JP2007223777A - Recording medium conveyance device, recording medium processing device, recording medium post-processing device, and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a simple and inexpensive recording medium conveyance device capable of improving quality of the appearance by preventing occurrence of swelling of a recording medium to be conveyed to suppress unevenness on an edge cut face to the minimum extent and to provide a recording medium processing device, a recording medium post-processing device, and an image forming device provided with the recording medium conveyance device. <P>SOLUTION: This recording medium conveyance device is provided with a nipping and holding means 1 for nipping and holding a tip part of the approaching recording medium P by pressing it, a moving means 2 for moving the nipping and holding means 1 in the direction of conveyance of the recording medium P so as to change distance for a predetermined position, and a recording medium conveyance means 3 moving in synchronization with the moving means 2 to hold and convey the recording medium P. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording medium conveying apparatus that conveys a recording medium, and a recording medium bundle that includes the recording medium conveying apparatus and that conveys a recording medium bundle that has been subjected to saddle stitching processing and bi-folding processing, and performs an additional folding process of a leading end folding portion. Recording medium processing apparatus for cutting the rear end of the recording medium, a recording medium post-processing apparatus for performing post-processing of the recording medium after forming a recorded image, and a copying machine for forming an image on a recording medium to be conveyed The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a facsimile machine, a printer, or a complex machine of these.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, post-processing devices that are disposed on the downstream side of an image output device such as a copying machine or a printer and perform post-processing such as binding on an output recording medium are widely known. Recently, the post-processing device has been multi-functionalized, and it has been proposed to be able to perform saddle stitching processing in addition to the conventional end-face stitching, and further, to be equipped with a cutting function for trimming after the saddle stitching process. (See Patent Document 1).
In this method, the saddle-stitched and folded paper is nipped and conveyed to a position to be cut by a press roller, and the cutting process is performed.
However, the larger the size of the paper, the longer the transport distance by the press roller, so that swelling between the staple and the staple occurs during transport, and even if it is cut in that state, the cut surface is not aligned as a result. The appearance and usability are getting worse.
Further, as another means equipped with a cutting function, there is a method in which a sheet that has been subjected to saddle stitching / folding processing is transported by a transport belt, and a cutting process is performed by placing a leading end against a stopper (see Patent Documents 2 and 3). .
However, many components such as a conveyance belt as a means for conveying the paper, a leading end stopper, and a pressing means for pressing the bulge of the paper are required, which not only makes the machine apparatus large and large, but also increases the cost. Yes.
JP 2000-143081 A JP 2000-198613 A JP 2002-3069 A

  Therefore, the present invention solves such problems. That is, a simple and low-cost recording medium conveying apparatus, and its recording medium conveying apparatus, which prevents the occurrence of bulging of the recording medium to be conveyed and minimizes the variation of the cut surface and the like to improve the appearance quality. And a recording medium post-processing apparatus, and an image forming apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention described in claim 1 is a recording medium transporting apparatus for transporting a recording medium, wherein the sandwiching means presses and sandwiches the leading end of the recording medium that enters, and A recording unit comprising: a moving unit that variably moves the clamping unit in a conveyance direction of the recording medium; and a recording medium conveyance unit that moves in synchronization with the moving unit to hold and convey the recording medium. It is a medium transport device.
Alternatively, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the recording medium conveying apparatus according to the first aspect, the sandwiching unit includes an additional folding unit that further folds the folded portion of the recording medium bundle. It is a medium transport device.
Alternatively, according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the recording medium conveying apparatus according to the second aspect, the additional folding unit is disposed between the folded portion of the folded recording medium bundle and the guide plate. Further, the invention is characterized in that the recording medium conveying apparatus includes an additional folding roller for further folding and a driving unit that moves the additional folding roller in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the recording medium bundle.
Alternatively, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium conveying apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the recording medium conveying unit includes a pair of conveying rollers. It is characterized by being.
Alternatively, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the recording medium conveyance device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the recording medium conveyance unit guides the recording medium that enters. It is a recording medium conveyance apparatus provided with.
Alternatively, according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the recording medium conveyance device according to the fifth aspect, the conveyance guide moves integrally with the recording medium conveyance unit to guide the recording medium. It is a recording medium conveyance apparatus provided with.

Alternatively, the present invention described in claim 7 is a recording medium for carrying the additional folding process of the front folding part and the cutting process of the rear end part by transporting the recording medium bundle that has been subjected to the saddle stitching process and the folding process. In the processing apparatus, a cutting unit that cuts the rear end portion in the entering direction with a folding portion as a leading end with respect to a recording medium bundle that enters after being subjected to the saddle stitching processing and the two-fold processing, and is positioned downstream of the cutting unit. It is a recording medium processing apparatus provided with the recording medium conveyance apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 6 which conveys a recording medium bundle.
Alternatively, according to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the recording medium processing apparatus according to the seventh aspect, the cutting means rotates in a horizontal direction while being in contact with the fixed fixed blade and the fixed blade. The recording medium processing apparatus includes a round blade that cuts the recording medium bundle with the fixed blade in the process.
Alternatively, according to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the recording medium processing apparatus according to the seventh or eighth aspect, the cutting amount of the recording medium bundle by the cutting unit is different from the cutting position of the cutting unit and the additional folding. It is a recording medium processing apparatus that adjusts by changing the distance from the unit folding position.
Alternatively, the present invention according to claim 10 conveys a recording medium that is carried in after forming a recording image in a recording medium post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing of the recording medium after forming the recording image. A recording medium transport path, a bookbinding processing section for bookbinding the recording medium transported to the recording medium transport path, and the cutting means for cutting the recording medium bundle bound by the bookbinding processing section. 7. A recording medium post-processing apparatus comprising the recording medium conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium bundle conveying direction rear end portion is conveyed to a cutting position of the cutting unit. It is characterized by.

