Method and apparatus for pinless feeding of web to a utilization device

A controller for use in a utilization device adapted to feed either of a pin feed continuous web having tractor pinfeed holes and a pinless continuous web devoid of pin holes and having marks disposed in an upstream-to-downstream direction therealong at predetermined length intervals having a tractor pin feed unit that includes opposing moving tractor pin feed strips each having sets of pins located outwardly of opposing side edges of the pinless continuous web, a high volume moving utilization device element, located downstream of the tractor pin feed unit that rotates at an element movement speed and that thereby performs a predetermined operation at selected locations onto either of the pin feed continuous web and the pinless continuous web, the utilization device further having a drive roller that engages the pinless continuous web at a location upstream of the utilization device element and drives the pinless continuous web toward the utilization device element, a central drive motor that drives the tractor pin feed unit at a speed that matches the speed of the utilization device element, a differential having a central drive motor input and a differential output, the differential being operatively interconnected with the drive roller and the differential being constructed and arranged so that the drive roller rotates in conjunction with the central drive motor at a roller rotational speed, wherein the roller rotational speed is varied based upon input movement at the differential input, a mark sensor, located at a predetermined distance from the utilization device element that reads occurrences of the marks on the pinless continuous web as the pinless continuous web passes therethrough and that generates a mark sensor signal in response to a sensed occurrence of each of the marks, a transducer constructed and arranged to provide a movement signal that indicates an amount of movement of the pin feed continuous web through the tractor pin feed system based upon movement of the tractor pin feed system, and a registration controller motor being operatively interconnected to the differential input to drive the differential to thereby vary the roller rotational speed of the drive roller, the controller comprising:

• a first input that receives the mark sensor signal from the mark sensor;
• a second input that receives the movement signal from the transducer;
• the controller being constructed and arranged to compare the mark sensor signal to the movement signal and thereby generate a control signal;
• and
• an output for transmitting the control signal to the registration controller motor to, thereby, selectively operate the registration controller motor to vary the drive roller rotational speed to maintain a desired rate of passage of pinless continuous web into the utilization device element.