JP2000025202A - Ink supply unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink supply unit in which the mass of used ink can be determined simply totalizing the quantity of used ink for a specified interval. SOLUTION: A flowmeter 4 is provided in the way of an ink supply pipe 3 between an ink drum 1 and the ink fountain 5 of a printing press 6. Output from the flowmeter 4 is fed to a control board 7 and flow rate of ink passing through the ink supply pipe 3 is converted into a mass by a converting means in the control board 7. A totalizing means totalizes the mass for a specified interval and presents a mass value representative of the quantity of used ink.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink supply apparatus for a printing press which applies ink to a printing plate made from an original such as an image or a character, transfers the printing plate onto paper or the like, and makes a large number of copies.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An offset printing press is generally used for printing newspapers and magazines. Offset printing press
Ink is attached to a plate, printed once on a rubber surface, and then transferred to paper, and is particularly suitable for color printing. In the case of color printing, the ink is "the three primary colors of paint"
Indigo, crimson and yellow are the basics. The four colors added with black ink are printed one by one to create a subtle color tone.

[0003] The ink supply to the offset printing press is usually 200 kg for each color supplied from an ink maker.
This is performed by compressing the ink in the drum by a pump and discharging the ink from an ink supply valve to an ink fountain of a printing machine through an ink supply pipe. In most cases, the ink supply in the ink fountain of the printing press is sensed by an infrared or ultrasonic sensor, and the ink supply valve is automatically opened and closed so that the ink supply in the ink fountain becomes constant. I have.

Conventionally, when managing the amount of ink used in this printing press, the amount of ink used for one month is counted from an order slip to an ink maker, divided by the number of papers used, and one sheet of paper is used. A method of calculating the amount of ink used per unit is used. However, in this method, the amount of ink used cannot be calculated for each sheet, so that the amount of ink used for each lot or each sheet of paper having a different paper quality becomes unclear.

Therefore, in recent years, a flow meter and a metering valve are provided in the middle of the ink supply pipe to constantly measure the volume (liter, cc) of the ink passing through the ink supply pipe, and to total the ink consumption for each lot. What can be displayed on a panel is adopted. The printing press operator notes the amount of ink used for each lot from the numerical value displayed on the panel,
Data can be totaled for each day, week, and month.

[0006]

Whenever the remaining amount of ink in the drum can becomes small, a printing press operator places an order with an ink maker. However, since the slip of the ink supplied from the ink maker is displayed in mass (kg), it is necessary to convert the measured ink consumption from the volume value (liter, cc) to the mass value (kg). Use amount and ink delivery amount directly
There is a problem that matching cannot be performed. for that reason,
Time loss and order mistakes are also likely to occur.

Further, inks used for color printing are generally four types of ink, indigo, indigo, red, and yellow, and it is necessary to convert the mass of each ink. Are different, and an error may occur in the calculation.

In the automatic supply of ink to the ink fountain, ink is supplied when the amount of ink is reduced using a level sensor, and the supply of ink is stopped when the sensor detects ink. However, since the ink amount in the ink fountain is detected only by the sensor, the ink remains in this sensor and malfunctions, or if the sensor fails, the ink in the ink fountain overflows. Problem.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention provides an ink supply device that can collect ink consumption for a specified period and obtain the mass value as it is, and can cope with a failure of a sensor in an ink fountain. With the goal.

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an ink supply device according to the present invention comprises a flow meter provided in the middle of an ink supply pipe and a mass for converting an output from the flow meter into a mass. It is provided with a converting means and a totaling means for totalizing the converted mass. Thus, it is possible to measure the flow rate of the ink passing through the ink supply pipe, convert the measured flow rate into a mass, and add up the mass for a specified period to obtain the ink usage amount as a mass value.

The flow meter used here is capable of measuring the flow rate of a highly viscous fluid such as ink or heavy oil. The flow meter measures the flow velocity using a flow velocity meter and calculates the flow rate by multiplying the area. A volume flow meter or the like that measures the flow rate after receiving the flow rate for a certain period of time and outputs it as a pulse signal is used. In this case, it is preferable to use a rotary piston type micro flow rate measurement volume flow meter having the simplest structure.