Alternatively, according to the present invention described in claim 11, in the recording medium post-processing apparatus according to claim 10, the recording medium transport path includes a punch unit that performs punching processing on the transported recording medium. It is a recording medium post-processing device.
Alternatively, according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the recording medium post-processing apparatus according to the tenth or eleventh aspect, the bookbinding unit performs alignment and binding processing of the recording medium to be conveyed. It is a recording medium post-processing apparatus provided with.
Alternatively, according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the recording medium post-processing apparatus according to any one of the tenth to twelfth aspects, the bookbinding processing unit performs a folding process on the conveyed recording medium. It is a recording medium post-processing device provided with a folding tray.
Alternatively, the present invention according to claim 14 is an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium, conveys the image in a conveying direction, and discharges the image. The image forming unit forms an image, and the image forming unit records an image. An image forming apparatus comprising the recording medium transport device according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium after transporting the recording medium is transported.
Alternatively, according to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the fourteenth aspect, the image forming unit is an image forming apparatus that forms a toner recording image by an electrophotographic image forming process. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of bulging of a recording medium to be transported, to minimize the variation of the cut surface and the like, to improve the appearance quality, and to provide a simple and low-cost recording medium transporting apparatus, and its It is possible to provide a recording medium processing apparatus including a recording medium conveying apparatus, a recording medium post-processing apparatus, and an image forming apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a basic configuration diagram of a recording medium transport apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The recording medium transport apparatus 10 is disposed in the vicinity of the side (discharge port side) of the recording medium processing apparatus 50 such as a copying machine, and records the recording medium P discharged from the recording medium processing apparatus 50. Between the clamping means 1 that presses and clamps the leading edge of the sheet, and the cutting position of the cutting means 51 shown in FIG. 4 by moving the clamping means 1 in the direction of the arrow (A) of the recording medium Simple and low-cost configuration comprising a moving means 2 that makes the distance variable and a recording medium conveying means 3 (conveying roller pair 30) that moves in synchronization with the moving means 2 and holds and conveys the recording medium It is.
The clamping means 1 includes a solenoid 13 that presses and clamps the leading end portion of the recording medium that enters, between the base plate 11 and the pressing member 12. The solenoid 13 presses and holds the recording medium bundle P downwardly through a coil spring of an elastic material (not shown) in response to an ON signal of the control means 4.
On the other hand, the recording medium bundle P conveyed to the clamping unit 1 is detected by a recording medium detection sensor 34 provided at the entrance of the clamping unit 1.

The moving means 2 has a screw gear 21 rotatably attached to the drive frame 20, and holds the power of the holding means moving motor 24 via a timing pulley 22 and a timing belt 23 fixed to one end of the screw gear 21. It is configured to transmit to the means 1.
The clamping means moving motor 24 uses a stepping motor, and is clamped via sliders 26 and 27 fitted to the screw gear 21 by being rotated a predetermined amount by the control means 4 based on the home position information from the HP sensor 25. The recording medium P is sandwiched and moved from the home position in FIG. 1A of the means 1 to the predetermined position shown in FIG.
The moving distance is determined by the size of the recording medium P in the transport direction (A) and the like.
Further, the conveyance roller pair 30 of the recording medium conveyance means 3 is driven by a stepping motor of the conveyance drive motor 33 and conveys the recording medium P guided by the conveyance guide 31 and the movable guide 32 that moves along with the movement. While being transported by the control means 4 in the direction (A), the recording medium detection sensor 34 is used as a trigger to align the recording medium P in the transport direction (A).

FIG. 2 is a front view of the additional folding unit 52 of the recording medium conveying apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the additional folding unit 52 of the recording medium transporting apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
2 and 3, the additional folding unit 52 that performs additional folding with respect to the folded portion of the recording medium bundle P that is the clamping means 1 includes a guide plate 520 with respect to the folded portion of the folded recording medium bundle P. An additional folding roller 521 that further folds between them, a support mechanism for the additional folding roller 521, and drive means for moving the additional folding roller 521 in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction (A).
The driving means of the additional folding roller 521 includes a driving pulley 522, a driven pulley 523, a timing belt 524 stretched between the pulleys 522 and 523, and a pulse motor 525 that rotationally drives the timing belt 524. Consists mainly of.
The support mechanism of the additional folding roller 521 is coupled to the timing belt 524, and the moving support member 526 that moves integrally, the guide member 527 that the moving support member 526 slides to regulate the moving direction, and the moving support member 526. An upper guide plate 528 that extends to the opposite side of the additional folding roller and restricts the inclination of the additional folding roller 521 and prevents the guide member 527 from bending, and the direction of additional folding of the recording medium bundle P of the additional folding roller 521, In FIG. 4, the elastic spring 520 is mainly composed of a coil spring of an elastic material 529 as elastic urging means for elastically urging downward.

