JP2001302088A - Sheet processing device and image forming device equipped with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet processing device capable of preventing a sheet from being damaged and possible to be miniaturized and lightened. SOLUTION: A pair of folding rollers 57a, 57b to fold sheets (bundle) Sa and a butting plate 55 to push the sheets (bundle) Sa toward the pair of folding rollers 57a, 57b are driven by a common driving source. When the butting plate 55 is again moved to its pushing position after the sheets are once pushed in the folding rollers 57a, 57b, the sheet folding timing of the rollers 57a, 57b and the moving timing of the butting plate 55 are set so that the butting plate is not brought into contact with the folded sheets (bundle) Sa.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus having the same, and more particularly, to an apparatus having a folding unit for folding an image-formed sheet or a sheet bundle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Some conventional image forming apparatuses include a sheet processing apparatus having a folding unit for folding a sheet after an image is formed in an image forming section. Here, as a sheet processing apparatus provided with such a folding unit, a sheet processing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-183565 or the like is known.

In such a sheet processing apparatus,
For example, a pair of folding rollers and a pushing plate for pushing a sheet against the folding rollers are provided, and the sheet bundle is leaned and stacked substantially vertically, and a pair of folding rollers positioned on one surface of the sheet bundle is There is a configuration in which a pushing plate is pushed in from the other surface of the sheet bundle, and thereafter folding is performed by the pressing force of a folding roller.

[0004]

In such a conventional sheet processing apparatus, when the folding roller and the abutting plate are driven by different driving sources, load fluctuations occur in each operation. It is difficult to optimize the control of the rotation speed of the roller and the moving speed of the pushing plate, and in such a case, the binding portion of the sheet may be broken or wrinkles may occur inside the sheet. In addition, when each driving source is provided, it is difficult to reduce the size and weight of the device.

Therefore, in order to reduce the size and weight of the apparatus, the folding roller and the pushing plate are mechanically connected to each other so that the folding roller and the pushing plate are driven by one drive source. Conceivable.

However, when the folding roller and the pushing plate are driven by one driving source, the pushing plate is moved to a position where the sheet is once pushed into the folding roller and then moved to the pushing position again. I will be.

For this reason, for example, if the apparatus is configured to decelerate on the premise that the conveying speed of the folding roller and the moving speed of the abutting plate are matched, as shown in FIG.
Once into the folding rollers 257a and 257b,
When the pushing plate 255 moves to the pushing position again,
As shown in FIG. 6, there is a case where the sheet bundle Sa is synchronized with both ends of the folded sheet bundle Sa.

When the thrust plate 255 synchronizes with both ends of the sheet bundle Sa in this manner, contact between the thrust plate 255 and both ends of the sheet Sa occurs, and the thrust plate 255 breaks into a sheet (bundle) and is damaged. There are drawbacks such as damaging the device.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a sheet processing apparatus capable of preventing a sheet from being damaged and capable of being reduced in size and weight, and an image forming apparatus having the same. It is intended to provide a device.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a folding roller pair for folding a sheet, a pushing plate for pushing the sheet toward the folding roller pair, and a common drive source for driving the folding roller pair and the pushing plate. Wherein the pushing plate is moved to a position where the common drive source pushes the sheet into the folding roller pair at predetermined intervals, and after the sheet is pushed into the folding roller, When the sheet is moved to the pushing position, the sheet is configured not to contact both ends of the sheet folded by the folding roller pair.

Further, according to the present invention, when the pushing plate moves to the pushing position again, the moving timing of the pushing plate and the sheet folding timing of the folding roller pair are adjusted so as not to contact both ends of the folded sheet. It is characterized by setting.

The present invention further comprises a cam means for moving the thrust plate, wherein the movement timing of the thrust plate is set by the shape of the cam of the cam means, and the sheet folding timing of the folding roller pair is determined by the folding roller pair. Are set according to the roller diameter.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the roller diameter of the pair of folding rollers is set so that the outer peripheral length of the pair of folding rollers is shorter than 1/2 of the length of the sheet to be folded. Is what you do.

Further, according to the present invention, the time required for the folding roller pair to move the sheet to the abutting portion of the folding roller pair and the time after the abutting plate abuts on the sheet, the sheet is brought into contact with the folding roller pair. It is characterized in that the time for pushing into the contact portion is substantially the same.

According to the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising an image forming section and a sheet processing apparatus for folding a sheet after an image is formed by the image forming section, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is any one of the above. It is characterized by that.

Further, as in the present invention, a pair of folding rollers for folding the sheet and a pushing plate for pushing the sheet toward the pair of folding rollers are driven by a common drive source. When the pushing plate is moved to the pushing position, the sheet folding timing of the folding roller pair and the moving timing of the pushing plate are set so as not to contact both ends of the folded sheet.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a copying machine which is an example of an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1A denotes a copying machine, 2 denotes a sheet processing apparatus, and 1 denotes a main body of the copying machine. The main body of the copying machine 1 includes a platen glass 906 as a document table, a light source 90
7, lens system 908, paper feeding unit 909, image forming unit 902
Etc. are provided. Reference numeral 940 denotes an automatic document feeder for automatically feeding the document D to the platen glass 906;
Reference numeral 50 denotes a control device provided in the copying machine main body 1.

Here, a sheet feeding unit 909 stores a sheet S for recording and is detachable from the copier main body 1 by a cassette 91.
0, 911 and a deck 913 arranged in a peddy style 912. The image forming unit 902 includes
Cylindrical photosensitive drum 914 and developing unit 91 around it
5, a transfer charger 916, a separation charger 917, a cleaner 918, a secondary charger 919, and the like. Further, a conveying device 920, a fixing device 904, a discharge roller pair 905, and the like are disposed downstream of the image forming unit 902.

Next, the operation of the copying machine body 1 will be described.

When a paper feed signal is output from the control device 950, sheets S are fed from the cassettes 910, 911 or the deck 913. On the other hand, light reflected from the light source 907 on the document D placed on the platen glass 906 is reflected on the photosensitive drum 914 via the lens system 908. Here, the photosensitive drum 914 is charged in advance by a primary charger 919, and an electrostatic latent image is formed by irradiation with light. Thereafter, the electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 915 to form a toner image on the photosensitive drum.

The skew of the sheet S fed from the sheet feeding unit 909 is corrected by registration rollers 901, and the sheet S is sent to the image forming unit 902 at a proper timing.
Then, in the image forming unit 902, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 914 is transferred onto the sheet S that has been sent to the transfer charger 916.
The sheet S to which the toner image has been transferred after that, is charged by the separation charger 917 to the polarity opposite to that of the transfer electric device 916, and is separated from the photosensitive drum 914.

