JP2012240844A - Sheet processing device, and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet processing device which holds a pressed state of the sheets by a pressing member even during loading of the sheets and obtains always good alignment accuracy.SOLUTION: The sheet processing device includes: an end face binding processing tray on which sheets are loaded; a back-end reference fence 51 for adjusting a conveyance direction of the sheets loaded on the end face binding processing tray; and a pressing member 110 for pressing down a sheet bundle adjusted by the back-end reference fence 51. During binding processing, the sheet bundle is pressed with a pressing face 110f, and the sheet bundle SB can be pressed and held under a state capable of receiving the sheet one by one with a roller 114 when receiving the sheets.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus, and in particular, binding to a sheet-like member (herein, simply referred to as “sheet”) such as a loaded sheet, a recording sheet, a transfer sheet, and an OHP sheet. The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus that performs predetermined processing including processing, and an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, and a digital multi-function peripheral including the sheet processing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a sheet processing apparatus that stacks sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus on a staple tray and performs binding processing after performing alignment in the conveyance direction and a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction (sheet width direction) is known. It has been. In such a paper processing apparatus, a pressing member is provided in order to improve the finishing alignment accuracy of the bound sheet bundle, and the trailing edge of the paper stacked on the staple tray is pressed by the pressing member in the thickness direction, thereby For example, Patent Document 1 or 2 discloses an apparatus that maintains the posture of a bundle.

  Among these, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-1000042) discloses a tray portion that is inclined inside the apparatus and inclines a sheet carried from the outside, and is disposed below the tray portion. An abutting portion for aligning the sheet bundle with the tray portion by abutting a lower end of the sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets that are gradually carried in, and a thickness of a lower portion of the sheet bundle provided at the abutting portion A pressing unit that elastically urges the sheet in a direction, and a binding processing unit that is provided below the tray unit and that performs a sheet binding process at a lower portion of the sheet bundle aligned at the abutting unit. A paper post-processing device is described.

  Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-290844) includes a needle driving unit that drives a needle into paper, a needle receiving unit that receives and bends the needle driven into the paper from the needle driving unit, In a paper post-processing apparatus in which a paper bundle made up of a plurality of sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus is stapled by a stapler provided with a paper pressing means, the paper pressing means is provided on the stapler, and the paper pressing means Before the stipple processing by the stapler, the vicinity of the stipple position on the rear end side of the sheet bundle is pressed to the needle driving portion side, and in this pressed state, the stipple process is performed on the sheet bundle by the stapler. A sheet post-processing apparatus is described that is characterized in that it performs.

  However, in the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the pressing member must be separated from the paper when the subsequent paper is stacked. Therefore, when the pressing member is separated from the paper, the paper may be bent. Also, with special paper whose surface has been processed like coated paper, the paper may be pushed out due to friction between the papers when the paper is stacked, and it is difficult to obtain good alignment accuracy.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to maintain a pressing state of a sheet by a pressing member even when sheets are stacked and to always obtain a good alignment accuracy.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the first means includes a stacking unit on which sheets are stacked, an alignment unit that aligns a conveyance direction of the sheets stacked on the stacking unit, and a bundle of sheets aligned by the alignment unit. A sheet processing apparatus having a pressing means for pressing, comprising: a rotating member capable of advancing and retreating from a sheet pressing surface of the pressing means. The second means includes the sheet processing apparatus according to the first means. An image forming apparatus is characterized.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to maintain the pressing state of the sheet by the pressing member even when the sheets are stacked, and to always obtain good alignment accuracy.

1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration including a sheet post-processing apparatus as a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus according to Example 1 of an embodiment of the invention. It is the schematic block diagram which looked at the end surface binding processing tray in FIG. 1 from the stacking surface side of the tray. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the end surface binding processing tray in FIG. 1, and its attachment mechanism. It is a side view which shows operation | movement of the discharge | release belt in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the moving mechanism of the stapler in FIG. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the sheet | seat stacked on the end surface binding process tray at the time of end surface binding, the rear end reference | standard fence, and an end surface binding stapler. It is a principal part front view which shows schematic structure of the lower part of the end surface binding processing tray currently generally implemented. It is a principal part front view which shows schematic structure of the lower part of the end surface binding processing tray in which the press member in embodiment of this invention is a standby state. It is a principal part front view which shows schematic structure of the lower part of the end surface binding processing tray in which the press member in embodiment of this invention is a sheet bundle press state. FIG. 5 is a front view of a main part showing a schematic configuration of a lower portion of an end face binding processing tray when a pressing member in the embodiment of the present invention is loaded with a next sheet. FIG. 6 is a front view of a main part illustrating a schematic configuration of a lower portion of the end surface binding processing tray when the pressing member in the embodiment of the present invention releases the sheet bundle from the end surface binding processing tray. FIG. 10 is a view in the direction of arrow a in FIG. 9. It is an a direction arrow directional view in FIG.10 and FIG.11. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of an image forming system including a sheet post-processing device and an image forming apparatus. FIG.

