Cylinder lifting / lowering device for a printing press

Abstract

Cylinder lifting / lowering device for a printing press, comprising: a frame (21); a first cylinder which is rotatable and has a first gear which is provided at at least one end of the first cylinder; and a second cylinder which is rotatable and can be raised and lowered relative to the first cylinder, wherein the second cylinder has a second gear which is provided at at least one side end of the second cylinder in order to be able to mesh with the first gear, the second cylinder is designed to be raised and lowered relative to the first cylinder via a pendulum motion, and the cylinder lifting / lowering device also includes a gear guide device (36), wherein the gear guide device (36) comprises a cam disc engagement element (37) which is provided on the second cylinder, and a guide part (38) which is provided on the frame (21) and is displaceable between an engagement position and a retracted position, and wherein the guide part (38) comprises a comb engagement detection sensor (40), and wherein the gear guide device (36) enables the cam disc engagement element (37) to be arranged along the guide part (38) at the engagement position in order to engage the second gear in a mesh engagement with the first gear, and enables the mesh engagement detection sensor (40) to detect the cam disc engagement element (37) in order to detect the mesh engagement between the second gear and the first gear.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AREA OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a cylinder lifting / lowering device for raising and lowering a cylinder for use in a printing press. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] A cylinder raising / lowering device for a printing press comprises a first cylinder and a second cylinder, as well as a first gear and a second gear, which are mounted on at least one end of the first and second cylinders and are designed to be engaged and disengaged. The second cylinder is mounted so that it can be raised and lowered, and the second gear is raised and lowered concurrently with this movement. For example, JP Patent No. 2962520 teaches a mechanism for raising and lowering the second cylinder relative to the first cylinder by linearly raising and lowering the second cylinder together with a frame.For an arrangement in which the first and second gears are brought into mutual contact, a mechanism must be provided to guide specific teeth of both gears into mutual meshing and to prevent the teeth of the two gears from interfering with each other. JP Patent No. 2962520 does not contain any teaching about such a mechanism.

[0003] If the gears are to remain in contact with each other, both gears must be precisely positioned. Furthermore, a mechanism is needed to guide the gears into their mutual meshing more smoothly and reliably.

[0004] DE 199 53 664 A1 describes a device for ensuring correct tooth engagement when coupling an adjustable first gear into a second gear of a printing material processing machine.

[0005] DE 101 57 500 A1 describes a rotary printing press.

[0006] DE 21 54 070 A describes a release and switch-off device for a printing press. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The invention relates to a cylinder lifting / lowering device with the features of claim 1. Preferred embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0008] Therefore, in view of the aforementioned problems with the prior art described above, the present invention was developed. One object of the present invention is to provide a cylinder lifting / lowering device for a printing press in which, in connection with the lifting and lowering of a cylinder, the gears are reliably brought into or out of contact.

[0009] According to the present invention, a cylinder lifting / lowering device for a printing press is provided, comprising: a first cylinder, which is rotatable and has a first gear provided at at least one end of the first cylinder; and a second cylinder, which is rotatable and can be raised and lowered relative to the first cylinder, wherein the second cylinder has a second gear provided at at least one end of the second cylinder to be engaged in meshing with the first gear. The second cylinder is designed to be raised and lowered relative to the first cylinder by means of a pendulum motion. The cylinder lifting / lowering device further comprises a gear guide device that engages the second gear in meshing with the first gear and detects the meshing between the second and first gears.

[0010] The cylinder raising / lowering device may further include a gear positioning device that detects the position of a tooth of at least the second gear and synchronizes the rotation of the first cylinder and the rotation of the second cylinder with respect to the detected position in order to set the position at which a specific tooth of the first gear begins to mesh with a specific tooth of the second gear.

[0011] The cylinder raising / lowering device can be designed so that the first gear and / or second gear becomes / becomes rotatable, so that the teeth of the first gear and / or second gear align with teeth of the remaining gear when the second gear moves towards the first gear.

