EP2079653A2 - Printed product rfid - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for processing flexible, planar products (30, 32, 36, 38) in further print processing. In said method, at least one product is provided with an RFID tag (100, 200, 200a, 200b) that comprises at least one piece of control data and/or at least one piece of product data. Said data is used for monitoring and/or controlling a product (30, 32, 36, 38) processing step.

Description

 RFID PRINTING PRODUCT IDENTIFICATION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for processing flexible, flat products according to the preamble of patent claim 1, flexible, sheet-like products according to the preamble of claim 16, and a system for the production of flexible, sheet-like products according to the preamble of claim 17.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Radio frequency identification transponders (referred to below as RFI D-tags) are known in the prior art, and their use in intelligent labels (also referred to as HFIDs or smart labels for short) is becoming increasingly important. The fundamentals of RFID technology, which makes it possible to transmit data by means of radio waves without contact and without visual contact between an RFID tag and a transceiver, are known and need not be explained further here.

The systems for wireless data transmission, for example for the identification of RFID tagged products, usually consist of the three components: RFID tag, transceiver with which data is read from the tag or written on the tag and a higher-level IT System that manages the corresponding data. The RFID tags distinguish between passive, semi-active and active power supply, but only the passive RFID tags that receive their energy from the electromagnetic field generated by the transceiver and that are inductive, respectively capacitive coupling in the near range received via the antenna. In the systems with inductive coupling is currently mainly in low frequency ranges from 30 to 500, preferably 100 to 135 kHz with a range of up to one meter and worked in high frequency ranges from 3 to 30, preferably 13.56 MHz ₁ with a range of about 1.7 meters. In analogy to the frequency domain, both the data transmission rates and the acquisition prices are low at the low frequencies (LF). LF RFID tags are usually populated with chips with a storage capacity of up to 2 kbit. At high frequencies (HF), which have higher data transfer rates but also a higher price, the range also corresponds to about 1.7 meters. Depending on the storage type, the available storage space ranges from the storage of simple identification numbers to the storage of complex data such as manufacturer, minimum durability date, date of manufacture, sales prices etc.

About 50% of the production costs of the known passive RFID tags are currently attributable to the actual chip (also referred to below as the tag IC) and the remainder to the coupling element in the form of a coil or antenna (referred to hereinafter as the antenna), the connection the antenna with the chip, other passive components and the substrate of the tag.

The simplest systems for wireless data transmission include tags without tag IC, in which the transponder function is essentially taken over by an antenna or another coupling element. Such simplest transponders act as electronic data carriers of a 1-bit information and are accordingly referred to below as 1-bit tags. The presence of an activated 1-bit tag in the transmitting and receiving area of a correspondingly adapted reading device with a corresponding range can be detected, so that in the simplest case the presence or absence of the transponder can be "read out" as 1-bit information the use of such IC-less 1-bit tags in anti-theft systems. Frequently radio frequency labels are used which have an electrically conductive coil which forms a resonant circuit together with a capacitor. In an electromagnetic radio-frequency field generated by the transceiver, which is tuned to the resonance frequency of the radio-frequency labels, the resonant circuit modulates the transmission energy of the system by absorbing energy and can thereby be detected by the transceiver. The resonant circuit can be irreversibly electrically deactivated by the capacitor overcharged and thus the resonant circuit is detuned.

Electromagnetic labels, for example, comprise strips of soft magnetic materials, can be magnetized, for example in a sinusoidal alternating magnetic field with a frequency of 10Hz to 2OkHz to saturation and then detect by means of harmonics in the alternating field. The electromagnetic labels can be reversibly activated and deactivated in a known manner.

Other 1-bit tags are known as harmonic tags because they answer harmonic harmonic waves transmitted by the transceiver, thereby indicating to the system their presence in the receive range of the transceiver. For harmonic tags, as well as for acousto-magnetic tags, preferably amorphous metal strips are used, which are equipped with hard magnetic elements. These tags can be reversibly deactivated by magnetizing the magneto-magnetic elements and the associated shift of the harmonic arrangement. Different arrangements of the hard-magnetic elements allow tags to be generated with a wide variety of harmonic patterns, so that different tags can be identified individually.

In order to avoid disturbances of reserved frequency ranges (eg for radio transmitters, mobile radios, cell phones, etc.), national, regional and / or international radio regulations specify exactly which frequency bands are used in particular for RFID applications. to stand by. RFI D applications can primarily use the ISM frequencies released for Industrial, Scientific and Medical applications.

A miniaturized RFID tag called "μ-chip" measuring just 0.15 x 0.15 mm and a thickness of 7.5 microns is available from Hitachi. Prototypes of an RFID chip manufactured using the 90-nmometer process, which only measures 0.05 x 0.05 mm x 5 μm (without antenna) and a 128-bit ROM to accommodate a 38 -digit 1D codes. The ROM of these RFID chips can already be described during production with an electron beam. The transmission range at 2.45 GHz is 30 centimeters.

In the production of the tags, both the antenna and any capacitors and / or ICs can be generated by printing techniques. As will be further explained below, in the manufacturing method discussed in the prior art, for example, the antennas are applied by means of screen printing or inkjet methods to films which are subsequently laminated and further processed into adhesive labels.

In WO 2005/021276 it is proposed to print a substrate in an online process not only in a known manner with the functionality of color, but also to print with the functionality of electrical conductivity or electrical semiconductivity. As an example of application for the additional functionality, it is proposed to create Radio Frequency Identification transponders on the printing substrate, for example a packaging. According to a first embodiment, only the antenna for the RFID transponder is printed, and the chip is then glued in-line electrically contacting with the antenna. According to a second embodiment, all the active components of the RFID transponder are printed in the printing device in several steps, the transistors being interconnected to form semiconductor chips. From DE 10 2005 026127 a printing method is known in which also an inline in the printing press an RFID tag or only the antenna applied to the substrate, overprinted in multiple colors and checked inline.

DE1 O33523O describes various methods of making RFI D labels, also known as smart labels or smart labels.

The abovementioned industrial property rights publications have in common that the fields of application proposed are either the printing of labels for sticking to goods or the printing of re-packaging of goods, in particular of pharmaceutical packaging. With regard to the use of RFI D tags in the printing industry, which is currently receiving a great deal of attention, it is believed that the labeling of individual products, for example newspapers, is not sensible for reasons of cost. IFRA Special Report 04/2006 (edited by Ifra, Washingtonplatz 1, 64287 Darmstadt, Cermaπy) entitled "Use of Radio Frequency Identification in Newspaper Production" even makes the use of RFID tags for equipping the delivery packages of a newspaper printing company unreasonable The only promising option is the use in workflows that affect material input and goods storage.

An individual identification of printed products, that is of main and / or partial products, from the conventional high-performance printing in the print finishing leads the known solutions with mechanical systems to maintenance-intensive and error-prone systems. In known optical systems, the individual identification of printed products via image recognition leads to extremely complex systems, which become more prone to error due to their complexity and / or require expensive higher-level control systems, which tend to breakdowns and associated system interruptions. It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a method and a system for producing flexible, flat products, preferably of multi-part printed products, which avoid the disadvantages described above.

The invention also has the task, while largely using known high-performance methods and systems in print finishing, to provide new methods and systems for producing flexible, flat products, preferably multi-part printed products, which make it possible to produce cost-effective printed products which can be selected Degree of individual identifiability. This task is to be solved for a wide variety of types of printed products, for example also for large, combined and / or stapled printed products with product supplements.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method and a system which enables a simple addressing and, in particular, a correct sequence of the addressed and addressed products and thus the subsequent delivery at higher efficiency without increased machine outlay. cheap possible.

This object is achieved by the features contained in the characterizing part of claims 1, 16 and 17, respectively.

When erfinduπgsgemässeπ process flexible, sheet products, preferably printed products, which were preferably prepared in a conventional high-performance printing process, for example, pressure forming in rotation, in the high-performance printing device or between the high-performance printing device and a first, the printing device downstream processing device with a Identification means provided in the form of an RFID tag. The identification means carries at least one 1-bit information for identifying the products and makes them identifiable. These individual identification is also referred to below as an indication. In contrast, groups of products can be provided with an RFID tag with identical identification information, which should be referred to as omnification in the context of this application. For example, an omnification is suitable for a region-specific subproduct.

