2-dimensional code formation method and formation device

• US 7,594,613 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2004
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ARAI Corporation
• Original Assignee: ARAI Corporation
• Inventors: Kato, Mitsuyoshi, Sato, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, TUYEN KIM
• Application Number:
  US10/565,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20070038464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,875 Days
• Field of Search: 23546201-46212
• US Class Current: 235/494
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31304 Identification of workpiece and data for control, inspection, safety, calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The 2-dimensional code formation method of this invention comprises: a process of specifying the code size for 2-dimensional code; a process of specifying storage information to be written in the 2-dimensional code; a process of setting the cell size for the unit cell of the 2-dimensional code; a process of specifying the dot step size or the number of dots n x m (where n and m are natural numbers) arranged vertically and horizontally inside the unit cell; a process of creating laser-marking information based on the code size, storage information, cell size and step size or number of dots; and a process of performing laser marking of the 2-dimensional code based on that laser-marking information.

Claims

1. A 2-dimensional code formation method comprising:

a step of specifying a fixed code size for a 2-dimensional code regardless of an amount of storage information to be written in said 2-dimensional code;

a step of specifying storage information to be written in said 2-dimensional code;

a step of calculating cell size for a unit cell of said 2-dimensional code providing storage of said storage information in said 2-dimensional code having said specified code size;

a step of specifying the dot step size or number of dots n×

m (where n and m are natural numbers) to be arranged vertically and horizontally inside said unit cell;

a step of creating laser-marking information for forming said 2-dimensional code having said specified code size, based on said code size, said storage information, said cell size and said dot step size or number of dots, wherein said laser-marking information includes at least dot coordinate information; and

a step of laser marking said 2-dimensional code having said specified code size by laser dot marking to uniformly arrange dots vertically and horizontally in an n×

m matrix array inside said unit cell based on said dot coordinate information of said laser-marking information by irradiating a laser beam directly on a material to be marked, wherein said dots are beam spots generated by irradiating a laser beam.

2. The 2-dimensional code formation method of claim 1 wherein the cell size of said unit cell is calculated by divided said specified code size by the number of code obtained by encoding said storage information into said 2-dimensional code.

3. The 2-dimensional code formation method of claim 1, further comprising:

specifying a number of said unit cells; and

wherein the cell size of said unit cell is calculated by dividing said specified code size by said specified number of said unit cells.

4. A 2-dimensional code formation method for forming a 2-dimensional code on a product including a single part or a plurality of parts, and comprising:

a manufacturing-history-information-acquisition step of acquiring manufacturing-history information for said part;

a 2-dimensional-code-conversion step of converting data that includes an ID number for identifying manufacturing-history information or includes the manufacturing-history information itself for said part into a 2-dimensional code and forming a 2-dimensional matrix data having 1 bit per cell;

a parameter-setting step of setting a fixed size of said converted 2-dimensional code according to said part regardless of an amount of information to be written in said 2-dimensional code;

a data converting step of combining said 2-dimensional matrix data formed in said 2-dimensional-code-conversion step with said fixed size of said 2-dimensional code set in said 2-dimensional-code-conversion step and converting said combined information into data for laser marking said 2-dimensional code including beam spot coordinates; and

a laser-marking step of laser marking said 2-dimensional code having said fixed size set in said parameter-setting step directly on said part by a laser marker by laser dot marking to uniformly arrange dots vertically and horizontally in an n×

m (where n and m are natural numbers) matrix array inside a unit cell of said 2-dimensional code based on said beam spot coordinates converted in said data converting step, wherein said dots we beam spots generated by irradiating a laser beam.

5. The 2-dimensional code formation method of claim 4 wherein said laser-marking step includes a process of reading said 2-dimensional code that was laser marked and checking whether or not marking of said 2-dimensional code is correct.

