Title: Cylinder for a folder unit
Abstract: A collecting cylinder for a folder unit is provided with at least one disk cam that has peripheral switching depressions. These switching depressions can be covered by using an auxiliary curved trajectory which is created by a pivoting drive. Switching levers are selectively blocked or unblocked by motor-driven rotatable switching parts.
Patent Number: 6,895,858 Issued on 05/24/2005 to Kostiza, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Kostiza; Simon (Fussgönheim, DE);
Cernovski; Viktor (Worms, DE);
Fischer; Karl-Heinz (Heuchelheim, DE);
Prüm; Sebastian Alois (Kaiserslautern, DE);
Stäb; Rudolf (Frankenthal, DE)
|
| Assignee:
|
Koenig & Bauer Aktiengesellschaft (Wurzburg, DE)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
475848 |
| Filed:
|
April 4, 2002 |
| PCT Filed:
|
April 4, 2002
|
| PCT NO:
|
PCTDE02/01219
|
| 371 Date:
|
October 31, 2003
|
| 102(e) Date:
|
October 31, 2003
|
| PCT PUB.NO.:
|
WO0209023 |
| PCT PUB. Date:
|
November 14, 2002 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| May 03, 2001[DE] | 101 21 559 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
101/219; 101/409; 270/47; 493/424 |
| Intern'l Class: |
B41F 013/02 |
| Field of Search: |
101/219,228,408,409,410,411
270/13,19,201,47-51,60
493/424-435,476
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 3521878 | Jul., 1970 | Bolza-Schunemann.
| |
| 5000433 | Mar., 1991 | Prum et al.
| |
| 5065993 | Nov., 1991 | Reponty.
| |
| 5287805 | Feb., 1994 | Fischer et al.
| |
| 5305993 | Apr., 1994 | Staeb.
| |
| 5772571 | Jun., 1998 | Marcle-Geller et al.
| |
| 6514188 | Feb., 2003 | Kostiza.
| |
| 6550385 | Apr., 2003 | Colin et al.
| |
| 6740022 | May., 2004 | Hachiya et al.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 1 801 419 | Aug., 1973 | DE.
| |
| 38 28 372 | Dec., 1995 | DE.
| |
| 196 16 629 | Nov., 1997 | DE.
| |
| 100 32 815 | Jan., 2001 | DE.
| |
| 0 436 102 | Jul., 1991 | EP.
| |
Primary Examiner: Yan; Ren
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Jones, Tullar & Cooper PC
Claims
1. A cylinder for a folding apparatus comprising:
a rotatable cylinder body;
at least one switchable cylinder fitting on said cylinder body;
at least one roller lever usable to operate said at least one switchable cylinder
fitting;
a roller carried by said roller lever;
at least one fixed base cam disk, said at least one fixed base cam disk having
a cam path including at least one trough, said cam path being followed by said
roller;
a switching element arranged on the rotatable cylinder body; and
a drive motor for rotating said switching element about an axis of rotation,
said rotary motion of said switching element selectively blocking and unblocking
said lever, said switching element, in said lever blocking position, defining an
auxiliary cam path.
2. The cylinder of claim 1 wherein said drive motor has a motor shaft and wherein
said axis of rotation of said switching element is parallel with said motor shaft.
3. The cylinder of claim 1 wherein said drive motor is a step motor.
4. The cylinder of claim 1 wherein said at least one switchable cylinder fitting
includes a support shaft, wherein said at least one lever is fixed in place on
said support shaft and wherein said switching element acts as a stop for said lever
when said switching element is in said lever blocking position.
5. The cylinder of claim 1 further including a control unit on said rotatable
cylinder body and connected by lines to said drive motor.
6. The cylinder of claim 5 wherein said control unit is connected with a stator,
said stator, said stator receiving control signals from a central control device.
7. The cylinder of claim 1 wherein said switching element is a circularly pivotably
lever having at least one lever arm, said lever arm blocking said at least one
roller lever, and wherein said at least one switchable cylinder fitting includes
a support shaft, said pivotable lever having an axis of rotation, said pivotable
lever axis of rotation extending parallel with said support shaft.
