Abstract:
A folding apparatus includes a folding blade cylinder that carries at least one group of identical tools which are distributed homogeneously about the periphery of the folding blade cylinder. A cam plate is traced or followed by a control lever of each such group of tools and is usable to control a working movement of the tool. A cover disk, consisting of a plurality of cover cams, can be rotated. The cover cams of the cover disk are displaceable between an inactive position, in which they enable the control of the working movement by the cam plate, and an active position in which they prevent such movement. Two groups of tools are used on the folding blade cylinder and the cover cams form a first group of cams at an angular distance of between 60° or 120° to each other, and a second group of cams at an angular distance of between 90° to 180° to each other.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This patent application is the U.S. national phase, under 35 USC 371, of PCT/EP2005/051634, filed Apr. 13, 2005; published as WO 2005/102889 A1 on Nov. 3, 2005 and claiming priority to DE 10 2004 020 305.9, filed Apr. 26, 2004, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference. 
   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is directed to a folding apparatus. The folding apparatus includes at least one folding blade cylinder that has at least one group of tools on its periphery. A cam disk and a cover disk are usable to control movement of the at least one group of tools. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   A folding apparatus of the general type to which the subject invention is directed comprises a cylinder characterized as a folding blade cylinder or a collect cylinder, which cylinder supports a multitude of holding tools around its periphery that are usable for securing a printed product that is fed to the cylinder and is to be folded. A plurality of folding blades, which extend outward from the interior of the cylinder, engage a printed product, which is held against the cylinder. These folding blades engage the printed product along a predetermined fold line for the printed product, and thereby press it into a folding jaw of a folding jaw cylinder that functions in coordination with the folding blade or collect cylinder. In non-collect operation, each time a printed product passes through the gap between the folding blade cylinder and the folding jaw cylinder, the printed product is released by its holding tool and the subsequent folding blade is extended. During collect operation, a printed product that is held on the folding cylinder passes through the gap at least 2 or n times. During each revolution of the folding cylinder, another printed product is collected on the same peripheral segment of the folding cylinder. Ultimately, printed products, which are collected n times, are pushed together onto the folding jaw cylinder and are thereby folded. 
   The movement of the holding tools and of the folding blades is generally determined by a control cam, the contour of which control cam is traced by a multitude of cam follower rolls, each of which is coupled to one of the holding tools or to the folding blade. 
   In a first type of folding apparatus, the control cam is formed by two disks that are mounted coaxially relative to the cylinder, and which are characterized as a cam disk and as a cover disk, which cam disk and cover disk are traced simultaneously by the cam and cover disk follower rolls. The cam disk, which is typically stationary, is equipped with a recessed area, into which a follower roll can dip. When this occurs, the tool that is controlled by the follower roll executes a working movement. In the case of a holding tool, this movement may be, for example, the release of a printed product, or in the case of a folding blade, the working movement may be an extension of the blade. 
   The cover disk is also equipped with at least one recessed area. This at least one recessed area is positioned during non-collect operation of the folding blade cylinder such that it overlaps the recessed area of the cam disk and thus does not prevent the follower roll from dipping into it. The cover disk can be stationary or can rotate. During collect operation of the folding blade cylinder, the cover disk rotates at a speed that is different from the rotational speed of the cylinder. The recessed areas of the two disks overlap, and the working movement is executed only with every nth revolution of the cylinder. The result is that n collected printed products are then transferred and are folded at the same time. 
   To achieve the greatest possible flexibility in production, it is desirable to be able to adjust any random value for n, up to an upper limit of n max . Since, in order to vary n, in general only the phase position between the cam disk and the cover disk can be adjusted, both n max  and the number of possible values for n are relatively small. 
   To achieve greater variability for collect operation, a folding apparatus has been proposed in DE 38 28 372 A1, in which the cover disk is replaced by a multitude of radially adjustable covering cams. These covering cams make it possible, to a certain extent, to form a cover disk having a circumferential shape that can be adjusted based upon the desired value for n. 
   With this previously known folding apparatus, eight covering cams are provided, which eight covering cams form two diametrically opposite groups of four each, and which are distributed over an angular interval of 90°. Within a group, the angular distances between the covering cams amount to 30°, 15° and 45°, in sequence. The folding cylinder is comprised of seven parts. With two different rotational speeds for the covering cams relative to the cylinder, production modes in which n=1, 2, 3, 4, or in other words, non-collect, single-collect, double-collect and triple-collect production modes can be realized. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The object of the present invention is directed to providing a folding apparatus. 