Further, the sheet S thus separated
Is transported to the fixing device 904 by the transport device 920,
The transfer image is permanently fixed on the sheet S by the fixing device 904. Thereafter, the sheet S on which the image has been fixed is discharged from the copying machine main body 1 to the sheet processing apparatus 2 by the discharge roller pair 905. In this manner, an image is formed on the sheet S fed from the sheet feeding unit 909 and the sheet
Is discharged.

Next, the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 3 denotes a conveyance guide pair for receiving a sheet discharged from the copying machine 1A and guiding the sheet into the sheet processing apparatus, and reference numeral 4 denotes a sheet detection sensor for detecting a sheet conveyed in the conveyance guide. The control unit shown in FIG. 14, which will be described later, detects the sheet by the sheet detection sensor 4 and determines the alignment timing and the like, and detects whether the sheet is jammed in the transport guide 3. I have.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a discharge roller for nipping and conveying the sheet in the conveyance guide 3. Reference numeral 8 denotes a processing tray serving as stacking means for stacking sheets successively discharged by the discharge roller 6. The processing tray 8 is provided with alignment means for guiding both ends of the sheet discharged by the discharge roller 6 to align the width. The matching plate 9 is provided.

Here, the aligning plates 9 are arranged at both ends in the width direction intersecting the sheet conveying direction, and are provided on a shaft of an aligning motor 14 comprising a stepping motor arranged below the processing tray. A rack 16 that meshes with the pin-on 1 is formed integrally.
The alignment plate 9 is appropriately moved in the sheet width direction by the rotation of the alignment motor 14 by the rack 5 and the rack 16.

The processing tray 8 includes a first pulley 10 attached to a first pulley shaft 10a, a second pulley 11 fixed to a second pulley shaft 11a,
And a transfer belt 12 which is stretched on the second pulleys 10 and 11 and provided with a pushing claw 13.

A lower conveying roller 18 is provided coaxially on the first pulley shaft 10a. Above the lower conveying roller 18, an upper conveying roller 19 is provided on the lower conveying roller 18 indicated by a dashed line. It is movably provided between a pressure contact position and a separated position separated from the lower conveyance roller 18 indicated by a solid line.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a carry-in guide for guiding the sheet discharged from the discharge roller 6 into the processing tray 8. Below the carry-in guide 7, the sheet is rotated in contact with the upper surface of the sheet in order to secure the sheet. A paddle 17 made of a rubber material or the like having a certain elasticity is provided.

The paddle 17 rotates around a shaft 17a and supports a fin 17b for supporting the paddle surface.
Are integrally formed radially around the shaft 17a,
As a result, the sheets are easily deformed as they are stored in the processing tray 8, so that an appropriate conveying force can be applied to the sheets.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a stopper which is discharged by the discharge roller 6 to the processing tray 8, falls by its own weight, and regulates an end of the sheet which is moved by rotation to the paddle 17, and the stopper 21 is connected to the first pulley shaft 10a. The negative end is supported, and normally projects at a position for regulating the end of the sheet by a spring or the like (not shown) as shown in FIG.

Reference numeral 30 denotes a staple unit as a binding means, which is configured as a unit shown by a two-dot chain line, and is configured to be able to be pulled out from the sheet processing apparatus 2. Further, the stapler unit 30 includes
A needle driving head unit 31 having a needle cartridge (not shown) is provided on the lower side with respect to 9, and an anvil unit 32 for bending a needle driven from the needle driving head unit 31 upward. The needle driving head unit 31 and the anvil unit 32 are movable in a direction intersecting the sheet conveying direction (from right to left in the figure).

The upper and lower guide rods 33 and 34 guide the movement (shift movement) of the driving head unit 31 and the anvil unit 32 in a direction intersecting the sheet conveying direction. ,
It is a screw shaft having a helical screw groove for performing the shift movement of the anvil unit 32 described above. 37, 38
Is the driving head unit 31 and the anvil unit 3
2 is a drive shaft for performing a needle driving operation and a needle bending operation respectively.

Reference numeral 50 denotes a sheet bundle folding unit which is configured as a unit shown by a two-dot chain line.
Like the staple unit 30, the staple unit 30 can be pulled out from the sheet processing apparatus 2.

Reference numeral 53 denotes a bundle transport guide for guiding a sheet bundle nip-conveyed by the upper transport roller 19 and the lower transport roller 18 located at the entrance side of the staple unit 30, and 51 is provided at the entrance side of the folding unit 50. The upper bundle transport roller 52 is a lower bundle transport roller disposed opposite to the upper bundle transport roller 51.

Here, the upper bundle transfer roller 51 is configured to be movable between a solid line position that is in pressure contact with the lower bundle transfer roller 52 and a dashed line position that is separated from the lower bundle transfer roller 52. The upper bundle transfer roller 51 and the lower bundle transfer roller 52 are moved until the leading end of the sheet bundle conveyed by the upper transfer roller 19 and the lower transfer roller 18 passes through the upper bundle transfer roller 51 and the lower bundle transfer roller 52. Are separated from each other and come into pressure contact thereafter.

Reference numeral 54 denotes a sensor for detecting the end of the sheet bundle.
Based on the sheet bundle leading edge detection signal of the edge detecting sensor 54, the control unit controls the bundle transport upper roller 51 and the bundle transport lower roller 52.
Are pressed against each other and the setting control of the folding position in the transport direction of the sheet bundle is performed.

Reference numeral 55 denotes a veneer plate having a tip thickness of 0.2.
It is composed of a stainless steel plate of about 5 mm. 57
Reference numerals a and 57b denote a pair of folding rollers, and are cylindrical folding rollers arranged so that a nip is formed in a direction intersecting with the sheet bundle conveying direction. It is designed to be driven to rotate.

In this embodiment, the folding rollers 57a and 57b have a roller diameter of φ40, and have a length L of folded sheet bundle to be folded as shown in FIG.
The outer peripheral length of the roller is shorter than の, and the roller is configured to rotate at least one rotation to convey the folded sheet bundle.

On the other hand, the pushing plate 55 is provided with folding rollers 57a, 5a.
7b, the leading edge thereof moves to the vicinity of the nip of the folding rollers 57a and 57b during the sheet folding operation described later, and pushes the sheet bundle into the nip of the folding rollers 57a and 57b. I have.

In the present embodiment, the moving speed of the pushing plate 55 is configured to be about 2.2 times the conveying speed of the folding rollers 57a and 57b. Thus, the time required for the binding portion of the sheet bundle whose central portion is bound to move to the nip portion by the transport of the folding rollers 57a and 57b, and the time when the pushing plate 55 contacts the binding portion of the sheet bundle and the folding rollers 57a and 57b The time for moving to the nip portion is substantially the same, and the folding rollers 57a and 57b and the pushing plate 55
Can be operated synchronously.

