JP2005319757A - Master residual quantity calculating method, master residual quantity calculating device, master residual quantity notifying device, and printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for more accurately calculating a master residual quantity having high reliability of a user and favorable usability by the frequency of a plate making, a device for more accurately calculating the master residual quantity by the frequency of the plate making, and a device for notifying the user of the master residual quantity by the frequency of the plate making. <P>SOLUTION: For this master residual quantity calculating method, a residual master sensing means 88 which senses the residual master quantity, a range calculating means 24, used master detecting means 88 and 103, and a frequency calculating means 24 are used. The range calculating means 24 calculates to which one from among a plurality of residual ranges a ratio of the residual master quantity to a new master quantity belongs from the sensing result by the residual master sensing means 88. The used master sensing means 88 and 103 sense a master consumption quantity since the change of the residual range by the range calculating means 24. The frequency calculating means 24 calculates the plate making available frequency from the master consumption quantity sensed by the used master sensing means 88 and 103. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for calculating the remaining amount of a master used for printing in a printing apparatus, an apparatus for calculating the remaining amount of the master, an apparatus for notifying the remaining amount of the master, and a printing apparatus including these apparatuses.

  Conventionally, printing apparatuses have been used for the purpose of printing a large number of sheets. As a printing apparatus, there is known a type of printing apparatus that makes a master plate and winds it around a plate cylinder to perform printing. In such a type of printing apparatus, the master is indispensable for printing, and if the master is consumed, printing cannot be performed. Therefore, as described in, for example, [Patent Document 1] to [Patent Document 6], various means for knowing the remaining amount of the master have been proposed.

JP-A-5-147341 JP 2001-212926 A JP 2001-353947 A JP 2002-211811 A JP 2002-211813 A JP 2003-72033 A

  However, with the means described in [Patent Document 1] to [Patent Document 5], it is impossible to know how many times the plate making can be performed later even if the approximate remaining amount of the master can be known. [Patent Document 6] describes calculating how many times plate making can be performed later, but this method may cause a problem in reliability of the numerical value. Further, conventionally, the user is not notified of the number of plate makings that can be performed later with specific numerical values. For example, as shown in FIG. It was only displayed in a split.

  Therefore, for example, when performing an operation of performing plate making a large number of times that consumes a large amount of masters, the user cannot confirm whether there are enough masters remaining for the number of plate makings. There is a need to continue monitoring the printing device during the printing operation for missing masters. In addition, such a display is insufficient for the user to manage the consumable master.

  The present invention relates to a method for calculating the remaining amount of a master more accurately by the number of plate making, a device for calculating the remaining amount of the master more accurately by the number of plate making, and the remaining of the master. It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for notifying the quantity by the number of times of plate making and a printing apparatus equipped with these apparatuses.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that the remaining master detecting means for detecting the amount of remaining master and the amount of remaining master based on the amount of remaining master detected by the remaining master detecting means. A range calculating means for calculating which remaining amount range of a plurality of remaining amount ranges having a predetermined width the ratio of the amount to the amount of the new master, and the range calculating means Based on the usage master detection means for detecting the master usage after the change, the remaining amount range calculated by the range calculation means, and the master usage detected by the usage master detection means There is a master remaining amount calculating method for calculating the remaining amount of the master by the number of plate making using a number calculating means for calculating the number of times.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the master remaining amount calculation method according to the first aspect, the remaining master detection unit is used as the use master detection unit.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the master remaining amount calculating method according to the first or second aspect, plate making amount detecting means for detecting the amount of master used for plate making is used as the use master detecting means. .

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the master remaining amount calculating method according to any one of the first to third aspects, a master size detecting unit that detects a size of a master to be subjected to plate making is used, and the number of times calculating unit is the master size detecting unit. The number of plate making possible times is calculated based on the size of the master to be made plate detected.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the master remaining amount calculating method according to the first to fourth aspects, a plate cylinder size detecting unit that detects a size of a used plate cylinder is used, and the number-of-times calculating unit includes the plate cylinder size. Based on the size of the used plate cylinder detected by the detecting means, the number of plate making possible is calculated.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the master remaining amount calculating method according to any one of the first to third aspects, the use master detecting unit uses a defect detecting unit that detects that a defect has occurred between the start of plate making and the start of printing. The usage amount of the master detected by the computer includes the amount of master used until the failure detection means detects that a failure has occurred.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the master remaining amount calculating method according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, an opening detection unit that detects that the inside of the printing apparatus has been opened is used as the defect detection unit.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the master remaining amount calculating method according to the sixth or seventh aspect, an off detection unit that detects that the printing apparatus is turned off is used as the defect detection unit.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the master remaining amount calculating method according to the sixth or seventh aspect, as the defect detecting means, a mounting defect detecting means for detecting a mounting defect of a pre-printed master on a plate cylinder is used. Features.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a master remaining amount calculating device that calculates the remaining amount of the master by the number of plate making using the master remaining amount calculating method according to any one of the first to ninth aspects.

  The invention according to claim 11 has calculation means for calculating the remaining amount of the master by the number of times of plate making, and display means for displaying the number of times of plate making calculated by the calculation means, and the remaining amount of the master is made by plate making. Is in the master remaining amount notification device that notifies by the number of times.

  A twelfth aspect of the present invention is the master remaining amount notifying device according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the calculation means is the master remaining amount calculating device according to the tenth aspect.

  A thirteenth aspect of the invention is a printing apparatus having the master remaining amount calculating device according to the tenth aspect or the master remaining amount notifying device according to the eleventh or twelfth aspect.

  The present invention is based on the remaining master detecting means for detecting the amount of remaining master, and the ratio of the remaining master amount to the new master amount based on the remaining master amount detected by the remaining master detecting means. , A range calculating means for calculating which remaining amount range of a plurality of remaining amount ranges having a predetermined width, and detecting a master usage amount after the range calculating means changes the remaining amount range Use master detection means, a remaining amount range calculated by the range calculation means, and a number calculation means for calculating the number of plate making possible based on the master usage detected by the use master detection means, Since there is a master remaining amount calculation method that calculates the remaining amount of master by the number of plate making, calculating the remaining amount of master more accurately by the number of plate making makes it possible to improve the user's reliability and ease of use. Calculation method can be provided.

  If the remaining master detection means is used as the use master detection means, the remaining master detection means and the use master detection means are shared, the control and structure are simplified, and the remaining amount of the master is determined by the number of plate making operations. By calculating more accurately, it is possible to provide an easy-to-use master remaining amount calculation method with high user reliability.

  If the plate making amount detection means for detecting the amount of master used for plate making is used as the use master detecting means, the amount of master used for plate making can be detected by a different configuration from the remaining master detecting means, and the detection accuracy By calculating the remaining amount of the master more accurately by the number of plate making, it is possible to provide a master remaining amount calculating method that is highly reliable for the user and easy to use.

  If master size detection means for detecting the size of the master to be made is used, and the number calculation means calculates the number of times that the plate can be made based on the size of the master to be made detected by the master size detection means. By calculating the remaining amount of the master more accurately by the number of times of plate making at the size of the master to be made, it is possible to provide a master remaining amount calculating method that is more reliable for the user and more convenient to use. .

  A plate cylinder size detecting means for detecting the size of the used plate cylinder is used, and the number calculating means calculates the number of plate making possible based on the size of the used plate cylinder detected by the plate cylinder size detecting means. If this is the case, the remaining amount of the master can be calculated more accurately by the number of plate making while referring to the size of the plate cylinder to be used. A calculation method can be provided.

  Using a defect detection unit that detects that a defect has occurred between the start of plate making and printing, the master detection amount detected by the use master detection unit detects that the defect has occurred. If the amount of master used up to is included, the remaining amount of master can be calculated more accurately by the number of plate making, taking into account the amount of use up to the time of failure, It is possible to provide a master remaining amount calculation method with higher user reliability and better usability.

