APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING PRINTED PRODUCTS
An apparatus and method for controlling at least one of a position or at least one dimension of printed products conveyed while positioned flat in a conveyed flow. A conveying device transports the printed products and at least one sensor is directed toward an edge of the printed products and comprises a line sensor or area sensor. A computer-supported control is coupled to receive an output signal of the at least one sensor.
Latest Muller Martini Holding AG Patents:
- Device for Producing an Adhesive-Bound Printed Product with a Transport System
- Apparatus and Method for Producing Printed Products
- Book Production Line and Method for Producing Individual Books as well as Very Short and Short Runs of Books
- Device and method for the subsequent processing of printed products
- METHOD FOR PRODUCING PRINTED PRODUCTS
This application claims the priority of European Patent Application No. 07405253.1, filed on Aug. 28, 2007, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe invention relates to an apparatus for controlling the position and/or at least one dimension of printed products, which are conveyed while positioned flat in a conveyed flow and are composed of several signatures or individual printed sheets, with the aid of a conveying device for transporting the printed products and at least one sensor that is directed toward the printed products and is connected to a computer-supported control.
For the processing of printed products, it is frequently necessary to detect the position of the printed products to be processed, for example inside a cutting machine. Deviations from a predetermined position can cause the printed product to differ impermissibly from the specified dimensions and/or an angle. It should furthermore be possible to check the length, width, or thickness of printed products without influencing the production speed.
Japanese patent document JP 2005-62127A discloses an apparatus in which printed products are supplied with the aid of a conveying device to an angular measuring frame. Several sensors are used to respectively check whether the printed product supplied to the measuring frame exceeds or falls below a predetermined width or length. It can furthermore be checked whether the printed product is right-angled. Printed products which do not have the predetermined dimensions can thus be transferred out. However, this apparatus is not suitable for high capacity processing and larger series, since the individual printed products must be stopped at the measuring frame and must then be accelerated once more.
German patent document DE 102 47 455 A discloses an apparatus for adjusting the position of the side edges of a continuous web, wherein sensors are provided for detecting the desired position of the side edges. However, this apparatus is not suitable for processing individual printed products, such as is the case for gathering and wire-stitching machines.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is therefore an object of the present invention to create an apparatus of the aforementioned type, which ensures a high quality of the printed products to be processed and which is furthermore suitable for use with larger series.
The above and other objects are achieved according to an embodiment of the invention wherein there is provided an apparatus for controlling at least one of a position or at least one dimension of printed products conveyed while positioned flat in a conveyed flow, the apparatus comprising: a conveying device to transport the printed products; at least one sensor directed toward an edge of the printed products and comprising one of a line sensor or area sensor; and a computer-supported control coupled to receive an output signal of the at least one sensor.
Such an apparatus not only permits the detection of the printed products at one point, as has been the case so far, but allows the detection over a region. In particular, a line-shaped region of the printed products is detected transverse to one edge of the printed products. As a result, it is not only possible to detect the position of the corresponding edge, but also to measure the edge relative to its position. Measurements of this type in particular make it possible to control a drive, for example for adjusting a position. Suitable line sensors and area sensors are already known and, in particular, allow an analog detection of the position of a product edge.
The detection of the printed products with the sensor preferably occurs while the products are transported in a horizontal plane with a conveying device. In principle, the printed products can also be detected by the sensor in a different position, for example while in a plane that is slanted transverse to the conveying direction or while in a suspended position.
Two or more sensors can also be used in place of a single sensor to simultaneously detect a printed product. For example, opposite-arranged edges of a printed product can be detected with two sensors, thus making it possible to check the course of these two edges and, in particular, check whether the edges are parallel to each other. In addition, a spacing between these two edges, that corresponds to either the length or the width of a printed product, can be determined. If the sensors are arranged to be displaceable, it is possible to detect and/or measure printed products belonging to a broad format range.
The sensor is preferably an optical sensor, wherein non-optical sensors, such as electronic sensors, are conceivable as well. US 2003/0072499 A1 and US 2005/0239621 A1 disclose suitable optical sensors while electronic sensors are disclosed in DE 19941728 A1 and are commercially available as ZADM 034 at Baumer Ltd.