The support mechanism of the additional folding roller 521 is installed in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction (A) of the recording medium bundle. Then, the driving means for the additional folding roller 521 moves the additional folding roller 521 within the support mechanism in the installation direction of the support mechanism.
The rotational drive of the pulse motor 525 is transmitted to the moving support member 526 coupled to the timing belt 524 by the timing belt 524 stretched between the driving pulley 522 and the driven pulley 523, and the moving support member 526 is guided by the guide member 527. The guide member 527 slides and moves in the thrust direction.
A deflection preventing member 530 exists between the movement support member 526 and the upper guide plate 528 and is supported by the movement support member 526 so as to be rotatable. Thus, the guide member 527 can be moved in the axial direction (longitudinal direction). Further, the additional folding roller 521 is disposed between the movement support member 526 and the guide plate 520, and a friction member 531 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the additional folding roller 521.

The rotating shaft of the additional folding roller 521 is supported by the additional folding roller support member 532, and the additional folding roller support member 532 is supported in a state where it can move in the vertical direction while sliding with the moving support member 526 (moving). It is supported by the support member 526 so as to be movable up and down). Further, the additional folding roller support member 532 is in a state of being pressed by the elastic material 529 from the moving support member 526. As a result, the additional folding roller 521 can move integrally with the moving support member 526 in the thrust direction of the guide member 527, and during that time, the additional folding roller 521 is always pressed toward the guide plate 520 by the elastic material 529. The medium bundle P is sandwiched and can be moved in the vertical direction.
Further, a position detection sensor 533 on the home position side and a position detection sensor 534 on the end side of the additional folding process are provided in the thrust direction of the guide member 527 as detection means for detecting the position of the movement support member 526, and the movement support member 526 is provided. Are detected by the position detection sensors 533 and 534 when the positions of the position detection sensor 533 and the position detection sensor 534 are reached.
On the other hand, the recording medium bundle P conveyed to the additional folding unit 52 is detected by the recording medium detection sensor 34 provided at the entrance of the additional folding unit 52.
Since the configuration of the moving means 2 has been described with reference to FIG.

The clamping means moving motor 24 uses a stepping motor, and is clamped via sliders 26 and 27 that are screw-fitted to the screw gear 21 by being rotated by a predetermined amount by the control means 4 based on the home position information of the HP sensor 25. The additional folding unit 52 as means 1 is moved while sandwiching the recording medium P from the home position in FIG. 2A to the predetermined position shown in FIG. 2B.
The moving distance is determined by the size of the recording medium bundle in the transport direction.
Further, since the configuration of the recording medium transporting means 3 has also been described with reference to FIG.
The transport roller pair 30 is driven by the transport drive motor 33 and transports the recording medium bundle guided by the transport guide 31 and the movable guide 32 that moves along with the transport by the control means 4 in the transport direction, Using the recording medium detection sensor 34 as a trigger, alignment of the folded portion of the recording medium bundle and the additional folding roller 521 in the transport direction is performed.
Therefore, the holding means 1 is also used as the additional folding unit 52 to prevent the bulging of the bundle of recording media to be conveyed, to minimize the variation in the cut surface and the like, to improve the appearance quality, and to further simplify the appearance. In addition, it is possible to provide the recording medium transport apparatus 10 at a low cost.

FIG. 4 is a basic configuration diagram of a recording medium processing apparatus 50 including the recording medium conveyance apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a front view of the cutting means 51 of the recording medium processing apparatus 50 including the recording medium conveying apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a side view of the cutting means 51 of the recording medium processing apparatus 50 including the recording medium conveying apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
4 to 6, a recording medium processing apparatus 50 that conveys the recording medium bundle P that enters after being subjected to the saddle stitching process and the half-folding process, and performs the additional folding process of the leading end folding part and the cutting process of the trailing end part. A cutting means 51 for cutting the trailing end of the recording medium P entering the recording medium P that has been subjected to the saddle stitching process and the half-folding process, and is positioned downstream of the cutting means 51; A recording medium conveying apparatus 10 according to any of the embodiments of the present invention for conveying a medium is provided.
The recording medium processing apparatus 50 is attached to the discharge side of the recording medium post-processing apparatus 100, and the recording medium bundle that has been subjected to the saddle stitching process and the half-folding process is discharged from the recording medium post-processing apparatus 100. .
The cutting unit 51 is a rotary cutter type so-called shuttle cutter type cutter unit, and can reduce the size of the entire apparatus and the size of the drive source. The main configuration includes a linear fixed blade 510 and a round blade 511 that rotates while contacting the fixed blade 510 and cuts a recording medium bundle between the fixed blade 510 in the process of horizontal movement. Yes.

