JP2001288672A - Cloth products with barcode pattern - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cloth product which has an inconspicuous bar code pattern formed thereon and enables to read the data of the bar code pattern by the use of a simple and inexpensive device. SOLUTION: This cloth product characterized by having a cloth and projections formed of yarns having the same color as that of the cloth on the cloth to form an uneven bar code pattern, or the cloth product characterized by having a cloth and portions formed of yarns having different gloss as that of the cloth on the cloth to form a bar code pattern whose gloss alternately changes.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fabric product on which a bar code pattern is formed as inconspicuous unevenness or gloss change on the fabric.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, many industrial products on the market are provided with barcodes, so that the quality, distribution, sales and the like of the products can be efficiently managed online.

However, a bar code is hardly directly attached to clothes including clothes and Japanese clothes, and a bar code is often printed on a tag attached when the clothes are sold. This is based on the unique property of clothing that if a bar code is directly attached to clothing, fashionability is impaired and the commercial value is also reduced.

[0004] Hitherto, it has been considered to attach a cloth barcode directly to clothing, and a barcode already woven with a thread in a cloth or a barcode printed on a cloth has been proposed. These are black and white barcodes, which are assumed to be read by currently used barcode readers. The reason why the barcode is formed by the thread or the printing as described above is that the durability against washing is emphasized.

[0005] However, if a black and white barcode is seen in a conspicuous place of a uniform worn by employees in the hospitality business, for example, it may cause discomfort to the customer, so that the barcode is not exposed during use. Must be attached to the back side. In this case, the bar code of the folded clothes cannot be read at the time of distribution, and the management efficiency is not improved.

[0006] On the other hand, in Europe and the United States, the management of a clothing such as a uniform in a factory or a business office by attaching a bar code has begun to spread. It has been demonstrated that under such conditions that a barcode can be forcibly attached without ignoring the individual's sensitivity, computer management of clothing becomes easier.

[0007] In the above situation, for example, if a bar code with little difference in color from the fabric of the clothing is attached and the bar code can be read, the fashion of the clothing will not be impaired, and Computer management will also be possible.

Based on this concept, the present inventors disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-274640 a method in which a bar code was formed on a cloth with polyacrylonitrile yarn, and infrared rays generated from the yarn when the bar code was heated were read. The device is proposed. In this case, it is possible to form a bar code that is inconspicuous and does not cause a problem in fashion in a visible region with threads of substantially the same color as the fabric, and can read the bar code to detect invisible infrared rays. However, this device has a disadvantage that the reading device is slightly expensive because the infrared detector is special.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a cloth product in which an inconspicuous bar code pattern is formed on a cloth and which can read the data of the bar code pattern with a simple and inexpensive device. is there.

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided a fabric product comprising a fabric, a convex portion formed of a thread of the same color as the fabric on the fabric, and a bar code pattern forming irregularities. And

[0011] The cloth product of the present invention is characterized in that it has a bar code pattern having a convex and a concave portion formed by adhering a material of the same color as the cloth on the cloth.

[0012] The fabric product of the present invention has a fabric and a convex portion or a concave portion formed by altering a part of the fabric on the fabric.
A bar code pattern having irregularities is formed.

[0013] The cloth product of the present invention is characterized in that a part of the cloth is removed to form a concave portion, and a bar code pattern having irregularities is formed.

The fabric product of the present invention is characterized in that it has a fabric and a portion formed on the fabric with a yarn having a different gloss from the fabric, and forms a bar code pattern in which the gloss changes alternately.

The fabric product of the present invention is characterized in that it has a fabric and a portion formed by adhering a material having a different gloss from the fabric on the fabric, and forms a bar code pattern in which the gloss alternates. I do.

The fabric product of the present invention is characterized in that it has a fabric and a portion formed by altering a part of the fabric on the fabric, and forms a bar code pattern in which the gloss alternates.

The cloth product of the present invention is characterized in that it has a cloth and a part formed by shaving a part of the cloth on the cloth, and forms a bar code pattern in which the gloss alternates.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the present invention, a barcode pattern includes not only a one-dimensional barcode but also a two-dimensional barcode, a two-dimensional symbol, and other patterns representing general digital signals.

The cloth product of the present invention has a bar code pattern formed on the cloth that is inconspicuous to the naked eye, and the bar code pattern has various forms. The barcode patterns according to the present invention are roughly classified into a barcode pattern formed so as to have irregularities on the cloth, and a barcode pattern formed so that the cloth and gloss (light reflectance) are alternately changed. . The bar code pattern formed to have irregularities on the cloth is read by a contact-type reader that detects irregularities. The barcode pattern formed so that the cloth and the gloss alternately are read by an optical reading device.