Further, in this embodiment, the movement timing of the pushing plate 55 after the second pushing is mechanically set so as not to contact both ends of the folded folded sheet bundle of a predetermined size. ing.

By setting the movement timing of the pushing plate 55 and setting the folding timing with the roller diameters of the folding rollers 57a and 57b being predetermined values, that is, at the time of sheet folding, two timings are set. By performing the folding operation, the pushing plate 55 can be prevented from contacting both ends of the folded sheet regardless of the size of the sheet.

Around the upper sides of the folding rollers 57a and 57b, backup guides 59a and 59b having a substantially arc shape for transporting the sheet bundle together with the transport guide 53 are provided. Here, this backup guide 59a,
59b moves in conjunction with the vertical movement of the pushing plate 55, and when the leading edge of the pushing plate 55 moves to near the nip of the folding rollers 57a and 57b, moves so that the peripheral surfaces of the folding rollers 57a and 57b with respect to the sheet bundle are opened. It has become.

Reference numeral 56 denotes a guide for guiding the sheet bundle. By the guide 56, the conveying direction of the sheet bundle conveyed by the nip between the upper roller 51 and the lower roller 52 is changed to the lower side. The leading end of the bundle hangs down on the sheet bundle passage 58.

Numeral 80 denotes a bundle discharge stacker for stacking folded sheets, which is for stacking sheets discharged and discharged by the folding operation of the folding rollers 57a and 57b. Reference numeral 81 denotes a folded sheet press that presses the discharged sheet bundle by a spring or its own weight. Reference numeral 2A denotes an apparatus frame of the sheet processing apparatus 2, and the above-described sheet bundle path 58 is provided between the apparatus frame 2A and the bundle discharge stacker 80 as a space in which a sheet bundle can be moved.

Reference numeral 90 denotes an elevating tray which is vertically movable with respect to the apparatus frame 2A. The elevating tray 90 moves between a solid line position and a two-dot chain line position. The elevating tray 90 is supported by an elevating tray support 92 and engages with a part of a belt (not shown) that is rotated by a driving means such as an unillustrated elevating tray motor. By doing so, it goes up and down.

Reference numeral 93 denotes a paper surface sensor for detecting the uppermost surface of the sheet on the elevating tray, 94 denotes a trailing end guide for guiding the trailing edge of the sheet on the elevating tray 90 when the elevating tray 90 moves up and down, and 91 denotes an elevating tray 90 The auxiliary tray 91 is pulled out from the elevating tray 90 and used when storing large-size sheets and the like.

Next, the processing tray 8, staple unit 30, and folding unit of the sheet processing apparatus 2 will be described in detail.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the processing tray 8. As shown in FIG. 3, the first pulley 10 and the second pulley 11 on which the transfer belt 12 is stretched sandwich a substantially center in the sheet width direction. It is provided in. Further, on the first pulley shaft, two lower conveyance rollers 18 are provided with the substantially central portion in the sheet width direction interposed therebetween. The transport lower roller 18 is a hollow roller of a tire type having a hollow inside.

On the other hand, the first pulley 10 and the first pulley shaft 10
A one-way clutch 75 is interposed between the two-way clutch a.
Then, when the first pulley shaft 10a rotates counterclockwise in FIG.
The pulley 10 rotates, but when rotated in the clockwise direction, the drive is cut off and stopped.

A pulley 7 is provided on the first pulley shaft 10a.
The pulley 73 is fixedly connected to a stepping motor 70 capable of rotating forward and reverse as a transport drive source via a timing belt 74 and a gear pulley 72.

Thus, the stepping motor 70 moves the sheet on the processing tray 8 in the stapling direction (the direction of arrow B).
When rotating in the direction of movement, the first pulley shaft 10a
The transport lower roller 18 fixed to the transfer belt 12 is driven to rotate, but the transfer belt 12 is not transmitted by the one-way clutch 75 and is stopped. On the other hand, when the stepping motor 70 rotates in the direction of moving the sheet in the direction of the elevating tray 90 (the direction of arrow A), both the lower conveying roller 18 and the transfer belt 12 move in the direction of the elevating tray.

The transfer belt 12 is provided with the pushing claws 13 as described above. Then, as shown in FIG.
In order to position the home position HP, a detection arm 76 and an arm detection sensor 77 that engage with the pushing claw 13 are provided.

In the present embodiment, the home position HP is the position where the push-out claw 13 is moved by the transfer belt 12, pushes the detection arm 76, and the detection sensor 77 switches from OFF to ON. .

Here, when the pushing claw 13 is at the home position HP, the lower conveying roller 18 and the upper conveying roller 1 are moved.
Assuming that the nip of No. 9 is P, in the present embodiment, if the distance from the nip P to the stopper 21 is Ll and the distance from the nip P to the pushing claw 13 is L2, Ll <L
It is set to 2.

On the other hand, the transport lower roller 18 and the transfer belt 1
After both 2 move in the direction of the elevating tray, the upper conveying roller 19 descends and is pressed against the lower conveying roller 18 by operation of a cam or the like (not shown). After this, the stepping motor 7
0 rotates, and when the first pulley rotating shaft 10a rotates in the counterclockwise direction, the lower conveying roller 18 rotates and the sheet bundle moves in the direction of the elevating tray 90. The upper transfer roller 19 is also driven by the stepping motor 70.

As a result, the sheet bundle moves from the position of the stopper 21 that has entered the staple unit 30 side. Further, after passing through the nip position P, the pushing claw 13 is pushed to the end of the sheet bundle with the rotation of the transport belt 12.
The sheet bundle is conveyed in the direction of the elevating tray 90 while being pushed by the pushing claws 13.

In this case, as described above, the transport lower roller 1
8 and the distance Ll from the nip P of the upper conveying roller 19 to the stopper 21 and the distance L from the nip P to the pushing claw 13
Since the relationship with L2 is L1 <L2, the pushing claw 13 always pushes the end of the sheet bundle in a vertical state, so that no extra stress or the like is generated in sheet transport.

The operation of the push-out claw 13 described above is performed when the sheet bundle at the position of the stopper 21 is moved out of the HP position shown in FIG. Is set.

On the other hand, if it is not necessary to perform the binding process on the sheets conveyed into the processing tray 8, it is not necessary to carry in the sheet bundle to the position of the stopper 21. 70, the extruding claw 13 is moved from the HP position by L2 + α, and the nip P between the lower conveying roller 18 and the upper conveying roller 19 is moved.
To the standby position (PreHP) on the side of the lifting tray. Note that this L + α is calculated by the stepping motor 70
Can be set by counting the number of steps.

