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JP-7855564-B2 - Label printer system

JP7855564B2JP 7855564 B2JP7855564 B2JP 7855564B2JP-7855564-B2

Inventors

  • 江良 勇亮

Assignees

  • 東芝テック株式会社

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20231212

Claims (5)

  1. A printing mechanism that prints on the opposite side of the label on a label paper in which a label is attached to a backing sheet, A peeling mechanism for peeling the label from the backing paper after printing by the printing mechanism, A sensor that detects the presence of the label peeled off by the peeling mechanism, A computer having a hardware processor and memory, Equipped with, The aforementioned hardware processor is When it is determined that the label has been peeled off the backing paper based on the output value of the sensor, the output value of the sensor is stored in the memory. Based on the degree of change in the time-series output value of the sensor stored in the memory, the occurrence of a failure that makes it impossible to determine whether the label has peeled off is predicted. Label printer system.
  2. The label printer system according to claim 1, wherein the failure that makes it impossible to determine whether the label has been peeled off occurs when the backing paper, after the label has been peeled off, enters the space between the peeled-off label and the sensor, affecting the output value of the sensor.
  3. The label printer system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hardware processor predicts that a failure will occur when the degree of change in the time-series output value of the sensor reaches a threshold.
  4. The aforementioned hardware processor is An approximate formula is calculated based on the time-series output values of the aforementioned sensor. The label printer system according to claim 3, wherein when the slope of the approximation formula reaches the slope threshold, the failure is predicted to occur.
  5. It is further equipped with an output device, The label printer system according to claim 1, wherein the hardware processor outputs a failure prediction warning via the output device when it predicts that the failure will occur.

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a label printer system. One type of image forming device found in the workplace is a label printer. A label printer is an image forming device used to print barcodes and other information onto adhesive labels or tags. What distinguishes a label printer from a typical multifunction printer (a type of image forming machine) is its unique mechanisms, such as a paper feeding mechanism for loading label rolls, a cutting mechanism for cutting label sheets, and, in the case of release-type labels, a peeling mechanism for removing labels from the backing paper. Such label printers are used for a variety of purposes, not only in retail but also for printing shipping labels for packages. Label printers primarily employ two printing methods: thermal printing and thermal transfer printing. Thermal printing uses heat to react with thermal paper containing special dyes, resulting in color development. This method is the most cost-effective for mass printing. However, because it relies on heat for color development, it is susceptible to friction and discoloration from sunlight. Therefore, it is often used for applications where long-term labeling is not required. In contrast, thermal transfer printing differs from thermal printing in that it does not contain ink within the label itself. Instead, it transfers ink onto the label material via an ink ribbon running parallel to the label using heat. This thermal transfer method allows for the use of different label paper materials, enabling the creation of labels with varying heat resistance and water resistance depending on the application. In the label printers used as described above, the devices that utilize the aforementioned release label paper are configured to automatically feed the next label when the label is peeled off the backing paper by the release mechanism, as follows: The printed label is transported to a position where it partially peels off the backing paper for easier removal. A release sensor, such as a reflective light sensor, is positioned at this location to detect the presence of the label non-contactually. When the label is peeled, the amount of light entering this light sensor increases, allowing the system to recognize that the label has been removed. A threshold is set for the amount of light entering this light sensor; when the amount of light exceeds this threshold, the system detects label removal and begins printing the next label. However, sometimes, due to some malfunction, the label backing paper may be overloaded during transport after the labels have been peeled off, causing it to bend. When the label backing paper bends in this way, the bent portion may get between the peeled label and the light sensor. This can result in insufficient light reaching the light sensor even after the label has been peeled off, making it impossible to determine whether the label has been peeled off or not. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-127469 Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a label printer as a label printer system according to the first embodiment.Figure 2 is a magnified view of the main components of the label printer.Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a label printer's control system.Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a label printer failure prediction process.Figure 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the number of labels printed, the output value of the peel sensor, and the slope threshold.Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a label printer system according to the second embodiment.Figure 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server device included in a label printer system.Figure 8 shows an example of the contents stored in the device information storage unit of a server device.Figure 9 shows an example of the contents stored in the service information storage unit of a server device.Figure 10 shows an example of the contents stored in the detection history storage unit of the server device.Figure 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of a label printer system.Figure 12 is a flowchart showing an example of failure prediction processing in a label printer.Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of failure prediction processing in a server device. The label printer system according to the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the scale of the parts in the drawings used in the description of the embodiment below may have been changed as appropriate. Also, for the sake of clarity, some components may be omitted from the drawings used in the description of the embodiment below. [First Embodiment] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a label printer 100 as a label printer system according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 is an enlarged view of