According to a modified embodiment of the invention, the leading edge of a printed product is detected with the sensor, thus making it possible to control the position of the printed products, for example for the trimming of the trailing edge inside a cutting apparatus. The sensor in particular is used to detect the position of the printed product and control the drive for the conveying device based on the direct measurement taken at the printed product. This permits an especially precise positioning of the printed products for a processing, for example, for the step of cutting, punching, addressing, gluing and the like.
The apparatus is particularly suitable for use with a gathering and wire-stitching machine, an inserting machine, a perfect binder or a collating machine. However, the apparatus can conceivably also be used with other machines for processing printed products, for example machines for producing newspapers, magazines, books, booklets and the like.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method for controlling at least one of a position or at least one dimension of printed products conveyed while positioned flat in a conveyed flow, the method comprising: transporting the printed products with a conveying device; directing at least one line sensor or area sensor toward the printed products to sense an edge of a respective one of the printed products to produce an output signal corresponding to said edge; and outputting the output signal to a computer-supported control.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will be further understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show in:
Referring to
Two spaced-apart sensors 2, which can be embodied identically, are arranged above the conveying device 13. These sensors 2 are so-called line sensors or also area sensors, which may be light-sensitive and extend over a predetermined length. In this case, the sensors extend parallel to the transporting direction 22 for the conveying device 13, which forms a component of the cutting machine 7. The two sensors 2 are arranged in so that they can simultaneously detect the respective leading edge 8 of a printed product 6. Since the sensors 2 extend over a specific length in the conveying direction 22, all positions of the leading edge 8 can be detected within this section.
In addition to the printed product 6,
The measuring values are supplied via corresponding signals to an automatic controller 3. This automatic controller 3 is connected to a control 4 and the drive 5. The conveying device 13, the two sensors 2, the automatic controller 3 and the drive 5 jointly form a control loop, which makes it possible to precisely control the transport of the respective printed products 6, 6′, 6″.
In the event that a deviating position of a printed product 6′, 6″ is not or only insufficiently corrected by the conveying device 13, the dimensions for the printed products 6′, 6″ can differ from the desired value as a result of the cut made to the trailing edge 10. For example, the width 30 can be either too small or too large and/or the leading edge 8 and the trailing edge 10 are not parallel to each other. Printed products 6′, 6″ of this type can be removed from the conveyed flow, for example with the aid of a diverter 18 that is connected to the control 4 and is positioned downstream of the conveying device 13. As a result, it is ensured that only printed products 6 that are within a selectable tolerance range during the processing are transferred to a downstream arranged transporting apparatus 20 and are conveyed further in a transporting direction 23.
The sensors 2 alternatively can also be used detect the trailing edge 10, 10′, 10″ of the printed products 6, 6′, 6″, wherein it is additionally possible to detect the leading edge 8, 8′, 8″ as well as the trailing edge 10, 10′ 10″.
The conveying device 13 has a separate drive that is not shown herein, or it is drive-connected to an upstream or downstream arranged apparatus. It is furthermore possible to use a controlled drive 5, which is described in the above but not shown herein and is connected via the automatic controller 3 to the control 4. According to
The apparatus 1′ makes it possible to determine the width 30 of the printed products 6, 6′, regardless of whether the products are aligned correctly, are displaced to the side, or are positioned at a slant. It is furthermore possible to check whether the leading edge 8, 8′ and the trailing edge 10, 10′ are aligned parallel to each other. With the aid of a device for transferring out printed products 6, e.g. a diverter 18 that follows the apparatus 1′ and is connected to the control 4, it is possible to transfer out the printed products for which the position and/or width 30 and/or the parallel positioning of the edges 8, 8′, 10, 10′ is outside of the selected tolerance range.
The sensors 2 can be arranged to be displaceable, so that it is possible to detect the leading and/or the trailing edges 8, 10 of the printed products 6 having very different widths 30 by changing the spacing 31 between the sensors 2 that follow each other in the transporting direction 11.
