US 4,316,566 A · Apparatus for registration and control for a moving web

Abstract

In apparatus for pouch forming, filling and sealing, a printed web, having registration marks at locations where transverse seals are to be formed in order to form a pouch, is fed through drive rolls; over a plow which forms a longitudinal fold in the web; around a sealing wheel having lands which the web contacts to form transverse pouch-forming seals; around a filler where product is poured into the pouches; past a top sealer and a cutoff where the pouch forming is completed and the individual pouches are severed by knives. A photoelectric scanner scans the registration marks and produces a pulse when each passes the scanner. An electric eye cooperating with a disk driven by the machine determines the position of the sealer lands. A tachometer driven by the machine produces pulses proportional to the speed of the machine. A stepping motor continuously drives the drive rolls. The outputs from the photoelectric scanner, the electric eye and the tachometer are used in association with a microprocessor for controlling the position of the registration marks with respect to the lands so as to form transverse seals on the pouches between the printed matter associated with each pouch.

Claims8

Dependent claims

Apparatus for achieving and maintaining proper registration of a web to a rotating member around which it passes, said web having a plurality of longitudinally spaced registration marks and being driven by a machine which includes the rotating member, said apparatus comprising,

drive rolls through which said web passes,
a stepping motor connected to said drive rollers to drive said rollers,
means for supplying pulses to said stepping motor to continuously rotate said motor,
means producing an output of pulses whose frequency is proportional to the speed of the machine,
a scanner associated with said web for producing a registration pulse as each registration mark passes said scanner,
means generating a land pulse each time a registration mark is to land on said rotating element,
means for monitoring the interval of time between the occurrence of said registration mark and land pulses, respectively,
and means for varying the frequency of the pulses supplied to said stepping motor to shorten said interval between registration mark and land pulses.

5 more elements

In a pouch form, fill, seal machine,

apparatus for achieving and maintaining proper registration of a longitudinally folded web to a sealer having circumferentially spaced lands around which said web passes, said web having a plurality of longitudinally spaced registration marks and printed matter between said marks, said web being driven by a machine which includes the sealer, said apparatus comprising,
drive rolls through which said web passes,
a stepping motor connected to said drive rollers to drive said rollers,
means for supplying pulses to said stepping motor to continuously rotate said motor,
a tachometer driven by said machine and producing an output of pulses whose frequency is proportional to the speed of the machine,
a scanner associated with said web for producing a registration pulse as each registration mark passes said scanner,
means generating a land pulse each time a registration mark is to engage a land on said sealer,
means for monitoring the interval of time between the occurrence of said registration mark and land pulses, respectively,
and means for varying the frequency of the pulses supplied to said stepping motor to shorten said interval between registration mark and land pulses,
whereby said registration marks are normally aligned with said sealer lands to assure that the location of pouch forming seals is located between printed matter.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus for registration and control for a moving web

Life of this patent

Apparatus for registration and control for a moving web

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims8