CARRIER DEVICE, INSPECTION APPARATUS HAVING THE SAME, AND INSPECTION SYSTEM

Abstract

A carrier device performs floating and carrying of a sheet-like member having curling tendency along a carrier path. The carrier device includes a floating air blowing unit that floats and carries the sheet-like member by blowing out air obliquely upward in a carrying direction to the sheet-like member residing on the carrier path via a plurality of blowout holes, a carrier plate that constitutes the carrier path and has the plurality of blowout holes formed therein, and a pressing air blowing unit that faces a carrying start position of the sheet-like member on the carrier plate and blows out air from an upper position relative to the sheet-like member so as to lay the sheet-like member along the carrier plate.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a carrier device capable of performing floating and carrying of a sheet-like material having a curling tendency in a non-contact manner, and an inspection apparatus and an inspection system that have the carrier device.

2. Related Art

In recent years, as a carrier device capable of performing floating and carrying of a paper sheet in a non-contact manner, a carrier device has been known that includes a guide plate to be a carrier path of a paper sheet, a plurality of fan-shaped ring like (crescent) air blowing nozzles arranged on the guide plate with a distance each other, and a plurality of opening sections each being formed at a center of a curvature radius of each fan-shaped ring like air blowing nozzle at an upstream side of the air blowing nozzle. JP-A-10-086330 is an example of the related art. In the carrier device, air is blown out from the air blowing nozzles obliquely upward in a carrying direction so that a paper sheet is floated and carried on a guiding face. However, since a negative pressure is generated at a portion in the vicinity of the air blowing nozzle, the paper sheet is possibly brought into contact with the guide plate. Therefore, air is additionally blown out upward from the opening sections so that the paper sheet can be smoothly floated and carried in a flat attitude.

In such a carrier device, it is necessary to uniformly apply air that is blown out from the air blowing nozzles to a rear face of a paper sheet on the guide plate. In a case where, for example, a sheet-like member having a curling tendency, such as a cut sheet made of roll paper, is carried, it is impossible to uniformly apply the blowing air to the rear face of the sheet-like member. As a result, a problem may arise in that floating and carrying are not stably carried out.

SUMMARY

An advantage of the present invention is to provide a carrier device capable of performing stable floating and carrying of a sheet-like member having a curling tendency, and an inspection apparatus and an inspection system that have the carrier device.

A carrier device according to a first aspect of the invention performs floating and carrying of a sheet-like member having a curling tendency along a carrier path. The carrier device includes a floating air blowing unit that floats and carries the sheet-like member by blowing out air obliquely upward in a carrying direction to the sheet-like member on the carrier path via a plurality of blowout holes, a carrier plate that constitutes the carrier path and has the plurality of blowout holes formed therein, and a pressing air blowing unit that faces a carrying start position of the sheet-like member on the carrier plate and blows out air to the sheet-like member from an upper position relative to the sheet-like member so as to lay the sheet-like member along the carrier plate.

In this case, it is preferable that the plurality of blowout holes be formed such that the blowout holes are obliquely drilled through the carrier plate and each of the blowout holes is provided in the carrier plate at an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the carrying direction.

In addition, the plurality of blowout holes is preferably distributed over an entire area of the carrier plate in a matrix fashion.

With the above configuration, the sheet-like member having the curling tendency is pressed so as to be laid along the carrier plate by blowing of air from the pressing air blowing unit. In addition, air (carrying air) that is blown out obliquely upward from the floating air blowing unit to a bottom face (a rear face) of the sheet-like member pressed on the carrier plate, smoothly passes through a gap between the carrier plate and the sheet-like member so that a pressure in a space between the carrier plate and the sheet-like member is reduced and the sheet-like member is attracted to a surface of the carrier plate. Since this attraction force and the upward force due to the blowing of the carrying air are balanced, the sheet-like member is floated at a position having a constant distance from the surface of the carrier plate and is carried in the blowout direction of the carrying air.

With the above configuration, the sheet-like member having the curling tendency is stably floated and carried under a condition that the curling tendency is removed. In addition, since each of the blowout holes is formed at the angle of about 45 degrees in the carrying direction with respect to the carrying face, the sheet-like member maintains the constant floating position from the surface of the carrier plate so that the floating and carrying can be efficiently performed. As the plurality of blowout holes is arranged in a matrix fashion, the carrying air can be uniformly applied to the entire rear face of the sheet-like member.

The carrier device according to the first aspect of the invention, preferably further includes a top end detection unit that detects a top end of the sheet-like member at the carrying start position and a control unit that controls the floating air blowing unit and the pressing air blowing unit. The control unit may respectively start driving of the floating air blowing unit and driving of the pressing air blowing unit in accordance with detection of the top end of the sheet-like member by the top end detection unit.