  If an opening detection means for detecting that the inside of the printing apparatus has been opened is used as the defect detection means, the remaining amount of the master is also taken into account the amount of use until the occurrence of the opening of the inside of the printing apparatus occurs. Thus, it is possible to provide a master remaining amount calculation method that can be calculated more accurately by the number of times of plate making, has higher user reliability, and is easier to use.

  If you use an off detection unit that detects when the printing device is turned off as the failure detection unit, the remaining amount of the master is also taken into account the amount of use until the failure occurs when the printing device is turned off. By doing so, it is possible to more accurately calculate the number of plate-making operations, and it is possible to provide a master remaining amount calculation method that is more reliable for the user and easier to use.

  As a failure detection means, if a mounting failure detection means for detecting a mounting failure of a pre-made master to the plate cylinder is used, the remaining amount of the master is determined as a mounting failure of the master made to the plate cylinder. By taking into account the amount of use up to the time of occurrence, it is possible to calculate more accurately by the number of times of plate making, and it is possible to provide a master remaining amount calculation method that is more reliable and user-friendly. .

  The present invention resides in a master remaining amount calculation device that calculates the remaining amount of the master by the number of plate making using the master remaining amount calculating method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and therefore, the remaining amount of the master Is calculated more accurately by the number of times of plate making, it is possible to provide a master remaining amount calculation device that is highly reliable for the user and easy to use.

  The present invention has a calculating means for calculating the remaining amount of the master by the number of times of the plate making, and a display means for displaying the number of times of the plate making calculated by the calculating means, and the remaining amount of the master by the number of times of the plate making. Since there is a master remaining amount notification device that notifies, the remaining amount of the master is calculated by the number of plate making, and by displaying this, for example, when performing an operation to make a large number of plate making, consuming a large amount of master, Since the user can check whether or not there is a master that can perform the plate making that many times, it is not necessary to keep monitoring the printing device during the printing operation. Therefore, it is possible to provide a master remaining amount notification device that is highly reliable for the user and easy to use.

  If the calculating means is the master remaining amount calculating device according to claim 10, the remaining amount of the master is calculated more accurately by the number of plate making by the master remaining amount calculating device, and this is displayed, For example, when performing a large number of master-making operations that consume a large amount of masters, the user can check whether there are enough masters left to make that many times. There is no need to continue to monitor the printing device during printing operations, and the master consumable can be easily managed, so the master remaining amount notification is more reliable and user-friendly. An apparatus can be provided.

  Since the present invention resides in the master remaining amount calculating device according to claim 10 or the printing device having the master remaining amount notifying device according to claim 11 or 12, the master remaining amount can be obtained by the number of plate making. Therefore, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus with high user reliability and ease of use.

  FIG. 1 shows an outline of a stencil printing apparatus integrated with a thermal digital plate making as a printing apparatus to which the present invention is applied. The stencil printing apparatus 1 includes a printing unit 2 shown in FIG. 1, a plate making device 3 as a plate making writing device as a plate making unit, a document reading device 32 as a document reading unit, and a paper feeding device 4 as a paper feeding unit. , A plate discharging device 5 as a plate discharging portion, a paper discharge portion 6, an opening / closing panel (not shown) in which the inside of the main body of the stencil printing device 1 is exposed when opened, an operation panel 69 shown in FIG. 3, and a control portion shown in FIG. Control means 24, an opening detection means 89 for detecting that the inside of the stencil printing apparatus 1 has been opened by the open / close panel, and a power switch 95.

The printing unit 2 includes a plate cylinder 7, an ink supply unit 8, a press roller 9, a master presence / absence detection unit 108 shown in FIG. 4, and a plate cylinder size detection unit 115 that detects the size of the plate cylinder 7. ing.
The plate cylinder 7 is formed in a cylindrical shape by a stainless steel thin plate etched or a nickel electroformed thin plate. The plate cylinder 7 has a large number of holes having a diameter of about 0.15 to 0.5 mm at intervals of about 0.25 to 1.0 mm on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and is driven by a main motor (not shown) as driving means. Driven by rotation. The main motor is driven by the printing unit drive circuit 101 shown in FIG. The plate cylinder 7 can be replaced with one having a different size, specifically, an A3 drum size or an A4 drum size depending on the size of an image to be printed.
The plate cylinder size detecting means 115 detects the size of the plate cylinder 7 mounted in the stencil printing apparatus 1, and sends a signal relating to the size of the plate cylinder 7 to the control means 24.

  On the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7, about 1 to 3 layers of mesh screens (not shown) having a mesh number of about # 100 to 400 woven with polyester or stainless fine wire are wound. On the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7, a clamper 11 is disposed as a clamping unit that clamps the tip of the master 34. Both ends of the plate cylinder 7 are fixed by flanges (not shown), and the plate cylinder 7 is rotatable around an ink supply pipe 13 (described later) located at the center of the flange.

The ink supply means 8 is disposed inside the plate cylinder 7. The ink supply means 8 includes an ink supply pipe 13, an ink roller 14, a doctor roller 15, an ink detection means 102 shown in FIG. 4, and an ink supply drive means (not shown).
The ink supply pipe 13 also serves as a drum shaft as a support shaft for the plate cylinder 7. One end of the ink supply pipe 13 is rotatably supported by a side plate of a casing (not shown) of the stencil printing apparatus 1, and countless small holes for supplying ink to the inside of the plate cylinder 7 are formed on the surface thereof. It has been drilled.

  The ink roller 14 and the doctor roller 15 are disposed below the ink supply pipe 13. The ink roller 14 is rotatably supported by the side plate of the plate cylinder 7, and its outer peripheral surface is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7, and is driven by the ink supply pipe 13 by driving the ink supply driving means. The supplied ink is supplied to the plate cylinder 7. The doctor roller 15 is rotatably disposed in the vicinity of the ink roller 14. The doctor roller 15 is disposed so that a slight gap is generated between the outer peripheral surface of the doctor roller 15 and the outer peripheral surface of the ink roller 14. A wedge-shaped ink reservoir 16 is formed in the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface with the ink roller 14. Forming.

  The ink supplied from the ink supply pipe 13 to the ink reservoir 16 passes through the gap between the ink roller 14 and the doctor roller 15 to form a uniform layer and is supplied to the outer peripheral surface of the ink roller 14. The ink detection means 102 detects the amount of ink in the ink reservoir 16, and sends a signal to that effect to the control means 24 when the ink amount is low, until the control means 24 does not receive a signal from the ink detection means 102. The supply driving means is driven to supply ink from the ink supply pipe 13.

  The press roller 9 is disposed below the plate cylinder 7. The press roller 9 is rotatably supported by a shaft (not shown) integrated with the press roller 9. The shaft is provided in a swinging means (not shown) that is slidably supported on a side plate of a casing (not shown) of the stencil printing apparatus 1 and is fixed to the side of the swinging means main body. Therefore, the press roller 9 is supported by the swinging means so as to be swingable and rotatable.

The press roller 9 presses the printing paper P fed from the paper feeding device 4 against the plate cylinder 7 to form a printing image on the printing paper P. At the time of printing image formation, the press roller 9 is supported so as to be slidable by the swinging means, so that its outer peripheral surface is brought into contact with and separated from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7 and is also rotatably supported by the swinging means. As a result, the printing cylinder P is rotated by the printing cylinder P that is pressed by the printing cylinder 7 and moves together with the printing cylinder 7.
The master presence / absence detection means 108 detects the presence / absence of the master 34 on the plate cylinder 7, and sends a signal related to the presence / absence of the master 34 on the plate cylinder 7 to the control means 24.

The plate making apparatus 3 is disposed on the upper right side of the printing unit 2. The plate making apparatus 3 includes a master storage means 28, a plate making means 29, a cutting means 30, a conveying means 31 as a master conveying means, a casing 94 shown in FIG. Master detection means 88.
As shown in FIG. 2, the master storage means 28 is fixed to the housing 94, and a holder 90 that rotatably supports a core portion 35 a of a master roll 35 that winds the master 34 in a roll shape, and rotates to the holder 90. And a flange 91 rotatably supported by the holder 90 at a position facing the end face of the master roll 35 that is freely supported.