Accordingly, for a sheet that does not require a binding process, the sheet bundle can be pushed out to the elevating tray 90 after the pushing out claws 13 are stacked with the moved PreHP without being transported to the stopper 21. The sheet processing apparatus is applicable even when the processing speed of the copying machine 1A is high.

Incidentally, as shown in FIG.
If the PreHP is located at a position where it overlaps with the carry-in guide 7 and the upper end of the pushing claw 13, the sheets carried in one by one can be reliably stacked on the pushing claw 13 at the pre-HP position. It can be immediately discharged to the rear elevating tray 90.

Next, the configuration of the stapler unit 30 will be described with reference to FIG.

The stapler unit 30 includes guide rods 33, 34, screw shafts 35, 36, and drive shafts 37, 3 between left and right unit frames 40, 41 as shown in FIG.
8 and an anvil unit 32 above,
The driving head units 31 are respectively arranged below.

The driving head unit 31 is engaged with a screw shaft 36, and the screw shaft 36
Is moved in the horizontal direction in the figure by the rotation of. The anvil unit 32 has a similar mounting configuration.
A stapler slide motor 42 is provided outside the unit frame of the screw shaft 36 via a gear. The drive of the stapler slide motor 42 is transmitted to the anvil unit 32 by the timing belt 43 at the same time.

For this reason, the head unit 31 and the anvil unit 32 move in the direction intersecting the sheet conveying direction (the left-right direction in the figure) without shifting the vertical position. Therefore, according to the width of the sheet, the stapler slide motor 42
To drive the head unit 31 and the anvil unit 3
By controlling 2 to move it to a predetermined position,
It is possible to freely drive the slurry needle into an arbitrary position.

The driving of the driving of the driving head for driving the needle (not shown) in the head unit 31, the movement of the needle, and the movement of the needle folding in the anvil unit 32 is performed by the coupling from the sheet processing apparatus 2 side. The drive of the coupling device 44 is transmitted to the anvil unit side by the timing belt 45 on one unit frame 40 side.

By the way, this stapler unit 30
When the (head unit 31) moves in the sheet width direction, the stopper 21 is configured to retreat from the staple path. Next, a mechanism for moving the stopper 21 in and out will be described.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 24 denotes a head unit 31.
A stopper engaging projection provided at the lower part of the head unit 31. When the head unit 31 moves, the stopper engaging projection 24
Are engaged with the projections 23b of the stopper moving arm 23 shown in FIGS. The movement of the head unit 31 causes the stopper engagement protrusion 2
When the projection 4 engages with the projection 23b of the stopper moving arm 23, the stopper moving arm 23 moves counterclockwise about the rotation shaft 23a as shown in FIG.

Further, as described above, the stopper moving arm 2
3 moves, the connecting lever 22 provided at one end of the stopper moving arm 23 via the shaft 23c descends,
Accordingly, the stopper 2 engaged with the connecting lever 22
1 rotates downward about the first pulley shaft 10a,
Move to the position shown by the two-dot chain line. As a result, the head unit 31 and the anvil unit 32 are
Is not hindered.

Next, the folding unit 50 constituting the folding means
Will be described in detail.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the folding unit 50. Since the folding unit 50 is provided so as to be able to be pulled out to the sheet processing apparatus 2 as described above, the same applies to the other back side surface.

In the figure, reference numeral 61 denotes a unit frame 4
Reference numeral 63 denotes a folding roller drive shaft serving as a rotation axis of the folding roller 57a, and reference numeral 63 denotes a folding roller holder which rotates about a shaft 69b as a fulcrum. The folding roller holder 63 has a rotating shaft of one folding roller 57b. A drive shaft 62 is mounted.

A tension spring 67 having a strength of about 49 N (about 5 kgf) is stretched between the folding roller holder 63 and the unit frame 49, and the rotation of the folding roller holder 63 is mounted on the unit frame 49. Guide hole 64 that allows the movement of the folding roller drive shaft 62 due to the
Are formed.

Then, with this configuration,
When the sheet bundle is folded and conveyed by the folding rollers 57a and 57b, a constant pressure can be applied to the sheet bundle by the tension spring 67, and a reliable folding operation can be performed.

Reference numeral 110 denotes a support holder for supporting the thrust plate 55, and a roller 66 is attached to the support holder 110. On the other hand, in the unit frame 49,
A punch plate guide hole 65 for guiding the roller 66 of the support holder 110 is formed. And this veneer guide hole 6
The pushing plate 55 is guided by the folding roller 5
It moves toward the nip P of 7a and 57b.

The unit frame 49 has an upper roller shaft 101 and a lower roller shaft 52a for the bundle conveying lower roller 52 for conveying the sheet bundle into the folding unit 50 as shown in FIG. Supported. here,
As described above, the bundle transport upper roller 51 and the bundle transport lower roller 5
2 is required to be separated until the sheet bundle is carried into the folding unit 50. For this reason, in this embodiment, the upper bundle transfer roller 51 is located at a position separated from the lower bundle transfer roller 52. It is configured as follows.

That is, the upper roller shaft 10 of the bundle transport roller 51
1 is supported by the bearing holder 102 and the bearing holder 1
A cam floor 112 is erected on the upper end of the upper unit 02 and further engaged with the upper roller moving cam 68 rotatably mounted on the folding unit frame 49.

Also, about 2.9 N (about 300 gf) for pressing the upper bundle transfer roller 51 and the lower bundle transfer roller 52 between the lower end of the bearing holder 102 and the lower roller shaft 52 a.
A tension spring 104 having the following tension is stretched, and the bearing holder 102 is raised with the rotation of the upper roller moving cam 68 while resisting the tension spring 104. Thereby, it is possible to control the position where the upper bundle transfer roller 51 is separated from the lower bundle transfer roller 52 and the position where the upper roller 51 is pressed against.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a folding mechanism provided inside the folding unit frame. Reference numeral 114 denotes a cam plate which is a cam means provided with a cam 114a for moving the thrust plate 55. 114 is the unit frame 49
Is mounted on a cam drive shaft 111 which is rotatably supported.
Here, the cam timing of the cam plate 114 is about 2.2 times the transport speed of the folding rollers 57a and 57b, and
Is set so that the pushing plate 55 does not come into contact with both ends of the folded sheet bundle even if the pushing plate 55 is pushed twice or more.

Reference numeral 115 denotes a shaft 113 of the upper roller moving cam 68.
The operating arm 115 is rotatably mounted on a supporting arm 110. A supporting holder 110 to which the pushing plate 55 is mounted is held at a rotating end of the operating arm 115. A cam groove 114b is formed in the cam plate 114, and a cam floor 116 set up substantially at the center of the operation arm 115 enters the cam groove 114b.

