from the printer 3.

[0046] The shape and material of the medium M used in the printing process are not limited to any particular one, as long as they can be printed on by the printer 3 and transported by the robot 5. The medium M can be made of, for example, synthetic resins such as acrylic, vinyl chloride, and polyester, paper, cloth (woven fabric and nonwoven fabric), wood, ceramics, metal, food, leather, etc. FIG. 1 shows a thin panel as an example of the medium M. The image printed on the medium M includes, for example, characters, figures, patterns, colors, etc., and combinations thereof.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 1 , a processing area A1 where media M are printed is provided with a supply point 7 and a collection point 8 for media M. A robot 5 acquires pre-printed media M stored at the supply point 7 and supplies them to printers 3A and 3B. The robot 5 also acquires post-printed media M from the printer 3 and stores them at the collection point 8. The supply point 7 and collection point 8 may be provided with, for example, a stocker St that stacks and stores media M in the Z direction. Instead of a stocker St, a belt conveyor capable of transporting media M may be provided at the supply point 7 or collection point 8. By providing a belt conveyor at the supply point 7, pre-printed media M can be transported from other areas to the processing area A1. The other areas can be, for example, storage areas for media M or areas where media M are pre-processed for printing. By providing a belt conveyor at the collection point 8, post-printed media M can be transported from the processing area A1 to other areas. The other area may be, for example, a storage area for media M or an area where post-processing of media M is performed.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the processing system 1 may include an electronic device 9. As a management device, the electronic device 9 outputs operational commands to the printer 3 and the robot 5, thereby managing the overall printing process of the media M in the processing system 1. The printer 3 and the robot 5 are communicatively connected to the electronic device 9 via a LAN network or wireless communication. The electronic device 9 may be located, for example, in an area A2 where a user resides, separate from the processing area A1 where the printer 3 and the robot 5 are located. The electronic device 9 may also communicate with a sensor installed in the processing area A1 to acquire environmental information about the processing area A1 detected by the sensor. The environmental information may include, for example, temperature, humidity, and the like.

[0049] <Printer> Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the printer 3 and the robot 5. In Figure 3, the media M and the moving mechanisms 37, 37 of the printer 3 are hatched. Note that the positional relationship shown in Figure 3 corresponds to the positional relationship of the printer 3A. The following description of the positional relationship of the printer 3A can be substituted for the description of the positional relationship of the printer 3B by swapping the X1 side with the X2 side, and the Y1 side with the Y2 side.

[0050] As shown in Figure 3, the printer 3 includes a table 31 on which the media M is placed, a carriage 34 disposed above the table 31, and a guide bar 36 that supports the carriage 34. The table 31 has a placement surface 31a for the media M. The placement surface 31a extends horizontally (in the X and Y directions). A placement area Pa (an area indicated by an imaginary line in the figure) on which the media M is placed is set on the placement surface 31a. Note that while Figure 3 shows only one placement area Pa, multiple placement areas Pa can be provided depending on the size of the table 31, the size of the media M being used, etc.

[0051] The guide bar 36 extends horizontally in the Y direction above the table 31. When viewed from the Z direction, the guide bar 36 crosses the table 31 in the Y direction. The Y-direction ends of the guide bar 36 protrude further toward the Y1 and Y2 sides than the table 31. A guide rail (not shown) is provided on the guide bar 36 along the Y direction, and the carriage 34 is driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) to move in the Y direction along the guide rail. A head 35 that ejects ink is mounted on the carriage 34. By moving the carriage 34 in the Y direction, the head 35 mounted on the carriage 34 also moves in the Y direction.

[0052] A plurality of nozzles N (see FIG. 4) for ejecting ink are provided on the underside of the head 35. The underside of the head 35 faces the table 31 in the Z direction with a small gap between them. By facing the head 35 to the medium M placed on the table 31, ink ejected from the nozzles N can be made to land on the medium M.

[0053] The ink used in the printer 3 is not limited to a specific type, but may be, for example, ultraviolet-curable ink that is cured by ultraviolet light or heat-curable ink that is cured by heat. In this case, although not shown, the carriage 34 of the printer 3 may be equipped with an ultraviolet irradiation device or a heating device for curing the ink ejected onto the medium M. Furthermore, the droplets ejected by the printer 3 are not limited to ink; any droplets having a viscosity sufficient to adhere to the medium M may be used as appropriate. The head 35 may eject a single color of ink or multiple colors of ink. The ink may be, for example, process color ink such as C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black). Alternatively, the ink may be a special color ink such as LC (light cyan), LM (light magenta), Gy (gray), W (white), CL (clear), Pr (primer), O (orange), violet, metallic colors (gold, silver), or fluorescent colors.

[0054] 3, a maintenance station 41 (maintenance unit) that performs maintenance processing on the head 35 is provided at the Y1 side end of the guide bar 36 that extends beyond the table 31. Although not shown, the maintenance station 41 has built-in devices that perform wiping of the underside of the head 35, flushing of the nozzles N, etc. The maintenance processing is performed by moving the carriage 34 to the maintenance station 41.

[0055] An ink supply device 42 is provided at the end of the guide bar 36 on the Y2 side that protrudes beyond the table 31. Although not shown, an ink tank is built into the ink supply device 42. The ink tank and the head 35 are connected via an ink tube (not shown), and ink is supplied from the ink tank to the head 35.

[0056] Movement mechanisms 37, 37 are provided at the Y1-side and Y2-side ends of the table 31. The movement mechanisms 37, 37 move the guide bar 36 along the X direction. When the guide bar 36 moves along the X direction, the carriage 34, the head 35, the maintenance station 41, and the ink supply device 42 move integrally along the X direction.

[0057] An initial position Ip of the head 35 is set on the table 31. When viewed from the Z direction, the initial position Ip is set at a position away from the placement location Pa of the medium M on the X1 side. When the printer 3 performs printing, the head 35 moves from the initial position Ip to the placement location Pa of the medium M (printing position). When viewed from the X or Y direction, the head 35 faces the medium M at the placement location Pa with a small gap in the Z direction. The head 35 ejects ink onto the medium M while moving in the Y direction. After completing one reciprocating movement in the Y direction (one pass), the head 35 moves a predetermined distance toward the X2 side. The head 35 ejects ink while moving again in the Y direction. In other words, the printer 3 prints on the medium M by alternately moving the head 35 back and forth in the Y direction (one pass) and moving a predetermined distance toward the X2 side. When the printing process is complete, the head 35 returns to the initial position Ip on the X1 side.

[0058] The movement mechanisms 37, 37 only need to be able to move the head 35 in the X direction relative to the table 31. Therefore, the movement mechanisms 37, 37 may move the table 31 in the X direction relative to the fixed guide bar 36. Alternatively, the movement mechanisms 37, 37 may move both the guide bar 36 and the table 31 in the X direction.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 2 , the printer 3 includes a controller 30 that controls the operation of each component. The controller 30 is communicably connected to the electronic device 9. The controller 30 performs printing by controlling the operation of each component of the printer 3 based on print data PD input from the electronic device 9. The controller 30 of the printer 3 also transmits to the electronic device 9 a request to supply media M and a request to collect media M after printing. The supply and collection requests may be dedicated signals. For example, the printer 3 can transmit a supply request when printing preparation is complete. The printer 3 can transmit a collection request when printing is complete. Alternatively, signals notifying the status of the printer 3 may be treated as supply and collection requests. For example, a signal output when the printer 3 completes printing and the head 35 returns to the initial position Ip may be treated as a collection request. The electronic device 9 can output operational commands to the robot 5 based on the status of the printer 3, allowing the printer 3 and robot 5 to operate in coordination with each other.

[0060] <Robot> The robot 5 is not limited to a specific type as long as it can grasp and transport the media M. FIG. 3 illustrates, as an example, a horizontally articulated robot (a so-called SCARA robot) having multiple arms that rotate horizontally. Alternatively, a vertically articulated robot may be used as the robot 5. To ensure the safety of workers, the area including the rotation range of the arms of the robot 5 may be isolated by a safety fence or the like. Alternatively, the robot 5 may be a collaborative robot that can operate in the same space as workers.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 3 , the robot 5 includes arms 52 and 53 that grip and transport the media M. The arm 52 is supported by a base 51, which is installed on the floor of the processing area A1, for example, and the arm 53 is supported by the arm 52. The arms 52 and 53 each extend horizontally. The base end of the arm 52 is connected to the upper surface of the base 51 so as to be rotatable about an axis Z1 along the Z direction. The base end of the arm 53 is connected to the tip of the arm 52 so as to be rotatable about an axis Z2 parallel to the axis Z1. A shaft 54 ​​extending in the Z direction passes through the tip of the arm 53. The shaft 54 ​​is movable up and down by a drive mechanism (not shown).

[0062] A gripping mechanism 55 (see FIG. 4) that grips the media M is provided at the lower end of the shaft 54. The gripping mechanism 55 can be configured, for example, as a suction pad. The suction pad can adhere to the media M by applying negative pressure while in contact with the surface of the media M. The suction pad can also release the media M by applying positive pressure while adsorbing the media M. Note that the gripping mechanism 55 is not limited to a suction pad, and other configurations can also be used as appropriate.

[0063] 3, the robot 5 can move the tip of the arm 53 in the X and Y directions by combining the rotation of the arms 52 and 53. The shaft 54 ​​attached to the tip of the arm 53 can be moved up and down at a desired position to acquire or release the media M. In the processing area A1, the printers 3A and 3B, the supply point 7, and the collection point 8 can be located within the reach of the arms 52 and 53 of the robot 5 (see FIG. 1).

[0064] In the example of FIG. 1 , printers 3A and 3B, a supply point 7, and a collection point 8 are arranged to surround the robot 5. In FIG. 1 , a line segment Lx that runs along the X direction and a line segment Ly that runs along the Y direction are shown, passing through the axis Z1 of the arm 52 supported on the base 51 of the robot 5. Printer 3A and printer 3B are arranged on the line segment Lx in positions that are symmetrical on both sides of the base 51 of the robot 5. The supply point 7 and the collection point 8 are arranged on the Y2 side of the base 51 of the robot 5. The supply point 7 and the collection point 8 are aligned in the X direction and arranged in positions that are symmetrical on both sides of the line segment Ly.

[0065] This arrangement reduces the difference in the distance traveled by media M when the robot 5 supplies and collects media M from the printers 3A and 3B. Note that the arrangement shown in Figure 1 is merely an example. The arrangement of the printers 3A and 3B, supply points 7, and collection points 8 can be changed as needed depending on the reachable range of the arms 52 and 53 of the robot 5 and the layout of the processing area A1.

[0066] 2, the robot 5 includes a controller 50 communicatively connected to the electronic device 9. Teaching data is set in the controller 50 through a teaching operation in advance so that the robot 5 can supply and collect media M. The controller 50 operates the robot 5 based on the supply command or operation command input from the electronic device 9 and the previously set teaching data.

[0067] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the supply operation of the robot 5. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the recovery operation of the robot 5. As shown in FIG. 4, when a supply command is input from the electronic device 9, the robot 5 moves the shaft 54 ​​to above the stocker St of the supply location 7. The robot 5 lowers the shaft 54 ​​and grips the media M stored in the stocker St with the gripping mechanism 55 provided at the tip of the shaft 54. The robot 5 then raises the shaft 54 ​​gripping the media M and moves it from the supply location 7 to the standby position Wp of the printer 3.

[0068] The standby position Wp can be, for example, near the printer 3. Alternatively, the standby position Wp can be a position where at least a portion of the shaft 54 ​​overlaps the table 31 of the printer 3 when viewed vertically. In this case, the lower surface of the shaft 54 ​​is spaced apart from the upper surface of the table 31 so that the shaft 54 ​​does not interfere with the head 35 of the printer 3 and the like at the standby position Wp.

[0069] 4 shows an example of the standby position Wp. When viewed vertically, the standby position Wp can be a position where the shaft 54 ​​of the robot 5 overlaps with the placement area Pa for the media M set on the table 31. In this case, when the printer 3 completes preparations for printing, the robot 5 can release the media M to the placement area Pa simply by lowering the shaft 54 ​​at the standby position Wp, allowing the media M to be supplied smoothly.

[0070] 5, when a collection command is input from the electronic device 9, the robot 5 moves the shaft 54 ​​to the standby position Wp of the printer 3. The robot 5 lowers the shaft 54 ​​and grasps the printed media M placed on the table 31 of the printer 3. The robot 5 then raises the shaft 54 ​​grasping the media M, and moves it above the stocker St of the collection location 8. The robot 5 lowers the shaft 54 ​​and releases the media M grasped at the tip of the shaft 54 ​​into the stocker St.

[0071] <Electronic Device> Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the electronic device 9. As shown in Fig. 6, the electronic device 9 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 901, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 902, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 903, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 904, a display 905 (display unit), an input device 906, a communication I / F 907, and a media I / F 908. Each component is connected to each other via a bus.

[0072] The CPU 901 controls the entire electronic device 9. The CPU 901 can load an OS and various programs stored in the ROM 902 or HDD 904 into the RAM 903 and execute them. Alternatively, the CPU 901 can load a program stored in a storage medium RM into the RAM 903 via the media I / F 908 and execute it. The storage medium RM can be an optical storage medium, a magneto-optical storage medium, a magnetic storage medium, a conductive memory tape medium, a semiconductor memory, or the like. Note that the electronic device 9 may also include a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or the like as a processor in addition to the CPU 901. The CPU 901 performs processing in response to user operations via the input device 906 and displays the processing results on the display 905. The input device 906 can be, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad, or the like.

[0073] The HDD 904 stores programs executed by the CPU 901, data used by the programs, and the like. A solid-state drive (SSD) may be provided instead of or in addition to the HDD 904. The communication I / F 907 outputs data received from other devices to the CPU 901 via a network NW such as the Internet or a local area network (LAN). The communication I / F 907 also transmits data generated by the CPU 901 to other devices. The other devices may be devices such as the robot 5 and printer 3 constituting the processing system 1, or devices external to the processing system 1. The CPU 901 may load required programs onto the RAM 903 from other devices via the network NW.

[0074] In this embodiment, the CPU 901 of the electronic device 9 executes an application program loaded onto the RAM 903, thereby realizing the functional configuration of the electronic device 9 shown in FIG.

[0075] As shown in Fig. 2, the electronic device 9 has, as its functional configuration, a job management unit 91 (mode setting device) and a print data creation unit 92. The storage unit 96 is composed of a ROM 902, RAM 903, HDD 904, etc., as shown in Fig. 6. Each functional unit performs processing in response to a user's operation input via an input device 906 (see Fig. 6), and displays the processing results on the screen of a display 905 (see Fig. 6). Each functional unit obtains data required for processing from the storage unit 96, and temporarily stores the processing results in the storage unit 96 as necessary.

[0076] The job management unit 91 displays on the display 905 an operation screen that enables the user to upload image data to be printed on the medium M. The operation screen allows the user to input printing conditions for printing image data on the medium M. The user can specify, as printing conditions, for example, the type of medium M, the number of copies to be printed, the print quality (normal mode, high quality mode, ink saving mode, etc.), white printing, clear gloss finish, etc.

[0077] In addition to the printing conditions, the user can also specify the operation mode of the robot 5 on the operation screen. The robot 5 has, for example, the following two operation modes: Mode A (second operation mode): The robot 5 supplies and collects media M to each printer 3 in accordance with the input order of supply or collection requests from the printers 3. Mode B (first operation mode): The robot 5 continuously collects media M from one printer 3 and supplies the next media M, regardless of the input order of supply or collection requests from the printers 3. On the operation screen, for example, Mode A may be set as the default setting, and the user may be able to select Mode B as an option. The job management unit 91, as a mode setting device, sets the operation mode of the robot 5 to Mode A or Mode B in accordance with the user's input via the operation screen.

[0078] As shown in the example of Figure 1, in the processing system 1, one robot 5 may serve multiple printers 3. In this case, the timing at which the robot 5 supplies or collects media M for each printer 3 may overlap. When Mode A is selected as the operating mode for the robot 5, the robot 5 operates in accordance with the input order of supply or collection requests from the printers 3. Here, the printer 3 outputs a supply request for the next media M after the media M for which printing has been completed has been collected and printing preparation is complete. In other words, while the robot 5 is collecting media M from printer 3A, for example, a supply request for the next media M will not be input from printer 3A.

[0079] If a collection request is input from printer 3B while the robot 5 is collecting media M from printer 3A, the robot 5 will collect media M from printer 3B after collecting media M from printer 3A. The next media M will be supplied to printer 3A after collection from printer 3B. In other words, even though printer 3A has finished collecting media M after printing and is ready to print the next media M, there will be a wait time until the next media M is supplied.

[0080] When Mode B is selected as the robot 5's operating mode, the robot 5 continuously collects media M from one printer 3 and supplies the next media M, regardless of the input order. That is, even if a collection request is input from printer 3B while the robot 5 is collecting media M from printer 3A, the robot 5 prioritizes supplying the next media M to printer 3A. This allows printer 3A to quickly receive the next media M after collecting the media M, allowing it to begin the next printing process. That is, Mode B is suitable when one robot 5 supports multiple printers 3A and 3B, and by quickly supplying the next media M to the printer 3 that is ready for printing, the processing efficiency of the entire processing system 1 can be improved.

[0081] The job management unit 91 creates print jobs in response to user operations via the operation screen and registers them in a job list. The print job contains image data uploaded by the user as well as the details of the print process according to the printing conditions specified by the user. The user selects the print job to be executed from the job list, specifies the number of copies to be printed on the medium M (number of processes), and inputs an instruction to start printing. The job management unit 91 manages the operation of the printer 3 and robot 5 to execute the print job for the specified number of copies to be printed.