With the above configuration, since the driving of both of the air blowing units can be started at a timing of starting of the carrier of the sheet-like member, it is possible to perform floating and carrying of the sheet-like member by removing the curling tendency of the sheet-like member from the top end side. As a result, a case may not occur in which the floating and carrying of the sheet-like member is disabled due to curling caused by the curling tendency.

An inspection apparatus according to a second aspect of the invention, includes a sheet processing device, the carrier device that performs floating and carrying of the sheet-like member that has the curling tendency and is fed from the sheet processing device, a stopping unit that faces the carrier path so as to be projected from or retracted to the carrier path and forcibly stops the sheet-like member in being carried, a member detection unit that detects presence or absence of the sheet-like member in a stopping state, an inspection unit that image-recognizes the sheet-like member from an upper position relative to the sheet-like member and inspects a result processed by the sheet processing device in accordance with the recognition result, and a control unit that controls the stopping unit and the inspection unit. The control unit allows the inspection unit to perform the inspection in accordance with detection of the presence of the sheet-like member after stopping the carrying of the sheet-like member.

With the above configuration, the inspecting by means of the inspection unit can be applied to the sheet-like member that is made to be in the stopping state by forcibly stopping the floating and carrying by means of the stopping unit under a condition that the curling tendency is removed. Herewith, the inspection of a processed result formed on the sheet-like member by the sheet processing device can be adequately performed.

In this case, the inspection apparatus according to the second aspect of the invention, preferably further includes a vacuum suction unit that is built in the carrier plate and sucks the sheet-like member in the stopping state on the carrier plate. The control unit preferably further controls the vacuum suction unit so as to stop the floating air blowing unit and to drive the vacuum suction unit during a time period from the stopping of the carrying till the inspection.

With the above configuration, the sheet-like member in the stopping state can be sucked and fixed to the carrier plate so as to be stuck to the carrier plate. By facing the inspection unit above the sucked and fixed sheet-like member, image recognition free from a distortion due to the curling tendency can be performed. Consequently, it is possible to perform more precise inspection with respect to the sheet-like member.

In addition, the inspection apparatus according to the second aspect of the invention, preferably further includes an auxiliary pressing air blowing unit that blows out air to the sheet-like member in a stopping state from an upper position relative to the sheet-like member. The control unit may further control the auxiliary pressing air blowing unit so as to drive the auxiliary pressing air blowing unit just after stopping the floating air blowing unit.

With the above configuration, air is auxiliarily blown to the sheet-like member by the auxiliary pressing air blowing unit so that the sheet-like member in the stopping state can be pressed to the surface of the carrier plate. As a result, even in a case where the curling tendency of the sheet-like member is strong (for example, the sheet-like member has a short length or a large thickness), the sheet-like member is not restored to its original curling shape at a moment when driving of the floating air blowing unit is stopped and a process is switched to driving of the vacuum suction unit, so that the suction fixing of the sheet-like member can be surely performed by the vacuum suction unit.

Further, in the inspection apparatus according to the second aspect of the invention, the sheet-like member may be formed of roll paper, and the sheet processing device is preferably constituted of a printer that includes a paper supply section that feeds the roll paper, a printing section that performs printing on the roll paper fed from the paper supply section by using an ink jet head, and a paper discharge section that cuts a part of the roll paper printed by the printing section and discharges the printed part.

With the above configuration, a piece of the roll paper having the curling tendency discharged on the carrier plate is floated and carried in a non-contact manner under a condition that the piece of the roll paper is laid along the surface of the carrier plate so that image recognition for inspection can be performed under a condition that adverse influence due to the curling tendency is eliminated. Consequently, the roll paper can be carried without applying damage on a printed face and precise inspection about printing quality can be performed.

An inspection system according to a third aspect of the invention, includes the inspection apparatus according to the second aspect of the invention, the sheet processing device according to the second aspect of the invention and a common housing that stores the inspection apparatus and the sheet processing device.

With the above configuration, since the sheet processing device (the printer) and the inspection apparatus (including the carrier device) are accommodated in the single housing, it is possible to increase a freedom for an installation place or movement of the inspection system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.

FIG. 1 is a side view typically showing an inspection apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a carrier plate according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3A shows plan and side views of an upper plate.

FIG. 3B shows plan and side views of a lower plate.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a body of the inspection apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing an inspecting operation by the inspection apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view typically showing an inspection system according to an embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

An inspection apparatus of a preferred embodiment according to the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The inspection apparatus is adapted to inspect whether or not there is defective printing such as lack of a dot by directly fetching a paper piece printed by a printer unit and imaging a test pattern printed on the paper piece. The printer unit is adapted to form, for example, a label of a paper piece on which a name or a blood group in a specific color is printed, the label being inserted into any of various kinds of name plates for hospitalized patients in a hospital.

