Plate inserting apparatus including braking unit for braking the plate

A plate inserting apparatus comprising:

• a plate cylinder with an outer surface where a plate is to be mounted;
• a press roller which is rotatably supported to oppose the outer surface of said plate cylinder and, when a leading edge bent portion of the plate to be supplied to said plate cylinder abuts against said press roller and a distal end of the leading edge bent portion abuts against the outer surface of said plate cylinder, inserts the leading edge bent portion of the plate into a groove portion formed in said plate cylinder under on rotation (with a pressing force) of said plate cylinder;
• and
• a braking unit which starts a braking operation when the leading edge bent portion of the plate abuts against said plate cylinder and said press roller and terminates the braking operation when the leading edge bent portion of the plate is inserted in the groove portion of said plate cylinder,
• a potentiometer which generates rotational phase pulses as the plate cylinder rotates, and
• a control unit which detects the rotational phase of said plate cylinder on the basis of the rotational phase pulses generated by said potentiometer to thereby control said braking unit,
• wherein said braking unit holds the plate and regulates movement of the plate in a plate inserting direction,
• wherein said braking unit comprises
• a wheel which is rotatably supported (which guides insertion of the plate), and
• a pad which is movably supported in a direction to come into contact with and separate from said wheel and holds the plate together with said wheel.