US20110037221A1

US20110037221A1 - Paper-Handling Installation and Method of Automatically Controlling the Processing Speed Thereof

Info

Publication number: US20110037221A1
Application number: US12/518,059
Authority: US
Inventors: Michael Wiegmann
Original assignee: Boewe Systec AG
Current assignee: Boewe Systec GmbH
Priority date: 2006-12-05
Filing date: 2007-12-05
Publication date: 2011-02-17
Also published as: WO2008068007A8; ATE462668T1; DE502007003351D1; DE102006058219A1; EP2086866A1; WO2008068007A1; EP2086866B1

Abstract

A paper-handling installation is initially set for executing a job to process a predetermined number of articles during a predetermined time period. During the processing, the number of articles detected which are processed during the predetermined time period is detected. If the detected number of articles is larger than or equal to the predetermined number, the speed at which articles are processed in a section of the paper-handling installation will be increased. If the detected number of articles is smaller than the predetermined number, it will be detected which of the sections of the installation caused a reduction of the throughput, and which installation parameters and/or article parameters existed at that point in time. On the basis of the parameters detected, an installation parameter of the section is then set, and/or the speed is reduced in at least that section. This procedure is repeated until the job has been executed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a U.S. national entry of PCT Patent Application Serial No. PCT/EP2007/010566 filed 5 Dec. 2007, and claims priority to German Patent Application No. 102006058219.5 filed on 5 Dec. 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method of controlling (or open-loop controlling), or regulating (or closed-loop controlling), the processing speed of a paper-handling installation, wherein articles are moved while using at least one transport mechanism, and to a paper-handling installation, the articles being moved individually or in groups in the paper-handling installation. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of automatically controlling the processing speed of envelope inserters or letter envelope processing systems and post-processing systems, and to storing, for re-use, the parameters determined by the control.
Conventional technology has known paper-handling installations for which there is already the possibility of strongly effecting or controlling speeds in individual modules—if the system is designed to be modular—or in the entire system. There is a need, for example, to process difficult articles to be produced, e.g. articles having low paper grammage, smooth surface finish, heavy inserts or heavy fillers and the like. To guarantee safe processing within the overall arrangement, it is useful to reduce or adapt the transport and further processing speeds and/or the clock cycles at which the individual modules operate. In addition, high efficiency performance of the system is achieved in this manner. Conventionally, this is achieved in the following manners.

- a first, well-known approach consists in simply controlling the rotational speed of one or several motors in the system or in the module. As a rule, the control is performed on the component, i.e. the motor, by directly inputting the parameters. Such changes may be achieved, for example, via digital input values, e.g. with servomotors, or by utilizing controllers, for example slide controllers, e.g. for changing the operating voltage of the motor. In practice, these are mostly predefined, fixed settings which may be changed, such a change being made on the part of the operation personnel, however.
- a second possibility consists in changing the timing of the light barriers used in the system or in the module which serve to detect the presence of an article to be processed. By adapting the timing, the requirement behavior and the delay behavior of the handling stations, which operate in a clocked manner, for transporting the articles is controlled. This adaptation enables a reduction or extension of the clock cycles, but does not result in any change in the actual transport speed. Nevertheless, some kind of controlled speed of the overall system results as a consequence of the changed clock cycle values. In this context, too, the values are typically input via digital values at operating units comprising displays, or at a central, PC-assisted operating unit, and are typically input by the operation personnel of the installation.
- A further possibility that has been known in conventional technology consists in combining the above-described approaches, i.e. in combining speed control with adapting the timing. In this manner, a technical advantage may be achieved over the above-described, isolated approaches, since because of the reduced requirement times, the associated speed may usually also be reduced by means of a corresponding logical function. This combination is put into practice, within an individual module or within the overall system, by corresponding control logic, the control again being performed, however, via inputting corresponding digital control values at the operating units having displays or at the central, PC-assisted operating unit, via sliding controllers and the like, which again is performed on the part of the operation personnel.

The disadvantages of the above-described approaches are obvious. All of the methods do not represent any actual closed-loop control, but, as defined by control technology, a control with predefined or fixed values without any reset values, target values or the like as defined by a closed loop control system being taken into account. All of the approaches actually are open loop control systems wherein the operator is expected to determine or predefine the optimum settings for processing.
In this context, a number of disadvantages result, mention being made here only of several major disadvantages. There is the question concerning the defaults according to which the settings at the installations are actually to be performed, in addition, the question arises where and in which areas of the module or of the system such setting actually need to be made, who is responsible for the correctness of the settings, who actually has access to the setting possibilities, and how these access possibilities are governed. In addition, the question arises as to how the benefit may be quantified and specified with regard to the settings which are ideal for the process.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment, a method of processing articles in a paper-handling installation, the paper-handling installation being set, on the basis of a job description, to process a predetermined number of articles during a predetermined time period, may have the steps, performed by the paper-handling installation, of: (a) detecting the number of articles being processed by the paper-handling installation during the predetermined time period; (b) if the detected number of articles is larger than or equal to the predetermined number of articles: (b.1) increasing the speed at which the articles are processed in at least one section of the paper-handling installation by a predetermined amount of increase, and (b.2) setting the predetermined number of articles equal to the detected number of articles; (c) if the detected number of articles is smaller than the predetermined number of articles: (c.1) detecting which of the sections of the paper-handling installation has caused a reduction in throughput during the predetermined time period, (c.2) determining at least one installation parameter present here and/or at least one article parameter, and (c.3) on the basis of the parameters determined in (c.2), setting at least one section of the paper-handling installation and/or reducing the speed at which the articles are processed in a section of the paper-handling installation, by a predetermined amount of reduction; and (d) repeating (a) to (c) while the job is being processed.
According to another embodiment, a paper-handling installation for processing articles which is set on the basis of a job description so as to process a predetermined number of articles during a predetermined time period may have: a first sensor for detecting the number of articles which are processed by the paper-handling installation during the predetermined time period; a second sensor for determining at least one installation parameter and/or at least one article parameter; and a control unit effectively connected to the sensors and configured to, while processing the job, increase the speed at which the articles are processed in at least one section of the paper-handling installation, by a predetermined amount of increase, and to set the predetermined number of articles equal to the detected number of articles if the detected number of articles is larger than or equal to the predetermined number of articles; and detect which of the sections of the paper-handling installation caused, during the predetermined time period, a reduction of the throughput, and, on the basis of the parameters present here, to set at least one installation parameter of at least one section of the paper-handling installation and/or to reduce the speed at which the articles are processed in one section of the paper-handling installation by a predetermined amount of reduction if the detected number of articles is smaller than the predetermined number of articles.
The present invention provides a method of processing articles in a paper-handling installation, the paper-handling installation being set, on the basis of a job description, to process a predetermined number of articles during a predetermined time period or time interval, the method including:

- (a) detecting the number of articles being processed by the paper-handling installation during the predetermined time period or time interval;
- (b) if the detected number of articles is larger than or equal to the predetermined number of articles:
  - (b.1) increasing the speed at which the articles are processed in at least one section of the paper-handling installation by a predetermined amount of increase, and
  - (b.2) setting the predetermined number of articles equal to the detected number of articles;
- (c) if the detected number of articles is smaller than the predetermined number of articles:
  - (c.1) detecting which of the sections of the paper-handling installation has reduced a reduction in throughput during the predetermined time period,
  - (c.2) determining at least one installation parameter present here and/or at least one article parameter, and
  - (c.3) on the basis of the parameters determined in step (c.2), setting at least one installation parameter of a section of the paper-handling installation and/or reducing the speed at which the articles are processed in a section of the paper-handling installation, by a predetermined amount of reduction; and
- d) repeating the steps (a) to (d) while the job is being processed.

The present invention further provides a paper-handling installation for processing articles which operates in accordance with the inventive method.
The object set forth above is achieved by turning the open-loop control into closed-loop control for controlling a paper-handling system or a module of a paper-handling system. Turning the open-loop control into closed-loop control ensures, on the one hand, that by the module or the system independently determining, setting and storing the optimum parameters, maximum effective performance may be achieved, during deployment operation, from job to job using different materials. On the other hand, the possible influence exerted by the operator on the overall performance of the module or of the system is reduced, while at the same time the overall operability and the overall operation effort is reduced without entailing a loss of control of the overall processing, including the possibility of monitoring the processes.
The inventive approach avoids the previous, conventional procedure wherein adaptation in subareas of the individual processes, e.g. within the module or within the system, was possible, however without any automatic correction. In accordance with the invention, tedious trials (trial-and-error operations) and, consequently, the time and stress demanded of the operation personnel by this, are thus avoided. The parameter changes in processing which were performed on the part of the operation personnel were indeed useful and helpful, but the inventive approach represents a clearly more effective procedure as compared to said approaches which were implemented as open loop control systems. Due to the automatic, system-inherent identification of the parameters on the part of the module/system in dependence on the job to be processed, a controlled speed, or a controlled clock is determined in a faster, more reliable and permanently repeatable manner without this depending on the capabilities of the operation personnel.
In accordance with the invention, a reduction of stops, which represent a potential cause for damage to the articles or even destruction of the articles, a reduction of wear and tear, extension of the application spectrum is achieved for an optimum speed of the processing within the module/system at a maximum effectiveness, independently of any intervention on the part of an operator.
In accordance with the invention, the entire system may autonomously control itself, wherein advantageously all accesses to the respective parameters, be it at the operating units or at a central, PC-assisted operating unit, are accessible only to the maintenance personnel, i.e. not the operation personnel, the respective areas being protected, in accordance with an advantageous embodiment, by corresponding encryption.
In particular, repeated performance of the same job is improved by storing the results of the settings, since parameters which have already been obtained during operation (and which were essentially optimum parameters at the time of the latest performance of the job) now exist as the starting point. Starting from said existing parameters, the installation may now be set for repeated performance of the job. The optimum speeds and optimum clocks determined during a job are logged and made available again as parameters for each individual component when the job stored is called up again, corresponding autonomous control setting itself during operation if the job is defined differently. The advantage of this approach is that the system may be placed in an initial state for processing the job, of which initial state one knows that the installation for the planned articles operates, in principle, at a high effectiveness with the parameters already determined.
Administration of these job parameters may evidently also be transferred from one system to another system while using a superordinated storage location, and/or may be taken into account in central job preparation. A further implementation consists in selecting the best-suited system for processing a specific job on the basis of the parameters, which have been determined and controlled, for adapting the speed and clock. Of course, this adaptation may also be logged in the central operating system and be used for further analyses, and it may therefore be monitored.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will be detailed subsequently referring to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A-1C show flowcharts of an advantageous embodiment for setting the speed at which articles are processed in a paper-handling installation;

FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of an advantageous embodiment of the inventive method, wherein the degree of deviation of the detected parameters is taken into account in successive time intervals;

FIG. 3 shows a further advantageous embodiment of the inventive method wherein the degree to which the numbers of defects differ in successive intervals is taken into account to cause or not to cause, as a function thereof, a change in the settings of the installation.

FIG. 4 shows an isometric representation of an inventive paper-handling system in accordance with an embodiment described by means of an envelope inserter; and

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram depicting communication of information between the central controller and the portions of the envelope inserter of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the description which follows, advantageous embodiments of the present invention will be explained in more detail, the same reference numerals being used for the same or similar elements. It shall be noted that the description which follows merely represents an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, but that the invention is not limited to this specific implementation. In addition, the term “plurality” will be used in the description which follows, which term is to be understood as meaning two or more in the context of the present invention.
The present invention may be employed wherever paper is machined within a system and ends up being fed either to a storage location and/or further processing system, or is inserted, along with supplements, or inserts, or enclosures, into an envelope and then is stored and/or subjected to after-treatment. For example, the paper is fed from a stack or from a roller in an endless manner or as individual sheets. Processing within the system comprises, for example, separating, folding, collating, deflecting and similar paper processing steps. Generally, the present invention may be applied to any semi- and full-automatic paper processing systems serving the purpose of sending or passing on information. The present invention is not limited to enveloping systems, but may also be employed in envelope sorting lines, e.g. sorters, or in mail distribution systems. In addition, the inventive approach may be applied both to individual modules within a system and to a system as a compound structure.
The inventive approach utilizes a plurality of parameters including, e.g., installation parameters, environmental parameters and article parameters. These parameters are used for enabling closed-loop control of the installation, which will be described in detail below.
The installation parameters comprise parameters which relate to the setting of individual components within the installation or of one of several components within the installation as well as their wear and tear. For example, the installation parameters relate to the following components of a paper-handling installation:

