JP3590290B2 - Plate supply device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial applications]
A color print is created through several processes such as an exposure process and a printing process. Prior to the exposure step, typically, four color image data of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and K (black) are created based on the color original image. In recent years, a plate recording apparatus for directly recording an image on a plate such as a PS plate (Presensitized Plate) based on such image data, a so-called CTP machine (Computer To Plate) Is under development. The present invention relates to a plate supply device that automatically loads a plate to a device that handles a plate such as a plate recording device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Usually, the printing plates are stored in a stacked state in a cassette. The plate supply device sequentially takes out the plates one by one from the cassette and supplies the plates to the plate recording device. The printing plate comprises a support layer and an image recording layer. Since the image recording layer is easily damaged, the image recording layer is housed in a cassette with paper called interleaving paper interposed between the printing plates. When supplying a printing plate to a printing plate recording apparatus, it is necessary to remove these slip sheets. FIG. 27 shows an example of a conventional plate supply device provided with such a slip sheet removing mechanism.
[0003]
The plate supply device of FIG. 27 is a box for storing the plate 261And the printing plate67Sucker for taking out62And interleaf68Roller for scraping off63And the interleaved paper that was scraped off68Pinch roller for conveying64,65And the interleaved paper that was transported68Container for collecting66And This printing plate supply device67And printing plate67Inserted paper between68Remove and collect the printing plate67Is supplied to an exposure apparatus (not shown).
[0004]
box61The printing plate67And interleaf68And are stored alternately. In addition, printing plate67Means that the image recording layer is a box61It is stored so as to face the bottom side. First, the roller rotating in the direction of the arrow in the figure63But the box61Move towards the side. And interleaf paper68Contact with the interleaving paper68And scrape it downwards. Scraped interleaf paper68The printing plate67Along the surface of the container66Slide down to the bottom. Slip paper slipped down68Is a pinch roller that rotates in the direction of the arrow64And pinch rollers65Bitten between the container66Transported to the inside of
[0005]
Next, sucker62Is a printing plate67Adsorbs on the surface. And sucker62The printing plate67At the same time, it is moved vertically upward. Then sucker62Is released and the printing plate67Is transported toward an exposure apparatus (not shown). By repeating the above operations,68Is a container66Collected in the printing plate67Is supplied to an exposure device (not shown) provided above the plate supply device.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In this device, the roller63And pinch rollers64,65And by interleaf68Has been removed. But Laura63Is not reliable because interleaf paper is removed by scraping. In particular, printing plates67And interleaf68If the paper is strongly electrostatic, insert68However, there is a great risk that it cannot be completely removed.
[0007]
In this device, the roller63By box66To the bottom of68After scraping off the roller63The printing plate supply could not be started without returning to the origin. Thus, there is a problem that the work efficiency is lacking.
[0008]
Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention
(1) First invention
A printing plate supply device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a printing plate storage member that stores printing plates and slip sheets alternately, and a plate end in the printing plate storage member that is gripped and transported to a printing plate discharge port. Plate moving means, and the plate moving means grips the end of the slip sheet on the side on which the plate is gripped.Raise and insertAnd a slip sheet removing means for removing the slip sheet from the printing plate storage member by moving the slip plate to a discharge port, wherein the printing plate moving means does not conflict with the slip sheet removing means. , The interleaving paper removing operation by the interleaving paper removing means is started.
[0009]
In the plate supply device according to the first aspect of the invention, the interleaf removing means moves the interleaf in a direction substantially orthogonal to the interleaf stacking direction after gripping the interleaf. Peeling can be performed reliably. That is, the reliability is high. Further, since the slip sheet can be removed in parallel with the printing plate movement by the printing plate moving means, the work efficiency is good.
[0010]
(2) Second invention
The plate supply device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the plate supply device according to the first aspect, wherein the slip sheet removing unit includes: a suction cup that sucks the slip sheet; a bracket that supports the suction cup; BracketUp and downDriving means for moving in the direction,Slip sheetA discharge roller has a pair of rollers for nipping the end of the slip sheet.
[0011]
In the printing plate supply device according to the second invention, the slip sheet removing means grips the slip sheet by the suction cup, so that the slip sheet is more reliably held.
[0012]
(3) Third invention
The plate supply device according to a third invention is the plate supply device according to the second invention, wherein the slip sheet removing means further includes a metal sensor fixed to the bracket, wherein the metal sensor is provided with the suction cup. 3. The printing plate supply device according to claim 2, wherein the suctioned sheet is determined.
[0013]
In the printing plate supply device according to the third invention, the slip sheet removing means further includes a metal sensor, and the sheet sucked by the suction cup of the slip sheet removing means is determined by the metal sensor. The removing means does not erroneously transport the printing plate.
[0014]
(4) Fourth invention
A plate supply device according to a fourth invention is the plate supply device according to the first invention, the second invention, or the third invention, wherein the plate moving means is configured to hold a substantially end portion of the plate. It is characterized by having a plate gripper, means for moving the plate gripper in the longitudinal direction of the printing plate, and means for rotating the plate gripper.
[0015]
In the plate supply device according to the fourth aspect of the invention, the plate moving means moves the plate in a horizontal direction while rotating, so that the plate can be moved while being curved. Therefore, even if the slip sheet adheres to the back surface of the printing plate, the slip sheet is peeled off in the process of bending the printing plate, so that the printing plate to which the slip sheet has adhered is not supplied.
[0016]
(5) Fifth invention
In the plate supply device according to the fifth invention, a plate storage member for alternately storing the plate and the slip sheet, and a plate end in the plate storage member are sucked to bend the plate. A plate moving means for transporting the sheet to the plate discharge port while the plate moving means adsorbs a slip sheet end on a side to which the plate is sucked and lifts up to the slip sheet discharge port to remove the slip sheet from the plate storage member. And a slip-sheet removing device for removing the slip-sheet removing device, wherein the slip-sheet removing operation by the slip-sheet removing device is performed after the plate moving device reaches a position where the slip-sheet removing device does not conflict with the slip-sheet removing device. It is characterized by starting.
[0017]
In the plate supply device according to the fifth invention, the slip sheet removing means moves the slip sheet in a direction perpendicular to the laminating direction after adsorbing the slip sheet, so that the slip sheet is separated from the plate. It can be done reliably. That is, the reliability is high. Further, since the slip sheet can be removed in parallel with the printing plate movement by the printing plate moving means, the work efficiency is good.
[0018]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
"1" Apparatus Outline FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a use mode of a plate recording system 1 according to the present invention. The printing plate recording device 3 is connected to the printing plate supply device 2. The plate supply device 2 automatically takes out the plate 4 from a cassette 30 (described later) disposed therein and supplies the plate 4 to the plate recording device 3. The printing plate 4 to be image-recorded includes a support layer and an image-recording layer that responds to heat and / or light of a predetermined wavelength, and is stored inside the cassette 30. Also, the image is generated by friction between the printing plates 4.RecordAn interleaf 5 is sandwiched between the printing plates 4 to prevent the layers from being damaged.