  The holder 90 has a U-shaped groove 90a at the tip, and the core part 35a is fitted into the groove 90a and is rotatably supported. By attaching and detaching the core portion 35a to and from the groove 90a, the master roll 35 can be replaced as the master 34 is consumed. The flange 91 has a hole 91a into which the core portion 35a is fitted. When the master 34 is pulled out from the master roll 35 and the master roll 35 and the core portion 35a rotate, the master roll 35 and the core are rotated accordingly. It rotates together with the part 35a.

  The remaining master detection means 88 is attached to the flange 91, the plurality of reflection sheets 92 radially attached to the outer surface of the flange 91, and the housing 94 at a position facing the reflection sheet 92, and detects the reflection sheet 92. And a reflected light sensor 93 that sends a pulse signal to the control means 24. Since the number of reflection sheets 92 detected by the reflected light sensor 93 per unit time is smaller as the winding diameter of the master roll 35 is larger and smaller, the remaining master detection means 88 is per unit time detected by the reflected light sensor 93. The amount of the remaining master 34 is substantially detected by the number of the reflective sheets 92.

The plate making means 29 is arranged on the left side of the master storage means 28 in FIG. The plate making means 29 has a platen roller 36, a thermal head 37, and a stepping motor (not shown).
The platen roller 36 is rotatably supported by a side plate (not shown) of the housing 94 and is driven to rotate by a stepping motor. To do. The stepping motor is driven by a plate making unit driving circuit 103 shown in FIG.

  The thermal head 37 has a large number of heating elements. The thermal head 37 is attached to a side plate (not shown) of the housing 94, is urged by an urging means (not shown), and is pressed against the platen roller 36. The thermal head 37 performs melt-drilling on the master 34 drawn from the master roll 35 by the platen roller 36 due to heat generation, and the master 34 has been subjected to plate making. The heat generated by the thermal head 37 is driven by the plate making section drive circuit 103 controlled by the control means 24.

The cutting means 30 is disposed downstream of the plate making means 29 in the master conveyance direction. The cutting means 30 has a fixed blade 30a attached to the housing 94 and a movable blade 30b that rotates relative to the fixed blade 30a. The rotation of the movable blade 30b is driven by a cutter driving circuit 104 shown in FIG.
The transport unit 31 is disposed downstream of the cutting unit 30 in the master transport direction. The conveyance means 31 includes a drive roller 31a as a conveyance drive roller that is rotationally driven by a stepping motor as a drive means (not shown), a drive roller 31c as a delivery drive roller, and a conveyance driven roller that rotates with the drive rollers 31a and 31c. And a driven roller 31d as a conveyance feed roller.

  The conveying means 31 is also arranged between a roller pair constituted by the driving roller 31a and the driven roller 31b and a roller pair constituted by the driving roller 31c and the driven roller 31d, and a guide for assisting the conveyance of the master 34. A plate 38 and a guide plate 39 as a master guide plate disposed downstream of the pair of rollers constituted by the driving roller 31c and the driven roller 31d in the master conveying direction and guiding the master 34 toward the clamper 11. ing.

The driving rollers 31a and 31c and the driven rollers 31b and 31d are all rotatably supported by a side plate (not shown) of the housing 94, and the guide plates 38 and 39 are fixedly supported by the same side plate.
A pulley and a belt (not shown) for obtaining driving from the above-described stepping motor are connected to one side of the driving roller 31c. As a means for obtaining drive from such a stepping motor, a gear or the like may be used. The drive means for driving the drive rollers 31a and 31c may be electromagnetic clutches.

  When the master 34 is wound around the plate cylinder 7, the drive roller 31 c is configured to rotate with the master 34 as the master 34 is pulled out by the plate cylinder 7. Specifically, the bearing is constituted by a ball bearing having a low rotational resistance so that the accompanying rotation is performed, and the nip pressure with the driven roller 31d is an appropriate pressure. The stepping motor is driven by a master transport unit driving circuit 105 shown in FIG.

  The document reading device 32 is disposed on the upper left side of the printing unit 2. The document reading device 32 includes a document setting unit 40 that is disposed on the stencil printing apparatus 1 and sets a document, a document conveyance roller pair 41 that sends out a document set on the document setting unit 40, and a document conveyance roller pair 41. A document leading edge detection sensor 42 that detects the leading edge of the document that has been sent, a contact image sensor that closely contacts the document and reads a document image, that is, a CIS 43, a white reference plate 44 as a pressure plate that contacts the document to the CIS 43, and a CIS 43 The document conveying roller pair 45 that discharges the document read by the stencil printing apparatus 1 to the outside of the stencil printing apparatus 1 main body and the document discharge roller that stacks the read document that is disposed outside the stencil printing apparatus 1 main body and conveyed by the document conveying roller pair 45. A stepping module as drive means (not shown) for driving the paper base 33, the document transport roller pair 41, and the document transport roller pair 45 is shown. And a motor.

  The document setting unit 40 has a side fence (not shown). When detecting the leading edge of the document, the document leading edge detection sensor 42 sends a signal to this effect to the control means 24. The driving of the document conveying roller pair 41 and the document conveying roller pair 45 by the stepping motor and the reading of the document by the CIS 43 are controlled by the reading unit driving circuit 106 shown in FIG.

  The paper feeding device 4 is disposed below the plate making device 3. The sheet feeding device 4 includes a sheet feeding tray 46, a sheet feeding roller 47, a separation roller 48 as a separating unit, a registration roller pair 49, a guide plate 50, a sheet feeding tray 46, a sheet feeding roller 47, and a separation roller. 4 and driving means (not shown) for driving each of the registration roller pair 49 and the registration roller pair 49, and paper detection means 110 shown in FIG.

  The paper feed tray 46 is a stack of printing paper P on the upper surface thereof. The paper feed tray 46 is moved up and down by driving means (not shown) in conjunction with the increase or decrease of the stacked printing paper P. Therefore, the paper feed tray 46 is supported by the casing of the stencil printing apparatus 1 so as to be movable up and down. The paper feed tray 46 includes a side fence (not shown) and a paper size detection unit 52 shown in FIG. 4 that detects the width of the print paper P as the side fence moves and thereby detects the size of the print paper P. Is provided.

The paper feed roller 47 and the separation roller 48 are disposed above the paper feed tray 46. The paper feed tray 46 is moved up and down so that the paper feed roller 47 and the separation roller 48 come into contact with the uppermost printing paper P on the paper feed tray 46. The paper feed roller 47 sends out the uppermost print paper P on the paper feed tray 46. The separation roller 48 is configured to separate and transport only the topmost sheet when a plurality of print sheets P are pulled out from the sheet feed tray 46 and sent out by the sheet feed roller 47. .
The registration roller pair 49 is disposed on the downstream side of the separation roller 48 in the conveyance direction of the printing paper P. The registration roller pair 49 picks up the printing paper P fed by the separation roller 48, and synchronizes with the rotation of the plate cylinder 7 and the swinging operation of the press roller 9, and the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7 and the press roller 9. The printing paper P is fed to the nip N between the two.

  The guide plate 50 extends along the conveyance direction of the printing paper P on both sides of the registration roller pair 49 in the conveyance direction of the printing paper P, and is fixed to a side plate of a casing (not shown) of the stencil printing apparatus 1. Yes. The guide plate 50 guides the printing paper P fed by the separation roller 48 toward the registration roller pair 49 and guides the printing paper P delivered from the registration roller pair 49 toward the nip portion N. It is. The paper detection unit 110 illustrated only in FIG. 4 is disposed on the downstream side of the registration roller pair 49 in the conveyance direction of the printing paper P.

  The paper size detection unit 52 performs detection related to the paper size, and a signal related to the paper size is sent to the control unit 24. The paper detection unit 110 detects the printing paper P sent out from the registration roller pair 49 toward the nip portion N, and sends a signal indicating that the printing paper P has been detected to the control unit 24. Driving of the driving means for driving each of the paper feed tray 46, the paper feed roller 47, the separation roller 48, and the registration roller pair 49 is controlled by the control means 24, and is controlled by the paper feed section drive circuit 107 shown in FIG. Is done.