[0012] The cylinder lifting / lowering device can be designed such that the first cylinder is a pressure cylinder and the second cylinder is a transfer cylinder. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a printing press having a cylinder lifting / lowering device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. Figure 2 is a simplified cross-sectional view along a line EE in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a simplified side view of an OPS page looking in the direction of an arrow F in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a simplified side view of a NOPS page looking in the direction of an arrow G in Fig. 2. Fig. 5a is a view showing a step, a transfer cylinder from Fig. 3 in system contact with a pressure cylinder of Fig. 3 to bring, with the transfer cylinder in a separate position and a guide part in a retracted position. Fig. 5b is a view showing a step in the transfer cylinder process. Fig. 3 in contact with the pressure cylinder of Fig. 3 to bring, whereby the transfer cylinder is in the separated state and the guide part is in a steering position. Fig. 5c is a view showing a step in the transfer cylinder process. Fig. 3 in contact with the pressure cylinder of Fig. 3 to bring, whereby the transfer cylinder is held in a contact position and the guide part is held in the steering position. Fig. 5d is a view that shows a step in the transfer cylinder process. Fig. 3 in contact with the pressure cylinder of Fig. 3 to bring, whereby the transfer cylinder is held in the contact position and the guide part is held in a retracted position. Fig. 6a is a view showing one step in the movement of a transfer cylinder gear from Fig. 4 in comb engagement with a pressure cylinder gear from Fig. Figure 4 shows the transfer cylinder gear being held in a separate position. Fig. 6b is a view showing one step in the movement of the transfer cylinder gear from Fig. 4 in comb engagement with the pressure cylinder gear of Fig. Figure 4 shows the transfer cylinder gear being held in a comb engagement position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EXECUTION FORM

[0013] The following is a description of a cylinder lifting / lowering device according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 6. An OPS page described below refers to an operating page (a front side facing the page from Fig. 1), and a NOPS side corresponds to a side opposite the operating side (a reverse side facing the sheet of Fig. 1).

[0014] Fig. Figure 1 shows an example of a printing press equipped with a cylinder raising / lowering device according to the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the printing press of the present embodiment is a sheet-fed offset printing press. The printing press comprises a sheet feed section A for feeding individual sheets of paper as printing paper from a sheet stacking table to a downstream section by means of a feeding unit or sheet separator, a printing section B for printing the sheets fed from the sheet feed section A, a surface treatment section C for subjecting the sheets printed at printing section B to a surface treatment, and a sheet output section D for conveying the sheets to the outside.Here, printing section B consists of a printing section B comprising four printing units 5 to enable four-color printing. However, printing section B can also consist of a printing section comprising one printing unit 5 or two or more printing units to enable single-color printing or printing with two or more colors in addition to four-color printing. The specific construction of each element or part for forming the printing machine is not necessarily limited to that shown in the figures.

[0015] The printing units 5 each comprise a plate cylinder 1, a rubber cylinder 2, and an inking roller assembly 4, as well as a printing cylinder 3 as the first cylinder and an output cylinder 6. Although not shown, the printing cylinders 3 each have grippers mounted at two points along their circumference, each comprising a claw block and a claw to grip each sheet fed to the printing cylinder 3. It is also possible for each printing cylinder to have only one gripper mounted at one point, or three or more grippers mounted at three or more points along its circumference. Reference number 7 in Fig. 1 represents a sheet feed cylinder that receives the respective sheets, which are fed from a swing arm 10 on a feed plate 8 and a guide plate 9, and then transfers them to the printing cylinder 3. The sheet feed cylinder 7 and the swing arm 10 are equipped with claw blocks and claws in the same manner as described above.

[0016] The sheet output section D consists of a chain conveyor device with two sheet output cylinders and grippers. Specifically, the chain conveyor device has a first sheet output cylinder 11 adjacent to the printing cylinder 3 of the surface treatment section C and a second sheet output cylinder 12 adjacent to the first sheet output cylinder 11. An endless chain 15 is tensioned between a sprocket 13 and a sprocket 14, with the sprocket 13 located on the leading (upstream) side of the sheet feed direction and the sprocket 14 on the trailing (downstream) side of the sheet feed direction. The rotation of the sprockets 13 and 14 causes the chain 15 to rotate, guided by a chain guide (not shown).