[0082] The job management unit 91 outputs image data for the specified print job to the print data creation unit 92, causing it to create print data PD. The job management unit 91 outputs the print data PD to the printer 3, causing it to perform printing processing on the media M. The job management unit 91 outputs operation commands to the robot 5, causing it to supply and collect media M from the printer 3. The job management unit 91 receives signals from the printer 3 and the robot 5 notifying them of their respective status, and controls the timing of each operation based on the received signals. Furthermore, the job management unit 91 changes the timing at which the operation commands are output so that the robot 5 operates in accordance with the operation mode selected by the user. The job management unit 91 updates the job list when the print job for the number of copies of the specified media M is completed.

[0083] The print data creation unit 92 creates print data PD for controlling the operation of the printer 3. When uploading image data or inputting a command to start printing, the user can specify various print conditions via the operation screen. The job management unit 91 outputs the specified print conditions together with the image data to the print data creation unit 92. The print data creation unit 92 creates print data PD according to the print conditions.

[0084] The print data creation unit 92 creates print data PD by performing RIP (Raster Image Processing) on ​​image data according to the specified printing conditions. RIP is a process for generating a raster image that specifies the ejection positions for ejecting ink of a color corresponding to the image data. In RIP, a raster image is generated by performing halftone processing on a grayscale image corresponding to each of the C, M, Y, and K color inks and spot color inks. Furthermore, various commands for controlling the printer 3 according to the specified printing conditions are added to the generated raster image, and the print data PD is created.

[0085] 7 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the electronic device 9 when mode B is selected. In this example, a print job specifying the number of copies Nm of media M to be printed is executed by a processing system 1 equipped with one robot 5 and M printers 3. Also, the number of media M that each printer 3 can print in one printing process is set to one.

[0086] When a user instructs the start of execution of a print job, the job management unit 91 acquires the image data and printing conditions registered in the print job and causes the print data creation unit 92 to create print data PD. The job management unit 91 then sends the created print data PD to each printer 3, causing it to prepare for printing. Figure 7 shows the flow of processing after the printer 3 has completed preparation for printing. As shown in Figure 7, the job management unit 91 resets to 0 a counter that counts the number N of media M that the robot 5 has supplied to the printer 3 (step S01). The job management unit 91 causes the robot 5 to continue supplying media M in the print job until the counter reaches the specified number of copies Nm to be printed.

[0087] The job management unit 91 outputs a command to the robot 5 to supply media M to the M printers 3 (step S02). The robot 5 sequentially supplies media M to the M printers 3. When the robot 5 has completed supplying media M to the M printers 3, it sends a completion notification to the electronic device 9. When the job management unit 91 receives the completion notification from the robot 5 (step S03: Yes), it updates the counter to N = N + M (step S04). If the updated counter has not reached the number of print copies Nm (step S05: No), the job management unit 91 proceeds to step S06.

[0088] As media M are supplied to each of the M printers 3 by the robot 5, the printers 3 sequentially begin printing. Upon completing printing, the printers 3 send a collection request to the electronic device 9. When a collection request is input from any of the printers 3 (step S06: Yes), the job management unit 91 outputs a command to the robot 5 to collect the media M from the printer 3 that output the collection request and to supply the next media M (step S07). The robot 5 collects the media M from the printer 3 and ejects it at the collection point 8, then acquires the next media M from the supply point 7 and supplies it to the printer 3. Upon completing the collection and supply operations, the robot 5 outputs a completion notification to the electronic device 9. When a completion notification is input from the robot 5 (step S08: Yes), the job management unit 91 updates the counter to N=N+1 (step S09) and returns to step S05. The job management unit 91 repeats steps S05 to S09 to cause the robot 5 to collect and supply media M from each printer 3.

[0089] When the number N of media M supplied by the robot 5 reaches the number of print copies Nm (Step S05: Yes), the job management unit 91 proceeds to Step S10. From Step S10 onwards, the job management unit 91 causes the robot 5 to perform only the collection operation. When a collection request is input from the printer 3 (Step S10: Yes), the job management unit 91 outputs a command to the robot 5 to collect the media M (Step S11). When the robot 5 completes the collection operation of the media M, it outputs a completion notification to the electronic device 9. When the job management unit 91 receives a completion notification from the robot 5 (Step S12: Yes), it checks whether collection of all Nm media M has been completed (Step S13). If Step S13 is Yes, the job management unit 91 returns to Step S10. If Step S13 is No, the job management unit 91 ends the print job.

[0090] In this way, in mode B, while the printers 3 are continuously performing printing processes, the job management unit 91 causes the robot 5 to continuously perform operations to collect and supply media M to each printer 3. In other words, even if a collection request is input from another printer 3 while the robot 5 is collecting media M from one printer 3, the robot 5 will prioritize supplying the next media M to the first printer 3.

[0091] Fig. 8(a) is a time chart showing the operation timing of the robot 5 and printer 3 in mode A. Fig. 8(b) is a time chart showing the operation timing of the robot 5 and printer 3 in mode B. Fig. 8 shows an example in which a print job is executed by two printers, 3A and 3B (see Fig. 1). To simplify the explanation, the times for the supply operation and collection operation of the robot 5 with respect to printers 3A and 3B are all shown with the same length of one unit. The times for the printing processes of printers 3A and 3B are also shown with the same length of four units.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 8A, when a print job is started in mode A, the robot 5 first supplies media M to printers 3A and 3B in sequence. Printers 3A and 3B begin printing as soon as media M are supplied. Printer 3A outputs a collection request when printing is complete. In response to the collection request from printer 3A, the robot 5 collects media M from printer 3A. However, before the collection operation for printer 3A is completed, printer 3B finishes printing and outputs a collection request. Once media M has been collected, printer 3A outputs a supply request (not shown) for the next media M, but the supply request is input after the collection request output by printer 3B.

[0093] When the robot 5 completes the collection operation for printer 3A, it collects the media M from printer 3B in response to the collection request from printer 3B, which was input first. After collecting the media M, printer 3B outputs a supply request for the next media M. The input order of the supply request for printer 3B is after the input order of the supply request for printer 3A. When the robot 5 completes the collection operation for printer 3B, it supplies the next media M to printer 3A, and then supplies the next media M to printer 3B.

[0094] Thus, in mode A, the robot 5 performs a supply or retrieval operation according to the input order of the supply or retrieval requests from the printers 3A and 3B. A standby time Ta occurs between the end of the printing process for the printers 3A and 3B, when the robot 5 completes its retrieval and supply operations and becomes ready to print the next media M. When the robot 5 and the printer 3 correspond one-to-one, the standby time for the printer 3 is only two units of time, which is the sum of the robot 5's retrieval and supply operations. On the other hand, when one robot 5 corresponds to multiple printers 3, the robot 5 cannot respond to a supply or retrieval request from a printer 3 while it is performing an operation for another printer 3. In particular, in mode A, as shown in FIG. 8A, if a retrieval request is input from printer 3B while the robot 5 is performing a retrieval operation for printer 3A, the robot 5 will next perform a retrieval operation for printer 3B. Therefore, in mode A, the standby time Ta of printers 3A and 3B is two units of time, which is the total of the collection and supply operations of robot 5, plus one unit of time for the collection operation of the other printer 3. Therefore, printers 3A and 3B must wait for three units of time.

[0095] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 8(b), in mode B, when a collection request is received from printer 3A, the robot 5 collects the media M from printer 3A and then supplies the next media M in succession. Therefore, even if a collection request is input from printer 3B before the collection operation for printer 3A is completed, the supply operation for printer 3A takes priority. This allows the next media M to be supplied to printer 3A and printing processing to begin without having to wait for the collection operation for printer 3B. In other words, the standby time Tb for printer 3A in mode B is two units of time, which is shorter than the standby time Ta in mode A (Ta > Tb).

[0096] After completing the supply operation for printer 3A, the robot 5 responds to a collection request from printer 3B. The robot 5 also continuously collects media M from printer 3B and supplies the next media M. Here, printer 3B waits for printer 3A to complete the supply operation between the first and second printing processes, resulting in a longer wait time Tb1 of three time units (Tb1 > Tb). However, in mode B, printer 3A starts the second printing process earlier, resulting in a two-time time difference between the end timings of printers 3A and 3B's printing processes from the second printing process onward. This allows printer 3B to receive the next media M after the second or subsequent printing process has finished without waiting for printer 3A's supply operation to be completed. Therefore, the wait time Tb for printer 3B from the second printing process onward is two time units, which is shorter than the wait time Ta in mode A (Ta > Tb).

[0097] In this way, when the robot 5 is compatible with multiple printers 3, selecting mode B can reduce the waiting time after printing processing for each printer 3. This can improve the efficiency of printing processing when viewed throughout the entire print job.

[0098] In either mode A or B, printers 3A and 3B can perform maintenance processing at maintenance station 41 (see FIG. 3) during standby times Ta and Tb between printing processes. This allows the standby times Ta and Tb to be used effectively to perform processing to maintain print quality.

[0099] As described above, the processing system 1 described in the embodiment has, for example, the following configuration: (1) The processing system 1 includes multiple printers 3 (3A, 3B) that are droplet ejection devices, and a robot 5. The printers 3A, 3B perform a printing process (droplet ejection process) on media M. The robot 5 performs a supply operation and a recovery operation of media M for the printers 3A, 3B. If the printing process of a second printer 3 (second droplet ejection device) is completed while the robot 5 is performing a recovery operation for a first printer 3 (first droplet ejection device) that is scheduled to perform a printing process on the next media M, the robot 5 successively performs a recovery operation for the first printer 3 and a supply operation of the next media M.

[0100] The processing system 1 of this embodiment can reduce the waiting time of the printers 3 when the robot 5 performs media M supply and collection operations for multiple printers 3, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the entire processing system 1.

[0101] In the processing system 1, processing efficiency can be improved by having multiple printers 3 perform printing processes in parallel. While it is desirable to provide a robot 5 in one-to-one correspondence with each printer 3, it may not be possible to provide a number of robots 5 corresponding to the number of printers 3 due to factors such as the layout of the processing area A1 and cost constraints. In this case, one robot 5 may supply and collect media M to multiple printers 3.

[0102] The robot 5 can perform a supply or collection operation, for example, depending on the order in which supply or collection requests are received from multiple printers 3 (mode A). If a collection request is received from another printer 3 while the robot 5 is performing a collection operation for one printer 3, the robot 5 then performs the collection operation for that other printer 3. Therefore, the printer 3 waits to supply media M until the robot 5 completes the collection operation for the other printer 3. If the standby time for a printer 3 is long, there is a possibility that processing efficiency will not be sufficiently improved even if multiple printers 3 are installed.

[0103] In the processing system 1 of this embodiment, the robot 5 can continuously perform collection operations for each printer 3 and supply operations for the next media M, regardless of the input order of supply requests or collection requests from the printers 3 (Mode B). In other words, by quickly supplying the next media M to a printer 3 that has finished printing and causing it to start printing again, even when one robot 5 is responsible for multiple printers 3, the standby time of the printers 3 can be reduced, improving the overall processing efficiency of the processing system 1.

[0104] In the above embodiment, the user can select either mode A or B, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the processing system 1, if one robot 5 corresponds to multiple printers 3, the job management unit 91 may automatically set mode B.

[0105] (3) The processing system 1 can include fewer robots 5 than printers 3 .

[0106] When one robot 5 serves multiple printers 3, the robot 5 may be busy operating on another printer 3 and unable to respond promptly to a supply or collection request from one printer 3. In this case, the printer 3 is likely to wait a long time. In this embodiment, as described above, the robot 5 continuously performs collection operations for each printer 3 and supplies the next media M, regardless of the order in which the supply or collection requests from the printers 3 are received. This reduces the standby time of the printer 3 and improves the processing efficiency of the entire processing system 1. Furthermore, by reducing the number of robots 5, the introduction and operating costs of the robots 5 can be reduced and the system can accommodate layout constraints.

[0107] (5) The printer 3 includes a head 35 that ejects droplets onto the medium M, and a maintenance station 41 (maintenance unit) that performs maintenance processing on the head 35. During the waiting times Ta and Tb between when the robot 5 starts collecting the medium M for which printing processing has finished and when it finishes supplying the next medium M, the maintenance station 41 can start maintenance processing on the head 35.

[0108] The printer 3 waits for periods Ta and Tb from when the robot 5 begins collecting the printed medium M until the next medium M is supplied. By starting maintenance processing for the head 35 during these wait periods Ta and Tb, the wait periods Ta and Tb can be used effectively. This makes it possible to improve both the processing efficiency and print quality of the processing system 1.

[0109] (6) The robot 5 can switch its operating mode between mode A (second operating mode) and mode B (first operating mode) in response to instructions input by the user. In mode A, the robot 5 performs supply and collection operations in response to the input order of media M supply requests or collection requests input from the printers 3. In mode B, the robot 5 sequentially performs a collection operation for the same printer 3 and a supply operation for the next media M. Specifically, in mode A, the job management unit 91 (mode setting device) of the electronic device 9 sequentially outputs supply or collection commands to the robot 5 in response to the input order of supply or collection requests input from the printers 3. In mode B, when a collection request is input from any printer 3, the job management unit 91 outputs a command to the robot 5 to collect the media M from that printer 3 and to supply the next media M.

[0110] As described above, when one robot 5 is used to handle multiple printers 3, in mode A, the standby time of the printer 3 tends to be longer, but the timing difference between the completion of the print processing of the multiple printers 3A and 3B is reduced (see FIG. 8A). When a user uses the processing system 1, for example, they may switch the print content or replace the ink in the printer 3. In such cases, the user may prefer less time lag between the progress of the print processing of the printers 3A and 3B rather than processing efficiency. In this embodiment, the user can select between mode A and mode B. This allows the processing system 1 to meet various needs regarding the progress of the print processing and improve user convenience.

[0111] (i) As soon as the media M is supplied by the robot 5, the printers 3A and 3B start the printing process for the media M.

[0112] In mode B, the printers 3A and 3B continuously collect media M and supply the next media M. The printers 3A and 3B then begin printing as soon as the media M is supplied. This improves the processing efficiency of the entire processing system 1.

[0113] The effects described above also apply to the processing method in the processing system 1 and the program that controls the operation of the robot 5. The program can be executed by any one of the electronic device 9, the controller 50 of the robot 5, or the controller 30 of the printer 3, or by a combination of these. The present invention also applies to media M processed (manufactured) by the processing method (manufacturing method) of the processing system 1.

[0114] (Variation 1-1) In the following description of the variation, detailed description of components similar to those in the embodiment will be omitted. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a processing system 1A according to Variation 1-1. As shown in FIG. 9, in Variation 1-1, the electronic device 9 includes an estimation unit 93 and a determination unit 94 in addition to the functional configuration described in the embodiment. The estimation unit 93 estimates the time PT for the print processing of the printers 3A and 3B included in the processing system 1A, and the time ST for the supply operation and the time RT for the recovery operation of the robot 5 relative to the printers 3A and 3B. The determination unit 94 determines a recommended operation mode for the robot 5 based on the estimation result of the estimation unit 93. The job management unit 91 displays the recommended operation mode for the robot 5, which is the determination result of the determination unit 94, on the operation screen of the display 905 (see FIG. 6). The user can select an appropriate operation mode by referring to the recommended operation mode for the robot 5.

[0115] The estimation unit 93 can estimate the time PT for the print processing of the printers 3A and 3B, and the time ST for the supply operation and the time RT for the recovery operation of the robot 5 relative to the printers 3A and 3B based on various information. The estimation unit 93 can make estimations based on, for example, the print data PD output to the printers 3A and 3B, environmental information about the processing area A1, the time of past print processing, statistical data on the time of the supply operation and the recovery operation, etc. The algorithm used by the estimation unit 93 for estimation can be set, for example, by machine learning data prepared in advance. The estimation unit 93 may acquire the information required for estimation from the storage unit 96, or may acquire it from a cloud server via a network.

[0116] As described in the embodiment, the operating mode of the robot 5 can be set to, for example, mode A, in which the robot 5 operates in accordance with the input order of supply or collection requests from the printers 3, or mode B, in which the robot 5 continuously collects media M from one printer 3 and supplies the next media M. In variant 1-1, the determination unit 94 determines, for example, mode A or mode B as the recommended operating mode for the robot 5.

[0117] In the embodiment, an example has been described in which mode A or mode B is uniformly applied as the operation mode of the robot 5 for all printers 3. In variant example 1-1, the determination unit 94 can determine for each printer 3 whether mode A or mode B is the recommended operation mode.

[0118] 1 shows an example in which printers 3A and 3B are positioned symmetrically relative to robot 5. In this case, there is no significant difference in the time it takes for robot 5 to perform supply and collection operations for printers 3A and 3B. However, depending on the layout of processing area A1, the positional relationship between robot 5 and printers 3A and 3B may differ significantly. In such cases, even if robot 5 applies the same operation mode to all printers 3, this may not contribute to improving the overall processing efficiency of processing system 1A.

[0119] FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the robot 5 and printers 3A and 3B. FIG. 10A shows an example in which the distance Da between the robot 5 and printer 3A is half the distance Db between the robot 5 and printer 3B (Da = Db / 2). In this case, the time it takes for the robot 5 to perform supply and collection operations for printer 3A is half the time it takes for the robot 5 to perform supply and collection operations for printer 3B. FIG. 10B shows an example of the operation of the robot 5 in the positional relationship shown in FIG. 10A. FIG. 10B shows a case in which a collection request is input from printer 3A while the robot 5 is performing a collection operation for printer 3B.