The paper discharge unit 6 is disposed on the lower left side of the plate cylinder 7. The paper discharge unit 6 includes a peeling claw 63, a paper transport device 26, a paper discharge tray 68, a paper discharge detection unit 111 shown in FIG. 4, and a swinging unit (not shown).
The peeling claw 63 peels the printing paper P, to which the ink has been transferred, from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7. The peeling claw 63 is supported by a rotatable shaft (not shown) supported on a side plate of a casing (not shown) of the stencil printing apparatus 1, and its tip is disposed so as to be able to contact and separate from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7. ing. The peeling claw 63 is swung by a swinging means, and the swing is synchronized with the rotation of the plate cylinder 7 so that obstacles such as the clamper 11 existing on the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7 do not interfere with the tip. Has been taken.

The sheet conveying device 26 includes a driven roller 64, a driving roller 65, a rubber belt 66, a suction fan 67 as a fan, and driving means (not shown).
The driven roller 64 and the driving roller 65 are rotatably supported by the casing side plate. The rubber belt 66 has a plurality of apertures on the surface, and is stretched between the driven roller 64 and the driving roller 65. The suction fan 67 is disposed below the rubber belt 66 between the driven roller 64 and the drive roller 65.

  The driving roller 65 is rotationally driven by a driving means, and this rotational force is transmitted to the driven roller 64 via the rubber belt 66. The suction fan 67 generates a downward air flow in FIG. 1 by rotation thereof, and sucks the printing paper P on which the print image is formed on the surface of the rubber belt 66. The paper discharge detection unit 111 shown only in FIG. 4 is disposed on the downstream side of the paper transport device 26 in the paper transport direction.

The paper P on which the print image is formed is conveyed by the rubber belt 66 that is rotated by the driving roller 65 while being attracted to the rubber belt 66 by the action of the suction fan 67.
The paper discharge tray 68 is disposed on the downstream side of the drive roller 65 in the conveyance direction of the printing paper P. The paper discharge tray 68 is detachably attached to a housing (not shown) of the stencil printing apparatus 1. The paper discharge tray 68 stacks the print paper P on which the print image is formed.
The paper discharge detection unit 111 detects the printing paper P conveyed from the paper conveyance device 26 toward the paper discharge tray 68, and sends a signal indicating that the printing paper P has been detected to the control unit 24. The driving of the driving means provided in the paper transport device 26 is controlled by the paper discharge unit driving circuit 112 shown in FIG.

The plate discharging device 5 is disposed on the left side of the printing unit 2. The plate removal apparatus 5 includes a master peeling mechanism 21, a plate removal storage unit 22, and a plate removal detection unit 113 shown only in FIG.
The plate removal detection unit 113 is disposed between the master peeling mechanism 21 and the plate removal storage unit 22 and detects a used master 34 conveyed from the master peeling mechanism 21 toward the plate removal storage unit 22. A signal indicating that the master 34 has been detected is sent to the control means 24.
The master peeling mechanism 21 is a mechanism for peeling the master 34 wound around the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7, and moves the upper plate discharging member 53, the lower plate discharging member 54, and the entire master peeling mechanism 21 (not shown). It has moving means and driving means (not shown) for driving the upper plate discharging member 53 and the lower plate discharging member 54.

  The upper plate discharging member 53 includes a driving roller 57, a driven roller 58, and a rubber belt 59 as a plate discharging belt that is stretched between the driving roller 57 and the driven roller 58. The lower plate discharge member 54 includes a driving roller 60, a driven roller 61, and a rubber belt 62 as a plate discharging belt that is stretched between the driving roller 60 and the driven roller 61. The driving roller 57 is rotationally driven by a driving unit. The driving roller 60 is connected to the driving roller 57 by a gear (not shown), and is rotationally driven by the driving means via the gear. The entire master peeling mechanism 21 can be moved in a direction in which it moves toward and away from the plate cylinder 7 by a moving means.

When the master 34 is peeled off from the plate cylinder 7, the moving means moves the master peeling mechanism 21 to a position where the rubber belts 59, 62 come into contact with the master 34 wound around the plate cylinder 7, and at that position, the driving means. However, by rotating the drive rollers 57 and 60, the rubber belts 59 and 62 are rotationally driven.
As a result, the master 34 wound around the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7 is sandwiched and pulled by the rubber belts 59 and 62 that form a pair in the vertical direction. When the plate cylinder 7 is rotationally driven in this state, the master 34 is peeled off from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7. The used master 34 peeled off from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7 is fed into the discharged plate storage unit 22 by the rotation of the rubber belts 59 and 62.

  If the used master 34 is not detected by the discharged plate detecting means 113 for a predetermined time after the above plate discharging operation, the control means 24 detects that the used master 34 has jammed. Judge that it occurred. The plate removal detection means 113 plays a role as a jam detection means for detecting that a jam of the used master 34 has occurred in the plate removal apparatus 5.

  The plate removal storage unit 22 stores the used master 34 peeled from the plate cylinder 7 by the master peeling mechanism 21, and is a plate discharge storage box as a used master storage means for storing the used master 34. The platen box 55 includes a compression plate 56 that compresses the used master 34 stored in the platen box 55, and drive means (not shown) that drives the compression plate 56. The plate removal storage unit 22 constitutes a compression unit that compresses the used master 34.

  The evacuation box 55 accommodates the used master 34 sent by the rubber belts 59 and 62 and has a box-shaped main body 25 having an open upper part, and a part of the stencil printing apparatus 1 that protrudes from the main body 25 and outside the main body. And the exposed handle 25a. The stencil box 55 is detachable from the main body of the stencil printing apparatus 1 so that the used master 34 can be taken out of the main body of the stencil printing apparatus 1 when the used master 34 is full. The handle 25a is a part that the operator grips when the plate ejection box 55 is attached to and detached from the stencil printing apparatus 1 main body.

The compression plate 56 is driven so as to slide in the vertical direction by the driving means, and is reciprocated between the outside and inside of the main body 25 of the stencil printing box 55 attached to the main body of the stencil printing apparatus 1. . The compression plate 56 normally occupies a standby position as a home position, which is the uppermost position, located above the main body 25 of the stencil box 55 mounted on the main body of the stencil printing apparatus 1, but has been conveyed by rubber belts 59 and 62. After the used master 34 is stored in the main body 25, it moves downward toward the lower limit position, which is the lower limit of the movable range, and compresses the used master 34 in the main body 25. After that, the compression plate 56 is compressed for a predetermined time and then moved upward to return to the standby position.
The control means 24 drives the moving means provided in the master peeling mechanism 21, drives the driving means provided in the master peeling mechanism 21, and drives the driving means of the compression plate 56 provided in the plate removal storage unit 22. It is controlled by the discharged plate drive circuit 114 shown in FIG.

  The opening / closing panel exposes the inside of the stencil printing apparatus 1 by opening it, and is provided for performing various operations such as processing and maintenance for the printing paper P, jam of the master 34, and the like. The opening detection means 89 is a push switch disposed on the main body side of the stencil printing apparatus 1 and detects that the open / close panel is opened and the inside of the stencil printing apparatus 1 is opened. 1 A signal indicating that the inside has been opened is sent to the control means 24. When the control means 34 receives a signal indicating that the open / close panel has been opened from the opening detection means 89, the control means 34 stops all the operations of the stencil printing apparatus 1.

  The power switch 95 is a switch for turning on / off the power of the stencil printing apparatus 1, and is disposed outside a casing (not shown) of the stencil printing apparatus 1. That the power of the stencil printing apparatus 1 is turned on / off by the power switch 95 is input to the control means 24 and managed. When the control means 34 receives a signal indicating that the power of the stencil printing apparatus 1 has been turned off by the power switch 95, it stops all operations of the stencil printing apparatus 1.

