Apparatus for positioning a carriage for loading or unloading a wound reel, such as printing material webs for web-fed rotary presses
View Patent ↗In combination with a transport mechanism that includes a plurality of conveyor rollers, an apparatus is used to position a carriage loadable with a wound reel at a desired location on the transport mechanism. The apparatus includes a rotary pulse generator associated with one of the plural conveyor rollers for registering the revolutions of the one of the plural conveyor rollers wherein the revolutions embody a measure of the distance traveled on the transport mechanism by the carriage. The apparatus also includes at least a first and a second initiator for determining the current position of the carriage on the transport mechanism. The first initiator detects a first position of the carriage. The second initiator detects a second position of the carriage. The revolutions of the rotary pulse generator and a distance between the first and second initiator are used to calculate a slip (K), which is used to determine distance (W) between the current position of the carriage and the desired position (S) of the carriage.
1. In combination with a transport mechanism that includes a plurality of conveyor rollers, an apparatus for positioning a carriage at a desired position on the transport mechanism, the carriage being loadable with a wound reel, the apparatus comprising:
a rotary pulse generator ( 16 ) associated with one of the plural conveyor rollers ( 9 ) for registering the revolutions of the one of the plural conveyor rollers ( 9 ) wherein the revolutions embody a measure of the distance traveled on the transport mechanism ( 1 ) by the carriage ( 6 );
at least a first and a second initiator ( 13 , 17 ) for determining the current position of the carriage ( 6 ) on the transport mechanism ( 1 ), the first initiator ( 13 ) for detecting a first position of the carriage ( 6 ), the second initiator ( 17 ) for detecting a second position of the carriage ( 6 ) wherein the revolutions of the rotary pulse generator ( 16 ) and a distance between the first and second initiator are used to calculate a slip (K), the slip (K) being used to determine distance (W) between the current position of the carriage ( 6 ) and the desired position (S) of the carriage ( 6 ).
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and the second initiators ( 13 , 17 ) are separated by a predetermined distance ( 18 ).
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein
the first initiator ( 13 ) is arranged at an inlet of the transport mechanism ( 1 );
the second initiator ( 17 ) is arranged distal from the first initiator ( 13 ) by the predetermined distance; the carriage ( 6 ) traveling at least from the first to the second initiator ( 13 , 17 );
the rotary pulse generator ( 16 ) registers the revolutions of the conveyor rollers ( 9 ) in pulses wherein a first number of pulses registered (X) is associated with the carriage ( 6 ) at the second initiator ( 17 ), a second number of pulses (Y) is associated with the predetermined distance ( 18 ) between the first and the second initiator ( 13 , 17 ), and a third number of pulses (I) is associated with the desired position (S) of the carriage;
the apparatus further comprising
a computer ( 15 ) associated with the rotary pulse generator ( 16 ) and the at least first and second initiators ( 13 , 17 ), the computer ( 15 ) for storing and evaluating the plural number of pulses (X, Y, I) to calculate a slip (K) to determine the distance (W) between the current position of the carriage ( 6 ) and the desired position (S) of the carriage ( 6 ).
4. The apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising a counter ( 14 ) associated with the computer ( 15 ), the counter ( 14 ) for storing the first number of pulses registered (X) associated with the carriage at the second initiator ( 17 ).
5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the counter ( 14 ) is set to zero when the first initiator ( 13 ) senses the carriage ( 6 ).
6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the counter ( 14 ) is reset when the second initiator ( 17 ) senses the carriage ( 6 ).
7. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the counter ( 14 ) becomes usable for determining a new value of the slip (K) when the second initiator ( 17 ) senses the carriage ( 6 ).
8. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the rotary pulse generator ( 16 ) and the at least first and second initiators ( 13 , 17 ) are associated with the counter ( 14 ).
9. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the predetermined distance ( 18 ) is a fixed value.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the carriage ( 6 ) is moved on to the transport mechanism ( 1 ) by the plural conveyor rollers ( 9 ).
