Web drive line control apparatus

Abstract: A web drive line controlling apparatus for continuously driving a web at a constant speed and stopping it a desired position in a web drive line comprises a web surface inspector for detecting a predetermined significant surface condition of a surface of the web to output an appropriate electric signal as a timing signal and a line controller which causes the web drive line to start a deceleration of the web upon receiving the timing signal so as to stop part of the web where the significant surface condition is detected at a predetermined station in the web drive line. An activator, which is manually turned active, is provided to provide the line controller with an activation signal to enable the line controller means to perform the deceleration of the web.

Description: The present invention relates to a web drive control apparatus for stopping at least a part of a travelling web at a predetermined position. One of surface inspection systems for various web materials such as long aluminum sheets or long plastic sheets, such as photoelectrically scanning a surface of the material with a flying spot, is described in, for example, U.S. patent No.3,589,817 corresponding to Japanese Patent Publication No.51-14,039 and U.S. patent No.2,904,174. If applying such an inspection system to a web drive line so as to inspect a surface of a web material which is continuously driven, an inspection beam scans the web surface and the light either reflected from or passed through the web surface is collected to evaluate the quality of the web surface. If a surface defect is detected, a marker is actuated so as to mark part of the web material where the surface defect is. The web material is stopped when the marked part of the web material reaches a specified position where an visual inspection is to be made for deciding whether or not the surface defect is acceptable. JP-A-56-43156 shows an operating method for a winder for detecting defective points on a travelling web. When such a defective point is detected, a marking device is actuated so as to mark the respective portion of the web and afterwards the travelling web is stopped in accordance with the mark written on the web. It is an objective of the present invention to provide an improved web drive control apparatus wherein a travelling web can be exactly stopped at a predetermined position in a web drive line. According to the present invention, this objective is performed by a web drive control apparatus according to claim 1. Preferably, the activating means is adapted to turn active or inactive. If the part of the web where a surface defect or defects are detected is needed to be either visually inspected or processing, the activating means is previously turned on to provide the activation or authorization signal. When the controlling means performs the web at the deceleration of the web so as to stop the web at the position for visual inspection or surface processing. On the other hand, if no visual inspection or surface processing is needed, the activating means is previously turned inactive so as to continue driving of the web at a constant speed even when surface defects are detected. Further preferred embodiments of the present invention are laid down in the further dependent claims. Hereinafter, the present invention is explained and illustrated in greater detail by means of a preferred embodiment of the invention in conjunction with accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram, partly in block, showing a web drive line controlling apparatus in accordance to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a graph showing a line speed of a web driven in a web drive line; and Referring to the drawings, in particular to Fig. 1, a web surface inspection line equipped with a line control system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown, driving a web 11 withdrawn from a roll 10 toward work rollers 13 and reservoir roller assembly 14 through processing station 12 including processing and coating steps. A surface quality inspection unit 16 inspects both surfaces of the web to detect surface defects. If in fact a surface defect is detected, the surface quality inspection unit 16 outputs a defect signal which in torn is transmitted to a length measuring unit 18. The web 11 is continuously driven or transported by work rollers 17 driven at a constant speed. The length measuring unit 18 outputs length signals in accordance with the rotation of the work rollers 17 from the moment it receives the defect signal. The web 11 driven by the work rollers 17, after passing around a guide roller 19, is lifted up by means of a dancer roller 21. Thereafter, the web 11 changes its course downwardly and passes around a guide roller 22 so as to travel its ordinary course. The uppermost and lowermost positions (which is hereinafter referred to as dancer positions) between which the dancer roller 21 is lifted up and down are variable. A dancer position detector 23 always monitors the dancer roller 21 so as to output a position signal indicating the position where the dancer roller 21 is present. The web 11 is further driven to a visual inspection station designated by a reference numeral 31 where an operator or inspector observes both surfaces of the web 11 stopping there. Thereafter, the web 11 is wound in a roll 32. All components disposed between the reservoir roller assembly 14 and the roll 32 constitute a control section 33. The dancer position signal, as well as the length signals, is transmitted to a stop position correction unit 24 for stopping the web 11 at a proper position. The stop position correction unit 24 carries data of a transported length L which means the whole length of the web 11 between the surface quality inspection unit 16 and the visual inspection station 31 and of a correcting length l c which is a constant value determined in consideration with an error in stopping position caused by the web drive line itself. The stop position correction unit 24 performs a calculation from the length data and the length and dancer position signals and outputs data for stop position correction which in turn is transmitted to a stop position controller 26. The stop position controller 26 also receives the defect signal from the surface quality inspection unit 16 and an activation or authorization signal for stopping the web 11 from a reserving unit 27 which is previously manually activated if an visual inspection of the web at the visual inspection station 31 is needed. The stop position controller 26 has data of a decelerating ratio of transportation α in this web drive line. The reserving unit 27 has an on-off change lever 27a. When the on-off change lever 27a is at on-position, the reserving unit 27 outputs an activation signal for permitting the stop of the web drive line. If a defect signal is output during the presence of the activation signal from the reserving unit 27, the stop position controller 26 provides a line drive controller 29 with a control signal. The line drive controller 29 stops the rollers in the control section 33 base on the control signal and a feedback signal. In the operation of the line control system of the web surface inspection line thus constructed, at the presence of a defect signal while the reserving unit 27 is in the on-condition, the line drive controller 29 receives a control signal based on the data of stop position correction and starts the control operation which will be hereinafter described in detail with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows the change of line speed in the control section 33. When a defect signal is output from the surface quality inspection unit 16 at a time t₁, the web 11, which is traveling at a constant speed V o , starts to slow down from a time t₂ and stops at a time t₃. Taking characters A₁ and A₂ as the area of a rectangular shaded between the times t₁ and t₂ and the area of a triangle formed between the times t₂ and t₃, respectively, the following equations (1) and (2) should hold: A 1 = V o x (t 1 - t 2 ) A 2 = 1/2 x V o x 1/α where the deceleration rate α is taken as α = 1/(t 3 - t 2 ) . For the transported length of web L, the following equation (3) should hold: L = A 1 + A 2 To prevent the web 11 for receiving an impact due to a rapid change of speed, it is often desired to initiate deceleration gradually. However, such an gradual deceleration will cause an error of stop position of the web 11. For this reason, the error of stop position should be corrected from the following equation (4): L = A 1 + A 2 + L c where L c is a correction term given as a function of a correction length l c and the line speed V o . The time t₂ should be advanced if the line speed V o is fast or retarded if slow. According to this manner stop position errors are controlled between ± 0.2 and 0.5m even taking into account the line speed V o .