  In the present invention, the pressing member is provided with a roller that is held so as to be able to advance and retreat from the sheet pressing surface of the pressing member, and the subsequent sheet can be stacked in a state where the pressing member always presses the sheet bundle by rolling of the rollers. It is characterized by.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing a system including a sheet post-processing apparatus PD and an image forming apparatus PR as a sheet processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus PR is an image processing circuit that converts input image data into printable image data, and an optical writing apparatus that performs optical writing on a photoconductor based on an image signal output from the image processing circuit. A developing device for developing the latent image formed on the photosensitive member by optical writing, a transfer device for transferring the toner image visualized by the developing device to paper, and a fixing device for fixing the toner image transferred on the paper At least the paper on which the toner image is fixed is sent to the paper post-processing device PD, and desired post-processing is performed by the paper post-processing device PD. Here, the image forming apparatus PR is of an electrophotographic system as described above, but any known image forming apparatus such as an ink jet system or a thermal transfer system can be used. In this embodiment, the image processing circuit, the optical writing device, the developing device, the transfer device, and the fixing device constitute image forming means.

  The paper post-processing device PD is attached to the side portion of the image forming apparatus PR, and the paper discharged from the image forming device PR is guided to the paper post-processing device PD. The sheet post-processing apparatus PD includes a conveyance path A, a conveyance path B, a conveyance path C, a conveyance path D, and a conveyance path H, and the sheet is a post-processing unit (in this embodiment) that performs post-processing on one sheet. It is first transported to a transport path A having a punch unit 100) as a punching means.

  The conveyance path B is a conveyance path that leads to the upper tray 201 through the conveyance path A, and the conveyance path C is a conveyance path C that leads to the shift tray 202. The conveyance path D is a conveyance path that leads to a processing tray F (hereinafter also referred to as “end face binding processing tray”) that performs alignment, stapling, and the like. The conveyance path A is distributed to the conveyance paths B, C, and D by the branch claw 15 and the branch claw 16, respectively.

  In this sheet post-processing apparatus, punching (punch unit 100), sheet alignment + edge binding (jogger fence 53, end surface binding stapler S1), sheet alignment + saddle binding (saddle stitch upper jogger fence 250a, Processing such as saddle stitching lower jogger fence 250b, saddle stitching stapler S2), paper sorting (shift tray 202), center folding (folding plate 74, folding roller 81), and the like can be performed. Therefore, the transport path A, the subsequent transport path B, the transport path C, and the transport path D are selected. Further, the conveyance path D includes a paper storage portion E, and an end face binding processing tray F, a saddle stitching / center folding processing tray G, and a paper discharge conveyance path H are provided on the downstream side of the conveyance path D.

  In the conveyance path A common to the upstream of the conveyance path B, the conveyance path C, and the conveyance path D, an inlet sensor 301 that detects a sheet received from the image forming apparatus PR, and an inlet roller 1, a punch unit 100, The punch and waste container 101, the conveying roller 2, the first and second branching claws 15, and the branching claws 16 are sequentially arranged. The first and second branch claws 15 and 16 are held in the state shown in FIG. 1 by a spring (not shown) (initial state), and the branch claws 15 and 16 are turned on by turning on the first and second solenoids (not shown). By changing the combination of the branching directions of the first and second branching claws 15 and 16 by selecting ON / OFF of the first and second solenoids, respectively. The paper is distributed to the conveyance path D.

When the sheet is guided to the conveyance path B, the state shown in FIG. 1, that is, the first solenoid remains OFF (the first branching claw 15 is in the initial state). As a result, the paper is discharged from the transport roller 3 to the upper tray 201 via the paper discharge roller 4.
When the sheet is guided to the conveyance path C, the first and second solenoids are turned on from the state shown in FIG. 1 (the second branch claw 16 is in the initial state), so that the branch claw 15 branches upward. The nail | claw 16 will be in the state which each rotated below. Thus, the sheet is conveyed to the shift tray 202 side through the conveying roller 5 and the discharge roller pair 6 (6a, 6b). In this case, paper sorting is performed. The shift tray paper discharge unit located at the most downstream portion of the paper post-processing device PD sorts the paper. The paper is sorted by the shift paper discharge roller pair 6 (6a, 6b), the return roller 13, and the paper surface. The detection sensor 330, the shift tray 202, a shift mechanism (not shown) that reciprocates the shift tray 202 in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction, and a shift tray lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the shift tray 202 are performed.

  When the paper is guided to the conveyance path D, the branching claw 15 is moved upward by turning on the first solenoid that drives the first branching claw 15 and turning off the second solenoid that drives the second branching claw. Further, the branching claw 16 is turned upward, and the sheet is guided from the conveying roller 2 to the conveying path D through the conveying roller 7. The paper guided to the transport path D is guided to the end-face binding processing tray F, and the paper subjected to alignment and stapling in the end-face binding processing tray F is guided to the shift tray 202 by the guide member 44. The sheet is fed to the saddle stitching / saddle folding processing tray G (hereinafter also simply referred to as “saddle stitching processing tray”). When guided to the shift tray 202, the sheet bundle is discharged from the discharge roller pair 6 to the shift tray 202. Further, the sheet bundle guided to the saddle stitching processing tray G side is folded and bound by the saddle stitching processing tray G, and is discharged from the discharge roller 83 to the lower tray 203 through the discharge conveyance path H.

  On the other hand, a branching claw 17 is disposed in the transport path D, and is held in the state shown in the figure by a low load spring (not shown). After the trailing edge of the paper transported by the transporting roller 7 passes through the branching claw 17. At least the conveyance roller 9 among the conveyance rollers 9 and 10 and the staple paper discharge roller 11 can be reversed, and the sheet can be reversed along the turn guide 8. As a result, the sheet is guided from the rear end of the sheet to the sheet storage portion E so as to stay (prestack), and can be conveyed while being overlapped with the next sheet. By repeating this operation, it is possible to convey two or more sheets in a superimposed manner. Reference numeral 304 denotes a prestack sensor for setting a reverse feed timing when prestacking sheets.