In the process according to the invention, flexible, flat products are produced. According to preferred embodiments, multipart printed products are produced which comprise at least one main product and / or one or more partial products. Below are the term partial products, unless the description clearly indicates otherwise insert sheets, postcards or promotional product supplements. CD's etc. are understood. At least one of the main and / or partial products, insert sheets, postcards, advertising supplements, etc. is provided with an RFID tag having at least one 1-bit control information and / or at least one product information, the at least one step directly or indirectly in the Print finishing controls. In the case of direct control, the information read out by the RFID tag preferably triggers a work step at at least one workstation without involving a higher-level control device. When producing a daily newspaper with a region-specific partial product R and a region-specific advertising insert W inserted in the partial product R, the direct control can be used, for example, for a feeder with the advertising insert W by a signal originating from the RFID tags of the partial products R trigger the insertion process. The controller of the investor must not be in contact with a higher-level control unit for a correct insertion, but it is sufficient if the information read out by the RFID tag to be supplemented with the sub-products R information is detected and serves as a trigger for the insertion of W. For other region-specific products, the investor remains inactive for R. In the case of indirect control, on the other hand, the information read out by the RFID tag is forwarded to a higher-level control device, processed and a signal is generated which triggers a work step in at least one workstation. The at least one operation controlled by the RFID tag preferably comprises one of the following activities: conveying, storing, inserting, collecting, collating, stapling, foliation, folding, insertion, gluing, cutting, addressing or packaging. The work step can also be a control step.

According to the new method, preferably at least one of the main and / or partial products is provided with an RFID tag which cooperates in cooperation with at least one further RFID tag of at least one further main and / or partial product and / or supplement. This makes it possible that at least one piece of information about the composition of the printed product or a group of printed products can be read out without contact in the print finishing. The at least two RFID tags jointly modulate an output signal of a transmission unit, so that at least one common response signal is generated. This response signal, which is influenced by two RFID tags, is also referred to as a composite response signal, also called a combination signal. The response signal is modulated by means of the cooperating RFID tags with respect to the output signal at least in terms of amplitude and / or frequency.

The at least one control information stored on the RFID tags and / or at least one product information is a T-bit or a multi-bit information. The information can range from 1-bit information that allows the presence of an RF-tagged product to up to a kilobyte or even mega bit of information ranging from the individual identification of each individual print product to the storage of product-specific information Additional information in the form of text, image and / or sound documents or combinations thereof allowed. Since no visual contact is required to read out the RFID tags, and since the RF technology used makes it possible to read from several centimeters to over one meter, there are no narrow limits to the positioning of the tags on the products to be marked. For example, the tags are preferably arranged in fold areas so as not to impair the free area available at the layout.

If the at least one RFID tag is attached in a defined position to the product marked with it, then this predetermined position of the RFID tag can be used as further information about the position and orientation of the product during conveying or during storage.

In preferred embodiments according to the present invention, the at least one RFID tag is a readable and writable RFID tag, preferably a passive RFID tag, which comprises an antenna and an IC operatively connected thereto, in particular an IC ₁ arranged on a chip. The at least one RFID tag is created according to preferred embodiments of the present invention in a printing process directly on the, to be tagged, product or it is a previously created RFID tag in a separate step at the, to be provided with the day, Product attached.

The 1-bit RFID tags according to the invention are preferably produced directly on the product to be tagged and, after being created, described with product and / or control information comprising at least 1 bit or created in such a way that they produce the desired 1-bit information already included.

Multi-bit RFID tags according to the invention will preferably be on the to-be-tagged product after creation, or on separately fabricated RFID tags after affixing to the tagged product having at least 1-bit Product and / or control information described. According to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, the identification means comprises a 1-bit RFID tag which is applied to the printed product in a printing process and read and / or changed in the print finishing without contact and without visual contact between tag and read / write device can.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the RFID tags are not mounted directly in or on the printed product, but detachable from the printed product, temporarily spatially assigned directly. In this case, the identification means may be formed, for example, in a transport unit associated with the printed product for a certain duration and a certain section of the transport path, for example a support of a ladder conveyor or a gripper of a gripper transporter. According to further embodiments, the RFID tags can be arranged on device parts of buffer and / or memory paths, which in turn are assigned to a single or a group of printed products for a specific duration and a specific section in a buffer path or a memory path.

The RFID tags are according to preferred embodiments, in which the printed products are provided directly with the RFID tags, directly in Hochleistuπgsdruckprozess, or directly downstream of the printing process at the interface for further processing, in any case before the first downstream processing station attached to the printed product. Preferably, it is at least the main products that are so indi- cated. In the case of complexly compiled printed products which comprise, for example, one main product and several first-order partial products and / or advertising inserts which in turn contain inserted (second-order) partial products, preferably also the first and / or higher-order partial products or only these with an RFID Tag provided. As indicated in FIG. 3, the indification can also be restricted to individual products of a product group. In this case, not every single product in a product flow along a conveyor line or a storage path is provided with an RFID tag, but an indexed product with an RFID tag is assigned one or more products not provided with an RFID tag. When product groups are being indexed, a day-controlled processing station for all subsequent products can be activated by the product with RFID tag arranged in the conveying direction until another product provided with an RFID tag deactivates the processing station again. The product groups in the product stream can be composed regularly or have different sizes.

For the sake of simplicity, however, the basic idea and essential advantages of the invention will only be explained below using the example of main products of a daily newspaper provided with a 1-bit RFID tag. For example, an RFID tag of conductive ink is printed on each major product by means of a digital printing unit (eg, an inkjet printer) during or after rotation in a suitable area. The RFID tag is preferably positioned in an inner fold area, so that it is not cut away in any edge trimming and does not affect the layout. The RFID tag consists for example of a printed conductive coil with a capacitor, which form a resonant circuit. If the RFID tag in the generated by the read-write device electromagnetic see radio frequency field, which is tuned to the resonance frequency of the radio frequency labels, the resonant circuit modulates the transmission energy of the system by energy absorption and can be detected by the transceiver. This effect can be illustrated in a schematic diagram, for example in FIG. 4, in which a signal intensity I is plotted on the y-axis against a frequency F on the x-axis. If there is no RFID tag in the area of the read / write device, the output signal according to curve A is not modulated and the response signal has the essentially unchanged amplitude a _A. If an RFID tag is present, the amplitude of the signal will increase modified manner known, in the present example, the signal strength of the response signal is reduced to an intensity of a _B. The discrete decrease in the signal strength of the response signal indicates to the system the presence of an RFID tagged product. If two RFID-tagged products are in the reading range, the signal strength of the response signal is attenuated again to a _c . If a third product provided with an RFID tag is in the reading area, then it is attenuated to a _D. The indicated in Figure 4 relative intensity or amplitude differences between output or query and response signals will be influenced in industrial use by a variety of confounders. Preferably, therefore, the system parameters, such as frequency, output power, signal strength, distance from the read-write device to the RFID tags (detection area), set a predetermined Lesepositioπ, etc. selected such that the amplitudes of interrogation and response signal by a Sufficient difference Δ are separated from each other, so that the Aπtwortsigπal recorded by the read-write device in a bandwidth of approximately +/- 4/2 can schwaπ- ken an amplitude a, and yet correctly recognized and clearly assigned.

Known problems from the further processing of printed products can be solved elegantly with systems according to the invention. In Klammertransporteurεn, as they are known for years in various embodiments of the Applicant for example from EP 330868, EP 557680 and EP 600183, often two identical printed products are transported in a clamp to increase capacity. To ensure that each clip holds exactly two products, for example, an optical detection of the presence of two products in the clip is performed. To facilitate the optical detection with sufficient accuracy, the two products, for example, not flush but held with vertical offset from each other in the clip. If, however, the two products are not arranged in the clamp with the required accuracy in the required relative position relative to one another in such a detection, the optical control system generates an error message, even though the clamp is correctly filled with two products is. According to the invention, the control can now be significantly simplified and reduce the error rate, since it is no longer a positioning of products to each other, but the actual presence of the products is detected. If a desired group of two is present in the parenthesis, it supplies to the read-write unit a response signal C (according to FIG. 4) with the amplitude ac. The system, that is to say at least the read-write unit, has been previously programmed to be on Response signal C can assign the presence of two products and detects the corresponding bracket as correctly filled. If there is only a single product in a parenthesis, a stronger response signal B with amplitude a _{B is} generated, and the loading of the parenthesis is recognized as faulty in comparison with the action word A, which is present as internal target information. An incorrect loading of a staple with three products is also recognized because it generates an over-attenuated response signal D with the amplitude a _D. The recognition of an empty bracket on the unchanged output signal A with the highest signal intensity aA is basically possible, but requires in practice, however, that the system has additional information such as the regularly clocked sequence of funding, and thus knows when it is a signal A must map a gap between two properly filled consecutive parentheses and when it is an empty parenthesis.

In a product stream which is traπspor- tiert by means of a Klammertransporteurs in the conveying direction F are in the sequence of correctly loaded with two products each parentheses repeatedly loaded brackets. If a clip in which a product is missing reaches the control position, the absence of a product in the clip is detected and an error message ei is generated, which is preferably reported via a signal line to a subsequent processing unit or a higher-level control system. If a staple loaded with a surplus product reaches a stationary read / write device, then the erroneous loading e _{3 is} detected on the too weak response signal D. Even with such extremely simple systems, the generated response Not only is the information as to whether a clip is loaded incorrectly, but also the information about the number of products in the clip is provided by means of the intensity of the response signal.

