JPH0561209A - Automatic processing system for alignment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow automatic alignment even to a processing system having the indefinite absolute positions of the marks to the moving shaft of a table. CONSTITUTION:Rails 17, 17', 18, 18' are provided in X, Y directions and cameras 3, 3' are moved and fixed in the X, Y directions. These positions are memorized as reference positions. This graphic plate is then removed and the graphic plate of the 2nd sheet is set to the table 1. The marks 5, 5' are swung in a range existing within the visual field of the cameras 3, 3' and the ratio of the moving quantity and rotating quantity of the swung mark positions is computed; thereafter, the mark positions are memorized as a 1st step. Such a rotating quantity as to parallel the reference positions and the mark positions is calculated in accordance with the above-mentioned ratio and thereafter, the mark positions are memorized by plane rotating the table 1 as a 2nd step. Such a moving quantity as to align the mark positions and the reference positions is calculated and the table 1 is moved longitudinally and laterally as a 3rd step.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus having an automatic alignment function for a printing plate, for example, a printing plate, and more particularly to a table having a drive system for the position of a reference mark for the alignment on the printing plate. The present invention relates to a processing method capable of aligning an arbitrary positional relationship with respect to the moving axis of.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, when it is necessary to perform processing at a predetermined position such as a drawing, positioning processing must be performed for each drawing. This alignment process is often performed automatically in terms of speeding up and stability. This processing method will be described below by exemplifying the positioning processing of the drawings. 8 to 10 are overall configuration diagrams of an automatic alignment hole punching device showing an example of a conventional processing method, FIG. 8 is a plan view, FIG. 9 is a front view, and FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a drive unit. In FIGS. 8 to 10, 1 is a movable table for placing a drawing (hereinafter simply referred to as a table), and 2 is a driving unit for moving the table, which can be translated and rotated. 3, 3'is a camera fixed to the outer frame, 4 is a picture to be processed, 5, 5'is a registration mark drawn on the picture in advance, 6 is a center point of driving, 7, 7 ′
Is a hole drilling mechanism, 8 is a television camera showing the images of the cameras 3 and 3 ', 9 is an operation panel, 10 is a pedestal, and 11 to 13 are fixed to the pedestal 10 by feed screw mechanisms MX, MY1, MY2. 14 to 16 are receiving plates, which are fixed to the table 1. As the table moving mechanism, the screw parts are moved back and forth by giving a rotation command to the motors of the respective feed screw mechanism parts 11 to 13, and the table 11 is moved by pressing the receiving plates 14, 15, 16. The feed screw mechanism parts 11 to 13 and the receiving plates 14 to 16 are connected by a spring (not shown), and the tip of the screw is constantly pressed against the receiving plates 14 to 16. Therefore, when the screw returns, the table 1 can be returned by being pulled by the spring. When moving in the X direction, the MX (11) is operated, and when moving in the Y direction, the same amount is operated for MY1 (13) and MY2 (12). The rotation operation is realized by instructing MY1 and MY2 to have the same magnitude and opposite values.

Next, an implementation method will be described. The plate 4 to be processed is first placed on the table 1. At this time, the plate 4 is placed so that the marks 5 and 5'drawn on the plate 4 are projected on the television camera 8. Here, by pressing the start button on the operation panel 9, the positions of both marks 5 and 5'of the plate 4 are read into the memory from the camera 3.3 'with the scale of the television 8 as a reference. Based on this data, the calculator calculates the positions of the marks 5 and 5 ', and issues a movement command to the drive unit 2 so that both marks are in symmetrical positions with respect to the centers of the cameras 5 and 5'.
To move. By doing so, the position of the punching portion with respect to the marks 5 and 5'is determined, so that the plate 4 is punched by the punching mechanism portions 7 and 7 '. The purpose of punching is positioning for preventing misalignment of printing when performing color printing or the like. Thereafter, the drawing 4 is taken out, another drawing with the same mark is set on the table 1, and the same processing as above is carried out. By repeating this series of operations, it is possible to automatically perform the punching process at the same position on a plurality of plates. In such a device, normal alignment is performed as follows. 11 and 12 are explanatory views of the alignment method,
A and B in the figure are the center positions of the cameras 3 and 3 '. In this device, the positions of the cameras 3 and 3'are fixed, so that the positions are A (a, 0) and B (b, 0). However, it is assumed that there is a relationship of b = -a.

In FIG. 11, the positions of both marks 5, 5'when the plate 4 is set on the table 1 are shown as TA (AX1,
AY1) and TB (BX1, BY1). First, the table 1 is moved in parallel so that both marks 5 and 5'are point symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis 0. The movement amount is easily calculated by the following equations (1) and (2). divx = {(a-AX1) + (b-BX1)} / 2 ...
・ ・ ・ (1) divide =-{(AY1 + BY1)} / 2 ‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥
(2) From the computer, the amount of movement divx is in the MX part, and div is M.
Instructed by the Y1 and MY2 sections, di in the X direction
Move div in the vx and Y directions.