[0019]
The printing plate 4 is taken out from the inside of the cassette 30 by the printing plate supply device 2, and is placed on a transfer unit 310 of the image recording device 3 via a transfer mechanism 150 described later. The transport unit 310 has two transport paths that are vertically stacked, that is, a first transport path 312 and a second transport path 314. The printing plate 4 is sent from a first transport path 312 to a recording drum (not shown), wound around the recording drum with the image recording layer facing upward, and held by suction. The printing plate 4 on the recording drum is exposed by a recording head (not shown) which is driven to blink based on given image data. When the exposure is completed, the printing plate 4 is returned from the recording drum to the second transport path 314, from where it is carried to an automatic developing machine by an operator and developed. Alternatively, the toner may be directly conveyed from the second conveying path 314 to the automatic developing machine.
[0020]
An operation panel 318 is provided on the front of the apparatus, through which the operator can operate the plate supply device 2 and the plate recording device 3 and check the operation status. The detailed configuration of the printing plate recording apparatus 3 is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 10-222019, entitled "Cylinder Outer Surface Scanning Apparatus".
[0021]
"2" Description of mechanism of plate supply device 2 (frame, etc.) The above-described cassette 30 is placed on a cassette table 50 below the plate supply device 2. The cassette 30 is placed on the cassette table 50. Since four wheels 51, 51, 51, 51 are attached to the lower surface of the cassette table 50, it can be pulled out to the front of the apparatus. After the cassette table 50 is pulled out, the printing plate 4 and the slip sheet 5 are replenished to the cassette 30 thereon. Alternatively, the printing plate 4 and the slip sheet 5 may be replenished by replacing the entire cassette 30. In the following description, with reference to the state of FIG. 1, the right side (the surface facing the plate recording device 3) is opposed to the plate supply device 2, and the left side (the slip sheet discharge) is facing. The surface on which the holes 53 are formed) is called a slip sheet discharge surface, and the surface opposite to the front of the apparatus is called a back surface. The opposite surface from the slip sheet discharge surface is called an X direction, the front to the back surface is called a Y direction, and the upward from the bottom is called a Z direction.
[0022]
The slip sheet 5 sandwiched between the printing plates 4 in the cassette 30 is taken out of the cassette 30 by a slip sheet removing mechanism 190 described later, and the slip sheet provided on the slip sheet discharge surface of the printing plate supply device 2. The paper is discharged from the discharge hole 53 to the outside of the apparatus, dropped into an interleaf paper collection box (not shown), and collected.
(Overview of Plate Supply Apparatus) An overview of the plate supply apparatus 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The plate supply device 2 includes a loader mechanism 70 for taking out the printing plate 4 from the cassette 30, a slip sheet removing mechanism 190 for taking out and removing the slip sheet 5 from the cassette 30, and a loader mechanism 70 for each part of the substantially rectangular parallelepiped frame 10. A transport mechanism 150 for transporting the printing plate 4 taken out from the printing plate toward the printing plate recording device 3, a vacuum pump 17 which is connected to the suction pad of the loader mechanism 70 and the slip sheet removing mechanism 190, and This is a configuration in which an electrical box 16 for performing control is fixedly attached. The cassette table 50 and the cassette 30 are detachable from the plate supply device 2 as described above.
[0023]
(Frame 10) The frame 10 has a bar shape between two vertical support frames (a first vertical support frame 11 on the front side and a second vertical support frame 12 on the back side) that stand in parallel with each other. Two horizontal support frames (the first horizontal support frame 13 on the opposite surface side and the second horizontal support frame 14 on the slip sheet discharge surface side) are arranged, and a bottom plate 15 is interposed between the two horizontal support frames 13, 14. . An electrical box 16 and a vacuum pump 17 are fixedly mounted on the bottom plate 15, and a cassette table 50 is removably mounted thereon. The cassette table 50 reciprocates between the inside and the outside of the plate supply device 2 through the first vertical support frame 11.
[0024]
(Loader Mechanism 70) The loader mechanism 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. The loader mechanism 70 has a plate pad unit 81 having a plate suction pad 82 attached to the end thereof, and means for horizontally moving and rotating the plate pad unit 81. The loader mechanism 70 includes a first side plate 71 fixed to the first vertical support frame 11 so as to be parallel to the XZ plane, and a second vertical support frame 12 so as to be parallel to the XZ plane. And a second side plate 72 fixed thereto.
[0025]
A plate pad unit 81 is arranged between the first side plate 71 and the second side plate 72. The plate pad unit 81 mainly includes a bracket 108, first and second vertical shafts 111 and 112, a pad holding plate 115, nine plate suction pads 82, and twelve support rollers 120. , Six blades 100, a horizontal shaft 85, first and second bushes 83 and 84, projecting members 104 and 105 (not shown in FIGS. 2 and 16), first and second gear boxes 96 and 97. , First and second pinions 98 and 99.
[0026]
The bracket 108 of the plate pad unit 81 is a member composed of two arms (a first arm 130 and a second arm 131) having a U-shaped XZ section and a main body 132 elongated in the Y direction. It is. The bracket 108 moves in the X direction and the −X direction by rotating the first pinion 98 on the first rack 73 and rotating the second pinion 99 on the second rack 74, and performs the first and second rotations. The pinions 98 and 99 rotate about their axes.
[0027]
The loader mechanism 70 further includes a first rack 73 and a first guide shaft 79 fixed parallel to each other with respect to the first side plate 71, a second rack 74 fixed parallel to each other with respect to the second side plate 72, and It has a second guide shaft 80. A first guide slope 123 and a second guide slope 124 are further disposed on the first and second side plates 71 and 72.
[0028]
A first bush 83 is inserted through the first guide shaft 79, and a second bush 84 is inserted through the second guide shaft 80. The first and second bushes 83 and 84 are provided with driving forces in the X and -X directions by belts 86 and 134, respectively. Since the driving methods of the first and second bushes 83 and 84 are the same, the bush (second bush 84) on the second side plate 72 will be described as an example.
[0029]
A second belt 134 runs in parallel above the second guide shaft 80, and the belt 134 is connected to the second bush 84 by a second belt fixing member 88 (see FIG. 4). The second belt 134 is stretched between the pulley 91 on the facing surface side and the pulley 92 on the slip sheet discharging surface side. The pulley 91 is attached to one end of a horizontal shaft 85 extending in the Y direction. A pulley 90 is further fixed to one end of the horizontal shaft 85. A vertical belt 136 is wound around the pulley 90 and connected to the rotation shaft of the plate pad unit drive motor 95. Thus, the rotation of the plate drive motor 95 is transmitted to the second bush 84 via the vertical belt 136, the horizontal shaft 85, and the second belt 134. A pulley 93 around which a first belt 86 is stretched is fixed to the other end of the horizontal shaft 85, and the first belt 86 is connected to a first bush 83 via a first belt fixing member 87. Therefore, when the horizontal shaft 85 is rotated by the plate driving motor 95, the first bush 83 and the second bush 84 move simultaneously and in the same direction.
[0030]
As the first bush 83 and the second bush 84 move along the guide shafts 79 and 80, the entire plate pad unit 81 moves in the X direction and rotates around the Y axis. An origin sensor 129 and an intermediate sensor 128 are fixed to the second side plate 72. A blade 133 projecting toward the rear side of the apparatus is attached to the bottom surface of the second gear box 97 which is a part of the plate pad unit 81 (not shown in FIG. 2; see FIG. 3). The position of the plate pad unit 81 in the X direction is detected by detecting the blade 133 with the origin sensor 129 and the intermediate sensor 128.