As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection apparatus 1 is used by being connected to a printer unit 11 having a paper discharge guide 130 that faces obliquely downward and is disposed at the outside of a paper discharge hole 128. The inspection apparatus 1 receives a printed label LB (a paper piece) discharged from the printer unit 11 and performs inspection of lack of a dot or a color by performing image recognition of a printed result. The printer unit 11, which is a so-called roll paper printer, performs printing on fed roll paper RP, cuts the printed part (the label LB) and discharges it from the paper discharge hole 128. For this reason, the label LB to be supplied to the inspection apparatus 1 from the printer unit 11 has a curling tendency in a rolling direction so that the inspection apparatus 1 performs desired inspection under a condition that the curling tendency is removed. Here, the printer unit 11 is stored in a roughly rectangular solid shaped printer case 111 and a personal computer (a user input terminal (not shown)) for allowing a user to designate printing to the printer unit 11 is coupled to the printer unit 11 via a USB cable.

Next, details of the inspection apparatus 1 are described below with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection apparatus is composed of a carrier unit 21 for floating and carrying a label LB supplied from the printer unit 11 in the apparatus, an inspection unit 22 for inspecting print information printed on the label LB by imaging the print information, a pressure control unit 23 for supplying compressed air to the carrier unit 21 and the inspection unit 22, a controller (a control unit) 24 for controlling the carrier unit 21, the inspection unit 22 and the pressure control unit 23, and a unit case 25 that stores the above structural units 21, 22, 23 and 24.

A frame (not shown) for supporting the structural units 21, 22, 23 and 24 is provided in the unit case 25. The unit case 25 is formed in a roughly rectangular solid shape and an introduction inlet 26 as a reception slot for the label LB is formed at one side face of the unit case 25 and the paper discharge guide 130 of the printer unit 11 is inserted into the insertion slot 26. An introduction outlet 27 for discharging the label LB to the outside of the inspection apparatus 1 is formed on the other side face at the diagonal position with respect to the insertion slot 26. A label reception box (not shown) is provided on a portion below the introduction outlet 27 so as to receive the label LB discharged from the introduction outlet 27. Electric power is supplied to the inspection apparatus 1 from a power adapter which is different from that for the printer unit 11.

The carrier unit 21 is composed of a carrier plate 31 forming a carrier path of the label LB in the inspection apparatus 1, a floating air supply mechanism 32 built in the carrier plate 31, a top end detection sensor 33 which is provided at a portion in the vicinity of the introduction inlet 26 so as to face the carrier path from the upper side, and a pressing air blower mechanism 34 that blows out air to a carrying face 35 of the carrier plate 31.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the carrier plate 31 is made of metal such as stainless steel. The carrier plate 31 is extended from a portion facing the introduction inlet 26 to a portion facing the introduction outlet 27 obliquely downward at an angle of roughly 45 degrees. The upstream end of the carrier plate 31 is butted to the paper discharge guide 130 of the printer unit 11 input to the introduction inlet 26 so that the label LB carried on the paper discharge guide 130 can be smoothly introduced to the carrier plate 31. A long through-hole 36 for allowing a carrier stopping plate 61a to be projected or retracted (described later) is formed at a central portion in the width direction at the downstream side of the carrier plate 31.

