Patent ID: 7992492

Claim:
A drive device for a web offset printing press for printing and processing at least one web of materials, comprising at least one folder; printing units and/or printing unit assemblies; transport elements for transporting the at least one web of materials through the web printing press into the at least one folder; driving units and associated electrical motors for electrically driving the at least one folder, the printing units and/or printing unit assemblies, and the transport elements at least partially mechanically independently from each other; means for automatically synchronizing an initial state of the at least one folder and the transport elements with specific setpoint value assignments of a virtual master axis, by performing conpensating motions during a compensating motion interval; and at least one drive-related control which is configured to: generate and synchronize at least one first virtual master axis during printing operation, using specified setpoint value assignments, with an electronically generated synchronization clock of the at least one drive-related control which communicates via a realtime-capable bus system of the at least one drive-related control with other drive-related controls and/or the driving units; generate, during synchronization, a second specific virtual master axis based on the position and/or condition of motion of the at least one folder, which said specific master axis deviates from a course of the setpoint value assignments of the at least one first virtual master axis; synchronize, from an initial state, the transport elements and the at least one folder with the specific setpoint value assignments of the second specific virtual master axis, by performing compensating motions during the compensation motion interval; further synchronize the at least one folder and the transport elemetns by synchronizing the specific setpoint value assignments of the second specific virtual master axis with the first virtual master axis; and communicate selectively and at least temporarily with at least one driving unit of the at least one folder and/or at least one driving unit of the transport elements that transport into the folder.