JPH06348028A - Sorter for positive film - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To precisely and quickly change the arraying order and the direction of a position film and to lighten the burden imposed on a worker as for a sorter for a positive film. CONSTITUTION:A placing part 3 placing the positive films 2 in a state where the films 2 are accumulated, a turning table 4 which is horizontally turned, an ejection part 5 storing the ejected film 2, a first feeding means 5 feeding the film 2 to the table 4 from the placing part 3 one by one, a second feeding means 7 feeding the film 2 to the ejection part 5 from the table 4, a read means 28 reading an identifier 11 attached on the film 2, a storage means 29 storing imposing information, a collation means 30 collating the imposing information with the identifier 11, a film direction change means 31 driving the table 4 based on the collated result and an ejecting port selection means 32 selecting an ejecting port 15 based on the collated result are provided. Then, the films 2 accumulated at random are ejected to the port 15 by the array corresponding to the imposing information.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a positive film sorter for rearranging positive films to be printed on a PS plate by an automatic platemaking machine in a printing process.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A printing plate used for offset printing is a PS plate (Pre-Sensit) which is a pre-sensitized plate.
It is prepared by exposing while exposing a surface of an ized plate) with a positive film. In this case, the printing plate needs to be created in consideration of shortening the time required for the printing process, the bookbinding process and the like after the plate making and the cost reduction. That is, in the printing process and the bookbinding process, the time required for printing and bookbinding can be shortened by allocating as many pages as possible on one printing sheet (hereinafter referred to as imposition). For example, 16 print sheets
If a large number of pages such as 32 pages and 32 pages are printed by one printing plate, one page can be printed.
Compared with the case where pages are printed, the time and power are reduced.

By the way, in the bookbinding process when a plurality of pages are printed on one printing sheet as described above, first, the printed matter is folded to form a signature, and then the signatures are collected and bound. A method of binding a book by cutting after processing is often adopted. In this case, it is necessary that the pages to be combined on one printing plate are arranged in an arrangement, an arrangement, a direction, and the like in consideration of folding processing. In addition, the cutting margin necessary for cutting, the back signature, the back markings, etc. necessary for bookbinding must be formed on the printing plate, and the same consideration should be given to the positive film for making such a printing plate. Need to

Conventionally, as a positive film for making a printing plate, the above-mentioned conditions of arrangement, arrangement, orientation of pages (hereinafter referred to as imposition information) are satisfied, and
It is considered to use one sheet of positive film in which a cutting margin, a signature, and a signature are secured. Once such a positive film is created, it is possible to maintain printing accuracy in a durable manner without improper imposition information, and to reduce the time required for the printing process and bookbinding process. It is also in line with.

However, in the case of such a positive film, the arrangement of each page according to the imposition information must be done manually, and a lot of man-hours are required until the positive film is produced. Moreover, there is a problem that the imposition information cannot be changed due to a change in the folding process and the like, and thus it cannot be used for general purposes. Further, the size of the positive film itself has increased with the increase in the number of printed pages, which is practically impossible.

Therefore, an automatic plate-making machine has been proposed in which one positive film is prepared for each page and the PS plate is sequentially printed with the positive film. As the automatic plate-making machine, for example, there is one having a structure shown in JP-A-2-304571. This automatic intaglio machine has an exposure head that can be positioned at any position in the front, back, left, and right on the upper surface of a horizontally arranged PS plate, and the positive film for each page is sequentially arranged on the PS plate by the exposure head. By exposing by exposure, the printing operation of each page can be sequentially performed.

[0007]