In the present invention, the meaning that the barcode pattern is inconspicuous to the naked eye will be described.
At present, JIS X0501 is defined as a bar code symbol standard for common product codes. In a black and white barcode, it is necessary to increase the contrast in order to improve the reading accuracy. Specifically, regarding the optical characteristics of the barcode symbol, a contrast value (PCS value) represented by using the reflectance _RL of the base material or the margin and the reflectance _{R0 of the} bar PCS = ( _{RL- R0).} ) / _RL is required to be equal to or greater than a predetermined value according to _RL . According to this standard, the reflectivity of the margin is, for example, 8
At 9.1%, the PCS value must be at least 0.583. Since such a barcode is clearly recognized by the naked eye, fashionability is significantly impaired when the barcode is attached to a position where clothing can be seen.

On the other hand, the bar code pattern on the cloth to be detected in the present invention has a PCS value of 0.0.
It is in the range of 1 to 0.3 and cannot be read by a normal barcode reader. In the case of the Lab color system, the color difference between the fabric and the pattern is 1.5 to 12
Is within the range. Even if such a barcode pattern is attached to a position visible from the outside of the cloth product, it does not impair the fashionability.

Hereinafter, various barcode patterns according to the present invention will be described in more detail. First, a description will be given of a barcode pattern having irregularities on a cloth. For example, there is a barcode pattern formed on a fabric and having a convex portion formed of a thread of the same color as the fabric on the fabric, and formed with irregularities. The cloth may be a piece of cloth for a label or clothing itself, and is not particularly limited. The same color system includes not only the same color, but also a slightly different color. More specifically, the thread is attached by embroidery, weaving, knitting, or the like to form a convex portion. The yarn may be the same material as the fabric or a different material.

Further, there is a bar code pattern which has a convex portion formed by adhering a material of the same color as that of the cloth on the cloth, and is formed with irregularities. As a material to be attached, a polymer material or the like that fuses in a molten state is used, but is not particularly limited. More specifically, there are a material obtained by thermocompression-bonding black plastic on a black fabric, a material obtained by embossing white ink on a white fabric, and the like. With these methods, so-called two-dimensional barcodes and other patterns can be easily formed. Note that black and white barcodes in which ink is raised or marked with foaming ink are already known (JP-A-6-138).
825 and JP-A-6-36086). Similarly, in the case of fabrics on the premise of high-frequency washing, the use of the fabric is limited to some extent due to the low durability of the ink.

Further, there is a bar code pattern which has a convex portion or a concave portion formed by altering (modifying) a part of the fabric on the fabric and has irregularities.
In order to alter a part of the fabric, methods such as heat, contact with a solvent, contact with an acid or alkali, light irradiation, and a combination thereof can be used. Specifically, a method of printing a barcode pattern on a label cloth made of chemical fiber using a heat-sensitive head heated to a high temperature is used. In this case, a part of the fabric is altered to become a convex portion, or a part of the fabric is melted to become a concave portion.

Further, there is a bar code pattern formed by removing a part of the fabric to form a concave portion and providing the concave and convex portions. Methods for removing part of the fabric include mechanical methods,
Heating, light irradiation, chemical methods and a combination thereof are used. Specifically, a method of punching a fabric while thermally melting the fabric is used. Further, in the case of a fabric reinforced with fibers impregnated with plastic, the fibers are not frayed even by merely mechanical punching. Labels formed with a barcode using such a fabric can be attached by sewing or heat bonding.

The principle of reading a bar code pattern as described above utilizes three-dimensional irregularities on the cloth, and a low-cost contact-type reading device can be used. Since the three-dimensional shape is read in this manner, the material and color of the barcode pattern are not limited at all.

Examples of the contact-type reading device include a device combining a needle-like probe held up and down and a differential transformer, and a device improved from a mechanical mouse to detect unevenness.

Next, a description will be given of a bar code pattern formed so that the gloss changes alternately on the cloth. Gloss is a property determined by the intensity and ratio of specular reflected light and scattered reflected light, and depends on the transparency of the material and the smoothness of the surface. Therefore, the material, shape,
By making the surface treatment different from that of the fabric, the gloss can be changed. Also, even if the fabric and the pattern are made of the same material and have the same surface smoothness, if the irregularities on the surface are regular and the arrangement is different between the fabric and the pattern, the light is incident from an oblique direction. Is different between the cloth and the pattern. In this case, if the incident light or the detector is arranged obliquely to the fabric and the pattern,
It becomes possible to read the pattern.

