Sheet handling system
AssigneeDe La Rue International Limited
InventorsStephen Derek Brooks, Brian Robinson Kirk, Dean James Gifford, Bernhard Leisch
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sheet handling system having a number of sheet processing modules (1-4) linked together to enable sleets to pass between them. Each sheet processing module (1-4) includes at least one sheet monitoring or handling component and a set of nodes (23, 32, 43, 62), each including a processor, wherein each sheet processing module is controlled by one or more nodes. A distributed control system is arranged logically into a number of subsystems, the functions of each subsystem being performed by one or more of the nodes. A communications network (24) links the nodes together to enable the nodes to operate in synchronism and to communicate with each other.
Claims12
A sheet handling system having a number of sheet processing modules linked together to enable sheets to pass between them, each sheet processing module including at least one sheet monitoring or handling component;
- a set of nodes, each including a processor, wherein each sheet processing module is controlled by one or more nodes;
- a distributed control system arranged logically into a number of subsystems, the functions of each subsystem being performed by one or more of the nodes;
- and a communications network linking the nodes together to enable the nodes to operate in synchronism and to communicate with each other, wherein the control system includes a sheet tracking subsystem, wherein the sheet tracking subsystem includes a sheet register for storing information about each sheet being processed by the sheet handling system, and wherein a copy of the sheet register is stored in all nodes which implement the sheet tracking subsystem.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.