6. A 2-dimensional code formation device comprising:

information-acquisition means for acquiring the code size of a 2-dimensional code, storage information that is to be written in said 2-dimensional code, and the step size or number of dots n×

m (where n and m are natural numbers) that are arranged vertically and horizontally inside a unit cell of said 2-dimensional code;

calculation means for performing a process of calculating the cell size of said unit cell, based on said code size and said storage information acquired by said information-acquisition means, to provide storage of said storage information in said 2-dimensional code having said acquired code size and a process of creating laser-marking information for forming said 2-dimensional code having said acquired code size, based on said code size, said storage information, said cell size and said step size or number of dots, wherein said laser-marking information includes at least dot coordinate information;

laser-marking means for performing laser marking of said 2-dimensional code having said acquired code size by laser dot marking to uniformly arrange dots vertically and horizontally in an n×

m matrix array inside said unit cell based on said dot coordinate information of said laser-marking information by irradiating a laser beam directly on a material to be marked, wherein said dots are beam spots generated by irradiating a laser beam; and

wherein said acquired code size is fixed regardless of an amount of storage information to be written in said 2-dimensional code.

7. The 2-dimensional code formation device of claim 6 wherein said calculation means calculates the cell size of said unit cell by dividing said code size acquired by said information-acquisition means by the number of code obtained by encoding said storage information into said 2-dimensional code based on change information for said storage information that was acquired by said information-acquisition means.

8. The 2-dimensional code formation device of claim 6 wherein said calculation means performs a process of creating different laser-marking information having different density based on change information for said step size or number of dots that was acquired by said information-acquisition means.

9. A 2-dimensional code formation device comprising:

information-acquisition means for acquiring the code size of a 2-dimensional code, storage information that is to be written in said 2-dimensional code, the number of unit cells of said 2-dimensional code, and the dot step size or number of dots n×

m (where n and m are natural numbers) arranged vertically and horizontally inside a unit cell of said 2-dimensional code;

calculation means for performing a process of calculating the cell size based on said code size and said number of cells acquired by said information-acquisition means, and a process of creating laser-marking information for forming said 2-dimensional code having said acquired code size, based on said code size, said storage information, said cell size, and said dot step size or number of dots, wherein said laser-marking information includes at least dot coordinate information;

laser-marking means for performing laser marking of said 2-dimensional code having said acquired code size by laser dot marking to uniformly arrange dots vertically and horizontally in an n×

m matrix array inside said unit cell based on said dot coordinate information of said laser-marking information by irradiating a laser beam directly on a material to be marked, wherein said dots are beam spots generated by irradiating a laser beam; and

wherein said acquired code size is fixed regardless of an amount of storage information to be written in said 2-dimensional code.

10. The 2-dimensional code formation device of claim 9 wherein said calculation means calculates said cell size of unit cells by dividing said code size acquired by said information-acquisition means by said number of cells that was acquired by said information-acquisition means.

11. The 2-dimensional code formation device of claim 9 wherein said calculation means performs a process of creating different laser-marking information having different density based on change information for said step size or number of dots that was acquired by said information-acquisition means.

12. A 2-dimensional code formation device that forms a 2-dimensional code on a product that is made from a single part or a plurality of parts, and comprising:

means for acquiring manufacturing-history information for said part/parts of a product;

means for storing the acquired manufacturing-history information;

means for converting data, which includes an ID number identifying said manufacturing-history information, or includes said manufacturing-history information itself, to said 2-dimensional code and forming a 2-dimensional matrix data having 1 bit per cell;

means for setting a fixed size of said 2-dimensional code according to said part/parts regardless of an amount of information to be written into said 2-dimensional code;

means for combining said 2-dimensional matrix data with said fixed size of said 2-dimensional code and converting said combined information data into data for laser marking said 2-dimensional code including beam spot coordinates; and

means for performing laser marking of said 2-dimensional code directly on said part/parts by laser dot marking to uniformly arrange dots vertically and horizontally in an n×

m (where n and m are natural numbers) matrix array inside a unit cell of said 2-dimensional code based on said beam spot coordinates, wherein said dots are beam spots generated by irradiating a laser beam.