[0120] If the operation mode of the robot 5 for both printers 3A and 3B is set to mode B, as shown by the solid line in the figure, the robot 5 performs a collection operation for printer 3B and then a supply operation for the next medium M to printer 3B. Then, after the supply operation for printer 3B, the robot 5 performs a collection operation and a supply operation for printer 3A. In this case, the wait time Tc from when printer 3A finishes a print process until it starts the next print process is longer than STb + RTa + RTb.

[0121] Here, the time STb for the supply operation for printer 3B is equivalent to the sum of the time RTa for the collection operation for printer 3A and the time STa for the supply operation. Therefore, even though printer 3A could start the next printing process earlier if it did not wait for the completion of the supply operation for printer 3B, it must wait for more than twice the time RTa + STa. Thus, when the positional relationships between the robot 5 and the printers 3A and 3B are significantly different, applying mode B across the board may actually lengthen the wait time for printer 3A, which is closer to the robot 5, and may not sufficiently contribute to improving the processing efficiency of the processing system 1A as a whole.

[0122] The dashed lines in the figure indicate a case in which only the robot 5's operation mode for printer 3A is set to mode B, while the operation mode for printer 3B is set to mode A. In this case, after the robot 5 collects printer 3B, it collects printer 3A and supplies the next media M. In this case, the standby time Td for printer 3A is slightly longer than RTa+STa and significantly shorter than the standby time Tc (Td<Tc). In this way, if the positional relationship between the robot 5 and printers 3A and 3B is different, or if the printing process times for printers 3A and 3B differ significantly, setting different operation modes for each printer 3 appropriately reduces the standby time for printers 3A and 3B, potentially improving the processing efficiency of the entire processing system 1A.

[0123] In Variation 1-1, the determination unit 94 (see FIG. 9 ) determines an appropriate operating mode for each printer 3 and recommends it to the user through a determination process. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the determination process of the recommended operating mode by the determination unit 94. The determination unit 94 can perform the determination process based on, for example, the time PT of the printer 3's printing process estimated by the estimation unit 93, the time RT of the robot 5's collection operation, and the time ST of the robot 5's supply operation. For example, if the time PT of the printer 3's printing process is longer than the sum of the time RT of the robot 5's collection operation and the time ST of the robot 5's supply operation (PT > RT + ST), the determination unit 94 can determine mode B as the recommended operating mode. The determination unit 94 can also determine mode A if PT ≦ RT + ST. As shown in FIG. 11 , for printer 3A, PTa > STa + RTa. The determination unit 94 sets the operating mode of the robot 5 for printer 3A to mode B. For printer 3B, PTb < STb + RTb. The determination unit 94 sets the operation mode of the robot 5 for the printer 3B to mode A.

[0124] As described above, the estimation unit 93 can perform estimation processing using the print data PD output to the printer 3. Therefore, the processing of the estimation unit 93 and the processing of the determination unit 94 can be performed, for example, when an instruction to start execution of a print job is issued and the job management unit 91 causes the print data creation unit 92 (see FIG. 9 ) to create the print data PD. After processing by the determination unit 94, the operation screen displays the recommended operating mode for each printer 3A, 3B. Along with the recommended operating mode, the operation screen may also display data used in the determination, such as the print processing time PT, the supply operation time ST, and the collection operation time RT. The user may select the recommended operating mode as is. Alternatively, the user may select an operating mode different from the recommended operating mode.

[0125] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow of the electronic device 9 according to Modification 1-1. As shown in FIG. 12, the processing of Modification 1-1 can be implemented by replacing steps S06 to S09 in FIG. 7 of the embodiment with steps S26 to S36. That is, steps S26 to S36 in FIG. 12 are the processing performed from the time the robot 5 supplies the first media M to M printers 3 and each printer 3 starts printing (see steps S01 to S04 in FIG. 7) until the number N of media M supplied to the printer 3 reaches the number of copies to be printed (step S05: Yes). For simplicity, FIG. 12 omits the steps in which the job management unit 91 waits for a completion notification from the robot 5 (see steps S03, S08, S12, etc. in FIG. 7).

[0126] As shown in FIG. 12 , when a collection request is input from one of the printers 3 (hereinafter referred to as "printer 3x") (step S26: Yes), the job management unit 91 checks the operating mode of the robot 5 for printer 3x (step S27). If the operating mode is mode B (step S27: Yes), the job management unit 91 outputs a command to the robot 5 to collect the media M from printer 3x and supply the next media M in succession (step S28). As shown in FIG. 12 , when the robot 5 completes the collection and supply operations, the job management unit 91 updates the counter to N=N+1 (step S29) and returns to step S05. If the number N of media M supplied to the printer 3 is less than the number of print copies Nm (step S05: No), the job management unit 91 repeats the processing from step S26 onwards. If N=Nm, the job management unit 91 proceeds to step S10 of FIG. 7 .

[0127] If the operating mode is mode A in step S27, the job management unit 91 outputs a command to the robot 5 to collect media M from the printer 3x (step S30). If there is no collection request from another printer 3 (hereinafter referred to as "printer 3y") while the robot 5 is performing the collection operation for the printer 3x (step S31: No), the job management unit 91 outputs a command to supply the next media M to the printer 3x after the robot 5 completes the collection operation (step S32). When the robot 5 completes the supply operation, the job management unit 91 proceeds to step S29. If step S31 is Yes, the job management unit 91 checks the operating mode of the robot 5 for the printer 3y (step S33). When the operating mode is mode A (step S33: No), the job management unit 91 proceeds to step S32 and outputs a command to supply the next media M to the printer 3x. When the robot 5 completes the supply operation, the job management unit 91 proceeds to step S29. In this case, after returning to step S05, the media M will be collected from the printer 3y.

[0128] If the operating mode for printer 3y is mode B (step S33: Yes), after the robot 5 has completed its collection operation for printer 3x, the job management unit 91 outputs a command to have printer 3y collect media M and then supply the next media M (step S34). After the robot 5 has completed its operation, the job management unit 91 updates the counter to N=N+1 (step S35). If N=Nm is not true (step S36: No), the job management unit 91 proceeds to step S32 and outputs a command to printer 3x to supply the next media M. If step S36 is Yes, the job management unit 91 proceeds to step S10 in FIG. 7, and after completing the collection of all media M, ends the process.

[0129] As described above, the processing system 1A according to Modification 1-1 has, for example, the following configuration: (2) If the time PT for the printing process of the printer 3 (first droplet ejection device) is longer than the sum of the time ST for the robot 5's supply operation to the printer 3 and the time RT for the robot 5's collection operation (PT > ST + RT), the robot 5 successively performs the collection operation for the printer 3 and the supply operation of the next medium M.

[0130] When multiple printers 3 are arranged in the processing area A1, the print processing time PT, the supply operation time ST, and the retrieval operation time RT of the robot 5 for that printer 3 may differ for each printer 3. As a result, even if the robot 5 continuously retrieves media M and supplies the next media M, the effectiveness of reducing standby time may be low for some printers 3. In Variation 1-1, the estimation unit 93 of the electronic device 9 performs estimation processing to estimate the print processing time PT of each printer 3, and the supply operation time ST and retrieval operation time RT of the robot 5 for that printer 3. If the print processing time PT of a printer 3 is longer than the sum of the supply operation time ST and retrieval operation time RT of the robot 5 for that printer 3 (PT > ST + RT), the determination unit 94 determines mode B as the robot 5 operating mode recommended for that printer 3. On the other hand, for printers 3 where the supply and retrieval operations of the robot 5 are long and selecting mode B would result in longer standby times for other printers 3, the determination unit 94 determines mode A. By allowing the user to set the robot operation mode recommended by the judgment unit for each printer, the overall waiting time of multiple printers 3 can be reduced, thereby improving the overall processing efficiency of the processing system 1A.

[0131] (7) The processing system 1A includes an estimation unit 93 (estimation device), a determination unit 94 (determination device), and a display 905 (display unit). The estimation unit 93 estimates at least one of the print processing time PT, the supply operation time ST, and the collection operation time RT of the robot 5 based on at least one of print data PD (control data) that controls the print processing of the printer 3, statistical data related to the print processing time, and statistical data related to the supply operation and collection operation time of the robot 5. The determination unit 94 determines a recommended operating mode from mode A (second operating mode) and mode B, which are operating modes of the robot 5, based on the estimation result of the estimation unit 93. The display 905 can display the determination result of the determination unit 94.

[0132] This configuration improves user convenience by allowing the user to set an appropriate operating mode for each printer 3 without having to carefully consider various conditions. Of course, if the user wishes to operate the processing system 1A from a perspective other than processing efficiency, the user can set an operating mode different from the recommended operating mode, thereby providing the user with a variety of services.

[0133] (Variation 1-2) FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the robot 5 in a processing system 1B according to Variation 1-2. As shown in FIG. 13 , in Variation 1-2, the electronic device 9 includes an estimation unit 93A in addition to the functional configuration described in the embodiment. The estimation unit 93A can estimate the time PT for the printing process by the printer 3 and the time RT for the collection operation by the robot 5. The estimation unit 93A can perform estimation processing in a manner similar to that of the estimation unit 93 in Variation 1-1, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. As in Variation 1-1, the estimation processing by the estimation unit 93A can be performed when an instruction to start execution of a print job is issued and the print data creation unit 92 (see FIG. 9 ) creates the print data PD. As shown in FIG. 13 , in Variation 1-2, the job management unit 91 outputs a collection command to the robot 5 based on the estimation result of the estimation unit 93A.

[0134] Specifically, the job management unit 91 outputs a collection command to the robot 5 before the printing process of the printer 3 is completed. As a result, the robot 5 starts the collection operation at a timing before the printing process of the printer 3 is completed. The job management unit 91 measures the time during which the printer 3 performs the printing process while the print job is being executed. The job management unit 91 calculates the end timing of the printing process as the timing at which the time PT of the printing process of the printer 3 estimated by the estimation unit 93A has elapsed since the printing process of the printer 3 started. The job management unit 91 outputs a collection command to the robot 5 at a timing that is a predetermined time T1 before the end timing of the printing process.

[0135] Here, it is more desirable for the robot 5 to arrive at the standby position Wp of the printer 3 (see FIG. 4 ) when the printing process of the printer 3 is completed or just before the completion. This allows the robot 5 to collect the media M immediately after the printer 3 finishes the printing process. From this perspective, the job management unit 91 can set the predetermined time T1, for example, based on the time RT of the robot 5's collection operation. The predetermined time T1 can be set, for example, to half the time RT of the collection operation (RT / 2). Note that the setting of the predetermined time T1 is not limited to this. For example, if the estimation unit 93A can more precisely estimate the time from when the robot 5 starts moving until it arrives at the standby position Wp of the printer 3, that time can be used as the predetermined time T1.

[0136] By starting the collection operation before the printing process of the printer 3 is completed, the robot 5 can complete the collection operation more quickly than if the collection operation were started after the printing process is completed. This also allows the robot 5 to complete the operation of supplying the next medium M to the printer 3 more quickly. The printer 3 can start the next printing process sooner. The waiting time Te between printing processes of the printer 3 is further reduced (Tc<Tb) compared to the waiting time Tb in mode B of the embodiment (see FIG. 8(b)).

[0137] Note that the estimated values ​​of the printing process time PT and the robot 5 collection operation time RT obtained by the estimation process of the estimation unit 93A may differ from the actual values. The job management unit 91 may, for example, measure these times during execution of a print job and calculate the error between the estimated value and the average or median of the actual measured values. The job management unit 91 may correct the estimated value based on the calculated error and use the corrected estimated value to adjust the timing of outputting a collection command to the robot 5.

[0138] As described above, the processing system 1B according to Modification 1-2 has, for example, the following configuration: (4) The robot 5 can start the collection operation for the printer 3 at a timing before the printer 3 finishes the printing process.

[0139] Specifically, the estimation unit 93A estimates the time PT for the printing process of the printer 3. The job management unit 91 can calculate the end timing of the printing process as the time when the time PT for the printing process of the printer 3 estimated by the estimation unit 93A has elapsed since the start of the printing process of the printer 3. The job management unit 91 outputs a collection command to the robot 5 at a timing before the end timing of the printing process. This allows the robot 5 to start the collection operation before the printing process of the printer 3 ends, and to quickly collect the media M from the printer 3 after the printing process has ended. This further reduces the standby time of the printer 3, and improves the processing efficiency of the entire processing system 1B.

[0140] (Variation 1-3) FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of how the robot 5 operates in a processing system 1C according to Variation 1-3. In Variation 1-3, the electronic device 9 includes an estimation unit 93B in addition to the functional configuration described in the embodiment. The estimation unit 93B estimates the time PT for the printing process by the printer 3, the time ST for the supply operation by the robot 5, and the time RT for the collection operation by the robot 5. The estimation unit 93B can perform estimation processing in a similar manner to the estimation unit 93 of Variation 1-1, so a detailed description will be omitted. Based on the estimation results of the estimation unit 93B, the job management unit 91 outputs a command to the robot 5 to collect a medium M and then supply the next medium M in succession.

[0141] As in Variation 1-2, the job management unit 91 calculates the timing at which each of the printers 3A and 3B will finish printing based on the time PT of the printing process of the printer 3 estimated by the estimation unit 93B during execution of the print job. The job management unit 91 outputs a collection command to the robot 5 at a timing before the timing at which the printing process ends. This allows the robot 5 to start the collection operation before the printing process of the printer 3 ends.

[0142] During a print job, the printer 3 begins printing as soon as the robot 5 supplies the media M. Therefore, there is often a time difference between the timing at which the multiple printers 3 finish printing. However, for example, if the positional relationship between the robot 5 and each printer 3 is different or if the multiple printers 3 are operating in different operating modes, the waiting time between printing processes of the multiple printers 3 may differ. In this case, as the multiple printers 3 perform printing processes repeatedly, the printing processes may end at the same time. Based on the estimation results of the estimation unit 93B, the job management unit 91 calculates the end timing of the printing processes of each printer 3. If two or more printers 3 finish printing at the same time, the job management unit 91 determines which printer 3 should be prioritized for the collection operation. Here, "the same timing" does not only mean exactly the same timing, but also includes timing with a time difference of, for example, several tens of seconds, as shown in FIG. 14 . In other words, when the job management unit 91 calculates the end timing of each printer 3, if the difference in end timing between the printers 3 is within several tens of seconds, it can determine that the end timing is "the same timing."

[0143] The criteria by which the job management unit 91 determines which printer 3 to prioritize are not limited to any particular criteria, but can be determined from the perspective of improving the overall processing efficiency of the processing system 1C. Some examples of the criteria are described below. Note that the following criteria may be used alone or in combination.

[0144] (a) Prioritizing Printer 3 Set to Mode B It is desirable for a printer 3 whose robot 5 operating mode is set to Mode B to start the next print process early. When there are printers 3 set to Mode A and printers 3 set to Mode B, the job management unit 91 can determine the printer 3 set to Mode B as the printer 3 with priority. In the example of FIG. 14 , printer 3A is set to Mode B, and printer 3B is set to Mode A. In this case, the job management unit 91 determines printer 3A as the printer 3 with priority, and outputs a command to the robot 5 to collect the media M from printer 3A and supply the next media M.

[0145] (b) Priority is given to the printer 3 that finishes the initial printing process first. The printing process times of multiple printers 3 may differ. In this case, it is conceivable to give priority to the printer 3 with the shortest printing process time. Here, when a print job is started, media M is first supplied to each of the M printers 3 (see step S02 in Figure 7). Therefore, the initial printing process of the printers 3 starts with relatively little time difference. It can be said that the printer 3 that finishes the initial printing process early tends to have a shorter printing process time than the other printers 3. By giving priority to the printer 3 with the shortest printing process time, it is expected that the overall processing efficiency of the processing system 1C will improve.

[0146] For example, at the end of the first printing process, the job management unit 91 can set the priority order for each of the M printers 3 in the order in which they finished printing first. When multiple printers 3 finish printing at the same time, the job management unit 91 refers to the priority order of each printer 3. The job management unit 91 can determine that the printer 3 with the highest priority order is the printer 3 to be prioritized.

[0147] (c) Giving priority to printer 3 with faster printing speed For example, the storage unit 96 (see FIG. 2) can store information on the printing speed of each printer 3. When multiple printers 3 finish printing processing at the same time, the job management unit 91 can refer to the information on the printing speed of each printer 3 and determine the printer 3 with the fastest printing speed as the printer 3 to be given priority. By giving priority to the printer 3 with the fastest printing speed, it is expected that the overall processing efficiency of the processing system 1C will improve.

[0148] (d) Prioritizing the printer 3 with the largest number of remaining media M to be printed For example, as one of the printing conditions, the user can specify the number of media M to be printed by each printer 3. In this case, the number of media M to be printed assigned to each printer 3 may differ.

[0149] When multiple printers 3 finish printing at the same time, the job management unit 91 refers to the number of media M remaining for printing processing by each printer 3. The job management unit 91 can determine the printer 3 with the largest number of remaining media M as the prioritized printer 3. A printer 3 with a large number of remaining media M may finish printing processing later than other printers 3, but by prioritizing this printer 3, it is possible to speed up the completion of printing processing for the entire processing system 1C, which is expected to improve processing efficiency.