The carrier plate 31 is composed of an upper plate 31a forming the carrier path and a lower plate 31b provided beneath the upper plate 31a. A plurality of blowout holes 41 for floating and carrying the label LB disposed on the carrier path and a plurality of suction holes 42 for suctioning the label LB disposed on the carrier path are formed on the upper plate 31a. A floating air supply flow channel 43 for supplying compressed air to the plurality of blowout holes 41 and a suction flow channel 44 communicating with the plurality of suction holes 42 are formed at a portion between the upper plate 31a and the lower plate 31b.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A, the plurality of blowout holes 41 are formed on the upper plate 31a so as to be distributed over the entire area of the upper plate 31a in a matrix fashion. The plurality of suction holes 42 are formed on the lower plate 31a in a half area at the downstream side of the upper plate 31a so as to be arranged corresponding to the blowout holes 41 in a matrix fashion. Each of the blowout holes 41 is made in a circular shape and they are directly formed on the upper plate 31a such that 3 pieces in the width direction of the upper plate 31a and 8 pieces in the longitudinal direction thereof (the carrying direction), i.e., total 24 blowout holes 41 are arranged. Each of the blowout holes 41 is formed on the upper plate 31a so as to pass through the plate obliquely at an angle of roughly 45 degrees in the carrying direction. Likewise, each of the suction holes 42 is made in a circular shape and they are formed such that 2 pieces in the width direction of the upper plate 31a and 4 pieces in the longitudinal direction thereof, i.e., total 8 suction holes 42 are formed on the upper plate 31a. Each of the suction holes 42 is formed to pass through the upper plate 31a to be perpendicular to the carrying direction. Note that, the pass-through angles, the shapes, the arrangements and the numbers of blowout holes 41 and suction holes 42 can be varied for convenience. For example, it is possible that the blowout holes 41 (the suction holes 42) are formed on a plate to be in a different nozzle style independent from the upper plate 31a and the plate is attached to the upper plate 31a.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3B, an air supply groove 51 for forming the floating air supply flow channel 43 between the lower plate 31b and the upper plate 31a is formed on a surface of the lower plate 31b and an air suction groove 54 for forming the suction flow channel 44 between the lower plate 31b and the upper plate 31a is also formed on the lower plate 31b. The air supply groove 51 is composed of 3 longitudinal grooves arranged in the width direction of the lower plate 31b at equal intervals and a lateral groove communicating with the 3 longitudinal grooves in the width direction at the upstream end side to be integrally formed. In addition, an air supply communication hole 52 is provided at a central portion of the air supply groove 51 at the upstream side and the floating air supply flow channel 43 connected to a plate compressed air flow channel 76 (described later) via an air supply joint 53. Likewise, the air suction groove 54 is composed of 2 longitudinal grooves arranged in the width direction of the lower plate 31b at equal intervals and a lateral groove communicating with the 2 longitudinal grooves in the width direction at the downstream end to be integrally formed. An air suction communication hole 55 is provided at a left side of the air suction groove 54 in the carrying direction at the downstream side (the right side in FIG. 3B) and the suction flow channel 44 is connected to a plate suction flow channel 83 via an air suction joint 56.

Namely, the floating air supply mechanism 32 is composed of the plurality of blowout holes 41 and the floating air supply flow channel 43 communicating with the blowout holes 41. A vacuum suction mechanism 63 (described later) of the inspection unit 22 is composed of the plurality of suction holes 42 and the suction flow channel 44 communicating with the suction holes 42. Note that, the shapes and the arrangements of the air supply groove 51 forming the floating air supply flow channel 43 and the air suction groove 54 forming the suction flow channel 44 can be varied for convenience.

Here, floating and carrying of the label LB by blowing out compressed air (carrying air) is described below. When carrying air is blown out from the plurality of blowout holes 41 via the air supply communication hole 52 and the floating air supply flow channel 43, the carrying air is obliquely applied to a bottom face (a rear face) of the label LB on the carrying face 35. The obliquely applied carrying air flows so as to pass through a gap (a blowout space) between the carrying face 35 and the label LB. As a result, the pressure in the blowout space is lowered. Consequently, an attractive force acts on the label LB so as to attract the label LB to the carrying face 35. By balancing the attractive force with an upward force of the carrying air blown out from the plurality of blowout holes 41, the label LB is carried under a condition that the label LB is floated at a constant positional level from the carrying face 35. A component referred to as a floating air blowing unit in the claims exemplarily represents the pressure control unit 23 and the floating air supply mechanism 32.

Next, the top end detection sensor 33 is an optical sensor such as an optical fiber sensor and is provided at a portion in the vicinity of the introduction inlet 26 under a condition that a detection end faces vertically downward. The top end detection sensor 33 detects a top end of a label LB introduced from the printer unit 11. Precisely, the top end detection sensor 33 detects a top end of roll paper RP when the top end that is output from the printer unit 11 while printing is carried out on the roll paper RP, is moved from the paper discharge guide 130 to the carrier plate 31. Therefore, when the label LB is short, the top of the label LB after cutting is detected. When the label LB is long, the top of the label LB before cutting is detected. When the top of the label LB is detected by the top end detection sensor 33, a detection signal thereof is output to the controller 24. While the details will be described later, the top end detection sensor 33 can also detect a rear end of the label LB.

The pressing air blower mechanism 34 is composed of an air blow nozzle 37 for vertically downward blowing out compressed air supplied from the pressure control unit 23 and a nozzle support member (not shown) for supporting the air blow nozzle 37 to the unit case 25. The air blow nozzle 37 is formed to be in a cylindrical shape and is provided at a portion in the vicinity of the top end detection sensor 33 at the downstream side such that a nozzle opening 38 faces vertically downward. The air blow nozzle 37 is controlled by the controller 24 such that when the top end detection sensor 33 detects the top end of the label LB, the air blow nozzle 37 blows out the compressed air supplied from the pressure control unit 23 so that the label LB having a curling tendency discharged from the paper discharge hole 128 to a portion in the vicinity of the introduction inlet 26 is pressed to the carrying face 35. As a result, the label LB having the curling tendency is laid along the carrying face 35 under a condition that the curling tendency is removed.