For example, there is a bar code pattern which has a fabric and a portion formed on the fabric with a yarn having a different gloss from the fabric, and is formed so that the gloss alternates. More specifically, the luster is changed by embroidering, weaving, or weaving the yarn. The color of the thread is the same or slightly different from the fabric. The yarn may be the same material as the fabric or a different material.

In this case, the yarn forming the pattern preferably has a different fiber thickness, surface shape, and cross-sectional shape than the yarn of the fabric. Yarns, especially synthetic fibers, differ in fiber thickness, shape, and surface roughness depending on the spinning process, even when the same material is used, and the gloss of the yarn varies from fiber to fiber. Therefore, if a pattern is formed using yarns having different fiber shapes even if the material is the same as that of the cloth, a barcode pattern that is inconspicuous but has changed gloss can be formed. The yarn forming the pattern preferably has a different twisting method, a different number of twists, and a different twist angle compared to the yarn of the fabric. Also, the same yarn as the yarn of the fabric may be used, and the weaving or weaving direction of the yarn may be changed from that of the fabric. If the yarn is woven or sewn in a direction different from that of the fabric, the reflected light intensity can be changed between the fabric and the pattern by installing the incident light and the detector so that they are not coaxial with the pattern. Can be.

The pattern may be formed by using a yarn formed by adding a colorless organic or inorganic material to the same raw material as the yarn of the fabric. Colorless organic or inorganic materials are
A material that is transparent, white, or gray by itself,
A material that hardly changes the hue of the yarn and can change the lightness or chroma by adding it. By adjusting the amount of such a material added, the difference in gloss between the fabric and the pattern can be arbitrarily controlled.

A bar code pattern having a fabric and a portion formed by adhering a material having a different gloss from the fabric on the fabric and formed so that the gloss alternately changes. For example, the gloss can be changed by attaching the above-mentioned colorless organic or inorganic material to a part of the fabric by vapor deposition, sputtering, coating, dyeing, or the like. Specifically, if a smooth surface is formed by printing ink or resin material of the same color as the cloth on the cloth, a pattern with higher gloss than the cloth can be obtained.

Further, a bar code pattern which has a fabric and a portion formed by altering a part of the fabric on the fabric and is formed so that the gloss alternately changes. In order to alter a part of the fabric, methods such as heat, contact with a solvent, contact with an acid or alkali, light irradiation, and a combination thereof can be used. Specifically, by pressing a heat-sensitive head heated to such a high temperature that the fibers of the fabric are melted, a smoother and higher-gloss pattern can be formed as compared to the fabric. Further, it is also possible to smooth the pattern portion by calendering and to give gloss.

After the above-mentioned colorless organic or inorganic material is adhered to a part of the fabric in a planar manner, the part is subjected to a mechanical method, heat, contact with a solvent, contact with an acid or alkali, light irradiation. Alternatively, a pattern in which the gloss of the altered portion and the non-altered portion is changed may be formed by altering using a method such as those described above and a composite method thereof. In particular,
After the colorless resin is impregnated into the fabric, the pattern can be formed by pressing a heat-sensitive head heated to a temperature at which the fabric does not melt but the resin melts.

Further, a bar code pattern having a cloth and a part formed by raising a part of the cloth on the cloth (napping), and formed so that the gloss alternately changes. In this case, it is possible to reduce the gloss of the fluffed pattern portion.

The bar code pattern formed so that the gloss changes alternately as described above can be read by an inexpensive optical reading device using the difference in light reflectance. Since the difference in gloss is read in this manner, the material and color of the barcode pattern are not limited at all. Also, if a glossy bar code pattern is formed on the cloth, a sense of quality can be obtained.

The cloth product of the present invention can be used in various uniforms such as white coats for doctors and nurses, work clothes in factories, dustproof clothes in clean rooms, team uniforms for athletes, uniforms for employees in the hospitality business such as hotels, and transportation companies. Applicable to uniforms of employees, uniforms of public servants such as fire departments and police. Other fabric products include hotel linens (sheets, bedspreads, towels, bath towels, pillowcases, etc.), railway linens (headrest covers, etc.), banquet linens (tablecloths, etc.), and fabrics used for packing. It can also be applied to bags, tents and yacht sails. In the future, much demand can be expected for diapers for lending and cloth products for the elderly. Further, it can be applied to shoes, hats, gloves, and the like.

By forming barcodes, two-dimensional symbols, and other code patterns on these cloth products with yarn, the cloth products can be used for various computer managements from distribution management to inventory management, and also for network management. Also,
Depending on the conditions, these patterns can also be used to prevent forgery. For example, if a healthcare professional sewes a cloth nameplate on a uniform and attaches a cloth barcode to it, it can be used for personal authentication and can be a hindrance to contacting a patient like a name card. Nor.