[0031]
The plate pad unit 81 has a main body 132 and first and second arms 130 and 131 at both ends thereof. The unit 81 is held on the first and second racks 73 and 74 by the first and second pinions 98 and 99 connected to the arms 130 and 131, respectively. Since the configuration in the vicinity of the first arm unit 130 and the configuration in the vicinity of the second arm unit 131 are common, only the vicinity of the first arm unit 130 will be described. 3 and 4 are used. FIG. 3 shows a structure of the plate pad unit 81 near the second side plate 72 side, and FIG. 4 shows a side surface of the plate pad unit 81 from the second side plate 72 side.
[0032]
The second protruding member 105 is attached to the inner side surface of the second arm 131. The output shaft 102 of the second gear box 97 passes through the second protruding member 105. A second pinion 99 is attached to the input shaft 101 of the second gear box 97. The second gear box 97 is attached to the second bush 84 by a link 106. The second gear box 97 is a member that rotates the output shaft 102 at a rotation speed obtained by dividing the rotation speed by a predetermined number when the input shaft rotates by an external force. In this embodiment, the second gearbox 97 is set to a ratio (reduction ratio) in which the output shaft 102 rotates by １ ／ every time the input shaft 101 rotates seven times. The above description also applies to the first gear box 96.
[0033]
A hole 109 is formed in the upper surface of the second arm 131. The second vertical shaft 112 is fixedly fitted in the hole 109. A spring 114 and a pad holding plate 115 are movably fitted on the second vertical shaft 112 along the second vertical shaft 112. As shown in FIG. 4, the pad holding plate 115 is an L-shaped member extending in the Y direction. Nine plate suction pads 82 are fixed to the inner surface of the pad holding plate 115. Each printing plate suction pad 82, 82,. . . . Is connected to the hose 126, the plate solenoid valve 19 (see FIG. 2), and the vacuum pump 17 (the same). A second guide plate 117 is attached to a side end of the pad holding plate 115. A guide hole 119 is formed in the second guide plate 117, and the rotation shaft 121 of the support roller 120 passes through the guide hole 119 so as to be slidable along the inner peripheral surface of the hole.
[0034]
As shown in FIG. 2, there are a total of twelve support rollers 120. The support rollers 120 at both ends are arranged outside the first and second guide plates 116 and 117, and the other support rollers 120 are located inside the two guide plates 116 and 117.
[0035]
Six blades 100 are also arranged on the rotation shaft 121 between the support rollers 120. These blades 100 are members for supporting the printing plate 4 sucked and held by the printing plate pad unit 81 near the origin position (described later) of the printing plate unit 81.
[0036]
As shown in FIG. 3, an intermediate sensor 128 and an origin sensor 129 are screwed to the second side plate 72. Each of the sensors 128 and 129 outputs a position detection signal when the L-shaped blade 133 fixed to the bottom surface of the second gear box 97 passes through the gap between the sensors.
[0037]
(Interleaf Removal Mechanism 190) The interleaf removal mechanism 190 will be described with reference to FIGS. The interleaf removal mechanism 190 mainly includes two upright guide shafts 210 and 211, an interleaf pad unit 191 that moves up and down along the guide shafts 210 and 211, and the interleaf pad unit 191 lifts. And a slip sheet discharge unit 192 for discharging the slip sheet 5 to the outside of the plate supply device 2. The first guide shaft 210 is fixed to the first side plate 71 by bearings 213 and 214, and the second guide shaft 211 is fixed to the second side plate 72 by bearings 215 and 216, respectively.
[0038]
The interleaf pad unit 191 mainly includes a bracket 212 elongated in the Y direction, nine interleaf suction pads 231 fixed to the bottom surface thereof, and a metal sensor 232 fixed to a substantially central bottom surface of the bracket 212. And first and second sliders 219 and 220 for connecting the bracket 212 to the guide shafts 210 and 211. The metal sensor 232 is a sensor for detecting a metal material, and detects whether or not the printing plate 4 is attached to the interleaf sheet 5 that is adsorbed and fixed to the interleaf paper suction pad 231.
[0039]
The slip sheet pad unit 191 includes a slip sheet pad unit drive motor 227, first and second vertical belts 225 and 226, a rotating shaft 229, first, second, third, and fourth pulleys 221, 222, and 223. 224 to move up and down.
[0040]
The first vertical belt 225 is stretched between the first pulley 221 and the second pulley 222. Similarly, the second vertical belt 226 is stretched between the third pulley 223 and the fourth pulley 224. A horizontal belt 228 is provided between the third pulley 223 and the slip sheet pad unit drive motor 227, and the driving force of the slip sheet pad unit drive motor 227 is set to the second level via the horizontal belt 228 and the third pulley 223. The power is transmitted to the vertical belt 226. The third pulley 223 is further fixed with a rotation shaft 229 rotatably mounted between the first side plate 71 and the second side plate 72. A first pulley 221 is fixed to the other end of the rotation shaft 229. As described above, since the first vertical belt 225 is stretched between the first pulley 221 and the second pulley 222, the first vertical belt 225 is connected to the slip sheet pad unit transmitted by the rotation shaft 229. It is rotated by the driving force of the driving motor 227.
[0041]
An origin position of the slip sheet pad unit 191 is detected by an origin sensor 217 not shown in FIG. The uppermost position of the slip sheet pad unit 191 is the origin position. The vertical position of the slip sheet pad unit 191 is controlled by pulse control of the slip sheet pad unit drive motor 228 based on the origin position detected by the origin sensor 191.
[0042]
The configuration of the slip sheet discharge unit 192 will be described with reference to FIGS. The slip sheet discharge unit 192 nipping the slip sheet 5 by the slip sheet discharge roller 206 and the nip roller 199, and sends the slip sheet 5 between the upper guide plate 234 and the lower guide plate 235. An interleaf discharge hole 53 (see FIG. 1) is formed on an extension of the upper guide plate 234 and the lower guide plate 235.
[0043]
The slip sheet discharge roller 206 is rotatably held by the first and second side plates 71 and 72. A pulley 209 is provided at an end of the interleaf discharge roller 206 on the first side plate 71 side, and the pulley 209 is connected to the interleaf discharge motor 204 by a belt 205.
[0044]
On the other hand, the nip roller 199 is connected to the rotation shaft 200 by a first link 197 and a second link 198 (not shown). The rotation shaft 200 is rotatably held by the first side plate 71 and the second side plate 72. When the rotation shaft 200 rotates, the first and second links 197 and 198 and the nip roller 199 rotate around the rotation shaft 200. The rotating shaft 200 is rotated by a large gear 196 fixed coaxially with the rotating shaft 200, a small gear 195 meshing with the large gear 196, and a nip motor 194 fixed to the first side plate 71 rotating the small gear 195. And
[0045]
In the following description, the position of the nip roller 199 at the time of contact with the slip sheet discharge roller 206 will be referred to as a nip position, and the position separated from the slip sheet discharge roller 206 will be referred to as a rest position. As shown in FIG. 5, a slip sheet detection sensor 207 is disposed below the nip roller 199. The slip sheet detection sensor 207 is a sensor for detecting the slip sheet 5 lifted by the slip sheet pad unit 191.
[0046]
(Transport Mechanism 150) Returning to FIG. 2 again, the transport mechanism 150 will be described. The transport mechanism 150 has a configuration in which two slopes 155 and 156 are fixed between a pair of side plates 151 and 152, and transport rollers 157 and 158 and a pair of discharge rollers 153 and 154 are rotatably held. In addition, in the pair of discharge rollers 153 and 154, reference numeral 153 is assigned to a driven roller, and reference numeral 154 is assigned to a driving roller.
