Device for supplying foil to a printing press and method for determining characteristics of control of such a device
AssigneeVinnovation Holding B.V.
InventorsVincent van der Heijden, Arjan Neet
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device including a computing unit that is adapted to read a pattern of transfer portions to be realized by means of a printing process prior to operation of the device and to evaluate various options as to input of at least one foil web to the device and reuse of a length of foil web in the device so as to determine that option involves the most efficient use of the foil for realizing the pattern, so that output is obtained that is suitable to be used for realizing optimal control of the device.
Claims17
A device for supplying foil to a printing press comprising:
- a foil input unit for inputting at least one foil web to the device;
- a foil reuse unit for receiving a used length of foil web from the printing press and feeding the same length of foil web back to the printing press in a longitudinally-shifted position so as to allow the printing press to take transfer portions from the length of foil web at different positions of the length of foil web during subsequent use of the length of foil web in the printing process;
- and
- a computing unit for determining characteristics of a process for controlling the device, the computing unit being adapted to read a pattern of transfer portions to be realized by means of the printing process, prior to operation of the device, and to evaluate various options selected from the group consisting of foil web width, foil web number, foil web reuse number, and combinations thereof as to input of the at least one foil web to the device and reuse of a length of foil web in the device so as to determine by the following steps which option involves most efficient use of the foil for realizing the pattern:
- making a pixel chart of the read pattern of transfer portions by image processing, wherein separate groups of interrelated pixels represent separate transfer portions;
- determining possible subdivisions of the pattern in at least one pixel-free lane and at least two pixel-filled lanes separated by a pixel-free lane, as seen in a longitudinal direction of the pattern, and assessing, for each of the possible subdivisions, whether the widths of the at least one pixel-free lane and the pixel-filled lanes are equal to or higher than respective predetermined minimum widths, and whether the number of pixel-filled lanes is equal to or lower than a predetermined maximum number of pixel-filled lanes;
- calculating, in respect of each subdivision of which the widths of the at least one pixel-free lane and the pixel-filled lanes are found to be equal to or higher than the respective predetermined minimum widths, respectively, and of which the number of pixel-filled lanes is found to be equal to or lower than the predetermined maximum number of pixel-filled lanes, a degree of foil coverage by the pattern;
- and
- performing a comparison of the degrees associated with the various subdivisions in order to determine which subdivision involves the highest degree.
(canceled)
A method for determining characteristics of control of a device for supplying foil to a printing press, in which the foil is used in a printing process during which transfer portions of a layer of the foil are transferred to a substrate to be printed, wherein a pattern of transfer portions to be realized by means of the printing process is provided in the form of a computer-readable file, and wherein a computer program is provided and run for reading the file, for evaluating various options selected from the group consisting of foil web width, foil web number, foil web reuse number, and combinations thereof as to input of at least one foil web to the device and reuse of the foil web in the device so as to determine by the following steps which option involves most efficient use of the foil for realizing the pattern, and for determining control signals to be transmitted to components of the device involved in foil input and foil reuse according to that optimal option:
- making a pixel chart of the pattern of transfer portions by image processing, wherein separate groups of interrelated pixels represent separate transfer portions;
- determining possible subdivisions of the pattern in at least one pixel-free lane and at least two pixel-filled lanes separated by a pixel-free lane, as seen in a longitudinal direction of the pattern, and assessing, for each of the possible subdivisions, whether the widths of the at least one pixel-free lane and the pixel-filled lanes are equal to or higher than respective predetermined minimum widths, and whether the number of pixel-filled lanes is equal to or lower than a predetermined maximum number of pixel-filled lanes;
- calculating, in respect of each subdivision of which the widths of the at least one pixel-free lane and the pixel-filled lanes are found to be equal to or higher than the respective predetermined minimum widths, respectively, and of which the number of pixel-filled lanes is found to be equal to or lower than the predetermined maximum number of pixel-filled lanes, a degree of foil coverage by the pattern;
- and
- performing a comparison of the degrees associated with the various subdivisions in order to determine which subdivision involves the highest degree.
(canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.