8. The cylinder of claim 7 wherein said drive motor includes a motor shaft and
wherein said switching element is on said motor shaft and further wherein an axis
of rotation of said switching element is the same as an axis of rotation of said
motor shaft.
9. The cylinder of claim 1 wherein said switching element is a circularly pivotable
lever having a cam, wherein said drive motor has a motor shaft with said cam extending
parallel with said motor shaft and toward said roller lever, further wherein said
at least one switchable cylinder fitting includes a support shaft with a switching
lever secured to said support shaft and having a free end, said switching element
cam, in said blocking position, extending under said free end of said switching
lever, said switching element having an axis of rotation extending in a secant-like
direction in respect to a cross section of said cylinder.
10. The cylinder of claim 9 wherein said switching element is on said motor shaft
and further wherein an axis of rotation of said switching element is the same as
an axis of rotation of said motor shaft.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a cylinder for a folding apparatus. The
cylinder uses rollers which run on at least one base cam disk. The cam disk is
fixed in place and has troughs. The rollers are supported by levers and are used
to switch cylinder fittings.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A collecting cylinder is disclosed in EP 0 436 102 A1. This cylinder has a basic
cam, fixed in place on the lateral frame, for use in the control of the cylinder
fittings. In place of pivotable cover disks, the cylinder has electro-magnetically
actuable blocking bolts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is directed to providing a cylinder for a
folding apparatus.
In accordance with the present invention, this object is attained by the provision
of a cylinder that uses rollers which run on at least one base cam disk, which
is fixed in place. The cam disk has troughs which the rollers, that are carried
on levers, follow to switch cylinder fittings. An auxiliary cam path for the rollers,
and which covers the troughs in the base cam disk, can be formed by the use of
a switching element. This switching element selectively blocks or unblocks each
roller lever. The switching element is arranged on the rotating cylinder. The roller
lever can be blocked or unblocked by a rotary movement of the switching element.
The switching element can be driven by a drive motor.
The advantages to be gained by the present invention rest, in particular, in
that the switching element now employed in accordance with the present invention,
allows short switching times, for example of approximately {fraction (1/300)} seconds.
Because of this, the exact and accurate switching of the cylinder fittings can
take place, even at large circumferential speeds of the cylinder. The arrangement
of a step motor in particular, together with very short switching paths generated
by rotation, and the movement of small masses, is advantageous. Limitations of
the switching times, of switching delays, which are difficult to calculate, as
well as of inexact switching paths, which can occur, for example, because of hysteresis
properties of magnetic switching devices, or the compressibility of pressure media,
are prevented.
For example, it is possible, by the use of a collecting cylinder which is equipped
with the switching element of the present invention, to accomplish single or up
to triple collections, and to set, or change, these different collecting rhythms
very rapidly and without elaborate technical outlay.
The cylinder for a folder unit, in accordance with the present invention, can
be applied in connection with all fittings switchable on cylinders, such as grippers,
point spurs, as well as with folding jaws.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is represented in the drawings
and will be explained in greater detail in what follows. Shown are in:
FIG. 1, a longitudinal cross-sectional through a cylinder in accordance with
the present invention and taken along section line I—I in FIG. 2, in
FIG. 2, a cross section through the cylinder of FIG. 1 and taken along
section line II—II in FIG. 1, in
FIG. 3, a schematic representation of a drive motor with a switching element
and a switching lever, and in
FIG. 4, a schematic representation of a variation of a drive motor with a switching
element and a switching lever.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring initially to FIG. 1, there may be seen generally at
01
a cylinder for a folder unit in accordance with the present invention. Cylinder
01, which may be, for example, a five-part collecting cylinder
01
of a web-fed rotary printing press consists, for example, of two, or possibly more,
spaced lateral disks
02,
03 arranged on a shaft
04 and separated
from each other by cross pieces
06, if required. The cylinder
01
has a plurality of diverse cylinder fittings
07,
08,
09,
10,
11,
13,
14,
15,
16,
17 on its circumference.
