US-12619845-B2 - Wireless communication device

US12619845B2US 12619845 B2US12619845 B2US 12619845B2US-12619845-B2

Abstract

A wireless communication device includes a conveyance portion, a sensor, and a communication portion, and conveys a long backing sheet, a plurality of labels, each provided with a wireless tag, being adhered with intervals in a lengthwise direction of the backing sheet. The wireless communication device detects, by the sensor, an end portion on an upstream side of the label including a wireless tag adhered on the backing sheet, while conveying the backing sheet in a conveyance direction by the conveyance portion, and performs a wireless communication with a target label when the backing sheet is conveyed by a predetermined amount in the conveyance direction. The predetermined amount is decided based on a communication state, between the communication portion and the wireless tag, detected at each of positions when the backing sheet is sequentially conveyed to a plurality of positions in the conveyance direction.

Inventors

Ryosuke Sano
Atsushi Fujioka
Hirokazu MIYABAYASHI

Assignees

BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20240627
Priority Date: 20230629

Claims (9)

1 . A wireless communication device comprising: a conveyance portion configured to convey a backing sheet having a long shape along a conveyance path with a lengthwise direction of the backing sheet as a conveyance direction, the backing sheet on which a plurality of labels, each provided with a wireless tag, being adhered with intervals in the lengthwise direction of the backing sheet; a sensor disposed facing the conveyance path in an intersecting direction and configured to detect an end portion of the label, the intersecting direction intersecting a width direction of the backing sheet conveyed by the conveyance portion and intersecting the conveyance direction; a communication portion disposed facing the conveyance path in the intersecting direction, and provided with an antenna configured to perform wireless communication with the wireless tag; a processor; and a memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, instruct the processor to perform processes comprising: detecting, using the sensor, an end portion on an upstream side of the label, while conveying the backing sheet in the conveyance direction using the conveyance portion, the label being on a downstream side, in the conveyance direction, of a target label and being adhered at a position adjacent to the target label, and the target label being, of the plurality of labels, a label that is a target of communication by the communication portion; and performing the wireless communication with the target label, using the communication portion, when the backing sheet is conveyed by a predetermined amount in the conveyance direction by the conveyance portion, wherein after the end portion on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of a chosen one of the labels, of the plurality of labels, is detected by the sensor, the predetermined amount is decided based on a communication state, between the communication portion and the wireless tag, detected at each of a plurality of positions when the backing sheet is sequentially conveyed to the plurality of positions in the conveyance direction using the conveyance portion, and when the sensor is seen in the intersecting direction, the sensor is disposed, with respect to the antenna, between a first end and a second end of the antenna in the conveyance direction.
2 . The wireless communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor includes a light projecting portion configured to emit detection light toward the conveyance path, and a light receiving portion configured to receive the detection light transmitted through the conveyance path, and the sensor is a transmission type sensor in which the light projecting portion and the light receiving portion are disposed on the intersecting direction with a conveyance path in between, the sensor detecting the end portion of the label based on a strength of the transmitted light transmitted through the backing sheet conveyed on the conveyance path.
3 . The wireless communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor includes a light projecting portion configured to emit detection light toward the conveyance path, and a light receiving portion configured to receive the detection light reflected by the backing sheet conveyed on the conveyance path, the sensor is a reflection type sensor in which the light projecting portion and the light receiving portion are disposed on one side, in the intersecting direction, of the conveyance path, the sensor detecting the end portion of the label based on a strength of the reflected light being the detection light reflected by the backing sheet on which a plurality of detection marks are formed corresponding to positions of each of the end portions of the plurality of labels and are used to detect the end portions of the labels.
4 . The wireless communication device according to claim 2 , wherein when the communication portion is seen in the intersecting direction, an arrangement position of the sensor with respect to the communication portion is a position at which a radio wave strength in the antenna when the antenna outputs a signal is strongest, or is a position in a vicinity of the position at which the radio wave strength in the antenna when the antenna outputs the signal is strongest.
5 . The wireless communication device according to claim 4 , wherein the antenna is a loop antenna and a power supply wiring line supplying power to the loop antenna, formed as a wiring pattern at a flat surface, of the communication portion, extending in the conveyance direction and the width direction, and when the communication portion is seen in the intersecting direction, the arrangement position of the sensor with respect to the communication portion is a position at a center inside a loop of the loop antenna in the wiring pattern, or is a position in a vicinity of the position at the center inside the loop of the loop antenna in the wiring pattern.
6 . The wireless communication device according to claim 4 , wherein the antenna is a dipole antenna and a power supply wiring line supplying power to the dipole antenna, formed as a wiring pattern at a flat surface, of the communication portion, extending in the conveyance direction and the width direction, and when the communication portion is seen in the intersecting direction, the arrangement position of the sensor with respect to the communication portion is a position, at the flat surface, at which the sensor does not interfere with the wiring pattern, between a first end and a second end of the wiring pattern in the conveyance direction, or is a position in a vicinity of the position, at the flat surface, at which the sensor does not interfere with the wiring pattern, between the first end and the second end of the wiring pattern in the conveyance direction.