The usually unwanted superimposition of response signals close to each other lying RFID tags is not suppressed according to advantageous embodiments of the present invention or circumvented by elaborate singularization, but deliberately brought about by the targeted interaction of two or more 1-bit RFID tags a composite More Generate bit response signal, which may include, for example, a count information as described above.

It is understood that according to the present invention, the filling state of pockets of a pocket conveyor or of compartments of a plug-in drum can be controlled.

Since the information of the RFID tags can be read out by the read / write device without contact and without visual contact, the read / write devices can be attached with a great deal of freedom at a suitable point in the further processing plant, for example along a conveying device. Since no visual contact between the reader and RFID tags is necessary, the tags can be attached on each side of the product, that is also inside, and it is still no opening, separating, cropping or otherwise treating the products when reading and / or Describe necessary, which is a decisive advantage over optical control methods, as are known for example from US5613669.

The skilled person is known as a rule of thumb that the range of the RFID tags correlated directly with the length of the antenna of the transmitting and receiving device and the antenna length of the RFID tag. At least the antenna of the read / write device can be located laterally on the product arrange flow, so that the products are conveyed past the read-write device with a distance of, for example, a few centimeters. Since the RFI D tags are preferably arranged in the upper or lateral edge region on the side of the products facing the read / write device, the effective distance between RFID tag and antenna of the read / write device can be reduced to a few centimeters ,

On the one hand, such a short working distance is advantageous because it permits small assemblies, short antenna lengths and low transmission powers. On the other hand, it can be achieved by a transmit-receive range of a few centimeters that there is no singularization of the response signals of different product groups, for example the products one after the other Tvansportklammern, necessary The existing distance between the product groups is sufficient to ensure that there is only one product group in the transmit-receive area.

[Although, in the present specification, primarily products are described in parentheses, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the inventive idea may be fully applied to pocket or ladder conveyors.

If only small amounts of data have to be read from or written to the RFID tags, according to the present invention data transfer rates can already be achieved with the currently known RFID technologies, which are also used in high-performance processing plants with processing capacities of up to to allow 80000 products per hour, at virtually every point of the conveying path to exchange data. If larger Dateπmeπgeπ be transmitted, it is advisable to select areas of the conveying path, where the conveying speed of the products is slowed down. Such areas can be found in the further processing of printed products, for example, in an inventively controlled completion, which can be accomplished in an advantageous manner with all devices for collecting, collating and plugging in the broad sense. For the production of such printed products in high-performance processes, collecting, inserting or collating drums or corresponding routes for collecting, inserting and / or collating are known from Ferag AG, for example. During collection, saddle-shaped supports, V-shaped compartments are continuously guided past a plurality of addition points during insertion and gathering, and another component, for example a further sheet or a further partial product, is added to the resulting product at each supply direction. In collecting, starting with an innermost folded sheet, inserting an outermost, folded sheet or main product, starting with a first component. The person skilled in the art is aware that collecting, inserting and collating methods can be combined accordingly. With the well-known high-performance facilities currently achievable performances of 40'0OO to about 80'0OO products per hour. The conveying path of the printed products between two investors or other processing stations, for example, preferably comprises regions without axial advances in insertion drums of the Ferag AC. In collecting devices, such as the saddle stitching drums of Ferag AG _1, as known for example from US5324014, the read-write devices can preferably be arranged in a saddle-shaped carrier. When collecting in the strict sense, it has been proven to attach the product identifier, for example, in each case in a lateral area on the prefold, where it is irrelevant here as well as when working in insertion drums whether the tags attached to an inside or an outside of the products are. For the expert, the terms main and partial product in connection with the previously mentioned types of gathering, Sammelπs and plugging clearly documented and he knows the relative position of the products to each other, their orientation in the production process and the time sequence of their supply. The read / write devices can be mounted on or integrated with dividing drums and saddle drums behind partitions or under saddle-shaped supports, so that they can again be positioned in the immediate vicinity of the products and the RFID tags attached thereto. Since the conveying speed of the products in relation to the equipment provided with read-write devices is greatly reduced, especially in the processing drums, there is even a relative standstill, a sufficiently long time window is available to transfer even large amounts of data. In the case of processing drums, as known from Ferag AG from EP 550828, the products to be processed pass through a conveying path along the longitudinal axis of the drum which corresponds to an irregular spiral, in which case no axial feed is exerted on the products in certain radial conveying sections that they stand relative to partition walls or supports of the drum even at full processing capacity of up to 40'0OO products per hour, for approximately 3 seconds relative to each other. The read / write devices can also be arranged outside the drum according to further advantageous embodiments. In known drums with a radial division into 40 pockets, the products are conveyed at about 0.5 m / s in Umdrehuπgsrichtung.

Linearly extending rungs of a device, as are known, for example, from EP 0095603, or parts of compartments and pockets of devices, as described for example in EP 771754, EP 510525 and EP 346578, can be used in the same way Provided write-read devices.

A decisive advantage of the invention is that the individualized collation can be controlled without direct control instruction of a higher-level control system and only by the information contained in the RFID tag. The higher-level control is not only relieved enormously, but the process is much more robust, since even in the event of a complete failure of the higher-level controller, the already-indi- products are correctly compiled. In order to make the system even more stable, all the information needed to generate the RFID tags of an entire edition can be stored in the corresponding unit, for example in the digital printer in the rotation, so that it is available locally and independently of the higher-level controller. stand. In this way, it is also possible with little effort sub-products that are supplied by third-party manufacturers to provide the appropriate information and thus fully integrate into the production process in the processing.

According to the present invention, for example, bars made of partial products, as often supplied by external manufacturers, can not only be checked to see whether they are the correct partial products, but, as shown in FIG. 10, they can also be very simple at each Rod are checked whether individual sub-products are arranged in wrong bearing directions in the rod.

The possibility of non-contact reading hidden tags represents a very significant advantage in the final inspection of the finished products and shipping, respectively the Versandvorbereituπg. Must be ensured, for example, on the basis of the lottery law that the glued in a newspaper edition lottery tickets actually the advertised number For example, the number and identities of the lottery tickets present in the finished printed products can be recorded and documented immediately prior to packaging.

If multi-bit RFID tags are used at least on the main products of the printed products to be produced, then a virtually arbitrary degree of individualization of the multi-part printed products to be produced can be achieved with very low tax expense and a very lean higher-level control system. The degree of individualization of the products to be produced can be, for example, from main products in which a region-specific partial product and / or such an advertising insert are inserted, up to a complete product. constantly addressee-specifically compiled newspaper from a main product and sub-products selected according to a previously known subscriber profile range.

The final products to be produced are based on address information stored in the RFID tag and provided with addressee-specific advertising, for example advertising letters with a personal address or pre-addressed reply cards. This can be done in the field of gathering, for example, by inserting target group-specific high-quality conventionally produced advertising inserts, pasting the same postcards, cut-sheets or product samples and in the case of RFID tags with appropriate storage capacity to storing digital addressee-specific information in the RFID Day, which the addressee with a suitable reader, preferably with his mobile phone read and play in audio or visual-perceptible form. In the RFID tag, a ringtone for a mobile phone, for example, can be transferred from an advertising sponsor to the end customer. The person skilled in the art recognizes the enormous potential for target group-oriented advertising, up to completely individualized advertising, which the system according to the invention primarily offers through the integration of printing plate-bound high-performance printing processes and printing form-free information transfer processes in the production of a partially individualized printed product, and is without inventive Dazutun able to exploit this potential through needs-based adjustments for the specific individual case.

The high-quality RFID tags, which can store text, audio or even image and video files, comprise a powerful IC and are preferably not printed on the printed products, but separately produced and glued onto the printed products. This can be carried out very elegantly with devices such as are known from EP 1 106550, EP 1 086 914 and EP 275607 of Ferag AG and are extremely successfully established in the market under the brand name MEMOSTICK®. If such high-quality and therefore expensive RFID tags are to be used exclusively or primarily for the control of work steps in the print finishing, the MEMOSTICK®-like RFID tags can be removed from the products, for example also from cards or CDs, before packaging , remove and recycle.

If, per packet, according to a preferred embodiment, an RFID tag is left on a product, then this preferably carries the address and transmission information which can be read out by the forwarder of the parcel or its receiver with a corresponding reader.

To implement the inventive systems with the RFID tags described above, preferably write-using devices are used, which represent generic interfaces as system elements, which facilitate the integration of workstations or system components from third-party suppliers.

When referring to an RFID tag in the present application, this is not meant to imply that such has to be printed or otherwise fabricated as a unitary space. It is quite possible to arrange parts of the RFID tag, in particular the antenna, on different pages or sheets, even of different printed products, so that the parts can be brought into an electrically conductive operative connection only after folding, collecting or collating.

According to further embodiments of the invention, the antenna of the RFID tags at least partially formed by staples of a suitable material, for example, preferably made of copper or a copper-containing bimetal.