[0047]
The drive side discharge roller 154 is connected to a discharge roller drive motor 166 by a pulley 168, a belt 169, and a pulley 167 attached to an end on the front side of the apparatus, and is driven to rotate by the motor 166. A pulley 161 is attached to an end of the drive-side discharge roller 154 on the back side of the apparatus. Since the pulley 161 communicates with the pulleys 159 and 160 attached to the respective ends of the first and second discharge rollers 157 and 158 via a belt 165, the power of the discharge roller drive motor 166 is Not only the side discharge roller 154 but also the first transport roller 157 and the second transport roller 158 are rotated. The belt 165 is guided in a required direction by three guide wheels 162, 163, and 164 arranged at predetermined positions on the side plate 152. As shown in FIG. 17, a discharge sensor 172 for optically detecting that the leading end of the plate 4 has passed the discharge rollers 153 and 154 is provided on the plate discharge side of the discharge rollers 153 and 154. Have been. The discharge sensor 172 detects that the discharge rollers 153 and 154 hold the plate 4.
[0048]
In the plate supply device 2, the plate 4 and the interleaf 5 are taken out of the cassette 30 separately, but the plate 4 is erroneously conveyed to the discharge rollers 153 and 154 with the interleaf 5 adhered. May be done. In order to detect such an incorrectly fed slip sheet 5, two slip sheet sensors 174 and 174 are provided at the plate discharge side positions of the discharge rollers 153 and 154. These slip sheet sensors 174 and 174 detect that the slip sheet 5 has adhered to the printing plate 4 by detecting a difference in reflectance between the printing plate 4 and the slip sheet 5.
[0049]
(Explanation of Principle) FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram for explaining plate transport. The rolling of the circle C having the radius r on the line LL is illustrated in five stages (first to fifth stages). In the first stage, a point on the circle C that is in contact with the line L is P1. An arbitrary point fixed on the line LL is defined as Q. Let L be the length of the line connecting point P1 and point Q.
[0050]
As the circle C rotates, the point P1 moves. The point P1 at the second stage is P2, the point P1 at the second stage is P2, the point P1 at the third stage is P3, the point P1 at the fourth stage is P4, and the point P1 at the fifth stage is P5. I do. The length of the curve connecting the point P1 and the point Q at each stage is defined by the arc of the arc between the point P1 and the intersection (P1, I2, I3, I4, P5) of the circle C and the line LL at each stage. It is defined as the sum of the length and the length of a straight line connecting these intersections and the point Q. That is, in the second stage, the length of the curve connecting the point P2 and the point Q is defined as the sum of the length of the arc between the point P2 and the intersection I2 and the length of the straight line connecting the intersection I2 and the point Q. I do. Hereinafter, P3 in the third stage and P4 in the fourth stage follow this. The length of the curve connecting P5 and point Q in the fifth stage is the sum of the length of the straight line connecting point P5 and point Q and the circumference of circle C. The length of the curve connecting the points P and Q at each stage is L. That is, the length of the curve connecting the point on the rotating circle and the point on the bottom line does not change during one rotation of the circle.
[0051]
FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a state in which the leading end of the printing plate 4 is gripped and conveyed in five stages (t1, t2, t3, t4, and t5). Since the plate pad unit 81 conveys the plate 4 so that the plate gripping point draws a cycloid, if the length of the plate pad unit 81 is R, the length L of the plate 4 is πR. (The relationship between L and R will be described later).
[0052]
Plate when plate 4 is suckedpadWhen the unit 81 is rotated 81 (t1), 45 degrees, 81 (t2), when rotated 90 degrees, 81 (t3), when rotated 135 degrees, 81 (t4), when rotated 180 degrees. Is represented by 81 (t5).
[0053]
Printing platepadThe unit 81 conveys the printing plate 4 so that the plate suction point forms a cycloid.padWhen the virtual circle (length of the unit 81) is rotating without sliding on the printing plate 4, it can be rephrased that the printing plate is sucked at one point on the virtual circle.
[0054]
As described above with reference to FIG. 6, the length of the curve connecting the point on the rotating circle and the point on the bottom line does not change and remains constant during one rotation of the circle. Therefore, the printing plate at each stagepadThe length connecting the printing plate suction points (P1, P2, P3, P4, P5) of the unit 81 and the rear end Q1 of the printing plate 4 is equal to the length L1 of the printing plate 4, respectively. Therefore, the printing plate 4 being transported by the printing plate pad unit 81 remains stopped, and does not rub against the printing plate 4 thereunder.
[0055]
FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the leading end of the printing plate 4 having a length (L2) shorter than the length L1 is gripped and transported. As described above, the length connecting the point on the rotating circle and any fixed point on the bottom line does not change during one rotation of the circle and is constant, so the printing plate at each stagepadThe lengths of the curves connecting the printing plate suction points (P1, P2, P3, P4, P5) of the unit 81 and the rear end Q2 of the printing plate 4 are equal to each other and are equal to l2. Therefore, also in this case, the printing plate 4 being conveyed by the printing plate pad unit 81 remains stopped, and does not rub against the printing plate 4 thereunder.
[0056]
FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing an outline of a process of plate transport and interleaf removal in the plate supply device 2. First, the cassette 30 is taken out, and a plurality of printing plates 4 and an interleaf 5 sandwiched therebetween are loaded. Next, the number of plates 4 to be loaded into the cassette 30 is designated from the operation panel 318 of the plate recording device 3 (step S.1).
[0057]
When receiving a signal requesting plate supply from the plate recording device 3, the plate supply device 2 starts taking out the plate 4 (step S.3).
[0058]
First, the initialization is performed, and the printing plate pad unit 81 and the slip sheetpadThe unit 191 is returned to the origin position (step S.10). If one of the units 81 and 191 is not at the origin position, the unit not at the origin position is moved to the origin position. If both units are not at the origin position, the plate pad unit 81 is first moved to the origin position, and then the slip sheet pad unit 191 is moved to the origin position. The origin position of the plate pad unit 81 is detected by an origin sensor 129 fixed to the second side plate 72. Insert pad unit191Is detected by the origin sensor 217. FIG. 16 shows a state in which both the plate pad unit 81 and the slip sheet pad unit 191 are at the origin positions.
[0059]
The origin position of the plate pad unit 81 is detected by detecting the blade 133 with the origin sensor 129 as described above. At this time, the plate pad unit 81 is almost upright. The plate suction pad 82 disposed at the tip of the plate pad unit 81 has substantially the same height as the engagement position of the pair of discharge rollers 153 and 154.
[0060]
On the other hand, the origin of the slip sheet pad unit 191 is detected by the origin sensor 217. When the slip sheet pad unit 191 is at the origin position, the slip sheet suction pad 231 is located at a position slightly higher than the engagement position between the nip roller 199 and the slip sheet discharge roller 206. When the initialization is completed, the nip roller 199 is at the rest position.