By the way, in such an automatic plate-making machine, since the printing operation is carried out in the printing order determined according to the imposition information, the positive film of each page is It is necessary that the pages are arranged in order and the direction is set for each page along the imposition information. However, since the arrangement order and direction of such a positive film vary depending on the folding process in the bookbinding process, the cutting position, etc., they need to be changed each time. In this case, if this change operation is performed manually, there are many errors and a great number of man-hours are required. Further, although it is conceivable to let the automatic plate-making machine handle this changing function, there is a disadvantage in that the existing automatic plate-making machine cannot be used as it is because it requires a complicated mechanism.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and accurately and promptly changes the arrangement order and direction of the positive films in response to changes in the bookbinding process, etc. It is an object of the present invention to provide a positive film sorter capable of reducing the above.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention proposes the following three means. A first means is a placing part for placing a plurality of positive films with identifiers in a stacked state, and a swivel which is arranged adjacent to the placing part and can horizontally swivel with the positive film placed. A table, a discharge part arranged adjacent to the swivel table and arranged with a plurality of discharge ports for storing the discharged positive films; and the positive films stacked on the placing part one by one. First transfer means for transferring to the swivel table, second transfer means for transferring the positive film from the swivel table to a discharge portion, and to the positive film during transfer of the positive film by the first transfer means. Reading means for reading the assigned identifier, storage means for storing the imposition information, and collation of the imposition information stored in the storage means with the identifier read by the reading means Positive film comprising collating means, film direction changing means for driving the turning table based on the collating result by the collating means, and discharge port selecting means for selecting the discharge port based on the collating result by the collating means. I am proposing a sorter for use. A second means is the positive film sorter of the first means, wherein film direction identification means for identifying the direction of the positive film is provided during the transfer from the mounting portion to the turntable. Is proposed. A third means is the positive film sorter of the first or second means, in which a film collecting means for collecting the discharged positive film from one direction in the order of the arrangement of the discharge ports is provided in the discharge part. Proposing a film sorter.

[0010]

According to the positive film sorter according to the first means of the present invention, the plurality of positive films stacked on the mounting table are transferred one by one onto the revolving table by the first transfer means. To be done. During this transportation, the reading operation of the identifier is performed by the reading means, and the read identifier is collated with the imposition information stored in the storage means by the collating means. If there is a change in the direction of the positive film as a result of collation, the film direction changing means is actuated, and the turning table changes the direction of the positive film. Further, the discharge port selection means is operated based on the result of the collation, and the second transfer means discharges and stores the discharge port selected from the turning table. As a result, the positive films are arranged in the arrangement direction of the discharge ports in the arrangement direction along the imposition information. Second
According to the positive film sorter according to the means, since the direction of each positive film is recognized each time by the film direction identification means, not only when the film direction is clear in advance, but for example, randomly arranged. Even in the case where it is present, it is arranged in the arrangement direction along the imposition information. According to the positive film sorter according to the third means, the positive film stored in the discharge port is collected by the film collecting unit in the arrangement order of the discharge ports,
It is possible to automate the delivery work to the subsequent process such as a plate making machine.

[0011]

EXAMPLES An example of a positive film sorter according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. In each of these figures, reference numeral 1 is a positive film sorter, 2 is a positive film, 3 is a mounting portion, 4 is a turning table, 5 is a discharging portion, 6 is a transfer means (first transfer means), 7
Is a discharging means (second transfer means), 8 is a frame, 9 is a control device, 10 is a film collecting means, 11 is a bar code (identifier), 12 is a lifting plate, 13 is a spring, 14 is a driving means, and 15 is a Discharge port, 16 is an inclined receiving plate, 17 is a hinge, 18 and 21 are upper lid members, 19 and 22 are roller members, 2
0 and 23 are roller driving means, 24 is an outlet selection mechanism, and 25
Is a horizontal axis, 26 is a swing plate, 27 is a film receiving portion, 2
8 is a bar code reader, 29 is storage means, 30 is collating means, 31 is film direction changing means, 32 is outlet selection means, 33 is film direction identifying means, 34 is a personal computer, 35 is a partition plate, and 36 is recovery. Reference numeral 37 is a page printing die, and reference numeral 38 is a linear movement mechanism.

The positive film sorter 1 of this embodiment is
A mounting portion 3 for mounting the positive films 2 in a stacked state,
A turning table 4 arranged adjacent to the placing section 3, a discharging section 5 arranged adjacent to the turning table 4, and a transfer for transferring the positive film 2 from the placing section 3 to the turning table 4. The positive film 2 is placed from the mounting means 6 and the turntable 4 to the discharge portion 5.
A control device 9 for activating the revolving table 4 and the discharging means 7 is arranged in the same frame 8 as the discharging means 7 for discharging the positive film 2 in order to rearrange each positive film 2 according to the imposition information. It has. Outside the frame 8, there is provided a film collecting means 10 arranged adjacent to the discharging section 5.