7 . The wireless communication device according to claim 4 , wherein the antenna is a monopole antenna and a power supply wiring line supplying power to the monopole antenna, formed as a wiring pattern at a flat surface, of the communication portion, extending in the conveyance direction and the width direction, and when the communication portion is seen in the intersecting direction, the arrangement position of the sensor with respect to the communication portion is a position, at the flat surface, at which the sensor does not interfere with the wiring pattern, between a first end and a second end of the wiring pattern in the conveyance direction, or is a position in a vicinity of the position, at the flat surface, at which the sensor does not interfere with the wiring pattern, between the first end and the second end of the wiring pattern in the conveyance direction.
8 . The wireless communication device according to claim 4 , wherein the communication portion includes a through hole penetrating in the intersecting direction, at the arrangement position of the sensor when the communication portion is seen in the intersecting direction, and the detection light emitted from the light projecting portion is transmitted through the through hole and received by the light receiving portion.
9 . The wireless communication device according to claim 4 , wherein the communication portion includes a first flat surface extending in the conveyance direction and the width direction of the communication portion, and oriented toward the conveyance path, and a second flat surface extending in the conveyance direction and the width direction of the communication portion, and formed on an opposite side to the first flat surface, the sensor is disposed between the first flat surface and the conveyance path, and the antenna is formed at the second flat surface.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-106723 filed on Jun. 29, 2023. The entire content of the priority application is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND ART The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication device capable of wireless communication with a wireless tag. A wireless tag writer of known art is provided, on a conveyance path along which a label backing sheet is conveyed, with an antenna that writes information to an RFID tag formed on a label sheet. A mark sensor is disposed on an upstream side, in a conveyance direction, of a position at which the antenna is disposed, and the mark sensor detects a black mark indicating a leading position of the label sheet (a position of an edge of the label sheet on a downstream side in the conveyance direction). The wireless tag writer conveys the label backing sheet by an amount corresponding to a label length and a label interval of the label sheet, and performs calibration of a writing position at which the information is written to the wireless tag, and calibration of a strength of a wireless output. SUMMARY Sometimes a label backing sheet is used in which a distance from the leading position of the label sheet subsequent to the label sheet that is the target of the writing onto the wireless tag, to a formation position of the wireless tag of the label sheet that is the target of the writing is shorter than a distance between the antenna and the mark sensor. In this case, even when the label backing sheet is conveyed by the amount corresponding to the label length and the label interval, the wireless tag of the label sheet that is the target of the writing does not reach the position of the antenna. As a result, after continuing conveyance to the position of the wireless tag and writing the information, it is necessary for the wireless tag writer to convey the label backing sheet in a reverse direction to the leading position of the label sheet. On the other hand, when the wireless tag writer has a configuration in which a sensor for detecting the label sheet is disposed on the downstream side of the antenna in the conveyance direction, the label backing sheet is used on which the wireless tag of the label sheet that is the target of the writing is formed at a position close to the edge on the downstream side in the conveyance direction. In this case, in a state in which the sensor has detected the label sheet that is the target of the writing, the antenna may become close to the wireless tag of the subsequent label sheet. When this kind of state occurs during the calibration, it is possible that the wireless tag writer may erroneously recognize the writing position of the information to the wireless tag as a position corresponding to the wireless tag of the label sheet that is subsequent to the label sheet that is the target of the writing. An object of the present disclosure is to provide a wireless communication device in which a sensor that detects a label can be disposed at a position at which an antenna is provided that performs wireless communication with a wireless tag on a conveyance path of a backing sheet. An aspect of the present disclosure provides a wireless communication device including a conveyance portion, a sensor, a communication portion, a processor, and a memory. The conveyance portion is configured to convey a long backing sheet along a conveyance path with a lengthwise direction of the backing sheet as a conveyance direction. A plurality of labels are adhered with intervals in a lengthwise direction of the backing sheet. The labels are provided with a wireless tag each. The sensor is disposed facing the conveyance path in an intersecting direction. And the sensor is configured to detect an end portion of the label. The intersecting direction intersects a width direction of the backing sheet conveyed by the conveyance portion and intersects the conveyance direction. The communication portion is disposed facing the conveyance path in the intersecting direction. And the communication portion is provided with an antenna. The antenna is configured to perform the wireless communication with the wireless tag. The memory stores computer-readable instructions to be executed by the processor. When the computer-readable instructions are executed by the processor, the processor detects, using the sensor, the end portion on an upstream side of the label, while conveying the backing sheet in the conveyance direction using the conveyance portion. The label is on a downstream side, in the conveyance direction, of a target label and is adhered at a position adjacent to the target label. And the target label is, of the plurality of labels, the label that is a target of communication by the communication portion. Subsequently, the processor performs the wireless communication with the target label, using the communication portion, when the backing sheet is conve