Printer, printer control method of printer and non-transitory computer-readable medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11970015-B2
Application number	US-202017425812-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2020
Priority date	Mar 29, 2019
Publication date	Apr 30, 2024
Grant date	Apr 30, 2024

Abstract

A printer configured to print on a printing medium having an RFID, comprising a communication unit configured to communicate with the RFID, and a search unit configured to move the communication unit to a position with respect to the RFID to search for a position communicable with the RFID, wherein the search unit determines communication success/failure between the RFID and the communication unit at a plurality of positions with respect to the RFID, and on the basis of a region including a plurality of positions determined as the communication being successful, identifying a communication position between the RFID and the communication unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A printer configured to print on a printing medium having an RFID, the printer comprising:
a communication unit configured to communicate with the RFID; and
a search unit configured to move the communication unit to a position with respect to the RFID to search for a position at which the communication unit is communicable with the RFID,
wherein the search unit:
determines communication success/failure between the RFID and the communication unit at a plurality of positions with respect to the RFID, and on the basis of a region including a plurality of positions at which the search unit has determined that the communication was successful,
weighs each of the plurality of positions based on a number of adjacent positions at which the communication has been determined to be successful to obtain a highest weighted position among the plurality of weighted positions,
identifies a communication position between the RFID and the communication unit, based on the communication position having the highest weighted position, and
causes the communication unit to move based on the communication position having the highest weighted position.

2. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein
the search unit causes the communication unit to move in a spiral or rectangular manner from a position determined in advance, to search for a position communicable with the RFID.

3. The printer according to claim 2 , wherein
the search unit stores the identified communication position between the RFID and the communication unit, and identifies the communication position with the communication unit on the basis of the stored communication position.

4. The printer according to claim 3 , wherein
the search unit extracts an area of the region including the plurality of positions at which the search unit has determined that the communication was successful and identifies the communication position between the RFID and the communication unit on the basis of a center of the region having the largest area.

5. The printer according to claim 2 , wherein
the search unit extracts an area of the region including the plurality of positions at which the search unit has determined that the communication was successful and identifies the communication position between the RFID and the communication unit on the basis of a center of the region having the largest area.

6. The printer according to claim 2 , wherein
the search unit identifies a center of the region including the plurality of positions at which the search unit has determined that the communication was successful as the communication position between the RFID and the communication unit.

7. The printer according to claim 6 , wherein
the search unit stores the identified communication position between the RFID and the communication unit, and identifies the communication position with the communication unit on the basis of the stored communication position.

8. The printer according to claim 7 , wherein
the search unit extracts an area of the region including the plurality of positions at which the search unit has determined that the communication was successful and identifies the communication position between the RFID and the communication unit on the basis of a center of the region having the largest area.

9. The printer according to claim 6 , wherein
the search unit extracts an area of the region including the plurality of positions at which the search unit has determined that the communication was successful and identifies the communication position between the RFID and the communication unit on the basis of a center of the region having the largest area.

10. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein
the search unit stores the identified communication position between the RFID and the communication unit, and identifies the communication position with the communication unit on the basis of the stored communication position.

11. The printer according to claim 10 , wherein
the search unit extracts an area of the region including the plurality of positions at which the search unit has determined that the communication was successful and identifies the communication position between the RFID and the communication unit on the basis of a center of the region having the largest area.

12. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein
the search unit extracts an area of the region including the plurality of positions at which the search unit has determined that the communication was successful and identifies the communication position between the RFID and the communication unit on the basis of a center of the region having the largest area.

13. A control method of a printer configured to print on a printing medium having a RFID,
the printer comprising: a communication unit configured to communicate with the RFID; and a search unit configured to move the communication unit to a position with respect to the RFID to search for a position communicable with the RFID,
the method comprising:
determining communication success/failure between the RFID and the communication unit at a plurality of positions with respect to the RFID;
weighing each of the plurality of positions based on a number of adjacent positions at which the communication has been determined to be successful to obtain a highest weighted position among the plurality of weighted positions;
identifying a communication position between the RFID and the communication unit, based on the communication position having the highest weighted position; and
causing the communication unit to move the communication unit based on the communication position having the highest weighted position.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program executable by a computer of a printer configured to print on a printing medium having an RFID,
the printer comprising: a communication unit configured to communicate with the RFID; and a search unit configured to move the communication unit to a position with respect to the RFID to search for a position communicable with the RFID,
the program causing the computer to:
determine communication success/failure between the RFID and the communication unit at a plurality of positions with respect to the RFID;
weigh each of the plurality of positions based on a number of adjacent positions at which the communication has been determined to be successful to obtain a highest weighted position among the plurality of weighted positions;
identify a communication position between the RFID and the communication unit, based on the communication position having the highest weighted position; and
cause the communication unit to move based on the communication position having the highest weighted position.

Assignees

• Sato Holdings Kk

Inventors

• Arai Hidekazu
• Saito Yuji

Classifications

• B41J3/4075 Primary

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title

• B41J3/50 Primary

  Mechanisms producing characters by printing and also producing a record by other means {, e.g. printer combined with RFID writer} · CPC title

• G06K7/015

  Aligning or centering of the sensing device with respect to the record carrier · CPC title

• G06K17/0029

  the arrangement being specially adapted for wireless interrogation of grouped or bundled articles tagged with wireless record carriers · CPC title