11. In combination with a transport mechanism that includes a plurality of conveyor rollers, an apparatus for determining the distance between the present location of a carriage of known dimensions and the desired position of the carriage on the transport mechanism, the carriage being loadable with a wound reel, the apparatus comprising:
at least a first and a second initiator ( 13 , 17 ) for determining the current position of the carriage ( 6 ) on the transport mechanism ( 1 ), the first initiator ( 13 ) for detecting a first position of the carriage ( 6 ), the second initiator ( 17 ) for detecting a second position of the carriage ( 6 ),
a rotary pulse generator ( 16 ) associated with one of the plural conveyor rollers ( 9 ), the rotary pulse generator ( 16 ) for registering the revolutions of the one of the plural conveyor rollers ( 9 ) wherein the revolutions embody a measure of the distance traveled on the transport mechanism ( 1 ) by the carriage ( 6 ) from the first to the second initiator; and
a computer ( 15 ) associated with the rotary pulse generator ( 16 ) and the at least first and second initiators ( 13 , 17 ), the computer ( 15 ) evaluating the revolutions of the rotary pulse generator ( 16 ) and a distance between the first and second initiator to calculate a slip (K) to determine the distance (W) between the current position of the carriage ( 6 ) and the desired position (S) of the carriage ( 6 ).
12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the first and the second initiators ( 13 , 17 ) are separated by a predetermined distance ( 18 ).
13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein
the first initiator ( 13 ) is arranged at an inlet of the transport mechanism ( 1 );
the second initiator ( 17 ) is arranged distal from the first initiator ( 13 ) by the predetermined distance; the carriage traveling at least from the first to the second initiator ( 13 , 17 );
the rotary pulse generator ( 16 ) registers the revolutions of the conveyor rollers ( 9 ) in pulses wherein a first number of pulses registered (X) is associated with the carriage at the second initiator ( 17 ), a second number of pulses (Y) is associated with the predetermined distance ( 18 ) between the first and the second initiator ( 13 , 17 ), and a third number of pulses (I) is associated with the desired position (S) of the carriage;
the apparatus further comprising
a computer ( 15 ) associated with the rotary pulse generator ( 16 ) and the at least first and second initiators ( 13 , 17 ), the computer ( 15 ) for storing and evaluating the plural number of pulses (X, Y, I) to calculate a slip (K) to determine the distance (W) between the current position of the carriage ( 6 ) and the desired position (S) of the carriage ( 6 ).
14. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising a counter ( 14 ) associated with the computer ( 15 ), the counter ( 14 ) for storing the first number of pulses registered (X) is associated with the carriage at the second initiator ( 17 ).
15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the counter ( 14 ) is set to zero when the first initiator ( 13 ) senses the carriage ( 6 ).
16. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the counter ( 14 ) is reset when the second initiator ( 17 ) senses the carriage ( 6 ).
17. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the counter ( 14 ) becomes usable for determining a new value of the slip (K) when the second initiator ( 17 ) senses the carriage ( 6 ).
18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the rotary pulse generator ( 16 ) and the at least first and second initiators ( 13 , 17 ) are associated with the counter ( 14 ).
19. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the predetermined distance is a fixed value.
20. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the carriage ( 6 ) is moved on to the transport mechanism ( 1 ) by the plural conveyor rollers ( 9 ).
21. A method of determining the distance between the present location of a carriage of known dimensions and the desired position of the carriage on a transport mechanism using an apparatus in combination with the transport mechanism; wherein
the transport mechanism comprises a plurality of conveyor rollers, and
the apparatus comprises at least a first and a second initiator for determining a respective first and second instance of the carriage on the transport mechanism and a rotary pulse generator associated with one of the plural conveyor rollers;
the method comprising the steps of:
(a) registering a first instance of the carriage;
(b) registering a second instance of the carriage;
(c) determining the distance traveled by the carriage between the first and second instance;
(d) determining the revolutions of one of the plural conveyor rollers wherein the revolutions embody a measure of the distance traveled on the transport mechanism by the carriage from the first to the second instance; and
(e) evaluating the revolutions and a distance between the first and second instance to calculate a slip (K) to determine distance (W) between the current position of the carriage and the desired position (S) of the carriage.