[0039]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

Example 1 Using a ribbon weaving machine (Bonners), a barcode pattern was woven with a polyester white embroidery thread on a polyester-based ribbon-like white cloth. In this bar code, the thread portion is a bar, and the cloth portion between the threads is a space. The thread (bar) part is slightly higher than the cloth (space) part, forming irregularities. This barcode complies with the code 39. This barcode could not be read by a normal optical barcode reader.

On the other hand, this bar code could be read by scanning a reading device in which a needle-shaped probe held in a vertically movable manner and a differential transformer were combined.

The principle of reading by this device is as follows. When the probe is scanned along the width direction of the barcode pattern forming the unevenness, the probe moves up and down.
A magnetic body is attached to the base end side of the probe, and a primary coil and a secondary coil are provided around the magnetic body. When the position of the probe moves up and down, the position of the magnetic material in the coil changes, and an AC electromotive force is induced in the secondary coil. The original information can be restored by binarizing the detection signal with an appropriate threshold and decoding.

Example 2 On a white polyester cloth 4 cm wide and 10 cm long,
The white aqueous resin paint was screen-printed, and bars having a minimum width of 2 mm and a maximum width of 4 mm were alternately formed at the same interval. After printing, it was dried by blowing hot air at 70 ° C. As a result, the height of the bar became 400 μm.

This bar code was read by the same reader as that used in Example 1 in which a needle probe and a differential transformer were combined, and binary data could be obtained.

Example 3 A nylon ribbon was attached to a thermal printer, and printing was performed with a thermal head adjusted so that the instantaneous temperature reached 500 ° C. A linear pattern or the like was used as a printing pattern. Since the melted portion of the nylon ribbon becomes a convex portion, it can be used for a model such as a barcode. When a micrograph was taken and observed, the depth was about 100 μm.

This bar code was read by the same reading device as that used in Example 1 in which a needle probe and a differential transformer were combined, and binary data could be obtained.

Example 4 A punch heated to 200 ° C. was pressed against a black cloth of polyester and punched out to obtain 3 mm × 1 mm every 2 mm.
A hole of 0 mm was drilled to obtain a bar code pattern model. This cloth was sewn on a black cotton cloth to obtain a barcode model.

It should be noted that punching with an unheated punch did not work well, and there was a portion where a frayed thread appeared.

This bar code was read by the same reading device as that used in Example 1 in which a needle probe and a differential transformer were combined, and binary data could be obtained. However, when only the periphery of the punched cloth was sewn, the probe could be caught, and the reading could be performed better when the punched cloth was adhered on the front surface.

Example 5 A bar code pattern was printed by light irradiation on a cloth high mesh perforated printing screen of a simple printing machine (Riso Kagaku Co., Ltd.). The barcode pattern is composed of a portion that has been altered by light irradiation. This screen was cut out to produce a sample.

This bar code was read by the same reading device as that used in Example 1 in which a needle probe and a differential transformer were combined, and binary data could be obtained.

Example 6 A head having needle-like projections in a bar code arrangement was heated and pressed against a nylon cloth to be fluffed by mechanical rubbing.

Instead of heating, a small scale can also be obtained by applying 1,1,1-trichloromethane to a head having needle-like projections in a barcode arrangement and mechanically rubbing it against a nylon cloth. , Could be fluffed.

Since the fluffy portion has a different reflectance from that of the cloth, the barcode image could be captured by a normal scanner. The barcode captured as an image could be decoded and read after the binarization process.

Example 7 A bar code ring used for printing a normal bar code was heated and pressed against a nylon cloth. When the temperature of the bar code ring was set to 300 ° C. or higher, the nylon on the surface was adhered to the ring and removed, leaving a bar code pattern on the cloth. Further, after the nylon cloth was immersed in acetic acid in advance, the bar code ring was heated and pressed against the nylon cloth. In this case, even if the temperature of the bar code ring was lower than 200 ° C., the molten nylon on the surface adhered to the ring and was removed, leaving a bar code pattern on the cloth. These barcode patterns could be captured as images with an optical scanner.

Example 8 Using a loom (Bonners), a 100d / 80f fiber was laid on a ribbon-like cloth made of a plain weave of 150 denier double-thread white polyester fiber twisted with two 75d / 38f single yarns.
The barcode was woven with 200 denier twin polyester white polyester yarn obtained by twisting two single yarns. This barcode conforms to code 39. The color difference between the fabric and the barcode is 1.8, which is hardly noticeable to the naked eye. In fact, this barcode could not be read by a conventional optical barcode reader.