Claims: A web drive control apparatus for stopping at a predetermined position (31) at least a part of a travelling web (11) passing successively through a web surface conditioner located in a processing station, a web surface inspection means (16) and said predetermined position (31), comprising web surface inspection means (16) for detecting a predetermined surface condition of the web (11) provided by said surface conditioner and outputting a signal indicative of said surface condition; control means (24) for decelerating and thereafter stopping said web (11) responsive to receipt of said signal, said control means including measuring means (18) for measuring the length of the web (11) that moves past said measuring means (18) located between said inspection means (16) and said predetermined position (31) and for stopping the web (11) when the length of web (11) thus measured equals the distance along the path of the web (11) between said inspection means (16) and said predetermined position (31) so as to stop that part of said web (11) wherein said surface condition was detected by said web surface inspection means (16) at said predetermined position (31); and activating means (27, 27a) for providing said control means (24) with an activation signal for enabling said control means (24) to perform said deceleration of said web. A web drive control apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said activating means (27) is selectively manually operable to be turned off so as not to provide said activation signal. A web drive control apparatus as defined in claim 1 or 2, wherein said predetermined position is a visual inspection station (31) to permit visual inspection of said part of said web (11). A web drive control apparatus as defined in at least one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said web surface inspection means (16) is adapted to detect only significant surface defects on said surface of said web (11).

Inventors: YUITO FUMIO, YUITO,, FUMIO, YUITO,, FUMIO C/O FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD.
Applicants: FUJI PHOTO FILM CO LTD, FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD.
Application year: 1989
Main classification: B65H26
IPC codes: B65H23, G01N21, B21B39, B65H26, G01B21