  When the sheet is guided to the conveyance path D and the sheet alignment and the end binding are performed, the sheets guided to the end surface binding processing tray F by the staple paper discharge roller 11 are sequentially stacked on the end surface binding processing tray F. In this case, alignment in the vertical direction (paper conveyance direction) is performed with the tapping roller 12 for each sheet of paper, and alignment in the horizontal direction (direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction-paper width direction) is performed by the jogger fence 53. Is called. The end face stitching stapler S1 as the binding means is driven by a staple signal from the CPU_PD1 described later between the end of the job, that is, from the last sheet of the sheet bundle to the first sheet of the next sheet bundle, and the binding process is performed. The sheet bundle subjected to the binding process is immediately sent to the shift discharge roller 6 by the discharge belt 52 (see FIG. 2) on which the discharge claw 52a protrudes, and discharged to the shift tray 202 set at the receiving position. Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the end-face stitching stapler S1 includes a stitcher (driver) S1a for ejecting a staple and a clincher S1b for bending the tip of the staple. Further, since the space portion S1c through which the first and second rear end reference fences 51a and 51b can pass is formed between the two, the end surface binding stapler S1 and the rear end reference fence 51 do not interfere with each other. The stapler S1 moves. Unlike the saddle stitching stapler S2, the end-face stitching stapler S1 includes a stitcher S1a and a clincher S1b.

  The stitcher S1a functions as a fixed side without moving in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface, and functions as a moving side in which the clincher S1b moves in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface. Thus, when the binding operation is performed on the sheet bundle SB, the sheets that are in contact with the stack surfaces 51a1 and 51b1 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) of the first and second rear end reference fences 51a and 51b. The clincher S1b moves to a stitcher S1a side through a predetermined binding portion of the bundle SB, and a binding operation is performed in the process.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the discharge belt 52 is positioned at the alignment center in the sheet width direction, is stretched between the pulleys 62, and is driven by the discharge belt drive motor 157. A plurality of discharge rollers 56 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the discharge belt 52, are provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the drive shaft, and function as driven rollers. 4 is a side view showing the operation of the discharge belt in FIG. 1, and the arrow J direction is the paper transport direction.

  The release claw 52 a is configured such that the home position is detected by a release belt HP sensor 311, and this release belt HP sensor 311 is turned on / off by a discharge claw 52 a provided on the discharge belt 52. Two discharge claws 52a are disposed on the outer periphery of the discharge belt 52 so as to face each other, and the sheet bundle stored in the end face binding processing tray F is moved and conveyed alternately. Further, if necessary, the discharge belt 52 is reversely rotated, and the sheet bundle stored in the end face binding processing tray F on the back surface of the discharge claw 52a opposite to the discharge claw 52a opposite to the sheet bundle is moved. It is also possible to align the tips in the transport direction.

  In FIG. 1, reference numerals 110 a, b, and c denote pressing members (rear end pressing levers), and the rear end reference fence can press the rear end of the sheet bundle SB accommodated in the rear end reference fence 51. 51, and is reciprocated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the end face binding processing tray F (FIG. 7: directions of arrows Y1 and Y2). The paper discharged to the end-face binding processing tray F is tapped for each paper and is aligned in the vertical direction (paper transport direction) with the rollers 12, but the trailing edge of the paper stacked on the end-face binding processing tray F is curled. When the waist is weak, the trailing edge tends to buckle and swell due to the weight of the paper itself. Furthermore, as the number of stacked sheets increases, the gap for entering the next sheet in the rear end reference fence 51 is reduced, and the vertical alignment tends to deteriorate. Therefore, a pressing mechanism that presses the rear end of the sheet to reduce the swelling of the rear end of the sheet so that the sheet can easily enter the rear end reference fence 51. The pressing member 110a directly presses the sheet or the sheet bundle. , 110b, 110c. The pressing member is also referred to as a pressing lever. These are collectively denoted by reference numeral 110. In the following, regarding the members to which the subscripts a, b, and c are attached in relation to the three members, those in which the subscripts are omitted are those representatives.

  In FIG. 1, reference numerals 302, 303, 304, 305, and 310 denote paper detection sensors, which detect the presence / absence of paper passing at the provided position or the presence / absence of paper stacking.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the end face binding processing tray F as viewed from the tray stacking surface side, and corresponds to the case of viewing from the right side surface of FIG. In the figure, alignment in the width direction of the sheet received from the upstream image forming apparatus PR is performed by jogger fences 53a and 53b, and the vertical direction is the first and second rear end reference fences 51a and 51b (in FIG. 1). (Matched by reference numeral 51).

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the end face binding processing tray F and its attached mechanism. As shown in the figure, the sheets guided to the end-face binding processing tray F by the staple paper discharge roller 11 are sequentially stacked on the end-face binding processing tray F. At this time, when the number of sheets discharged to the end face binding processing tray F is one sheet, the sheets are aligned in the vertical direction (paper conveyance direction) with the tapping roller 12 for each sheet, and the jogger fences 53a and 53b are used to adjust the width direction ( Alignment in the paper width direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction is performed. The hitting roller 12 is given a pendulum motion by the hitting SOL 170 around the fulcrum 12a, and intermittently acts on the sheet fed to the end-face stitching processing tray F to abut the trailing end ST of the sheet against the trailing end reference fence 51. The hitting roller 12 itself rotates counterclockwise. The jogger fence 53 is provided with a pair of front and rear (53a, 53b: left and right in the figure) as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and is driven through a timing belt by a jogger motor 158 capable of forward and reverse rotation to reciprocate in the paper width direction. To do.