[0150] (e) Prioritizing the printer 3 with the shortest time (ST+RT) for the supply operation and the collection operation In the processing system 1C, the positional relationship between the robot 5 and multiple printers 3A, 3B may differ. In this case, the time ST for the supply operation and the time RT for the collection operation of the robot 5 may differ for each printer 3. When the estimation unit 93B performs the estimation process, the job management unit 91 acquires the time ST for the supply operation and the time RT for the collection operation of each printer 3. The job management unit 91 can set the priority of the printers 3, for example, in order of the shortest sum of ST+RT.

[0151] When multiple printers 3 finish printing at the same time, the job management unit 91 refers to the priority of each printer 3. The job management unit 91 can determine the printer 3 with the highest priority as the prioritized printer 3. By prioritizing the printer 3 with the shortest supply and collection times, that printer 3 can finish printing earlier, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the processing system 1C as a whole.

[0152] (f) Prioritizing the Printer 3 Specified by the User When the user specifies the operation mode of the robot 5 for each printer 3 on the operation screen, the user can also specify the priority of each printer 3. When multiple printers 3 finish printing at the same time, the job management unit 91 refers to the priority of each printer 3. The job management unit 91 can determine the printer 3 with the highest priority as the printer 3 to be prioritized. For example, when multiple printers 3 are performing printing processes with different contents in parallel, the user can increase the priority of the printer 3 that the user wants to finish printing as quickly as possible. This can improve user convenience.

[0153] (g) Priority is given to the printer 3 whose print processing content is being switched. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing another example of control of the operation of the robot 5 in the processing system 1C of Variation 1-3. In the processing system 1C, printers 3A and 3B can each execute different print jobs in parallel. In the example of FIG. 15, the first and second print jobs are assigned to printer 3A, and the third print job is assigned to printer 3B. FIG. 15 shows the timing when printer 3A completes the final print processing of the first print job. In this case, printer 3A then executes the print processing of the second print job. Meanwhile, printer 3B continues the print processing of the third print job.

[0154] When printers 3A and 3B finish printing at the same time, the job management unit 91 can determine that printer 3B, which continues the same print job, is the prioritized printer 3. Because printer 3A switches print jobs, it may take time to prepare for printing, such as reading new print data PD and switching ink sets. On the other hand, printer 3B, which continues the same print job, is likely to require less time for print preparation than printer 3A. In this case, prioritizing printer 3B can improve the processing efficiency of the processing system 1C as a whole.

[0155] As described above, the processing system 1C according to Modification 1-3 has, for example, the following configuration: (8) If the printers 3A and 3B perform the droplet ejection process multiple times and then finish the droplet ejection process at the same time, the robot 5 can perform the media M collection operation by giving priority to the printer 3 that finished the initial droplet ejection process first.

[0156] As a result, priority is given to the recovery operation for the printer 3 with the shortest print processing time, and an improvement in the overall processing efficiency of the processing system 1C is expected.

[0157] (9) If the printers 3A and 3B perform the droplet ejection process multiple times and then finish the droplet ejection process at the same time, the robot 5 can prioritize the printer 3 with the faster printing speed and perform the media M collection operation.

[0158] As a result, priority is given to the recovery operation for the printer 3 that can finish the printing process earlier, and an improvement in the overall processing efficiency of the processing system 1C is expected.

[0159] (10) In the processing system 1C, it is possible to specify the number of media M to be printed on for each of the multiple printers 3. If the printers 3A and 3B finish printing at the same time after performing multiple printing processes, the robot 5 can prioritize the printer 3 with the largest number of media M remaining to be printed on when collecting the media M.

[0160] A printer 3 with a large number of media M remaining to be printed may finish printing later than other printers 3. By prioritizing the recovery operation of this printer 3, the printing process of the entire processing system 1C can be completed earlier, which is expected to improve processing efficiency.

[0161] (11) If printers 3A and 3B perform the printing process multiple times and then finish the printing process at the same time, the robot 5 can prioritize the printer 3 that takes less time to supply and collect the next media M, and perform the media M collection operation.

[0162] The printer 3 that has a short standby time is one in which the robot 5 performs the supply operation and collection operation in a short time. By giving priority to this printer 3, it is expected that the processing efficiency of the entire processing system 1C will be improved.

[0163] (12) If the printers 3A and 3B perform the printing process multiple times and then finish the printing process at the same time, the robot 5 can prioritize the printer 3 specified by the user and perform the media M collection operation.

[0164] For example, when a plurality of printers 3 are performing different printing processes in parallel, and there is a printer 3 for which it is desired to finish the printing process as quickly as possible, it is possible to specify the printer 3 to be given priority, thereby improving user convenience.

[0165] (13) Print data PD (control data) that controls the operation of the printing process is input to each of the multiple printers 3. When printers 3A and 3B finish the printing process at the same time after performing the printing process multiple times, and print data PD for the next printing process that is different from the print data for the finished printing process is input to one printer 3 (first droplet ejection device), and print data PD for the next printing process that is the same as the print data for the finished printing process is input to the other printer 3 (second droplet ejection device), the robot 5 can prioritize the other printer 3 in collecting the media M.

[0166] When the printer 3 switches print jobs, it may take time to prepare for printing, such as reading new print data PD and switching ink sets. On the other hand, a printer 3 that continues to execute the same print job is likely to require a relatively short time for print preparation. In this case, by prioritizing the printer 3 that continues the same print job, the processing efficiency of the processing system 1C as a whole can be improved. Furthermore, after printing, media M may be packaged according to the print content. In this case, by completing the same print job as quickly as possible, the efficiency of post-print packaging and other tasks can also be improved.

[0167] The above-described modifications may be applied not only to the embodiment but also to other modifications, at least a part of the contents of each may be applied to other modifications. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention.

[0168] Second Embodiment A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a processing system 100 according to an embodiment. FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the processing system 100. In FIG. 16, the media M and the movement mechanisms 137, 137 of the printer 103 are indicated by hatching. As shown in FIG. 16, the processing system 100 includes, for example, the printer 103, which is an example of a droplet ejection device, and a robot 105. In the following description, positional relationships will be described based on the X, Y, and Z directions in FIG. 16. The Z direction is a direction along the vertical line (the direction of gravity) and extends from the front side to the back side of the paper in FIG. 16. The X and Y directions are directions perpendicular to the Z direction. The X direction is the up-down direction in the drawing, and the Y direction is the left-right direction in the drawing, perpendicular to the X direction. In addition, the lower side in the X direction in the drawing is the X1 side, the upper side in the drawing is the X2 side, the left side in the Y direction in the drawing is the Y1 side, and the right side in the Y direction in the drawing is the Y2 side.

[0169] The printer 103 performs a printing process (droplet ejection process) that ejects ink (droplets) onto the media M. The robot 105 is capable of grasping and transporting the media M. The robot 105 can perform at least one of supplying and recovering the media M from the printer 103. In the embodiment, an example will be described in which the robot 105 both supplies and recovers the media M. While FIG. 16 illustrates an example in which the processing system 100 includes one printer 103 and one robot 105, the number of printers 103 and robots 105 can be changed as appropriate. The processing system 100 may include, for example, multiple printers 103 or multiple robots 105. In this case, for example, robots 105 corresponding to the number of printers 103 may be provided, and each robot 105 may supply and recover media M from one printer 103. Alternatively, the number of printers 103 and the number of robots 105 may be different. In this case, one robot 105 may supply and collect media M to multiple printers 103, or multiple robots 105 may supply and collect media M to one printer 103. Furthermore, different robots 105 may supply and collect media M.

[0170] The shape and material of the medium M used in the printing process are not limited to any particular one, as long as they can be printed on by the printer 103 and transported by the robot 105. The medium M can be made of, for example, synthetic resins such as acrylic, vinyl chloride, and polyester, paper, cloth (woven fabric and nonwoven fabric), wood, ceramics, metal, food, leather, etc. In FIG. 16, a thin panel is shown as an example of the medium M. The image printed on the medium M includes, for example, characters, figures, patterns, colors, etc., and combinations thereof.

[0171] As shown in FIG. 16 , a processing area A1 where printing processing of media M is performed is provided with a supply point 107 and a collection point 108 for media M. A robot 105 acquires pre-printed media M stored at the supply point 107 and supplies them to the printer 103. The robot 105 also acquires post-printed media M from the printer 103 and stores them at the collection point 108. The supply point 107 and the collection point 108 may be provided with a stocker St that stacks and stocks media M in the Z direction. Instead of a stocker St, a belt conveyor capable of transporting media M may be provided at the supply point 107 or the collection point 108. By providing a belt conveyor at the supply point 107, pre-printed media M can be transported from other areas to the processing area A1. The other areas may be, for example, a storage facility for media M or an area where pre-processing of media M is performed on the media M. By providing a belt conveyor at the collection point 108, the media M after printing can be transported from the processing area A1 to another area. The other area can be, for example, a storage room for the media M or an area where post-processing of the media M is performed.

[0172] As shown in FIG. 16 , the processing system 100 may include an electronic device 109. The electronic device 109 serves as a management device, outputting operational commands to the printer 103 and the robot 105 to comprehensively manage the printing process of the media M in the processing system 100. The printer 103 and the robot 105 are communicatively connected to the electronic device 109 via a LAN network or wireless communication. The electronic device 109 may be located, for example, in an area A2 where a user resides, separate from the processing area A1 where the printer 103 and the robot 105 are located. The electronic device 109 may also communicate with a sensor installed in the processing area A1 to acquire environmental information about the processing area A1 detected by the sensor. The environmental information may include, for example, temperature, humidity, and the like.

[0173] <Printer> As shown in Figure 16, the printer 103 includes a table 131 on which the media M is placed, a carriage 134 disposed above the table 131, and a guide bar 136 that supports the carriage 134. The table 131 has a placement surface 131a for the media M. The placement surface 131a extends horizontally (in the X and Y directions). A placement area Pa (an area indicated by an imaginary line in the figure) on which the media M is placed is set on the placement surface 131a. Note that while Figure 16 shows only one placement area Pa, multiple placement areas Pa can be provided depending on the size of the table 131, the size of the media M used, etc.

[0174] The guide bar 136 extends horizontally in the Y direction above the table 131. When viewed from the Z direction, the guide bar 136 crosses the table 131 in the Y direction. The Y-direction ends of the guide bar 136 protrude further toward the Y1 and Y2 sides than the table 131. A guide rail (not shown) is provided on the guide bar 136 along the Y direction, and the carriage 134 is driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) to move in the Y direction along the guide rail. A head 135 (ejection unit) that ejects ink is mounted on the carriage 134. By moving the carriage 134 in the Y direction, the head 135 mounted on the carriage 134 also moves in the Y direction.

[0175] A plurality of nozzles N (see FIG. 21 ) for ejecting ink are provided on the underside of the head 135. The underside of the head 135 faces the table 131 with a small gap in the Z direction. By facing the head 135 to the medium M placed on the table 131, ink ejected from the nozzles can be made to land on the medium M.

[0176] The ink used in the printer 103 is not limited to a specific type, but may be, for example, ultraviolet-curable ink that is cured by ultraviolet light or heat-curable ink that is cured by heat. In this case, although not shown, the carriage 134 of the printer 103 may be equipped with an ultraviolet irradiation device or a heating device for curing the ink ejected onto the medium M. Furthermore, the droplets ejected by the printer 103 are not limited to ink; any droplets having a viscosity sufficient to adhere to the medium M may be used as appropriate. The head 135 may eject a single color of ink or multiple colors of ink. The ink may be, for example, process color inks such as C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), and K (black). Alternatively, the ink may be special color inks such as LC (light cyan), LM (light magenta), Gy (gray), W (white), CL (clear), Pr (primer), O (orange), violet, metallic colors (gold, silver), and fluorescent colors.

[0177] 16, a maintenance station 141 for performing maintenance processing on the head 135 is provided at the Y1 side end of the guide bar 136 that projects beyond the table 131. Although not shown, the maintenance station 141 has built-in devices for wiping the underside of the head 135, flushing the nozzles, etc. Maintenance processing is performed by moving the carriage 134 to the maintenance station 141.

[0178] An ink supply device 142 is provided at the Y2 side end of the guide bar 136 that protrudes beyond the table 131. Although not shown, an ink tank is built into the ink supply device 142. The ink tank and the head 135 are connected via an ink tube (not shown), and ink is supplied from the ink tank to the head 135.

[0179] Movement mechanisms 137, 137 are provided at the Y1-side and Y2-side ends of the table 131. The movement mechanisms 137, 137 move the guide bar 136 along the X direction. When the guide bar 136 moves along the X direction, the carriage 134, the head 135, the maintenance station 141, and the ink supply device 142 move integrally along the X direction.

[0180] As shown in FIG. 16 , an initial position Ip of the head 135 is set on the table 131. When viewed from the Z direction, the initial position Ip is set at a position away from the placement location Pa of the medium M on the X2 side. When the printer 103 performs printing, the head 135 moves from the initial position Ip to the placement location Pa of the medium M (printing position). When viewed from the X or Y direction, the head 135 faces the medium M at the placement location Pa with a small gap in the Z direction. The head 135 ejects ink onto the medium M while moving in the Y direction. After completing one reciprocating movement in the Y direction (one pass), the head 135 moves a predetermined distance toward the X1 side. The head 135 ejects ink from the nozzles while moving again in the Y direction. In other words, the printer 103 can print on the medium M by alternately repeating one reciprocating movement of the head 135 in the Y direction (one pass) and an operation of moving a predetermined distance toward the X1 side. When the printing process is completed, the head 135 returns to the initial position Ip on the X2 side.

[0181] The movement mechanisms 137, 137 only need to be able to move the head 135 in the X direction relative to the table 131. Therefore, the movement mechanisms 137, 137 may move the table 131 in the X direction relative to the fixed guide bar 136. Alternatively, the movement mechanisms 137, 137 may move both the guide bar 136 and the table 131 in the X direction.

[0182] 17 , the printer 103 includes a controller 130 that controls the operation of each unit. The controller 130 is communicably connected to the electronic device 109. The controller 130 performs printing processing by controlling the operation of each unit of the printer 103 based on print data PD input from the electronic device 109. The controller 130 of the printer 103 also transmits a signal to the electronic device 109 informing the electronic device 109 of the status of the printer 103. The electronic device 109 outputs an operation command to the robot 105 based on the status of the printer 103, allowing the printer 103 and the robot 105 to operate in cooperation with each other.

[0183] <Robot> The robot 105 is not limited to a specific type as long as it can grasp and transport media M. FIG. 16 illustrates, as an example, a horizontally articulated robot (a so-called SCARA robot) having multiple arms that rotate horizontally. Alternatively, a vertically articulated robot may be used as the robot 105. To ensure the safety of workers, the area including the rotation range of the arms of the robot 105 may be isolated by a safety fence or the like. Alternatively, the robot 105 may be a collaborative robot that can operate in the same space as workers.

[0184] As shown in FIG. 16 , the robot 105 includes arms 152 and 153 that grip and transport media M. The arm 152 is supported by a base 151, which is installed on the floor of the processing area A1, for example, and the arm 153 is supported by the arm 152. The arms 152 and 153 each extend horizontally. The base end of the arm 152 is connected to the upper surface of the base 151 so as to be rotatable about an axis Z1 along the Z direction. The base end of the arm 153 is connected to the tip of the arm 152 so as to be rotatable about an axis Z2 parallel to the axis Z1. A shaft 154 extending in the Z direction passes through the tip of the arm 153. The shaft 154 is movable up and down by a drive mechanism (not shown). The shaft 154 is also part of the arm of the present invention.

[0185] A gripping mechanism 155 (see FIG. 21) that grips the media M is provided at the lower end of the shaft 154. The gripping mechanism 155 can be configured, for example, as a suction pad. The suction pad can adhere to the media M by applying negative pressure while in contact with the surface of the media M. The suction pad can also release the media M by applying positive pressure while adsorbing the media M. Note that the gripping mechanism 155 is not limited to a suction pad, and other configurations can also be used as appropriate.

[0186] As shown in FIG. 16 , the robot 105 can move the tip of the arm 153 in the X and Y directions by combining the rotation of the arms 152 and 153. The robot 105 can then pick up or release media M by moving the shaft 154 at the tip of the arm 153 up and down at the desired position. The range within which the robot 105 can rotate may be limited, for example, to avoid interference with a cable connected to a power source. The processing area A1 shows, as an example, a range RA that can be reached by rotating the arms 152 and 153 from the home position Hp of the robot 105. The printer 103, supply location 107, and collection location 108 are located within the range RA. This allows the robot 105 to transport media M between the supply location 107, collection location 108, and printer 103.

[0187] The robot 105 is provided with a drive unit 56 (see FIG. 17 ) that drives each unit (e.g., arms 152, 153, shaft 154, etc.). The drive unit 56 may include, for example, a servo motor 57 that performs rotational motion, an encoder 58 that detects the phase and rotation speed of the servo motor 57, and a servo amplifier 59 that supplies power to the servo motor 57. The arms 152, 153 can be rotated by the rotational motion of the servo motor 57. Although not shown, the drive unit 56 that drives the shaft 154 may include a link mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the servo motor 57 into up and down motion.

[0188] 17 , the robot 105 includes a controller 150 (control unit) communicatively connected to the electronic device 109. Teaching data is set in the controller 150 through a teaching operation in advance so that the robot 105 can supply and collect media M. The controller 150 controls the driving unit 56 of the robot 105 based on supply commands or operation commands input from the electronic device 109 and the teaching data set in advance, thereby operating the robot 105.