The apparatus 1″ illustrated in
Defective printed products are transferred out, for example, with the aid of a diverter 18 as shown in
In the apparatus 1′″ shown in
In the process, the reflector 2a″ is either displaced together with the sensor 2″, or is embodied such that it covers the complete adjustment range for the sensor 2″ as a result of its extension in the adjustment direction of the sensor 2′.
The advantage of the invention therefore is that the position and location of the printed products 6 can be detected precisely and in particular that their dimensions can be determined, thus making it possible to control and adjust the position and location. Critical processing steps such as the cutting or stitching operations in a gathering and wire-stitching machine can thus be realized with more precision and reliability. As a result, control operations on printed products 6 that pass through or stand still can be carried more reliably and with higher efficiency, so that defective printed products 6 can be transferred out. Finally, it allows the production of higher quality printed products 6, for example books, booklets and the like, without reducing the capacity of presently used systems and apparatuses.
It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes and adaptations, and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.
Claims
1. An apparatus for controlling at least one of a position or at least one dimension of printed products conveyed while positioned flat in a conveyed flow, the apparatus comprising:
- a conveying device to transport the printed products;
- at least one sensor directed toward an edge of the printed products and comprising one of a line sensor or area sensor; and
- a computer-supported control coupled to receive an output signal of the at least one sensor.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is arranged such that its effective range extends at least partially into the flow of conveyed printed products.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is arranged to be effective in a direction of the conveyed flow approximately perpendicular to a conveying direction of the conveyed flow.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is arranged to be effective along a conveying direction of the conveyed flow.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the computer-supported control comprises a controller coupled to the conveying device and a control arranged to receive an output from the at least one sensor and having an output coupled to the controller to control the conveying device to correct a position of an edge of the printed product in the conveyed flow.
6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least two jointly operated sensors arranged at a distance to each other.
7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is arranged to be displaced transverse to an edge to be measured.
8. A method for controlling at least one of a position or at least one dimension of printed products conveyed while positioned flat in a conveyed flow, the method comprising:
- transporting the printed products with a conveying device;
- directing at least one line sensor or area sensor toward the printed products to sense an edge of a respective one of the printed products to produce an output signal corresponding to said edge; and
- outputting the output signal to a computer-supported control.
9. The method according to claim 8, including arranging the least one sensor so that its effective range extends at least partially into the flow of conveyed printed products.
10. The method according to claim 8, including arranging the at least one sensor to be effective in a direction of the conveyed flow approximately perpendicular to a conveying direction of the conveyed flow.
11. The method according to claim 8, including arranging the at least one sensor to be effective along a conveying direction of the conveyed flow.
12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the computer-supported control includes a controller coupled to control the conveying device and a control coupled between the at least one sensor and the controller to produce a control signal that is output to the controller, the method further including correcting a position of an edge of a respective one of the printed products with the use of the controller and the control in response to the output signal.
13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least two sensors arranged at a distance to each other, and the method further comprises jointly operating the at least two sensors.
14. The method according to claim 8, including displacing the at least one sensor transverse to an edge to be measured.
15. The method according to claim 8, including measuring a position of at least one edge of a respective one of the printed products with the at least one sensor.
16. The method according to claim 8, including comparing at least one measured value of a sensor to a stored value.
17. The method according to claim 8, including detecting respectively one leading edge of a printed product with the at least one sensor.
18. The method according to claim 8, including using the at least one sensor to position the printed products for a cut to be made in a cutting apparatus.
19. The method according to claim 8, including measuring at least one of a width or a length of respectively one printed product with the at least one sensor.
20. The method according to claim 8, including detecting respectively two opposite-arranged edges of respectively one printed product.
21. The method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one sensor includes at least two sensors and the method further includes detecting at least one of a parallel position or a slanted position of opposite-arranged edges with the two sensors.
22. A combination comprising the apparatus according to claim 1 and one of a gathering and wire-stitching machine, an inserting machine, a perfect binder or a collating machine.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 28, 2008
Publication Date: Mar 5, 2009
Applicant: Muller Martini Holding AG (Hergiswil)
Inventor: Giorgio Zancanaro (Oensingen)
Application Number: 12/200,437
International Classification: B65H 7/02 (20060101);