As shown in FIG. 6, the fixed blade 510 is fixed to the stay 512, and the stay 512 is fixed to the side plates 513 on both sides, and has a configuration that can be established as an independent unit.
A bracket 514 and a motor bracket 515 are fixed to the both side plates 513, respectively, and an idler pulley 516 and a cutter motor 517 are fixed to each.
On the other hand, the slider base 518 is arranged in such a manner that a plurality of rollers 519 sandwich the stay 512 so that the slider 512 can move linearly. The slider base 518 includes a two-stage idler gear 540 having a belt tooth shape and a gear tooth shape.
Further, the round blade 511 is connected to the drive gear 542 with the slider base 518 interposed therebetween via the shaft 541, and the round blade 511 is also rotated when the idler gear 540 rotates. The round blade 511 is pressed by the leaf spring 543 from the drive gear 542 side, and is in contact with the fixed blade 510 while always having an appropriate pressing force.
The timing belt 544 is fixed at both ends by a belt with a end, and is arranged around a pulley 545 and an idler pulley 516 of the cutter motor 517 and two idler gears 540. When the pulley 545 fixed to the output shaft of the cutter motor 517 is rotated in the clockwise direction in the direction of the arrow (B) shown in FIG. 6, the slide unit 550 has the round blade 511 shown in FIG. While moving in the direction of the arrow (C), it moves to the left in the direction of the arrow (D) shown in FIG. At this time, if there is a recording medium bundle P in the gap between the round blade 511 and the fixed blade 510, cutting is possible.

Further, the home position of the slide unit 550 is detected by the cutter HP sensor 546. An arrival sensor 547 is disposed at a position where the cutting of the recording medium bundle having the maximum width (L) that can be cut by the slide unit 550 starting from the home position is surely completed.
A hopper 548 for collecting the cut chips is provided below the cutting means 51.
In the recording medium processing apparatus 50, a rotary cutter type so-called shuttle cutter type cutter unit is used. However, a conventional guillotine cutting means may be used, but the cost increases.
The description of the configuration of the recording medium transport apparatus 10 mounted on the recording medium processing apparatus 50 and the additional folding unit 52 and the like has been described with reference to FIGS.
The additional folding unit 52 is an additional folding roller unit. The additional folding unit folds the recording medium bundle, and the folding roller 521 moves in the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 4 to perform additional folding. Even the conventional folding method by pressing the additional folding plate against the conventional folding part does not interfere with the function. However, since a high load is required, it is necessary to increase the strength of the structure and driving parts, resulting in an increase in cost.
The additional folding unit 52 is configured to be movable integrally and synchronously with the conveying roller pair 30 and the movable guide 32 of the recording medium conveying means 3, and is horizontally moved from the position of the solid line in FIG. It has a function of additionally folding the bundle of recording media and conveying the leading end of the folded portion to the discharge roller pair 53.

Next, an outline of the operation will be described. The recording medium bundle subjected to the saddle stitching process and the half-folding process from the recording medium post-processing apparatus 100 enters the cutting unit 51 with the folding part at the top. When the sensor 54 provided upstream of the cutting means 51 detects the leading end portion of the recording medium bundle, the clamping means moving motor 24 of the moving means 2 determines the position based on the sheet size information and the cutting length information of the recording medium bundle. The conveyance roller pair 30 is rotated by the conveyance drive motor 33 of the recording medium conveyance means 3 after a fixed amount of rotation.
Next, based on the leading edge detection information of the recording medium bundle P of the recording medium detection sensor 34, the recording medium bundle is stopped when a predetermined amount is conveyed by the conveying roller pair 30. As shown in FIG. 5A, the stop position is at the nip portion of the additional folding roller 521 with the folded portion of the recording medium bundle, and the small edge at the rear end of the recording medium bundle has a predetermined amount of cutting length. It is a secured position. That is, the cutting amount of the recording medium bundle by the cutting unit 51 can be adjusted by changing the distance between the cutting position of the cutting unit 51 and the folding position of the additional folding unit 52.
Next, the additional folding operation by the additional folding roller 521 is started, and then the trimming operation is performed by the trimming means 51 to trim the fore edge. After the trimmer operation by the cutting means 51 is completed, the additional folding unit 52 moves in the direction of the discharge roller pair 53 in the direction of the arrow (E) shown in FIG. 5B while performing the additional folding operation by the additional folding roller 521. I do.
When the additional folding operation by the additional folding roller 521 is finished, the transport drive motor 33 that has been stopped rotates to transport the recording medium bundle toward the discharge roller pair 53, and the discharge roller pair 53 is also driven to record. The medium bundle is discharged in the direction of the arrow (F) shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the recording medium processing apparatus 50 including the recording medium transport apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 7, the recording medium processing apparatus 50 shown in FIG. 4 prevents the occurrence of bulging of the recording medium bundle to be conveyed by the control means 4 of the recording medium conveyance apparatus 10 according to the following processing procedure. The appearance quality can be improved by minimizing the variation of the cut surface, and the recording medium bundle can be processed with a simple and low-cost configuration.
At the start, first, it is confirmed that the sensor 54 shown in FIG. 4 detects the leading end portion of the recording medium bundle and is turned on (step 1), and the clamping means moving motor 24 of the moving means 2 is recorded. Based on the sheet size information of the medium bundle and the cutting length information, the sheet is rotated by a predetermined amount (step 2), and the conveyance roller pair 30 is rotated by the conveyance drive motor 33 of the recording medium conveyance means 3 (step 3).
Next, it is determined whether the recording medium detection sensor 34 detects the leading end of the recording medium bundle and is turned on (step 4). If the leading end of the recording medium bundle is not detected (step 3). However, when the leading end of the recording medium bundle is detected and turned on (ON) and the recording medium bundle is conveyed by the conveying roller pair 30 by a predetermined amount, the rotation driving of the conveyance driving motor 33 is stopped (step 5). ), An additional folding operation by the additional folding unit 52 is started (step 6), and then the trimming operation is performed by the trimming means 51, and the trimming operation is completed (step 7). The clamping means moving motor 24 of the moving means 2 is rotated by a predetermined amount (step 8), it is determined whether the additional folding operation by the additional folding unit 52 has been completed (step 9), and the additional folding operation has not been completed. If the additional folding operation is performed by the additional folding unit 52 (step 10), the process returns to (step 9). If the additional folding operation is completed in (step 9), the transport drive motor 33 is rotated (step 11). ), Driving of the discharge roller pair 53 is started (step 12), it is determined whether the sensor 55 shown in FIG. 4 is off (OFF) (step 13), and if the sensor 55 is not off (OFF) Returning to (Step 11), if the sensor 55 is off (OFF), the driving of the discharge roller pair 53 is stopped after a predetermined time (Step 14), and the process ends.

FIG. 8 is a basic configuration diagram of a recording medium post-processing apparatus 100 including the recording medium transport apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 8, a recording medium post-processing device 100 that performs post-processing of a recording medium after forming a recorded image is attached to a side portion of the image forming apparatus 600 and forms a recorded image from the image forming apparatus 600. The recording medium transport path 101 that transports the recording medium P that is transported after the recording medium is bound, the bookbinding processing section 102 that binds the recording medium P transported to the recording medium transport path 101, and the bookbinding processing section 102. The recording medium according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a cutting means 51 for cutting the recorded medium bundle and a rear end portion of the recording medium bundle in the entering direction are conveyed to a cutting position of the cutting means 51. A transport device 10 is provided.
A recording medium P such as recording paper discharged from the image forming apparatus 600 is guided into the recording medium post-processing apparatus 100. The recording medium P guided into the recording medium post-processing apparatus 100 is provided with an inlet conveyance path 111 of a recording medium conveyance path 101 having a punch unit 103 as a punching unit that performs post-processing on one recording medium P. An upper conveyance path 112 that leads to the street upper tray 106, a shift tray conveyance path 113 that leads to the shift tray 107, an alignment binding conveyance path 114 that leads to the alignment binding tray 104 that performs post-processing such as alignment of the bookbinding processing unit 102 and stapling. It is configured to be distributed by the branch claw 115 and the branch claw 116.

A recording medium bundle subjected to alignment, stapling, and the like by the end surface binding stapler 128 or the saddle stitching stapler 129 disposed on the alignment binding tray 104 of the bookbinding processing unit 102 includes a branch guide plate 117 and a movable guide 118 serving as deflection means. Are arranged so as to be distributed to the folding tray 105 of the bookbinding processing unit 102 that performs folding, and the like after folding by the folding plate 119 or the pair of folding rollers 120. Processing is performed.
The recording medium bundle subjected to the saddle stitching process and the half-folding process is conveyed by the recording medium conveying apparatus 10 to the cutting position of the cutting means 51 at the rear end portion in the entering direction of the recording medium bundle, and is advanced by the additional folding unit 52. The additional folding process of the folding part and the cutting process of the rear end part by the cutting means 51 are conducted to the lower tray 108 and discharged.
Further, a branching claw 121 is arranged in the alignment binding conveyance path 114 and is held in a state shown in the figure by a low-load spring (not shown), and after the rear end of the recording medium P passes through the conveyance roller, By rotating at least the conveying roller pair 122 of the pair 122, 123 and the staple discharge roller pair 124, the rear end is guided and stayed at the recording medium accommodation unit 109, and is superposed on the next recording medium P to be conveyed and conveyed. It is configured to be able to do. By repeating this operation, two or more recording media P can be overlapped and conveyed.

  An inlet conveyance path 111 common to the upstream conveyance path 112, the shift tray conveyance path 113, and the alignment binding conveyance path 114 is an inlet sensor 125 that detects the recording medium P received from the image forming apparatus 600, and downstream thereof. The entrance roller 126, the punch unit 103, the transport roller 127, the branch claw 115, and the branch claw 116 are sequentially arranged. The branch claw 115 and the branch claw 116 are held in the state shown in FIG. 8 by a spring (not shown). When a solenoid (not shown) is turned on, the branch claw 115 is moved upward and the branch claw 116 is moved downward. By rotating each, the recording medium P is distributed to the upper conveyance path 112, the shift tray conveyance path 113, and the alignment binding conveyance path 114. When the recording medium P is guided to the upper conveyance path 112, the branch claw 115 is in the state of FIG. 8 and the solenoid is off (OFF). When the recording medium P is guided to the shift tray conveyance path 113, the state of FIG. When the solenoid is turned on, the branch claw 115 is turned upward and the branch claw 116 is turned downward. When the recording medium P is guided to the alignment binding conveyance path 114, the branch claw 115 is turned on. 8, the solenoid is turned on (ON), and the branching claw 116 is turned upward by turning the solenoid off in the state shown in FIG.