Here, if the total ink consumption is transmitted to the ink maker using communication means such as a telephone line or wireless communication, the ink maker can determine the remaining ink amount and the ink usage status for each color. It is also possible to manage, and it is possible to save the trouble of ordering the ink, and to prevent an order error from occurring.

Further, there is provided an ink stopping means for stopping the supply of the ink to the ink fountain when the ink is not detected for a predetermined time by the ink detecting means provided in the ink fountain during the ink supply to the ink fountain. In this case, even if the ink detecting means fails, the ink supply to the ink fountain is automatically stopped after a predetermined time, thereby preventing the overflow of the ink from the ink fountain.

Here, as the ink detecting means, a means for physically measuring the amount of ink in the ink fountain, a means for detecting the presence or absence of ink, and the like can be used. Since it is a fluid, it is preferable that it does not malfunction due to adhesion to the ink detecting means. here,
It is preferable to detect the presence or absence of ink at the sensor detection position using a capacitance type level sensor that detects an increase in capacitance between electrodes due to an increase in level. The ink stopping means is constituted by an air type automatic valve, a check valve, or the like.

Further, a display device for displaying information relating to ink supply is provided, provided that the display includes at least one of ink usage amount, ink supply state, and ink supply setting information for a certain period. By displaying such information on the display device, it is possible to grasp the ink use state, and ink management becomes easy.

[0016]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an ink supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a detailed view of a portion A in FIG.
3 is a detailed view of the ink fountain of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a detailed view of a portion B of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a front view of a control panel, FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an ink supply device in FIG.

In the present embodiment, the ink supply device
The inks of black, indigo, red, and yellow in one drum 1 are compressed by a pump 2 and sent to an ink supply pipe 3, and the ink discharge port 11 with a check valve is passed through the ink supply pipe 3.
The ink is supplied to the ink fountains 5 provided at the upper and lower stages in the printing machine 6 by opening and closing the air type automatic valve 13. A flow meter 4 is provided in the middle of the ink supply pipe 3 to measure the flow rate of the ink.
Is being entered. The ink fountain 5 is provided with a capacitance type level sensor 12 as means for detecting ink.
This detection result is similarly input to the control panel 7. The control panel 7 includes a mass conversion means 15 for converting the output from the flow meter 4 into a mass, and a totalization means 16 for totalizing the converted mass, and further for controlling the ink supply to the ink fountain 5. It is. The operation panel 8 is for operating the printing press 6.

At the upper part of the control panel 7, a patrol light 21 indicating the occurrence of an abnormality is provided. On the front door 22, the control panel is energized, the empty state of the drum 1 is detected, ink is supplied to the ink fountain 5,
And an operation confirmation indicator light 23 indicating occurrence of abnormality, a pulse meter 24 indicating ink consumption, a touch panel 25 serving as a display device capable of displaying information regarding ink supply and allowing various instructions to be input to the control panel 7, Printer 26 that prints the used amount of ink used, print start switch 2
7 and a buzzer stop switch 28 and the like. As shown in FIG. 6, a changeover switch 29 for switching the operation of the air type automatic valve 13 for supplying ink to the ink fountains 5 of black, indigo, indigo, red and yellow is provided on the back surface of the front door 22. Provided.

Before and after the flow meter 4, an on-off valve 10 is provided.
a and 10b are provided, and a bypass 9 is provided before and after that from the ink supply pipe 3, and an on-off valve 10c is provided in the middle of the bypass 9. By doing so, when the flow meter 4 breaks down, maintenance can be performed without closing the on-off valves 10a and 10b and opening the on-off valve 10c to stop the ink supply. The flow meter 4 is a rotary piston type volume flow meter for minute flow rate measurement, which outputs a signal of one pulse every 6.6 cc of ink. Also, the on-off valves 10a, 1
Ultra high pressure ball valves are used for 0b and 10c.