   The object is attained according to the invention with the provision of a folding apparatus with a folding blade cylinder that has at least one group of identical tools distributed on its periphery. A cam disk is provided for the working movement of the at least one group of tools. The cam disk is traced by a control arm. A cover disk is comprised of a plurality of cover cams which can be rotated with the folding blade cylinder. These cover cams can be moved between active and inactive positions. In the inactive position the cover cams allow movement of the tools. In the active position, they prevent such movement. 
   The number of tools on the folding blade cylinder of the folding apparatus is only five, rather than the seven tools which is typical of the known folding apparatus. It is possible, while keeping the side length of the product to be processed the same, to decrease the diameter of the folding blade cylinder to five-sevenths of its conventional size. A division of the covering cams into two groups, in which, in the first group, the covering cams have an angular distance from one another of either 60° or 120°, and in the second group the angular distance between the covering cams amounts to 90° or 180°, also enables all modes of production from non-collect to triple-collect. 
   The folding blade cylinder is preferably equipped with two groups or types of tools, each having equal numbers of tools. One group of tools are holding tools, such as especially sheet end grippers or pin strips, and one group of tools are folding blades. 
   Each group of tools is expediently assigned its own cam disk and cover disk. Cam disks and cover disks of the different groups can each be arranged on opposite end surfaces of the folding blade cylinder, or alternatively can both be arranged on the same end surface of the folding blade cylinder. With a folding blade cylinder of very wide width, each group of tools can also be assigned to two cam disks and to two cover disks, one of each disks being located on each end surface of the folding blade cylinder. 
   To enable an adjustment of the folding blade cylinder, to accommodate different numbers of pages of the printed products to be folded, the tools of the first group should have their own cam disks and cover disks on the periphery of the cylinder, which first group cam disks and cover disks are separate from those of the second group. 
   The number of covering cams in the first group preferably is precisely four, and the angular distance between them amounts alternatingly to 60° or to 120°, in a working position. When all four of these covering cams are active, and with a rotational speed of the cover disk that is 5/6 the rotational speed of the folding blade cylinder, double-collect operation is enabled. During every two cylinder revolutions, the control lever of a particular tool traces an active covering cam, and during the third revolution, it traces the 120° intermediate space between two covering cams of the first group. When two diametrically opposite covering cams of the four covering cams of the first group are active, and the others are inactive, and with a rotational speed of the cover disk that is 5/4 of the rotational speed of the cylinder, single-collect operation is possible, following a phase adjustment, since the covering cam now rotates faster than the folding blade cylinder. 
   The second group of covering cams preferably comprises precisely three covering cams, which three covering cams accordingly must be arranged at distances of 90°, 90° and 180°, in their working position from one another. When all of these covering cams are active, and with 5/4 the rotational speed of the cover disks relative to the folding blade cylinder, triple-collect operation is possible. When only the two diametrically opposite covering cams of the second group are active, they also enable single-collect operation. 
   When the second group of covering cams is used, the difference in speed between the cover disk and the folding blade cylinder is greater than it is for the covering cams of the first group. The circumferential length of the covering cams of the second group is also preferably greater than that of the first. Furthermore, with the use of this second group of covering cams, the cover disk system can be adjusted in relation to the folding blade cylinder to accomplish a phase adjustment. With a cover disk speed of 5/6 , the speed of the covering cam is slower than the speed of the folding blade cylinder. However, at a cover disk speed of 5/4 , the speed of the covering cam is faster than that of the folding blade cylinder. This phase adjustment occurs because the cover disk system is rotated, using a differential transmission in the drive train of the cover disk, with respect to the position of the folding blade cylinder for a production shift. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Preferred embodiments of the present invention are represented in the accompanying set of drawings, and will be described in greater detail below. 
     The drawings show: 
       FIG. 1  a perspective partial view of a folding blade cylinder in accordance with the present invention; in 
       FIG. 2  a schematic end view of the cam disk and of the cover disk of the cylinder, which control its grippers, in a configuration that corresponds to non-collect operation; in 
       FIG. 3  a view analogous to that of  FIG. 2 , in single-collect operation; in 
       FIG. 4  a view analogous to that of  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4  in double-collect operation; in 
       FIG. 5  a view analogous to that of  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4  in triple-collect operation; and in 
       FIG. 6 through 9  views analogous to those of  FIG. 2 through 5 , in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1  shows a schematic, perspective view of an end area of a cylinder  01 , such as, for example a folding blade cylinder  01  for a folding apparatus. The folding apparatus comprises, in addition to the folding blade cylinder  01 , a cross cutter, which separates a group of printed material webs that is fed to it, for example paper webs, into single printed products, and a conveyor belt, which accelerates the printed products, that have been separated by the cross cutter, to the circumferential speed of the folding blade cylinder  01 . The folding blade cylinder  01  conveys the single printed products on its circumferential surface in the direction of the arrow A. Because the cross cutter and the conveyor belt mechanism are known in the art, and form no part of the present invention, they are not shown in  FIG. 1  and will not be described in further detail here. 