As a result, when the cam plate 114 rotates, the cam floor 116 is pressed by the cam 114a to move the operating arm 115 up and down. As a result, the position where the pushing plate 55 attached to the operating arm 115 pushes the sheet and the standby position It moves to the position where you do.

Also, 119 and 120 are folding rollers 57
a lever piece rotatably attached to the shafts 61 and 62 of the a and 57b. The lever pieces 119 and 120 are disposed so as to cover the outer peripheral surfaces of the folding rollers 57a and 57b, and are also provided with the folding rollers 57a and 57b. Backup guides 59a and 59b that are rotatable with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the folding roller about shafts 61 and 62 of 57b are attached.

The backup guides 59a, 59a,
9b are suspended from each other by a spring 121, and the lever pieces 119 and 120 are abutted and supported on bifurcated operating pieces 117 and 118 of the support holder 110, respectively.

When the support holder 110 is in the state shown in the figure, the backup guides 59a, 59b are located at positions covering the outer peripheral surfaces of the folding rollers 57a, 57b on the side of the transport path, and guide the backup of the transport of the sheet bundle. Also functions as. The backup guide 59
A and 59b normally function as a lower conveyance guide of the sheet bundle together with the bundle conveyance guide.

On the other hand, when performing the folding operation of the sheet bundle, FIG.
When the support holder 110 is lowered as shown in FIG.
120 is pushed down, and as a result, the backup guides 59a, 59b
It rotates around 62. This ensures that the outer peripheral surfaces of the folding rollers 57a and 57b abut on the sheet bundle.

Next, the drive transmission mechanism of the folding unit 50 will be described. Here, the drive transmission system includes rotation and separation of the upper bundle transfer roller 51 and the lower bundle transfer roller 52 shown in FIG. 10 and the folding rollers 57a and 57 shown in FIG.
7b and a moving system of the thrust plate 55. These drive transmission members are all provided on the unshown rear frame side of the unit frame 49 shown in FIG.

First, the rotation and separation system of the upper bundle transfer roller 51 and the lower bundle transfer roller 52 will be described with reference to FIG.

In the figure, reference numeral 162 denotes the sheet processing apparatus 2
The drive is provided from the transfer motor 162 via the gears 127 and 128 to the gear pulley 129 on the folding unit side.

Here, a one-way clutch 123 is provided between the gear pulley 129 and the shaft 113 for driving the upper roller moving cam 68. The one-way clutch 123 causes the gears 127 and 128 to move according to the arrows shown in FIG. The upper roller moving cam 68 only when rotated in the opposite direction.
Rotates to move the upper bundle transfer roller 51 up and down.

On the other hand, the rotation of the gear pulley 129 is transmitted to the bundle conveying upper roller shaft 101 and the lower roller shaft 52a via the timing belt 135 by the pulleys 130 and 131. The pulleys 130, 131 and the shaft 101,
52a, one-way clutches 124, 125 are provided.
5, the shafts 101 and 52a are driven to rotate only when the pulleys 130 and 131 rotate in the direction of the arrow. 132, 133 and 134 are pulleys around which the timing belt is stretched.

Thus, the gear 12 is moved in the direction of the arrow in FIG.
7 and 128 are rotating, the bundle transport upper roller 51
The lower bundle transport roller 52 rotates in a direction for transporting the sheet bundle into the folding unit 50. Also,
When rotating in the direction opposite to the arrow, as described above, the upper roller moving cam 68 rotates, so that the upper bundle transfer roller 51 is separated from the lower bundle transfer roller 52. These operations are controlled by detecting a flag projection (not shown) provided on the shaft 133 with a sensor or the like.

Next, a rotation system of the folding rollers 57a and 57b and a moving system of the pushing plate 55 will be described with reference to FIG.

In the figure, reference numeral 137 denotes a coupling device. By this coupling device 137, the folding rollers 57a and 57b and the pushing plate 55 are moved by the staple / folding motor 1 from the sheet processing apparatus 2 shown in FIG.
70 is driven. In the present embodiment, the coupling device 44 of the staple unit 30 shown in FIG. 5 is driven by the forward rotation of the staple / folding motor 170, and the coupling device 137 is rotated by the reverse rotation. I have.

The drive from the coupling device 137 is transmitted to a gear 139 fixed to the shaft 62 of the folding roller 57b by a gear 138 fixed to the shaft 61 of the folding roller 57a. Further, the rotation of the gear 138 is transmitted to a shaft 111 of a cam plate 114 that operates an operating arm 115 that moves the thrust plate 55 via a gear 142 that rotates about a shaft 140 and a gear 141 that meshes with the gear 142. You. The position of the cam plate 114 is determined by detecting a flag projection fixed to the shaft 111 with a sensor.

Next, the folding operation of the folding unit 50 configured as described above will be described.

In the case of performing the folding operation, for example, in the saddle stitch mode in which the binding process is performed at a position substantially at the center of the sheet length in the sheet transport direction and the folding process, the transport of the sheet bundle in the processing tray 8 is performed. In order to perform the folding operation and the stapling process (saddle stitching) in the approximate center of the direction, first, the sheet bundle S is loaded in a state where the upper roller 51 and the lower roller 52 are separated. Thereafter, when the leading edge of the sheet bundle is detected by the edge detection sensor 54 (see FIG. 2), the control unit determines the center of the sheet bundle in the transport direction, and performs the binding process at this position.

Next, the upper roller moving cam 68 (see FIG. 7)
To rotate the bundle transport lower roller 52 to the bundle transport upper roller 51.
Then, the upper roller 51 and the lower roller 52 are driven to convey the sheet bundle to a position where the center of the sheet in the sheet conveying direction is directly below the pushing plate 55. At this time, since the backup guides 59a and 59b are located at positions covering the peripheral surface of the folding roller and back up the lower surface of the sheet, the sheet bundle can be transported smoothly.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 12, when it is detected based on the detection signal from the end detection sensor 54 that the approximate center of the sheet bundle Sa in the transport direction has reached the position below the thrust plate 55, the control unit proceeds. The drive of the upper bundle transfer roller 51 and the lower bundle transfer roller 52 is temporarily stopped. Here, in this state, the sheet bundle Sa is transported by the upper bundle transport roller 5 as shown in FIG.
In this state, the sheet bundle is suspended only by the lower roller 1 and the bundle transport lower roller 52, whereby the sheet bundle is aligned by its own weight.