[0061]
Next, whether the uppermost sheet of the cassette 30 is the printing plate 4 or the slip sheet 5 or whether the cassette 30 is empty is determined by using the slip sheet pad unit 191 (determination process step). S.20 to S.50). When it is determined that the uppermost sheet of the cassette 30 is the printing plate 4, the printing plate is transported by the loader mechanism 70 and the transport mechanism 150 (steps S.60 to S.89), and the plate is conveyed in parallel. The interleaving paper removal by the paper removing mechanism 190 (steps S.90 to S.134) is performed. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the removal of the last printing plate 4 loaded in the cassette 30 has been completed (step S.130), and it is determined that the printing plate 4 still remains in the cassette 30. If so, step S. Return to step 3 and wait for the next plate supply signal.
[0062]
On the other hand, if it is determined in the determination step (steps S.20 to S.50) that the top sheet of the cassette 30 is the slip sheet 5, slip sheet removal is performed by the slip sheet removing mechanism (S.106). To S. 124), and thereafter, the flow returns to the determination step to determine the next sheet. If the slip sheet pad unit 191 does not detect any sheet, it is determined that no sheet is stored in the cassette 30, and an empty process (step S.38) is performed.
[0063]
(Determination Step) The determination step (steps S.20 to S.50) will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 of a flowchart and FIG. 16 showing a cross section of the apparatus. FIG. 16 shows a state in which the plate pad unit 81 and the slip sheet pad unit 191 are both at the origin position. The discrimination step is performed using the slip sheet pad unit 191.
[0064]
First, the first vertical belt 225 and the second vertical belt 226 are rotated to start the high speed lowering of the slip sheet pad unit 191 (step S.22). Next, in step 24, it is determined whether or not the vacuum pump 17 is ON. If it is OFF, the printing plate solenoid valve 19 and the slip sheet solenoid valve 20 are closed (step S.28). When the printing plate solenoid valve 19 is closed, the suction pipe from the vacuum pump 17 to the printing plate suction pad 82 is closed, and the printing plate suction pad 82 starts a suction operation. Similarly, when the slip-sheet electromagnetic valve 20 is closed, the suction pipe from the vacuum pump 17 to the slip-sheet suction pad 231 is closed, and the slip-sheet suction pad 231 starts a suction operation. After closing the solenoid valves 19 and 20, the vacuum pump 17 is turned on (step S.30).
[0065]
Next, only the plate solenoid valve 19 is opened (step S.26). When the plate solenoid valve 19 is opened, the suction pipe from the vacuum pump 17 to the plate suction pad 82 is opened to the atmosphere, and the suction operation of the pad 82 stops. When the slip sheet pad unit 191 approaches the cassette 30, the process proceeds to low speed lowering (step S.32). As the interleaf pad unit 191 descends at a low speed, it is checked in step S.1 whether the interleaf suction pad 231 has reached a predetermined pressure or higher. If the suction pressure is still equal to or lower than the predetermined pressure, the process proceeds to the next step S.34. At 36, it is confirmed whether the slip sheet pad unit 191 has been lowered to a predetermined position. This step S. In step S.36, if it is confirmed that the slip sheet pad unit 191 has not been lowered to the predetermined position, the process returns to step S.36. Returning to 34, the suction pressure is compared with the predetermined pressure. Here, the predetermined pressure corresponds to the pressure when the interleaf paper suction pad 231 is closed by the printing plate 4 or the interleaf paper 5. Step S. The predetermined position of the slip sheet pad unit 191 at 36 is a position immediately before the tip of the slip sheet suction pad 231 contacts the bottom surface of the cassette 30.
[0066]
Since a vent hole is provided on the bottom surface of the cassette 30 at a position facing the interleaf paper suction pad 231 (not shown), Step S. At 36, even if the tip of the slip-sheet suction pad 231 contacts the bottom surface of the cassette 30, the slip-sheet suction pad 231 is not blocked by the bottom surface of the cassette 30. Therefore, step S. False detection at 34 can be avoided. Step S. If “YES” is determined in 36, the process shifts to an empty process (step S.38). That is, the slip sheet pad unit 191 is returned to the origin position, and the fact that the inside of the cassette 30 is empty is displayed on the operation panel 318 (see FIG. 1) to call attention of the operator.
[0067]
Step S. If it is determined at 34 that the suction pressure is higher than the predetermined pressure, it is determined that the printing plate 4 or the slip sheet 5 has been sucked by the slip sheet suction pad 231 and the slip sheet pad unit 191 stops descending (step S). .40). Thereafter, the control unit (not shown) performs control such that the pulse signal is applied to the slip sheet pad unit driving motor 227 by the number of pulses, and raises the slip sheet pad unit 191. The number of pulses 1 is such that the distance from the top surface of the printing plate 4 (or interleaf sheet 5) to the tip of the interleaf suction pad 231 when the printing plate 4 is fully loaded in the cassette 30 is, for example, 10 mm The number of pulses is as described above.
[0068]
The metal sheet 232 (see FIGS. 2 and 16) attached to the bracket 212 of the slip sheet pad unit 191 determines whether the sheet sucked to the slip sheet suction pad 231 is the printing plate 4 or the slip sheet 5. Is determined (step S.44). When the metal sensor 232 is ON, it is determined that the printing plate 4 has been sucked, and when it is OFF, it is determined that the slip sheet 5 has been sucked. If the distance between the metal sensor 232 and the printing plate 4 in the cassette 30 is small when the slip sheet 5 is being sucked, the metal sensor 232 passes through the slip sheet 5 and the printing plate in the cassette 30 thereunder. Since there is a risk of erroneously detecting No. 4, the pulse number 1 described above is set to a number that does not cause such erroneous detection.
[0069]
Step S. When the metal sensor 232 is turned on at 44, the slip sheet pad unit 191 falls again by the number of pulses 1 (step S.46). The interleaving solenoid valve 20 is opened (step S.48), and the printing plate 4 is returned into the cassette 30. Thereafter, the slip sheet pad unit 191 is raised to the origin position (step S.50). After this is completed, the plate transport process by the loader mechanism 70 is started.
[0070]
On the other hand, step S. If it is determined at 44 that the metal sensor 232 is OFF, the slip sheet removal by the slip sheet removing mechanism 190 is started. This process is a slip sheet removal process (steps S.90 to S.134) performed in parallel with the plate transport process (steps S.60 to S.89) performed by the loader mechanism 70 and the transport mechanism 150 described below. (Steps S.106 to S.124) will be described in detail.
[0071]
(Printing Plate Conveying Step and Interleaf Sheet Removing Step Performed in Concurrent With It) When the plate 4 is detected in the discriminating step (steps S.20 to S.50), the plate conveying step by the loader mechanism 70 is performed. Be started. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 21 showing the cross sections of the main part of the plate supply device 2 and FIGS.
[0072]
First, the high speed descent of the plate pad unit 81 is started (step S.62). Specifically, the printing is performed by rotating the plate pad unit driving motor 95 to rotate the first belt 86 between the pulleys 93 and 94 and rotate the second belt 134 between the pulleys 91 and 92. The rotation of the first and second belts 86 and 134 moves the first and second bushes 83 and 84 in the -X direction. With the movement of the first and second bushes 83 and 84, the first and second pinions 98 and 99 rotate on the first and second racks 73 and 74. As described above, the first pinion 98 is provided via the first gear box 96 and the first projecting member 104, and the second pinion 99 is provided via the second gear box 97 and the second projecting member 105, both of which are the plate pad units. 81. Therefore, the rotation of each pinion 98, 99 is reduced by the first and second gear boxes 96, 97, and then the plate pad unit 81 is rotated.