The information stored in multi-bit RFID tags preferably comes from a higher-level control system and will be at least one read-write station online or supplied via a locally readable storage medium and preferably temporarily stored in the read-write station.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The invention is explained below on the basis of figures which represent only exemplary embodiments. Show it

Fig. 1 Verfaruensschritte for applying RFID tags on printed products and to describe the RFI D tags;

2 shows method steps for applying RFID tags to printed products and for describing the RFID tags according to a further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3a shows a single product provided with an RFID tag; FIG.

3b shows a product group of two successive products, wherein a first product is provided with an RFID tag;

3c shows a product group of three successive products, wherein a first product is provided with an RFID tag;

FIG. 3d shows a product group with ten successive products, wherein a first product is provided with an RFID tag; FIG.

4 shows a diagram for modulating the signal strength of an output signal of a read / write device by one or more 1-bit or multi-bit RFID tags; 5 shows a diagram for the frequency modulation of an output signal of a read / write device by one or more 1-bit or multi-bit RFID tags;

FIG. 6a shows a transport clamp correctly filled with two printed products in the area of a read / write device, wherein the printed products are held flush in the region of the base; FIG.

FIG. 6b shows a transport clamp incorrectly filled with only one printed product in the region of a read / write device, wherein the printed product is held in the region of the fold; FIG.

FIG. 6c shows a transport clamp incorrectly filled with three printed products in the region of a read / write device, wherein the printed products are held flush in the region of the fold; FIG.

FIG. 6d shows a transport clamp correctly filled with two printed products in the region of a read / write device, wherein the printed products are held offset in the region of the fold; FIG.

FIG. 6e shows a transport clamp incorrectly filled with three printed products in the region of a read / write device, wherein the printed products are held offset in the region of the fold; FIG.

FIG. 6f shows a transport clamp incorrectly filled with only one printed product in the region of a read / write device, wherein the printed product is held in the region of the fold; FIG. FIG. 6g shows a transport clamp erroneously filled with only one printed product in the region of a read / write device, wherein the printed product is held in the region of the flower; FIG.

Fig. 6h correctly filled with two printed products transport clamp in the field of a read-write device, the printed products flush in the

Flower are kept;

FIG. 6i shows a transport clamp incorrectly filled with three printed products in the region of a read / write device, wherein the printed products are held flush in the area of the flower; FIG.

7a shows a staple conveyor with clamps according to FIGS. 6a to 6c, wherein a transport clamp correctly filled with two printed products is located in the region of the read-write device;

FIG. 7b shows a staple conveyor according to FIG. 7a, wherein in the area of the read-write device a transport clamp is incorrectly filled with only one printed product;

7c shows a staple conveyor according to FIG. 7a, wherein in the area of the read / write device there is a transport clamp incorrectly filled with three printed products;

8 shows a conveying device according to a further embodiment of the invention, with the clips equipped with products being attached to a series of writing devices.

Readers are passed; FIG. 9a is a top view of a scale flow formed by a plurality of properly aligned products with a pair of read / write devices; FIG.

FIG. 9b shows a view according to FIG. 9a, wherein a product in the scale flow is misaligned; FIG.

10a shows a product stack (bar) shown in exploded view with a group of three misaligned products;

FIG. 10b shows a complete bar according to FIG. 10a with front and rear board cheeks and strapping; FIG.

FIG. 10c is a schematic representation of the rod according to FIG. 10b; FIG.

Fig. 1 1 is a schematic representation of a system for the production of flexible, sheet-like products according to a first embodiment;

12a is a schematic representation of a system for the production of multi-part printed products according to another embodiment;

Fig. 12b is a schematic representation of another system for the production of multi-part printed products;

13 shows a schematic representation of a system for the production of multi-part printed products according to a further embodiment with a switch for sorting the products; and Fig. 14 is a schematic representation of a system for the production of multi-part printed products according to another embodiment with two rotary outputs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 and 2 show two different methods for applying RFID tags to flexible, flat products 2a, 2b, preferably to printed products. FIG. 1 shows how, for example, a 1-bit or multi-bit RFID tag 10a according to the invention is produced in a high-performance printing process II a, or subsequently to such a product 2 a directly on the product 2 a to be tagged, and in FIG a conveying direction F is promoted. After creation, the tag 10a is written to a writing station 12, preferably a read-write station, with at least 1-bit product and / or control information, such that the RFID tag 100 comprises the desired 1-bit information. This described or information-bearing state of the tag 100 is indicated as in the figure 1 by the sampling.

FIG. 2 schematically shows how an RFID tagl Ob created separately by the printing process II b is mounted on a product 2 b by means of a workstation 13 and subsequently with the aid of a writing station 12, preferably with a read / write station 12, with at least one 1 Comprehensive product and / or control information is described. Based on the figure 2, it is understandable to those skilled in that by means of the workstation 13 also already described or provided with information tags can be attached to the products 2b. The tags T Oa ₁ 10b of FIGS. 1 and 2 have in common that they can be read and / or changed without contact and without visual contact between tag and read / write device in the further steps of print processing.

According to preferred embodiments, the printed products are provided with 1-bit RFID tags directly in the high-performance printing process. As a result, the processing stations directly following the printing process at the interface for further processing, as illustrated by way of example in FIGS. 1 and 2, are not absolutely necessary.

It is indicated in FIG. 3 that, according to the present invention, not necessarily all products in a product stream must be provided with RFID tags. FIG. 3 a shows a single product 2 which is provided with a described RFID tag 10 a, as can be produced, for example, in method steps according to FIG. 1. In FIGS. 3b to 3d, the RFID tags are restricted to individual products 2 of a product group. In this case, not every single product in a product flow along a conveyor line or a storage path is provided with an RFID tag, but an indexed product 2 with an RFID tag 100 is assigned one or more products 20 not provided with an RFID tag. When Iπdifizierung of product groups can be activated by the leader in the conveying direction product arranged with RFID tag, a day-controlled processing station for all subsequent products until another provided with an RFID tag product deactivates the processing station. The product groups in the product stream can be composed regularly or have different sizes.

WO 20O5 / 086O69A2 describes in each case various devices (read / write devices) and methods for the detection of RFID tags in the communication area of a read / write device by means of inductive coupling between the field of an antenna of the read / write device and an antenna of an RFID tag , FIG. 4 shows a frequency-amplitude diagram with various signals (resonance curves), as applied to a detection antenna of a read / write device, when the read / write device (RFID reader of the RFID system) at the frequency f ₀ an interrogation signal with amplitude a ₀ , depending on whether one or more RFID tags corresponding to the interrogation signal (of the RFID system) are located in a detection range of the antenna. Corresponding to the interrogation signal here means that the RFID tag has an antenna or a resonant circuit with a resonant frequency, which inductively couples with the frequency f _{0 of} the interrogation signal, so that in the detection area a response signal (with an amplitude ai) is present of the Abfragesigπal (with the amplitude a ₀ ) differs by a detectable and / or circuitry technically evaluable difference Δ. The horizontal axis corresponds to the frequency f of the signal, the vertical axis to the amplitude a of the signal.

In the event that there is no RFID tag in the detection area, there is no inductive coupling between the tag and an RFID reader; the interrogation signal is not affected accordingly and the response signal is unaffected (and corresponds to the interrogation signal): resonance curve 401 with amplitude 410. If an RFID tag is in the detection range, an inductive coupling takes place, i. the RFID tag influences (attenuates) the interrogation signal and correspondingly the response signal or the amplitude of the response signal: resonance curve 402 with amplitude 420. In this case, the amplitude of the resonance curve 402 is reduced or attenuated compared to the resonance curve 401 by a difference 41 1.

If several RFID tags are within the detection range, the resonance curves of the individual tags are superimposed and the response signal is reduced more than one day reduction, as indicated by the resonance curve 403 with amplitude 430 and a reduction by a difference 421. In this way, the number of RFID tags present in the reading area can be detected or checked. It can, for example, up to 50 Tags are recorded and thus counted when they are in the detection area of the RFID reader. This is indicated by the resonance curve 404 with amplitude 440.

On the other hand, different tags can be designed so that they influence the interrogation signal to different degrees, for example, in that the antennas have more or fewer windings, different sizes or geometric shapes or different thicknesses of the conductor tracks of the antenna windings. In this way, different RFID tags can be detected or distinguished, in particular different 1-bit RFID tags, for example a first tag with a resonance curve 402 and amplitude 420, a second tag with resonance curve 403 with amplitude 430 and a third tag with resonance curve 404 with Amplitude 440, in each case compared to the interrogation signal with resonance curve 401 and amplitude 410.

By means of the above described method of measuring or monitoring the amplitude (amplitude monitoring method), both 1-bit RFID tags and multi-bit RFID tags can be detected. In this case, no communications take place between the RFID reader and the RFID tag in the sense of entering or writing data into or out of the RFID reader or the RFID tag (data communication).