[0189] Specifically, the controller 150 outputs a command signal to the servo amplifier 59 of the drive unit 56. The command signal includes, for example, a command to switch the servo motor 57 between an on state and an off state, a command to rotate the servo motor 57, and the like. The on state means that the servo amplifier 59 supplies power to the servo motor 57, making it rotatable. The off state means that the servo amplifier 59 stops supplying power to the servo motor 57, making it unable to rotate. The command to rotate the servo motor 57 includes, for example, target values ​​for the phase, rotation speed, torque, and so on of the servo motor 57. The servo amplifier 59 supplies power to the servo motor 57 so that it operates according to the target values ​​included in the command signal. The phase and rotation speed of the servo motor 57 detected by the encoder 58 are input to the servo amplifier 59 as feedback. The servo amplifier 59 adjusts the power supplied to the servo motor 57 based on the error between the feedback and the target value. Feedback control of the servo motor 57 enables the robot 105 to perform precise movements.

[0190] If the servo motor 57 is always kept on, a load is placed on the power circuits of the servo motor 57 and peripheral devices, and power consumption increases. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the robot 105 is in a standby state and there is no need to rotate the servo motor 57, the robot 105 is controlled to turn the servo motor 57 off. Details of the control of the robot 105 will be described later.

[0191] <Electronic Device> Fig. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the electronic device 109. As shown in Fig. 18, the electronic device 109 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 911, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 912, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 913, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 914, a display 915 (display unit), an input device 916, a communication I / F 917, and a media I / F 918. Each component is connected to each other via a bus.

[0192] The CPU 911 controls the entire electronic device 109. The CPU 911 can load the OS and various programs stored in the ROM 912 or HDD 914 into the RAM 913 and execute them. Alternatively, the CPU 911 can load programs stored in a storage medium RM into the RAM 913 via the media I / F 918 and execute them. The storage medium RM can be an optical storage medium, a magneto-optical storage medium, a magnetic storage medium, a conductive memory tape medium, a semiconductor memory, or the like. Note that the electronic device 109 may also include a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or the like as a processor in addition to the CPU 911. The CPU 911 performs processing in response to user operations via the input device 916 and displays the processing results on the display 915. The input device 916 can be, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad, or the like.

[0193] The HDD 914 stores programs executed by the CPU 911, data used by the programs, and the like. A solid-state drive (SSD) may be provided instead of or in addition to the HDD 914. The communication I / F 917 outputs data received from other devices to the CPU 911 via a network NW such as the Internet or a local area network (LAN). The communication I / F 917 also transmits data generated by the CPU 911 to other devices. The other devices may be devices such as the robot 105 and printer 103 constituting the processing system 100, or devices external to the processing system 100. The CPU 911 may load required programs onto the RAM 913 from other devices via the network NW.

[0194] In this embodiment, the CPU 911 of the electronic device 109 executes an application program loaded onto the RAM 913, thereby realizing the functional configuration of the electronic device 109 shown in FIG.

[0195] As shown in Fig. 17, the electronic device 109 has, as its functional configuration, a job management unit 191 and a print data creation unit 192. The storage unit 196 is composed of a ROM 912, a RAM 913, an HDD 914, etc., as shown in Fig. 18. Each functional unit performs processing in response to a user's operation input via an input device 916 (see Fig. 18), and displays the processing results on the screen of a display 915 (see Fig. 18). Each functional unit obtains data required for processing from the storage unit 196, and temporarily stores the processing results in the storage unit 196 as needed.

[0196] The job management unit 191 displays on the display 915 an operation screen that enables the user to upload image data to be printed on the medium M. The operation screen allows the user to input printing conditions to be specified when printing image data on the medium M. The user can specify, as printing conditions, for example, the type of medium M, the number of copies to be printed, the print quality (normal mode, high quality mode, ink saving mode, etc.), white printing, clear gloss finish, etc.

[0197] The job management unit 191 creates print jobs in response to user operations via the operation screen and registers them in a job list JL. The print job contains image data uploaded by the user as well as the details of the print process according to the printing conditions specified by the user. The user selects a print job to be executed from the job list JL, specifies the number of copies to be printed on the medium M (number of processes), and inputs an instruction to start printing. The job management unit 191 manages the operations of the printer 103 and robot 105 to execute the print job for the specified number of copies to be printed.

[0198] The job management unit 191 outputs image data for the specified print job to the print data creation unit 192, causing it to create print data PD. The job management unit 191 outputs the print data PD to the printer 103, causing it to perform printing processing on the media M. The job management unit 191 outputs operation commands to the robot 105, causing it to supply and collect media M from the printer 103. The job management unit 191 receives signals from the printer 103 and the robot 105 notifying them of their respective status, and controls the timing of each operation based on the received signals. When the print job for the number of copies to be printed on the specified media M is completed, the job management unit 191 updates the job list JL.

[0199] The print data creation unit 192 creates print data PD for controlling the operation of the printer 103. When uploading image data or inputting a command to start printing, the user can specify various print conditions via the operation screen. The job management unit 191 outputs the specified print conditions together with the image data to the print data creation unit 192. The print data creation unit 192 creates print data PD according to the print conditions.

[0200] The print data creation unit 192 creates print data PD by performing RIP (Raster Image Processing) on ​​image data according to the specified printing conditions. RIP is a process for generating a raster image that specifies the ejection positions for ejecting ink of a color corresponding to the image data. In RIP, a raster image is generated by performing halftone processing on a grayscale image corresponding to each color of C, M, Y, and K color ink or spot color ink. Furthermore, various commands for controlling the printer 103 according to the specified printing conditions are added to the generated raster image, and the print data PD is created.

[0201] FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the electronic device 109 when executing a print job. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the operation flow of the robot 105. FIG. 19 shows the processing of the electronic device 109 after a user specifies a print job registered in the job list JL and inputs an operation to start printing. FIG. 21 is a diagram explaining the supply of media M by the robot 105. FIG. 22 is a diagram explaining the collection of media M by the robot 105. FIGS. 21 and 22 show an example in which the robot 105 moves from the home position Hp to supply or collect media M, and then returns to the home position Hp after the operation is completed. Note that FIGS. 21 and 22 simplify the robot 105, showing only the shaft 154 and the gripping mechanism 155 provided at the tip of the shaft 154. In FIGS. 21 and 22, the area where media M is placed on the table 131 of the printer 103 is indicated by cross-hatching.

[0202] As shown in FIG. 19 , the job management unit 191 of the electronic device 109 acquires the image data and printing conditions of a print job specified by the user (step S01). The printing conditions specify the number of copies PNm to be printed on media M. The job management unit 191 resets to 0 a counter that counts the number PN of media M for which printing has been completed (step S02). The job management unit 191 outputs the image data and printing conditions to the print data creation unit 192, causing the print data creation unit 192 to create print data PD (step S03). The job management unit 191 sends the print data PD to the controller 130 of the printer 103 along with an instruction to start execution of the print job (step S04). Upon receiving the instruction from the electronic device 109, the printer 103 performs printing preparations, such as activating each component, such as the movement mechanisms 137, 137 and head 135, processing the received print data PD, and cleaning the nozzles.

[0203] The job management unit 191 sends a media M supply command to the robot 105 (step S05). As shown in FIG. 21 , the robot 105 waits at the home position Hp. As shown in FIG. 20 , when a supply command is input from the electronic device 109 (step S101: Yes), the robot 105 switches the servo motor 57 of the drive unit 56 to the ON state (step S103) if the servo motor 57 is OFF (step S102: Yes). The robot 105 supplies media M to the printer 103 (step S104). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 21 , the robot 105 moves the shaft 154 from the home position Hp to above the stocker St of the supply location 107. The robot 105 lowers the shaft 154 and uses the gripping mechanism 155 attached to the tip of the shaft 154 to grip media M stored in the stocker St. The robot 105 raises the shaft 154 holding the medium M and moves it from the supply point 107 to the printer 103. The robot 105 waits with the shaft 154 positioned at the standby position Wp until the printer 103 is ready to print.

[0204] The standby position Wp can be, for example, near the printer 103. Alternatively, the standby position Wp can be a position where at least a portion of the shaft 154 overlaps the table 131 of the printer 103 when viewed vertically. In this case, the lower surface of the shaft 154 is spaced apart from the upper surface of the table 131 so that the shaft 154 does not interfere with the head 135 of the printer 103 at the standby position Wp. FIG. 21 shows an example of the standby position Wp. When viewed vertically, the standby position WP can be a position where the shaft 154 overlaps a placement area Pa for the media M set on the table 131. In this case, when the printer 103 has completed preparations for printing, the robot 105 can release the media M to the placement area Pa simply by lowering the shaft 154 at the standby position Wp, thereby enabling the media M to be supplied smoothly.

[0205] When the printer 103 is ready to print, it sends a notification to the electronic device 109. At this time, the head 135 of the printer 103 is retracted to an initial position Ip where it does not interfere with the shaft 154 of the robot 105. As shown in FIG. 19 , when the electronic device 109 receives a notification of completion of printing preparation from the printer 103 (step S06: Yes), it sends a notification to the robot 105 (step S07). Having received the notification of completion of printing preparation from the electronic device 109, the robot 105 lowers the shaft 154 and releases the medium M at the placement position Pa on the table 131, as shown in FIG. 21 . After raising the shaft 154, the robot 105 moves it to the home position Hp. As shown in FIG. 20 , the robot 105 sends a notification of completion of supply to the electronic device 109 (step S105) and switches the servo motor 57 to the off state (step S106).

[0206] As shown in FIG. 19 , when the electronic device 109 receives a notification from the robot 105 that supply is complete (step S08: Yes), it instructs the printer 103 to start printing (step S09). The printer 103 moves the head 135 from the initial position Ip (see FIG. 21 ) to a position facing the medium M placed on the placement area Pa, and ejects ink from the nozzles to begin the printing process. While the printer 103 is performing the printing process, the robot 105 is in a standby state. Depending on the content of the printing process, the printing process may take longer than the time it takes the robot 105 to supply or retrieve the medium M. Therefore, by turning off the servo motor 57 during the printing process in which the robot 105 is in a standby state, it is possible to reduce the load on the electrical circuits of the servo motor 57 and its peripheral devices, as well as power consumption.

[0207] When the printing process is complete, the printer 103 notifies the electronic device 109 that printing is complete. The printer 103 returns the head 135 to the initial position Ip and, if necessary, performs maintenance at the maintenance station 141 (see FIG. 16 ). As shown in FIG. 19 , when the electronic device 109 receives a printing completion notification from the printer 103 (step S10), it sends a command to the robot 105 to collect the media M (step S11). As shown in FIG. 20 , when the robot 105 receives a collection command from the electronic device 109 (step S107: Yes), it transitions the servo motor 57 from the OFF state to the ON state (step S108) and collects the media M (step S109). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 22 , the robot 105 moves the shaft 154 from the home position Hp to the standby position Wp of the printer 103. The robot 105 lowers the shaft 154 and grasps the printed media M placed on the table 131 of the printer 103. The robot 105 raises the shaft 154 holding the media M, and then moves it above the stocker St at the collection location 108. The robot 105 lowers the shaft 154 and releases the media M held at the tip of the shaft 154 into the stocker St. After raising the shaft 154, the robot 105 moves to the home position Hp. As shown in FIG. 20 , the robot 105 sends a notification to the electronic device 109 that collection is complete (step S110).

[0208] 19 , when the job management unit 191 of the electronic device 109 receives a notification from the robot 105 that collection of media M has been completed (step S12: Yes), it updates the counter by setting PN = PN + 1 (step S13). If the number PN of media M for which printing has been completed has not reached the specified number of print copies PNm (step S14: No), the job management unit 191 returns to step S05 and sends a command to the robot 105 to supply the next media M. In this manner, the job management unit 191 of the electronic device 109 operates the printer 103 and the robot 105 until the specified number of print copies PNm is reached. If the number PN of media M for which printing has been completed has reached the specified number of print copies PNm (step S14: Yes), the job management unit 191 notifies the robot 105 and the printer 103 that the print job is complete (step S15) and ends the process.

[0209] 20, when the robot 105 receives a notification from the electronic device 109 that the print job is complete (step S111: Yes), it switches the servo motor 57 from the ON state to the OFF state (step S112). When the robot 105 does not receive a notification from the electronic device 109 that the print job is complete (step S111: No), it maintains the ON state of the servo motor 57. Then, when a command to supply the next medium M is input, it performs the operations of steps S101 to S112 again.

[0210] When the printer 103 performs continuous printing on multiple media M, the robot 105 continuously collects media M and supplies the next media M. If the printer 103 performs maintenance or other operations between printing operations, a waiting time may occur between collection and supply. However, this waiting time tends to be shorter than the waiting time while the printer 103 is performing a printing operation. If there is no time interval between collection of a media M and supply of the next media M, or if the time interval is short, turning off the servo motor 57 does not reduce the load on the electrical circuit or power consumption. Therefore, when continuous printing operations are performed, the robot 105 maintains the servo motor 57 in an on state. This allows the robot 105 to smoothly collect media M and supply the next media M in succession.

[0211] Note that the time interval between collection and supply may be relatively long, for example, if the specifications of the printer 103 require a relatively long maintenance process. In this case, the robot 105 may switch the servo motor 57 from the ON state to the OFF state at the home position Hp after completing collection of the media M. When a command to supply the next media M is input from the electronic device 109, the robot 105 can transition the servo motor 57 from the OFF state to the ON state.

[0212] 21 and 22 show an example in which the home position Hp is the "predetermined position" where the robot 105 waits and where the servo motor 57 is switched between the ON and OFF states, but this is not limiting. For example, the "predetermined position" may be the standby position Wp (see FIG. 21) above the table 131 of the printer 103. In this case, after the robot 105 has finished supplying the medium M to the printer 103, it transitions to the OFF state at the standby position Wp without moving to the home position Hp. In this case, when the medium M for which printing has been completed is to be collected from the printer 103, it can be transitioned to the ON state at the standby position Wp, allowing for prompt collection.

[0213] For example, the "predetermined position" can be above the stocker St at the collection point 108 (see FIG. 22). In this case, after the robot 105 has finished collecting media M from the printer 103, it does not return to the home position Hp, but instead switches to the off state above the stocker St at the collection point 108. Because the servo motor 57 quickly switches to the off state after the collection of media M is complete, this is expected to reduce power consumption.

[0214] For example, the "predetermined position" can be above the stocker St at the supply point 107 (see FIG. 21). In this case, after the robot 105 has finished collecting the media M from the printer 103, it moves to above the stocker St at the supply point 107 and switches to the OFF state. When the robot 105 is to supply the next media M, it switches to the ON state at the supply point 107, allowing the next media M to be supplied quickly. Note that the robot 105 may return to the home position Hp from the collection point 108 and then move to the supply point 107, or it may move directly from the collection point 108 to the supply point 107.

[0215] The robot 105 may be switched between the on and off states by a command from the electronic device 109, or the switching between the on and off states may be set in advance in the teaching data when teaching the supply and recovery operations.

[0216] While the flowchart in FIG. 19 illustrates an example in which the electronic device 109 inputs a supply command and a collection command to the robot 105, the printer 103 may input at least one of the supply command and the collection command to the robot 105. The printer 103 may input a supply command for media M to the robot 105, for example, when it receives an instruction to start execution of a print job and print data PD from the electronic device 109. The printer 103 may also input a supply command to the robot 105 while a print job is being executed, for example, after maintenance processing, which is performed after the printing processing of each medium M, is completed. The printer 103 may input a collection command to the robot 105 while a print job is being executed, for example, when the printing processing of each medium M is completed. Alternatively, the printer 103 may input a collection command to the robot 105 when it notifies the electronic device 109 of the completion of the printing processing.

[0217] As described above, the processing system 100 described in the embodiment has, for example, the following configuration. (16) The processing system 100 includes a printer 103 (droplet ejection device) and a robot 105. The printer 103 performs a printing process (droplet ejection process) on media M. The robot 105 at least one of supplies and recovers media M from the printer 103. The robot 105 includes arms 152 and 153, a servo motor 57, and a controller 150 (controller). The arms 152 and 153 grip and transport the media M. The servo motor 57 drives the arms 152 and 153. The controller 150 switches the servo motor 57 between an ON state and an OFF state by outputting a command signal to a servo amplifier 59 that supplies power to the servo motor 57. The ON state is a state in which power is supplied to the servo motor 57 and the servo motor 57 is rotatable. In the OFF state, power supply to the servo motor 57 is stopped, preventing the servo motor 57 from rotating. The controller 150 turns the servo motor 57 OFF when the arms 152, 153 of the robot 105 are waiting in a predetermined position (e.g., the home position Hp, the standby position Wp in the printer 103, above the supply point 107, above the recovery point 108, etc.). The controller 150 turns the servo motor 57 ON when at least one of a media M supply command and a media recovery command is input to the robot 105.

[0218] With this configuration, the processing system 100 reduces the time the servo motor 57 of the robot 105 is turned on, thereby reducing the load on the robot 105, particularly the load on the servo motor 57 and the electrical circuits of its peripheral devices, and power consumption. In the processing system 100, the robot 105 supplies and retrieves media M to and from the printer 103, automating the printing process and reducing labor costs. The robot 105 enables precise control by driving the arms 152 and 153 with the servo motor 57. However, keeping the servo motor 57 constantly on may place a load on the servo motor 57 and the electrical circuits of the peripheral devices, and may result in increased power consumption. In the processing system 100, the servo motor 57 is turned off when the robot 105 is waiting at a predetermined position, such as the home position Hp, the standby position Wp of the printer 103, above the supply point 107, or above the recovery point 108. This reduces the load on the robot 105 and power consumption. Furthermore, when a command to supply or collect media M is input, the robot 105 can transition from an off state to an on state to supply or collect media M. In other words, the robot 105 switches between the on state and off state in accordance with the operation of the printer 103, thereby achieving both reduced load and power consumption on the electrical circuitry and supply and collection operations in accordance with the operation of the printer 103.

