Web Printing Controls Co., Inc.

Dale R Sikes

Herman C Gnuechtel

Robert L Kopesky

A system for use with a web printing press for providing overall control of the operations of multiple systems, including a system for measuring the reflective density of printed ink in real time during high speed operation and for controlling the color density and registration of the press. The system digitizes images of targets located in the test print area within an impression and analyzes the images to determine a multiplicity of print characteristics of multiple colors and also determines and controls registration among the various print stations. The system is adapted for use with modern presses having extremely small gap size and extremely small test print area size by initially searching for and locating a registration target pattern and after any necessary adjustment then analyzes digitized images of targets located across the web. The system measures and controls inking and registration of the web up to a key-by-key incremental basis and also includes a process manager for presetting jobs, efficiently carrying out press make-readies, building a database by gathering all necessary operating data on the press and its systems, monitoring press systems and equipment such as the color density and registration control system, web guides, ribbon slicing and convergence systems and the like.

System for dynamically monitoring and controlling a web printing press

A system for use with a web printing press for measuring the reflective density of printed ink in real time during high speed operation. The system digitizes images of color block sets of the web, analyzes the images to determine reflective density of cyan, magenta, yellow and black. The system compensates for light scattering, light discontinuities and strobe intensity variation.

Dynamic reflective density measuring and control system for a web

Apparatus and method particularly suitable for use with the closed loop color to color registration system of a commercial web printing apparatus providing automatic monitoring of user selected press conditions and disturbances and corresponding user defined outputs. The apparatus comprises a processor and other hardware for detecting press conditions and disturbances, for permitting operator selection of press conditions to be monitored and for permitting operator assignment of selected press conditions to a selected output port. Multiple types of outputs can be selected for each assigned port including latched, non-inverted, inverted, pulsed and delayed outputs. The selected press conditions are monitored and the selected output type is generated on the assigned port in response to occurrence of the selected press condition. Temporary and permanent masks may be assigned to any selected condition to inhibit output and a selection of active time windows may also be specified.

Web handling apparatus monitoring system with user defined outputs

Apparatus and method particularly suitable for use with the close loop color to color registration system of a commercial web printing apparatus utilizes a CCD camera for identifying registration marks. The registration mark composed of a pattern of dot pairs is acquired by the camera and each dot pair of the mark is identified by scoring various attributes of possible dot pairs including color, size and position. This results in highly stable and reliable acquisition of a registration mark on a printed web which may then be processed by an automated registration control system.

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Lake Zurich, IL, United States of America

Dale R Sikes