  FIG. 5 is a side view showing the stapler moving mechanism. As shown in FIG. 5, the end-face stitching stapler S <b> 1 includes a slide shaft 141 supported between both side plates of the support plate 140 and a slide groove 142 formed on the support plate 140 in parallel with the slide groove 141. It is supported so that it can slide. On the other hand, a timing belt 159b is stretched between the pulleys 159c and 159d in parallel with the slide shaft 141, and the timing belt 159b is driven via the timing belt 159a by a forward / reversely movable stapler moving motor 159. Since the end-face stitching stapler S1 is attached to the timing belt 159b, the rotational driving force of the stapler moving motor 159 is transmitted to the end-face stitching stapler S1, and the end-face stitching stapler S1 binds to a predetermined position at the rear end of the sheet. It moves in the paper width direction along the slide shaft 141 and the slide groove 142.

  A stapler movement HP sensor 312 for detecting the home position of the end face binding stapler S1 is provided at one end of the moving range, and the binding position in the sheet width direction is the movement of the end face binding stapler S1 from the home position. Controlled by quantity. The end-face stitching stapler S1 is configured to be able to bind at one or a plurality of (generally two places) at the trailing edge of the sheet, and at least over the entire width of the trailing edge ST of the sheet supported by the trailing edge reference fences 51a and 51b. It is movable. Further, it is possible to move to the front side of the apparatus as much as possible for exchanging the staples, so that the user can exchange the staples. Reference numerals 160a and 160b are guide grooves that serve as guides when the end-face stitching stapler S1 is tilted, and are formed in the base 160.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship among the sheet bundle SB stacked on the end face binding processing tray F, the rear end reference fence 51, and the end face binding stapler S1 during end face binding. As can be seen from the figure, the first and second rear end reference fences 51a and 51b are respectively provided with stack surfaces 51a1 and 51b1 with which the paper rear end ST abuts, and support and extend the paper rear end ST. Is supported by the entire sheet bundle SB. Conventionally, support is generally possible at four points, but in the present embodiment, support is at two points, and the position of the paper trailing edge ST is defined by two points. Further, FIG. 6A shows one end face binding, but in the case of one place oblique binding, the end face binding stapler S1 is the end face binding stapler S1 main body from the position of the one end face binding shown in FIG. 6A. In FIG. 6B, the binding process is performed in a state where the sheet is rotated around the end portion on the paper rear end ST side and inclined at an oblique angle.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the sheet bundle SB is stacked in contact with two places on the stack surfaces 51a1 and 51b1 of the rear end reference fence 51. Then, binding processing is performed by the stapler S1. FIG. 6B is a diagram showing the relationship between the staple needle S1d after oblique binding and the rear end reference fence 51b. After completion of the alignment operation, binding processing is performed by the end surface binding stapler S1, and the discharge belt 52 is driven counterclockwise by the discharge belt drive motor 157 as can be seen from the perspective view showing the operation of the discharge belt in FIG. . As a result, the sheet bundle after the binding process is scooped by the discharge claw 52a attached to the discharge belt 52 and discharged from the end face binding processing tray F. Reference numerals 64a and 64b are a front side plate and a rear side plate. Further, this operation can be performed in the case of an unbound bundle that is not subjected to the binding process after the alignment process.

  FIG. 7 is a front view of an essential part showing a schematic configuration of the lower part of the end face binding processing tray F, and shows an example provided with a pressing member that has been conventionally implemented. A rear end reference fence 51, an end face binding stapler S 1, and a staple paper discharge roller 11 are provided below the end face binding processing tray F, and a pressing member 110 is disposed on the side facing the rear end reference fence 51. Although the pressing member 110 has been touched before, the pressing member 110 is for pressing the rear end of the sheet bundle SB accommodated in the rear end reference fence 51 and is located at the lower end portion of the rear end reference fence 51 and is connected to the end face binding processing tray F. It is possible to reciprocate in the direction substantially perpendicular to (arrow: Y1, Y2 direction). A plurality of pressing members 110 (three in this embodiment) are provided in the paper width direction, and each of the pressing members 110a, 110b, and 110c is moved in conjunction with the end face binding stapler S1 in the paper width direction by a mechanism described later. The sheet bundle SB can be moved close to and away from the sheet bundle SB, and the sheet bundle SB is held with the rear end reference fence 51 when the rear end of the sheet bundle SB is pressed with a predetermined pressure to perform the binding process. .

  A sheet bundle deflection mechanism I is provided on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction of the end face binding processing tray F. As shown in FIG. 1, a conveying path for conveying the sheet bundle SB from the end-face stitching processing tray F to the saddle-stitching processing tray G, and from the end-face stitching processing tray F to the shift tray 202, and a conveying means for conveying the sheet bundle SB are: A conveyance mechanism 35 that applies a conveyance force to the bundle SB, a discharge roller 56 that turns the sheet bundle SB, and a guide member 44 that performs a guide for turning the sheet bundle SB.