[0219] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the electronic device 109 comprehensively manages the processing system 100, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the processing system 100 may perform printing processing by directly communicating between the controller 130 of the printer 103 and the controller 150 of the robot 105, without using the electronic device 109. In this case, for example, the controller 130 of the printer 103 or the controller 150 of the robot 105 may be configured as a management device.

[0220] Furthermore, in the embodiment, the printer 103 is exemplified as the droplet ejection device, but the droplet ejection device is not limited to the printer 103. The droplet ejection device may be, for example, a dispenser capable of ejecting a fixed amount of liquid, or a coating device capable of ejecting a coating agent, etc. Furthermore, the processing system 100 may be equipped with a cutting plotter (cutting device) that cuts the medium M instead of the droplet ejection device. The cutting plotter can form a cut line in the medium M or a V-groove in the medium M by pressing a cutting tool (blade) against the medium M and moving it relative to the medium M. In other words, the printer 103 shown in the drawings referenced in this embodiment and in each modified example described below can be replaced with another droplet ejection device or a cutting plotter.

[0221] (19) The processing system 100 may include an electronic device 109 (management device). A job management unit 191 of the electronic device 109 creates a print job (job) for managing the progress of the printing process in the printer 103 based on printing conditions (conditions) specified by the user, including the number of copies PNm (processing number) to be printed on the medium M. The job management unit 191 also transmits print data PD, created by a print data creation unit 192, to the printer 103 for controlling the printing process in the printer 103. A supply command is input to the robot 105, for example, from the electronic device 109 or the printer 103. The supply command can be input to the robot 105, for example, when the electronic device 109 instructs the printer 103 to start executing the print job (job), when the electronic device 109 sends the print data PD to the printer 103, when the printer 103 receives an instruction to start executing the print job from the electronic device 109, or when the printer 103 receives the print data PD.

[0222] By inputting a supply command to the robot 105 at such timing, the robot 105 can quickly transition from an off state to an on state in synchronization with the operation of the printer 103, and supply the media M. Note that, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the electronic device 109 sends an instruction to start execution of a print job to the printer 103 together with the print data PD ( FIG. 19 , step S04), but the instruction to start execution and the print data PD may also be sent separately.

[0223] (21) The collection command is input to the robot 105, for example, from the electronic device 109 or the printer 103. The collection command can be input to the robot 105, for example, when the electronic device 109 or the printer 103 determines that the printing process for each medium M in the print job has ended, when the printer 103 notifies the electronic device 109 that the printing process has ended, or when the electronic device 109 receives a notification from the printer 103 that the printing process has ended.

[0224] By inputting a collection command to the robot 105 at this timing, the robot 105 can quickly transition from an OFF state to an ON state in time with the operation of the printer 103 and collect the media M. Instead of a dedicated signal notifying the electronic device 109 that the printing process has ended, the printer 103 can send a signal notifying the electronic device 109 of movement to the initial position Ip, for example. The electronic device 109 can determine that the printer 103 has finished printing based on this signal, for example. Alternatively, a camera or the like that takes pictures of the printer 103 may be provided in the processing area A1. The electronic device 109 may determine that the printing process has ended based on images captured by the camera.

[0225] (25) The predetermined position may be, for example, a home position Hp where the arms 152 and 153 of the robot 105 are positioned before and after supplying or collecting the media M.

[0226] In the embodiment, an example has been described in which the processing system 100 has one printer 103 and one robot 105 in one-to-one correspondence, but as described above, the processing system 100 may be configured to supply and collect media M to multiple printers 103 using fewer robots 105 than the printers 103. In this case, it is preferable for the robot 105 to set a predetermined position as the home position Hp, since this allows it to smoothly respond to any printer 103 when it switches to the on state.

[0227] (26) The printer 103 includes a table 131 on which the medium M to be printed is placed. The predetermined position can be, for example, a standby position Wp above the table 131 of the printer 103.

[0228] For example, once the robot 105 has finished supplying the media M and is waiting for the printer 103 to start printing, the robot 105 can be turned off at a standby position Wp set above the table 131 of the printer 103. This allows the robot 105 to switch to an on state and quickly retrieve the media M from the table 131 of the printer 103 when the printing process is complete, while avoiding interference with the head 135 of the printer 103 that is currently printing. In particular, if there is a one-to-one correspondence between the printer 103 and the robot 105, the robot 105 does not need to move to another printer 103, so it is preferable to set the standby position Wp as a predetermined position.

[0229] (27) The processing system 100 includes a stocker St at the supply location 107 for stocking media M to be supplied to the printer 103. The predetermined position can be, for example, above the stocker St at the supply location 107.

[0230] For example, if the robot 105 returns to the on state after completing collection of media M and then supplies media M, positioning the shaft 154 above the stocker St allows it to quickly acquire and supply media M. This is suitable for both cases where the robot 105 is compatible with one printer 103 and cases where it is compatible with multiple printers 103.

[0231] (28) The predetermined position can be a position above the collection point 108 (discharge point) where the robot 105 discharges the media M collected from the printer 103. For example, the robot 105 can quickly turn off the servo motor 57 when it has finished collecting the media M. This can be expected to reduce power consumption. This is suitable for both cases where the robot 105 is used with one printer 103 and cases where it is used with multiple printers 103.

[0232] (i) The printer 103 continuously prints the number of copies PNm (number) of media M specified by the user. The controller 150 of the robot 105 keeps the servo motor 57 on while the media M is continuously collected and the next media M is continuously supplied.

[0233] When a user specifies printing on multiple media M, the printer 103 continuously prints multiple media M. In this case, in the printing process for the number of print copies PNm, the robot 105 continuously collects and supplies media M from the collection of the first media M to the supply of the PNmth media M. In this case, turning off the servo motor 57 between collection and supply of media M may not be effective in reducing the load on the robot 105 or power consumption. Furthermore, although the time required to switch the servo motor 57 between on and off is very short, if it accumulates, it may affect the processing efficiency of the processing system 100. Therefore, when the robot 105 continuously supplies and collects media M, the impact on processing efficiency can be reduced by keeping the servo motor 57 on.

[0234] The effects described above also apply to the processing method in the processing system 100 and the program that controls the operation of the robot 105. The program can be executed by any one of the electronic device 109, the controller 150 of the robot 105, or the controller 130 of the printer 103, or by a combination of these. The present invention also applies to media M processed (manufactured) by the processing method (manufacturing method) of the processing system 100.

[0235] 23 is a diagram illustrating a manner in which the printer 103 inputs a supply command to the robot 105 in a processing system 100A according to Variation 2-1. In Variation 2-1, the printer 103 includes a sensor 38 that detects media M placed at a placement location Pa for media M on the table 131.

[0236] The sensor 38 may be, for example, a distance sensor that measures the distance to an object. Examples of distance sensors that can be used include an optical sensor, a millimeter-wave sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and a stereo camera. FIG. 23 illustrates, as an example, an optical sensor 38 having a light-projecting unit 381 and a light-receiving unit 382. The sensor 38 is provided on the upper surface of the table 131. The light-projecting unit 381 and the light-receiving unit 382 are disposed opposite each other at the Y1-side and Y2-side ends of the table 131 in the Y direction, with the placement area Pa sandwiched between them. Although not shown, the light-projecting unit 381 and the light-receiving unit 382 each include a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element.

[0237] The light-projecting unit 381 emits light L toward the light-receiving unit 382. The light-receiving unit 382 detects the light L emitted from the light-projecting unit 381. When a media M is placed at the placement location Pa of the table 131, the light L emitted from the light-projecting unit 381 toward the light-receiving unit 382 is blocked by the media M. The sensor 38 can detect that a media M has been placed at the placement location Pa when the detection of light L by the light-receiving unit 382 is discontinued.

[0238] The controller 130 of the printer 103 is connected to the sensor 38 and can acquire the detection results of the sensor 38. The controller 130 acquires the detection results of the sensor 38, and if no media M is placed at the placement location Pa, it can input a command to the robot 105 to supply the media M. The timing for acquiring the detection results of the sensor 38 is not limited to a specific timing. For example, if maintenance processing is not performed after the printing processing of the media M is completed, the detection results of the sensor 38 may be acquired at predetermined intervals after the printing processing is completed. If maintenance processing is performed after the printing processing, the controller 130 may begin acquiring the detection results of the sensor 38 after the maintenance processing is completed. Alternatively, the controller 130 may begin acquiring the detection results of the sensor 38 after the maintenance processing has progressed to a certain extent. If no media M is detected at the placement location Pa, the controller 130 may input a command to supply the next media M to the robot 105 before the maintenance processing is completed. During maintenance processing, the head 135 is retracted to the initial position Ip. Therefore, by having the robot 105 supply the medium M before the maintenance process is completed, the possibility of the robot 105 interfering with the head 135 can be reduced. Furthermore, after the maintenance process is completed, the printing process for the next medium M can be performed promptly. Note that while FIG. 23 shows an example in which the printer 103 directly inputs a supply command to the robot 105, it is also possible for the printer 103 to transmit the detection result of the sensor 38 to the electronic device 109, and the electronic device 109 to input the supply command to the robot 105.

[0239] A processing system 100A according to Modification 2-1 has, for example, the following configuration: (20) The printer 103 includes a table 131 and a sensor 38. The medium M to be printed is placed on the table 131. The sensor 38 can detect the medium M placed on the table 131. A command to supply the medium M can be input to the robot 105 from the printer 103 or the electronic device 109 when the sensor 38 does not detect the medium M on the table 131.

[0240] This configuration allows the printer 103 or electronic device 109 to input a command to supply media M to the robot 105 at flexible timing, improving the processing efficiency of the processing system 100A. For example, the robot 105 can start supplying media M once the maintenance process for the printer 103 has progressed to a certain extent. This allows the printer 103 to immediately start printing on the next media M after the maintenance process is completed.

[0241] (Variation 2-2) FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a processing system 100B according to Variation 2-2. As shown in FIG. 24, the electronic device 109 includes an estimation unit 193 in addition to the functional configuration described in the embodiment. The estimation unit 193 estimates waiting times WT1 and WT2 during which the robot 105 remains in a standby state without operating after supplying or collecting media M. In Variation 2-2, the job management unit 191 inputs a command (hereinafter referred to as an "off command") to the robot 105 to transition the servo motor 57 from an on state to an off state based on the estimation result of the estimation unit 193.

[0242] After supplying the media M to the printer 103, the robot 105 enters a standby state until the printer 103 completes the printing process. Therefore, the estimation unit 193 can estimate, for example, the time required for the printing process by the printer 103 as the standby time WT1 of the robot 105. The estimation unit 193 can estimate the standby time WT1 based on data such as the printing conditions specified by the user, the print data PD created by the print data creation unit 192, environmental information about the processing area A1, and statistical data on the times of past printing processes. The estimation unit 193 can make the estimation using, for example, a model constructed by machine learning from data prepared in advance.

[0243] If the waiting time WT1 estimated by the estimation unit 193 is longer than the fixed time PT1, the job management unit 191 inputs an OFF command to the robot 105. The time required for the printer 103's printing process tends to be relatively long, for example, compared to the time required for the robot 105 to supply and retrieve media M. Therefore, as described above, turning off the servo motor 57 of the robot 105 while the printer 103 is performing the printing process can be expected to reduce the load on the robot 105 and its power consumption. However, depending on the content of the printing process performed by the printer 103, the printing process time may be shortened. In such cases, turning off the servo motor 57 during the printing process does not significantly reduce the load on the robot 105 and its power consumption. Therefore, it is preferable to keep the servo motor 57 ON and start operation promptly after the printing process is completed.

[0244] In other words, the fixed time PT1 is a threshold value for determining whether the standby time WT1 is a time during which turning off the servo motor 57 is expected to reduce the load and power consumption of the robot 105. The fixed time PT1 is not limited to a specific length of time and can be determined based on various factors. For example, the time required to supply media M and the time required to collect media M serve as a guide for the operation time of the robot 105. Therefore, the fixed time PT1 can be determined based on either one of these times or the sum of these times. The time required to supply or collect media M can be, for example, a time recorded as past data. Alternatively, the job management unit 191 may measure the time required to supply and collect the first media M after starting a print job. Alternatively, the fixed time PT1 may be determined based on statistical data indicating the correlation between the duration of the robot 105's on state and the load or power consumption of the robot 105.

[0245] After retrieving the media M from the printer 103, the robot 105 waits until the printer 103 completes maintenance processing and becomes ready to print the next media M. Therefore, the estimation unit 193 can estimate the time it takes for the printer 103 to perform maintenance processing and the like after the printing process as the standby time WT2 of the robot 105. The estimation unit 193 can estimate the standby time WT2 based on, for example, a notification signal from the printer 103, environmental information about the processing area A1, and statistical data on the time spent on past maintenance processing and the like. The estimation unit 193 can make the estimation using, for example, a model constructed by machine learning from data prepared in advance.

[0246] If the wait time WT2 estimated by the estimation unit 193 is longer than the fixed time PT2 (predetermined time interval), the job management unit 191 inputs an OFF command to the robot 105. As described above, when the printer 103 continuously prints on multiple media M in a print job, the robot 105 also continuously collects media M and supplies the next media M. Therefore, the wait time WT2 refers to the time interval between the robot 105 collecting a media M and supplying the next media M. In other words, if the time interval between the robot 105 collecting a media M and supplying the next media M is within the fixed time PT2, the job management unit 191 causes the robot 105 to maintain the servo motor 57 in the ON state.

[0247] Like the fixed time PT1, the fixed time PT2 is not limited to a specific length of time and can be determined based on various factors. As an example, the fixed time PT2 can be determined based on the time required for normal maintenance processing that the printer 103 performs after a printing process. The normal maintenance processing can be, for example, wiping the head 135 or flushing the nozzles, which are performed in the maintenance station 141 (see FIG. 16 ).

[0248] After the printing process, there are cases where only the normal maintenance process is performed, and cases where other processes are performed in addition to the normal maintenance process. Examples of other processes include removing dust from the table 131 with a blower or the like, or removing static electricity with a discharging brush or the like. Furthermore, if the printer 103 is low on ink, ink may be replenished. The estimation unit 193 estimates whether these other processes will be performed based on notification signals from the printer 103, and further estimates the time required for these other processes from past statistical data, etc., and adds the estimated time to the waiting time WT2.

[0249] If only normal maintenance processing is performed, the standby time WT2 will be relatively short (WT2≦PT2). In this case, as in the embodiment, the servo motor 57 can be kept on between the collection of media M and the supply of the next media M. On the other hand, if other processing is performed in addition to normal maintenance processing, the standby time WT2 tends to be longer (WT2>PT2). If the standby time WT2 is long, the robot 105 can switch the servo motor 57 to an off state and wait, thereby reducing the load and power consumption of the robot 105.

[0250] Alternatively, like the fixed time PT1, the fixed time PT2 may be determined based on, for example, either the time required to supply the media M or the time required to collect the media M, or the sum of these times.

[0251] FIGS. 25 and 26 are flowcharts illustrating the processing flow of the electronic device 109 according to Modification 2-2. Steps S21 through S27 in FIG. 25 are identical to steps S01 through S07 in FIG. 19 , and therefore will not be described in detail. As described in the embodiment, when the robot 105 completes supplying the media M to the printer 103, the robot 105 sends a notification of completion of supply to the electronic device 109 (see step S105 in FIG. 20 ). As shown in FIG. 25 , upon receiving the notification of completion of supply from the robot 105 (step S28: Yes), the job management unit 191 of the electronic device 109 instructs the printer 103 to start printing (step S29) and causes the estimation unit 193 to estimate the waiting time WT1 of the robot 105 (step S30). If the waiting time WT1 estimated by the estimation unit 193 exceeds a predetermined time PT1 (step S31: Yes), the job management unit 191 inputs an OFF command to the robot 105 (step S32). When the OFF command is input, the robot 105 switches the servo motor 57 from the ON state to the OFF state and waits until a command to collect the media M is input.

[0252] When the printing process is complete, the printer 103 notifies the electronic device 109 that printing is complete. As shown in FIG. 26 , when the job management unit 191 of the electronic device 109 receives the printing completion notification from the printer 103 (step S33: Yes), the electronic device 109 sends a media M collection command to the robot 105 (step S34). Upon receiving the collection command from the electronic device 109, the robot 105 switches the servo motor 57, if it is off, to the on state. Upon completing collection of the media M, the robot 105 sends a collection completion notification to the electronic device 109. The processing of steps S35 to S38 in FIG. 26 is the same as the processing of steps S12 to S15 in FIG. 19 , and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. If step S37 is No, the job management unit 191 causes the estimation unit 193 to estimate the waiting time WT2 (step S39). If the waiting time WT2 estimated by the estimation unit 193 exceeds the fixed time PT2 (step S40: Yes), the job management unit 191 inputs an OFF command to the robot 105 (step S41). When the OFF command is input, the robot 105 transitions the servo motor 57 from the ON state to the OFF state. When a command to supply the next medium M is input from the electronic device 109 ( FIG. 25 , step S25), the robot 105 switches the servo motor 57 ON and supplies the medium M.

[0253] Note that if there is little variation in the time required for the printer 103's printing process or the maintenance process performed after the printing process, the standby times WT1 and WT2 of the robot 105 may remain approximately constant throughout the print job. In this case, the electronic device 109 may perform at least one of the processes of comparing the estimated standby time WT1 with the fixed time PT1 (steps S30-S31) and the process of comparing the estimated standby time WT2 with the fixed time PT2 (steps S39-S40) only when printing the first medium M. Then, during the first printing process, the electronic device 109 determines whether to input an OFF command to the robot 105 after supplying and collecting the medium M, and during subsequent printing processes, it can input an OFF command to the robot 105 in accordance with this determination.