These can include, for example, five gripper systems
07,
08,
09,
10,
11, which are spaced apart from each other and between each of
which is located a folding blade system
13,
14,
15,
16,
17, respectively. These cylinder fittings are only suggested or symbolically
represented, and are arranged as depicted in FIG.
2.
Each one of the gripper systems
07 to
11 has a support spindle
19, which is rotatably seated between the lateral disks
02,
03,
with grippers
21 arranged, and fixed against relative rotation, on the support
spindle
19 and spaced apart over the cylinder width, which grippers
21
can be moved against a gripper rest, which is not specifically represented in FIGS.
1 and 2.
On one end, the support spindle
19 has secured thereto a first end of a
roller lever
22. The roller lever
22 receives a roller
23
on its second end, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2.
The collecting cylinder
01 is seated in lateral frames
28,
29
of a folder unit, which is not specifically shown by use of shaft journals
24,
26 of shaft
04 and by the provision of various bearings
27,
for example rolling bearings
27. The left shaft journal
24, as seen
in FIG. 1, is connected with a gear wheel
31, for example a drive gear wheel
31.
A bushing
32, which is fixed in place in the lateral frame
28,
and
which receives the left rolling bearing
27, as well as the shaft journal
24 located within the left rolling bearing
27, is arranged on the
driven side of the cylinder
01, i.e. in the left lateral frame
28.
This bushing
22 supports at least one base cam disk
33, which is
arranged parallel with respect to the lateral frame and between the lateral frame
28 and the lateral disk
02, and on whose cam disk periphery
34
the cam rollers
23 of the gripper systems
07 to
11 roll off.
On its periphery
34, the base cam disk
33 has various troughs
36,
37, for example a receiving trough
36, as well as a delivery trough
37. These troughs
36,
37 are seen most clearly in FIG.
2.
Adjacent the end of its respective support spindle
19, and inboard
of the left lateral disk
02, each one of the cylinder fittings
07
to
11, i.e. each one of the gripper systems
07 to
11, has
a switching lever
38, which is fixed on the support spindle and which extends
approximately in the radial direction with respect to the shaft
04. The
switching lever
38 is located in, and can extend in the interior of the
cylinder in the vicinity of the lateral disk
02, as seen in FIG. 1. A free
end of the switching lever
38 can enter into a connection with a cam-like
or propeller-shaped switching element
39, which is rotatable around an axis
of rotation A by operation of a drive motor
41 which is fixed in place on
the left disk
02, all as seen in FIGS. 1,
2 and
3. In an advantageous
embodiment, the switching element
39 is connected, fixed against relative
rotation, with a motor shaft of the drive motor
41. The drive motor
41
is preferably configured as a step motor
41. The switching element
39
is configured as either a one-armed lever or as a double-armed lever
39,
for example, wherein a free end of the lever
39 can be used as a stop for
the free end of the switching lever
38 and can block it as depicted in FIGS.
3 and 4.
Each one of the drive motors
41 assigned to the individual gripper systems
07 to
11 is connected by lines
42,
43 with an electrical
control unit
44 which is located, for example, on the exterior of the right
lateral disk
03, as seen in FIG.
1. This control unit
44 is
connected by a line
46 extending over, or through the right shaft journal
26, with a collector ring body
47, which is located on the shaft
journal
47 and which is enclosed in a housing
30. The output lines
48 of the collector rings lead to a central control device, which is not
specifically represented.
It is, of course, also possible to arrange a rotatable transmitter unit, that
is also not represented, in place of the collector ring body
47, and to
transmit the control signals in a contactless manner via a stator, also not represented,
to the central control device, and to receive fresh control signals from the latter.
