System for dynamically monitoring and controlling a web printing press

A system for dynamically monitoring and controlling a web printing press of the type which has a plurality of print stations each of which is adapted to print a distinctive color and which has a register adjusting mechanism for adjusting the circumferential timing and the lateral positioning of the print application and/or path length through the print station and an adjustable ink zone control mechanism for controlling the amount of ink of said distinctive color that is available to be transferred to the web at spaced locations across the width of the press during a printing operation and which has a printing roller which transfers ink to the web, there being a predetermined height test print area within a print impression that extends in the lateral direction across the web, the press printing at least one type of target pattern in the test print area of the web generally at each spaced location, each target pattern type including components of predetermined size and shape printed by each printing station, said system comprising:

• means for acquiring a digitized image of predetermined size of the web, said image being comprised of a plurality of individual pixels, each having an intensity value within a predetermined range;
• strobe means for illuminating at least the area of the web from which an image is acquired during the acquisition of the image;
• memory means for storing said acquired digitized images;
• processing means being adapted to analyze individual components of a first type of target contained in said acquired digitized image and produce a reflective density value for each said component, and generate a control signal for application to the ink zone control mechanism for correcting any detected incorrect reflective density values for respective components of said first type of target;
• said processing means being adapted to analyze individual components of a second type of target to determine the relative positions of all of the components of said second type of target and to selectively generate control signals for application to the respective register adjusting mechanisms to reduce register misalignment;
• and,
• a process managing means operably connected to said processing means and adapted to receive informational data relating to print jobs, download preset data to said processing means for presetting the register adjusting mechanism and the adjustable ink zone control mechanism, and receives data concerning the operation of the processing means and its control of the register adjusting mechanism and the adjustable ink zone control mechanism.

A system for dynamically monitoring and controlling a web printing press of the type which has a plurality of print stations, each of which is adapted to print a distinctive color and which has a register adjusting mechanism for adjusting the circumferential timing and the lateral positioning of the print application and/or path length through the print station and an adjustable ink zone control mechanism for controlling the amount of ink of said distinctive color that is available to be transferred to the web at spaced locations across the width of the press during a printing operation and which has a printing roller which transfers ink to the web, there being a predetermined height test print area within a print impression that extends in the lateral direction across the web, the press printing at least two types of target patterns in the test print area of the web, including a register type of target pattern wherein said components comprise at least one dot of each distinctive color and at least one density type target pattern wherein said components comprise a number of blocks arranged in a horizontal row within the test print area, there being at least one block of each distinctive color, said system comprising:

• means for acquiring a digitized image of predetermined size of the web, said image being comprised of a plurality of individual pixels, each having an intensity value within a predetermined range;
• strobe means for illuminating at least the area of the web from which an image is acquired during the acquisition of the image;
• memory means for storing said acquired digitized images;
• processing means being adapted to analyze individual components of said density target pattern contained in said acquired digitized image and produce a reflective density value for each said component, and generate a control signal for application to the ink zone control mechanism for correcting any detected incorrect reflective density values for respective components of a target;
• said processing means being adapted to analyze individual components of said register target pattern to determine the relative positions of all of the components of the register target pattern and to selectively generate control signals for application to the respective register adjusting mechanisms to reduce register misalignment.