[0254] As described above, the processing system 100B according to Modification 2-2 has, for example, the following configuration. (17) The processing system 100B includes a printer 103 (droplet ejection device) and a robot 105. The printer 103 performs a printing process (droplet ejection process) on media M. The robot 105 at least one of supplies and recovers media M from the printer 103. The robot 105 includes arms 152 and 153, a servo motor 57, and a controller 150 (control unit). The arms 152 and 153 grip and transport the media M. The servo motor 57 drives the arms 152 and 153. The controller 150 of the robot 105 switches the servo motor 57 between an on state and an off state by outputting a command signal to a servo amplifier 59 that supplies power to the servo motor 57. The controller 150 of the robot 105 can turn off the servo motor 57 if, after at least one of supplying and collecting the media M, the arms 152, 153 do not operate at a predetermined position such as the home position Hp (e.g., the home position Hp, the standby position Wp in the printer 103, above the supply point 107, above the collection point 108, etc.) for a period of time longer than PT1, PT2.

[0255] In the processing system 100B, when the robot 105 is in a standby state without operating for a long time, the servo motor 57 is turned off, thereby reducing the load on the robot 105 and power consumption.

[0256] As a specific example, the electronic device 109 may include an estimation unit 193 (estimation device) that estimates the time required for the printer 103 to perform the printing process as the waiting time WT1 of the robot 105. The estimation unit 193 can estimate the waiting time WT1 based on at least one of the printing conditions specified by the user, the print data PD created by the print data creation unit 192, environmental information about the processing area A1, and statistical data on the time of past printing processes. If the waiting time WT1 estimated by the estimation unit 193 exceeds a certain time PT1, the job management unit 191 (management device) of the electronic device 109 can input an OFF command to the controller 150 of the robot 105 to switch the servo motor 57 to the OFF state. In this way, the job management unit 191 determines to switch the servo motor 57 to the OFF state based on the waiting time WT1 estimated by the estimation unit 193, allowing the robot 105 to flexibly switch between the ON state and the OFF state in accordance with the actual operation of the printer 103. This makes it possible to maintain the processing efficiency of the processing system 100B while reducing the load on the robot 105 and power consumption.

[0257] In addition, the function as an estimation device that estimates the waiting time WT1 and the function as a management device that compares the waiting time WT1 with a certain time PT1 and outputs an OFF command may be realized in the controller 150 of the robot 105 or the controller 130 of the printer 103.

[0258] (22) The printer 103 continuously prints the number of copies PNm of media M specified by the user. The controller 150 of the robot 105 keeps the servo motor 57 on while the collection of media M and the supply of the next media M are performed consecutively within a certain time PT2 (predetermined time interval).

[0259] When the robot 105 continuously collects and supplies media M, it is desirable to keep the servo motor 57 on, since turning off the servo motor 57 has little effect on reducing load and power consumption. However, the printer 103 may perform maintenance or other processes after completing a printing process, which may result in a waiting time WT2 between collecting and supplying media M. Therefore, the processing system 100B keeps the servo motor 57 on if this waiting time WT2 is within a certain time PT2, and turns the servo motor 57 off if it exceeds the certain time PT2. In this way, the robot 105 flexibly switches between on and off states depending on the process performed by the printer 103 after the printing process, thereby maintaining the processing efficiency of the processing system 100B while reducing the load and power consumption of the robot 105.

[0260] (23) The printer 103 includes a head 135 that ejects ink (droplets) onto the medium M, and a maintenance station 141 (maintenance unit) that performs maintenance processing on the head 135. The fixed time PT2 (predetermined time interval) is determined based on the time required for the maintenance processing.

[0261] When the printer 103 continuously prints on multiple media M, the head 135 is prone to contamination and nozzle clogging. However, by performing maintenance between print processes, print quality can be maintained. The robot 105 is in a standby state during maintenance processes. However, if the maintenance process time is long enough that it does not affect the load or power consumption of the robot 105, it is desirable for the robot 105 to keep the servo motor 57 on. The fixed time PT2 can be set, for example, to be the same as or slightly longer than the maintenance process time. In this case, if the standby time WT2 of the robot 105 is within the range of the time required for normal maintenance processes (PT2≧WT2), the robot 105 keeps the servo motor 57 on. This allows the media M to be supplied promptly after the maintenance process is completed. Note that if the specifications of the printer 103 require that the normal maintenance process time be long enough that it affects the load or power consumption of the robot 105, the fixed time PT2 can be set to be shorter than the maintenance process time. As a result, when maintenance processing is performed between printing processes, the robot 105 transitions to an off state and waits, thereby reducing the load on the robot 105 and power consumption.

[0262] (24) The fixed time PT2 (predetermined time interval) can be determined, for example, based on the sum of the time it takes for the robot 105 to retrieve the media M and the time it takes for the robot 105 to supply the media M.

[0263] The collection and delivery of media M by the robot 105 can each be considered a unit of operation of the robot 105. Therefore, for example, the sum of the time required to collect and the time required to deliver media M can be used as a criterion for determining the length of the standby time of the robot 105.

[0264] (Variation 2-3) FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a specific example of a predetermined operation of the printer 103 in a processing system 100C according to Variation 2-3. Variation 2-3 describes an example in which the robot 105 switches the servo motor 57 between an ON state and an OFF state when the printer 103 performs a predetermined operation while waiting at a predetermined position, such as the home position Hp. The robot 105 can switch between an ON state and an OFF state, for example, by receiving a signal (hereinafter referred to as an "operation notification signal NS") from the printer 103 notifying the predetermined operation. The predetermined operation can be, for example, an operation related to the printing process of the printer 103 that is performed after the robot 105 supplies the medium M to the table 131 of the printer 103. In the example of FIG. 27(a), the predetermined operation is illustrated as an operation in which the head 135 mounted on the carrier of the printer 103 begins moving from an initial position Ip on the table 131 toward the placement location Pa (printing position) of the medium M. The controller 130 of the printer 103 transmits an operation notification signal NS to the robot 105 at the timing when the head 135 starts to move.

[0265] 27(b), the predetermined operation is shown as an operation in which the head 135 of the printer 103 moves to a placement location Pa (printing position) for the medium M and starts ejecting ink from the nozzles onto the medium M. The controller 130 of the printer 103 sends an operation notification signal NS to the robot 105 at the timing when the nozzles start ejecting ink.

[0266] When the robot 105 receives an operation notification signal NS from the printer 103, it switches the servo motor 57 from the ON state to the OFF state and waits until a command to retrieve the media M is input. This allows Variation 2-3 to reduce the load and power consumption of the robot 105, just as in the embodiment. In the embodiment, an example was described in which the servo motor 57 is switched OFF upon completion of the supply of the media M ( FIG. 20 , steps S105 to S106). In this case, the servo motor 57 can be quickly switched OFF after the supply of the media M is complete. However, if a malfunction occurs in the printer 103 after the supply of the media M, the printing process may not start. To address a malfunction in the printer 103, the user may input a command to have the robot 105 retrieve the media M from the placement location Pa. The robot 105 must then switch the servo motor 57, which was once switched OFF, back ON.

[0267] In variant 2-3, the robot 105 remains on until the printer 103 performs an action that indicates that the printing process has actually begun (starts moving to the printing position, starts ejecting ink, etc.). This allows the robot 105 to operate quickly if the media M needs to be collected due to a malfunction of the printer 103, etc.

[0268] As described above, the printer 103 may have a fixed head 135 and the table 131 movable in the X direction relative to the head 135. Alternatively, both the head 135 and the table 131 may be movable in the X direction. In this case, the printer 103 may transmit the operation notification signal NS to the robot 105 at the timing when the table 131 starts to move toward the head 135. Alternatively, the printer 103 may transmit the operation notification signal NS to the robot 105 at a timing between when the head 135 or the table 131 starts to move and when the head 135 starts to eject ink.

[0269] Furthermore, the predetermined operation of the printer 103 is not limited to an operation related to the printing process, but can also be, for example, an operation related to a maintenance process performed after the printing process. As described in Variation 2-2, the printer 103 can perform other processes after the printing process, in addition to the normal maintenance process, such as removing dust from the table 131 with a blower or removing static electricity with a discharging brush. After completing the printing process, the printer 103 can send an operation notification signal NS to the robot 105 at the timing of starting a maintenance process or the like. The operation notification signal NS can include identification information indicating whether the printer 103 will perform only the normal maintenance process or will perform other processes in addition to the normal maintenance process. For example, the robot 105 can maintain the servo motor 57 in the ON state when only the normal maintenance process is being performed, and can switch the servo motor 57 to the OFF state when other processes are being performed in addition.

[0270] As described above, the processing system 100C according to Modification 2-3 has, for example, the following configuration. (18) The processing system 100C includes a printer 103 (droplet ejection device) and a robot 105. The printer 103 performs a printing process (droplet ejection process) on media M. The robot 105 at least one of supplies and recovers media M from the printer 103. The robot 105 includes arms 152 and 153, a servo motor 57, and a controller 150 (controller). The arms 152 and 153 grip and transport the media M. The servo motor 57 drives the arms 152 and 153. The controller 150 of the robot 105 switches the servo motor 57 between an on state and an off state by outputting a command signal to a servo amplifier 59 that supplies power to the servo motor 57. The controller 150 of the robot 105 can turn off the servo motor 57 when the printer 103 performs a predetermined operation while the arms 152, 153 of the robot 105 are waiting at a predetermined position (e.g., the home position Hp, the waiting position Wp in the printer 103, above the supply point 107, above the recovery point 108, etc.).

[0271] When the printer 103 performs an operation that will cause the robot 105 to wait for a long time, such as a printing process, the robot 105 can turn off the servo motor 57, thereby reducing the load and power consumption of the robot 105.

[0272] The predetermined operation may be, for example, an operation related to the printing process of the printer 103. The predetermined operation may be, for example, an operation in which other operations, such as dust removal from the table 131 and static electricity removal, are added to normal maintenance operations, such as wiping the head 135 and flushing the nozzles. The robot 105 can turn off the servo motor 57 by receiving, for example, an operation notification signal NS from the printer 103 notifying the robot 105 of these operations. In Variation 2-3, the robot 105 can switch the servo motor 57 to the off state in accordance with the actual operation of the printer 103. For example, because the robot 105 remains on until the printer 103 starts the printing process, if a malfunction or the like occurs in the printer 103 before the printing process starts, the robot 105 can quickly take action, such as collecting the media M.

[0273] 27 illustrates an example in which the robot 105 turns off the servo motor 57 based on the operation notification signal NS from the printer 103, but this is not limiting. For example, a sensor such as a camera that detects a predetermined operation of the printer 103 may be provided, and the servo motor 57 may be turned off based on the detection result of the sensor. Also, while FIG. 27 illustrates an example in which the printer 103 directly transmits a status notification signal to the robot 105, the printer 103 may transmit a status notification signal to the robot 105 via the electronic device 109.

[0274] (29) The printer 103 includes a table 131, a head 135, and movement mechanisms 137, 137. The medium M to be printed is placed on the table 131. The head 135 is positioned opposite the table 131 and ejects ink onto the medium M. The movement mechanisms 137, 137 move the head 135 relatively between an initial position Ip, which is a position that does not overlap the medium M placed on the table 131 when viewed from the Z direction (vertical direction), and a placement location Pa for the medium M (a printing position that overlaps the medium M). The controller 150 of the robot 105 can turn off the servo motor 57 at the timing when the head 135 starts to move from the initial position Ip toward the placement location Pa for the medium M.

[0275] When starting a printing process, the printer 103 moves the head 135 from the initial position Ip toward the placement location Pa. That is, by turning off the servo motor 57 of the robot 105 at the timing when the head 135 starts to move, flexible control in accordance with the actual operation of the printer 103 becomes possible.

[0276] (30) The printer 103 includes a head 135 that ejects ink onto the medium M. The controller 150 of the robot 105 can turn off the servo motor 57 at the timing when the head 135 starts ejecting ink onto the medium M.

[0277] When starting a printing process, the printer 103 moves from the initial position Ip to the placement location Pa, and then ejects ink onto the medium M placed at the placement location Pa. In other words, by turning off the servo motor 57 of the robot 105 at the timing when the head 135 starts ejecting ink, flexible control in accordance with the actual operation of the printer 103 becomes possible.

[0278] (Modification 2-4) FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing system 100D according to Modification 2-4. FIG. 29 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing system 100D according to Modification 2-4. The processing system 100D can include multiple printers 103. FIG. 28 shows an example in which the processing system 100D includes a printer 103A (first droplet ejection device) and a printer 103B (second droplet ejection device). Note that the processing system 100D may include three or more printers 103. In the following description, when referring to the printers 103A and 103B without distinction, they will be referred to as "printers 103."

[0279] The printers 103A and 103B may each have a configuration similar to the printer 103 described in the embodiment. While FIG. 28 illustrates a single placement location Pa for media M for both printers 103A and 103B, similar to the printer 103 of the embodiment, each printer 103 may have multiple placement locations Pa depending on the size of the media M, etc. Also, different numbers of placement locations Pa for media M may be set depending on the size of the tables 131 of each printer 103A and 103B. FIG. 28 illustrates an example in which a single robot 105 supplies and collects media M for each of printers 103A and 103B. The placement of printers 103A and 103B is not limited, and they may be positioned as appropriate within the range RA reachable by the robot's arms 152 and 153. FIG. 28 shows an example in which printer 103A, printer 103B, supply point 107 and collection point 108 are arranged around base 151 of robot 105.

[0280] 29 , in Modification 2-4, the electronic device 109 includes an estimation unit 193A in addition to the functional configuration described in the embodiment. The estimation unit 193A estimates a waiting time WT3 that will occur in the robot 105 while the multiple printers 103A and 103B are each continuously performing printing processes. If the waiting time WT3 estimated by the estimation unit 193A is longer than a certain time PT3 (a predetermined time interval), the job management unit 191 inputs an OFF command to the robot 105 to turn off the servo motor 57.

[0281] FIG. 30 is a time chart illustrating the operation timing of the robot 105 and printers 103A and 103B. FIG. 30 illustrates an example in which printers 103A and 103B perform print processing for the same print job. Note that, for simplicity of explanation, FIG. 30 omits maintenance processing performed between the print processing of printer 103. As shown in FIG. 30 , in variant example 2-4, when a print job is started, print data PD is input from electronic device 109 to each of printer 103A and printer 103B. Once printers 103A and 103B are ready to print, robot 105 supplies media M to each of printers 103A and 103B. In FIG. 30 , as an example, robot 105 supplies media M to printer 103A and then printer 103B. As soon as media M is supplied, printers 103A and 103B each start printing processing. When the printing process is completed in the printers 103A and 103B, the robot 105 collects the media M from each printer and supplies the next media M. In this manner, the robot 105 sequentially supplies and collects media M to the printers 103A and 103B until the printing process for the number of copies of media M specified in the print job is completed.

[0282] Here, when the robot 105 supports multiple printers 103, the supply or retrieval of media from printer 103A and the supply or retrieval of media from printer 103B may occur consecutively, without any time interval between them. In the example of Figure 30, the supply of the first media M to printers 103A and 103B occurs consecutively, without any time interval between them. Also, the retrieval of the first media M from printer 103B and the supply of the next media M to printers 103A and 103B occur consecutively, without any time interval between them. While the robot 105 is operating continuously in this manner, it is desirable to keep the servo motor 57 of the robot 105 in the on state.

[0283] On the other hand, for example, while both printer 103A and printer 103B are performing printing processes, the robot 105 does not operate. There is a time interval (e.g., waiting times WT3a and WT3c) during which the robot 105 is in a standby state until the printing process of one of the printers 103 is completed. Also, for example, if the printing process of printer 103B has not yet completed when the robot 105 collects media M from printer 103A, there is a time interval (e.g., waiting times WT3b and WT3d) during which the robot 105 is in a standby state until the printing process of printer 103B is completed.

[0284] As shown in Figure 30, for example, the standby times WT3a and WT3c that occur when both printer 103A and printer 103B are performing printing tend to be relatively long. Therefore, during these standby times WT3a and WT3c, the robot 105 can reduce the load and power consumption of the robot 105 by turning off the servo motor 57. Meanwhile, the standby times WT3b and WT3d that occur due to differences in the timing at which the printing processes of printers 103A and 103B end are shorter than the standby times WT3a and WT3c. In other words, the collection of media M by printers 103A and 103B can be considered to be performed consecutively with short intervals (standby times WT3b and WT3d) in between. In such cases, turning off the servo motor 57 has little effect on reducing the load and power consumption of the robot 105. Therefore, it is desirable to keep the servo motor 57 on to ensure smooth collection of each media.

[0285] Therefore, in Modification 2-4, the estimation unit 193A estimates the waiting time WT3 (WT3a, WT3b, WT3c, WT3d, ...) that occurs in the print job. The estimation unit 193A can estimate the waiting time WT3 based on data such as the printing conditions specified by the user, the print data PD created by the print data creation unit 192, environmental information about the processing area A1, past processing times (printing processing, maintenance processing, etc.) of the printer 103, and statistical data on the operating times of the robot 105. The estimation unit 193A can make the estimation using, for example, a model constructed by machine learning from data prepared in advance.