[0073]
In this way, the plate pad unit 81 moves in the horizontal direction while rotating about the rotation axes of the pinions 98 and 99.
[0074]
While the plate pad unit 81 is descending at a high speed, the slip sheet solenoid valve 20 is opened and the plate solenoid valve 19 is closed (step S.64). Step S. of the determination step has already been performed. Since the vacuum pump 17 is turned on at 30, the suction pipe from the vacuum pump 17 to the plate suction pad 82 is closed, and the plate suction pad 82 operates.
[0075]
When the plate pad unit 81 approaches the cassette 30, step S. At 66, a transition is made to a low speed descent.
[0076]
Next, step S. At 68, it is monitored whether the suction pressure of the printing plate suction pad 82 becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined pressure. The suction pressure at this time corresponds to the suction pressure when the printing plate suction pad 82 is closed by any sheet. Step S. If it is determined in step S68 that the suction pressure has become equal to or lower than the predetermined pressure, the printing plate pad unit 81 is temporarily stopped (step S.70). This temporary stop is a process for securely adsorbing the printing plate 4 to the printing plate suction pad 82. FIG. 17 shows the state at this time. The printing plate suction pad 82 comes into close contact with the printing plate 4 at a position inside a predetermined distance from the leading end of the printing plate 4. This distance is set to, for example, about 50 mm. Since the pad holding plate 115 can move up and down along the shaft 112, the length of the plate pad unit 81 is variable. Therefore, regardless of the number of printing plates 4 in the cassette 30, the printing plate suction pad 82 can be in close contact with the surface of the printing plate 4 horizontally.
[0077]
Next, step S. Proceeding to 72, the controller (not shown) sends a pulse signal to the plate pad unit drive motor 95 to move the plate pad unit 81 by two pulses at low speed. FIG. 18 shows the state after the movement. The plate pad unit 81 stops and moves in the X direction while being rotated about 45 degrees from the origin position about the rotation axes of the first and second pinions 98 and 99. The printing plate 4 is sucked by the printing plate suction pad 82, and the vicinity of the leading end is curved. Since the suction position of the printing plate suction pad 82 is not the front end of the printing plate 4 but a position inside by a predetermined distance from the front end, the vicinity of the front end of the printing plate 4 can be greatly curved.
[0078]
In this state, the operation is stopped for several seconds (for example, 10 seconds) (step S.74). This is to prepare for a case where the slip sheet 5 is adhered to the back surface of the printing plate 4 that has been lifted. In rare cases, the slip sheet 5 adheres to the back surface of the printing plate 4 due to static electricity or the like. If the printing plate 4 is sent to the printing plate recording device 3 (see FIG. 1) with the slip sheet 5 adhered to the back surface, normal image recording on the printing plate 4 cannot be performed. Step S. While the plate pad unit 1 is stopped for a few seconds at 74, the slip sheet 5 is gradually peeled off the curved portion of the plate 4 and falls into the cassette 30. As described above, since the vicinity of the leading end of the printing plate 4 is greatly curved, even if the inserting paper 5 adheres to the back surface of the printing plate 4, the slip paper 5 falls down without fail. The falling of the slip sheet 5 may be promoted by raising and lowering the printing plate pad unit 81 in small increments, instead of simply stopping for several seconds.
[0079]
Next, the plate pad unit 81 starts to move up at a high speed (step S.76). In parallel with this operation, the control unit monitors whether the intermediate sensor 128 is turned on (step S.89). FIG. 19 shows a state in which the intermediate sensor 128 is turned on. The gap of the intermediate sensor 128 is cut off by a blade 133 (see FIG. 3) fixed to the bottom surface of the plate pad unit 81, and the intermediate sensor 128 is turned ON.
[0080]
At this time, the printing plate pad unit 81 has rotated about 90 degrees from the time when the printing plate 4 was sucked, and has reached a substantially middle position in the longitudinal direction of the first and second racks 73 and 74. Step S. When the intermediate sensor 128 is turned on at 89, the slip sheet removing process (steps S.90 to S.134) by the slip sheet removing mechanism 190 is started. Thus, the transport of the printing plate 4 by the printing plate pad unit 81 and the removal processing of the slip sheet 5 by the slip sheet removing mechanism 190 are performed in parallel. In the plate supply device 2, the removal of the slip sheet 5 can be started before the plate conveyance is completed, so that the work efficiency is high. When the plate pad unit 81 approaches the pair of discharge rollers 153 and 154, step S. Moving to 78, the plate pad unit 81 rises at a low speed. However, since the slip sheet removing process has been started before that, the slip sheet removing process (steps S.90 to S.134) will be described first.
[0081]
(Interleaf paper removing step) This will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15, FIGS. First, the interleaf pad unit 191 is started to descend at a high speed (step S.92). In the middle of the high speed descent, the slip sheet solenoid valve 20 is closed (step S.94). When the slip sheet pad unit 191 approaches the cassette 30, the speed is shifted to low speed (step S.96). Step S. determines whether the suction pressure has fallen below a predetermined pressure. Judge at 98. Then, step S. The descent ends at 100. At this time,Printing plateThe slip sheet 5 immediately below the printing plate 4 being conveyed by the pad unit 81 is sucked by the slip sheet suction pad 231. The state at this time is shown in FIG.
[0082]
Next, the slip sheet pad unit 191 is raised by the number of pulses 1 (step S.102). It is checked whether the metal sensor 232 has been turned on (step S.104). At this time, the fact that the metal sensor 232 is turned on indicates that the printing plate 4 has adhered to the back surface of the interleaf 5 taken out. That is, since the interleaf 5 may have air permeability, the interleaf suction pad 231 may adsorb the printing plate 4 through the interleaf 5. Further, even if the slip sheet 5 does not have air permeability, the printing plate 4 may adhere to the back surface of the slip sheet 5 due to strong static electricity.
[0083]
Step S. If it is determined in step 104 that the metal sensor 232 has been turned off, that is, only the slip sheet 5 has been sucked to the slip sheet suction pad 231, step S. Proceeding to 106, the interleaf paper pad unit 191 starts to rise at high speed. When the interleaving paper suction pad 231 is approximately at the same height as the engagement position between the nip roller 199 and the interleaf discharge roller 206, the ascent of the interleaf pad unit 191 is stopped (step S.108).
[0084]
Next, the nip motor 194 (see FIG. 5) is driven to rotate the nip roller 199. Then, the leading end of the slip sheet 5 is sandwiched between the nip roller 199 and the slip sheet discharge roller 206 (step S.110). After that, the solenoid valve 20 for slip sheet is opened to stop the suction of the suction pad 231 for slip sheet.
[0085]
The interleaf pad unit 191 is raised again to return to the origin position (steps S.114 and S.116). FIG. 21 shows the state at this time. Next, the slip sheet discharge motor 204 (see FIG. 5) is operated to start rotation of the slip sheet discharge roller 206 (step S.118). Then, the slip sheet 5 is sent between the upper guide plate 234 and the lower guide plate 235, and advances toward the slip sheet discharge hole 53.