  Each detailed configuration will be described. The driving force of the driving shaft 37 is transmitted to the roller 36 of the transport mechanism 35 by a timing belt. The roller 36 and the driving shaft 37 are connected and supported by an arm, and driven. The shaft 37 can be swung about the rotation fulcrum. The roller 36 of the transport mechanism 35 is driven to swing by a cam 40. The cam 40 rotates around a rotation shaft and is driven by a motor (not shown). In the transport mechanism 35, a driven roller 42 is disposed at a position opposite to the roller 36, a sheet bundle is sandwiched between the driven roller 42 and the roller 36, and pressurized by an elastic material to give a transport force.

  A conveyance path for turning the sheet bundle from the end surface binding processing tray F to the saddle stitching processing tray G is formed between the discharge roller 56 and the inner surface of the guide member 44 on the side facing the discharge roller 56. The guide member 44 rotates around a fulcrum, and the drive is transmitted from the bundle branch drive motor 161 (see FIG. 2). When the sheet bundle is conveyed from the end face binding processing tray F to the shift tray 202, the guide member 44 rotates in the illustrated clockwise direction around the fulcrum, and the outer surface of the guide member 44 (the surface on the side not facing the discharge roller 56). ) And the outer guide plate function as a conveyance path.

  When the sheet bundle P is sent from the end face binding processing tray F to the saddle stitching processing tray G, the trailing edge of the sheet bundle SB aligned in the end face binding processing tray F is pushed up by the discharge claw 52a, and the roller 36 of the transport mechanism 35 and this A sheet bundle is sandwiched between the opposed driven rollers 42 facing each other, and a conveying force is applied. At this time, the roller 36 of the transport mechanism 35 stands by at a position where it does not hit the leading end of the sheet bundle SB. Next, after the leading edge of the sheet bundle SB passes, the roller 36 of the conveying mechanism 35 is brought into contact with the surface of the sheet to give a conveying force. At this time, the guide member 44 and the discharge roller 56 form a guide for the turn conveyance path, and convey the sheet bundle SB to the downstream saddle stitching processing tray G.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the saddle stitch processing tray G is provided on the downstream side of the sheet bundle deflection mechanism including the transport mechanism 35, the guide member 44, and the discharge roller 56. The saddle stitching processing tray G is provided substantially vertically on the downstream side of the sheet bundle deflecting mechanism. The center folding mechanism is provided at the center, the bundle conveying guide plate upper 92 is disposed above, and the bundle conveying guide is disposed below. A lower plate 91 is arranged.

  Further, an upper bundle conveying roller 71 is provided above the upper bundle conveying guide plate 92, and a lower bundle conveying roller 72 is provided below the upper bundle conveying guide plate 92. A saddle stitch upper jogger fence 250a is arranged on both sides along the side surface of 92. Similarly, a saddle stitch lower jogger fence 250b is provided on both sides along the side surface of the bundle conveyance guide plate lower 91, and the saddle stitch stapler S2 is disposed at a place where the saddle stitch lower jogger fence 250b is installed.

  The saddle stitching upper jogger fence 250a and the saddle stitching lower jogger fence 250b are driven by a driving mechanism (not shown) and perform an alignment operation in a direction (paper width direction) perpendicular to the paper transport direction. The saddle stitching stapler S2 is a pair of a clincher portion and a driver portion, and two pairs are provided at a predetermined interval in the sheet width direction.

  A movable rear end reference fence 73 is disposed so as to cross the bundle conveyance guide plate lower 91, and can be moved in the sheet conveyance direction (vertical direction in the drawing) by a moving mechanism including a timing belt and its driving mechanism. Yes. As shown in FIG. 1, the drive mechanism includes a drive pulley and a driven pulley on which the timing belt is stretched, and a stepping motor that drives the drive pulley. Similarly, a rear end tapping claw 251 and its drive mechanism are provided on the upper end side of the upper bundle transport guide plate 92. The trailing edge tapping claw 251 can reciprocate in a direction away from the sheet bundle deflecting mechanism and a direction in which the trailing edge of the sheet bundle (the side that contacts the trailing edge when the sheet bundle is introduced) is pushed by a timing belt 252 and a driving mechanism (not shown). ing.

  The center folding mechanism is provided at a substantially central portion of the saddle stitching processing tray G, and includes a folding plate 74, a folding roller 81, and a conveyance path H that conveys the folded sheet bundle. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 326 denotes a home position sensor for detecting the home position of the rear end tapping claw 251, reference numeral 323 denotes a folded portion passage sensor for detecting a folded sheet, and reference numeral 321 denotes a sheet bundle. A bundle detection sensor 322, which detects that the center folding position has been reached, is a movable rear end reference fence home position sensor that detects the home position of the movable rear end reference fence 73.

  In this embodiment, a detection lever 501 for detecting the stacking height of the sheet bundle SB folded in the lower tray 203 is provided so as to be swingable by a fulcrum 501a, and the angle of the detection lever 501 is detected by a paper surface sensor 505. Detecting and raising / lowering the lower tray 203 and detecting overflow.

  The conventional pressing member 110 shown in FIG. 7 stands by at the position shown in FIG. 7 when the next sheet is stacked. When the next sheet is stacked, the conventional pressing member 110 moves in the direction of arrow Y1 in FIG. Press operation.