- for the transport elements employed in the installation, e.g. for the rollers, the belt or vacuum conveyors: the roller or belt pitch and the intake pressure; for lateral guides: the position/the pitch of the guide elements; for a lock chamber: the roller pitch; or for nozzles: the amount and time of supply of blow air;
- for the driving elements used in the installation, e.g. for the motors: the rotational speed of the transport motors, and the acceleration of the articles by the driving elements;
- for the functional components employed in the installation: e.g. the take-up speed and the acceleration of the articles, and in addition, for example for a collating station: a meter reading indicating the collation quantity, and the weight of the group collated; for sheet feeders: the filling level; for an envelope inserter: the filling speed; for an output path: the filling quantity.

The parameter values are detected via sensors provided in the installation accordingly, and/or are obtained from the position of servomotors provided for adjusting various elements (e.g. servomotors for the rollers, guide elements, etc.)
Additionally, information on the state of the installation, e.g. on the wear-and-tear state of individual elements (e.g. wearout of the transport rollers or belts used) within the installation is detected.
The environmental parameters relate to, for example, environmental factors, e.g. temperature, humidity, static charge, etc. The values of the environmental parameters are also detected centrally and/or at important locations within the installation by suitable sensors.
The article parameters comprise the physical nature of the articles to be processed, such as of the paper to be processed, of inserts to be processed, and of envelopes to be processed, for example the weight of the article, the size of the article, the dimensions of the article, the nature of the material of the article, the basis weight of the article, the flexural strength of the article, the coefficient of friction of the article, the air permeability of the article, the roughness of the article, and the thickness of the article. These parameters, too, are monitored by suitable sensors within the installation.
It shall be noted that the above listing of the potential parameters is only exemplary, but not exhaustive.
In addition, a job description is provided which in addition to the indications on the settings of the various parameters of the installation also contains supplementary information on the articles to be processed. For example, a job description contains the number of the articles to be produced in the entire job, the number of the articles which may be contained in each group, the indication of the feeders from which the articles are to be fed and combined into a group, etc. In addition, the job description contains information on the height and the width of the article to be processed, on the initial transport speed in the various sections of the installation, for example at the inlet, at the outlet, for example for a potential transverse transport, etc.
Depending on the conditions, a job description contains further indications known to experts, in principle. Said job description is electronically provided, to the paper-handling installation, for example in the form of a file, either by transmission via a network or by reading in the file from a data carrier.
Advantageous embodiments of the inventive method will be explained below in more detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.
FIG. 1 shows a flowchart depicting an advantageous embodiment of the inventive method. The method starts at step S100, which comprises processing articles in a paper-handling installation starting from an initial state. In this context, the paper-handling installation has been set on the basis of a job description, the job description also indicating a predetermined number of articles to be processed during a predetermined time interval or time period. Once the paper-handling installation has been set and the articles to be merged have been provided at the various inlet points of the installation, the installation starts to process the job.
The inventive method is provided to control the processing of the articles such that a maximally possible number of articles processed during a predetermined time period is yielded (maximum throughput).
Step S102 comprises detecting, during the predetermined time period, for example during a specified time unit of several minutes of several hours, the number of articles processed during this time period. Step S104 comprises determining whether the number of articles actually processed is larger than or equal to the predetermined number of articles. If it is established that the number of articles exceeds the predetermined number, the method proceeds to step S106 (see FIG. 1B). Said step comprises increasing the speed at which articles are processed in at least one section of the paper-handling installation by a predetermined amount of increase, and step S108 comprises setting the previously detected new number equal to the predetermined number, and step S110 comprises storing the parameters and speed which have now been set for future use. In other words, it is recognized that the installation operates reliably with the current settings, so that in accordance with the invention, the processing speed is increased, wherein monitoring is performed, as will be described in detail below, as to whether the increase in the processing speed results in an increase in the throughput. In accordance with the invention, the installation is thus controlled so as to achieve as high a throughput (number of articles processed per predefined time period) as possible.
Subsequently, the method proceeds to step S112 (see FIG. 1C), which comprises determining whether the job has been completed. If this is so, the method will end at step S114. If the job has not yet been completed, the method will return to step S102.
If it is established, in step S104, that the number of articles to be processed within the time period is lower than the expected or predetermined number (with or without previous increase), the method will proceed to step S116.
The drop in the number of articles as compared to the predetermined number is due to the fact that during processing of the articles in the paper-handling installation a defect has occurred at one or several locations, said defect usually leading to a preliminary stop (interruption of the processing) of the installation until the defect has been remedied, for example by the intervention of an operator. Likewise, the number of articles to be processed will be reduced if any groups of articles which have been collated within the installation are defective, for example if the wrong inserts or a wrong number of inserts have been added to a letter. In this case, said defective articles will be removed from the installation, which entails a corresponding reduction of the throughput.
As defined by the present invention, a defect is understood to be anything which results in a reduction of the throughput of articles processed, i.e., for example, an interruption of the processing or manufacturing of defective articles.
In this case, step S116 comprises examining at which point in the paper-handling installation a defect has occurred during the time period contemplated. Subsequently, step S118 comprises determining, for this area of the installation, at least one state or value of an installation parameter and/or an article parameter which existed while the defect occurred and which, as a rule, caused the occurrence of the defect. For example, a mechanical component within the installation may have misadjusted, so that re-adjustment may be performed, or the properties of the article to be processed have changed. All of these factors by themselves, respectively, or in combination may have led to the occurrence of the defect.
Depending on which installation parameters and/or article parameters existed at the time of the occurrence of the defect, step S120 comprises setting at least one installation parameter within a section of the paper-handling installation. In addition or alternatively, the speed at which the articles are processed in the respective section of the paper-handling installation may also be reduced by a predetermined amount of reduction, as is also depicted in step S120. For example, if it is established that the installation parameters and/or article parameters had not changed, when the defect occurred, as compared to previous parameters/article parameters, it may be assumed that the transport speed resulted in the occurrence of the defect, and in this case, said transport speed will be lowered. As was mentioned above, this may either be performed by itself or along with setting other parameters of the installation.
