METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PROCESSING AN OBJECT

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a method for processing an object, in which a printed image is printed onto the object by a digital printing facility and the object is then further processed in at least one work station. The at least one work station being controlled by an electric control unit, where at least one control character is applied to the object by the digital printing facility, the control character being detected in or upstream of the work station by at least one sensor and transmitted to the electric control unit, which controls the at least one work station depending on the control character transmitted.

Claims

1. A method for processing an object, in which a printed image is printed onto the object by a digital printing facility and the object is then further processed in at least one work station, the at least one work station being controlled by an electric control unit, wherein at least one control character is applied to the object by the digital printing facility, said control character being detected in or upstream of the work station by at least one sensor and transmitted to the electric control unit, which controls the at least one work station depending on the control character transmitted.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one control character is printed simultaneously with the printed image.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is an optical sensor.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a section of the object, which is detected by the at least one sensor, is irradiated with electromagnetic radiation.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one work station is an impregnation station, in which the object is at least partially impregnated with a material, and the at least one control character contains information on a position of the control character on the object and/or a composition and/or amount of the material.

6. The method according to claims, wherein the object is a paper web that is applied to a carrier or is the carrier itself, wherein it is divided into multiple elements, in particular panels.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein bundles with a plurality of elements are assembled and packed, a composition of the bundles depending on the at least one control character.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one control character is applied after the printed image is printed and contains information on the quality of the decorative pattern, wherein at least one work station is a sorting station in which sorting occurs depending on the control character.

9. A device for carrying out a method according to claim 1.

10. The method according to claim 3, wherein the at least one sensor is a camera.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the camera is an infrared camera.

12. The method according to claim 3, wherein the camera is a UV camera.

13. The method according to claim 4, wherein the electromagnetic radiation is IR radiation or UV radiation.

14. The method according to claim 4, wherein the electromagnetic radiation is UV radiation.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] In the following, an embodiment example of the invention will be explained in more detail with the aid of the accompanying drawing. The FIGURE shows:

[0032] FIG. 1 is a schematic sequence of a method according to an embodiment example of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] From top to bottom, FIG. 1 schematically depicts the sequence of a method according to a first embodiment example of the present invention. Different control characters 4, which are schematically depicted by various geometric figures and objects, are printed onto three objects 2. This occurs in a digital printing facility, which is not depicted. The objects 2 printed in this way pass through a detection station 6 with at least one sensor 8, which is configured to detect at least the part of the objects 2 where the control characters 4 are printed. Preferably, however, the sensor 8 is configured to detect the entire printed surface of the object 2. The sensor 8 transmits the sensor data via a data line 10 to an electric control unit 12, which is depicted as an electronic data processing device. Even though the data line 10 is shown as a cable, it does not mean that this is a necessary embodiment. Of course, wireless communication between the sensor 8 and the electric control unit 12 is possible and, possibly, advantageous.

[0034] The electric control unit 12 evaluates the sensor signals transmitted by the sensor 8 via the data line 10. This occurs, for example, via an image recognition software that is able to extract, identify and evaluate the control characters 4 from the rest of the printed image not shown in FIG. 1. The information contained therein is processed in a sorting station 14, which is only schematically depicted as an oval, and ensures that, in the example embodiment shown, the further production paths 16 of the objects 2 printed with different control characters 4 separate. They are fed to different processing stations 18, which are schematically labelled in FIG. 1 with the respective control character. This results in three different productions 20, which are also labelled by the respective control character, this time as an inverse depiction.