  The operation panel 69 is disposed on the upper front surface of the stencil printing apparatus 1. The operation panel 69 has a plate making start key 204, a printing start key 205, a test printing key 206, a continuous key 207, a clear / stop key 208, a numeric key 209, an enter key 210, and a program key 211 on the upper surface. A mode clear key 212, a printing speed setting key 213, a four-direction key 214, a paper size setting key 215, a paper thickness setting key 216, a display device 219 including a 7-segment LED, and display means including an LCD. As a display device 220.

A plate making start key 204 is pressed when the stencil printing apparatus 1 performs a plate making operation. When the plate making start key 204 is pressed, the plate making operation is performed after the plate discharging operation and the document reading operation are performed, and then the plate making operation is performed, and the stencil printing apparatus 1 enters the print standby state.
A print start key 205 is pressed when the stencil printing apparatus 1 performs a printing operation. When the printing start key 205 is pressed after the stencil printing apparatus 1 enters a printing standby state and various printing conditions are set, a printing operation is performed.

  The trial printing key 206 is pressed when the stencil printing apparatus 1 performs trial printing. When the trial printing key 206 is pressed after various conditions are set, only one sheet is printed. The continuous key 207 is pressed before pressing the plate making start key 204 when the plate making operation and the printing operation are continuously performed. When the plate making start key 204 is pressed after the printing conditions are input after the continuous key 207 is pressed, the printing operation is performed following the plate discharging operation, the document reading operation, and the plate making operation.

  The clear / stop key 208 is pressed when the operation of the stencil printing apparatus 1 is stopped or when the number is cleared. The numeric keypad 209 is used for numerical input. The enter key 210 is pressed when setting a numerical value or the like during various settings. The program key 211 is pressed when registering or calling a frequently performed operation. A mode clear key 212 is pressed to clear various modes and return to the initial state.

  The print speed setting key 213 is pressed when setting the print speed prior to the printing operation. A print speed setting key 213 sets a slow print speed when a darker image is desired or when the ambient temperature is low, and a faster print speed is desired when a thinner image is desired or when the ambient temperature is high. It is to set. The four-direction key 114 has an upper key 214a, a lower key 214b, a left key 214c, and a right key 214d. The four-way key 214 is pressed when adjusting the image position at the time of image editing or when selecting a numerical value or item at various settings.

  A paper size setting key 215 is pressed when an arbitrary paper size is input. The paper size input with the paper size setting key 215 has priority over the paper size detected by the paper size detecting means 52. The paper thickness setting key 216 is pressed when inputting the thickness of the paper P prior to duplex printing. The paper thickness setting key 216 is configured to select one of three types of “plain paper”, “thin paper”, and “thick paper”.

A display device 219 composed of a 7-segment LED mainly displays numbers such as the number of printed sheets.
The display device 220 is composed of an LCD. The display device 220 has a hierarchical display structure. By pressing selection setting keys 220a, 220b, 220c, and 220d provided below the display device 220, changes to various modes such as scaling and position adjustment, and various modes are possible. The mode can be set. The display device 220 displays the state of the stencil printing apparatus 1 such as “can be made / printed” as shown in the figure, an alarm such as plate making or discharge jam, paper feed or paper discharge jam, and printing paper. In addition, a supply instruction of a supply such as a master and ink, and a remaining amount display of the master shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are also displayed.
Various signals relating to operation commands and the like from the operation panel 69 are output to the control means 24.

The control means 24 is disposed inside the casing of the stencil printing apparatus 1. The control device 24 receives signals from various sensors provided in the stencil printing apparatus 1, the operation panel 69, etc., and performs various operations such as display on the operation panel 69 in accordance with this signal. It controls the overall operation.
As shown in the circuit block diagram which is an outline of the electric circuit configuration of the stencil printing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 24 includes a CPU 85 for performing calculation, a RAM 86 as a storage unit for recording various data, And a ROM 87 as a storage means in which a control program and the like are stored. The CPU 85, the RAM 86, and the ROM 87 are connected by a signal bus (not shown), thereby constituting the control means 24 having a known computer.

The CPU 85 is electrically connected to various sensors, various drive circuits, and the like via an interface (not shown).
Specifically, the document leading edge detection sensor 42, the paper size detection means 52, the operation panel 69, the remaining master detection means 88, the opening detection means 89, the power switch 95, the printing unit drive circuit 101, the ink Detection means 102, plate making section drive circuit 103, cutter drive circuit 104, master transport section drive circuit 105, reading section drive circuit 106, paper feed section drive circuit 107, master presence / absence detection means 108, paper detection Means 110, paper discharge detection means 111, paper discharge unit drive circuit 112, plate discharge detection means 113, plate discharge drive circuit 114, and plate cylinder size detection means 115 are connected to CPU 85.

  The CPU 85 includes an output signal from the document leading edge detection sensor 42, an output signal from the paper size detection means 52, an output signal from the operation panel 69, an output signal from the remaining master detection means 88, and an opening detection means 89. Output signal from the power switch 95, output signal from the ink detection means 102, output signal from the master presence / absence detection means 108, output signal from the paper detection means 110, and paper discharge detection means. An output signal from 111, an output signal from the plate discharge detecting means 113, and an output signal from the plate cylinder size detecting means 115 are input.

  Each input signal is processed based on the operation program stored in the ROM 87, and the operation panel 69, the printing unit driving circuit 101, the plate making unit driving circuit 103, the cutter driving circuit 104, and the master transport unit driving. The operation signal is output to the circuit 105, the reading unit driving circuit 106, the paper feeding unit driving circuit 107, the paper discharge unit driving circuit 112, and the plate ejection driving circuit 114, respectively.

In the RAM 86, an operation program called from the ROM 87 by the CPU 85 is temporarily written. The written operation program is rewritten by input from the operation panel 69.
The control means 24 is provided with a counter. When the stencil printing apparatus 1 is not used for a predetermined time, the control means 24 shifts to a power reduction standby mode in order to suppress consumption of main body power. Since the power switch 95 is also connected to the control means 24, the control means 24 performs all control and management related to the power supply of the stencil printing apparatus 1.

  Based on a pulse signal per time equivalent to the amount of the remaining master 34 sent from the remaining master detection unit 88, the control unit 24 determines that the ratio of the amount of the remaining master 34 to the amount of the new master is It has a function as range calculation means for calculating which of a plurality of remaining amount ranges having a predetermined width belongs to among the remaining amount ranges of eight levels in this embodiment. That is, the control means 24 serves as a range calculation means, which number of pulse signals per time sent from the remaining master detection means 88 and which remaining amount range among the eight remaining amount ranges recorded in the ROM 87. The CPU 85 compares the threshold value for determining whether the remaining amount range belongs to the remaining amount range of the eight stages. Further, the control means 24 recognizes that a certain remaining amount range has been changed to a different remaining amount range. This change in the remaining amount range is also performed when the master roll 35 is replaced with a new master roll 35.

  The control unit 24 also has a function as a number calculation unit that calculates the number of plate making possible based on the usage amount of the master 34 after performing the operation of changing the remaining amount range as the range calculation unit. That is, the ROM 87 records the maximum number of times of plate making for each remaining amount range, and after the CPU 85 recognizes the change of the remaining amount range, the actual number of plate making times in the remaining amount range after the change is actually calculated. By subtracting the amount of the master 34 used for the process, the number of times that the plate making can be performed at that time is calculated at any time. When the remaining amount range is changed next, the maximum number of plate makings possible in the remaining amount range becomes the number of plate makings possible at that time. In general, the master roll 35 is more capable of calculating the number of plate makings possible by such a method under the circumstances that the actual length is longer than the length displayed at the time of sale or the like. Accurate plate making times can be obtained.

The usage master detection means detects the usage amount of the master 34 after the control means 24 changes the remaining amount range. The use master detection means is composed of a remaining master detection means 88 and a plate making section drive circuit 103.
The remaining master detection unit 88 is used as a usage master detection unit by utilizing the fact that the pulse signal from the reflected light sensor 93 is equivalent to the usage amount of the master 34. Specifically, the correspondence relationship between the number of pulses from the reflected light sensor 93 in each remaining amount range and the amount of use of the master 34, in other words, the number of plate making performed, is recorded in the ROM 87. Using the correspondence relationship, the number of plate making performed at that point is subtracted from the maximum number of plate makings possible in the remaining amount range, and the number of plate makings possible at that point is calculated as needed.

