EP1381514B1 - Controller for polychromic printing machines - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a controller for polychromic printing machines, comprising a support plate (1) for the print check sheet, placed against a stop on the plate, with colour zone plus/minus correction elements and display elements, further operating and display elements for determining, setting and correcting of further print parameters arranged along the edge (2) on the operating side. According to the invention, a guide rail, provided with position sensors or markings is arranged on the operating side edge (2) of the support plate (1), on which a display (7) is arranged, oriented towards the print sheet free side and longitudinally displaceable over the entire colour zone length. The display is connected to corresponding software and contains a menu which may be called for recording the colour zones. The colour zones may thus be represented in the form of a bar-code line or in the form of digital values.

Description

Background of the Invention 1. Field of the invention

The invention relates to a control device for multi-color printing machines. Such known control devices exist from a support plate for the at a stop of the plate print control sheet that can be created. At the operating end of the Platen are elements for plus / minus color zone correction arranged and further control and display elements for Acquisition, setting and correction of other printing parameters.

2. Description of the prior art

With such control devices, the ink zone control for the ink discharge in the individual inking stations of a printing press is carried out by individual control units. These control units form part of a so-called control center, which is also designed as a support plate for a sheet deposit. The control units are arranged in a lower, stationary part of the support plate, the remaining, substantially larger part of which is used to support the print control sheet to be checked. The number of modules or control units arranged in a row depends on the respective printing press type or the size of the printing sheet. The larger the printed sheet, the more ink zones must be set or can be recorded. The printed sheet placed on the plate is checked by the printer zone by zone (zone width approx. 2 to 4 cm) visually or by means of special measuring devices (densitometers) on print control strips printed on the print control sheet Color zone plus / minus correction elements must be actuated. The corrections made can be read off by means of corresponding display elements.
In addition to the expenditure on equipment, it must also be taken into account that the operator also uses the other operating and display elements for further parameters required for optimal printing, such as the color moisture, printing speed and the like. must note. These other control and display elements are usually located away from the elements for color zone control and adjustment and on the side of the control station. In this case, however, both control areas must be appropriately wired to one another with corresponding effort. Control devices for multicolor printing presses are also known, for example, from German patent applications DE 27 27 426 B2, DE 39 24 989 A1 and DE 42 16 440 A1. In the subject of DE 27 27 426, the printed sheet is scanned with a mechanically guided measuring head or densitometer. The same thing also happens with the subject matter of DE 39 24 989 and the subject matter of DE 42 16 440 is a displaceable actuator which can be adjusted to the desired ink zone of a printed sheet and which can be assigned to sensors.

Objects and summary of the invention

Starting from the prior art mentioned in the introduction, the Invention based on the task, especially the previous one Effort on such control centers for color zone control and also to reduce the wiring effort and thus also at the same time handling and operating the entire control center to make it cheaper.

This task is with a control device of the type mentioned Kind according to the invention solved in that on the operating pages Edge of the platen one with position sensors or markings equipped guide rail is arranged which can be moved longitudinally over the entire color zone printed sheet-free page-oriented display is arranged. This display is according to the invention with a corresponding Software links and contains a callable menu for the Detection of the color zones. The color zones are in the menu a barcode-like line or can be displayed as digital values.

The requirement of the arrangement of "position sensors or markings" takes into account that instead of multiple sensors the guide rail and a mark on the display reversed a sensor on the display and several markings on the guide rail can be provided.

The design of the control device according to the invention eliminates all of the previous effort involved in arranging a corresponding number of control modules representing hardware over the entire length of the maximum printable sheet sizes that can be placed. All the previous effort is thus reduced according to the invention to the single display supplied with appropriate software, which is visually clearly defined in its respective position on the guide rail relative to the printed sheet. In addition, however, the sensors on the guide rail of the software according to the invention also indicate which printed sheet area is currently being checked.
Since the entire ink zone control area according to the invention, which extends over the length of the printing sheet, is reduced to a single, displaceable display, a preferred embodiment in this regard consists in particular in this display in the form of the further operating and display elements for the further parameters mentioned above, for example to accommodate further callable menus with appropriate software design. This advantageously eliminates the previously separate arrangement of the operating and display elements for these further parameters.

Basically, it is the control device according to the invention So one along the sensor or markers Slidable guide rail with a corresponding appropriate software operated computer, with which all control and setting functions depending on the item to be examined Print control sheet can be manipulated from one place are.