A bar code 11 is displayed on a part of one surface of the positive film 2, for example, in the upper right corner. The bar code 11 is provided with a temporary page number for identifying the positive film 2 from the bar code 11. The positive films 2 have the same size, and the same barcode 11 is not displayed on different positive films 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting portion 3 is provided with an elevating plate 12 which is horizontally arranged on the upper surface of the frame 8 and is movably supported in the vertical direction, and the elevating plate 12 is arranged upward. And a biasing spring 13. And
When the positive film 2 in a stacked state is placed on the upper surface of the lift plate 12, the positive film 2 is urged upward. When the positive film 2 is pressed downward, the spring 13 is put in a compressed state and the positive film 2 is moved downward.

The turning table 4 is a disk-shaped member which is arranged flush with the upper surface of the frame 8 and can be horizontally turned by a driving means 14 such as a motor. The turning table 4 is adapted to be rotated, for example, by 1/2 each time it is activated.

The discharge section 5 has a horizontal slit-shaped discharge port 15 formed on the side surface of the frame 8 and having a plurality of openings vertically spaced from each other. Each of the discharge ports 15 is provided with an inclined receiving plate 16 protruding from the side surface of the frame 8 and descending toward the front in the discharge direction of the positive film 2. The inclined receiving plate 16 can temporarily mount the positive film 2 discharged from each discharge port 15 on its upper surface.

The transfer means 6 is, for example, an upper lid member 18 which is swingably attached to the upper portion of the frame 8 by a hinge 17 and is arranged so as to cover the mounting portion 3, and is close to the mounting portion 3. A plurality of roller members 19 arranged in a protruding state on one surface of the upper lid member 18 which is a lower surface when brought into contact with the upper surface of the positive film 2, and the roller members 19 from the mounting portion 3 to the turning table 4. And a roller driving means 20 for rotating the roller in the direction toward the direction. The roller member 19
Is a direction from the placing portion 3 to the turning table 4 (hereinafter,
It is called the transfer direction. ), And a plurality of them are arranged at intervals in the direction orthogonal thereto. Further, the roller driving means 2
With 0, the roller member 19 can be sequentially driven forward in the transfer direction.

The discharging means 7 comprises an upper lid member 21, a roller member 22 and a roller driving means 23, which are similar to those of the transfer means, and the discharging port selecting mechanism 2 as shown in FIG.
4 is equipped. The discharge port selection mechanism 24 is arranged between the swivel table 4 and the discharge unit 5, and is provided with the frame 8
A swing plate 26 for orienting the positive film 2 toward the selected discharge port 15 by being swung around the horizontal shaft center 25 inside each of the
Each of the discharge ports 1 is attached by being radially attached to the
5 and a film receiving portion 27 which guides the sheet.

The control device 9 includes a bar code reader 28 arranged between the placing part 3 and the turntable 4, and
A storage unit 29 that stores the imposition information, a collation unit 30 that collates the imposition information with the temporary page number, a film direction changing unit 31 that operates the turning table 4 based on the imposition information, and a surface. And an outlet selection means 32 for operating the outlet selection mechanism 24 based on the attached information.

The bar code reader 28 is provided at a position 2 where each half surface of the positive film 2 in the width direction can be scanned.
It is provided in the place. As a result, the film direction identification means 33 is configured, and either of the barcode readers 28
It is possible to determine the current direction of the positive film 2 depending on whether or not the bar code 11 is read. When the surface of the positive film 2 on which the barcode 11 is printed does not face the barcode reader 28 side, that is, in the example shown in FIG. 1, when the barcode 11 is printed on the upper surface, Neither of the two barcode readers 28 can read the barcode 11, and the provisional page number, direction, etc. of the positive film 2 are not recognized. In such a case, as a reading error, the positive film 2 may be discharged to a discharge port at the time of error (not shown), and an alarm or the like for notifying the operator of the error may be issued.

The storage means 29, the collating means 30, the film direction changing means 31, and the discharge port selecting means 32 are constituted by, for example, a personal computer 34.

The imposition information stored in the storage means 29, that is, in the memory of the personal computer 34, the magnetic disk device or the like is stored in the positive film 2 in the arrangement and direction as shown in FIG. Are stored as an imposition information table indicating that the numbers should be arranged, and the provisional page numbers written on the barcode 11 are associated with the arrangement order and the like. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 37 is a plate type of each page. As the arrangement order, for example, the printing order by the automatic typesetting machine, that is, the order shown by the arrow in FIG. 4 that minimizes the movement distance of the exposure head is adopted.

The collating means 30 uses the bar code 11
The provisional page number read by is compared with the imposition information table, and the array sequence information and direction information corresponding to the provisional page number can be extracted. The extracted information is the film direction changing means 3
1 and the outlet selection means 32, respectively.