[0017] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the surface treatment section C is provided with a transfer cylinder 16 as a second cylinder, which faces the printing cylinder 3 and is designed to be held in contact with the printing cylinder 3. The surface treatment section C includes a cylinder lifting / lowering device that holds the transfer cylinder 16 so that it can raise and lower the transfer cylinder 16 relative to the printing cylinder 3. As shown in Figure 1, the surface treatment section C is equipped with a transfer cylinder 16 as a second cylinder, which faces the printing cylinder 3 and is designed to be held in contact with the printing cylinder 3. Fig. 2 to Fig. Figure 4 shows a lifting / lowering mechanism of the cylinder lifting / lowering device, eccentric housings 17 and 18 which hold the transfer cylinder 16, and a housing drive unit 19 which rotates the eccentric housings 17 and 18.

[0018] The eccentric housings 17 and 18 are mounted on frames 20 and 21 so that they are rotatable and have a pivot axis 22 serving as a center of rotation, which is arranged eccentrically to a pivot axis 23 of the transfer cylinder 16. This means that when the eccentric housings 17 and 18 are rotated, the pivot axis 23 of the transfer cylinder 16 moves back and forth by the distance corresponding to this eccentric distance, so that the transfer cylinder 16 can be raised and lowered relative to the pressure cylinder 3 by this oscillating movement.

[0019] As in Fig. 2 to Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the housing drive unit 19, which rotates the eccentric housings 17 and 18, comprises an air cylinder 24, a transmission part 27, and a drive part 28. The transmission part 27 is formed as a single unit consisting of a connecting part 25 and a transmission shaft 26. This housing drive unit 19 transmits a driving force from the air cylinder 24 to the eccentric housings 17 and 18 by interposing a connecting mechanism between the air cylinder 24 and the eccentric housings 17 and 18. To rotate the eccentric housings 17 and 18, it is necessary to rotate the eccentric housing 17 on the OPS side and the eccentric housing 18 on the NOPS side simultaneously. As shown in Figure 4, the transmission part 27 is formed as a single unit consisting of a connecting part 25 and a transmission shaft 26. Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the design, in which the transmission part 27 is provided in the connection mechanism, allows the drive force on the OPS side to be transmitted to the NOPS side via the transmission shaft 26, which couples the eccentric housings 17 and 18. Therefore, the eccentric housings 17 and 18 can be rotated simultaneously by a single air cylinder, i.e., only by the air cylinder 24.

[0020] Next, the pendulum motion of the transfer cylinder 16 is described with reference to Fig. 5a to Fig. 5d. If, in the specific case, the transfer cylinder 16 comes into contact with the pressure cylinder 3, and in particular if the air cylinder 24 is actively extended in the state in which the transfer cylinder 16 is held in a position separate from the pressure cylinder 3 ( Fig. 5a and Fig. 5b), the connecting part 25 rotates around the transmission shaft 26, thereby exerting a tensile force on the drive part 28 and causing the eccentric housings 17 and 18 to rotate when viewed from the direction of a Fig. Turn the arrow F shown in point 2 clockwise ( Fig. 5c). As a result, the transfer cylinder 16 comes into contact with the printing cylinder 3 ( Fig. 5d). When the air cylinder 24 is actively retracted, the transfer cylinder 16 terminates the contact with the pressure cylinder 3 by a process that is the reverse of the process for the contact.

[0021] In the present embodiment, the air cylinder 24 and the connecting mechanism are used as a mechanism for rotating the eccentric housings 17 and 18. However, the respective elements or parts of the housing drive unit 19 are not necessarily limited to those shown in the figures, as long as they are capable of rotating the eccentric housings 17 and 18 simultaneously.

