Register control device

Abstract

To provide a register control device capable of performing vertical and horizontal registering based on a register mark of only the first color. [Solution] An imaging unit 35 for capturing images of register marks is provided downstream of the plate cylinder 3 for the second and subsequent colors. A control unit 21 detects the coordinates of the register marks for the first color from the image captured by the imaging unit 35. After manual registration, the coordinates at the time when the switch 15 for starting automatic control is turned on are stored as reference coordinates. Thereafter, the control unit 21 calculates the difference between the coordinates and the reference coordinates, and controls the print position adjustment units 7 and 13 so that the difference becomes zero.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for performing registration on a gravure printing press. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose devices that automatically perform vertical and horizontal registration on a gravure printing press. Patent Document 1 describes a system in which register marks for each color are printed on a printing substrate at regular intervals in the vertical or horizontal direction, a scanning head of a photoelectric conversion device detects vertical printing misalignment between the multiple register marks, an additional scanning head detects horizontal printing misalignment between the register marks, and the detected vertical or horizontal printing misalignment is corrected. Patent Document 2 describes a system in which an imaging unit captures images of the multiple register marks, calculates the vertical and horizontal misalignment amounts between the multiple register marks based on the captured images, and adjusts the printing position of each printing unit based on the misalignment amounts. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-230169 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-43385 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the devices of Patent Documents 1 and 2, registration cannot be performed unless registration marks for each color are printed on the printing substrate.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a register control device that can perform vertical and horizontal register adjustment based on the register mark of only one color. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The register control device of the present invention comprises: A gravure printing press is provided with a plurality of printing units each having a plate cylinder for printing on a continuously transported printing substrate for each color, and the printing units for the second and subsequent colors are provided with a printing position adjustment unit for adjusting the printing position of the plate cylinder, an imaging unit provided downstream of the plate cylinder for the second or subsequent color, for imaging the register marks printed in the first color; Displaying the imaged register marks and measuring their coordinates; a switch for starting automatic control is provided, and the coordinates when the switch is turned on are stored as reference coordinates; Then, a difference between the detected coordinates and the reference coordinates is calculated; a control unit that outputs a signal to the print position adjustment unit so that the difference becomes zero; Equipped with.

[0007] According to this invention, the image capture unit captures an image of the register marks printed on the substrate by the first color printing unit, and coordinates are measured from the captured image of the register marks. After manual registration, the coordinates at the time the automatic control start switch is turned on are stored as reference coordinates. Thereafter, the difference between the detected coordinates and the reference coordinates is calculated, and the printing position in the printing direction (vertical direction) and the direction perpendicular to the printing direction (horizontal direction) is controlled so that this difference becomes zero. As a result, vertical and horizontal registration can be performed simultaneously based on the register marks of only the first color. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a gravure printing press and a register control device. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a registration mark. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] FIG. 1 shows a three-color gravure printing press equipped with the automatic registration device of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the first color printing unit (reference symbol a), the second color printing unit (reference symbol b), the third color printing unit (reference symbol c), the unwinding section (reference symbol e), and the rewinding section (reference symbol f) are shown separately. The printing press 1 is equipped with an unwinding section 2e that supplies the printing substrate 50, and a rewinding section 2f that rewinds the printed printing substrate 50. A plurality of guide rollers 8 are arranged between the unwinding section 2e and the rewinding section 2f to form a transport path for the printing substrate 50. The printing substrate 50 is transported by a plate cylinder 3 rotated by a main motor 12 and pinch rolls 5e and 5f.

[0010] The printing press 1 is provided with a first plate cylinder 3a, a second plate cylinder 3b, and a third plate cylinder 3c along a conveyance path of the printing material 50.

[0011] The plate cylinder 3a of the first printing unit a prints register marks in addition to the main printing of the image, characters, etc. Figures 2(a) and (b) show examples of the types of register marks. The register marks may be of any shape other than those shown as long as the coordinates can be detected.