The recording medium P stacking apparatus included in the recording medium post-processing apparatus 100 includes a shift discharge roller pair 130, a return roller 131, a recording medium surface detection sensor 132, a shift tray 107, a lifting mechanism (not shown), and a shift. It consists of a mechanism.
The return roller 131 is a sponge roller for contacting the recording medium P discharged from the shift discharge roller pair 130 and abutting the rear end of the recording medium P against an end fence (not shown). The return roller 131 is rotated by the rotational force of the shift discharge roller pair 130.
The configuration of the branch guide plate 117 and the movable guide 118 as a recording medium bundle deflection unit will be described. The branch guide plate 117 is provided so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction around the fulcrum 133, and has a pressure roller 134 that is rotatable on the downstream side thereof. The gap between the discharge roller 136 and the pressure roller 134 can be freely set by the driving pulse of the branch motor not to be driven and the stop position of the cam (not shown). The movable guide 118 is rotatably supported by a drive shaft 137 of the discharge roller 136 so that its stop position can be controlled by a drive pulse of a movable guide drive motor (not shown).

Next, the configuration of the alignment binding tray 104 that performs processing such as alignment and stapling of the bookbinding processing unit 102 will be described. The recording media P guided to the alignment binding tray 104 by the staple discharge roller 124 are sequentially stacked. In this case, the recording medium P in the transport direction is aligned with the hitting roller 138 for each recording medium P, and the recording medium P of the recording medium P perpendicular to the transport direction of the recording medium P in the lateral direction is jogger fence 139. Alignment in the width direction is performed. The end-bound stapler 128 is driven by a stapling signal from a control unit (not shown) between job breaks, that is, between the last recording medium P of the recording medium bundle and the first recording medium P of the next recording medium bundle. Then, the binding process is performed. The recording medium bundle subjected to the binding process is immediately sent to the shift discharge roller pair 130 by the discharge belt 141 having the discharge claw 140 and discharged to the shift tray 107 set at the receiving position.
As shown in the figure, the discharge claw 140 is configured such that its home position is detected by a discharge belt HP sensor 142, and this discharge belt HP sensor 142 is turned on (ON) by a discharge claw 140 provided on the discharge belt 141. ) • Turn off. Two discharge claws 140 are arranged at opposing positions on the outer periphery of the discharge belt 141, and the recording medium bundle accommodated in the alignment binding tray 104 is alternately moved and conveyed. Further, if necessary, the discharge belt 141 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the discharge claw 140 waiting to move the recording medium bundle from now on and the back of the discharge claw 140 on the opposite side are accommodated in the alignment binding tray 104. You may align the front-end | tip of the conveyance direction of a recording medium bundle.

The hitting roller 138 is given a pendulum motion by a hitting solenoid (not shown) around the fulcrum 133 and intermittently acts on the recording medium P sent to the alignment binding tray 104 to push the recording medium P against the rear end fence 143. Hit it. The hitting roller 138 rotates counterclockwise in the direction of the arrow (G) shown in the figure. The jogger fence 139 is driven via a timing belt (not shown) by a jogger motor (not shown) capable of forward and reverse rotation, and reciprocates in the width direction of the recording medium P.
The end-face binding stapler 128 is driven via a timing belt (not shown) by a forward / reversely movable stapler moving motor (not shown), and moves in the width direction of the recording medium bundle in order to bind a predetermined position at the end of the recording medium bundle. . A stapler movement HP sensor (not shown) that detects the home position of the end surface binding stapler 128 is provided at one end of the moving range, and the binding position of the recording medium bundle in the width direction is the end surface from the home position. It is controlled by the amount of movement of the binding stapler 128.
The saddle stitching stapler 129 is arranged such that the distance from the rear end fence 143 to the needle striking position of the saddle stitching stapler 129 is equal to or longer than the distance corresponding to half of the conveyance direction length of the maximum recording medium size capable of saddle stitching. Further, two symmetrically arranged with respect to the alignment center in the width direction of the recording medium bundle are fixed to a stay (not shown).

Next, a mechanism for moving the folding plate 119 that performs the folding process of the saddle stitched recording medium bundle conveyed to the folding tray 105 of the bookbinding processing unit 102 will be described.
The folding plate 119 is supported by fitting the long hole portions to the two shafts standing on the front and rear side plates (not shown), and reciprocates in the left-right direction by a link mechanism (not shown).
The folding plate 119 shown in FIG. 8 indicates the home position where the folding tray 105 is completely retracted from the storage area of the recording medium bundle in the upper conveyance guide 144 and the lower conveyance guide 145. When a folding plate drive cam (not shown) is rotated, the folding plate 119 protrudes into the recording medium bundle accommodation area under the conveyance guide upper 144 and the conveyance guide lower 145.
When the folding plate drive cam (not shown) is further rotated, the folding plate 119 folds the center of the recording medium bundle that is saddle-stitched and stored in the storage area of the recording medium bundle in the conveyance guide upper 144 and conveyance guide lower 145. It pushes into the nip of the pair 120. When the plate is further rotated, the folding plate 119 is retracted from the recording medium bundle accommodation area on the upper conveyance guide 144 and the lower conveyance guide 145.
Then, the recording medium bundle is pushed into the nip of the pair of folding rollers 120 to make a crease, and is subjected to the saddle stitching process and the double folding process. The recording medium bundle enters the recording medium transporting apparatus 10 through the cutting means 51, and the additional folding unit 52. Then, the sheet is conveyed while strengthening the crease of the fold, and the cutting means 51 cuts the fold at the leading end and cuts the rear end in the entering direction, and is discharged from the discharge roller pair 53 to the lower tray 108 and stored.
Note that the configuration of the recording medium conveyance device 10, the cutting unit 51, and the additional folding unit 52 are the same as those described in FIGS.
Therefore, it prevents the occurrence of bulging of the bundle of recording media to be conveyed, minimizes the variation in the cut surface, improves the appearance quality, and performs post-processing of the recording medium bundle with a simple and low-cost configuration. The recording medium post-processing apparatus 100 to be conveyed can be provided.