[0022] As in Fig. 2 and Fig. As shown in Figure 4, a pressure cylinder gear 29 is integrally formed as the first gear at one end of the pressure cylinder 3, and a transfer cylinder gear 30 is integrally formed as the second gear at one end of the transfer cylinder 16. The pressure cylinder gear 29 and the transfer cylinder gear 30 are meshed together, so that the drive force is transmitted from the pressure cylinder gear 29 to the transfer cylinder gear 30 via their meshing. Consequently, the transfer cylinder gear 30 is also simultaneously raised and lowered as the transfer cylinder 16 moves. At the point where the transfer cylinder 16 is furthest from the pressure cylinder 3 as a result of its raising, the transfer cylinder gear 30 has a position relative to the pressure cylinder gear 29 such that both gears are completely disengaged.As a result, the transfer cylinder 16 is disengaged from the drive state of the printing press body. In this case, the transfer cylinder 16 can be set in rotation independently of the printing cylinder 3 by a motor M (not shown).

[0023] When the transfer cylinder gear 30 and the pressure cylinder gear 29 are brought into or out of contact with the raising and lowering of the transfer cylinder 16, particularly during a comb engagement step where both gears 29 and 30 are brought into comb engagement, the positions of the transfer cylinder 16 and the pressure cylinder 3 must be adjusted in the direction of rotation so that certain teeth of both gears 29 and 30 align with each other. Therefore, the design is such that certain teeth of both gears 29 and 30 are kept constantly and reliably in mutual comb engagement by a gear positioning device 31, which detects the positions of both gears 29 and 30, and a gear guide device 36, which guides the transfer cylinder gear 30 into comb engagement with the pressure cylinder gear 29 and detects the comb engagement between the transfer cylinder gear 30 and the pressure cylinder gear 29.

[0024] The gear positioning device 31 is provided on the transfer cylinder gear 30 and the pressure cylinder gear 29, respectively. The gear positioning device 31 has positioning sensors 32 and 33 as well as detection elements 34 and 35. As shown in particular in Fig. 4 and Fig. As shown in Figure 6a, the sensing element 34, which is attached to a side face of the pressure cylinder gear 29, and the sensing element 35, which is attached to a side face of the transfer cylinder gear 30, are detected by the positioning sensors 32 and 33, respectively, attached to the frame 21, in the state in which both gears 29 and 30 are held completely outside their mutual meshing. The positions of the pressure cylinder 3 and the transfer cylinder 16 are adjusted in the direction of rotation with respect to the detected positions, so that the position at which the aforementioned specific teeth of both gears 29 and 30 begin to mesh with each other is determined. Fig. 6a). Once the comb engagement position is determined, a locking mechanism R (not shown) fixes the pressure cylinder 3 and the transfer cylinder 16 so that they can no longer rotate, thus preventing the comb engagement position from moving out of its correct position.

[0025] In the present embodiment, the gear positioning device 31 is thus provided on both the transfer cylinder gear 30 and the printing cylinder gear 29. However, the gear positioning device 31 can also be provided only on the transfer cylinder gear 30, since the positioning of the printing cylinder gear 29 can also be achieved by controlling the drive force of the printing press body.

