Web infeed for a rotary printing press

• US 6,616,086 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2002
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokyo Kikai Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokyo Kikai Seisakusho
• Inventors: Ogawa, Yukio, Nakamura, Daisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Matecki, Kathy
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, SANG K
• Application Number:
  US10/096,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20020130214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 242/559.2, 242/559, 242/563, 242/596--59
• US Class Current: 242/559.2
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 16/06 both-ends type
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 16/103 in which power is applied to web-roll spindle
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 19/126 with both-ends supporting arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 19/1836 the replacement web being accelerated or running prior to splicing contact
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/41346 separate elements engaging each end of the roll (e.g. chuck)
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/41856 by stripping core from mandrel or chuck, e.g. by spring mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2403/52 Translation screw-thread mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2408/241 Turret

Abstract

A rotary beam has mounted thereon a pair of carrier arms for rotatably supporting a roll of web from which the web is fed into the press, and another such arm pair for supporting another such web roll to which the web is to be spliced upon consumption of the first web roll. One of each pair of carrier arms has rotatably mounted thereto a hollow spindle to be partly inserted in the tubular core of the web roll. The hollow spindle has detents arranged at circumferential spacings thereon for fluid pressure actuation into frictional engagement with the inside surface of the web roll core. The other of each carrier arm pair has a second spindle rotatably mounted thereto which is to be held endwise against the web roll core via a spring-loaded end cap. How hard the web roll core is urged against the first spindle by the second spindle, resisting the unwinding of the web therefrom, depends upon whether the second spindle is held fast against the end cap or spaced therefrom by the spring. The second spindle is sprung away from the end cap upon decrease of the web roll diameter to a predefined limit, in order to mitigate tension on the web being paid out.

Claims

1. A web infeed for a rotary printing press, wherein a web of paper being fed into the press from a first roll of such web is spliced to a second web roll when the first web roll is used up, each web roll being wound upon a hollow core, the web infeed comprising:

(A) a carrier beam mounted to frame means for rotation about an axis extending longitudinally thereof;

(B) at least two pairs of carrier arms mounted to the carrier beam each for rotatably supporting at least one web roll therebetween;

(C) first spindle means mounted to one of each pair of carrier arms, the first spindle means comprising;

(a) a first spindle rotatable relative to said one carrier arm about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the carrier beam, the first spindle having an end portion to be inserted in the hollow core of one of said web rolls from one end thereof, and a shoulder joined to the end portion for engaging said one end of the web roll core when the end portion of the first spindle is inserted therein;

(b) a plurality a detents movably mounted to the end portion of the first spindle at circumferential spacings and constrained to displacement radially of the first spindle; and

(c) fluid pressure actuation means built into the first spindle for moving the detents radially thereof into and out of frictional engagement with the inside surface of the web roll core when the end portion of the first spindle is inserted therein;

(D) core removal means for forcibly removing the web roll core from the first spindle means following the consumption of the web that has been rolled thereon, the core removal means comprising;

(a) plunger means mounted to said one of each pair of carrier arms for movement in a direction parallel to the axis of a first spindle of the first spindle means; and

(b) fluid pressure actuation means for moving the plunger means relative to said one carrier arm into and out of abutment against the web roll core, the plunger means on movement into abutment against the web roll core being capable of pushing the same out of engagement with the first spindle means;

(E) second spindle means mounted to the other of each pair of carrier arms in axial alignment with the first spindle means on said one of the same pair of carrier arms, the second spindle means comprising;

(a) a second spindle rotatable relative to said other of each pair of carrier arms about the same axis as the first spindle of the first spindle means;

(b) an end cap disposed on one end of the second spindle for centering abutment against another end of the web roll core;

(c) means coupling the end cap to the second spindle so as to permit the latter part of the end cap to travel a prescribed distance into and out of abutment against the former part of the second spindle; and

(d) resilient means acting between the end cap and the second spindle for normally holding the latter part of the end cap the prescribed distance away from the former part of the second spindle; and

(F) drive means for moving the second spindle means on said other of each pair of carrier arms the prescribed distance toward and away from the first spindle means on said one of the same pair of carrier arms;

(G) wherein the web roll between each pair of carrier arms is urged by the second spindle means against the first spindle means with a force determined by the drive means when the second spindle of the second spindle means is urged by the drive means against the end cap of the second spindle means in opposition to the force of the resilient means, and, when the second spindle is held away from the end cap under the force of the resilient means, with the force determined by the resilient means.

2. The web infeed of claim 1 further comprising:

(a) sensor means for sensing the diameter of the web roll on either pair of carrier arms from which the web is being fed into the press; and

(b) control means for controllably actuating the drive means according to the diameter of the web roll sensed by the sensor means, the control means causing the drive means to hold the second spindle of the second spindle means against the end cap when the web roll diameter is above a prescribed limit, and to hold the second spindle away from the end cap when the web roll diameter drops to, and past, the prescribed limit.

3. The web infeed of claim 1 wherein the second spindle of the second spindle means is locked against axial displacement relative to said other of each pair of carrier arms, wherein said other of each pair of carrier arms is mounted to the carrier beam for movement toward and away from said one of the same pair of carrier arms, and wherein the drive means acts between the carrier beam and said other carrier arm for moving the latter part of the carrier arms with the second spindle means thereon.

4. The web infeed of claim 1 wherein the second spindle of the second spindle means is rotatably mounted to a sleeve which in turn is mounted to said other of each pair of carrier arms for movement axially of the second spindle, and wherein the drive means acts between said other carrier arm and the sleeve.