Printing system having ic tag processing function

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018282103-A1
Application number	US-201815923099-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 16, 2018
Priority date	Mar 29, 2017
Publication date	Oct 4, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A printing system having an IC tag processing function includes a first medium conveyance section and a second medium conveyance section that convey a medium including a plurality of medium sheets each having an IC tag, an IC tag processor that performs reading and writing processing for the IC tag, a printing section that performs printing on the medium, a slack generator that permits generation of slack of the medium, a calculator that calculates a substantial conveyance speed of the medium by the first medium conveyance section, on a basis of a length of a single medium sheet having the IC tag and time needed by the IC tag processor to process the IC tag of the single medium sheet, and a speed determinator that sets a conveyance speed of the medium by the second medium conveyance section to a speed slower than the substantial conveyance speed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A printing system having an IC tag processing function comprising:
a first medium conveyance section that conveys a medium including a plurality of medium sheets each having an IC tag along a first conveyance path; a second medium conveyance section that conveys the medium that has been conveyed along the first conveyance path, along a second conveyance path; an IC tag processor that performs reading and writing processing for the IC tag on the first conveyance path; a printing section that performs printing on the medium on the second conveyance path; a slack generator disposed between the first conveyance path and the second conveyance path, the slack generator permitting generation of slack of the medium; a calculator that calculates a substantial conveyance speed of the medium by the first medium conveyance section, on a basis of a length of a single medium sheet having the IC tag, first time needed by the first medium conveyance section to convey the single medium sheet having the IC tag, and second time needed by the IC tag processor to process the IC tag of the single medium sheet; and a speed determinator that sets a conveyance speed of the medium by the second medium conveyance section to a speed slower than the substantial conveyance speed calculated by the calculator.

2 . The printing system according to claim 1 , wherein the calculator calculates the substantial conveyance speed on a basis of a failure rate of IC tags included in the medium.

3 . The printing system having according to claim 2 , wherein the failure rate of the IC tags included in the medium is measured when the medium is produced and shown in a predetermined part of the medium.

4 . The printing system according to claim 2 , further comprising a setting storage that stores a first default value of the failure rate of the IC tags included in the medium.

5 . The printing system according to claim 2 , wherein the calculator calculates a first time equivalent of the failure rate of the IC tags, on a basis of the second time needed by the IC tag processor to process the IC tag of the single medium sheet, a number of retries to be made in a case where the processing by the IC tag processor is unsuccessful, the failure rate of the IC tags included in the medium, and a number of the IC tags included in the medium.

6 . The printing system according to claim 1 , wherein the calculator calculates the substantial conveyance speed on a basis of an occurrence rate of a processing error in the processing of the IC tag processor.

7 . The printing system according to claim 6 , further comprising a setting storage that stores a second default value of the occurrence rate of the processing error.

8 . The printing system according to claim 6 , wherein the calculator calculates a second time equivalent of the occurrence rate of the processing error on a basis of the second time needed by the IC tag processor to process the IC tag of the single medium sheet, a number of retries to be made in a case where the processing by the IC tag processor is unsuccessful, the occurrence rate of the processing error on the medium, and a number of the IC tags included in the medium.

9 . The printing system according to claim 1 , further comprising a length detector that detects the length of the single medium sheet having the IC tag.

10 . The printing system having according to claim 9 , wherein the length detector detects the length of the single medium sheet having the IC tag by detecting a mark formed on the medium.

11 . The printing system according to claim 1 , further comprising a cutting section disposed on the first conveyance path, the cutting section cutting the medium to a predetermined length;
wherein if the predetermined length is longer than a distance from the cutting section to the printing section, the slack generator generates the slack of the medium before the IC tag processor and the printing section start operating.

12 . The printing system according to claim 11 , wherein the first medium conveyance section conveys the medium while the second medium conveyance section is stopping the conveyance of the medium, and thereby the slack generator generates the slack of the medium.

13 . The printing system according to claim 11 , further comprising a cut decision section that calculates a length to which the medium is cut, on a basis of a maximum slack amount of the medium in the slack generator, the medium conveyance speed by the second medium conveyance section, the substantial conveyance speed calculated by the calculator, if the medium conveyance speed by the second medium conveyance section cannot be set to a speed slower than the substantial conveyance speed calculated by the calculator.

14 . The printing system according to claim 13 , wherein the cut decision section accepts a choice of an operator concerning cutting the medium to the length.

15 . The printing system according to claim 14 , wherein if the operator permits cutting the medium to the length, the first medium conveyance section and the second medium conveyance section convey the medium, the IC tag processor performs the processing for the IC tag, the printing section performs the printing on the medium, and the cutting section cuts the medium to the length;
if the operator does not permit cutting the medium to the length, the processing of the IC tag processor and the printing of the printing section is stopped.

16 . The printing system according to claim 1 , further comprising a slack amount calculator that calculates a slack amount of the medium in the slack generator;
wherein if the slack amount calculated by the slack amount calculator falls below a prescribed amount, the first medium conveyance section and the second medium conveyance section convey the medium without performing the processing by the IC tag processor and the printing by the printing section, and thereby the slack amount of the medium in the slack generator is recovered.

17 . The printing system according to claim 1 , wherein the IC tag is an RFID tag;
the IC tag processor includes an RFID antenna and performs the reading and writing processing for the IC tag.

18 . The printing system according to claim 1 , wherein the printing section uses electrophotography to print an image on the medium.

Assignees

• Oki Data Kk

Inventors

• Sato Naoki

Classifications

• G03G15/5029 Primary

  by measuring the copy material characteristics, e.g. weight, thickness · CPC title

• B65H43/00

  Use of control, checking, or safety devices, e.g. automatic devices comprising an element for sensing a variable · CPC title

• G03G15/6523

  Cutting · CPC title

• B65H35/0093 Primary

  Arrangements or adaptations of length measuring devices · CPC title

• B65H35/0086

  using movable cutting elements · CPC title