If it is found that a property of the parameter of the article to be processed, for example the roughness of the paper, is changing, it will be sufficient, for example, to change the contact pressure of the transport drums within the affected section of the paper installation without a change in the speed being necessary. However, if it is additionally found that the thickness of the paper has also changed, so that said paper can no longer be moved at the original speed, the transport speed may also be changed. For example, if only the thickness of the paper has changed, it might be sufficient to change the speed only. Setting the speed within the installation is performed, for example, by changing a rotational speed of a motor, by changing an acceleration of articles within the paper-handling installation, and/or by changing the clock performance. Advantageously, the change is performed step by step, or in stages (incrementally).
Once the installation has been reset in step S120, the method proceeds to step 112 in FIG. 1C, which comprises checking whether the job has been completed. If this is not so, the method returns to step S102, as was mentioned above. As was mentioned above, the parameters set are stored, which additionally opens up the possibility of creating a log with regard to the settings during processing of the job. The settings stored in step S110 may further be associated with the job file, so that said settings may be utilized, during repeated performance of the job, for initially setting the installation, so that the installation may be automatically set to the corresponding values at a later point in time when processing a corresponding job, which may be accomplished, for example, by controlling corresponding servomotors which cause the change in the transport elements. During repeated performance of the job at a later point in time, the stored data set is initially loaded, and initial setting of the paper-handling installation is effected, while re-adjustment is then performed in accordance with the invention, depending on the current state of the installation, on current environmental parameters and while taking into account any potential variations in the properties of the article to be processed. In this manner, in accordance with the invention, fast initial setting of the paper-handling installation to jobs which have already been performed once or several times is enabled, and at the same time, automatic control/adjustment of the installation is enabled so to offset any differences in the articles to be processed and/or changes in the installation and environmental parameters as compared to the initial parameters.
In accordance with the invention, the processing speed within the paper-handling installation is thus controlled, an increase in the processing speed being generally conducted, as long as no defects occur, so as to achieve optimum throughput within the installation. Advantageously, the speed is set such that the speed does not exceed or fall below predetermined maximum and predetermined minimum speeds, respectively. In other words, a “window” is predefined for the installation and/or for components or modules of the installation, respectively, said window indicating the upper and/or lower limits of the potential speeds. For example, a merger shall be contemplated which receives two sheets in parallel and conveys them along a travel path such that the sheets will be arranged one above the other at the end of the travel path. For some merger types, the sheets are moved along this travel path without being driven, so that a predetermined speed of the sheets may not be fallen below while they are being fed to the travel path, so as to ensure that the sheets will reach the end of the travel path. Likewise, an upper limit is specified above which the sheets will be damaged. Both the upper and lower limits depend, among other things, on the paper and/or on its properties (parameters, see above).
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, two further advantageous embodiments of the present invention will be explained below which introduce threshold values with regard to the deviations of the parameters and/or with regard to the number of defects occurring during a time interval, decisions being made, depending on said threshold values, as to whether the changes are severe enough for settings of the installation to have to be changed, or whether said changes are within acceptable tolerance ranges.
In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention which is shown in FIG. 2, step S130 comprises determining a deviation of the detected parameters as compared to those parameters which were detected during a preceding interval or during a preceding time period. In step S132, said deviation is compared to a predetermined threshold. If the threshold is exceeded, step S134 comprises setting the installation parameter and/or reducing the speed. If the threshold is not exceeded, the setting of the paper-handling installation in maintained unchanged (see step S136).
In a further embodiment, shown in FIG. 3, of the present invention, step S140 comprises detecting a number of the defects which occurred during the time period or time interval, and step S142 comprises detecting a deviation of the number of defects detected as compared to a preceding time period or interval. Step S144 comprises comparing the deviation with a predetermined threshold, and if the threshold is exceeded, step S146 comprises changing the setting of an installation parameter and/or reducing the speed. If the threshold is not exceeded, the setting of the installation is maintained (see step S136).
Within the context of the above description of an advantageous embodiment of the inventive method, a description was given to the effect that in connection with the setting of the installation parameters and/or the reduction of the speed, the installation parameters or article parameters which exist during the time instant of a defect are taken into account. In accordance with a further advantageous embodiment of the present invention, it is also possible to additionally take into account one or several of the above-described environmental parameters. Likewise, the wear and tear of individual elements within the paper-handling installation may also be taken into account. The environmental parameters and/or wear-and-tear parameters which have just been mentioned are either continuously monitored or are monitored at a time instant during the time interval contemplated, or are monitored once during a plurality of time intervals. If the environmental parameters and/or the wear and tear are taken into account, the installation is advantageously set while accessing a look-up table wherein corresponding optimum installation parameters are stored for various environmental parameters or for various signs of wear and tear, so that the installation may be reset, e.g. as a function of an environmental temperature, from an initial temperature range comprising a first setting to a second temperature range comprising a second setting of the installation parameters.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention it is provided that it is determined, depending on the detected wear and tear of an element, whether or not interruption of the job execution in order to replace the component exhibiting the wear and tear is useful. This is determined as a function of a possible throughput of the paper-handling installation for the job. For example, a situation may arise when there is the possibility of continuing to operate the installation despite detected wear and tear of a component, but of operating it at reduced speed. In this case a decision is made as to whether execution of the job at the reduced speed is occurs faster than is the case when the installation is stopped, the worn element is replaced, and the installation is operated again at full speed. By way of example, wearout of a cutter shall be contemplated here, wherein in this context, replacement of a knife would take two hours. If it is determined that within this time period, the job may be executed at reduced speed while yielding an equally good result, a decision will be made that replacement of the worn element will be put off until an idle phase after the job has been terminated, so as first to finish processing the job being executed. Advantageously, a look-up table is accessed for this purpose, from which look-up table the amount of time taken to replace an element may be derived, so that the inventive method determines, on the basis of the job description from which the number of articles which are to be processed in the overall job is known, determines whether the job is to be interrupted or is to be completed at reduced speed.
In accordance with a further embodiment, the operation personnel is also taken into account. The operators of the installation are equipped with transponders to detect the number of operators and their positions. This allows adjusting a capacity utilization of the paper-handling installation as a function of the number of operators. If the number of operators is not sufficient, for example, for regularly placing inserts at the supplement feeders, or for regularly removing the finished articles from the output belt, this will lead to an interruption (a stoppage) of the installation (defect), which in turn will result in a decrease in the throughput. By monitoring the number of operators it is established whether or not there are a sufficient number of persons present for allowing continuous operation at full capacity. If the number of operators is not sufficient, the processing speed will be reduced accordingly, which, however, will lead to increased throughput overall due to the lack of interruptions occurring on account of insert feeders running empty or of the storage belt filling up.