[0086]
After a predetermined time, it is checked whether the slip sheet detection sensor 207 (see FIG. 5) has been turned off (step S.120). Here, the fact that it remains ON means that the slip sheet 5 is not normally sent, so that an error process is performed assuming that the slip sheet is jammed (step S.122). Specifically, the slip sheet discharge motor 204 is turned off, and a message indicating that the slip sheet is jammed is displayed on the operation panel 318 (see FIG. 1) to alert the operator and urge the user to remove the slip sheet manually. If the slip sheet detection sensor 120 is turned off after the elapse of the predetermined time, it is determined that the slip sheet 5 has been normally discharged, and the rotation of the slip sheet discharge motor 204 is stopped (step S.124).
[0087]
On the other hand, step S. If the metal sensor 232 is turned on at 104, the removed slip sheet 5 is returned to the cassette 30 (step S.126).
[0088]
Since the printing plates 4 and the slip sheets 5 are alternately stored in the cassette 30, and the uppermost printing plate 4 of the cassette 30 is being conveyed by the printing plate unit 81 at this time. Step S. What is detected at 104 is the second printing plate 4 from the top of the cassette 30 attached to the back surface of the slip sheet 5. Thereafter, the interleaving paper solenoid valve 20 is opened to stop the operation of the interleaving paper suction pad 231 (step S.128).
[0089]
Step S. 126, S.M. When the operation of returning the slip sheet 5 to the cassette 30 at 128 is completed, the slip sheet pad unit 191 is raised again to return to the origin position (steps S. 130, 132, 134).
[0090]
(Printing Plate Discharge) Description will be returned to the printing plate unloading operation by the printing plate pad unit 191. This will be described with reference to FIGS. The plate pad unit 191 performs step S. At 76 it is rising fast. When the plate suction unit 82 approaches the vicinity of the pair of discharge rollers 153 and 154, the speed rises at a low speed. As shown in FIG. 22, when the support roller 120 rides on the guide slopes 123 and 124, the leading end of the printing plate 4 sucked and held by the printing plate suction pad 82 is leveled, and the support roller 120 is positioned between the pair of discharge rollers 153 and 154. Is inserted into
[0091]
At the outlet of the pair of discharge rollers 153 and 154, a discharge sensor 172 and interleaf sensors 174 and 174 are arranged. The discharge sensor 172 is a sensor for confirming that the printing plate 4 is securely held between the pair of discharge rollers 153 and 154, and optically detects the presence of the printing plate 4. On the other hand, the slip sheet sensor 174 is a sensor for confirming that the slip sheet 5 does not adhere to the front or back surface of the printing plate 4 held between the discharge rollers 153 and 154. These sensors are disposed one by one on both sides of the printing plate 4 that has passed through the discharge rollers 153 and 154, and detect a difference in light reflectance between the printing plate 4 and the slip sheet 5 or a difference in color to detect the printing plate. The interleaf paper 5 attached to the front surface or the back surface of the paper 4 can be detected.
[0092]
Step S. When the discharge sensor 172 is turned on at 80, the plate pad unit 81 stops rising (step S.81), and then the plate solenoid valve 19 is opened to stop suction of the plate suction pad 82. (Step S.82).
[0093]
Next step S. If the slip sheet detection sensor 174 does not detect the slip sheet 5 at 84, the driving of the discharge roller drive motor 166 for a predetermined time is started (step S.86). Thereby, the pair of discharge rollers 153 and 154, the first transport roller 157, and the second transport roller 158 rotate integrally for a predetermined time. The printing plate 4 passes through a pair of discharge rollers 153 and 154, is conveyed along the slopes 155 and 156, and is supplied to a first conveyance path 312 of the printing plate recording device 3 (see FIG. 1).
[0094]
The rear end of the printing plate 4 remains on the printing plate surface until conveyance by the pair of discharge rollers 153 and 154 is started. When the horizontal conveyance by the pair of discharge rollers 153 and 154 starts, the rear end of the printing plate 4 separates from the remaining printing plate surface. However, since the printing plate 4 is resilient and supported by the blade 100, the rear end of the printing plate 4 moves in a substantially vertical direction.
[0095]
FIGS. 24, 25, and 26 show, in chronological order, a state in which the printing plate 4 is fed in the horizontal direction by the discharge rollers 153 and 154 after the suction of the printing plate suction pad 82 is released. . As shown in these figures, the rear end of the printing plate 4 does not damage the remaining printing plates while the printing plate 4 is being conveyed by the carry-out rollers 153 and 154.
[0096]
On the other hand, step S. When the slip sheet detection sensor 174 is turned on in step S84, it means that the slip sheet 5 has adhered to the front or back surface of the printing plate 4. At 88, error processing is performed. That is, the fact is displayed on the operation panel 318 to call attention of the operator, and the removal of the printing plate 4 is urged.
[0097]
Then, step S. It is determined whether all the plates 4 loaded in the cassette 30 have been taken out with reference to the number of plates loaded in step 1 (step S.130).
[0098]
Thus, the removal of the set of the printing plate 4 and the slip sheet 5 is completed. As is clear from FIGS. 17 to 21, after the printing plate 4 is taken out of the cassette 30 by the printing plate pad unit, the printing plate 4 comes into contact with the remaining printing plates 4 until it is sandwiched between the pair of discharge rollers 153 and 154. The part remains stopped. Therefore, there is no problem that the rear end of the printing plate 4 being taken out rubs against and damages the surface of another printing plate 4 in the cassette 30.
[0099]
The trajectory of the tip of the plate pad unit 81 is indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. A virtual circle having a radius equal to the length of the plate pad unit 81 is assumed. The movement locus coincides with the cycloid formed by the plate gripping point on the virtual circle when the virtual circle rotates along the length of the plate 4 in the cassette 30 in the X direction.
[0100]
(Method of Determining Reduction Ratio) Next, a method of determining the reduction ratio of the gear boxes 96 and 97 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the plate pad unit and the plate. FIG. 23 also shows the plate pad unit before the movement and the plate unit after the movement. The right side is before movement and the left side is after movement. Let R be the length from the rotation axis P to the tip of the plate pad unit, and L be the length of the plate. The plate pad unit moves in the X direction as the pinion having the radius r rotates on the rack. The moving length of the plate pad unit in the X direction is a distance L equal to the plate length. After the rotation of the pinion is reduced by the gear box, it is transmitted to the rotation axis of the plate pad unit.
[0101]
The reduction ratio d of the gear box is defined as the rotation speed of the input shaft of the gear box (= the rotation speed of the pinion) as the rotation speed of the output shaft of the gear box (= the rotation speed of the plate pad unit). Assuming that the number of rotations of the pinion in the X direction until the plate pad unit stops is n, the following equation holds.
L = 2πr * n (Equation 1)
That is, the product of the circumference length 2πr of the pinion and the rotation speed n is equal to the length L of the printing plate.
[0102]
On the other hand, the length L can also be defined by the length R of the plate pad unit. Actually, the plate pad unit 81 moves in the horizontal direction during rotation. However, assuming that the plate pad unit 81 rotates while stopped in the horizontal direction, the plate pad unit 81 draws a virtual circle having a radius R. Since the tip of the plate pad unit draws a cycloid curve, it can be said that the virtual circle rotates without sliding on the surface of the plate in the cassette. Since the plate pad unit makes a half turn before stopping, the following equation is established.
L = 2πR * 1/2 (Equation 2)
That is, the length L of the printing plate is equal to a length obtained by multiplying the circumferential length 2πR of the virtual circle of the printing plate pad unit by ２.