FIG. 9 is a basic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus 600 including the recording medium transport apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 9, an image forming apparatus 600 that forms an image on a recording medium, conveys it in the conveying direction, and discharges the image forming unit 601 that forms an image, and the image forming unit 101 that forms a recording image after forming a recorded image. The recording medium post-processing device 100 including the recording medium transport device 10 according to any one of claims 1 to 6 that performs post-processing of the recording medium P is attached to a side portion.
A document image reading unit 602 is placed on the image forming unit 601. The image forming unit 601 is held on an upper part of a recording medium feeding device 603 that feeds the recording medium P.
The image forming unit 601 is formed by transferring a high-quality, high-quality toner recording image onto a recording sheet or the like of a recording medium P with excellent convenience and versatility in an electrophotographic image forming process. .
The light source 621 moves the document (O) placed on the document table 620 of the document image reading unit 102 to the right in the direction of the arrow (H), and at this time, the document image surface of the document (O) is the light source 621. The original image is read by the reading optical system 622. The document image read by the reading optical system 622 is written on the drum-shaped photosensitive drum 610 by the writing unit 612 of the image forming unit 601.

The photosensitive drum 610 rotates clockwise in the direction of the arrow (I) shown in the figure, and at this time, the surface is uniformly charged by the charging device 611, and a document image is written on the charged surface by the writing unit 612. As a result, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 610, and this latent image is visualized as a toner image by the developing unit 613.
On the other hand, the recording medium P is fed from the recording medium feeding device 603 toward the photosensitive drum 610, and the toner image on the photosensitive drum 610 is transferred to the recording medium P by the transfer device 614.
The recording medium P passes through the fixing unit 615, the transferred toner image is fixed on the recording medium P, and then the recording medium P is discharged out of the apparatus and carried into the recording medium post-processing apparatus 100. Then, post-processing and conveyance such as the above-described predetermined saddle stitching processing, bi-folding processing, additional folding and cutting are performed, and the paper is discharged and stored in the lower tray 108.
The toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 610 is removed by the cleaning unit 616 and prepared for the next process.
Note that the configuration of the recording medium post-processing apparatus 100 including the recording medium transport apparatus 10 is the same as that described with reference to FIGS.
Accordingly, the occurrence of the swelling of the recording medium P to be conveyed is prevented, the variation in the cut surface of the cut edge is minimized, the appearance quality is improved, and the recorded image is formed on the recording medium P with a simple and low-cost configuration. Then, it is possible to provide the image forming apparatus 600 that performs post-processing and conveyance and then discharges.