Irrespective of the number of operators, one may further monitor in this embodiment, in accordance with the invention, whether any defects have occurred during the operation without the set parameters having changed during successive time intervals. It is possible to detect, along with the information on the number of operators and the positions of the operators, that at installation sections, defects occur which call for intervention of an operating person, so that it may be established that the installation speed may be reduced for proper handling on the part of the operator. When it is detected that the number of operating persons has increased, the speed may be increased again.
In addition, the inventive approach also allows sensing an activity of the operating person on the basis of their movements, so as to communicate, for example, that a frequently occurring interruption is not an installation defect, but is due to the fact that the operating person has not added further inserts, or enclosures, fast enough or has removed completed articles from the output belt.
As was already briefly mentioned above, the articles are processed either individually or in groups in the paper-handling installation, and in the latter case, the article parameters further comprise the total number of articles within a group. However, it shall be noted, in this context, that it is not mandatory for each group to comprise the same number of articles, but depending on the job description, different groups will contain different amounts of articles. In this case, a variation in the number of articles (groups) output does not necessarily represent a reduction in the throughput which is to be traced back to a defect. Depending on the size of the group, the duration of compiling the group up to the group being output varies. If, for example, only groups of five elements (letter, enclosures, etc.) are being processed during the time interval, the throughput will be higher than if groups of ten elements are processed during the same time interval.
This situation is taken into account in that values are provided for the groups which indicate the average time period useful for generating the groups, so that the “predetermined number” of articles (here groups) processed during a time interval, said “predetermined number” being used for inventive control, is determined on the basis of said values.
So far, the inventive method has been described by means of an installation which is already in operation. Before the inventive control sets in, the paper-handling installation is initially set for processing the job to be performed. To this end, the job description (see above) is advantageously obtained which describes the initial setting of the installation parameters for the job to be processed. In accordance with the installation parameters obtained, the installation is then set (configured). At this stage, an environmental parameter (see above) may also be detected, so that the set paper-handling installation may be reset on the basis of this environmental parameter detected. In addition, a sign of wear of the paper-handling installation may be recognized, which is useful when the installation has executed one or several other jobs since the latest job execution, which possibly led to wear and tear of individual parts. In this case, too, resetting of the paper-handling installation is performed on the basis of the detected sign of wear.
During the operation of the installation, monitoring of the environmental parameters and/or of the signs of wear may be continuously performed in addition to the control as was previously described, so as to allow, irrespective of the throughput, a reaction to said changed parameters in that the paper-handling installation is reset on the basis of the detected parameter values. In addition, the installation parameters and the article parameters may also be continuously monitored during operation so as to automatically reset the installation in case of any deviations, in this case the parameters being detected, as was already mentioned, either continuously or at specific fixed points in time during one or several intervals.
So far, a paper-handling installation has been described which comprises several sections, for example a feeder, a collating station, an envelope inserter, etc., as will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 4. However, in accordance with the invention, the present method may also be applied to paper-handling installations of modular designs, in which case, depending on the circumstances detected, the speed is set in one or more of the modules. Likewise, the parameters may be set in one or more of the modules, in case of a modular design the modules advantageously effecting control in a decentralized manner, and only the interface between the modules being monitored by a central controller. In addition, it may be determined, in an advantageous embodiment, whether following an increase in the speed, a defect has occurred in several of the modules or in only one of the modules, so that depending on this, the speed is decreased either in all or in some of the modules or only in the module in question.
FIG. 4 shows a paper-handling installation, which is controlled in accordance with the invention, by way of example of an enveloping installation. Such a paper-handling installation comprises a supply channel comprising, for example, cutters and sheet feeders. The supply channel is followed by an input channel/processing channel, wherein articles are collated, folded and gathered. A gathering path provided in the input channel/processing channel comprises one or more insert feeders, for example. The input channel/processing channel is followed by the envelope filling, in this context an envelope inserter comprising an envelope feeder, for example, which provides the envelopes. The envelope inserter is followed by post-processing, for example output of the enveloped articles to a post-processing system, for example a sorter and the like.
The enveloping installation 100 comprises a first input 102, a second input 104, and a third input 106, continuous webs 108, 110, 112, which are printed for dual-use, being provided at all of the inputs 102 to 106, respectively. All of the inputs 102, 104, 106 for continuous processing comprise a cutting device not shown in FIG. 4 for cutting the supplied paper web transversely, on the one hand, and longitudinally, on the other hand, so as to generate the individual articles to be processed.
The first input 102 is followed by a merger or merger path 114, which is followed by a collating station 116 wherein a predetermined number of articles are collated and are moved further along as a group. The collating station 116 is followed by a folding unit 118 and a transport module 120.
The second input 104 provides the paper web 110, which is printed for dual-use, and also comprises, just like the input 102, a device for transversally and longitudinally cutting the paper web 110. In contrast to the first input 102, the second input 104 comprises initially further processing the cut documents in parallel, in a folding unit 122, which is followed by a deflection station 124 wherein the folded articles which are now placed one behind the other are together transferred to a collating station 126, and from there to a transport module 128.
The articles provided by the transport modules 120 and 128 are collated in a collating station 129 and are supplied to a further collating station 132 via the transport module 130.
The third input 106 represents the continuous paper web 112, which is printed for dual-use, so that just like the inputs 102 and 104, the input 106, too, comprises a means for transversely and longitudinally cutting the paper web 112. Similarly to the input 104, the cut articles are provided in parallel to a folding unit 134 and from there to a deflection means 136, from which the articles, which are now placed one behind the other, are provided to a collating station 138. Starting from the collating station 138, the articles collated there are supplied, via the transport module 140, to the collating station 132, where they are merged with the articles provided from the inputs 102. Starting from the collating station 132, the articles collated are provided to the feeders 142 a and 142 b, where optionally further inserts may be added to the stacks of articles formed in the collating station 132. Finally, the articles, or groups of articles, thus formed are provided to the envelope inserter 144, which inserts them into corresponding envelopes and deposits the envelopes on a shingled belt 146.