The film direction changing means 31 is operated when the direction of the positive film 2 discriminated by the bar code reader 28 for reading the bar code 11 and the direction information transmitted from the collating means 30 are different. The start signal is transmitted to the turntable 4.

The outlet selection means 32 is the collation means 30.
The discharge port 1 for discharging the positive film 2 by operating the discharge port selection mechanism 24 according to the arrangement sequence information transmitted from
5 can be selected.

The film collecting means 10 is disposed in close proximity to the tip of the inclined receiving plate 16 of the discharge port 15,
And a partition plate 35 that is vertically movable, and the partition plate 35
The collecting portion 36 is arranged at a position facing the inclined receiving plate 16 with the sandwiching member in between and is arranged so as to be movable in the vertical direction. A general linear moving mechanism 38 such as a cylinder or a ball screw may be adopted as a mechanism for moving up and down the partition plate 35 and the collecting section 36. Partition plate 3
5 is all the inclined receiving plates 16 in the state of being lowered to the lowest position.
The positive film 2 discharged to the side can be stopped and held on the inclined receiving plate 16. Further, the recovery section 36 is a box-shaped member having a wall surface constituted by the partition plate 35 and capable of accommodating the positive film 2, and is inclined like the inclined receiving plate 16.
The positive film 2 held by the partition plate 35 can be received by the recovery unit 36 when the positive film 2 is flowed out by being lifted slightly later than the partition plate 35.

The operation of the positive film sorter 1 thus constructed will be described below. In order to rearrange the positive films 2 using the positive film sorter 1 of this embodiment, first, the personal computer 34 is operated to convert the imposition information table stored in the storage unit 29 into desired data. prepare. Then barcode 1
A plurality of positive films 2 identifiable by 1 are stacked with the surface with the bar code 11 facing downward, and placed on the elevating plate 12 of the placing unit 3. In this state, the transfer means 6
When the upper lid member 18 is closed, the roller member 19 disposed on the lower surface of the upper lid member 18 is brought into contact with the uppermost positive film 2, and the lifting plate 12 is lowered against the biasing force of the spring 13. To be made. The spring 13 is the lifting plate 12
Since the positive film 2 is constantly urged upward, the uppermost positive film 2 is brought into close contact with the roller member 19.

In this state, the bar code reader 28 is operated and the roller driving means 20 is operated to transfer only the positive film 2 arranged at the uppermost position to the revolving table 4. Then, during the transfer, when the barcode 11 attached to the positive film 2 passes through the barcode reader 28, the temporary page number written on the barcode 11 is read by the barcode reader 28.

The temporary page number read in this way is transferred to the personal computer 34 and collated by the collating means 30 with the imposition information. Then, the direction information is transmitted from the collating unit 30 to the file direction changing unit 31, and the arrangement sequence information is transmitted to the outlet selecting unit 32. Based on the information, the turning table 4 and the outlet selecting mechanism 24 are transmitted.
Will be started. As a result, when the turning table 4 is activated, the direction of the positive film 2 is changed so as to follow the imposition information, and by the operation of the discharge port selection mechanism 24,
The positive film 2 includes the swing plate 26 and the film receiving portion 2.
It is guided by the guide roller 7 and discharged to a predetermined discharge port 15 and held on the inclined receiving plate 16.

By operating the film collecting section 10 in a state where all the positive films 2 have been discharged, the partition plate 35 and the collecting section 36 are lifted slightly later than the partition plate 35. Then, the tilt receiving plate 16 having the lowest position in which the positive film 2 is stopped by the partition plate 35 is the lowest.
The positive film 2 held by the partition plate 35 on each inclined receiving plate 16 is sequentially discharged to the collecting section 36. As a result, the positive films 2 whose direction and arrangement order are set so as to follow the imposition information are stacked in the collection unit 36, and are directly supplied to the automatic plate-making machine (not shown) arranged in the subsequent stage. By being
It is possible to quickly respond to changes in imposition information using the existing automatic plate version.

As described above, according to the positive film sorter 1 of the present embodiment, the stack of the positive films 2 in a state of being randomly stacked on the mounting portion 3 is simply mounted to match the imposition information. Since they are arranged in a state, it is possible to carry out the baking process by the automatic platemaking machine as it is, and it is possible to reduce the burden on the operator. Also, the film collecting means 10
Thus, the arrayed positive films 2 can be brought into a state of being supplied to the automatic plate making machine, so that the supplying work can be automated and the plate making work can be made highly efficient.