The reduction or attenuation by the difference Δ (41 1, 421) of the interrogation signal by one or more RFID tags can be a few thousandths to several percent (of the interrogation signal), depending on the sensitivity of the detection device (detection circuit). Accordingly, the system sensitivity or system resolution is in the same range, so that with such an RFID system can distinguish and detect some 100 different states, this system states, in which up to several 100 RFID tags are simultaneously in the detection area or which until several 100 RFID tags are distinguished. Depending on the system resolution and the definition of threshold values, the exact number of RFID tags can also be determined and, for example, overwritten. verifying that a unit intended for delivery to a particular customer (kiosk) comprises a defined number of RFID tags or corresponding print products, eg exactly 50 newspapers and neither 49 nor 51 newspapers. The attenuation is measured, for example, by converting the possibly attenuated analog interrogation signal in an A / D converter (analog-to-digital converter) into a digital signal (the voltage value) and comparing it with a reference signal which corresponds to the unattenuated interrogation signal becomes. In this case, the sensitivity of the detection device, taking into account the system noise and the environmental influences, is given by the resolution of the A / D converter. The attenuation can also be measured by directly comparing the possibly attenuated analog interrogation signal, possibly after attenuation or division, as an analog voltage value of a few volts in a comparator with the reference signal. In general, the magnitude ratios correspond to the change (reduction, attenuation) of the interrogation signal in or on the detection antenna and the corresponding digital signal (of the voltage value) or the analog voltage value.

A prerequisite that can be detected in such RFID system, the number of RFID tags or RFID tags with different resonance frequencies as for the system sensitivity of a few percent to several percent is in the same almost constant geometric conditions, in particular the distances between the RFID tags and the RFID reader.

Typical frequency ranges for RFID systems (read / write devices with associated RFID tags) or for the frequency f _{0 of} the interrogation signal of the read / write device are the ISM frequency bands or ISM frequency ranges (Industrial-Scientifical-Medical) of 100-135 kHz, at 6.78 MHz, at 13.56 MHz, at 27.125 MHz, at 40.68 MHz, at 433.92 MHz ₁ at 869 MHz, at 91 5 MHz ₁ at 950 MHz, at 2.45 GHz and at 5.8 GHz. In general, passive RFID tags that do not have their own power supply, such as a battery and powered by inductive coupling through the field of the interrogation signal of the read-write device, that the desired detection range is determined by the signal strength (output power) of the interrogation signal, depending on the size of the antenna or the resonant circuit of the RFID tag. On the one hand, with the same signal strength and antenna size of the RFID tag, the higher the frequency of the interrogation signal, the greater the detection range. Since a detection range of less than 20 cm, preferably 1 to 10 cm, is generally desired, RFID systems with frequencies up to 50 MHz and with an upper detection range of up to 100 cm are used. A 13.56 MHz RFID system with an output power (of the interrogation signal) of 200 mW (about 20 dBμA / m @ 10m) under a detector with a diameter of about 10 cm has a detection range of 10 cm (according to the rule of thumb the diameter of the detection antenna corresponds approximately to the detection range). With the amplitude monitoring method, changes in the interrogation signal of a few tenths of a dB (0.01 to 0.05 dB) can be detected, ie response signals that differ at least 0.2 to 1 mW from the interrogation signal.

If a single or a plurality of RFID tags, which are assigned to a single print product, are to be detected in the detection area, then the detection area must be spatially small; In general, in this case, the detection range of the size (the diameter) of the antenna or the resonant circuit of the RFID tags must correspond, further two print products must have a distance, which also at least the size (the diameter) of the antenna or the resonant circuit the RFID tags corresponds, but preferably have twice the distance.

However, it is also possible to detect a plurality of individual RFID tags in the detection area, which are each assigned to a print product. In this case, the detection range as well as the size of the detection antenna is a multiple of the size (diameter) of the antenna or the resonance circuit of a single RFID tag. This allows the statistical see evaluation of the RFiD tags assigned to the print products. Here, for example, the response signal is evaluated on a rolling basis by groups of 10 print products, each of which is within the detection range. If all 10 of the RFID tags assigned to the print products are detected by a first group, then this group is considered completely or correctly marked for, for example, control and monitoring purposes. If less than 10 assigned RFID tags are detected in a second group, then the group is marked as incomplete or incorrectly marked and can be rejected or further investigated in a subsequent process or on a subsequent RFID reader to identify the missing RFID tag or to find the print product with the RFID tag, which was not detected, for example because of a wrong orientation. In this case, part of the print products or RFID tags of the first group can form part of the print products or RFID tags of the second group (rolling basis).

Figure 5 shows a frequency-amplitude diagram with various signals (resonance curves) applied to the detection antenna of an RFID reader when the RFID reader emits an interrogation signal at the frequency f ₀ , depending on whether one or how many RFID tags of a second type corresponding to the interrogation signal lie in the detection range of the RFID reader.

In the event that there is no RFID tag in the detection area, as described in FIG. 4, no inductive coupling takes place, as indicated by the resonance curve 501. If an RFID tag of the second type is in the detection range, an inductive coupling takes place - as described in FIG. 4: resonance curve 502. However, an RFID tag of the second type modulates an auxiliary carrier (subcarrier) of the frequency f 1 to the frequency f 1 _{0 of} the interrogation signal (carrier signal, carrier frequency). If no data communication takes place between the RFID reader and the RFID tag, the subcarrier is not modulated and / or coded. The subcarrier still influences the response signal: the subcarriers 520, 521 show up as sidebands with frequency f _o + f, and f _o -f, and is used to decide if there is an RFID tag in the detection area.

If several RFID tags of the second type are in the detection area, the resonance curves and the subcarriers of the individual tags are superimposed. The result is a response signal with two subcarriers (520, 521, 530, 531) with sidebands at the frequencies f _o + f "Mi, f _o + f, and f _o -f ,. In this way, different RFID tags can be detected. The number of tags detectable in this way at the same time is basically defined by the minimum frequency difference of the subcarrier frequencies f 1 and f j, which are contained in a corresponding prior art detection circuit (with corresponding bitpass filters for the evaluation or detection of the optionally present analogue or digitized subcarriers ) can still be distinguished. For a 13.56 MHz RFID system, the frequency difference of the subcarrier frequencies, and correspondingly the subcarrier frequency, is multiples of, for example, about 13 kHz, about 26 kHz, about 53 kHz, about 106 kHz, or about 212 kHz, which are in one range from 9 to 18 MHz, ie in a range of + / ^■ 4.5 MHz, preferably in a range of +/- 1 -5 MHz, around the carrier frequency. With a subcarrier frequency of 106 kHz, a distinction can be made in the preferred range of +/- 1.5 MHz to 15 RFID tags and, if necessary, detected simultaneously.

With reference to FIGS. 6a to 6i, it is intended to show possible applications according to the invention in which contact-free determination can be made as to which content or which products each clip carries and possible interaction of the RFID tags of the products held in a clip with the clip assigned to them.

6a to 6i each show a bracket K, K ¹ , K "of a conveyor, here for example a staple transporter according to EP 330868, the conveyor itself being hidden for the sake of simplicity directed, in which everyone Clamp K ₁ K ', K "from a preceding, unspecified processing means a group of two printed products should be transferred.

Fig. 6a shows a clamp K of a conveyor in the form of a staple conveyor in which the product transfer functioned as intended and which in the process has received two products 2c and 2d and now holds them approximately centrally on the fold. The products 2c and 2d may be products according to product 2. Both products 2c and 2d are folded products and therefore each have a fold 22 and are both provided on an outer side of the product 2c, 2d near the gripping area of the clamp K near the fold each with an RFID tag 100. The product 2c is drawn in the region of its RFID tag 100 in partial section so that the RFID tag 100 of the second product 2d is visible. The RFID tag may be an active or passive RFID tag, which in the case of the latter has at least one antenna. To ensure that each clip holds exactly two products 2c, 2d, it will detect the presence of two products in the clip. For this purpose, the bracket K has been pulled along with the product arrangement shown in FIG. 6 on a writing station or write reading station 12 which is substantially stationary relative to the bracket K and which subsequently has an answer signal C (according to FIG. 4) with the amplitude ac produced. The system, or at least the read-write station was previously programmed so that a Antwig-igπal C of the presence of two products is generated and this clip K therefore recognized as correctly filled. The response signal can now be read out from the RFID tag or the RFID tags by means of a correspondingly formed reading station or read-write station and to a higher-level control system and / or to a conveyor, in the present case to the just tested bracket K (as in FIG 6a) can be handed over by another writing station or the same station designed as a writing / reading station converting this response signal C, for example, into 1-bit information and passing or communicating it to another RFID tag 200, which is assigned to each bracket K. is. In the present case, bracket K is thus informed that it is a duplicate of products 2c, 2d summarizes and may later pass or use this information, for example, for later use as will be described with reference to FIG. Once the information of the response signal has been transferred to the further RFID tag 200, preferably designed as an erasable and rewritable RFID tag, of the bracket K, it can be easily read out again at another read / write reading station, regardless of which position in the room the products are located, whether they are in a shingled stream or any other formation, or whether the products are still in motion, fluttering, bulging or the like, for example, after further processing. As a result, the readout of the information from the further RFID tag 200 of the bracket K, K ¹ , K "is also more independent of the conveying speed of the conveyor, whereby information in buffer sections with lower conveyor speeds can be read out just as well as in regular conveyor lines with a higher conveyor speed.