In addition, FIG. 4 shows the central controller 148 of the installation 100, the connection of said controller 148 to the modules being schematically depicted at 148 a. Also, a sensor 150 is shown which is also connected to the central controller 148, as is schematically shown at 148 b. In the embodiment shown, the controller 148 is realized, for example, by a computer, possibilities of setting the operation of the installation, and the data processing means for logging the documents to be processed being included, at the same time, via a user interface. The controller 148 further monitors the functioning of the individual modules and of the overall system, for example for detecting fault conditions.
The system described in FIG. 4 is an enveloping system, for example, as is mainly used for banks and insurance companies, for example for using insurance policy documents which are printed for single use or for dual use. As has already been mentioned, the system comprises three inputs 102, 104, 106 for continuous processing, each with collating and folding possibilities, as well as a folding insert feeder 142 a comprising bar code readout for intelligent individual-sheet processing. The system enables merging documents or articles from all of the inputs 102 to 106. The vertical stack belt 146 allows a large storage volume and, consequently, reduced expenditure in terms of operation personnel.
In addition, at important measuring points such as at the inputs 102, 104, 106, for example at all of the or at selected processing elements, namely at the collating stations 116, 126, 128, 132, 138, at the feeders 142 a and 142 b, at the envelope inserter 144, and at the storage location 146, the enveloping installation 100 shown in FIG. 4 comprises sensors S₁and S₂, which, in accordance with the embodiment described by FIG. 4, detect the nature of the material of the article to be processed which is present at the corresponding station, as well as further properties, such as the number of sheets within a group at the corresponding collating stations. On the one hand, this information is serially transferred, in a so-called “handshake” operation, between the individual elements of the modular arrangement shown in FIG. 4, and is further transmitted, for actively controlling the overall system, to the central controller 148. In addition, one or more of the modules shown in FIG. 4 may comprise sensors S₁, which detect wear and tear of the components used, and may also communicate via the overall system and to the central controller 148 for evaluation. In addition, FIG. 4 may also show the sensor 150, which has already been mentioned and which may serve to detect environmental parameters, such as the temperature and/or humidity, the information obtained by the sensor 150 also being provided to the controller 148.
Alternatively or additionally, sensors for detecting the environmental parameters may also be provided within the individual modules, which is useful particularly for large installations, since due to the large spatial expansion of such installations, central detection of the environmental parameters would not be accurate enough. In the embodiment shown, the sensor S₂associated with the storage location 146 is provided so as to supply a signal, on the basis of which the control unit 148 will determine the actual output performance.
FIG. 4 further shows operators 160A, 160B, each of which is equipped with a transponder T. The control unit 148 communicates with the transponders T to detect the number of operators 160A, 160B and their positions. Depending on the number of operators 160A, 160B, the control unit 148 may set the capacity utilization of the paper-handling installation 100, as was described above.
During operation, the installation shown in FIG. 4 operates in the above-described manner, such that the corresponding sensor signals are output to the central controller 148 via the above-described sensors S₁, S₂. In an advantageous embodiment, the central controller 148 obtains a job description for the job to be processed, as was described above. On the basis of the information stored in said job, in conjunction with the properties detected, the central controller 148 causes the corresponding modules to be controlled so that they be set. In accordance with another advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the central controller 148 falls back on stored parameters with regard to the speeds set which were already detected in preceding runs, and on account of the sensor signals detected it causes suitable post-control for the process to be performed at that particular point in time.
Examples of the inventive approach will be explained below with reference to FIG. 4.
One example of detecting properties of the article to be processed comprises detecting a code provided on the paper web, said code being detected by a reader in the input channels 102, 104 and 106. Such readers are designed, for example, to read the code from the paper web while said paper web is passed along the read head at, e.g., 5 m/s. With a correctly printed code, the read head is able, at said speed, to correctly detect the code. However, there may be situations when the code on the paper web is only poorly legible, be it that it is partly covered by other features or imprints due to a malfunction in the previous processing operation, that too little toner was applied, or that only little contrast exists. In this case, read errors are detected, since a read operation now is no longer possible at the speed mentioned. An increase in the number of read errors indicates a poorly printed code, so that the installation is operative to reduce the “reading rate”, i.e. the speed of the paper web at which the code is passed along the read head, once a specific threshold of the number of read errors is reached. The speed may be reduced to 3 m/s, for example, either in one step or gradually, until the read error rate is below the threshold mentioned. In addition, if the threshold is fallen below, signaling may be generated in order to generate a message which indicates that the code is only poorly legible.
If the installation is a so-called online installation, i.e. if the papers to be processed are directly generated by an upstream high-speed printer, a return channel may optionally be produced between the installation shown in FIG. 4 and the associated online printers, so as to control said online printers—in the event that a poorly printed code is detected—to improve the print of the code.
Even though the above example concerning code detection was described in the context of the input channels 102, 104 and 106, this embodiment may also be employed at any other location within the installation at which a code is detected.
Optionally, provision may be made for an alert message to be output to the operator once the speed has been reduced because the threshold concerning the read errors has been fallen below, so that said operator may possibly take steps to counteract said tendency with regard to the poorly printed code. If the quality of the code continuous to deteriorate, or if the code still cannot be read even though the speed has been reduced, an error message will be output once a further threshold has been reached, and processing will be stopped.
In a further example, the installation comprises several sheet feeders, and it is found that the defects can be traced back to the fact that a feeder has been depleted. For example, the arrangement shown in FIG. 4 comprises three feeders 142 a, 142 b, a first job withdrawing sheets from all of the sheet feeders, for example. As a result, the individual sheet feeders are depleted in a relatively uniform manner, so that as a rule, refilling is possible without any problems. However, if a job is performed wherein only one of the sheet feeders is used, said sheet feeder will be depleted relatively fast, so that an operator may possibly not be able to keep up with refilling it, which will make itself felt by an increased number of interruptions. The installation may be automatically configured to reduce the processing speed and/or to suggest an alternative operating mode, for example toggle mode, to the operator, said toggle mode comprising the use two of the sheet feeders, from which sheets are alternatively withdrawn, so that an operator will have sufficient time for refilling the installations.
The above description of the advantageous embodiments was based on the overall system shown in FIG. 4, but those skilled in the art will also know further systems comprising other modules than those shown in FIG. 4, and the principles of the present invention may naturally also be readily transferred to other such modules as will be mentioned below with reference to FIG. 5.