[0286] The job management unit 191 compares the waiting time WT3 estimated by the estimation unit 193A with the fixed time PT3 (a predetermined time interval). The fixed time PT3 is not limited to a specific length of time and can be determined based on various factors. When the robot 105 supports multiple printers 103, as in Variation 2-4, it is expected that relatively short waiting times (e.g., waiting times WT3b and WT3d) will occur due to differences in the timing at which the printing processes of the printers 103 finish. In the case of such short waiting times, it is desirable to set the fixed time PT3 to a time shorter than the fixed times PT1 and PT2 set in Variation 2-2 so that the servo motor 57 can be kept on. As an example, the fixed time PT3 can be determined based on the time it takes for the robot 105 to move to the home position Hp (see FIG. 28 ) after releasing the medium M onto the table 131 of the printer 103A or 103B. Alternatively, the fixed time PT3 can be determined based on the time it takes for the printer 103A or 103B to retrieve the media M from the table 131, release the media M at the recovery location 108, and return to the home position Hp. The distances between the printer 103A and the printer 103B and the home position Hp differ depending on where they are located. When setting the fixed time PT3, a printer 103 that is close to the home position Hp may be selected, or a printer 103 that is far from the home position Hp may be selected.

[0287] If the comparison results in the waiting time WT3 being longer than the fixed time PT3, the job management unit 191 inputs an OFF command to the robot 105 during the waiting time WT3. In other words, if the waiting time WT3 of the robot 105 is within the fixed time PT3 (a predetermined time interval), the job management unit 191 does not input an OFF command to the robot 105 during the waiting time WT3. As a result, the robot 105 maintains the ON state of the servo motor 57. In the example of FIG. 30 , an OFF command is input to the robot 105 during waiting times WT3a and WT3c. The robot 105 waits with the servo motor 57 in the OFF state during waiting times WT3a and WT3c. When a command to collect media M is input from the electronic device 109, the robot 105 turns the servo motor 57 ON and begins operation. On the other hand, an OFF command is not input to the robot 105 during waiting times WT3b and WT3d. The robot 105 waits during the waiting times WT3b and WT3d with the servo motor 57 kept on.

[0288] The timing of the estimation process by the estimation unit 193A and the comparison process by the job management unit 191 is not limited, but can be performed, for example, after the job management unit 191 creates the print data PD to be sent to the printers 103A and 103B (see step S03 in FIG. 19 ). At this timing, the estimation unit 193A can estimate all of the waiting times WT3a, WT3b, WT3c, WT3d, etc. that occur in the print job. The job management unit 191 can input the OFF command to the robot 105, for example, after receiving a notification from the robot 105 that the media M collection or supply operation has been completed (see steps S08 and S12 in FIG. 19 ), before the waiting time WT3.

[0289] As described above, the estimation unit 193A can estimate the waiting time WT3 based on statistical data of the past processing times of the printer 103 and the operation times of the robot 105. However, there may be an error between the time in the statistical data and the actual time. In this case, there may be an error between the waiting time WT3 estimated by the estimation unit 193A and the actual waiting time. If this error exceeds a threshold, the job management unit 191 may cause the estimation unit 193A to re-estimate the waiting time WT3 during the print job. In this case, the estimation unit 193A can make the estimation based on data of the actual processing times of the printer 103 and the operation times of the robot 105.

[0290] Note that when the robot 105 sequentially supplies or retrieves media M to or from printer 103A and then sequentially supplies or retrieves media M to or from printer 103B, it may move via the home position Hp, or it may move directly between printers 103A and 103B. For example, when sequentially supplying media M to printer 103A and retrieving media M from printer 103B, the robot 105 may release media M to the table 131 of printer 103A, then return to the home position Hp, and then move to printer 103B to retrieve media M from the table 131. Alternatively, it may release media M to the table 131 of printer 103A, then move directly to printer 103B to retrieve media M from the table 131.

[0291] As described above, the processing system 100D according to Modification 2-4 has, for example, the following configuration: (31) The processing system 100D can include multiple printers 103. When the supply or recovery of media M to printer 103A (first droplet ejection device) and the supply or recovery of media M to printer 103B (second droplet ejection device) are performed consecutively within a certain time PT3 (predetermined time interval), the robot 105 can keep the servo motor 57 turned on.

[0292] When the robot 105 is compatible with multiple printers 103, the media M may be supplied and collected successively without a time interval or with short time intervals between them. In such cases, by keeping the servo motor 57 of the robot 105 in an on state, the robot 105 can perform the successive operations smoothly.

[0293] (32) The fixed time PT3 can be determined, for example, based on the time it takes for the arms 152 and 153 to move to a predetermined position such as the home position Hp after the robot 105 finishes supplying or collecting the media M.

[0294] When the robot 105 supports multiple printers 103, it is expected that relatively short wait times (e.g., wait times WT3b and WT3d) will occur frequently due to differences in the timing at which the printing processes of the printers 103 finish. To maintain the servo motor 57 in an on state during such short wait times, the fixed time PT3 used for comparison with the wait time WT3 can be set based on a relatively short period of time during the operation of the robot 105. Examples of such times include the time it takes for the robot 105 to move from supplying media M to the printers 103A and 103B to the home position Hp (predetermined position), and the time it takes for the robot 105 to return to the home position Hp after releasing the media M from the printers 103A and 103B to the recovery location 108.

[0295] The above-described modified examples may not only be applied to the embodiment, but also at least a part of the content of each may be applied to other modified examples.

[0296] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention.

[0297] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1A, 1B, 1C Processing system 3, 3A, 3B Printer 5 Robot 7 Supply point 8 Collection point 9 Electronic device (management device) 30 Controller 31 Table 35 Head 41 Maintenance station (maintenance section) 50 Controller 91 Job management section (mode setting device) 93, 93A, 93B Estimation section (estimation device) 94 Determination section 905 Display (display section) PD Print data PT Print processing time ST Supply operation time RT Collection operation time 101, 101A, 101B, 101C, 101D Processing system 103, 103A, 103B Printer 105 Robot 107 Supply point 108 Collection point St Stocker 109 Electronic device (management device) 130 Controller 131 Table 135 Head 38 Sensor 150 Controller (control unit) 152, 153 Arm 57 Servo motor 59 Servo amplifier 191 Job management unit 192 Print data creation unit 193, 193A Estimation unit (estimation device) Pa Placement location (print position) Wp Waiting position (predetermined position) Hp Home position (predetermined position) PT1, PT2 Fixed time (predetermined time interval) WT1, WT2, WT3 Waiting time

Claims

1. A processing system comprising a plurality of droplet ejection devices that perform droplet ejection processing on media, and a robot that performs media supply and recovery operations for the plurality of droplet ejection devices, wherein, when the droplet ejection processing of a second droplet ejection device is completed while the recovery operation is being performed on a first droplet ejection device that is scheduled to perform the droplet ejection processing on the next media after the droplet ejection processing of the second droplet ejection device has been completed, the robot successively performs the recovery operation on the first droplet ejection device and the supply operation of the next media before performing the recovery operation on the second droplet ejection device.

2. A processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the robot performs the recovery operation for the first droplet ejection device and the supply operation of the next media consecutively when the time taken for the droplet ejection process of the first droplet ejection device is longer than the sum of the time taken for the robot's supply operation for the first droplet ejection device and the time taken for the recovery operation.

3. A processing system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the number of said robots is less than the number of said droplet ejection devices.

4. A processing system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the robot starts the recovery operation for each of the droplet discharge devices at a timing before the droplet discharge process of each of the droplet discharge devices is completed.

5. A processing system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the droplet ejection devices comprises a head that ejects droplets onto the media, and a maintenance unit that performs maintenance processing on the head, and wherein the maintenance unit starts the maintenance processing between the time when the robot starts the recovery operation of the media for which the droplet ejection processing has been completed and the time when the robot finishes the supply operation of the next media.

6. A processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the robot is capable of switching between a second operating mode in which it performs the supplying operation and the recovering operation in the order in which the media supply requests or recovering requests are input from the plurality of droplet ejection devices, and a first operating mode in which it performs the recovering operation and the supplying operation of the next media consecutively, in response to instructions input by a user.

7. A processing system according to claim 6, comprising: an estimation unit that estimates the time of the droplet ejection process and / or the time of the supply operation and the time of the recovery operation based on control data that controls the droplet ejection process of each of the droplet ejection devices, statistical data regarding the time of the droplet ejection process, and / or statistical data regarding the time of the supply operation and the recovery operation; a determination unit that determines a recommended mode from the first operation mode and the second operation mode based on the estimation result of the estimation unit; and a display unit that displays the determination result of the determination unit.

8. A processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the first droplet ejection device and the second droplet ejection device each perform the droplet ejection process multiple times and then finish the droplet ejection process at the same time, the robot performs the media recovery operation by prioritizing the droplet ejection device that finished the first droplet ejection process among these droplet ejection devices.

9. A processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the first droplet ejection device and the second droplet ejection device have performed the droplet ejection process multiple times and then finished the droplet ejection process at the same time, the robot gives priority to the droplet ejection device with the faster printing speed among these droplet ejection devices and performs the media recovery operation.

10. A processing system according to claim 1, wherein the number of media for which the droplet ejection process is performed is designated for each of the plurality of droplet ejection devices, and the robot, when the first droplet ejection device and the second droplet ejection device have performed the droplet ejection process multiple times and then finished the droplet ejection process at the same timing, prioritizes the droplet ejection device among these droplet ejection devices that has a larger number of media for which the remaining droplet ejection process is to be performed, in performing the media recovery operation.

11. A processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the first droplet ejection device and the second droplet ejection device have performed the droplet ejection process multiple times and then finished the droplet ejection process at the same time, the robot gives priority to the droplet ejection device that takes the shorter time for the supply operation and the recovery operation, and performs the recovery operation of the media.

12. A processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the first droplet ejection device and the second droplet ejection device have performed the droplet ejection process multiple times and then finished the droplet ejection process at the same time, the robot gives priority to the droplet ejection device designated by the user among these droplet ejection devices and performs the recovery operation of the media.

13. A processing system according to claim 1, wherein control data for controlling the operation of the droplet ejection process is input to each of the plurality of droplet ejection devices, and the robot terminates the droplet ejection process at the same timing after the first droplet ejection device and the second droplet ejection device have performed the droplet ejection process multiple times, and when control data for the next droplet ejection process that differs from the completed droplet ejection process is input to the first droplet ejection device and the second droplet ejection device performs the next droplet ejection process using the same control data as the completed droplet ejection process, the second droplet ejection device is given priority in performing the recovery operation of the media.

14. A processing method in a processing system comprising a plurality of droplet ejection devices that perform droplet ejection processing on media, and a robot that performs media supply and recovery operations for the plurality of droplet ejection devices, wherein, when the droplet ejection processing of a second droplet ejection device is completed while the robot is performing the recovery operation for a first droplet ejection device to which a command for the droplet ejection processing on the next media has been input after the droplet ejection processing has been completed, the robot successively performs the recovery operation for the first droplet ejection device and the supply operation of the next media before performing the recovery operation for the second droplet ejection device.

15. A program for causing an electronic device to control the operation of a robot in a processing system comprising: a plurality of droplet ejection devices that perform droplet ejection processing on media; and a robot that performs media supply and recovery operations for the plurality of droplet ejection devices, wherein, when the droplet ejection processing of a second droplet ejection device is completed while the robot is performing the recovery operation for a first droplet ejection device that has completed the droplet ejection processing and has received an instruction to perform the droplet ejection processing on the next media, the electronic device outputs an instruction to the robot to successively perform the recovery operation for the first droplet ejection device and the supply operation for the next media before performing the recovery operation for the second droplet ejection device.

16. A processing system comprising: a droplet ejection device that performs a droplet ejection process on media; and a robot that at least one of supplies and recovers the media to the droplet ejection device, wherein the robot has an arm that grasps and transports the media, a servo motor that drives the arm, and a control unit that switches between an ON state in which the servo motor is rotatable and an OFF state in which the servo motor is not rotatable, wherein the control unit sets the servo motor to the OFF state when the arm of the robot is waiting at a predetermined position, and sets the servo motor to the ON state when at least one of a media supply command and a media recovery command is input to the robot.

17. A processing system comprising: a droplet ejection device that performs a droplet ejection process on media; and a robot that at least one of supplies and recovers the media to the droplet ejection device, wherein the robot has an arm that grasps and transports the media, a servo motor that drives the arm, and a control unit that switches between an on state in which the servo motor is rotatable and an off state in which the servo motor is not rotatable, wherein the control unit switches the servo motor to the off state if the arm does not move at a predetermined position for a certain period of time after the robot has performed at least one of supplying and recovering the media.

18. A processing system comprising: a droplet ejection device that performs a droplet ejection process on media; and a robot that at least one of supplies and recovers the media from the droplet ejection device, wherein the robot has an arm that grasps and transports the media, a servo motor that drives the arm, and a control unit that switches the servo motor between an on state in which it is rotatable and an off state in which it is not rotatable, wherein the control unit switches the servo motor to the off state when the droplet ejection device performs a predetermined operation while the arm of the robot is waiting at a predetermined position.

19. A processing system as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a management device that creates a job for managing the progress of the droplet discharge process in the droplet discharge device and transmits print data for controlling the droplet discharge process to the droplet discharge device, wherein the supply command is input to the robot from the management device or the droplet discharge device, and wherein the supply command is input to the robot at the timing when the management device instructs the droplet discharge device to start executing the job, when the management device transmits the print data to the droplet discharge device, or when the droplet discharge device receives the print data.

20. A processing system according to claim 16, wherein the droplet ejection device comprises a table on which the media to be subjected to the droplet ejection process is placed, and a sensor capable of detecting the media placed on the table, and the supply command is input to the robot when the media is not detected on the table by the sensor.

21. A processing system as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a management device that creates a job for managing the progress of the droplet discharge process in the droplet discharge device based on conditions specified by a user, including the number of media to be processed, and transmits print data to the droplet discharge device for controlling the droplet discharge process, wherein the recovery command is input to the robot from the management device or the droplet discharge device, and wherein the recovery command is input to the robot at the timing when the management device or the droplet discharge device determines that the droplet discharge process for each media in the job has been completed, when the droplet discharge device notifies the management device of the completion of the droplet discharge process, or when the management device receives a notification of the completion of the droplet discharge process from the droplet discharge device.

22. A processing system according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the droplet ejection device performs the droplet ejection process continuously on a number of media designated by a user, and the control unit maintains the servo motor in an on state if the collection of the media and the supply of the next media are performed consecutively within a predetermined time interval.

23. A processing system according to claim 22, wherein the droplet ejection device comprises a head that ejects droplets onto the medium, and a maintenance unit that performs maintenance processing on the head, and the predetermined time interval is determined based on the time required for the maintenance processing.

24. A processing system according to claim 22, wherein the predetermined time interval is determined based on the sum of the time required for the robot to collect the media and the time required for the robot to supply the media.

25. A processing system according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the predetermined position is a home position where the arm of the robot is positioned before and after supplying or collecting the media.

26. A processing system according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the droplet ejection device comprises a table on which the medium on which the droplet ejection process is performed is placed, and at the predetermined position, the arm of the robot is positioned above the table.

27. A processing system according to any one of claims 16 to 18, further comprising a stocker for stocking the media to be supplied to the droplet ejection device, and wherein the predetermined position is a position above the stocker.

28. A processing system according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the predetermined position is a position above a discharge point where the robot discharges the media collected from the droplet discharge device.

29. A processing system according to claim 18, wherein the droplet ejection device comprises: a table on which the medium on which the droplet ejection process is performed is placed; a head disposed opposite the table and ejecting droplets onto the medium; and a movement mechanism that moves the head relatively between an initial position where the head does not overlap the medium placed on the table when viewed vertically, and a printing position where the head overlaps the medium; and wherein the control unit of the robot switches the servo motor to the off state at the timing when the head starts to move from the initial position towards the printing position.

30. A processing system according to claim 18, wherein the droplet ejection device includes a head that ejects droplets onto the medium, and the control unit of the robot switches the servo motor to the off state at the timing when the head starts ejecting droplets onto the medium.

31. A processing system according to any one of claims 16 to 18, characterized in that when the supply or recovery of the media to a first droplet ejection device and the supply or recovery of the media to a second droplet ejection device are performed consecutively within a predetermined time interval, the robot maintains the on state of the servo motor.

32. A processing system according to claim 31, wherein the predetermined time interval is determined based on the time it takes for the robot to finish supplying or collecting the media and for the arm to move to the predetermined position.

33. A processing method for a processing system comprising: a droplet ejection device that performs droplet ejection processing on media; and a robot that at least one of supplies and recovers the media to the droplet ejection device, wherein the robot has an arm that grasps and transports the media, a servo motor that drives the arm, and a control unit that switches between an ON state in which the servo motor is rotatable and an OFF state in which the servo motor is not rotatable, wherein the control unit switches the servo motor to the OFF state when the arm of the robot is waiting at a predetermined position, and switches the servo motor to the ON state when at least one of a media supply command and a media recovery command is input to the robot.

34. A program for causing an electronic device to control the operation of a robot in a processing system comprising: a droplet ejection device that performs a droplet ejection process on media; and a robot that at least one of supplies and recovers the media to the droplet ejection device, wherein the robot has an arm that grasps and transports the media, a servo motor that drives the arm, and a control unit that switches between an ON state in which the servo motor is rotatable and an OFF state in which the servo motor is not rotatable, wherein the electronic device outputs a command to the control unit to turn the servo motor to the OFF state when the arm of the robot is waiting at a predetermined position, and to the robot when at least one of a media supply command and a media recovery command is input.

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