  FIG. 8 is a main part front view showing a schematic configuration and operation of the lower part of the end surface binding processing tray F in the present embodiment, and the pressing member 110 is in a standby state. In the present embodiment, a space 111 is formed in the conventional pressing member 110 shown in FIG. 7, and a roller 114, a housing 113 and a compression spring 112 are mounted in the space 111 as shown in FIG. The housing 113 rotatably supports the roller 114 via a rotating shaft 115 (see FIGS. 12 and 13). The housing 113 is slidable in the space 111 in the directions indicated by the arrows Y1 and Y2. The compression spring 112 always presses the housing 113 elastically in the direction of the opening of the space 111 (the direction of the arrow Y1). The movement of the slider 113 is restricted by the opening of the space 111. In this state, the rolling surface (contact surface) 114f of the roller 114 presses the paper of the pressing member 110 as shown in FIG. ) Protrudes from 110f. As a result, the surface of the roller 114 can be brought into contact with the sheet bundle SB. 8 is a standby state in which the pressing member 110 is separated from the sheet bundle SB.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the housing 113 is integrally provided with a motor fixing member 122, and a motor 120 that drives the rotating shaft 115 of the roller 114 is fixed to the motor fixing member 122. A gear 121 is attached to the drive shaft of the motor 120 and meshes with a gear 116 attached to the rotary shaft 115 of the roller 114 to rotate the roller 114 in both forward and reverse directions.

  9 is a state during the pressing operation for pressing the sheet bundle SB from the standby state of FIG. 8, FIG. 10 is a state during the next sheet stacking, and FIG. 11 is a state during the discharging operation of the sheet bundle SB from the end face binding processing tray F. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows each. When the pressing member 110 moves from the standby state of FIG. 8 to a pressing position for pressing the sheet bundle SB as shown in FIG. 9 (in the direction of arrow Y1), the roller 114 is pressed by the sheet bundle SB, and the sheet pressing surface enters the space 111. Retreat by the amount protruding from 110f. As a result, the sheet bundle SB is pressed by the end face (paper pressing face 110f) of the pressing member 110 and held on the end face binding processing tray F. The main component of the holding force is the pressing member 110.

  When the next sheet Sn is conveyed in the state of FIG. 10, the next sheet Sn is discharged onto the sheet bundle SB that has been stacked on the end-face binding processing tray F until then, and the gravity and tapping roller 12 as described above. It moves to the rear end reference fence 51 side by the action of. At that time, the roller 114 is rotationally driven by the motor 120 in the direction (arrow R1 direction) in which the sheet is conveyed to the rear end reference fence 51 side. Therefore, when the next sheet Sn is knocked down to the trailing edge reference fence 51 side by the tapping roller 12, the leading end of the next sheet Sn enters between the roller 114 and the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle SB, and from the roller 114 to the trailing end. The conveyance force to the reference fence 51 side is obtained. As a result, the next sheet Sn is reliably conveyed to the trailing edge reference fence 51 side.

  When the leading edge of the next sheet Sn transported to the trailing edge reference fence 51 abuts against the trailing edge reference fence 51, the roller 114 slides between the surface of the succeeding sheet Sn and the conveying force is not transmitted. Thereafter, the motor 120 stops immediately and waits for the next paper to be carried in. The rolling surface 114f that contacts the paper of the roller 114 is set to have a low coefficient of friction so that when the next paper Sn cannot be conveyed, it slides between the surfaces of the next paper Sn and no conveying force is applied. ing. The coefficient of friction set in this case is such that when a sheet is transported, a transport force is applied, and when the sheet cannot be transported, it reliably slips on the surface of the sheet and does not impart a transport force to the sheet. I just need it. A one-way clutch is provided at the meshing portion of the gear 121 and the gear 116 or in the vicinity thereof, and the power to the roller 114 is stopped when the leading edge of the next sheet abuts against the trailing edge reference fence 51 and the sheet is not conveyed. It is also possible to configure so that the transmission of is interrupted.

  When all the sheets of one sheet are discharged to the end binding processing tray F in this way, the end binding is performed by the end binding stapler S1. The sheet bundle SB subjected to the binding process operates the discharge claw 52a by driving the discharge belt 52, and is lifted upward by the discharge claw 52a and discharged from the end face binding processing tray F. Similarly, when a binding process is not performed, one sheet bundle is discharged. At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, the rollers 114 are driven by the motor 120 in the direction in which the sheet bundle is discharged (in the direction of the arrow R2), and give the sheet bundle SB a conveying force in the discharge direction.

12 is a view in the direction of arrow a in FIG. 9, and FIG. 13 is a view in the direction of arrow a in FIGS.
In these drawings, the pressing member 110 includes first and second pressing members 110a and 110b that hold both ends of the sheet bundle in the conveyance direction, and a third pressing that holds the alignment center 53c by the jogger in the sheet bundle conveyance direction. This is the member 110c. The first to third pressing members 100a, 100b, and 100c are driven in a direction perpendicular to the sheet bundle SB by the first driving mechanism 150, and the first and second pressing members 100a and 100b are the third pressing members. The member 100c is driven in the direction parallel to the sheet bundle SB. The first to third pressing members 110a, 110b, and 110c are supported by first to third support shafts 151a, 151b, and 151c, respectively, so that the vertical and horizontal movement operations are possible.

  The first driving mechanism 150 drives the first to third support shafts 151a, 151b, and 151c in a direction perpendicular to the sheet bundle SB, and is a pair disposed outside both side portions of the end surface binding processing tray F. Moving mechanism 153a, 153b. Each of the moving mechanisms 153a and 153b includes a pair of pulleys 154a and 154b, endless belts 155a and 155b stretched between the pulleys, and a motor 156 that drives one of the pulleys 154a. Further, a guide shaft 152 is disposed in parallel with the sheet stacking surface of the end surface binding processing tray F, and both ends of the guide shaft 152 are fixed to the belts 155a and 155b, respectively. As a result, when the motor 156 is driven, the belts 153a and 153b rotate, and the guide shaft 152 moves toward or away from the end surface binding processing tray F in accordance with the rotation state. The first and second support shafts 151 a and 151 b are attached to the guide shaft 152 so as to be slidable along the axial direction of the guide shaft 152.