It is clear to a person skilled in the art that the RFID tags assigned to the products 2c, 2d contain further information about specific properties of the products 2c, 2d, for example if it is a region-specific partial product, also referred to as regional parts. Although in the main application of a bracket K, K ', K "are probably kept only two identical products 2c, 2d, it is quite possible that the products 2c and 2d are not identical, region-specific partial products and this information also in different information the respective RFID tag 100. If such information is to be given to the respective parenthesis, in this case the bracket K, this would also be possible, for example, as multi-bit information.

Fig. 6b shows a bracket K ¹ , in which the product transfer did not work as intended and which therefore has received only one of the two products 2c, 2d. Since there is only a single product in a bracket K ', a stronger response signal B with amplitude a _{% was} generated at the read-write station 12, and the loading of the bracket K' is recognized as erroneous in comparison with the response signal A, which is present as an internal target information, as indicated in Figure 6b. The response signal can now be transferred again to a higher-level control system and / or to the just tested bracket K (as shown in FIG. 6b), in that the further writing station converts this response signal B, for example into 1-bit information, and one of the Clamp K ¹ assigned RFID tag 200 passes.

6c shows a clamp K "in which the product transfer did not work as intended and which therefore received three products 2c, 2d, 2e The incorrect loading of the clamp K" with three products 2c, 2d, 2e is determined by the writing Lesestatioπ 12 detected because it generates too much attenuated response signal D with the amplitude ao. The response signal of this type can be used further as described above.

In contrast to the products 2c, 2d, 2e shown in FIGS. 6a to 6c, the products 2f, 2g, 2h shown in FIGS. 6d to 6f are each on the outside of the product 2f, 2g, 2h in the region of a free one Side edge 24 near the fold, each provided with an RFID tag 100. For the sake of clarity, the products are shown partially cut away. To ensure that each clip holds exactly two products 2g, 2f, detection of the presence of two products in each clip is again performed. The sequence in the state shown in FIG. 6d corresponds to the state already described with reference to FIG. 6a. The further difference that the two products 2g, 2f have different relative positions (positions of the folds 22) plays no part in the read-out since the read-out signal thereof is essentially uninfluenced. This is a further advantage over traditional optical readout systems because the product alignment requirements of RFI D systems are much lower than those of conventional systems. In the control according to the invention, the error rate can therefore be decisively reduced, since it is no longer a positioning of products relative to one another but the actual presence of the products that is detected. The sequence in the state shown in FIG. 6f corresponds to the state already described with reference to FIG. 6b. This also applies to FIG. 6e, whose state corresponds to the state described in FIG. 6c.

Technically, it is feasible that the write-read station 12 in the case where the products 2f, 2g, 2h are different products, a superimposed signal from the individual RFID tags 100 of the respective products 2f, 2g, 2h reads out, evaluates it and feeds this information as 1-bit information to the further RFID tag 200 of the respective bracket K ₁ K ¹ , K "and / or a higher-level system.

In a further, unspecified embodiment of the invention, a product and / or control information of a product is not communicated to that element of an aid or conveying means, which is associated with the product with the information just read, but a this element - seen in the conveying direction F - advance current element of this funding. The term aid is used below as an umbrella term of a device such as a conveyor and the term of the conveyor is again used as an umbrella term, for example for a staple conveyor. In the case of a high conveying capacity of the conveyor, the period of time where a product is close to a stationary object is very short. By relatiating the product to the RFID tag, more time can be gained to react to the product in question. As an example of a specific application, a control information of a product which is held in the bracket K, read at a reading station 1 2 and entered by means of a downstream writing station 12a in the memory of an RFID tag of a bracket K _x , which by five clamps downstream in the conveying direction F away from the clamp K is arranged on the same conveyor. In this way, for example, a diverter 62 can be informed in advance of five clamping distances in advance that it has to change its diverter tongue into a different position when the clamp K arrives at it. The pre-information can be used, for example, to save time-consuming switching Operations are initiated in good time before the arrival of the product in question at this switch 62.

In a further embodiment, the signal read out is fed back as information via a writing station to an RFID tag of a product.

In contrast to those in FIGS. 6f to 6e, the products 2f, 2g, 2h shown in FIGS. 6g to 6i, instead of the fold 22, are now grasped at the flower 26 by the brackets K ₁ K ¹ , K "assigned to them. The sequence of the states according to FIGS. 6g to 6i otherwise corresponds to that of FIGS. 6f to 6e.

In FIG. 7a, a product flow which is transported by means of an auxiliary means in the form of a staple transporter in the conveying direction F is outlined. For the arrangement of the products in the parentheses, the brackets K, K ', K "itself and the basic information input and read-out process, as well as the possibility that product information can be transferred to the respective brackets as required, is at this point on 6a to 6c and the same product designations are used again for this purpose .. In the sequence of clamps correctly loaded with two products 2c, 2d each, there are two incorrectly loaded clamps K ¹ and K ". The staple K 'is loaded with only one product 2c while the staple K "has one product 2e too much If staple K' where a product is missing reaches a control position at the read or write substantially stationary relative to the staples Reading station 12, as shown in Figure 7b, the absence of a product in the bracket K 'is detected and generates an error message ei, which is preferably reported via a signal line L to a subsequent processing unit or a higher-level control system with a surplus product loaded bracket K "the read-write device 12, as shown in the figure 7c, the faulty loading β _{3 is} detected at the weak Aπtwortsignal D. Already included in this extremely simple system the generated response signal not only provides the information as to whether a clip is loaded incorrectly, but also provides information about the number of products in the clip by means of the intensity of the response signal.

It goes without saying that the concept of the invention is also readily suitable for checking the filling state of pockets of a pocket conveyor or of compartments of an insertion drum, which is why it is not discussed in detail.

8, a further, inventive application of the invention will be illustrated. To illustrate, it should be explained in advance that the parentheses K, K ¹ , K ", K '", K "" should have been handed over a main product 30 with a sub-product 32 located therein and to ensure the transfer of the contents of the parentheses K ₁ K ¹ , K ", K" ¹ , K "" is controlled. The clamps K, K ¹ , K ", K" ¹ , K "" grasp the main products 30 approximately at the center of their Hauptproduktfalz 34 and clamp the lying therein partial product 32 with. The bracket K has received correctly assembled products 30, 32. The turn upstream read-write device 12 has read the information from the products 30, 32 of this bracket K and in the present case the response signal via a writing station of the RFID tag (not shown in the figure) of the bracket K passed. The clamp K knows for subsequent processing that it is filled correctly. A subsequent read-write device 12 can read this information again.

In contrast to the bracket K, the bracket K 'has received only the main product 30. This information was recorded by the reader 12 and also assigned to the bracket K ', therefore, the bracket K' knows that it is not filled correctly and appropriate action can be taken in time to prevent such incomplete products from being processed. Although the staple K "has received both the main product 30 and the subproduct 32, these are only in an undesired relative position to one another since the sub-product fold 36 of the sub-product 32 faces away from the main product fold 34 of the main product 30. Since the clamp K" the products 30, 32 on the locally arranged read / write unit vorbeiförderte whose antenna was only a few inches above Hauptproduktfalz 34, the side of the bracket K "was only the response signal of the RFID tag 100 could be read and therefore generated a Fehlerigπal, which was passed as described above, the bracket K ". This shows that the position of an RFID tag can also be used as information.

Also, the staple K '"has not been filled correctly because it now holds one main product 30 and two sub-products 32 whose part product fold 36 lies in the main product fold 34. The read / write unit 12 positioned as described above read the response signal from the RFID Tags 100 of the main product 30, as well as the two RFID tags 200 of the sub-product 32, as a modulated, common response signal and generated in the sequence a Fehlerig- πal, which as described above the relevant bracket K "'was passed.

The staple K "" has also not been filled correctly, because it contains a wrong further sub-product 38, which, although arranged like a correctly oriented sub-product 32 in the main product 30. Therefore, the read / write unit 12 read out the response signal of the RFID tag 100 of the main product 30, as well as that of the RFID tag 200a of the further sub-product 38, and subsequently generated an error signal, which as described above parenthesis K "".

Since the information of the RFID tags can be read by the read / write device without contact and without visual contact, the read / write devices can be attached with great freedom of choice at a suitable point in the further processing system, for example along a conveyor device. Since no visual contact between reader and RFID tags is necessary, can the tags on each side of the product - as in the case shown in Fig. 8 - be mounted inneπliegeπd, and there is no need to open, isolate, cropping or otherwise treating the products when reading and / or writing, which is a decisive advantage over represents optical control method

The skilled person is clear that although in turn products are outlined in parentheses, the technical teaching can of course be fully transferred to so-called pocket or ladder conveyor.