It is furthermore possible to arrange a second base cam disk
49, for use
with the folding blade systems
13 to
17 on the bushing
32,
and thus fixed in place on the lateral frame. Parts of these folding blade systems
13 to
17 are rollers and roller levers, which are similar to the
ones discussed in connection with the gripper systems
07 to
11, and
which are not represented. As in connection with the gripper systems
07
to
11, switching levers, switching elements, as well as step motors, not
specifically represented, are also provided for the folding blade systems
13
to
17. The embodiment of the lateral disks
02,
03 as multi-piece
lateral disks
02,
03 is advantageous, wherein the folding blade systems
13 to
17 and the gripper systems
07 to
11 are each
supported by separate pairs of lateral disks and thus can be rotated in respect
to each other.
In this multiple disk pair embodiment, which is not specifically shown, the shaft
journal
24 is advantageously embodied as a hollow shaft and is connected,
for example, with the lateral disk
02 for the support spindle
19
of the gripper systems
07 to
11. For example, a second shaft journal,
which is not represented, of the lateral disk, also not represented, of the folding
blade systems
13 to
17 is arranged inside the shaft journal
24
which is embodied as a hollow shaft.
The systems of the cylinder
01 for a folder unit in accordance with the
present invention operate as follows:
In response to the control signals received via the control unit
44, the
drive motors
41 are each actuated by the rotation of their motor shafts
in such a way that the free end of the propeller-shaped switching element
39
is brought into a tangential position with respect to the cylinder cross section,
as depicted with the gripper system
07, or into a radial position with respect
to the cylinder cross section, as depicted with the gripper system
09. The
gripper system
08 shows the switching element
39 within a switching
angle α of rotation of the cylinder
01, while the gripper system
09
shows the switching element
39 in a resting phase within an angle β
of rotation of the cylinder
01. At high numbers of revolutions of the collecting
cylinder
01, along with high circumferential speeds, the switching element
39 must arrive in its new position within the switching angle α of
rotation of the cylinder
01 very quickly, in particular within a time of
less than {fraction (1/300)} second, and dependably.
In the tangential position of the switching element
39, the switching
lever
38 of the support spindle
19 is blocked. In this configuration the
rollers
23 cannot dip into the trough
36. An auxiliary cam track
51 is thereby created, which auxiliary cam track
51 prevents the
opening of the gripper systems
07 to
11 when the rollers
23
pass through.
In the radial position of the switching element
39, as seen in the gripper
system
09, the roller
23 passes through the delivery trough
37
and the grippers
21 will now open. In the tangential position of this switching
element
39, an auxiliary cam track
52 would be created for the rollers
23, and the delivery of imprinted products would be prevented. The axis
of rotation A of the switching element
39 which, in the embodiment depicted
in FIG. 3, is congruent with the motor shaft of the drive motor
41, extends
axis-parallel with respect to the support spindle
19.
The same operating sequence is also applicable in connection with the folding
blade systems
13 to
17, which are not represented in detail.
In accordance with a second preferred embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 4, it is
also possible for a free end of the rotatable lever
39 of the switching
element to have a cam
53, which cam extends almost at right angles to the
switching element
39 and axis-parallel with the axis of rotation A of the
switching element
39, or the motor shaft, and which cam
53, in a
blocking position, is rotated underneath the free end of the switching lever
38
and blocks it, so that the support spindle
19 is also not rotatable.
In this second embodiment, the motor shaft of the drive motor
41 extends
in a secant-like direction with respect to the cylinder cross section in accordance
with FIG.
2.
It is moreover also possible to employ lifting magnets, which are not specifically
represented, for switching the systems, for example for opening and closing the
gripper systems
07 to
11, in place of the previously mentioned drive
motors
41.
The switching lever
38 can also be brought into two different positions
by the different placement of the lifting drive.
The generation of the auxiliary cam tracks
51,
52 can be employed
in the same or in a similar manner use with cylinders intended for cutting or folding.
While preferred embodiments of a cylinder for a folder unit, in accordance
with the present invention have been set forth fully and completely hereinabove,
it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that various changes in, for example
the overall size of the cylinder, the number of cylinder fittings on the cylinder,
and the like could be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of
the present invention which is accordingly to be limited only by the following claims.
*
