Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Product assembly or manufacturing
Reexamination Certificate
1996-06-14
2001-01-16
Grant, William (Department: 2786)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Product assembly or manufacturing
C700S002000, C700S032000, C700S083000, C271S003140, C271S003150, C271S003170, C271S010050, C271S122000, C271S123000, C271S124000, C271S125000, C271S126000, C271S010020, C271S010030, C347S157000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06175775
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the priority of Patent Application Serial No. 01 825/95-7 filed in Switzerland on Jun. 22, 1995, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for optimizing the production output of a processing device for processing flat articles (e.g.: bound products, paper sheets or printed sheets and inserts), which processing device includes at least one processing arrangement for receiving and processing the flat articles, the processing arrangement having function parameters which are controllable by way of actuators.
2. Background of the Invention
In feeders of processing devices such as perfect binders, thread-stitchers, folding machines, gathering and stitching machines, collating machines and/or Einck machines for the production of flat articles such as magazines, books, brochures and the like, the function parameters of a given processing arrangement are adjusted and set manually when the machines are not in operation if malfunctions occur during processing. A manual setting of the function parameters of the feeders is time-consuming, results in a decrease in productivity, and is further made even more difficult by the complex relationships existing between different function parameters of a given processing arrangement. These interrelationships are sometimes not easily comprehended by the individuals operating the processing device.
Moreover, precision and control suffer when manual setting methods are used, which phenomenon affects the functional reliability of the processing device. A monitoring of the operation of the processing device in order to ensure precision and control is usually difficult as well.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to set forth a method and an apparatus of the type previously mentioned by means of which the productivity of a processing device for processing flat articles can be increased without affecting the quality of operation.
The above object, and many others which will become apparent as the description progresses, are accomplished according to the invention, which concerns a method and an apparatus for optimizing a production output of a processing device for processing flat articles, the processing device including at least one processing arrangement to which the flat articles are supplied and which has function parameters controllable by actuators.
The method of the present invention involves the steps of detecting actual values of the function parameters by way of sensors; evaluating deviations of the actual values of the function parameters from set values according to an empirically determined algorithm; calculating a correction value for at least one of the actuators based on results of the evaluating step; and operating the at least one of the actuators based on the correction value for controlling the function parameters.
As a result of the method of the invention, the function parameters of a processing arrangement can be adjusted to exigent conditions and requirements more accurately than has been the case in the past, malfunction influences can be reduced, and the processing speed can thereby be increased. Further, the setting times can be reduced dramatically.
The method can be further improved and the adjustment times can be further reduced, if the algorithm is configured such that it can be changed or that it can be adjusted to changed conditions.
It is advantageous if the algorithm and/or the set values are changed or adjusted by way of a control which is able to learn, i.e. is provided with a computing intelligence based on the behavior of the function parameters, for example, in the form of an adaptive control unit.
Here it is preferred if the adaptive control unit, which controls at least one function parameter, is allocated to a set value/actual value reference controller of an arrangement of the processing operation.
Therefore, according to further embodiments of the invention, the method described above includes the further step of adjusting at least one of the set values and the algorithm to changed conditions of the processing arrangement. The above adjusting step may include the step of utilizing an adaptive control unit which is responsive to the changed conditions of the processing arrangement.
The step of evaluating may include the step of utilizing a reference controller for each of the actuators, at least one reference controller being connected to the adaptive control unit and being superordinate thereto.
The inventive apparatus is implemented in a processing device for processing flat articles. The processing device includes at least one processing arrangement for receiving and processing the flat articles, which processing arrangement comprises processing components for processing the flat articles, control elements for controlling a processing of the flat articles by the processing components, and actuators connected to the control elements for driving the control elements thereby controlling the function parameters of the processing arrangement. The inventive apparatus includes sensors effective for sensing actual values of the function parameters, and a control arrangement connected to the actuators and to the sensors. The control arrangement includes reference controllers connected to respective ones of the actuators and corresponding ones of the sensors and being effective for generating controller outputs according to an algorithm and for transmitting the controller outputs to corresponding ones of the actuators for setting respective ones of the control elements thereby controlling the function parameters. The control arrangement further includes an adaptive control unit connected to the reference controllers and receiving actual values from the sensors, the adaptive control unit being superordinate to the reference controllers for adjusting the algorithm of the reference controllers and the outputs thereof.
According to one aspect of the inventive apparatus, the reference controllers transmit their controller outputs to the adaptive control unit.
According to yet another aspect of the inventive apparatus, the adaptive control unit is connected to the reference controllers to determine the internal state of the reference controllers.
According to a further aspect of the inventive apparatus, the adaptive control unit comprises a read-write data memory.
The apparatus according to the invention may further include a plurality of interconnected processing arrangements where the adaptive control units of the plurality of interconnected processing arrangements are connected to one another.
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Grant William
Grapha-Holding AG
Kinberg Robert
Marc McDieunel
Venable
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