  Further, the plate making unit driving circuit 103 is used as a use master detecting unit as a plate making amount detecting unit by utilizing that the number of pulses to the stepping motor that drives the platen roller 36 is equivalent to the amount of use of the master 34. It is done. Specifically, the correspondence relationship between the number of pulses to the stepping motor and the usage amount of the master, in other words, the number of plate making performed is recorded in the ROM 87, and the CPU 85 uses the correspondence relationship to record the correspondence. The number of plate makings performed at that time is subtracted from the maximum number of plate makings possible in the remaining amount range, and the number of plate makings possible at that time is calculated as needed.

In this embodiment, as the use master detection means, the remaining master detection means 88 is used in preference to the plate making section drive circuit 103, and the plate making section drive circuit 103 is used as an auxiliary. In other words, the plate making unit drive circuit 103 is used to detect the amount of the master 34 used until a failure occurs when a failure occurs between the start of plate making and the start of printing. Therefore, the amount of use of the master 34 detected by the plate making unit drive circuit 103 is an amount equal to or less than one plate.
Detection of the occurrence of a problem between the start of plate making and the start of printing is performed by a defect detection means. The defect detection means includes an open detection means 89, a power switch 95, and a master presence / absence detection means 108.

  The master presence / absence detection unit 108 functions as a failure detection unit even when the counter provided in the control unit 24 counts a predetermined time from the timing at which the master 34 should be detected by the master presence / absence detection unit 108. This is when the master 34 is not detected by the presence / absence detector 108. At this time, the master presence / absence detection unit 108 is equivalent to detecting a mounting failure of the master 34 that has been subjected to plate making to the plate cylinder 7 and functions as a mounting failure detection unit. In such a case, the control means 24 displays on the display device 220 that the jam of the master 34 has occurred in the path from the plate making apparatus 3 to the plate cylinder 7 and that the master 34 should be removed. After that, the opening detection means 89 detects the opening and closing of the open / close panel, and the operation of the stencil printing apparatus 1 is stopped until the master 34 is actually removed. The amount of the master 34 is detected by the plate making unit drive circuit 103 and used for calculating the number of plate making possible times. This improves the reliability of the number of plate making possible. At this time, the amount of use of the master 34 is one plate.

  The opening detection unit 89 functions as a failure detection unit when the open / close panel is opened between the start of plate making and the start of printing. That is, when the control means 24 receives a signal indicating that the open / close panel is opened from the opening detection means 89, the control means 24 stops all the operations of the stencil printing apparatus 1, so that printing starts from the start of plate making. All the operations of the stencil printing apparatus 1 are also stopped when the open / close panel is opened during Therefore, for example, when the open / close panel is opened while the master 34 is being made in the plate making apparatus 3, the plate making operation is stopped. Similarly to the case where the master presence / absence detection unit 108 functions as a failure detection unit, the control unit 24 displays on the display device 220 that the open / close panel has been opened and that the master 34 should be removed. 89 detects the closing of the open / close panel, and stops the operation of the stencil printing apparatus 1 until the master 34 being made or made is actually removed, and the master used at this time is stopped. 34 is detected by the plate-making part drive circuit 103 and used to calculate the number of plate-making possible times. This improves the reliability of the number of plate making possible. At this time, the amount of use of the master 34 is one version or less. When the open / close panel is opened during the plate making, the control means 24 drives the transport means 31 and the cutting means 30 promptly before stopping all operations of the stencil printing apparatus 1 so that the master 34 of the plate making portion is controlled. Since the master 34 is cut quickly, it is easy to remove the master 34 that was in the middle of plate making.

  The power switch 95 functions as a failure detecting means when the control means 24 detects that the power of the stencil printing apparatus 1 has been turned off by the power switch 95 between the start of plate making and the start of printing. At this time, the power switch 95 is equivalent to detecting that the power of the stencil printing apparatus 1 is turned off, and functions as an off detection means. When the control means 24 receives a signal indicating that the power of the stencil printing apparatus 1 is turned off from the power switch 95, the control means 24 stops all the operations of the stencil printing apparatus 1, so printing is started from the start of the plate making. Even when the power switch 95 is turned off before the start, all operations of the stencil printing apparatus 1 are stopped. Therefore, for example, when the power switch 95 is turned off while the master 34 is being made in the plate making apparatus 3, the plate making operation is stopped. The control means 24 indicates that the power is turned off illegally in the same manner as when the master presence / absence detection means 108 functions as a failure detection means after the stencil printing apparatus 1 is turned on by the power switch 95 and detected. The display device 220 displays that the master 34 should be removed, and thereafter, the opening detection means 89 detects the opening and closing of the open / close panel, and until the master 34 that is being made or has been made is actually removed. The operation of the stencil printing apparatus 1 is stopped, and the amount of the master 34 used at this time is detected by the plate making unit drive circuit 103 and used for calculating the number of plate making possible times. This improves the reliability of the number of plate making possible. At this time, the amount of use of the master 34 is one version or less. When the power is turned off during plate making, the control means 24 drives the conveying means 31 and the cutting means 30 promptly after turning on the power, so that the master 34 of the plate making portion is cut quickly. Removal of the master 34 during the plate making is safe and easy.

  In this way, the control means 24 considers the size of the master 34 to be made when making the plate making possible number of times as the number of times calculating means. That is, the control means 24 as the number-of-times calculating means calculates the number of times that the plate making is possible based on the size of the master 34 to be made. Detection of the size of the master 34 to be subjected to plate making is performed by a master size detecting means. The master size detection means is substantially constituted by a paper size detection means 52 and a paper size setting key 215. In accordance with the size of the printing paper P detected by the paper size detection means 52 and the size of the printing paper P set by the paper size setting key 215, the size of the master 34 to be cut from the master roll 35 is determined by the control means 24. Accordingly, the master size detecting means is substantially constituted by the paper size detecting means 52 and the paper size setting key 215. In addition to the remaining amount range of the master 34, the ROM 87 records the maximum number of plate making possible for each size, and after the CPU 85 recognizes the change in the remaining amount range, By subtracting the amount of the master 34 actually used from the maximum number of plate making possible in the master size, the number of plate making possible at that time is calculated at any time.

  The control means 24 also takes into account the size of the plate cylinder 7 to be used when calculating the plate making possible number as the number calculating means in this way. That is, the control means 24 as the number-of-times calculating means calculates the number of times that the plate making is possible based on the size of the used plate cylinder 7 detected by the plate cylinder size detecting means 115. The size of the master 34 to be cut from the master roll 35 is determined not only from the detection result of the master size detection means but also from the combination with the size of the used plate cylinder 7 detected by the plate cylinder size detection means 115. Because there are things.

  In order to enable such calculation reliably and promptly, the control unit 24 determines the remaining amount range in the RAM 86, which is detected by the remaining master detection unit 88 and the plate making unit drive circuit 103. The usage amount of the master 34 after the change, the size of the master 34 to be used determined by the detection result of the paper size detection means 52 and the paper size setting key 215, and the use detected by the plate cylinder size detection means 115 are used. Data necessary for calculating the number of plate making possible, such as the size of the plate cylinder 7, is recorded as non-volatile data at any time.

  Thus, the control means 24, the paper size detection means 52, the remaining master detection means 88, the release detection means 89, the power switch 95, the plate making unit drive circuit 103, the master presence / absence detection means 108, the plate cylinder size detection means 115, the paper size. A master remaining amount calculating device as a calculating means is configured to execute a master remaining amount calculating method that calculates the remaining amount of the master 34 by the number of plate making, to which the present invention is applied, from the determination key 215 or the like. This master remaining amount calculating device is provided in the stencil printing apparatus 1.

  The stencil printing apparatus 1 has a display device 220 as display means for displaying the number of times of plate making calculated by the master remaining amount calculating device, that is, the number of times that plate making is possible. The master remaining amount calculation device as the calculating means and the display device 220 constitute a master remaining amount notification device for notifying the user and the like of the remaining amount of the master 34 by the number of times of plate making. A master remaining amount notification device is also provided.