With reference to FIGS. 9a and 9b, a further application possibility according to the invention is to be illustrated by controlling the orientation of the products. FIGS. 9a and 9b each show a scale flow of products 2, which are conveyed in a conveying direction F. The dashed arrow indicates that it is irrelevant for the subsequent inspection if the conveying direction is in the opposite direction. Likewise, it is irrelevant whether the RFID tags 100 of the products 2 are exposed or are covered by other products. Since the RFID tags 100 are arranged in the region of a free side edge 24 of the products 2, the antenna of the read-write device 12 is also arranged in this area, in which the RFID tags 100 are normally located. In order to ensure that no product is oriented incorrectly in the imbricated flow, an antenna of a further read-write device 12a is arranged at a further free side edge 24a of the products, which is normally opposite the free side edge 24

In Fig. 9a, all products are oriented as desired in the scale flow, which is why the read-write device 12, the signal each RFID tag 100 can read while the read-write device 12a receives no signal because there is no RFID tag in his Read range is located. Depending on how the conveying speed and / or the settings of the read-write device 12 are set, the read / write device 12 can also detect when a product in the conveying direction F is oriented correctly, but it is compared to the However, intended transverse orientation would be oriented upside down, for example, by its flower 26, instead of its fold 22 seen in the conveying direction F or runs behind. This would result in the read / write device 12 reading out a superimposed signal from two or more RFID tags 100 and generating an error message.

In Fig. 9b, the leading product 2a is misaligned with respect to the other trailing products 2 and other products. As a result, the further read-write device 12a receives an Aπtwortsignal and generates an error message. In a further embodiment of the invention, the two write / read devices 12 and 12a control each other. The person skilled in the art recognizes that the teaching according to the invention can be analogously also applied to the case where the read / write device 12 itself generates an error message due to a missing response signal in the preceding product 2 itself. The error message can subsequently be used as control information.

Experience has shown that the short distance in the conveying direction F from one RFID tag 100 to the next RFID tag 100 is sufficient to still be able to read out the response signals thereof unambiguously.

In a further embodiment of the invention, any error messages relating to incorrect product orientation to the respective RFID tags 100 of such incorrectly oriented products 2a from the same read / write device 12 or a downstream read / write device for influencing the further processing of the respective misoriented product is returned by writing this information to the memory of that RFID tag. According to further advantageous embodiments, the product information and / or control information and / or further information, such as specific addressee information during print further processing, for example by means of a read or write reading station on the / the memory of the RFID tag of a specific product or sub-product or of all products or sub-products.

A further application according to the invention is to be illustrated with reference to FIGS. 10a to 10c. In practice, such sub-products for the printing industry are often supplied by external suppliers. In this case, the partial products 32, 32a, 32b, as shown in Fig. 10a, to each other and with the help of end face of such a stack arranged end pieces 42, hereinafter referred to Brettchen 42, and a strapping 44 to a so-called rod 40 held together (see Fig. 10b ). In practice, with the use of such rods 40, there is a risk that the rod may be misaligned into further processing, for example, as shown in Fig. 14, so that its partial products are side-turned or upside-down in the final assembled product lie.

If the supplier in the future provides all sub-products 32, 32a, 32b with RFID tags, the information contained in these RFID tags can continue to be used for control and quality assurance during the smuggling into the subsequent collating process. Thus, for example, as described elsewhere in this specification, it becomes possible to identify wrong and misoriented partial products 200a, 200b as they are removed from bar 40 and discard them in good time, such that no wrongly assembled end products are produced ,

Alternatively, the bar edge 46 and / or the bar edges 46a, 46b of the rod 40 of FIG. 10b shown in simplified form in FIG. 10c are moved along with a mobile or stationary read / write device 12 in order to advance the bar 40 into the further processing To perform control of the orientation of the partial products. In an arrangement of the partial products as shown in Fig. 10a, the write / read device 12 at the bar edge 46b false response signals from the wrong or wrong read-oriented partial products 32a, 32b and it can be taken in good time appropriate precautions in the further processing. When the writing / reading device 12 travels along the edge 46b of the bar, no response signal is read in, which is why the incorrect composition of the partial products shown in FIG. 10a is not detected.

If a variety of sub-products are in the bar, but their RFID tags, for example, are all in the area of the bar edge 46, then the reading unit or read-write station 12 will still detect the error.

If the boards 42 themselves are provided with a single or multi-bit tag 300, and the partial products are oriented relative to the boards in a predefined position, the orientation of the rod 40 during insertion into the further processing operation can be determined and possibly corrected in good time become. The RFID tags 300 may be actively responding RFID tags 300, each including an antenna and a chip operatively connected thereto.

The person skilled in the art likewise transfers the teaching according to the invention to the case where only the board surfaces 42 of a bar 40 are provided with an RFID tag 300, but not the partial products themselves. Thus, at least the correct orientation of the partial products when feeding into the further processing operation can be ensured, provided that the partial products of the rod have been aligned correctly relative to the boards. In a further embodiment, the strapping 44 itself is provided with an RFID tag.

With the Fig. 1 1, a further application of the invention is purely schematically illustrated by way of example. With regard to the production of the product 2b, reference is made to the description of FIG. 2 at this point. In contrast to FIG. 2, the read / write station 12 receives the memory 10b of the single or multi-bit RFID tag 10b Half-product 2b to be written information from a higher-level control system 50. Since the subsequent further processing steps are not important for understanding this application, they are only referred to as further processing devices 52, 54. In this case, the further processing device 52 can be, for example, a collection drum of the applicant, with which a processing cadence of 40'0OO to over 80'0OO products per hour can be achieved, while the further processing device 54 is formed for example by a cutting drum of the Applicant. The material flow of the products is stylized with arrows only for the sake of simplicity.

When the products 2 are discharged to the processing device 52, they are conveyed along a further read-write station 12a and intermediately stored, for example, on a so-called winding 56 until they are further used or inter-processed in a device not described in greater detail. The read / write station 12a forwards the information about the response signal of each product provided with an RFID tag, whose RFID tag is within the range of its antenna, to the higher-level control system 50, so that the latter knows at all times which product. or partial product - has been diverted or discharged from the supply line to the further processing device 54. From the flow chart shown in Fig. 1 1 is further seen that when returning or introducing the previously discharged products these along a further read-write station 12b the individual product information of the RFID tags are forwarded accordingly online to the higher-level control system 50 so that the Product flow is always substantially fully monitored.

It goes without saying that such a discharge, for example, is particularly suitable for the intermediate storage of partial products such as bundles of a newspaper, which are only needed again when compiling the newspaper. In this case, the RFID tags on the products can control aids such as switches 62, 62a themselves or these are also controlled by the higher-level control system 50. The person skilled in the art can see from this embodiment of the invention that the input and output can be made in the so-called real-time mode and it is irrelevant whether the RFI D tags carry so-called single or multi-bit information. For example, it is possible for products to be added and removed several times before they are processed into a final product.

A further application according to the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 12a and 12b. Two different main products 30, 30a have previously been marked in the region of the fold 22 and the free side edge 24 with correspondingly different RFID tags 100 and 200, respectively, and are now transported in the conveying direction F along further processing stations 52, 54. These further processing stations 52, 54 are formed in this case by investors 52, 54, which different sub-products 32, 32a, for example region-specific partial products 32, 32a, insert sheets, postcards and / or advertising patterns or the like depending on the readout signal of the corresponding main products 30, 32 in this pocketing. The RFID tags 200 of the leading products 30a solve during transport along the write-read station 12, which is associated with the feeder 52, no signal, which is why no feed with a partial product 32 takes place, however, recognizes the other read-write station 12a the leading products 30a The same happens analogously to the main products 30. Insertion is only shown symbolically in FIGS. 12a and 12b and therefore takes place from below in the illustrated arrangement , While in Fig. 12a a series of leading first products 30a followed by a series of second products 30 are shown, the products 30, 30a in Fig. 12b are arbitrarily mixed. The correct detection of the respective read-out signals at the read-write stations 12, 12a still lead to the desired result. A decisive advantage of the invention is that the individualized collation of main and partial products 30, 30a, 32, 32a without direct tax instruction. tion of a higher-level control system can only be reliably controlled based on the information contained in the RFID tag.

The skilled person realizes that the same application possibility can be achieved if the information is located on the RFID tags of the clips instead of the RFID tags of the products, as has already been described with reference to FIGS. 6a to 6i.

It is easy for the skilled person to understand from the figures that the teaching according to the invention can also be transferred to the case where the partial products lie with their folds 36 on saddles and further partial products and / or a main product are placed astride it, for example during collection and, for example, a stitching station, a control station, a gluing station, a filming station, a cutting station, an addressing station, a packaging station or the like.