  The second drive mechanism 160 is moved so as to be close to or away from the symmetry with respect to the first and second support shafts 151a and 151b and the alignment center 53c. The second drive mechanism 160 includes a pair of pulleys 165a and 165b, an endless belt 162 stretched between the pair of pulleys 165a and 165b, and a first supported so as to be movable along a slide shaft (not shown). And the second sliders 163a and 163b and the first and second elastic members connected to the third support shaft 151b so that the elastic force acts in a direction close to the first and second sliders 163a and 163b. Members 164a and 164b, and a slide member 171 that moves the first pressing member 110a in accordance with the movement of the end-face stitching stapler S1. The first slider 163 a is connected to one side of the belt 162, and the second slider 163 b is connected to the other side of the belt 162. As a result, the first and second sliders 163a and 163b move toward or away from each other depending on the rotation direction of the belt 162.

  The slide member 171 is supported by a guide shaft (not shown) so as to be slidable in the width direction of the sheet, and is positioned between the first and second sliders 163a and 163b. The slide member 171 includes first and second protrusions 171a and 171b that move together when the projecting piece 180a of the moving piece 180 attached to the end-face stitching stapler S1 and the end-face stitching stapler S1 move in the paper width direction. I have. FIG. 12 shows a state in which the protruding piece 180a hits the inner surface of the second protruding portion 171b and the end surface binding stapler S1 has moved to the outermost side (left side) in the sheet width direction. When the end face binding stapler S1 moves to the center in the width direction from this state, the second slider 163b moves to the center in the width direction by the elastic force of the second elastic member 164b. In response to this, the first slider 163a moves to a position symmetrical to the second slider 163b with respect to the alignment center 53c by the rotation of the belt 162. As a result, the first and second pressing members 110a and 110b can press the sheet bundle SB at a symmetrical position with respect to the alignment center 53c.

  When the end face stitching stapler S1 moves in the right direction from the state shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the projecting piece 180a hits the first projecting portion 171a, and moves the slide member 171 integrally in the right direction. The right side surface of the slide member 171 in the drawing hits the first slider 163a and moves the first slider 163a integrally to the right side. When the end-face stitching stapler S1 stops at the binding position, the first slider 163a also stops, and the sheet bundle SB can be pressed at that position. Needless to say, the end surfaces of the rollers 114a and 114 and the pressing members 110a and 110b are located away from the surface of the sheet bundle SB as shown in FIG.

  If comprised in this way, the 1st and 2nd press member 110a, 110b can be moved according to the size of the width direction of sheet bundle SB. Further, the first to third pressing members 110a, 110b, 110c are brought close to the sheet bundle SB (see FIGS. 9 and 12), or only the roller 114 is used as the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle SB. On the other hand, the contact state (see FIGS. 10, 11, and 13) can be set, or the pressing member 110 including the rollers 114 can be set away from the surface of the sheet bundle SB (FIG. 8).

  That is, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the roller 114 is in contact with the paper when the paper is stacked and the paper bundle is released, and the pressing member 110 is positioned away from the paper. 114 and the pressing member 110 press against the sheet bundle SB, and in other cases, the roller 114 and the pressing member 110 are located at positions away from the sheet bundle. As a result, the pressing member 110 is separated and the force for pressing the sheet bundle is eliminated, so that it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a binding accuracy defect due to the bending of the sheet bundle SB and the extrusion of the preceding sheet by coated paper or the like. Further, as described above, the roller 114 is rotationally driven in the direction in which the sheet is pulled to the rear end side (arrow R1 direction) when the next sheet is stacked, and in the direction in which the sheet bundle is discharged (arrow G2 direction) when the sheet bundle is released. .

  FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of an image forming system including the sheet post-processing apparatus PD and the image forming apparatus PR. The sheet post-processing device PD includes a control circuit on which a microcomputer having a CPU_PD1, an I / O interface PD2, and the like is mounted. The CPU_PD1 includes a CPU of the image forming apparatus PR or switches of the operation panel PR1, and sensors (not shown). Is input via the communication interface PD33, and the CPU_PD1 executes predetermined control based on the input signal. Further, the CPU_PD 1 controls driving of the solenoid and the motor via the driver and the motor driver, and acquires sensor information in the apparatus from the interface. In addition, motor drive control is performed by the motor driver via the I / 0 interface PD2 in accordance with the control target and sensor, and sensor information is acquired from the sensor. The control is based on a program defined by the program code while the CPU_PD1 reads a program code stored in a ROM (not shown), develops it in a RAM (not shown), and uses the RAM as a work area and a data buffer. Executed.

  Further, the control of the sheet post-processing apparatus PD in FIG. 14 is executed based on an instruction or information from the CPU of the image forming apparatus PR. The user's operation instruction is issued from the operation panel PR1 of the image forming apparatus PR, and the image forming apparatus PR and the operation panel PR1 are connected to each other via a communication interface PR2. As a result, the operation signal from the operation panel PR1 is transmitted from the image forming apparatus PR to the sheet post-processing apparatus PD, and the processing status and functions of the sheet post-processing apparatus PD are notified to the user via the operation panel PR1. .