[0103]
From Equations 1 and 2, the relationship between the radius r of the pinion and the plate pad unit length R can be defined as follows.
n = 1/2 * R / r (Equation 3)
The gearbox reduction ratio d is the reciprocal of the number obtained by multiplying the number of rotations of the pinion by the reciprocal of the number of rotations of the plate pad unit (in this case, こ の).
d = 1 / 2n (Equation 4)
[0104]
From Equations 3 and 4, d = r / R (Equation 5)
Can be defined as That is, the reduction ratio d of the gear box is equal to the number obtained by dividing the radius r of the pinion by the plate pad unit length R.
[0105]
In this apparatus, the center of rotation of the pinion and the center of rotation of the plate pad unit coincide with each other, but the present invention can be implemented even if they do not coincide.
[0106]
In this apparatus, since the rack, the pinion, and the gear box are used, the plate pad unit can be rotated and moved in the horizontal direction by a single driving source. Moreover, it is not necessary to adjust the timing of the rotation operation and the horizontal operation.
[0107]
The printing plate supply device 2 can also handle a printing plate 4 whose length in the X direction is L or less. The plate 4 whose length in the X direction is L or less is also loaded into the cassette 30 based on the position where the plate pad unit 81 sucks the plate 4. Also in this case, as described above with reference to FIG. 8, the remaining printing plate 4 remains stopped with respect to the surface of the remaining printing plate 4 in the cassette 30. There is no danger of rubbing and damaging this. In this way, in the printing plate supply device, even when using printing plates 4 of various lengths, the printing platePad unitSince there is no need to adjust the mechanism 81 or the like, it is convenient when printing plates of various sizes are continuously used.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a plate recording system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a plate supply device.
FIG. 3 is a front view of a part of the plate pad unit.
FIG. 4 is a side view of the plate pad unit.
FIG. 5 is a side view of the slip sheet discharge unit.
FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram related to plate transport.
FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of plate transport.
FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of plate transport.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an outline of a plate supply operation.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a determination process.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a determination process.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a plate transporting step.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a plate transporting step.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a slip sheet removing step.
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a slip sheet removing step.
FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the entire plate supply device.
FIG. 17 is a sectional view of a main part of the plate supply device.
FIG. 18 is a sectional view of a main part of the plate supply device.
FIG. 19 is a sectional view of a main part of the plate supply device.
FIG. 20 is a sectional view of a main part of the plate supply device.
FIG. 21 is a sectional view of a main part of the plate supply device.
FIG. 22 is a conceptual side view showing a plate pad unit reaching near a pair of discharge rollers.
FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method of determining the reduction ratio of the gear box.
FIG. 24 is a view showing plate conveyance by conveyance rollers 153 and 154.
FIG. 25 is a view showing plate conveyance by conveyance rollers 153 and 154.
FIG. 26 is a view showing plate conveyance by conveyance rollers 153 and 154.
FIG. 27 is a view for explaining the prior art of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1. . . Plate recording system
2. . . Plate supply device
3. . . Plate recording device
4. . . Printing plate
5. . . Slip sheet
10. . . flame
17. . . Vacuum pump
19. . . Printing plate solenoid valve
20. . . Solenoid valve for slip sheet
53. . . Slip-sheet outlet
70. . . Loader mechanism
71. . . 1st side plate
72. . . 2nd side plate
73. . . 1st rack
74. . . 2nd rack
79. . . 1st guide shaft
80. . . 2nd guide shaft
81. . . Plate pad unit
82. . . Suction pad for printing plate
83. . . 1st bush
84. . . 2nd bush
85. . . Horizontal shaft
86. . . 1st belt
95. . . Plate plate unit drive motor
96. . . 1st gear box
97. . . 2nd gear box
98. . . 1st pinion
99. . . 2nd pinion
100. . . blade
101. . . Input shaft
102. . . Output shaft
104. . . First protruding member
105. . . Second protruding member
106. . . Link
107. . . Link
108. . . bracket
111. . . 1st vertical shaft
112. . . 2nd vertical shaft
115. . . Pad holding plate
116. . . 1st guide plate
117. . . 2nd guide plate
120. . . Support roller
121. . . Axis of rotation
123. . . 1st guide slope
124. . . 2nd guide slope
128. . . Intermediate sensor
129. . . Origin sensor
130. . . 1st arm
131. . . 2nd arm
132. . . Main unit
133. . . Feather
134. . . 2nd belt
136. . . Vertical belt
150. . . Transport mechanism
151. . . Side plate
152. . . Side plate
153. . . Discharge roller (driven side)
154. . . Discharge roller (drive side)
155. . . Slope
156. . . Slope
157. . . First transport roller
158. . . Second transport roller
166. . . Discharge roller drive motor
172. . . Discharge sensor
174. . . Slip sheet sensor
190. . . Interleaf paper removal mechanism
191. . . Insert pad unit
192. . . Insert paper discharge unit
194. . . Nip motor
199. . . Nip roller
200. . . Pivot axis
204. . . Slip sheet discharge motor
206. . . Interleaf discharge roller
207. . . Slip sheet detection sensor
210. . . 1st guide shaft
211. . . 2nd guide shaft
212. . . bracket
217. . . Origin sensor
219. . . 1st slider
220. . . 2nd slider
225. . . 1st vertical belt
226. . . 2nd vertical belt
227. . . Insert paper pad unit drive motor
228. . . Horizontal belt
229. . . Axis of rotation
231. . . Suction pad for interleaf paper
232. . . Metal sensor
234. . . Upper guide plate
235. . . Lower guide plate
310. . . Transport unit
312. . . First transport path
314. . . Second transport path
316. . . Lid
318. . . control panel

Claims (5)

A printing plate storage member for storing printing plates and slip sheets alternately;
Plate moving means for gripping a plate end in the plate storage member and transporting the plate to a plate discharge port;
The plate moving means grips the end of the slip sheet on the side that grips the plate, raises the gripped end of the slip sheet, moves it to the slip sheet discharge port, and removes the slip sheet from the plate storage member. And a slip sheet removing means for removing, the plate supply device comprising:
The plate supply device, wherein after the plate moving means reaches a position where it does not conflict with the slip sheet removing means, the slip sheet removing operation by the slip sheet removing means is started. The slip sheet removing unit includes a sucker that sucks the slip sheet, a bracket that supports the sucker, a driving unit that moves the bracket up and down , and a pair of nips that nip the slip sheet end at the slip sheet discharge port. The plate supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a roller. 3. The printing plate supply according to claim 2, wherein the slip sheet removing unit further includes a metal sensor fixed to the bracket, and the metal sensor determines a sheet on which the sucker is sucked. apparatus. The plate moving means includes: a plate gripper for gripping a substantially end portion of the plate; a means for moving the plate gripper in a length direction of the plate; and rotating the plate gripper. plate feeding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a means. A printing plate storage member for storing printing plates and slip sheets alternately;
Plate moving means for adsorbing a plate edge in the plate storage member and transporting the plate to a plate discharge outlet while bending the plate;
A plate feeder, comprising: a slip plate removing means for sucking a slip sheet end on a side where the printing plate is sucked, lifting the slip sheet end to a slip sheet discharge port, and removing the slip sheet from the printing plate storage member. A device,
The plate supply device, wherein after the plate moving means reaches a position where it does not conflict with the slip sheet removing means, the slip sheet removing operation by the slip sheet removing means is started.

Images