With this configuration, the sheet bundle passage 58 (see FIG. 2) may be simply provided on the downstream side of the thrust plate 55 without providing a mechanism such as a sheet stopper. By tilting 58 downward, the folding unit 50 and the entire sheet processing apparatus can be made compact.

Next, as shown in the drawing, when the approximate center of the sheet bundle Sa in the transport direction reaches below the thrust plate 55, the stapling / stapling which is a common driving source of the thrust plate 55 and the folding rollers 57a and 57b is performed. When the folding motor 170 is driven, the folding roller drive shaft 61 is driven to rotate and the folding rollers 57a, 5
7b rotate together, and the cam plate 114 also rotates to
The push plate 55 moves to the vicinity of the nip P of the folding rollers 57a and 57b as shown in FIG.

As a result, the sheet bundle Sa is folded by the folding roller 5.
After being folded by 7a and 57b, the sheet is discharged to a folded sheet bundle discharge stacker 80 (see FIG. 2) by rotation of the folding rollers 57a and 57b. After this, the cam plate 1
When 14 further rotates, backup guides 59a, 5
9b, the support holder 110 is raised by the action of the spring 121, whereby the pushing plate 55 also moves away from the sheet bundle Sa.

When the pushing plate 55 pushes the sheet bundle Sa toward the folding rollers 57a and 57b, the upper bundle transport roller 51 and the lower bundle transport roller 52 are in a stopped state.
One-way clutch 124 between shafts 101 and 102,
125 (see FIG. 10) is interposed,
And the folding operation causes the sheet bundle Sa to be transferred to the bundle transporting upper roller 5.
1. It is folded smoothly without being pulled by the bundle transport lower roller 52. After this, the folding roller 57
By means of a and 57b, the folded sheet bundle can be discharged from the folding unit 50.

Next, a control system of the sheet processing apparatus 2 will be described.

FIG. 14 is a control block diagram of the sheet processing apparatus 2. In FIG. 14, reference numeral 149 denotes a control unit. The control unit 149 includes a transport / bundle transport-related system 149A, a paddle-related system 149B, and a stapling / folding-related system. System 149C, alignment-related system 149D, lifting tray-related system 149E, sheet detection-related system 149F, and door open / close mounting detection-related system 149G.
Is controlled.

The control unit 149 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a ROM in which a program executed by the CPU is stored in advance, operation data of the CPU, and a control unit 950 provided in the copying machine 1A (see FIG. 1). ) Is configured by a RAM or the like that stores control data and the like received from (1).

The transport / bundle transport-related system 149A relates to sheet transport and sheet bundle transport in a state where the sheets are stacked.
A sheet detection sensor 4 for detecting on the conveyance guide 3 that a sheet has been carried into the sheet processing apparatus 2 from the copying machine main body 1; a processing tray sheet detection sensor 160 for detecting the presence or absence of a sheet on the processing tray 8; In order to determine the position where the staple is driven into the center of the sheet conveyed from the processing tray 8 in the conveying direction and the position where the sheet is folded at the same position as the position where the staple is driven,
Edge detection sensor 54 for detecting the leading edge of the sheet bundle in the transport direction
And an extruding claw sensor 76 for detecting the home position of the extruding claw 13 provided on the transfer belt 12.
And a bundle transfer upper roller H for detecting a home position position where the bundle transfer upper roller 51 is separated from the lower roller 51.
A P sensor 161 is provided as an input side to the control unit 149.

On the other hand, on the output side to the control unit 149, the transport roller pair 5, the discharge roller pair 6, the upper bundle transport roller 51 and the lower bundle transport roller 52 are driven, and the bundle transport roller 51 is driven by the other rotation. A conveying motor 162 for rotating the moving upper roller moving cam 68;
8, a transfer upper roller 19, and a stepping motor 70 for moving the transfer belt 12.

The paddle-related system 149B has a paddle 17
A paddle HP sensor 163 for detecting the rotational position of the roller and a transport roller HP sensor 164 for detecting a position where the upper transport roller 19 is separated from the lower transport roller 18 are input sides, and a paddle motor 165 for driving and rotating the paddle 17 is output. Provided as a side.

The stapling / folding-related system 149C is
A staple HP sensor 166 for detecting that the head unit 31 and the anvil unit 32 in the staple unit 30 can each be stapled;
A staple sensor 167 for detecting that a staple is set in the staple, and a staple slide HP sensor 168 for detecting that the head unit 31 and the anvil unit 32 are at the initial position (see FIG. 5) when shifting in the sheet conveyance direction. And a thrust plate HP sensor 169 for detecting the position of the thrust plate 55, and a folding clock sensor 1 for detecting the rotation direction of a stapling / folding motor 170 for switching between staple unit driving and folding unit driving in forward / reverse rotation.
71, the staple unit 30 and the folding unit 50
Switch 17 detects that the switch is in an operable state
2 as an input side.

On the output side, a stapler slide motor 42 for transmitting the driving of the driving head unit 31 and the anvil unit 32 to a guide screw shaft 36 which moves in a direction intersecting the sheet conveying direction, and a unidirectional rotation of the forward / reverse drive. A staple / folding motor 170 is provided which drives the cloning device 44 of the staple unit 30 (see FIG. 5) and the cloning device 137 of the folding unit 50 (see FIG. 11) by the other rotation.

The alignment-related system 149D is for moving the alignment plate 9 with the front and rear alignment HP sensors 151 and 152 for detecting the home position of the alignment plate 9 for aligning both ends of the sheet on the processing tray 8 as input sides. The front and back matching motor 14 is provided as an output side. Here, the front and rear alignment motors 14 are pulse motors in the present embodiment, and the alignment plates 9 are moved by the respective alignment motors 14, so that they intersect with the transport direction of each sheet bundle. The direction (job) can be set freely.

A lifting tray-related system 149E is provided with a paper surface sensor 93 for detecting the uppermost sheet on the lifting tray 90.
An elevating clock sensor 150 for detecting the amount of rotational movement of the elevating motor by an encoder;
An upper limit switch 153 and a lower limit switch 154 are provided on the input side for regulating the vertical movement range, and a lifting tray motor 155 for driving the lifting tray 90 based on signals from these switches is provided on the output side.

The sheet detection related system 149F is for detecting whether or not a sheet or a sheet bundle is stacked in the elevating / lowering tray 90 and the folded sheet discharge stacker 80. An elevating tray paper sensor 156 for detecting the presence / absence and a folded sheet discharge stacker paper sensor 157 for detecting the presence / absence of a sheet bundle in the folded sheet discharge stacker 80 are provided. Note that these sensors 156 and 157 are also used as sensors that warn the operator when sheets are left before the apparatus is activated or when the sheet bundle is not removed after a predetermined time has elapsed.