As shown in FIG. 7, a pulse signal as an output from the flow meter 4 is input to the mass conversion means 15. The specific gravity of each ink of black, indigo, indigo, red and yellow is input to the mass conversion means 15 from the touch panel 25 in advance. The mass conversion means 15 converts the pulse signal into a mass of ink by multiplying the specific gravity by the pulse signal, and calculates the mass of the ink passing through the ink supply pipe 3. Further, the totaling means 16 totals the mass for each lot, for each day, week, and month.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a menu screen of the touch panel 25. The menu is a tabulation for displaying the amount of ink used for a certain period every day, every week, and every month (for last month and this month). A display button 31, an abnormality message display button 32 for confirming an ink supply state when an abnormality occurs, and an ink supply time setting for setting a time until ink supply is stopped after ink is ejected from the ink ejection port 11 with a check valve. A button 33, a clock correction button 34 for setting the date and time for counting the ink usage, and an automatic measurement setting button 3 for setting the measurement of the ink usage.
5, and a print selection button 3 for setting print items
6.

When an automatic measurement setting button 35 is pressed from this menu, an automatic measurement setting screen as shown in FIG. When the measurement start button 37 is pressed, the pulse counter is reset to 0, measurement is started, and pulse signals from the flow meter are counted. The mass conversion means 15 multiplies the counted number by the specific gravity of the ink to convert the counted number into a mass, which is displayed on the pulse meter 24.
When the measurement end button 38 is pressed, the counting of the pulse signals is stopped, and the counting means 16 counts the count of the pulse counter as one lot, and stores it in the memory. At this time, if the daily print setting is set to “use”, the ink usage amount for one lot is printed by the printer 26 as a mass value at the same time when the counting is completed. The count number of the pulse signal is always stored in the memory for one day.

When the total display buttons 31 are pressed, the counts of the pulse signals for each day, week, and month (for the last month and this month) are totaled, and the touch panel 25 is used as the ink usage amount for each period. Is displayed as mass. At the same time, by pressing a print start button (not shown) displayed on the touch panel 25, the currently displayed total result is printed by the printer 26 as shown in FIG. Alternatively, when the print selection button 36 in FIG. 9 is pressed, a print selection button (not shown) is displayed on the touch panel 25 for each day, each week, and each month (for the last month and this month). The result can be printed.

The ink supply to the upper and lower ink fountains 5 for the respective inks of black, indigo, red, and yellow is performed by a pneumatic automatic valve 13.
By opening and closing. An ink discharge port 11 with a check valve is provided at the tip of the ink supply pipe 3 so as to guide the ink to the ink fountain 5. The check valve provided at the ink discharge port 11 causes dripping of the ink remaining in the pipe between the air type automatic valve 13 and the ink discharge port 11 with a check valve when the air type automatic valve 13 is closed. To prevent

The operation of the pneumatic automatic valve 13 can be switched between "automatic", "off" and "manual" by a changeover switch 29 provided on the back of the front door 22. ", The pneumatic automatic valve 13 remains closed, and when set to" manual ", the pneumatic automatic valve 13 opens unconditionally. When the changeover switch 29 is set to “automatic”, the pneumatic automatic valve 13 is opened and closed by the control panel 7 based on the detection result of the capacitance type level sensor 12 as shown in FIG.

If the ink is released from the capacitance type level sensor 12 during the automatic supply of the ink, the ink is not detected, and the air type automatic valve 13 is opened (step 101).
The supply of ink to the ink fountain 5 is started. When the ink is replenished and reaches the capacitance level sensor 12, the ink is detected (step 102), the air type automatic valve 13 is closed (step 104), and the supply of the ink to the ink fountain 5 is stopped. The control panel 7 uses a sequencer to control the pump 2 by the capacitance type level sensor 12, and measures the elapsed time after the ink is ejected from the pneumatic automatic valve 13 by a timer (step 103). If no ink is detected by the capacitance-type level sensor 12 within the above, it is determined that there is an abnormality. Then, the air type automatic valve 13 is automatically closed (step 104) to stop the supply of the ink so that the ink does not overflow from the ink fountain 5. The time until ink supply is stopped after the ink is ejected is set after the ink supply time setting button 33 is pressed.