In FIG. 12, the position after the movement is TA (AX
2, AY2) and TB (BX2, BY2). Here, since TA and TB are point-symmetrical, the following relational expressions (3) and (4) are satisfied. AX2 = -BX2 (3) AY2 = -BY2 (4) Finally, TA and TB are line-symmetric with respect to the central axis Y by performing rotation correction so that AY2 and BY2 become 0. Becomes Therefore, in FIG. 13, AY is added to the MY1 part.
2 and BY2 to the MY2 section, and by rotating the table 1, the positions of the marks 5 and 5'are TA (AX
3, AY3), TB (BX3, BY3). Here, the positional relationship between TA and TB is expressed by the following equations (5) and (6). AX3 = -BX3 (5) AY3 = BY3 = 0 (6) These alignment processes are shown in FIG. By the above alignment processing, it becomes possible to automatically determine the positional relationship between the marks 5 and 5'of the plate 4 and the punching mechanism portions 7 and 7 '.

[0006]

However, according to this method, since the camera is fixed, there is a limit in the area where the mark can be read. Normally, the reading area of the camera is a few mm, so the position of the mark that can be drawn on the picture is determined by this. Therefore, the plate size is also determined by the device size, and a device that can process any plate size cannot be realized. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and an object thereof is to provide an automatic alignment processing method capable of automatically aligning a plate of an arbitrary size with one device. ..

[0007]

In other words, the means for achieving the object is to change the camera from a fixed system to a movable system in order to deal with arbitrary picture sizes. However, in the case of the movable system, the amount of rotation cannot be determined when the mark is parallelized with respect to the reference point because the distance to the camera with respect to the drive axis is uncertain. Therefore, the first step for obtaining the ratio of the actual rotation amount to the rotation instruction value to the drive unit, the second step for performing the rotation correction for parallel ridge of the mark with respect to the reference point, and the last step In addition, a registration processing method including a third step of aligning the mark with the reference point by parallel movement is adopted.

This will be described in detail. Positioning marks are provided at two positions in the drawing, and a camera for photographing the marks is installed near the table so that the marks can be positioned within the field of view of the television camera. In the automatic alignment device in which the table rotates in the plane and moves in the vertical and horizontal directions, the camera is allowed to freely move in the X direction and the Y direction by the rail provided on the frame of the device, and the first first sheet Set the plate on the table,
The camera is moved so that the two marks on the plate are almost in the center of the field of view of the camera, and these positions are stored as reference positions for the TV camera. Then, this plate is removed and the second plate is removed. In order to calculate the amount of table movement and the amount of plane rotation that are installed at the same place as the first plate and match the mark position with the reference position,
As a step, the driving means engaging with the table swings the mark within a range existing in the field of view of the camera, calculates the ratio between the moved amount of the swung mark position and the rotation amount of the driving means, and then stores the mark position. Then, as a second step, based on this ratio, a rotation amount such that the reference position and the mark position are parallel to each other is calculated, and then the table is planarly rotated by the driving means to store the mark position. The third step is to calculate a movement amount such that the mark position and the reference position coincide with each other and move the table in the vertical and horizontal directions by the driving means. Note that there are printing plates and the like as illustrations.

[0009]

The function of the present invention is that it has not been possible to process arbitrary plate sizes in the past, but by adopting this automatic alignment processing method, the camera can be made movable, so that one device can be used as desired. It is now possible to process illustrations of different sizes. An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall construction of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a constructional view of a drive portion, in which FIG. The parts having the same structure and function are omitted here. In FIGS. 1 to 3, the cameras 3 and 3'are provided by X-direction rails (arms) and Y-direction rails 18 and 18 'provided on the mount of the apparatus.
So that it can move freely in the X and Y directions, set the first first plate 4 on the table 1, and the two marks 5, 5'of the plate 4 are almost in the field of view of the cameras 3, 3 '. The cameras 3 and 3'are moved to the center position, and this position is stored as a reference position for the television camera 8. Next, the plate 4 is removed and the second plate is the same as the first plate. In order to calculate the amount of movement and the amount of plane rotation of the table 1 which is installed at a location and matches the mark position with the reference position, the mark 5 is moved by the driving means, that is, the driving unit 2, which engages with the table 1 as one step. , 5'is swung within the range of the field of view of the cameras 3, 3 ', the ratio between the moved amount of the swung mark position and the rotation amount of the driving means is calculated, and then the mark position is stored. Based on this ratio as a step, After serial reference position and the mark position is calculated rotation amount, such as to be parallel, the table 1 by a plane rotated storing mark position by the driving means, then 3
As a step, a moving amount is calculated so that the mark position and the reference position coincide with each other, and the driving means causes the table 1 to be moved.
This is a method in which the vertical and horizontal directions are moved.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the first plate 4 to be processed is placed on the table 1. At this time, the plate size may be any size as long as it does not exceed the table size. Next, camera 3, 3 '
Is moved so that both marks in the drawing are located relatively in the center of the television camera 8, and then the cameras 3 and 3'are fixed. Here, the positions of the marks 5 and 5'are read from the cameras 3 and 3'and stored in the memory, and these are used as reference positions. Now, the positions and coordinates of these marks 5, 5'in the camera field of view are PA (AX0, AY0), PB (BX0, BY).
0). Therefore, subsequent drawings are automatically aligned with this reference position. Thereafter, the first plate is subjected to processing such as drilling. Next, the first plate is removed, and the next plate (with the same marks and the same size as the first plate) is set on the table 1. Thereafter, this plate is automatically aligned with the above-mentioned reference positions PA and PB. First, FIG.
In (a) and (b), the marks 5, 5'of the plate are read. Set this position to QA (AX1, AY1), QB
(BX1, BY1). Next, in order to obtain the rotation ratio as the first step, the instruction value divy represented by the following equation (7) is given to the drive units MY1 and MY2 in the reverse direction. divide = {(AY1-AY0)-(BY1-BY
0)} / 2 (7) That is, MY1 is divided into MY2 (-divy)
To execute a trial rotation. In FIGS. 5A and 5B, the reading position of the mark after rotation is QA (AX).
2, AY2) and QB (BX2, BY2). next,
In the second step, the rotation ratio RT is calculated using the divide obtained in the first step so that the Y directions become parallel, and the rotation amount divide1 required to make the parallel is expressed by the equations (8) and (9). Calculate with. (| AY2-AY1 |) / | divy | + (| BY2-
BY1 |) / | divy | ... (8) divide1 = {(AY2-AY0)-(BY2-BY
0)} / RT (9) Then, MY1 is set to divide1 and MY2 is set to (-divide).
By giving 1) and performing rotational movement, the marks 5 and 5'are moved to positions parallel to the reference position.

In FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), the read position of the rotated mark is QA (AX3, AY3), QB.
(BX3, BY3). Finally, as the third step, by moving the difference in the X and Y directions,
Both marks 5, 5'can be moved to the reference position,
The alignment is completed and is shown by the equations (10) and (11). divx2 = {(AX3-AX0) + (BX3-BX
0)} / 2 (10) divide2 = {(AY3-AY0) + (BY3-BY
0)} / 2 (11) Then, divx2 is set in MX1 and di is set in MY1 and MY2.
The translation is performed by giving vy2. By this movement, both marks QA and QB can be aligned with the reference positions PA and PB. In FIGS. 7A and 7B, the reading positions of both marks after the parallel movement are QA (AX
4, AY4), QB (BX4, BY4), AX
4 = AX0, AY4 = AY0, BX4 = BX0, BY4
= BY0. With the above, the alignment of the marks on the first plate and the marks on the second plate has been completed, and processing such as drilling is to be performed next. After doing so, processing such as punching can be performed at the same position on the two plates. Furthermore, when processing a plurality of sheets, the same processing may be repeated. Here, the method of aligning the marks on the second and subsequent sheets with the reference position using the mark position of the first plate as the reference position has been described. The same can be applied to the method of aligning the marks of all the drawings with the center of the camera as a reference position.

[0013]

As described above, according to the present invention, even if the absolute position of the camera with respect to the table moving axis is unknown, it is possible to perform the alignment as long as the relative position between the reference position and the mark on the plate can be obtained. It is possible to move freely, and it is possible to use one device to automatically align a plate of any size and a mark at any position.

[0014]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a drive unit.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a positioning process of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a positioning process of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a positioning process of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a positioning process of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an overall configuration diagram of a conventional example.

FIG. 9 is a front view thereof.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a drive unit.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional alignment process.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional alignment process.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional alignment process.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional alignment process.

[0015]

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Movable table 2 Drive mechanism 3 Camera 3'Camera 4 Illustration 5 Mark 5'Mark 6 Drive center point 7 Drilling mechanism 7'Drilling mechanism 8 TV camera 9 Operation panel 10 Stand 11-13 Feed screw mechanism 14- 16 Catch plate 17 Rail 17 'Rail 18 Rail 18' Rail

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A table is rotated in a plane so that a mark for position alignment is provided at two positions on the plate, a camera for photographing the mark is installed near the table, and the position of the mark can be aligned within the field of view of the television camera. In the automatic alignment device that moves in the vertical and horizontal directions, the rails provided on the frame of the device allow the camera to freely move in the X direction and the Y direction, and the first plate is set on the table. , Move the camera so that the two marks on the plate are at the center of the camera's field of view,
This position is stored as a reference position for the TV camera, then this plate is removed, the second plate is installed at the same place as the first plate, and the mark position is made to match the reference position. In order to calculate the amount of movement of the table and the amount of plane rotation, as a first step, the driving means engaging with the table swings the mark within a range existing in the visual field of the camera, and the moved amount of the swung mark position. And the rotation amount of the driving means are calculated, and then the mark position is stored. Then, as a second step, based on this ratio, the rotation amount is calculated so that the reference position and the mark position are parallel to each other. The table is rotated in a plane by the driving means to store the mark position, and then, as a third step, a movement amount such that the mark position and the reference position coincide with each other is calculated,
An automatic alignment processing method characterized in that the table is moved in the vertical and horizontal directions by the driving means.