The door opening / closing attachment detection related system 149G is for detecting whether the door of the sheet processing apparatus 2 is opened or whether the sheet processing apparatus 2 is properly mounted on the copying machine main body 1 and a front door sensor 158. And a joint switch 159 for detecting whether or not the sheet processing apparatus 2 is properly mounted on the copying machine body 1.

Incidentally, in the sheet processing apparatus 2 configured as described above, the mode for processing the sheets is as follows.
For example, a non-staple mode in which sheets are stacked on the elevating tray 90 without binding processing, a side staple mode in which one or a plurality of places are stacked on the elevating tray 90 at one end (side) in the sheet conveyance direction, and sheet conveyance There is a saddle step mode in which a half of the sheet length in the direction is bound at a plurality of positions, the sheet is folded at the binding position, bound, and stacked on the bundle discharge stacker 80.

Next, the operation of the sheet processing apparatus in each mode will be described.

First, the non-staple mode will be described.

When this mode is selected, the control unit 149
First, the stepping motor 70 is driven, and the pushing nail 1
3 is stopped from the home position (HP) shown in FIG. 4 to a pre-home position (PreHP), which is a reference for stacking sheets on the processing tray 8.

At the same time, the transport motor 162 is driven to rotate the transport roller 5 and the paper discharge roller 6 to wait for the sheet to be discharged from the paper discharge roller 905 of the copying machine body 1. Thereafter, when the sheet is discharged from the copying machine main body 1, the conveyance roller 5 and the discharge roller 6 cause the processing tray 8 to be discharged.
To convey the sheet. Further, after this, the sheet detection sensor 4
When the control unit 149 detects a sheet, the control unit 149 measures the start timing of the alignment motor 14 that moves the alignment plate 9 and the paddle motor 165 that rotates the paddle 17.

When the sheet is discharged onto the processing tray 8, the aligning motor 14 and the paddle motor 165 are driven. By this drive, the alignment plate 9 moves in the width direction intersecting the sheet conveyance direction, aligns both ends of the sheet, and rotates the paddle 17 so as to abut the extruding claw 13 at the PreHP position with the end of the sheet beforehand to align the sheet. .

Further, this operation is repeated each time a sheet is discharged to the processing tray 8, and when a predetermined number of sheets are aligned with the pushing claws 13, the transport motor 162 and the paddle motor 165 are stopped, and the transfer belt is moved. The sheet bundle is moved to the lifting tray 90 side indicated by arrow A in FIG.

Thus, the sheet bundle is stacked on the elevating tray 90. After the stack of sheets is stacked in this way, the lifting tray motor 155 is rotated to lift the lifting tray 9.
0 is lowered by a fixed amount, and then the lifting / lowering tray motor 155 is rotated in reverse to raise the lifting / lowering tray 90 to a position where the paper surface sensor 93 detects the uppermost sheet of the sheet, and this position is kept until the next sheet bundle is placed. To wait.

Next, the side staple mode will be described.

When this mode is selected, the control unit 149
First, the transport motor 162 is driven, the transport roller 5 and the paper discharge roller 6 are rotated, and the sheet from the copying machine main body 1 is discharged to the processing tray 8 and stacked. Then, when the sheets are discharged and stacked, the alignment motor 14 and the paddle motor 165 are driven. As a result, the sheet is aligned at both ends in the width direction by the alignment plate 9, and the sheet end is transferred to the stopper 21 and stopped. This is repeated for a specific number of sheets.

Next, in a state where the sheet bundle is regulated by the stopper 21, the upper conveying roller 19 is moved toward the lower conveying roller 18 to nip the sheet bundle. After that, the stapling / folding motor 170 is driven in the stapling operation direction to perform the binding process by the driving head unit 31 and the anvil unit 32. In the case where the binding process is performed at a plurality of positions at the sheet end, the staple slide motor 42 is driven to move the staple unit 30, and then the binding process is performed.

When the binding process is completed, the lower conveying roller 18, the upper conveying roller 19 and the transfer belt 12 are driven by the stepping motor 70 toward the elevating tray 90. As a result, the sheet bundle after the binding processing is delivered from the lower conveying roller 18 and the upper conveying roller 19 in the order of the pushing claws 13 and is stacked on the elevating tray 90. Subsequent operations of the elevating tray 90 are the same as those in the non-staple mode described above, and a description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the saddle stitch mode will be described.

When this mode is selected, sheets discharged from the copying machine main body 1 are stacked on the processing tray 8 in the same manner as in the side staple mode described above. After the sheets are aligned and stacked on the processing tray 8 in this manner, the upper transport roller 19 is lowered to the lower transport roller 18 side,
Nip the sheet bundle.

Next, the stopper 21 is retracted from the sheet bundle conveying path, and the staple slide motor 42 is driven to transfer the sheet bundle in the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. By this driving, the stopper engaging projection 24 (see FIG. 5) of the driving head unit 31 moves and engages with the stopper moving arm 23, and as a result, the stopper 21 retreats from the moving area of the head unit 31 and the anvil unit 32. . At this time, the head unit 31 and the anvil unit 32 are stopped at the driving setting positions in the direction supporting the sheet moving direction.

Subsequently, the stepping motor 70 is driven in a direction opposite to the non-staple mode or the side staple mode. By this driving, the sheet bundle is moved by the arrow B in FIG.
Are transported in the direction opposite to the lifting tray 90 shown in FIG.

When the edge detection sensor 54 detects the leading edge of the sheet bundle in the transport direction after the sheet bundle is transported in this way, the control unit 149 operates based on the transport direction sheet length information that has been sent in advance. After the sheet is conveyed to a position where the substantially central portion in the sheet conveying direction coincides with the binding position, the stepping motor 70 is stopped.

When the stepping motor 70 rotates in the reverse direction, a one-way clutch 75 (see FIG. 3) is interposed between the first pulley 10 on which the transfer belt 12 is stretched and the first pulley shaft 10a. Therefore, the drive belt is not transmitted, and the transfer belt 12 and the pushing claws 13 are kept stopped.

Next, the stapling / folding motor 170 for driving the head drive shaft 38 and the anvil drive shaft 37 is rotated in the direction in which these are operated, thereby performing the binding process. Here, when binding a plurality of positions, the stapler slide motor 42 is driven, and the stapler unit 30 (the head unit 31 and the anvil unit 32) is moved to a predetermined position in the direction intersecting the sheet conveying direction by the rotation of the screw shafts 35 and 36. Then, the binding process is performed.

When the sheet bundle is conveyed to the binding processing position, the position of the sheet bundle on the leading end side in the conveying direction is
It is already at a position where it has passed the lower bundle transport roller 52 in the folding unit and the upper bundle transport roller 51 separated therefrom.