The color zones that can be shown in one line of the display are according to the invention and advantageously in the form of spaced apart Fields shown in their width the color zone width of the printed sheet., i.e. have these fields according to the one on the print control sheet A width of 2 to 4 cm controlled strips Width. Through this field division, but nothing with the respective position of the display on the guide rail has to do is clearly shown which stripe area is currently under control, i.e. on the screen the display automatically appears in the relevant field the correct examination location of the display within the relevant positioning range. These positioning areas are through the sensors or markings in the guide rail defines and give the software the information in which strip section of the printed sheet the control or Attitudes take place at all.

Since it is in the control device according to the invention, such as mentioned, basically by a movable along the guide rail Computer or screen that acts receives its relation to the print control sheet to be checked, the menus could also be operated using the mouse, However, it is more advantageous to use the display in the form of a so-called "Touch screens" train what appropriate command inputs significantly simplified by and for the user.

Furthermore, the display can be an Ascii keyboard, which is common with PCs mechanically assigned to from the same central Make further entries of parameters from other locations to be able to. "Mechanically assigned" is understood to mean that such a keyboard, for example, in a hinged or pluggable cover of the display. Is possible also that the display is an ASCII keyboard in the form of a touch keyboard contains.

A further envisaged embodiment of the invention consists in that the color zones shown in the screen line are also designed as touch screen areas. When the display shows a position at the beginning of a color zone area, which is shown in the first left field of the line, the user can jump to the end of the color zone area by tapping the eighth or last field.
In this context, it should be pointed out again that the color zone areas are each represented by a corresponding number of fields that can be displayed in line on the screen, while the sensors or markings in the guide rail inform the associated software in which area of the displacement path and thus of the print control sheet the display is at all. This information is important in order to establish the appropriate setting relation of the coloring in the individual coloring stations of the printing press.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig.1

perspektivisch ein Ausführungsbeispiel eines erfindungsgemäß ausgestalteten Leitstandes;

Fig.2

perspektivisch und vergrößert die erfindungsgemäße Steuereinrichtung in Zuordnung zur Auflageplatte;

Fig.3-5

Ausführungsformen des verschieblichen Displays;

Fig.6

nur der Vollständigkeit halber und schematisch die Zuordnung des erfindungsgemäß ausgebildeten Leitstandes zu einer in Seitenansicht dargestellten Druckmaschine und

Fig.7

perspektivisch und nur zum Vergleich die bisher übliche Ausführungsform eines Leitstandes.

The control device according to the present invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing of exemplary embodiments.
It shows

Fig.1

in perspective an embodiment of a control station designed according to the invention;

Fig.2

perspective and enlarged the control device according to the invention in association with the support plate;

Fig.3-5

Embodiments of the sliding display;

Figure 6

only for the sake of completeness and schematically the assignment of the control station designed according to the invention to a printing machine shown in side view and

Figure 7

perspective and only for comparison the previously common embodiment of a control center.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

The control device for multi-color printing machines MDM exists as before and with reference to the comparative fig. 7 from a support plate 1 for at a stop of the plate 1 created pressure control sheet DB with on the operator side Edge 2 arranged color zone plus / minus correction elements and display elements 3. Additional control and display elements for recording, setting and correcting other printing parameters are denoted by 4. These elements are part of the control center LS summarized, the corresponding with the printing machine MDM (Fig.6) is wired. The printing station's coloring stations MDM are labeled FS in FIG. The controls and indicators 4 consist, as can also be seen in FIG a keyboard T and a monitor M or display. The handling such a control device and thus the manipulation the MDM printing press are well known and require no further explanation, especially since Principle nothing changes.

For the control device according to the invention, according to FIG operating side edge 2 of the platen 1 one with position sensors 5 equipped guide rail 6 arranged. At this Guide rail 6 is one on the entire color zone area FZB longitudinally displaceable, to the printing sheet free side oriented display 7 arranged. This display is with a associated software and contains a callable Menu for capturing the items under control Contains zone strips 8 '(see FIG. 7) on the printed sheet DB, the color zone areas 8 in the menu in a line 9 bar code-like, as shown in Fig. 3,4, or in the form of Digital values can be displayed.

As mentioned in the introduction, preference is given to the display 7 the other operating and Display elements 4 for the other parameters in the form of further callable menus included.