In the system shown in FIG. 13, the various RFID tags 100 and 200 of the region-specific subproducts 32, 32a control their further course as another possible application according to the invention for controlling a follow-up operation in the sense of the application facility described with reference to FIG they are read out from the read-write station 12, which causes a switch 62 to pass in a first direction A or in a second direction B, respectively. As in FIGS. 12a and 12b, the unfilled and filled main products are conveyed in the conveying direction F with a conveying means not described in more detail. The insertion is also shown only symbolically in FIG. 13 and therefore takes place from below in the illustrated arrangement. In contrast to FIGS. 12a and 12b, a loop 64 in the conveying path indicates that the main products 60, for example, pass through further processing steps, not described in further detail, between the feeder station 54 and the feeder station 52 and / or buffered and / or discharged and then discharged again become. As in FIGS. 12a and 12b, various subproducts 32, 32a are added by them to a main product. ordered investors 52, 54 collected or plugged. In contrast to FIGS. 12a and 12b, these are now neutral main products 60, which only become a final product by subsequent loading with either one or the other partial product 32 or 32a. With such an arrangement, it is possible, for example, for the regionalized subproducts 32, 32a to determine the dispatching allocation themselves, without the need for a higher-level system.

It is easy for the person skilled in the art to understand from the figures that the teaching according to the invention can also be transferred analogously to the case where the main products in FIG. 13 are not neutral, that is to say main products 60 without RFID tags RFID-tagged key products whose information would not be read out. Moreover, it should be noted at this point that all in this description as the main products, and / or end product designated products themselves may be sub-products of a parent printed matter. In a further embodiment of the invention, more complex distribution solutions are realized by means of a plurality of cascades 62 connected one behind the other in cascade fashion. The skilled artisan also recognizes that the same application is achievable if the information is instead of the RFID tags of the products on the RFID tags of the brackets, as has already been described with reference to Figures 6a to 6i or the products by analogy resting on saddles, for example, a ladder conveyor and collected accordingly.

FIG. 14 is intended to serve as a highly schematic example of a complex plant for the production of complex printed products. The dot-dash lines indicate conveying paths in a conveying direction F. The production processes II a, II b can be, for example, high-performance printing machines which already apply certain RFID tags directly to the partial or main products as required. The further processing devices 56, 56a are formed, for example, by winding devices. Further downstream the products of switches 62, 62a according to their data stored in the RFID tag information subsequent further processing devices, such as investors 52, fed to 54 which may contain ₁ 4oe in turn a plurality of partial products from a plurality of rods 40, 4Oa ₁ 40b, 40c, 4OD. Subsequently, the end products are prepared for shipping, for example, in further processing devices formed by shipping devices 66, 66a. The entire product flow can be controlled and / or controlled either via the products themselves or via a higher-level control unit, not shown.

For the expert, it is easy to understand that the Anweπ- tion possibilities described above can be combined with each other in order to handle more complex control and / or control tasks.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

Conveying device F

Clamp K, K ¹ , K ", K ¹ ", K " ¹¹

Created, empty 1-bit RFID tag or multi-bit RFID tag 10a

Manufacturing process I Ia, I I b

Product 2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g, 2h

Reading station, writing station, read-write station 12, 12a

Separately created RFID tag 10b

Workstation 13

Fold 22

Free side edge of a product 24, 24a

Flower of a product 26

Main product 30, 30a

Part product 32, 32a, 32b

Main product fold 34

Partial product fold 36

Further partial product 38

Bar 40, 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d, 40e

Tail, board 42

Strapping 44

Another RFID tag 300

Bar edge 46, 46a, 46b

Parent system 50

Further processing device 52, 54

Further processing device, winding 56, 56a

Neutral main product not equipped with RFI D tags 60

Turnout 62, 62a

Loop 64

Shipping device 66, 66a

Information-bearing RFID tag 100

Another information-bearing RFID tag 200, 200a, 200b

Amplitude a, a _Ol ai.410, 420, 430, 440

Difference, amplitude difference Δ, 41 1, 421

Resonance curve 401, 402, 403, 404, 501, 502

Frequency f, fo, U,

Claims

 claims

1 method for processing flexible, flat products in the print finishing, characterized in that at least one of the products (2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g, 2h) with an RFID tag (100, 200, 200a, 200b) which has at least one control information and / or at least one product information which controls at least one working step in the print finishing.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the flexible, flat products (2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g, 2h) printed products, preferably multipart printed products comprising at least one main product (30, 30a) and one or more partial products (32, 32a, 32b), and that at least one of the main and / or partial products, in particular insert sheets, postcards, and / or advertising patterns with an RFID tag (100, 200, 200a, 200b) is provided , which has at least one control information and / or at least one product information that controls at least one step in the print finishing.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one work step comprises one of the following activities: conveying, storing, inserting, collecting, collating, stapling, foliation, insertion, gluing, cutting, addressing, packaging or the step Control step is.

4. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the main and / or partial products (30, 30a) is provided with an RFID tag (100). which cooperates in cooperation with at least one further RFID tag (200) of at least one further main and / or partial product (32, 32a, 32b) and / or supplement, whereby at least one piece of information about the composition of the printed product in the print finishing can be read without contact

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the at least two RFID tags (100, 200, 200a, 200b) jointly modulate an output signal of a transmitting unit, so that at least one common response signal is generated.

6 A method according to claim 4, characterized in that the response signal relative to the output signal at least the amplitude and / or the frequency is modulated.

7. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one control information stored on the RFID tags (100, 200, 20Oa ₁ 200b) and / or at least one product information is a 1-bit or a multi-bit information ,

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that the at least one RFID tag (100, 200, 200a, 200b) on the product marked with it (2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g, 2h) position independent is appropriate.

9 The method according to claim 6, characterized in that the at least one

RFID tag (100) in a defined position on the pro- Duct (2) is mounted so that the position of the RFID tag (100) can be used as further information.

Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one RFID tag (100, 200, 200a, 200b) is a readable and writable RFID tag (100, 200, 200a, 200b).

Method according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the at least one RFID tag (100, 200, 20Oa, 200b) is a passively answering RFID tag comprising at least one antenna.

Method according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the at least one RFID tag (100, 200, 20Oa ₁ 200b) is an actively responding RFID tag (100, 200, 200a, 200b), which is a Antenna and an operatively connected chip includes.

Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one RFID tag (10a) is created in a printing process (I Ia) directly on the product (2a) to be provided with the RFID tag (10a).

Method according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 1 1, characterized in that the at least one RFID tag (10b) previously created and attached in a further step to the to be provided with the RFID tag (10b) product (2b). 15. Method according to claim 14, characterized in that the at least one RFI D tag (10b) is attached to the product (2b) to be provided with the RFI D tag (10b) with at least 1 bit product and / or or control information is described.

16. The method according to any one of the preceding claims 13 or 14, characterized in that the at least one RFID tag (10a, 10b) after attachment to the or on the product to be provided with the RFID tag (10a, 10b) (2a , 2b) is described with at least 1-bit comprehensive product and / or control information.

17 The method according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the at least one control information and / or at least one product information at an appropriately trained reading station or read-write station (12, 12a) is read.

18. Method according to claim 17, characterized in that the information read out is sent to a higher-level system (50) or to a corresponding one

Product associated funding is communicated, this information is preferably a bracket (K, K ¹ , K ", K ¹ ", K "") of the funding, which is directly associated with the product or the products with the information read ,

19. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that a further information and / or at least one control information and / or at least one product information is stored at a correspondingly formed write Station or read-write station (12, 12a) in the memory of an RFID tag (100, 200, 200a, 200b) of a product (2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g, 2h) is written. 0 product, preferably flexible sheet product (2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g, 2h), which can be used in print finishing, characterized in that the product (2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d , 2e, 2f, 2g, 2h) at least one RFID tag (100, 200, 200a, 200b), which or at least one control information and / or at least one product information that is used to control at least one subsequent step of the print finishing and / or at least one subsequent control step is suitable.

21 product according to claim 20, characterized in that the at least one control information and / or at least one product information to or from a correspondingly formed reading station or read-write station (12, 12a) is transferable.

22 product according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that the product (2,

2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 2g, 2h) is a multi-part printed product comprising at least one main product (30, 30a) and at least one partial product (32, 32a, 32b), the main product (30, 30a ) and at least one of the partial products (32, 32a, 32b) or at least two of the partial products (32, 32a, 32b) are each provided with at least one RFID tag (100, 200, 200a, 200b), and the at least two RFID Tags (100, 200, 200a, 200b) generate a common response signal when reading the control information contained therein and / or the product information. Bar (40), comprising a plurality of partial products (32, 32a, 32b), characterized in that it comprises a further RFID tag (300), which at least one product and / or position information regarding the orientation of the partial products contained therein (32 , 32a, 32b).

System for producing a printed product according to a method according to

Claims 1 to 19.