Next, in order to perform the folding process after the completion of the binding process, first, the transport motor 162 is rotated in reverse to rotate the upper roller moving cam 68 (see FIG. 7), and the bundle transport upper roller 51 via the bearing holder 102. To the lower side of the bundle transport lower roller,
The sheet bundle is brought into a state where it is nipped by the tension spring 104.

Next, the upper transfer roller 19 in the processing tray 8
Is lifted from the sheet bundle and the nip of the sheet bundle is released. Thereafter, the transport motor 162 is driven to rotate the upper bundle transport roller 51 and the lower bundle transport roller 52, thereby transporting the sheet bundle further downstream.

At the time of this conveyance, based on the detection signal from the edge detection sensor 54 and the sheet length information from the copying machine 1A, the control unit 149 sets the substantially central portion of the sheet bundle in the conveyance direction, that is, the binding position to the folding position. Thus, the transport motor 162 is stopped while being decelerated. In this state, the sheet bundle is nip-supported in a state of being suspended in the transport path by the upper bundle transport roller 51 and the lower bundle transport roller 52.

Next, when the staple / folding motor 170 is driven in the direction opposite to the binding process, that is, in the direction for performing the folding operation, the folding rollers 57a and 57b rotate in the direction for nipping the sheet bundle as shown in FIG. Then, the pushing plate 55 descends. At the same time, the backup guide 59
a and 59b also move so as to open the peripheral surface of the folding roller on the sheet bundle side.

When the thrust plate 55 descends as described above, the sheet bundle is wound around the folding rollers 57a and 57b, and thereafter, the thrust plate 55 moves in a direction away from the sheet bundle. 57a, 57b
It is folded by.

After that, the folding rollers 57a, 57b
The sheet bundle conveyed by the nip is discharged to the folded sheet bundle discharge stacker 80 and stacked. At this time, the folded sheet bundle is pressed by the folded sheet presser 81, and the folded sheet bundle is opened, so that the loading of the next folded sheet bundle cannot be stopped.

On the other hand, after the folding operation is started, when the pushing plate 55 detects that the pushing plate 55 has reciprocated a predetermined number of times in accordance with the length of the sheet bundle in the conveying direction by the pushing plate Hp sensor 169, the control unit 149 controls the staple / fold motor 170. To stop.
Further, the folding operation is started and the sheet bundle is folded by the folding rollers 57.
After the elapse of the time until the sheet is nipped by a and 57b, the upper bundle transport roller 51 rises so as to be separated from the lower bundle transport roller 52 and prepares for carrying in the next sheet bundle.

Here, when folding the sheet bundle, the pushing plate 5
After the sheet bundle 5 is once pushed into the folding rollers 57a and 57b and then moved to the pushing position again, the folding rollers 5a and 5b do not contact both ends of the folded sheet bundle.
7a and 57b and the thrust plate 55
Is set, and the stapling plate 55 is driven by the staple / folding motor 170 which is a common driving source.
Even when the folding rollers 57a and 57b are driven, it is possible to prevent the sheet bundle from being damaged, and it is possible to reduce the size and weight of the sheet processing apparatus 2.

In the above description, the saddle stitch mode has been described as performing a binding process and a folding process in a series. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and only the folding process is performed without performing the binding process. Needless to say, it can be adopted in the case.

[0148]

As described above, as in the present invention, when the sheet is once pushed into the folding roller and the pushing plate is moved to the pushing position again, contact with both ends of the folded sheet occurs. Provided is a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus that can prevent a sheet from being damaged and can be reduced in size and weight by setting the sheet conveyance timing of a folding roller and the movement timing of a pushing plate so as not to cause the sheet to be damaged. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a copying machine as an example of an image forming apparatus including a sheet processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a processing tray of the sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a transfer belt provided on the processing tray.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a stapler unit of the sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining a stopper moving mechanism of the sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a folding unit of the sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a folding mechanism provided in the folding unit.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a state during the folding operation of the folding mechanism.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a drive system related to rotation and separation of a bundle transport upper roller and a bundle transport lower roller of the folding unit.

FIG. 11 is a view for explaining a drive system related to rotation of a folding roller and movement of a pushing plate of the folding unit.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a sheet bundle folding operation of the folding unit.

FIG. 13 is another view illustrating the sheet bundle folding operation of the folding unit.

FIG. 14 is a control block diagram of the sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a sheet bundle folding operation of a conventional sheet processing apparatus.

FIG. 16 is another diagram illustrating the sheet bundle folding operation of the conventional sheet processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Copier main body 1A Copier 2 Sheet processing apparatus 30 Staple unit 50 Folding unit 55 Thrust plate 57a, 57b Folding roller 110 Support holder 114 Cam plate 114a Cam 170 Staple / folding motor 149 Control unit 902 Image forming unit S Sheet Sa Sheet bundle

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Satoshi Iwama 430-1, Kobayashi, Masuho-cho, Minamikoma-gun, Yamanashi Prefecture F-term (reference) 3F108 AA01 AB01 AC02 BA03 BA09 CD04 CD07 GA02 GB01 HA02 HA39 HA44

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A sheet processing apparatus comprising a pair of folding rollers for folding a sheet, a pushing plate for pushing the sheet toward the pair of folding rollers, and a common drive source for driving the pair of folding rollers and the pushing plate. The pushing plate moves to a position where the sheet is pushed into the folding roller pair at a predetermined interval by the common drive source, and after the sheet is pushed into the folding roller, when the sheet is moved to the pushing position again, A sheet processing apparatus characterized in that the sheet processing apparatus is configured not to contact both ends of a sheet folded by a pair of folding rollers. 2. The moving timing of the pushing plate and the sheet folding timing of the folding roller pair are set so that the pushing plate does not come into contact with both ends of the folded sheet when the pushing plate moves to the pushing position again. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 3. A cam means for moving the pushing plate, wherein the movement timing of the pushing plate is set according to the shape of the cam of the cam means, and the sheet folding timing of the folding roller pair is set to the roller diameter of the folding roller pair. 3. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the setting is performed by: 4. The roller diameter of the folding roller pair is set such that the outer peripheral length of the folding roller pair is shorter than １ ／ of the length of a sheet to be folded. 3. The sheet processing apparatus according to 3. 5. The time when the sheet is moved to the contact portion of the pair of folding rollers by the pair of folding rollers, and after the pushing plate contacts the sheet, the sheet is moved to the contact portion of the pair of folding rollers. 2. The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing time is substantially the same. 6. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit; and a sheet processing device configured to fold a sheet after an image is formed by the image forming unit, wherein the sheet processing device is any one of claims 1 to 5. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1.