Here, it is preferable that when the floating and carrying is started, blowing out of the air from the air blow nozzle 37 be slightly stronger than blowing out of the carrying air. With the above configuration, the floating and carrying can be started while the label LB maintains the attitude that it is pressed to the carrier plate 31 so as to be laid down along the carrying face 35. While the label LB in the embodiment has a curling tendency so as to form an upward convex, it can have a curling tendency so as to form a downward convex. In addition, the air blow nozzle 37 can be provided at a portion in the vicinity of the top end detection sensor 33 at the upstream side and the nozzle opening 38 can be made so as to vertically face the carrying face 35. The number of nozzle openings 38 and the shape of the nozzle openings 38 of the air blow nozzle 37 can be varied for convenience. For example, a plurality of nozzle openings 38 can be arranged on the carrier plate 31 in the width direction thereof or a single slit-like nozzle opening 38 can be formed on the carrier plate 31.

Next, the inspection unit 22 is described below with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. The inspection unit 22 is composed of a carrier stopping mechanism 61 for stopping the carrying of the label LB, a paper piece detection sensor 62 for detecting presence or absence of the label LB at a stopping position of the label LB stopped by the carrier stopping mechanism 61, the vacuum suction mechanism 63 built in the carrier plate 31, an auxiliary pressing blow mechanism 64 for blowing out air toward the label LB at the stopping position, and an image inspecting mechanism 65 having 3 imaging cameras 68 facing the upper side of the label LB at the stopping position.

The carrier stopping mechanism 61 is composed of the carrier stopping plate 61a for stopping the carrying by allowing the label LB floated and carried on the carrier plate 31 to abut the carrier stopping plate 61a and an air cylinder 61b that is coupled to the carrier stopping plate 61a so as to project or retract (lift or lower) it upper than or to a level of the carrying face 35. The carrier stopping plate 61a is a plate like member facing in the width direction of the carrier plate 31. The carrier stopping plate 61a is provided so as to be projected upper than or retracted to the level of the carrying face 35 through the long through-hole 36 formed on the carrier plate 31 at the downstream side. The air cylinder 61b is provided at the rear side of the carrier plate 31 and the carrier stopping plate 61a is coupled to a tip portion of a piston rod of the air cylinder 61b. Namely, when the carrier stopping plate 61a is projected upper than the level of the carrying face 35 by driving the air cylinder 61b, the carrying of the label LB can be blocked (stopped). On the other hand, when the carrier stopping plate 61a is retracted to the level of the carrying face 35, the label LB can be carried to the introduction outlet 27.

The paper piece detection sensor 62 is an optical sensor such as an optical fiber sensor similar to the top end detection sensor 33 and is supported by the unit case 25 under a condition that the detection end faces vertically downward. The vacuum suction mechanism 63 is composed of the suction holes 42 and the suction flow channel 44, as described above.

When the paper piece detection sensor 62 detects the label LB of which the carrier is stopped by the carrier stopping mechanism 61, the pressure control unit 23 is valve-operated (details are described later) so that blowing out of the compressed air from the plurality of blowout holes 41 is switched to vacuum suction of air via the suction holes 42. Herewith, each of the air suction communication hole 55 and the air suction groove 54 becomes to have a negative pressure so that the label LB is sucked and is fixed to the plurality of suction holes 42. Thus, the suction of the label LB preceding the inspection is performed.

The auxiliary pressing blow mechanism 64 is composed of an auxiliary blow nozzle 66 for blowing out compressed air supplied from the pressure control unit 23 vertically downward and an auxiliary nozzle support member (not shown) for supporting the auxiliary blow nozzle 66 to the unit case 25. The auxiliary blow nozzle 66 formed to have a cylindrical shape and is provided such that an auxiliary nozzle opening 67 faces vertically downward at a portion in the vicinity of the image inspecting mechanism 65 at the upstream side.

Meanwhile, in a case where the label LB has a strong curling tendency (for example, the label LB is short or thick), the suction force to the label LB at the stopping position is instantly dropped when the blowing out of the carrying air is switched to the vacuum suction. At that time, the label LB is floated by its curling so that the label LB is not possibly sucked or fixed. In the above case, by blowing out auxiliary compressed air to the label LB residing at the stopping position from the auxiliary blow nozzle 66, the label LB can be pressed to the stopping position. As a result, the label LB is not restored to its original curling shape so that the label LB can be surely sucked and fixed. Here, the auxiliary blow nozzle 66 can be provided at a portion in the vicinity of the image inspecting mechanism 65 at the downstream side and the auxiliary nozzle opening 67 can be allowed to vertically face the carrying face 35. In addition, the number of auxiliary nozzle openings 67 and the shape of the auxiliary nozzle openings 67 can be varied for convenience similar to the air blow nozzle 37.

