Motion control for a high speed inserter input

摘要

A high speed input system for an inserter machine. The system controlling a guillotine cutter (21), a cutter transport (90), and an upstream web handler transport (80) to increase throughput for mail production. The controller is programmed to control the high speed input module in accordance with a repeating cycle. The cycle time is determined as an amount of time between a first web feed request and an earliest possible time that a subsequent second web feed request can be acted upon. A cutter transport motion control profile initiates feeding of a document length of web after receiving the first feed request. The cutter motion control profile causes the cutter blade to begin descending when the cutter transport has moved the web (120) a trigger distance, calculated such that the cutter blade (21) will first make contact with the web immediately when the web has been halted by the cutter transport motion profile. A web handler transport profile moves the web the document length at velocities and accelerations less than the velocities and accelerations of the cutter transport. At the end of the cycle, the web handler transport causes the web to be transported at a nominal velocity selected to maintain an appropriate amount of the web loop in the web handler. Within the web handler a control loop expands and contracts as the downstream cutter transport stops and starts as the cutter blade cuts the web in each cycle.