On the other hand, the barcode was read by a dedicated optical reader, binarized, and decoded, whereby the original information could be restored. This optical reading device includes a light irradiation unit, a detection unit, and a signal processing system as described below. 630nm from diode laser
Is irradiated on the sample surface through a polygon mirror. At this time, the angle of the incident light is set to 60 ° from the vertical direction, and the incident light is incident along a direction parallel to the long side of the barcode. CCD detector (150 × 150) as detector
Is used, and the reflected light is detected by installing the sample in a direction at 30 ° from the vertical direction and at 45 ° with respect to the incident light in the sample plane. While continuously irradiating the diode laser, the polygon mirror scans the laser light so that the light is irradiated across the entire bar code, and reads the uneven shape from the deviation in linearity of the reflected light caused by the unevenness of the bar code. After correcting the reflected light intensity, an appropriate threshold value is set, binarized, and the binarized data is decoded, whereby the original information can be restored.

Example 9 A 200-denier twin yarn of 100 d / 50 f and two round white polyester single yarns having a round cross section was woven in a plain weave on a ribbon-like cloth using a loom (Bonners). 100
The bar code was woven with a 200 denier twin yarn in which two white polyester single yarns having a d / 50f cross section having a triangle shape were twisted. This barcode conforms to code 39. The barcode part has gloss compared to the fabric,
The color difference between the two was 3.0. This barcode is read by the same optical reader as used in Example 8,
By binarizing and decoding, the original information could be restored.

Example 10 A 100 denier polyester twin yarn was jacquard-woven on a fabric, and a bar code of code 39 was woven. The direction of the yarn to be woven is different between the bar code portion and the fabric portion. This barcode was read by the same optical reader as used in Example 8, binarized, and decoded, whereby the original information could be restored.

Example 11 A white cloth made of polyester was prepared, and a barcode pattern heated at 300 ° C. was pressed to transfer a barcode pattern. This pattern is smoother and glossier than the fabric as a result of the polyester fiber being thermally melted and deteriorated. The color difference between the barcode and the fabric was 3.4. This barcode was read by the same optical reader as used in Example 8, binarized, and decoded, whereby the original information could be restored.

Example 12 A polystyrene powder was placed on a polyester black cloth, and a bar code pattern was formed with a thermal head set at a temperature of 200.degree. This pattern is a pattern in which the polystyrene powder is melted and adhered to the fabric, and is glossy because the surface is smooth. The color difference between the barcode and the fabric was 3.4.
This barcode was read by the same optical reader as used in Example 8, binarized, and decoded, whereby the original information could be restored.

[0062]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, an inconspicuous bar code pattern is formed on a cloth, and there is no problem in fashionability. Further, the bar code pattern data can be read by a simple and inexpensive device. Can be provided.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) // A41D 31/00 A41D 31/00 H 501 501Z 502 502S (72) Inventor Shigeru Ikeda Sachi Kawasaki, Kanagawa No. 1, Komukai Toshiba-ku, Ward Inside Toshiba R & D Center (72) Inventor Hiromitsu Takeda No. 1, Komukai Toshiba-cho, Koyuki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture F-term in Toshiba Research Consulting Co., Ltd. 3B154 AA07 AB20 AB31 BA25 BA38 BA53 BB51 BB55 CA22 DA13 DA30 5B072 BB00 CC24 CC26 DD02 DD07 LL04 LL11 LL18

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A fabric product comprising: a fabric; and a bar code pattern having irregularities formed on the fabric and having a convex portion formed of a yarn of the same color as the fabric. 2. A fabric product comprising: a fabric; and a bar code pattern having irregularities, having a convex portion formed by adhering a material of the same color as the fabric onto the fabric. 3. A fabric product comprising: a fabric; and a bar code pattern having irregularities formed on the fabric having a convex portion or a concave portion formed by altering a part of the fabric. 4. A fabric product wherein a part of the fabric is removed to form a concave portion, and a bar code pattern forming the unevenness is formed. 5. A fabric product comprising a fabric and a bar code pattern having a portion formed on the fabric with a yarn having a gloss different from that of the fabric, wherein the bar code pattern changes alternately in gloss. 6. A fabric product comprising a fabric and a portion formed by attaching a material having a different gloss from the fabric to the fabric, and forming a bar code pattern in which the gloss changes alternately. 7. A fabric product comprising a fabric and a bar code pattern having a portion formed by altering a part of the fabric on the fabric and having a gloss that alternates. 8. A fabric product comprising a fabric and a bar code pattern having a portion formed by shaving a part of the fabric on the fabric, and having a gloss which alternates.