1 is a basic configuration diagram of a recording medium conveyance device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view of an additional folding unit of the recording medium conveyance device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The side view of the additional folding unit of the recording medium conveyance apparatus concerning the embodiment of this invention. 1 is a basic configuration diagram of a recording medium processing apparatus including a recording medium conveyance apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The front view of the cutting means of the recording medium processing apparatus provided with the recording medium conveyance apparatus concerning the embodiment of this invention. The side view of the cutting means of the recording medium processing apparatus provided with the recording medium conveyance apparatus concerning the embodiment of this invention. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a recording medium processing apparatus including a recording medium conveyance apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a basic configuration diagram of a recording medium post-processing apparatus including a recording medium conveying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a basic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus including a recording medium conveyance device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Nipping means, 2 Moving means, 3 Recording medium conveyance means, 4 Control means, 10 Recording medium conveyance apparatus, 11 Base plate, 12 Press member, 13 Solenoid, 20 Drive frame, 21 Screw gear, 22 Timing pulley, 23 Timing Belt, 24 Nipping means moving motor, 25 HP sensor, 26, 27 Slider, 30 Transport roller pair, 31 Transport guide, 32 Moving guide, 33 Transport drive motor, 34 Recording medium detection sensor, 50 Recording medium processing device, 51 Cutting means, 52 additional folding unit, 53 discharge roller pair, 54, 55 sensor, 100 recording medium post-processing device, 101 recording medium conveyance path, 102 bookbinding processing section, 103 punch unit, 104 alignment binding tray, 105 folding tray 106 Upper tray, 107 Shift tray, 108 Lower tray, 109 Cover Recording medium storage unit, 111 entrance conveyance path, 112 upper conveyance path, 113 shift tray conveyance path, 114 alignment binding conveyance path, 115, 116 separation claw, 117 branch guide plate, 118 movable guide, 119 folding plate, 120 pair of folding rollers 121 Branch claw, 122, 123 Conveying roller pair, 124 Staple discharge roller pair, 125 Inlet sensor, 126 Inlet roller, 127 Conveying roller, 128 End binding stapler, 129 Saddle binding stapler, 130 Shift discharge roller pair, 131 Return roller, 132 Recording medium surface detection sensor, 133 fulcrum, 134 pressure roller, 135 spring, 136 discharge roller, 137 drive shaft, 138 tapping roller, 139 jogger fence, 140 discharge claw, 141 discharge belt, 142 discharge belt HP sensor, 143 Rear end fence, 1 4 Upper guide, 145 Lower guide, 510 Fixed blade, 511 Round blade, 512 Stay, 513 Side plate, 514 Bracket, 515 Motor bracket, 516 Idler pulley, 517 Cutter motor, 518 Slider base, 519 Roller, 520 Guide plate, 521 Additional folding roller, 522 Driving pulley, 523 Driven pulley, 524 Timing belt, 525 Pulse motor, 526 Movement support member, 527 Guide member, 528 Upper guide plate, 529 Elastic material, 530 Deflection prevention member, 531 Friction member, 532 Additional folding roller support member, 533, 534 Position detection sensor, 540 idler gear, 541 shaft, 542 drive gear, 543 leaf spring, 544 timing belt, 545 pulley, 546 cutter HP sensor, 547 arrival sensor, 548 e 550 Slide unit, 600 Image forming device, 601 Image forming unit, 602 Document image reading unit, 603 Recording medium feeding device, 610 Photosensitive drum, 611 Charging device, 612 Writing unit, 613 Developing unit, 614 Transfer device , 615 Fixing unit, 616 Cleaning unit, 620 Document table, 621 Light source, 622 Reading optical system

Claims (15)

  In a recording medium transport apparatus for transporting a recording medium, a gripping means that presses and sandwiches a leading end of a recording medium that enters, and a movement that variably moves a transport direction distance between the gripping means and a predetermined position And a recording medium conveying means that moves in synchronization with the moving means and holds and conveys the recording medium.   The recording medium transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding unit includes an additional folding unit that folds the recording medium bundle with respect to a folded portion of the recording medium bundle.   3. The recording medium conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the additional folding unit further includes an additional folding roller for further folding between the folded portion of the folded recording medium bundle and a guide plate, and the additional folding. A recording medium conveying apparatus comprising: a driving unit configured to move a roller in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the recording medium bundle.   4. The recording medium transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium transport unit includes a pair of transport rollers. 5.   5. The recording medium conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium conveyance unit includes a conveyance guide for guiding the recording medium that enters. .   6. The recording medium transport apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the transport guide includes a movable guide that moves integrally with the recording medium transport means to guide the recording medium. .   In a recording medium processing apparatus that transports a bundle of recording media that enters after being subjected to saddle stitching processing and folding processing, and performs additional folding processing of the front end folding portion and cutting processing of the rear end portion, the saddle stitching processing and the half folding processing are performed. 7. A cutting means for cutting a rear end portion in the entering direction with a folded portion as a leading end with respect to a recording medium bundle that enters in advance, and a recording medium bundle that is positioned downstream of the cutting means and transports the recording medium bundle. A recording medium processing apparatus comprising the recording medium conveying apparatus according to claim 1.   8. The recording medium processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the cutting means is a recording medium between a linear fixed blade and the fixed blade in the process of horizontal movement while rotating in contact with the fixed blade. A recording medium processing apparatus comprising a round blade for cutting a bundle.   9. The recording medium processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the cutting amount of the recording medium bundle by the cutting unit is adjusted by changing a distance between a cutting position of the cutting unit and a folding position of the additional folding unit. And a recording medium processing apparatus.   In a recording medium post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing of a recording medium after forming a recording image, a recording medium conveying path that conveys the recording medium that is carried in after forming the recording image, and the recording medium conveyance A bookbinding processing unit for bookbinding the recording medium conveyed to the path; the cutting unit for cutting the recording medium bundle bound by the bookbinding processing unit; and the recording medium bundle at a cutting position of the cutting unit A recording medium post-processing apparatus comprising the recording medium conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium conveying apparatus is configured to convey a rear end portion in the entering direction of the recording medium.   The recording medium post-processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the recording medium transport path includes a punch unit that performs a punching process on the transported recording medium.   The recording medium post-processing apparatus according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the bookbinding processing unit includes an alignment binding tray that performs alignment and binding processing of the recording medium to be conveyed. apparatus.   13. The recording medium post-processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the bookbinding processing unit includes a folding tray that performs folding processing of the recording medium to be conveyed. Post-processing device.   In an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium, conveys the recording medium in a conveying direction, and discharges the image forming unit, an image forming unit that forms an image, and a recording medium after the recording image is formed by the image forming unit Item 7. An image forming apparatus comprising the recording medium conveyance device according to any one of Items 1 to 6. 15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the image forming unit forms a recorded image of toner by an electrophotographic image forming process.

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