   A circumferential surface of the folding blade cylinder  01  is formed by two groups of five segments each. The segments of the first group each carry a tool  02 , such as, for example, a gripper  02  only one of which is partially illustrated in  FIG. 1 , while the segments of the second group each have a slit  03 , out of which slit  03  a folding blade can be extended, in order to allow a printed product, which is held on the folding blade cylinder  01  by the grippers  02 , to be introduced into the folding jaw of a folding jaw cylinder, which also is not specifically shown here as it is generally known in the art. The phase positions of the two groups of segments on the periphery of the folding blade cylinder  01  can be adjusted. This can be done in order to adjust the distance between a front or leading edge of a printed product that is held by one of the grippers  02 , and the fold that is generated on this printed product, to the length of the printed product. 
   The movement of each of the grippers  02  is controlled by a control arm or a control lever  04 , which carries a cam follower roll  06  at an end of the control lever  04  that faces away from the gripper  02 . The cam follower roll  06  is impinged upon by a spring and is forced, by that spring, against the circumference of a stationary cam disk  07 , which in  FIG. 1  is shown partially cut away. A rotatable cover disk,  08 , that is coupled to the folding blade cylinder  01 , is arranged between the stationary cam disk  07  and the folding blade cylinder  01 . 
   The stationary cam disk  07  has an essentially circular circumference, as can be seen in  FIG. 1 , and has two recessed areas  16 ;  17 , which are seen more clearly in  FIG. 2 , and which are characterized respectively as a gripping recess  16  and a release recess  17 . The gripping recess  16 , when the follower roll  06  of a gripper  02  engages in it, controls an opening and a closing movement of the respective gripper  02 , in each case during the acceptance of a new printed product from the conveyor belt. This working sequence of a gripper  02  can never be influenced by the cover disk. In other words, in the area of the gripping recess  16  a follower roll  06  is not rolled over by a covering cam in any production mode. The release recess  17 , which is not visible in  FIG. 1 , in coordination with the gripper cover disk  08 , controls the movement of the gripper  02  during the transfer of a printed product to the folding jaw cylinder by the use of a folding blade, which movement and resultant transfer is based upon the desired mode of production of the folding blade cylinder  01 . A gripper system and its associated folding blade system are thus controlled in the same rhythm. That means that when the release recess  17  is covered by a covering cam of the gripper cover disk  08 , the control recess of the folding blade cam is also covered by a covering cam of the tucker blade cover disk, and vice versa. 
   The cover disk  08  is comprised of an inner cam ring  09 , first and second groups of covering cams  11 ;  12 , respectively, and a frame, which for purposes of clarity is not illustrated here, in which frame the covering cams  11 ;  12  are held, spring-mounted, with each covering cam being pivotable around an axis  13  and maintained against the outer circumferential surface of the inner cam ring  09 . The inner cam ring  09  is capable of rotating relative to the frame, and relative to the covering cams  11 ;  12 , in order to accomplish various configurations for the covering cams  11 ;  12 , in which various configurations, certain ones of the covering cams rest on a cam surface  14  of the inner cam ring  09  or engage the cam ring  09  between two spaced cams or cam surfaces  14 . The covering cams  11 ;  12  each have an arc-shaped outer surface  18 , which covering surfaces  18 , when a respective covering cam  11 ;  12  is in its active state, lie at the level of the outer periphery of the stationary cam disk  07 , and can thus prevent a follower roll  06  from entering into a recessed area  16 ;  17  of the cam disk  07 . 