When an abnormality occurs in the capacitance type level sensor 12, a patrol light 21 on the upper part of the control panel 7 and an operation confirmation indicator lamp 23 on the front door 22 are turned on and an alarm buzzer sounds. At this time, when the buzzer stop switch 28 is pressed, the alarm stops, and by pressing the abnormality message button of the menu displayed on the touch panel 25, the location where the abnormality has occurred can be known.

Further, the ink holding plate 2a of the pump 2 is provided with a proximity switch for metal, so that when the amount of ink in the drum 1 decreases, the ink holding plate 2a
When the value of “a” falls and the ink in the drum 1 runs out, a signal is transmitted to the control panel 7 in response to the metal on the bottom of the drum 1, and the control panel 7 detects the empty state of the drum 1 and generates an abnormality in the same manner as described above. To inform. Further, the occurrence of an abnormality in the printer is also detected.

[0029]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) A flow meter provided in the middle of the ink supply pipe, mass conversion means for converting the output from the flow meter into mass, and totaling means for totalizing the converted mass are provided. Thus, the output from the flow meter is automatically converted into the mass, and the output is counted for each lot, day, week, and month, so that the ink consumption can be easily grasped by the mass value.

(2) Ink stop means for stopping the supply of ink to the ink fountain when the ink is not detected by the ink detecting means provided on the ink fountain for a certain period of time during ink supply to the ink fountain. Thus, even if the sensor fails, the ink supply to the ink fountain can be stopped, and the overflow of the ink from the ink fountain can be prevented.

(3) A display device for displaying information related to ink supply is provided, and the display includes at least one of the ink usage amount, ink supply state, and ink supply setting information for a certain period. Thereby, it is possible to grasp the ink use state, and it becomes easy to manage the ink.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an ink supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of a portion A in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the ink fountain of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of a portion B in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a front view of a control panel.

FIG. 6 is a detailed view of a back surface of a portion C in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an ink supply device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an opening / closing operation of the pneumatic automatic valve.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a menu screen of the touch panel.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an automatic measurement setting screen of the touch panel.

11A is a diagram illustrating an example of printing the amount of ink used for one week for each color, and FIG. 11B is a diagram illustrating an example of printing the amount of ink used for this month for each color.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 drum can 2 pump 2a ink presser plate 3 ink supply pipe 4 flow meter 5 ink fountain 6 printing machine 7 control panel 8 operation panel 9 bypass 10a, 10b, 10c on-off valve 11 ink discharge port with check valve 12 capacitance level Sensor 13 Air-operated automatic valve 15 Mass conversion means 16 Totaling means 21 Patlight 22 Front door 23 Operation check indicator 24 Pulse meter 25 Touch panel 26 Printer 27 Printing start switch 28 Buzzer stop switch 29 Changeover switch 31 Total display button 32 Error message display button 33 Ink supply time setting button 34 Clock correction button 35 Automatic measurement setting button 36 Print selection button 37 Measurement start button 38 Measurement end button

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An ink supply device having an ink supply pipe from a drum filled with ink to an ink fountain of a printing press, comprising: a flow meter provided in the middle of the ink supply pipe; and an output from the flow meter. An ink supply device comprising: a mass conversion unit for converting the mass into mass; and a counting unit for counting the converted mass. 2. An ink stopping means for stopping supply of ink to the ink fountain when ink is not detected for a predetermined time by ink detecting means provided on the ink fountain during ink supply to the ink fountain. The ink supply device according to claim 1. 3. A display device for displaying information related to ink supply, wherein the display includes any one of ink usage amount, ink supply state, and ink supply setting information for a certain period. 2. The ink supply device according to 1, 2.