PLURAL INDEPENDENTLY OPERABLE MOTOR DRIVE ARRANGEMENT IN PRINTING PRESS

• US 3,557,692 A
• Filed: 09/09/1968
• Issued: 01/26/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Harris Graphics Corp. (Manroland GOSS Web Systems International LLC)
• Original Assignee: William H Lee
• Inventors: Lee, William H.
• Application Number:
  US04/758,327
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• US Class Current: 101/177
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 13/0008 Driving devices B41F13/004 and B41F13/008 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 13/0045 Electric driving devices
• CPC Class Codes: B41P 2213/734 each printing unit being driven by its own electric motor, i.e. electric shaft

Abstract

A multicolor printing press having each rotary printing unit driven by an individual synchronous motor. The rotational position of the rotor of each motor may be adjusted individually, either by turning its stator or by changing the frequency of the AC energization of its stator. This enables the printing units to be brought into registration initially or after an out-ofregister condition has occurred. A given adjustment of the motor in electrical degrees produces a much smaller rotational adjustment in mechanical degrees of the corresponding printing unit. Any other cyclically-operated mechanism associated with the press may be driven by an individual synchronous motor having a similar speed adjustment.

Claims

1. In a printing press having a plurality of successive cyclically-operated mechanisms:

a plurality of drive arrangements connected individually to the respective cyclically-operated mechanisms and each including a synchronous drive motor having a stator and a rotor and means coupling the rotor to the corresponding cyclically-operated mechanism for driving the latter, each motor stator having windings inductively coupled to the rotor and arranged to produce magnetic fields which revolve circumferentially about the rotor to cause the latter to rotate synchronously in response to AC energization of the stator windings;

means for temporarily mechanically coupling said mechanisms so that they are synchronously driven as said motors are brought up to speed; and

a like plurality of rotational positioning means, each individual to one of said drive motors and operable independently of said other rotational positioning means, once said temporary means are decoupled, for selectively changing the rotational position of its rotor with respect to the rotor of each other drive motor.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said last-mentioned means comprises means for selectively increasing or decreasing temporarily the speed at which the magnetic fields produced by its stator revolve circumferentially of its rotor.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said last-mentioned means comprises means for turning the stator about the axis of the rotor.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said last-mentioned means comprises means for varying the frequency of the AC energization of the stator windings.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said means for varying the frequency of the AC energization comprises:

rectifier means having a variable bias for converting AC power to an adjustable DC voltage;

an inverter connected to the output of said rectifier means for converting the latter'"'"''"'"'s DC output voltage to a single phase AC voltage of a predetermined frequency;

a converter connected to the output of said inverter and operable to change the latter'"'"''"'"'s single phase AC output voltage to a polyphase AC voltage, said converter including means for selectively changing the frequency of said polyphase AC voltage; and

means for selectively applying the output of said converter to the stator windings of the corresponding drive motor.

6. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said drive arrangement is operable, in response to a given electrical displacement in electrical degrees between its rotor and the revolving magnetic fields produced by its stator windings, to produce a rotational displacement in mechanical degrees of the corresponding cyclically-operated mechanism which is only a small fraction of said electrical displacement.

7. In a multicolor printing press having a plurality of successive rotary printing units:

a plurality of drive arrangements connected individually to the printing units and each including a synchronous drive motor having a stator and a rotor and means coupling the rotor to the corresponding printing unit for driving the latter, each motor stator having windings inductively coupled to the rotor and arranged to produce magnetic fields which revolve circumferentially with respect to the rotor to cause the latter to rotate synchronously in response to AC energization of the stator windings;

clutch means for temporarily coupling said units as said drive means are brought up to speed; and

means individual to each drive motor for, after said motor is brought up to speed, selectively increasing or decreasing temporarily the speed at which the magnetic fields produced by its stator revolve circumferentially of its rotor to thereby change the instantaneous rotational position of its rotor with respect to the rotor of each other motor.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said last-mentioned means comprises means for turning the stator about the axis of the rotor.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said last-mentioned means comprises means for varying the frequency of the AC energization of the stator windings.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said means for varying the frequency of the AC energization comprises:

rectifier means having a variable bias for converting AC power to an adjustable DC voltage;

an inverter connected to the output of said rectifier means for converting the latter'"'"''"'"'s DC output voltage to a single phase AC voltage of a predetermined frequency;

a converter connected to the output of said inverter and operable to change the latter'"'"''"'"'s single phase AC output voltage to a polyphase AC voltage, said converter including means for selectively changing the frequency of said polyphase AC voltage; and

means for selectively applying the output of said converter to the stator windings of the corresponding drive motor.

11. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein each drive arrangement is operable, in response to a given electrical displacement in electrical degrees between its rotor and the revolving magnetic fields produced by its stator windings, to produce a rotational displacement in mechanical degrees of the corresponding cyclically-operated mechanism which is only a small fraction of said electrical displacement.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said last-mentioned means comprises means for turning the stator about the axis of the rotor.

13. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said last-mentioned means comprises means for varying the frequency of the AC energization of the stator windings.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said means for varying the frequency of the AC energization comprises;

rectifier means having a variable bias for converting AC power to an adjustable DC voltage;

an inverter connected to the output of said rectifier means for converting the latter'"'"''"'"'s DC output voltage to a single phase AC voltage of a predetermined frequency;

a converter connected to the output of said inverter and operable to change the latter'"'"''"'"'s single phase AC output voltage to a polyphase AC voltage, said converter including means for selectively changing the frequency of said polyphase AC voltage; and

means for selectively applying the output of said converter to the stator windings of the corresponding drive motor.