   In  FIG. 2 , an arrangement of the covering cams  11 ;  12 , relative to one another, is more precisely illustrated. Differentiation is made between covering cams  11   1  through  11   4  of a first group, and each having a comparatively short outer surface  18 , which first group  11 , through  11   4  of covering cams are each arranged at an angular distance of alternatingly 60 or 120° in a working position, as seen in  FIG. 8  to one another, and covering cams  12   1  through  12   3  of a second group, each of whose outer surface  18  is longer, and which each have an angular distance of 90° or 180° from one another, in a working position, as seen in  FIG. 8 . Two covering cams  12   1 ;  12   3  of the second group are arranged in the 60° intermediate space between the respective adjacent covering cams  11   1 ;  11   2  or  11   3 ;  11   4  of the first group, while the third covering cam  12   2  is arranged in the 120° intermediate space between the two covering cams  11   2  and  11   3 . The 120° intermediate space between the respective first group covering cams  11   4  and  11   1 , respectively, is empty. 
   Pairs of circles, each connected by a double arrow, and depicted on the periphery of the cam disk  07 , illustrate the movement play of the follower rolls  06  on the periphery of the cylinder  01  for the purpose of adjustment for different lengths of the printed products to be folded. 
   In each case, the inner cam ring  09 , based upon the indicated 0° direction which is shown in  FIG. 2 , bears a wide cam surface  14   1 , between 110° and 125°, a narrow cam surface  14   2 ;  14   3  at 95° and 40°, a wide cam surface  14   4  between 10° and −15°, narrow cams  14   5 ;  14   6  at −65° and −85°, and a wide cam  14   4  between −135° and −125°. 
   In the configuration which is shown in  FIG. 2 , all of the covering cams  11   1 ;  11   2 ;  11   3 ;  11   4 ;  12   1 ;  12   2 ;  12   3  engage in the intermediate spaces between cams  14   1  through  14   7  of the cam ring  09 . Thus, the outer covering surfaces  18  of all of the covering cams are all located within a circle, whose radius corresponds to the radius of the recessed areas  16 ;  17  of the cam disk  07 . None of the covering cams  11   1 ;  11   2 ;  11   3 ;  11   4 ;  12   1 ;  12   2 ;  12   3  cover the release recess  17 , so that with each revolution of the tucker blade cylinder  01 , the printed product that is held by the gripper  02  is released. This corresponds to non-collect operation of the folding blade cylinder  01 . 
   In the configuration shown in  FIG. 3 , the cam ring  09  is rotated clockwise approximately 20° relative to its position of  FIG. 2 , so that the covering cams  11   1 ;  12   2 ;  11   4  rest on a cam  14   1 ;  14   4 ;  14   7  of the cam ring  09 . In other words, these covering cams are in their active position, in which they are capable of preventing a follower roll  06  from dipping into the release recess  17 . 
   The folding blade cylinder  01  rotates counterclockwise, so that the follower rolls  06  rotate counterclockwise on the stationary cam disk  07 . The rotational speed of the cover disk  08  amounts to 5/6 of the rotational speed of the folding blade cylinder  01 , so that with each complete revolution of the folding blade cylinder  01 , the cover disk  08  falls back or lags the folding blade cylinder  01  by an additional 60°. In the configuration which is shown in  FIG. 3 , a follower roll, which is indicated by the symbol  19 , is positioned at the start of the release recess  17  of the stationary cam disk  07 . It is able to dip into the release recess  17 , so that a printed product, which is held by one of the folding blade cylinder grippers  02 , is now released and can be transferred to the folding jaw cylinder. If, after a complete revolution, the same follower roll  19  again arrives at the release recess  17 , it will now run into the covering cam  11   1  there, which is now in its active position and which now prevents a release of the printed product. One revolution later, the follower roll  19  encounters the intermediate space  21  between the covering cams  11   1  and  11   4 . It is thus now able to dip into the recess  17 , and the printed product is again released. In subsequent revolutions, the follower roll  19  encounters, at the release recess  17 , in sequence, the active covering cam  11   4 , the inactive covering cam  11   3 , the active covering cam  12   2  and finally again the inactive covering cam  11   2 , at which time, the cycle is completed. With every second revolution, a collected printed product is released. This corresponds to single-collect operation of the folding blade cylinder  01 . 
   In the configuration which is shown in  FIG. 4 , the inner cam ring  09  is turned back approximately 10°, as compared with its location in the configuration of  FIG. 3 , so that all of the covering cams  11   1  through  11   4  of the first group of covering cams are in the active position, and the covering cams of the second group of covering cams  12   1  through  12   3  are in the inactive position. The rotational speed of the cover disk  08  is the same as it was in the case which is shown in  FIG. 3 . In the configuration shown in  FIG. 4 , the follower roll  19  encounters the active covering cam  11   2 , and one revolution later encounters the also active covering cam  11   1 , after which, it encounters the intermediate space  21  between the covering cams  11   1  and  11   4  so that the collected product is released. In the next three revolutions the follower roll  19  encounters the active covering cam  11   4 , the active covering cam  11   3  and the inactive covering cam  12   2 , after which the collected product is again released. This corresponds to double-collect operation of the folding blade cylinder  01 . 