All of the previous hardware expenditure for the elements 3, 4 according to comparison figure 7 and their cabling to one another is thus eliminated and, according to the invention, is replaced by appropriate software for the display 7 which can be moved along the guide rail 6.
So that this software knows which color zone area 8 is currently being treated, the guide rail 6, as can be seen from the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2, is equipped with position sensors 5 of a suitable type.

The color zone areas 8 of the menu are in line 9 of the Displays 7 in the form of spaced apart as needed Fields 10 representable, the width B of the width of the correspond to the investigating zone strips 8 'of the printed sheet DB. Since these zone strips 8 'are not actually in the print control sheet DB are available, they are in comparative fig. 7 only indicated by dashed lines. When the display is moved 7 in the detected area appears in one direction or the other either alone in the relevant field 10 or when changing from one zone into the other in the two fields concerned 10.

In order not to have to operate the menus with a mouse, which would also be possible in principle, the display 7 used, for example, in a flat dish-like panel 11 (see FIG. 5) is preferably designed in the form of a so-called touch screen, ie the user manipulates the relevant menu directly with a finger (see Fig. 3,4) or with a suitable auxiliary element. 3,4 shows two embodiments of a screen display, 20 denoting the menu selection. 31 designates a "home" key, 32 a control center key and 33 a memory key. The keys or fields labeled 34 are used to call up other menus for other parameters to be observed when printing.
By selecting the field or the FZ key, the menu for the color zone manipulation appears on the screen, as shown in both Fig. 3,4. In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 3, the desired coloring correction for the color to be printed in the coloring stations FS (see FIG. 6) is carried out directly on the vertical printing bar 21 on the associated printing machine MDM, while in the embodiment according to FIG. 4 this viewing bar 21 is merely a display function have, whose change or correction can be effected by plus / minus touch fields 22.

Also the color zone areas 8 and 9 shown in line 9 Fields 10 can be designed as buttons, with which the user the possibility is given without moving the display to switch from one field 10 to another, i.e. in the Extreme case from the outer left field directly into the outer right Field.

It can also be provided that the display 7 has an ASCII keyboard is mechanically assigned, for example in a display lid 12, as shown schematically in Figure 5, housed and assigned to the display. But one is also possible display such Ascii keyboard in the form of a touch keyboard.

On the display 7 or on this receiving panel 11, a extending over the printed sheet or support surface height H Holder 30 for slidably receiving a densitometer be arranged with which all areas of the print control sheet DB can be recorded. Such a holder 30 is only schematic and dash-dotted in Figures 1 and 5 indicated.

Claims (9)

1. A control device for multicolour printing presses, including a support surface (1) for the control signature placed against a limit stop on the surface with elements for correcting colour zones upwards or downwards and display elements (3) disposed on the edge (2) of the surface facing the operator, and other operating and display elements (4) for capturing, adjusting and correcting other printing parameters,
   characterised in that
   a guide rail (6) equipped with position sensors (5) or markings is disposed on the edge (2) of the support surface (1) facing the operator, and on which a display (7) is arranged facing the side without the signature and such that it is movable over the entire colour zone area, which display, when connected to corresponding software, contains a callable menu for capturing colour zones (8), the colour zones (8) being able to be displayed in a row (9) in the menu either in a barcode-like format or as digital values.
2. The control device according to claim 1,
   characterised in that
   the other operating and display elements (4) for the additional parameters are also contained in the display (7) in the form of callable menus.
3. The control device according to either of claims 1 or 2,
   characterised in that
   the colour zones (8) can be displayed in row (9) of display (7) as fields (10) with distances therebetween according to requirements, and having a width (B) that matches the width of the signature's test strip.
4. The control device according to any of claims 1 to 3,
   characterised in that
   the display (7) is realised in the form of a "touch screen".
5. The control device according to any of claims 1 to 4,
   characterised in that
   the display (7) is housed in a panel (11) that is arranged so as to be movable on guide rail (6).
6. The control device according to any of claims 1 to 5,
   characterised in that
   an ASCII keyboard is mechanically assigned to the display (7).
7. The control device according to any of claims 1 to 5,
   characterised in that
   the display (7) contains an ASCII keyboard in the form of a touch-screen keyboard.
8. The control device according to any of claims 1 to 7,
   characterised in that
   the fields (10) displayed in row (9) have the form of touch-screen buttons.
9. The control device according to any of claims 1 to 8,
   characterised in that
   a holder (30) is arranged on the side of display (7) or the panel (11) thereof facing the control signature for the attachment of a densitometer.

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