  When the control system of the image forming system is configured in this way, the CPU_PD 1 determines the rotation direction and rotation start timing of the rollers 114a, 114b, and 114c based on the sheet conveyance information sent from the image forming apparatus PR side. While performing drive control, the retreat position of the 1st thru | or 3rd press member 110a, 110b, 110c is controlled. In addition, the CPU_PD1 executes control for pressing the sheet bundle SB by advancing the first to third pressing members 110a, 110b, and 110c when the conveyance of the last sheet of one copy is completed. Further, when the binding process is completed, the CPU_PD1 sets the retracted positions of the first to third pressing members 110a, 110b, and 110c, determines the change in the rotation direction of the rollers 114a, 114b, and 114c, and determines the rotation start timing. Then, drive control is performed, and an auxiliary operation for discharging the sheet bundle SB is executed.

According to this embodiment configured and controlled in this way,
1) Since the pressing member 110 includes a roller 114 that can advance and retract from the sheet pressing surface 110f, the sheet bundle is pressed by the pressing surface 110f during the binding process, and the sheets can be stacked when the sheets are stacked. The sheet bundle can be pressed. As a result, the rolling surface 114f comes into contact with the paper when the paper is received, so that the pressed state of the paper bundle by the rollers 114 can be maintained even when the paper is received and stacked. As a result, a good alignment accuracy can always be obtained.
2) The pressing member 110 includes a roller 114 that rotates in the paper conveyance direction and a compression spring 112 that elastically presses the roller 114 in the pressing direction of the paper bundle SB at all times, and the roller 114 presses the paper bundle SB. On the other hand, since it is held in the space portion 111 in the pressing member 110 so as to be slidable, it is possible to secure the pressing force required for the forward and backward movement of the roller 114 and the pressing operation of the roller 114.
3) A motor 120 for driving the roller 114 is installed on a motor fixing member 122 provided integrally with the housing 113 of the pressing member 110, and the roller 114 is driven to rotate in both forward and reverse directions by this motor 120. Alternatively, by rotating the roller 114 in the sheet bundle discharge direction, the sheet bundle SB can be pressed against the rear end reference fence 51 without causing the sheet to bend, or the sheet bundle SB can be discharged.
3) The rolling surface 114f of the roller 114 that comes into contact with the paper is set to a surface with a low coefficient of friction that slides when the movement of the paper is restricted and does not apply a conveying force to the paper. When it hits against the end reference fence 53, it does not bend or shift.
There are effects such as.

  In this embodiment, the stacking means in the claims is the end face binding processing tray F, the alignment means is the rear end reference fence 51, the pressing means is the pressing member 110 (110a, 110b, 110c), and the sheet processing apparatus is Reference numeral PD, pressing surface 110f, rotating member roller 114 (114a, 114b, 114c), elastic member compression spring 112, driving means motor 120 (120a, 120b, 120c), gear 121 (121a). , 121b, 121c) and the gear 116 (116a, 116b, 116c), the sheet contact surface to the rolling surface 114f, the first pressing member to 110a, the second pressing member to 110b, and the third The pressing member corresponds to the reference numeral 110c, the binding means corresponds to the end-face binding stapler S1, and the image forming apparatus corresponds to the reference sign PR. The roller 114 is held in the space 111 in the pressing member 110.

  Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and all the technical matters included in the technical idea described in the claims are all included. The subject of the present invention. The above embodiment shows a preferable example, but those skilled in the art can realize various alternatives, modifications, variations, and improvements from the contents disclosed in this specification, These are included in the technical scope described in the appended claims.

51 Rear end reference fence 110, 110a, 110b, 110c Press member 110f Press surface 111 Space portion 112 Compression spring 114, 114a, 114b, 114c Roller 114f Rolling surface 120, 120a, 120b, 120c Motor 121, 121a, 121b, 121c gear
F End surface binding processing tray S1 End surface binding stapler PD Paper processing device PR Image forming device

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-1000042 JP 2008-290844 A

Claims (9)

Loading means for loading paper,
An aligning means for aligning the transport direction of the paper loaded on the stacking means;
A pressing means for pressing the sheet bundle aligned by the alignment means;
In a paper processing apparatus having
A paper processing apparatus comprising a rotating member capable of advancing and retreating from a paper pressing surface of the pressing means. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1,
An elastic member that elastically presses the rotating member in the pressing direction of the sheet bundle at all times;
The sheet processing apparatus, wherein the rotating member is held by the pressing unit so as to be slidable in a direction in which the sheet bundle is pressed. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The sheet processing apparatus, wherein the pressing unit further includes a driving unit that rotationally drives the rotating member. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3.
The driving means includes
When the paper is stacked on the stacking means, the rotating member is rotated in a direction in which the paper is close to the alignment means side,
When a sheet is discharged from the stacking unit, the rotating member is rotated in a direction away from the aligning unit. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member includes a sheet contact surface having a low friction coefficient that slides when the movement of the sheet is restricted and does not apply a conveying force to the sheet. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The pressing means is
A first and second pressing member that presses both ends of the sheet bundle, and a third pressing member that presses the central portion of the sheet bundle,
The sheet processing apparatus, wherein the first and second pressing members move symmetrically with respect to the third pressing member. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6.
A binding means for binding the sheet bundle;
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second pressing members move as the binding means moves. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein
The paper processing apparatus, wherein the pressing member presses the vicinity of a binding position by the binding means. An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1.