   In the configuration which is shown in  FIG. 5 , the cam ring  09  is once again rotated clockwise by 20° relative to the covering cams  11 ,  12 , so that the covering cams  11   1  through  11   4  of the first group are now all inactive and the covering cams  12   1  through  12   3  of the second group are now all active. In this configuration, the rotational speed of the cover disk  08  now amounts to 5/4 of the rotational speed of the folding blade cylinder  01 . After each revolution of the folding blade cylinder  01 , the cover disk  08  has achieved a lead, or an advance of 90° over the folding blade cylinder  01 . Furthermore, the phase adjustment of the cover disk  08 , relative to the folding blade cylinder  01 , is accomplished. In the illustrated configuration of  FIG. 5 , the covering cam  12   1  blocks the follower roll  19  from dipping into the release recess  17 , and in the subsequent revolutions, the covering cams  12   2 ;  12   3  perform such a blocking, until finally with the fourth revolution of the folding blade cylinder  01 , the follower roll  19  encounters the intermediate space  21  at the recess  17  and releases the collected product. This corresponds to triple-collect operation of the folding blade cylinder  01 . 
   An alternative preferred embodiment for controlling the various modes of collect operation of the folding blade cylinder  01  is represented in  FIG. 6 through 9 . In this second preferred embodiment, the arrangement and the configuration of the covering cams  11 ;  12  are the same as in  FIG. 1 through 5 . Only the distribution of the cams  14  on the inner cam ring  09  in  FIG. 6 through 9  is different from that of  FIG. 1 through 5 . A narrow cam  14 , lies at approximately 115°, a wide cam  14   2  at 95° to 85°, narrow cams  14   3 ;  14   4 ;  14   5  at approximately 45°, 5°, −65°, a wide cam at approximately −85° to −95°, and a narrow cam at approximately −135°. In  FIG. 6 , as in  FIG. 2 , all of the covering cams  11   1  through  11   4 ,  12   1  through  12   3  are inactive, so that collection is not performed. 
   In  FIG. 7 , only the covering cams  12   1 ;  12   3  are active, and the rotational speed of the cover disk  08  amounts to 5/4 of the rotational speed of the folding blade cylinder  01 . In the configuration shown in  FIG. 7 , the covering cam  12   1  prevents the follower roll  19  from dipping into the release recess  17 . One revolution later, the follower roll  19  encounters the inactive covering cam  12   2  and releases the printed product. Another revolution later, the follower roll  19  encounters the active covering cam  12   3 , so that collection is now performed. With the subsequent revolution of the cover disk  08 , the follower roll  19  encounters the intermediate space  21  and releases. 
   In  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the positions of the covering cams  11   1  through  11   4 , and  12   1  through  12   3  are the same as was discussed in connection with  FIGS. 4 and 5 , and the mode of operation is the same. 
   The construction for the cover disk  08 , comprising adjustable covering cams  11 ;  12 , as described above for the control of the grippers  02 , can also be used if pin strips are used as the gripping tools. In this case, the construction is simplified slightly, as a cam disk for use in controlling pin strips requires only one release recess  17 , and no gripping recess  16 . 
   The same applies to the control of the extension of folding blades from the slits  03  in the folding blade cylinder  01 . Here again, the stationary cam disk has only a single recessed area. 
   Furthermore, this principle can also be used to control a trailing gripper on a folding jaw cylinder  01 . 
   In place of the five grippers  02  or of the pin strips with pins, the folding blades or the folding jaws, the cylinder  01  can also have three or seven sections. In other words the cylinder  01  can have three, five or seven groups of tools  02 , especially groups of grippers  02  or of pin strips with pins, or of folding blades or of folding jaws. 
   In the above-described embodiments, only the grippers  02  are viewed as examples of tools  02  that are mounted on the cylinder  01  and which are periodically actuated. The invention can also be used in the same manner as described above with other periodically moved tools  02 , such as folding blades, pin strips with pins, folding jaws, and the like. 
   While preferred embodiments of a folding apparatus for collect operation, in accordance with the present invention, have been set forth fully and completely hereinabove, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that various changes in, for example, the overall structure of the printing press, the drive assembly for the folding blade cylinder, and the like could be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention, which is accordingly to be limited only by the appended claims.