The positive film sorter 1 of the present invention
In that case, the following techniques can be adopted. Roller members 19 and 22 for pressing the positive film 2 from above and sending the transferring means 6 and the discharging means 7 one by one.
Although it has a structure consisting of etc., an arbitrary feeding mechanism should be adopted instead. The turning table 4 is driven by the motor 14, but instead of this, an arbitrary actuator such as a cylinder may be adopted. Barcode 11 as an identifier with a temporary number
The barcode reader 28 is used as the reading means, but instead of this, an arbitrary identifier and reading means are adopted. The positive film 2 discharged to the discharge section 5 is sequentially collected from the bottom by the film collecting means 10.
Instead, use a configuration that collects from the top. Although the discharge ports 15 are arranged in one row in the vertical direction,
Instead, for example, in the case of a double page system in which two pages are printed at one time, the outlets 15 should be arranged in two rows on the left and right.

[0033]

As described above in detail, the positive film sorter according to the first means of the present invention is provided with a placing portion for placing the positive films in a stacked state, a turning table for horizontally turning, and discharging. And a second transport means for transporting the positive film from the loading section to the swivel table one by one, a second transport means for transporting the positive film to the swivel table, and a positive film attached to the positive film. A reading unit that reads the identifier, a storage unit that stores the imposition information, a collating unit that collates the imposition information and the identifier, a film direction changing unit that drives the turning table based on the collation result, and a collation result. Since the discharge port selecting means for selecting the discharge port is provided, the following effects can be obtained. By simply placing the positive films in a stacked state on the placing portion, the positive films are arranged according to the imposition information, so that the burden on the operator can be significantly reduced. Since the arrangement can be accurately arranged in the arrangement to be supplied to the plate making machine, the work including the plate making process can be speeded up. Further, in the positive film sorter according to the second means of the present invention, the film direction identification means for identifying the direction of the positive film is provided during the transfer from the mounting portion to the turning table. In addition to the effect of the means, the arrangement work can be performed irrespective of the position of the identifier of the positive film to be placed on the placing portion, the arrangement work can be further speeded, and the direction of the positive film is repeated. The effect of being able to quickly respond to changes in Further, in the positive film sorter according to the third means of the present invention, since the discharging section is provided with the film collecting means for collecting the discharged positive film from one direction in the order of the arrangement of the discharging openings, the above effect can be obtained. In addition, there is an effect that the step of supplying the positive film arranged by the sorter for positive film to the plate making machine can be automated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a positive film sorter according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front sectional view showing the positive film sorter of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a discharge port selection mechanism of the positive film sorter of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an example of a block copy showing an example of the surface of the positive film sorter of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Positive film sorter 2 Positive film 3 Mounting part 4 Revolving table 5 Ejection part 6 Transfer means (1st transfer means) 7 Discharge means (2nd transfer means) 10 Film collection means 11 Bar code (identifier) 15 Discharge port 28 Bar code reader (reading means) 29 Storage means 30 Collating means 31 Film direction changing means 32 Discharge port selecting means 33 Film direction identifying means

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A placing section for placing a plurality of positive films with identifiers in a stacked state, and a turning table which is arranged adjacent to the placing section and which can be horizontally swung in a state where the positive films are placed. And a discharge unit arranged adjacent to the swivel table for arranging a plurality of discharge ports for storing the discharged positive films, and the positive films stacked on the placing unit one by one. A first transfer means for transferring the positive film to the table; a second transfer means for transferring the positive film from the swivel table to a discharge section; and a second transfer means for transferring the positive film to the positive film during the transfer of the positive film by the first transfer means. The reading means for reading the identifier, the storage means for storing the imposition information, the imposition information stored in the storage means and the identifier read by the reading means. The collating means, the film direction changing means for driving the turntable based on the collating result by the collating means, and the discharge port selecting means for selecting the discharge port based on the collating result by the collating means. A sorter for positive film. 2. The positive film sorter according to claim 1, wherein film direction identification means for identifying the direction of the positive film is provided during the transfer from the mounting portion to the turntable. 3. The positive film according to claim 1, wherein the discharging section is provided with a film collecting means for collecting the discharged positive film from one direction in the arrangement order of the discharging ports. Sorter.