  5 and 6 display the remaining amount displayed on the display device 220, that is, the number of times of plate making indicating the remaining amount of the master calculated by the calculating means, in other words, the number of plate making possible calculated by the remaining amount calculating device of the master. Examples of things are shown. The display mode in which the display device 220 displays the remaining amount can be selected by appropriately singing the selection setting keys 220a, 220b, 220c, and 220d. When the display device 220 displays the remaining amount, In addition to the number of plate making possible times, the size of the used plate cylinder 7 detected by the plate cylinder size detecting means 115, that is, the drum size is also displayed.

  FIG. 5 shows a display mode common to both sizes when the drum size is A3 and DLT (double letter). When displaying the remaining amount in this drum size, the master 34 is set to the size of A4. The number of times that plate making is possible when performing plate making and printing by cutting with is also displayed as during A4 cutting. Therefore, it is possible for the user to know in advance the number of plate making possible when printing at a size different from the size currently designated for printing, and the usability is greatly improved.

  FIG. 6 shows a display mode common to both sizes when the drum sizes are B4 and A4. FIG. 6 shows an example in which the size of the master 34 is limited to A4 when the drum size is A4. In this way, the size of the master 34 is determined to be a constant size according to the drum size. When cutting, since the cutting is not performed with other sizes, only the number of times of plate making can be indicated.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of a process of calculating the number of plate making possible using an example of the master remaining amount calculating apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In the master remaining amount calculation device of this example, the amount of master in each remaining amount range is set to a length obtained by equally dividing the length of the new master 34, and the number of plate making possible times is used from the equally divided length. It is assumed that the calculation is performed after the length of the master 34 is subtracted. Specifically, the length of the new master 34, that is, the length of the master 34 corresponding to one new master roll 35 is 140 m, and the length of the master 34 in each of the remaining eight remaining ranges is 1/140 m. 8 is 17.5 m.

In FIG. 7, at the start, the remaining amount range in the eight stages is the third from the remaining amount, that is, the remaining amount range of 6/8, that is, the maximum remaining amount of the master 34 is 17.5 × 6 = It belongs to the remaining amount range of 105 m.
Based on the detection by the master presence / absence detection means 108, the master making is started and whether the master making is normally completed is determined (S1).

When the plate making is completed normally, the length of the master 34 used for the plate making is subtracted from the length of the master 34 remaining before the plate making (S2). At this time, the length of the master 34 used for plate making differs depending on the detection result by the paper size detection means 52 and the paper size setting key 215 as the master size detection means and the detection result by the plate cylinder size detection means 115.
On the other hand, if the plate making is not completed normally, the transport amount of the master 34 calculated based on the drive of the plate making unit drive circuit 103 is subtracted from the length of the master 34 remaining before the plate making is performed (S3).

After performing steps (S2) and (S3), based on the detection result of the remaining master detection means 88, it is determined whether or not the remaining amount range has changed from 6/8 to 5/8 (S4).
When the remaining amount range changes to a remaining amount range of 6/8, the amount of remaining master 34, in other words, the length is corrected. Specifically, the reference length in the remaining amount range, that is, the maximum remaining amount of the master 34 in the remaining amount range is changed to 17.5 × 5 = 87.5 m (S5).
If the remaining amount range does not change in step (S4), the number of plate making possible times is calculated from the length of the master 34 remaining at that time, and the reference length of the remaining master 34 is corrected in step (S5). In this case, the number of plate makings possible is calculated based on the length (S6), and the calculation of the number of plate makings is finished.

Based on the above configuration, the overall operation of the stencil printing apparatus 1 will be described.
The user, that is, the operator, sets the original on the original setting unit 40 by abutting the front end of the original with the nip of the original conveying roller pair 41 while aligning the position with the side fence, and makes the plate making conditions by using various keys on the operation panel 69. When the plate making start key 204 is pressed after the setting is made, the document conveying roller pair 41 and the document conveying roller pair 45 are driven by the stepping motor, and the document is conveyed.

When the leading edge of the document is detected by the document leading edge detection sensor 42, the document is conveyed by a predetermined distance by the control by the control unit 24 based on the data recorded in the ROM 87. The original is read by the CIS 43 during the conveyance process, and the read original image is sent to the CPU 85 as an image data signal. When the stepping motor is driven by a predetermined amount and the leading edge of the document is conveyed to a predetermined position on the document discharge table 33, the driving of the stepping motor is stopped and the conveyance of the document is stopped.
In parallel with the image reading operation in the document reading device 32, the plate discharging device 5 performs a plate discharging operation for peeling the used master 34 from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7. The plate cylinder 7 around which the used master 34 is wound on the outer peripheral surface is rotationally driven by the main motor in response to an operation signal from the CPU 85, and starts to rotate counterclockwise in FIG.

When the rear end of the used master 34 wound around the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7 reaches a predetermined discharge position corresponding to the master peeling mechanism 21, the master peeling mechanism 21 moves to the plate cylinder 7 side. Then, the used master 34 is brought into contact with the used master 34 on the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7 and is scooped up. The used master 34 is sandwiched between the lower plate discharging member 54 and the upper plate discharging member 53, peeled off from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7, conveyed by the rubber belts 59 and 62, and discarded in the plate discharging box 55.
When the used master 34 is completely peeled off from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7 and the plate discharging operation is completed, the plate cylinder 7 is further rotated and the plate cylinder 7 reaches the home position which is the predetermined plate feeding position shown in FIG. Then, the main motor is stopped, the rotation of the plate cylinder 7 is stopped, the clamper 11 is rotated in the clockwise direction, and the plate cylinder 7 enters a plate feeding standby state.

  When the plate discharging operation is completed, a plate making operation is performed in parallel with the image reading operation in the document reading device 32. When the plate cylinder 7 is in the plate feed standby state, the stepping motor is actuated by an operation signal from the CPU 85, the platen roller 36 and the drive rollers 31a and 31c are rotated, and the master 34 is pulled out from the master roll 35.

  When the CPU 85 determines from the number of steps of the stepping motor that the image forming area of the master 34 has reached the position corresponding to the heating element of the thermal head 37, that is, the plate making position, an operation signal is sent from the CPU 85 and the document reading device 32 sends it. Based on the sent image data signal, the heat generating element of the thermal head 37 selectively generates heat, and a perforated plate-making image is formed on the master 34. The CPU 85 drives the stepping motor of the document reading device 32 when the master 34 reaches the plate making position.

  The master 34 on which the perforated plate making image is formed is conveyed to the clamper 11 by the conveying means 31 while being guided by the guide plates 38 and 39. If the CPU 85 determines that the leading edge of the master 34 has reached the clamper 11 and the plate feeding has been started based on the number of steps of the stepping motor, the clamper 11 is closed and the leading edge of the master 34 is clamped. The plate cylinder 7 is rotationally driven by the main motor in the clockwise direction at the same peripheral speed as the conveying speed of the master 34, the winding operation of the master 34 around the plate cylinder 7 is performed, and the plate feeding operation is continued.

  During the winding operation, the CPU 85 determines that the plate making for one plate has been completed based on the number of steps of the stepping motor. The CPU 85 stops the rotation of the platen roller 24 and each of the driving rollers 31a and 31c, and rotates the movable blade 30b to cut the master 34. The master 34 is pulled out by the rotation operation of the plate cylinder 7 even after cutting, and when the plate cylinder 7 reaches the home position again, the master 34 for one plate is wound, the plate feeding is completed, and the drive of the main motor is stopped. The winding operation is completed.

At this time, the used master 34 discarded in the discharge box 55 is compressed by the compression plate 56.
Subsequent to the winding operation, a plate attaching operation is performed. When the plate cylinder 7 stops at the home position, the plate cylinder 7 is driven to rotate at a low speed, and the paper feed roller 47, separation roller 48, drive roller 65, and suction fan 67 are driven to rotate. By rotation of the paper feed roller 47 and the separation roller 48, only the topmost print paper P among a plurality of print papers P stacked on the paper feed tray 46 is drawn out, and is supplied to the registration roller pair 49. It is praised.

