Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Ag

Heidelberg Finishing Systems, Inc.

Goss International Americas, Inc.

David Upton Johnson

Charles Jeffrey Conner

Daniel Lee Kahlig

Douglas P Loughman

An apparatus (20) for forming sheet material assemblages comprises a conveyor assembly (22) having a plurality of locations (60) for receiving sheet material articles. A sheet material article feeder (54) feeds sheet material articles to the receiving locations (60) in the conveyor assembly (22). Each of the sheet material article feeders has an associated individual drive motor (86) for driving a sheet material feeder element, such as drum (93). A feeder sensor assembly (103) provides a signal indicative of the operative position of the feeder element or drum (93). A receiving location sensor assembly (59) provides a signal indicative of the position of a sheet material receiving location (60) approaching a sheet material article feeder. A sheet material feed controller (80) controls the sheet material feed element (93) in response to signals from the feeder sensor assembly (103), the receiving location sensor assembly (59), and a main controller (40).

Variable speed signature collating apparatus

An apparatus (10) comprises a movable member (60) having an outer circumferential surface which engages a collated assemblage (20) on a collating conveyor (14) to compress the collated assemblage when the member is moved towards the collated assemblage. A light source (36) directs light (37) toward the outer circumferential surface of the member. The outer circumferential surface includes a light reflective surface (83) portion against which the light is directed and then reflected. The reflected light (38) has a characteristic which varies as a function of the thickness of the collated assemblage. The reflected light is sensed and a first electrical signal (42) is provided which varies as a function of the characteristic of the reflected light and thus as a function of the thickness of the collated assemblage. An electrical circuit (90) detects a value of the first electrical signal corresponding to a maximum compressed condition of the collated assemblage, holds the value for at least a predetermined time period, and provides a second electrical signal (96, 97) indicative of whether the value of the first electrical signal is within a predetermined value range.

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Dayton, OH, United States of America

David Upton Johnson