[0026] According to the foregoing interpretation, the transfer cylinder 16 moves towards the pressure cylinder 3 in a pendulum motion, and therefore the transfer cylinder gear 30 also moves towards the pressure cylinder gear 29 in a pendulum motion. This means that the transfer cylinder gear 30 moves at an angle to the pressure cylinder gear 29. Therefore, even if the gear positioning device 31 determines the position at which certain teeth of both gears 29 and 30 begin to mesh, these teeth may not mesh smoothly. This is due to a collision between their opposing gear teeth when the transfer cylinder gear 30 engages with the pressure cylinder gear 29.In such a case, when both gears 29 and 30 have moved to the position where they begin to mesh, the locking mechanism R releases the locking state of the transfer cylinder 16, allowing it to rotate. This allows the transfer cylinder gear 30 to rotate so that its teeth align with the teeth of the pressure cylinder gear 29, thus enabling the transfer cylinder gear 30 to mesh with the pressure cylinder gear 29 as it rotates.In this way it is possible to prevent the incident in which the gear teeth cannot mesh due to the collision of misaligned gear teeth, thus enabling a shock-free mesh engagement, since the transfer cylinder 16 becomes rotatable so that the teeth of the transfer cylinder gear 30 align with the teeth of the pressure cylinder gear 29, and it can engage with the pressure cylinder gear 29 under rotation (. Fig. 6b). The cylinder that becomes rotatable can be the printing cylinder 3, or both the plate cylinder 1 and the printing cylinder 3 can become rotatable. Likewise, if both gears 29 and 30 are to be moved out of their comb engagement, the transfer cylinder 16 and / or printing cylinder 3 will become rotatable.

[0027] Although the meshing between certain teeth of both gears 29 and 30 can be achieved solely by the gear positioning device 31, there may be a case where the meshing position between certain teeth shifts from the correct position. This is due to problems with the positioning sensors 32 and 33 or breakage of the sensing elements 34 and 35. Therefore, a gear guide device 36 is additionally provided to guide the gears into their mutual meshing even more reliably.

[0028] As in Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and Fig. 5a to Fig. As shown in Figure 5d, the gear guide device 36 comprises a cam engagement element 37, a guide part 38, an air cylinder 39, and a comb engagement detection sensor 40. The cam engagement element 37 is attached to a side face of the transfer cylinder 16 that is opposite to the side face to which the transfer cylinder gear 30 is attached, and rotates together with the transfer cylinder 16. Consequently, when the position of the transfer cylinder gear 30 is fixed by the gear positioning device 31, the position of the cam engagement element 37 is also fixed. Fig. 5a). The guide part 38 is installed such that it is moved by the air cylinder 39 between an input position ( Fig. 5b and Fig. 5c) and a withdrawn position ( Fig. 5a and Fig. 5d) is displaceable so that the guide part 38 is moved to the control position when the position of the cam disc engagement element 37 is fixed ( Fig. 5b). The guide part 38 is provided with a guide rail 41 which guides the pendulum movement of the cam disc engagement element 37, so that when the transfer cylinder gear 30 and the pressure cylinder gear 29 are correctly held in mutual mesh engagement, the cam disc engagement element 37 rests on the guide part 38 along the guide rail 41 ( Fig. 5c). The comb engagement detection sensor 40 is provided within the guide rail 41, so that the cam disc engagement element 37 is only detected by the comb engagement detection sensor 40 when both gears 29 and 30 are in the correct comb engagement position, thus enabling detection of whether both gears 29 and 30 are held in the correct mutual comb engagement ( Fig. 5c). When the comb engagement detection sensor 40 detects that the comb engagement of both gears 29 and 30 is correctly completed, the guide part 38 is moved into the retracted position ( Fig. 5d).

[0029] If the comb engagement detection sensor 40 is not actuated in the form of an “ON” operation from the beginning of the comb engagement step until a preset certain time, it is determined that the two gears 29 and 30 have not been brought into the correct mutual comb engagement, and the comb engagement step is stopped, thus preventing breakage damage to the two gears 29 and 30 resulting from their rotation in the state in which they are not held in correct comb engagement.

[0030] Thus, the cylinder lifting / lowering device of the present invention, in conjunction with the lifting and lowering of the transfer cylinder 16, makes it possible to bring both gears 29 and 30 into contact or out of contact gently and safely.

[0031] The cylinder lifting / lowering device of the present embodiment is provided in the surface treatment section C, although the present invention is not necessarily limited to this configuration. For example, the cylinder lifting / lowering device can also be provided on the rubber cylinder 2 of the pressure section B.