The image inspecting mechanism 65 is composed of the 3 imaging cameras 68 for imaging the surface of the label LB at the stopping position from the upper position, a camera support member (not shown) for supporting the 3 imaging cameras 68 to the unit case 25 and an image processing section (not shown) for performing image processing in accordance with imaged results of the imaging cameras 68. The image processing section is built in the controller 24. The 3 imaging cameras 68 are arranged in the width direction of the carrier plate 31 so as to face the upper side of the label LB that is sucked and fixed to the stopping position, so that the imaging cameras 68 can image a printed result on the label LB. The imaging is performed in order to inspect whether or not a printing operation is adequately performed by the printer unit 11. To be specific, inks of colors R, G and B are ejected from a plurality of nozzles provided on an ink jet head 124 of the printer unit 11 so that a plurality of lines of the respective colors are plotted on a surface of the roll paper RP, the number of lines being matched with the number of nozzles, thereby forming a test pattern. The test pattern is imaged by the imaging cameras 68 provided corresponding to the lines having the respective colors (image recognition). The image data obtained by the imaging is image-analyzed by an inspection computer so that the inspection computer inspects whether or not the test pattern has a defect such as lack of a dot. Here, in a case where a test pattern to be printed on the label LB is changed, it is preferable that the arrangement of the 3 imaging cameras 68 can be changed so as to correspond to printed portions of the colors of the test pattern. Instead of printing the test pattern as the above embodiment, it is possible to perform printing on a label LB (one's name and a blood type are printed) to be actually inserted into a name plate, and to make the printed result to be an inspection object. Note that, the number of imaging cameras 68 and the kind of the imaging cameras 68 can be varied for convenience.

As shown in FIG. 4, the pressure control unit 23 is composed of a compressed air flow channel system 71 communicating with each of the mechanisms of the carrier unit 21 and the inspection unit 22, a vacuum suction system 72 for generating a suction force on the carrying face 35, a valve manifold 73 for coupling the compressed air flow channel system 71 to a compressed air piping AP of a medical piping facility in a hospital, a main compressed air flow channel 74 for coupling the compressed air piping AP to the valve manifold 73, and an FR unit 75 that is inserted into the main compressed air flow channel 74 and is constituted of a filter and a regulator.

The compressed air flow channel system 71 is composed of a plate compressed air flow channel 76 coupled to the air supply joint 53 of the lower plate 31b, an air blow flow channel 77 communicating with the air blow nozzle 37, a cylinder flow channel 78 communicating with the air cylinder 61b, and an auxiliary blow flow channel 79 communicating with the auxiliary blow nozzle 66. Each of upstream ends of the flow channels 76, 77, 78 and 79 is connected to the valve manifold 73.

The vacuum suction system 72 is composed of an exhaust flow channel 81 whose one end is coupled to one port of the valve manifold 73, an ejector 82 inserted into the exhaust flow channel 81, a plate suction flow channel 83 coupling the ejector 82 to the air suction joint 56 of the lower plate 31b, and a suction sensor 84 that is inserted into the plate suction flow channel 83 at a portion in the vicinity of the lower plate 31b and is adapted to detect a vacuum suction pressure. In addition, the other end of the exhaust flow channel 81 is open to the outside (atmospheric air) of the inspection apparatus 1 through a ventilation louver 28 provided at the side face of the unit case 25 at the lower side. While the plate suction flow channel 83 dedicated for sucking is provided in the above embodiment, it is possible to use the plate compressed air flow channel 76 as a common flow channel for compressing and sucking. In the above case, the suction holes 42 or the air suction groove 54 is omitted, and the blowing out of compressed air and the vacuum suction of air are performed by using the blowout holes 41. The plate compressed air flow channel 76 is branched into two channels at an intermediate portion so that the blowing out of compressed air and the vacuum suction of air can be switched to each other by a valve-operation. In addition, the vacuum suction system 72 can be directly connected to the vacuum pipe of the medical piping facility without using the ejector 82.

The valve manifold 73 is provided with connection ports 85 5 connection ports are used in the embodiment) to which flow channels of the compressed air flow channel system 71 and the exhaust flow channel 81 are respectively connected. The connection ports 85 are respectively provided with solenoid valves 86 so that opening and closing of each of flow channels can be respectively controlled.