  When the front end portion of the image area of the master 34 wound around the plate cylinder 7 in the rotation direction of the plate cylinder 7 reaches a position corresponding to the press roller 9, an operation signal is sent from the CPU 85 and the registration roller pair 49. Rotates, and the printing paper P is fed to the nip portion N. The CPU 85 swings the press roller 9 following the operation signal to the registration roller pair 49. The printing paper P fed from the registration roller pair 49 is pressed against the master 34 wound around the plate cylinder 7 by the press roller 9.

By this pressing operation, the press roller 9, the printing paper P, the master 34, and the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7 are pressed against each other, and the ink supplied to the inner peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7 by the ink roller 14 is After exuding from the opening portion of the surface and the mesh screen, the space between the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7 and the master 34 is filled and transferred to the printing paper P through the perforated portion of the master 34.
The printing paper P to which the ink has been transferred is peeled off from the outer peripheral surface of the plate cylinder 7 at the tip of the peeling claw 63 and falls downward, and leftward while being attracted to the upper surface of the rubber belt 66 by the suction force of the suction fan 67. And is discharged onto the discharge tray 68. With this series of steps, the plate attaching operation is completed, and the stencil printing apparatus 1 enters a print standby state.

  In the stencil printing apparatus 1 in which the operations of reading the original, discharging the plate, making the plate, and making the plate are completed, and the stencil printing apparatus 1 is in the print standby state, when the test printing key 207 is pressed by the operator, The topmost printing paper on the tray 46 is pulled out by the paper feed roller 47 and the separation roller 48 and is fed into the registration roller pair 49, and the plate cylinder 7 is rotationally driven by the main motor. .

  The registration roller pair 49 feeds the printing paper P between the plate cylinder 7 and the press roller 9 rotating at high speed at the same timing as the plate attaching operation. The fed printing paper P is pressed by the master 34 wound around the plate cylinder 7 by the press roller 9 to transfer ink, and after a printed image is formed on the upper surface thereof, the peeling cylinder 63 removes the plate cylinder 7. Is peeled off from the outer peripheral surface of the sheet, conveyed to the left by the rubber belt 66, and discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 68. The plate cylinder 7 returns to the home position again, and the trial printing operation is completed.

  After confirming the density and position of the printed image by this trial printing, adjusting these with the various keys on the operation panel 69 and performing the trial printing again, after specifying the number of prints with the numeric keypad 209 and performing various settings, By pressing the print start key 205, the printing paper P is continuously sent from the paper feeding device 4 and the printing operation is performed. Even after the printing operation is completed, the plate cylinder 7 returns to the home position again.

  As described above, as a mode for carrying out the present invention, a master remaining amount calculating method, a master remaining amount calculating device, a master remaining amount notifying device, a stencil printing apparatus 1 as a printing apparatus, and a printing apparatus using the same However, when an external input / output device such as a personal computer can be connected to the stencil printing apparatus 1, a master size detecting means and a display means are configured by the external input / output device. Can do.

  When the amount of master required for plate making and the number of plate making are known in advance by input from the operation panel, external input device, etc., if this exceeds the amount of remaining master and the number of plate making possible, that effect May be displayed on the display means, plate-making may be prohibited, plate-making and printing are performed as much as possible, and when the master is insufficient, plate-making and printing are stopped, and this is indicated by a display device May be displayed.

  The configuration aspect of the remaining master detection means is not limited to the configuration aspect of the remaining master detection means in the above-described form, and for example, a means for directly measuring the diameter of the master roll may be used as the remaining master detection means. In the above-described embodiment, the remaining master detection means is the master and the plate making part drive circuit is the slave as the use master detection means. However, these master-slave relationships may be reversed, or only one of them may be used. It may be used.

  The defect detection means may be a means other than the opening detection means, the off detection means, and the mounting failure detection means. The present invention can be applied to any type of printing apparatus that uses a master. The present invention can also be applied to a printing apparatus that uses a plurality of masters for one printing, such as a plurality of plate cylinders. The application of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment unless particularly limited in the above description.

1 is a front view showing an outline of a printing apparatus to which the present invention is applied, including a master remaining amount calculation device that performs a master remaining amount calculation method to which the present invention is applied, and a master remaining amount notification device to which the present invention is applied. It is a front view of the remaining master detection means mounted in the printing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the operation panel with which the printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 was equipped. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control unit, a master remaining amount calculation device, a master remaining amount notification device, and the like that are provided in the printing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1; It is a top view which shows an example of the display mode of the display means with which the operation panel shown in FIG. 3 was equipped. It is a top view which shows an example of the display mode of the display means with which the operation panel shown in FIG. 3 was equipped. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the calculation process of the platemaking possible number of sheets by the master remaining amount calculation method to which this invention is applied. It is a top view which shows the display mode of the conventional master remaining amount.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printing apparatus 24 Range calculation means, frequency | count calculation means 34 Master 52 Master size detection means 88 Remaining master detection means, Use master detection means 89 Opening detection means, defect detection means 95 Off detection means, defect detection means 103 Plate making amount detection means, Use master detection means 108 Mounting failure detection means, failure detection means 115 Plate cylinder size detection means 215 Master size detection means 220 Display means

Claims (13)

A remaining master detecting means for detecting the amount of remaining master;
Based on the amount of remaining master detected by the remaining master detecting means, the remaining amount of the remaining master in which the ratio of the remaining master amount to the new master amount has a predetermined width. A range calculation means for calculating whether it belongs to the range;
Use master detection means for detecting the usage amount of the master after the range calculation means has changed the remaining amount range;
Based on the remaining amount range calculated by the range calculation means and the master usage detected by the use master detection means, the number calculation means for calculating the number of plate making possible,
A master remaining amount calculation method for calculating the remaining amount of the master by the number of plate making.   2. The master remaining amount calculating method according to claim 1, wherein the remaining master detecting unit is used as the used master detecting unit.   3. A master remaining amount calculating method according to claim 1, wherein a plate making amount detecting means for detecting the amount of master used for making a plate is used as the used master detecting means.   4. The master remaining amount calculating method according to claim 1, wherein master size detecting means for detecting a size of a master to be subjected to plate making is used, and the number of times calculating means is a master to be subjected to plate making detected by the master size detecting means. A master remaining amount calculating method characterized in that the number of plate making possible times is calculated based on the size of the master.   5. The master remaining amount calculating method according to claim 1, wherein a plate cylinder size detecting unit that detects a size of a used plate cylinder is used, and the number of times calculating unit is used as detected by the plate cylinder size detecting unit. A master remaining amount calculation method characterized in that the number of plate making possible times is calculated based on the size of a plate cylinder.   4. The master remaining amount calculating method according to claim 1, wherein a defect detecting means for detecting that a defect has occurred between the start of plate making and the start of printing is used, and the master usage amount detected by the use master detecting means is determined. Includes a master amount used until the failure detection means detects that a failure has occurred.   7. A master remaining amount calculating method according to claim 6, wherein an opening detecting means for detecting that the inside of the printing apparatus has been opened is used as the defect detecting means.   The master remaining amount calculating method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein an off detecting means for detecting that the printing apparatus is turned off is used as the defect detecting means.   8. A master remaining amount calculating method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein a mounting failure detecting means for detecting a mounting failure of a pre-printed master to a plate cylinder is used as the failure detecting means. .   A master remaining amount calculating device that calculates the remaining amount of a master by the number of plate making using the master remaining amount calculating method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.   A master means for calculating the remaining amount of the master by the number of times of the plate making; and a display means for displaying the number of times of the plate making calculated by the calculating means; Quantity notification device.   The master remaining amount notification device according to claim 11, wherein the calculation means is the master remaining amount calculation device according to claim 10. A printing apparatus comprising the master remaining amount calculating device according to claim 10 or the master remaining amount notifying device according to claim 11 or 12.

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