[0032] According to the present embodiment, the cylinder lifting / lowering device comprises the following: the first cylinder (pressure cylinder) 3, which is rotatable and has the first gear (pressure cylinder gear) 29, which is provided at at least one end of the first cylinder 3; and the second cylinder (transfer cylinder) 16, which is rotatable and can be raised and lowered relative to the first cylinder (pressure cylinder) 3, wherein the second cylinder (transfer cylinder) 16 comprises the second gear (transfer cylinder gear) 30, which is provided at at least one end of the second cylinder (transfer cylinder) 16 such that it can mesh with the first gear (pressure cylinder gear) 29. The second cylinder (transfer cylinder) 16 is designed to be raised and lowered relative to the first cylinder (pressure cylinder) 3 by means of a pendulum motion. The cylinder lifting / lowering device further comprises the gear guide device 36.The gear guide device 36 engages the second gear (transfer cylinder gear) 30 in the comb engagement with the first gear (pressure cylinder gear) 29 and detects the comb engagement between the second gear (transfer cylinder gear) 30 and the first gear (pressure cylinder gear) 29.

[0033] The gear positioning device 31 can be provided, which detects the position of a tooth of at least the second gear (transfer cylinder gear) 30 and synchronizes the rotation of the first cylinder (pressure cylinder) 3 and the rotation of the second cylinder (transfer cylinder) 16 with respect to the detected position, thereby setting the position at which certain teeth of the gears begin to mesh with each other.

[0034] Furthermore, the design can be such that the first gear (printing cylinder gear) 29 and / or the second gear (transfer cylinder gear) 30 becomes / becomes freely rotatable so that the teeth of the first gear (printing cylinder gear) 29 and / or second gear (transfer cylinder gear) 30 align with the teeth of the other gear when the second gear (transfer cylinder gear) 30 moves towards the first gear (printing cylinder gear) 29.

[0035] According to the cylinder lifting / lowering device of the present embodiment, which has the gear guide device 36, which engages the second gear (transfer gear) 30 in the mesh engagement with the first gear (pressure cylinder gear) 29 and detects the mesh engagement between the second gear (transfer cylinder gear) 30 and first gear (pressure cylinder gear) 29, it is possible to accomplish the mesh engagement of the gears in an even more secure manner.

[0036] The present invention is not necessarily limited to the foregoing embodiment and can be modified as appropriate within the intended scope of the present invention.

Claims

[1] Cylinder lifting / lowering device for a printing press, comprising: a frame (21); a first cylinder which is rotatable and has a first gear which is provided at at least one end of the first cylinder; and a second cylinder which is rotatable and can be raised and lowered relative to the first cylinder, wherein the second cylinder has a second gear which is provided at at least one side end of the second cylinder in order to be able to mesh with the first gear, the second cylinder is designed to be raised and lowered relative to the first cylinder via a pendulum motion, and the cylinder lifting / lowering device also includes a gear guide device (36), wherein the gear guide device (36) comprises a cam disc engagement element (37) which is provided on the second cylinder, and a guide part (38) which is provided on the frame (21) and is displaceable between an engagement position and a retracted position, and wherein the guide part (38) comprises a comb engagement detection sensor (40), and wherein the gear guide device (36) enables the cam disc engagement element (37) to be arranged along the guide part (38) at the engagement position in order to engage the second gear in a mesh engagement with the first gear, and enables the mesh engagement detection sensor (40) to detect the cam disc engagement element (37) in order to detect the mesh engagement between the second gear and the first gear. [2] Cylinder lifting / lowering device according to claim 1, further comprising a gear positioning device (31) which detects the position of a tooth of at least the second gear and synchronizes the rotation of the first cylinder and the rotation of the second cylinder with respect to the detected position in order to set the position at which a certain tooth of the first gear begins to mesh with a certain tooth of the second gear. [3] Cylinder lifting / lowering device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first gear and / or second gear becomes / becomes rotatable so that the teeth of the first gear and / or second gear align with teeth of the remaining gear when the second gear moves towards the first gear. [4] Cylinder lifting / lowering device according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first cylinder is a pressure cylinder (3) and the second cylinder is a transfer cylinder (16).

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