Next, a series of inspection sequences by the inspection apparatus 1 of the embodiment is described below with reference to FIG. 5. The label LB having a test pattern printed thereon is introduced on the carrier plate 31 through the introduction inlet 26 (the paper discharge hole 128) of the printer unit 11. When the top end detection sensor 33 detects the top end of the label LB, the air blow flow channel 77 and the plate compressed air flow channel 76 are opened, thereby starting floating and carrying of the label LB. While blowing out of air from the air blow nozzle 37 is performed concurrently with blowing out of carrying air, a timing of blowing out of the carrying air can be slightly delayed.

When the floating and carrying is advanced and the top end detection sensor 33 detects the rear end of the label LB, the air blow flow channel 77 is closed. The label LB is floated and carried to the downstream side of the carrier plate 31 and the carrier is blocked by the carrier stopping plate 61a that is projected beforehand. In this instance, when the label LB is detected by the paper piece detection sensor 62, the plate compressed air flow channel 76 is closed and the exhaust flow channel 81 is opened, and thereby the label LB is sucked and fixed to the stopping position (stoppage of carrying). At that time, when the label has a strong curling tendency, the auxiliary blow flow channel 79 is opened concurrently with (or slightly before) closing of the plate compressed air flow channel 76, thereby blowing out the compressed air from the auxiliary blow nozzle 66. After that, when the suction sensor 84 detects a negative pressure enabling suction and fixing, the auxiliary blow flow channel 79 is closed.

Next, the label LB sucked and fixed to the stopping position is subjected to the image recognition by using the 3 imaging cameras 68 so as to inspect a printed condition of the surface of the label LB. After that, the exhaust flow channel 81 is closed again and the plate compressed air flow channel 76 is opened so as to restart blowing out of the compressed air. Concurrently with the above process, the air cylinder 61b is inwardly moved so as to retract the carrier stopping plate 61a to the level of the carrying face 35, and the floating and carrying of the label LB is restarted. Then, the label LB is discharged from the introduction outlet 27 to the outside of the unit case 25. After the discharging, the air cylinder 61b is outwardly moved so as to project the carrier stopping plate 61a again. Here, when the floating and carrying is performed again, the compressed air can be blown out from the auxiliary blow nozzle 66.

With the above configuration, the label LB having a curling tendency that is discharged on the carrier plate 31 can be stably floated and carried in a non-contact manner under the condition that the label LB is laid along the carrying face 35. As a result, the label can be carried while preventing damage to its printed face. In addition, since it is possible to maintain the label LB to be laid along the carrying face 35 at the stopping position, it is possible to inspect the label LB by image recognition without considering influence caused by a distortion due to the curling tendency.

Next, the inspection system 90 is described with reference to FIG. 6. The inspection system 90 is so constituted that the printer unit 11 and the inspection apparatus 1 are stored in an identical housing 91 and the printer unit 11 and the inspection apparatus 1 are linked with each other. The downstream end of the carrier plate 31 is coupled to the inside of the housing 91 and the introduction outlet 27 is formed at the coupling portion. The printer unit 11 and the inspection apparatus 1 are electrically connected to each other. By turning on a power source of the printer unit 11, the inspection apparatus 1 is set to a carrying start standby state.

The printer unit 11 is composed of a paper supply section 112 for feeding roll paper RP transversely stored therein in the width direction, a printing section 113 for performing printing on the roll paper RP fed from the paper supply section 112 by using the ink jet head 124, a paper discharge section 114 for discharging the printed roll paper RP by cutting it, and a printer frame 115 that supports the above sections 112, 113 and 114.

The paper supply section 112 is composed of a storage section 121 for storing the roll paper RP, a carrier guide 122 forming a carrier path for the fed roll paper RP and two paper feeding rollers 123 (a platen and a grip roller) respectively provided at an upstream side and a downstream side of the carrier guide 122. The ink jet head 124 mounted on a carriage 125 (described later) is disposed just above the carrier guide 122 such that a nozzle face of the ink jet head 124 faces the carrier guide 122 with a predetermined paper gap therebetween.

The printing section 113 is provided at the upper side of the paper supply section 112 and is composed of the ink jet head 124, the carriage 125 having the ink jet head 124 and an ink cartridge 126 of 3 colors R, G and B mounted thereon, and a carriage moving mechanism that moves the carriage 125 in the width direction of the roll paper RP (in a main scanning direction).

The paper discharge hole 128 having a width corresponding to the width of the roll paper RP is formed on the paper discharge section 114 and a scissors-type cutter unit 129 is provided at a portion in the vicinity of the paper discharge hole 128. In addition, a paper discharge guide 130 for guiding the cut roll paper RP (the label LB) obliquely downward is provided at the outside of the paper discharge hole 128.