[0012] A compensator roller 6b driven by a motor 7b is disposed upstream of the second plate cylinder 3b to adjust the supply phase to the second plate cylinder 3b. Similarly, a compensator roller 6c driven by a motor 7c is disposed upstream of the third plate cylinder 3c. The compensator roller 6b adjusts misregistration in the vertical direction.

[0013] A lateral registration device, side lay 11b, driven by motor 13b, is disposed on the support portion of second plate cylinder 3b. Similarly, a side lay 11c, driven by motor 13c, is disposed on third plate cylinder 3c. Side lay 11b adjusts lateral misregistration. The compensator roller 6, side lay 11, and the motors 7 and 13 that drive them correspond to the printing position adjustment unit.

[0014] An imaging unit 35b is disposed downstream of the second plate cylinder 3b, and an imaging unit 35c is disposed downstream of the third plate cylinder 3c. Each of the imaging units 35b and 35c captures an image of the register mark printed by the first plate cylinder 3a.

[0015] The printing press 1 is equipped with a pulse generator encoder 14 for detecting the rotation angle of the plate cylinder 3 .

[0016] The printing press 1 is provided with a control unit 21b that adjusts the register position for the second color and a control unit 21c that adjusts the register position for the third color. Each of the control units 21b and 21c is equipped with a switch 15 for starting automatic control. The imaging units 35b and 35c and the control units 21b and 21c make up a register control device.

[0017] The control unit 21b for the second color displays the image of the printed matter captured by the imaging unit 35b. The portion of the image to be displayed is determined by the shutter timing of the imaging unit 35b, which is selected using pulses input from the encoder 14. The image is scrolled by changing the shutter timing. After scrolling the screen to display the register marks for the first color, manual registration is performed (by driving the compensator roller 6 and side lay 11 based on the operation of the operation unit (not shown)), and then automatic control is started by turning on the automatic control start switch 15. The control unit 21b also measures the coordinates of the register marks in the image displayed on the display unit.

[0018] The third color has exactly the same configuration as the second color, so automatic control begins in the same way.

[0019] When automatic control begins, the control unit 21 begins measuring the specified point on the register mark (the point where the vertical and horizontal lines intersect in the case of +), and stores the initial coordinates as the reference coordinates. Thereafter, it calculates the difference between the measured coordinates and the reference coordinates, outputs a signal to make the difference zero, and drives the compensator roll 6 and side lay 11 to eliminate misregistration.

[0020] In this way, the second-color control unit 21b drives the compensator roll 6b and the side lay 11b via motors 7b and 13b based on the coordinates of the register marks imaged by the imaging unit 35b, thereby eliminating misregistration on the second-color plate cylinder 3b. The control of the control unit 21b is independent of the control of the third-color control unit 21c, and is completed by controlling only the second-color printing unit b. The third-color control unit 21c also drives the compensator roll 6c and the side lay 11c via motors 7c and 13c based on the coordinates of the register marks imaged by the imaging unit 35c, thereby eliminating misregistration on the third-color plate cylinder 3c. The control of the control unit 21c is independent of the control of the second-color control unit 21b, and is completed by controlling only the third-color printing unit c. [Explanation of symbols]

[0021] 1 Gravure printing machine a, b, c printing units 3 Printing cylinder 6 Compenroll 11 Side Lay 15 Automatic control start switch 21 Control section 35 Imaging unit 50 Printing material

Claims

1. A gravure printing press is provided with a plurality of printing units each having a plate cylinder for printing on a continuously transported printing substrate for each color, and the printing units for the second and subsequent colors are provided with a printing position adjustment unit for adjusting the printing position of the plate cylinder, an imaging unit provided downstream of the plate cylinder for the second or subsequent color, for imaging the register marks printed in the first color; Displaying the imaged register marks and measuring their coordinates; a switch for starting automatic control is provided, and the coordinates when the switch is turned on are stored as reference coordinates; Then, a difference between the detected coordinates and the reference coordinates is calculated; a control unit that outputs a signal to the print position adjustment unit so that the difference becomes zero; A register control device comprising:

2. the control unit is provided independently for each printing unit from the second color onward, 2. The register control device according to claim 1, wherein control of each of said control sections is completed for each of said printing units for the second color and thereafter.

Images