FIG. 5 shows a block diagram which illustrates communication of information between the central controller 148 and the individual stations of a paper-processing system as is shown, for example, with reference to FIG. 4. In this case, the individual blocks in FIG. 5 have the corresponding reference numerals of the modules shown in FIG. 4 associated with them, and the filled-in horizontal arrows indicate the communication along the installation in the “handshake operation”, and the non-filled-in vertical arrows indicate the status and situation messages for active control which are exchanged between the central controller 148 and the individual modules.
As may be seen, the system controller or system regulator 148 contains default actuating variables for the individual modules, which initially set, for example, the motor speed and the clock cycle of individual modules so as to provide a defined starting point for processing a job. As an alternative to such actuating variables, which are set, for example, by an operator, optimum operating points which were determined in preceding runs may be read out from a memory so as to set the overall installation in accordance with the known parameters. As was described above, the useful setting may also be derived on the basis of information from job programming and/or from corresponding specifications of a job.
The four processing channels shown in FIG. 5 comprise, on the one hand, the so-called supply channel 160, the processing channel 162, the finishing channel 164, and the post-processing channel 166. As was mentioned above, the respective channels have the corresponding modules of the exemplary enveloping system 100 of FIG. 4 associated with them, and the supply channel also has so-called autoloaders, dispensers and printers associated with it in addition to the cutters 102, 104, 106 and sheet feeders 142 a and 142 b, which are shown in FIG. 4. In addition to the collating stations 116, 126, 128, 132, 136 shown in FIG. 4, to the folding units 118, 122, 134 shown in FIG. 4, and the deflection means 124 and 136 shown in FIG. 4, the processing channel 162 also has rotary means, stapling means and the like associated with it. In addition to the envelope inserter 144 shown in FIG. 4, the finishing channel 164 also has stackers and sorters and similar elements associated with it. In addition to the storage location 146 shown in FIG. 4, the post-processing channel also has franking means, printers, readers, sorters, packaging means and the like associated with it.
In all of the channels, environmental parameters, article parameters and installation parameters are detected. Even though with reference to FIG. 4, a paper-handling installation in accordance with the present invention was described by means of an enveloping system of a modular design, it shall be noted at this point that the inventive apparatus is not limited to modular systems. Likewise, the inventive approach may be applied to a non-modular paper-handling installation comprising one or more paper-handling stations. For example, the inventive approach may also be applied only in conjunction with the envelope inserter 144 shown in FIG. 4, or with a subset of the modules shown, in which case the envelope inserter 144 will receive only the articles to be enveloped, and will envelope and output same. In addition, it shall be noted that the inventive paper-handling installation is not limited to the enveloping installation shown in FIG. 4. The inventive approach may also be employed for other installations having other configurations, it being possible for such installations to comprise additional autoloaders, dispensers, printers, rotary means, staplers, sorters, franking units, packaging means, etc.
In addition it shall be noted that the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 4 comprises sensors, respectively, at the above-indicated elements of the respective channels, it also being possible, however, for the sensors to be provided either at all of the individual modules or only at selected individual modules, possibly at less than the above-described modules, depending on the conditions of the installation.
As was described above, the inventive method may be applied to an overall installation, to parts of an installation, or to individual modules of a modularly designed installation, the individual sections or modules of the overall installation being controlled via a central controller in each case. In accordance with the present invention, individual selected sections or modules, which are particularly critical to the processing of the articles, are monitored, and their speeds are controlled, but provision may also be made for monitoring and controlling each individual section or module.
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but may be applied wherever paper is machined within a system and is eventually fed to a storage location and/or further-processing means, for example, and it therefore generally relates to any semi- or full-automatic paper processing systems.
In the description of the embodiments of the invention, any reduction of the throughput of articles processed which is due to an interruption of the processing or to the generation of defective articles has been regarded as a defect, as have the events underlying the interruption of the processing and/or the generation of defective articles.
In addition to events caused by a malfunction of the installation or of one or more modules of the installation, one may also consider other events, for example the case that all of the modules of an installation per se are properly set, but that one or more of the modules are modified, for example with regard to their processing speeds, such that modules which directly follow them or are further downstream from them will refuse to take on the articles for processing, since the articles are supplied too fast, for example (for example, a folding unit may accept articles, e.g. paper, only at a maximum speed to ensure proper folding). In this case (event), the articles are no longer withdrawn from the precursor component, so that the throughput is reduced without a “classical defect” occurring.
In addition, the throughput may decrease—without the occurrence of any “classic defects”—if the articles are run, e.g. at too large a distance from one another. If the problem of jams or the like occurs at too small a distance, which results in a stoppage of the installation and therefore reduces the throughput, a reduction will be given even if the distance between the articles is too large.
In the above-mentioned cases, too, the inventive approach will be effective and result in the installation and/or the installation parts (or modules) to be controlled so as to adapt the speeds during processing, to increase or reduce the distance, etc.
In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the invention, the setting of the speed of the processing was explained primarily by means of settings of the motors transporting the articles. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Instead of changing the conveying speeds of the motors, other parameters which influence the processing speed may be modified. For example, the points in time when an article from a predecessor component is requested by a successor component may be changed (increased/decreased), for example, within the installation and/or between the modules so as to influence the processing speed. Likewise, the distance of the articles may be changed (increased/decreased) so as to influence the processing speed.
In addition, the description of the embodiments of the invention has further been based on the assumption that the installation already runs at normal operation. If a job processing is newly started, the job is performed either repeatedly or for the first time. If the job is performed repeatedly, the initial value of the desired throughput may be stored along with the job and provided to the installation.
During the restart of the installation for processing a new job, an initial value of the desired throughput may be missing (in particular if the job is performed for the first time). In this case, provision is made for the initial value of the desired throughput to be either predefined by the job, to be set by an operator, or to be set to a default value (e.g. zero).
In addition, provision may be made that setting the installation parameters initially comprises performing relatively large steps until normal operation is achieved, so as to achieve fast control of the installation, after the start, to reach the desired condition. The step size may be changed in a linear manner, for example.
While this invention has been described in terms of several embodiments, there are alterations, permutations, and equivalents which fall within the scope of this invention. It should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and compositions of the present invention. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations, permutations and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of processing articles in a paper-handling installation, the paper-handling installation being set, on the basis of a job description, to process a predetermined number of articles during a predetermined time period, the method comprising the following being performed by the paper-handling installation:

(d) detecting the number of articles being processed by the paper-handling installation during the predetermined time period;

(e) if the detected number of articles is larger than or equal to the predetermined number of articles:

(b.1) increasing the speed at which the articles are processed in at least one section of the paper-handling installation by a predetermined amount of increase, and

(b.2) setting the predetermined number of articles equal to the detected number of articles;

(f) if the detected number of articles is smaller than the predetermined number of articles:

(c.1) detecting which of the sections of the paper-handling installation has caused a reduction in throughput during the predetermined time period,

(c.2) determining at least one installation parameter present here and/or at least one article parameter, and

(c.3) on the basis of the parameters determined in (c.2), setting at least one section of the paper-handling installation and/or reducing the speed at which the articles are processed in a section of the paper-handling installation, by a predetermined amount of reduction; and

e) repeating (a) to (c) while the job is being processed.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein (c.3) comprises:

determining a deviation of the parameters detected in (c.2) as compared to parameters detected during a preceding time period;

comparing the deviation to a first predetermined threshold;

if the deviation is smaller than the first predetermined threshold, maintaining the setting of the paper-handling installation; and

if the deviation is larger than the first predetermined threshold, setting the at least one installation parameter and/or reducing the speed on the basis of the parameters determined in (c.2).

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein (c.1) comprises determining the number of events occurring during the time period which caused a reduction of the throughput, (c.3) comprising:

determining a deviation of the number of events detected in (c.1) as compared to the number of events detected in a preceding time period;

comparing the deviation to a second predetermined threshold;

if the deviation is smaller than the second predetermined threshold, maintaining the setting of the paper-handling installation; and

if the deviation is larger than the second predetermined threshold, setting the at least one installation parameter and/or reducing the speed on the basis of the parameters determined in (c.2).

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein (b.1) and (c.3) comprise setting the speed such that the speed does not exceed or fall below a predetermined maximum speed and a predetermined minimum speed, respectively.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein (c.3) further comprises taking into account at least one environmental parameter, the at least one environmental parameter being detected during the time period contemplated, or being detected once during a plurality of time periods, and taking into account the at least one environmental parameter in (c.3) comprising reading out optimum installation parameters for the detected environmental parameter from a look-up table.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein (c.3) further comprises taking into account any wear and tear in the paper-handling installation, the wear and tear being detected during the time period contemplated, or being detected once during a plurality of time periods, and taking into account the wear and tear in (c.3) comprising reading out optimum installation parameters for the detected wear and tear from a look-up table.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein a determination is made, depending on the detected wear and tear of an element, whether replacement of the element concerned or reduction of the speed of the paper-handling installation will provide increased throughput of same for the job, wherein (c.3) comprises reducing the speed if this leads to a higher throughput, and wherein the paper-handling installation is stopped and the operator is signaled that the element is to be replaced if this leads to a higher throughput.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein (c.2) further comprises detecting the number of operators of the paper-handling installation and their positions, the capacity utilization of the paper-handling installation being set depending on the number of operators.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein (b.1) and (c.3) comprise storing the set speed and the set installation parameters.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the paper-handling installation processes the articles in groups, the article parameters further comprising the total number of articles within a group.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of the groups comprises a predetermined number of articles, wherein the predetermined number of articles to be processed during the predetermined time period is determined in dependence on the sizes of the groups in the job, a value existing for each group which indicates the average duration of generating a group within the installation, and the predetermined number being dependent on the values.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the paper-handling installation comprises at least two modules, wherein (b.1) comprises increasing the speed in at least one of the modules, and wherein (c.3) comprises setting the installation parameters and/or the speed in at least one of the modules.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein (a) to (c) are performed in a decentralized manner in each of the modules, a central controller monitoring the interface between the modules.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein (c.1) comprises determining whether following an increase in the speed, one or more events, which caused a reduction of the throughput, occurred (i) in several modules in the paper-handling installation, or (ii) only in one module of the paper-handling installation,

wherein in case (i), (c.3) comprises reducing the speed in some of the modules or in all of the modules of the paper-handling installation, and

wherein in case (ii), (c.3) comprises reducing the speed only in the module concerned.

15. A paper-handling installation for processing articles which is set on the basis of a job description so as to process a predetermined number of articles during a predetermined time period, comprising:

a first sensor for detecting the number of articles which are processed by the paper-handling installation during the predetermined time period;

a second sensor for determining at least one installation parameter and/or at least one article parameter; and

a control unit effectively connected to the sensors and configured to, while processing the job,

increase the speed at which the articles are processed in at least one section of the paper-handling installation, by a predetermined amount of increase, and to set the predetermined number of articles equal to the detected number of articles if the detected number of articles is larger than or equal to the predetermined number of articles; and

detect which of the sections of the paper-handling installation caused, during the predetermined time period, a reduction of the throughput, and, on the basis of the parameters present here, to set at least one installation parameter of at least one section of the paper-handling installation and/or to reduce the speed at which the articles are processed in one section of the paper-handling installation by a predetermined amount of reduction if the detected number of articles is smaller than the predetermined number of articles.