In the printer unit 11, while moving (reciprocating) the ink jet head 124 in the width direction of the roll paper RP, printing is performed by driving the ink jet head 124 and the roll paper RP is intermittently carried such that the two paper feeding rollers 123 are driven in synchronism with the reciprocating movement of the ink jet head 124. After the printing is completed, the cutter unit 129 operates so as to cut out a printed part of the roll paper RP, and then the label having a predetermined length is discharged.

In the inspection system 90, the inspection apparatus 1 can be utilized as it is. However, the inspection system 90 can be constituted such that the number of rotations of the paper feed roller 123 is monitored and controlled by the controller 24 so as to compute a discharge timing of the label LB from the paper discharge hole 128 and to start the blowing out of compressed air from the air blow nozzle 37. With this configuration, it is possible to omit the top end detection sensor 33. The printer unit 11 and the inspection apparatus 1 can be stored in the housing 91 of the inspection system 90 under a condition that the printer unit 11 and the inspection apparatus 1 are respectively stored in the cases 25 and 111. However, the printer unit 11 and the inspection apparatus 1 can be stored in the housing 91 without using the cases 25 and 111 in the embodiment. In the above case, the printer unit 11 is built in the housing 91 under a condition that it is mounted on the printer frame 115 and also the structural units 21, 22, 23 and 24 of the inspection apparatus 1 are built in the housing 91 under a condition that they are mounted on the frame. Note that, the other structures and the carrier control sequences of the label LB are similar to those of the inspection apparatus 1 so that descriptions are omitted.

In accordance with the above inspection system 90, the printer unit 11 and the inspection apparatus 1 are stored in the single housing 91 so that a degree of freedom for an installation place or movement of the inspection system 90 can be increased and an effect similar to the inspection apparatus 1 can be achieved.

Claims

1. A carrier device that performs floating and carrying of a sheet-like member having a curling tendency along a carrier path, the carrier device comprising:

a floating air blowing unit that floats and carries the sheet-like member by blowing out air to the sheet-like member on the carrier path via a plurality of blowout holes;

a carrier plate that constitutes the carrier path and has the plurality of blowout holes formed therein; and

a pressing air blowing unit that faces a carrying start position of the sheet-like member in the carrier plate and blows out air to the sheet-like member so as to lay the sheet-like member along the carrier plate.

2. The carrier device according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of blowout holes are formed such that the blowout holes are obliquely drilled through the carrier plate.

3. The carrier device according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of blowout holes are provided in the carrier plate at an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the carrying direction.

4. The carrier device according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of blowout holes are distributed over an entire area of the carrier plate in a matrix fashion.

5. The carrier device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a top end detection unit that detects a top end of the sheet-like member at the carrying start position; and

a control unit that controls the floating air blowing unit and the pressing air blowing unit, wherein

the control unit respectively starts driving of the floating air blowing unit and driving of the pressing air blowing unit in accordance with detection of the top end of the sheet-like member by the top end detection unit.

6. An inspection apparatus, comprising:

a sheet processing device;

the carrier device according to claim 1 that performs floating and carrying of the sheet-like member that has the curling tendency and is fed from the sheet processing device;

a stopping unit that faces the carrier path so as to be projected from or retracted to the carrier path and forcibly stops the sheet-like member in being carried;

a member detection unit that detects presence or absence of the sheet-like member in a stopping state;

an inspection unit that image-recognizes the sheet-like member and inspects a result processed by the sheet processing device in accordance with the recognition result; and

a control unit that controls the stopping unit and the inspection unit, wherein,

the control unit allows the inspection unit to perform the inspection in accordance with detection of the presence of the sheet-like member after stopping the carrying of the sheet-like member.

7. The inspection apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a vacuum suction unit that is built in the carrier plate and sucks the sheet-like member in the stopping state on the carrier plate, wherein

the control unit further controls the vacuum suction unit so as to stop the floating air blowing unit and to drive the vacuum suction unit during a time period from the stopping of the carrying till the inspection.

8. The inspection apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

an auxiliary pressing air blowing unit that blows out air to the sheet-like member in the stopping state, wherein

the control unit further controls the auxiliary pressing air blowing unit so as to drive the auxiliary pressing air blowing unit just after stopping the floating air blowing unit.

9. The inspection apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the sheet-like member is formed of roll paper, and the sheet processing device is constituted of a printer that includes a paper supply section that feeds the roll paper, a printing section that performs printing on the roll paper fed from the paper supply section by using an ink jet head, and a paper discharge section that cuts a part of the roll paper printed by the printing section and discharges the printed part.

10. An inspection system, comprising:

the inspection apparatus according to claim 6;

the sheet processing device according to claim 6, and

a common housing that stores the inspection apparatus and the sheet processing device.