JP5858812B2 - Sheet post-processing apparatus and image forming system using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus that feeds an image-formed sheet to a processing tray, performs post-processing, and stores the sheet in a stack tray, and relates to a sheet transport mechanism that feeds and sets a sheet in a correct posture at a processing position on the processing tray. Regarding improvement.

  In general, this type of post-processing apparatus is connected to the paper discharge port of the image forming apparatus, and the sheets on which the images have been formed are aligned and stacked on a processing tray to perform post-processing such as binding, punching, and stamping. It is known as an apparatus for storing the processed sheets in a stack tray.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a sheet sent from an image forming apparatus is conveyed back to a processing tray disposed below a paper discharge port, and subjected to a binding process by a post-processing apparatus such as a stapler apparatus disposed on the tray. An apparatus for storing a bound sheet in a downstream stack tray is disclosed.

  This document discloses a post-processing apparatus having an inner finisher structure in which a paper discharge area is provided in the housing of the image forming apparatus, and a post-processing unit is mounted in the paper discharge area.

  In Patent Document 2, a sheet conveyed at high speed from an image forming apparatus is accumulated in a buffer path until the process is completed during the post-processing operation of the preceding sheet, and the sheet posture is conveyed by this path. A mechanism is disclosed in which the components are stored in a lower processing tray after being aligned.

JP 2011-037591 A JP 2007-308215 A

  As described above, various post-processing mechanisms are known in which a sheet sent from the image forming apparatus is transported to a processing tray and post-processed, and then stored in a stack tray. In the apparatus of the above-described Patent Document 1, a processing tray is arranged by forming a step below the paper discharge path, and the conveyance direction is reversed from the paper discharge path and is carried into the processing tray from the sheet rear end side. Since the sheets carried on the tray are aligned with the reference positions in the front and rear directions in the paper discharge direction and in the right and left directions in the paper discharge orthogonal direction, it is difficult to accurately determine the processing position.

  Accordingly, the present inventor has an idea that when a sheet is sent from the paper discharge path to the processing tray, the sheet leading end side is soft-landed on the tray after the leading end of the sheet is positioned at a regulating position (for example, a sheet stopper) on the tray. It came. At this time, in order to carry the leading end of the sheet into the tray, a guide member for guiding the lower surface of the sheet and a discharge roller in contact with the lower surface of the sheet need to be retracted to the side away from the sheet and the trailing end of the sheet needs to be dropped. However, disposing a retraction mechanism that retreats a plurality of members in a limited space between the paper discharge path and the processing tray is a problem in terms of space, and at the same time, there arises a problem that a maintenance space cannot be obtained when a problem occurs.

  In the present invention, when the trailing edge of a sheet whose leading edge is carried into the processing tray from the sheet discharge path is dropped from the sheet discharge path and stored on the tray, the sheet is not displaced, and the mechanism is simple. An object of the present invention is to provide a compact post-processing apparatus that can be configured at low cost.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a sheet guide for guiding a sheet from a paper discharge path to a processing tray is configured by a pair of left and right guide members, and a pair of left and right side edge alignment members are disposed on the processing tray at the same time. The guide member and each side edge aligning member are configured to move together in the sheet width direction by a common drive motor.

  In more detail, the paper discharge path having a carry-in port and a paper discharge port, a transport roller disposed in the paper discharge route, and a processing tray disposed with a step below the paper discharge port. A back conveyance path for reversing the conveyance direction of the sheet from the paper discharge path to the processing tray, and a discharge for transferring the sheet sent from the carry-in port to the back conveyance path. A sheet guide means having a guide surface for guiding the sheet fed by the paper discharge roller to the processing tray so as to form the back conveyance path, and a post-processing means disposed on the processing tray; A sheet side edge aligning unit disposed on the processing tray and having an alignment surface with a sheet side edge that aligns a position in the width direction of the sheet with a preset reference line.

  The sheet guide means includes a pair of left and right guide members that can move in a direction perpendicular to the direction of transfer of the sheet to be transferred to the processing tray, and a guide shift means that moves the pair of left and right guide members. The edge aligning means includes a pair of left and right side edge aligning members that can move in the sheet orthogonal direction and an alignment shift means that moves the pair of left and right side edge aligning members. The guide shift means and the alignment shift means are configured such that the guide member and the side edge alignment member are integrally moved in the sheet discharge orthogonal direction by a common drive motor.

  Control means for controlling the paper discharge roller, the sheet guide means, and the sheet side edge aligning means is provided. The sheet guide means and the sheet side edge aligning means are controlled so that the distance between them becomes wider. In this case, the alignment position and the guide position are set to either the same position or different positions with a distance. That is, they are arranged so that the alignment position ≧ the guide position> the retracted position.

  In the present invention, a sheet guide that guides a sheet from a paper discharge path to a processing tray is constituted by a pair of left and right guide members, and each guide member is integrated with a pair of left and right side edge alignment members arranged on the processing tray by a common drive motor. Further, since it is configured to move in the sheet width direction, the following effects can be obtained.

  When a sheet is fed from the sheet discharge path to the lower processing tray, the guide member that guides the lower surface of the sheet and the side edge aligning member that aligns the width direction of the sheet on the tray are integrally reciprocated by a common drive motor. Therefore, the apparatus can be made smaller and more compact than when a mechanism for individually moving these members is employed. Even if a sheet jam or the like occurs in the paper discharge path, the back conveyance path, or the processing tray, the reciprocating mechanism is simple, so that no maintenance space is required and the repair work is easy.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, the side edge aligning member and the guide member are integrally formed of resin or the like, so that there is no possibility that the guide position and the aligning position are shifted from each other compared to the case where they are individually configured, and the sheet is processed smoothly. It becomes possible to carry in on a tray. At the same time, a roller holder is integrally formed on the guide member to hold the discharge roller in contact with the lower surface of the sheet, thereby smoothly reciprocating the discharge roller, the sheet guide, and the side edge engaging member without rattling. Can do.

1 is an overall configuration explanatory diagram of an image forming system according to the present invention. Explanatory drawing of the principal part of the post-processing apparatus C in the system of FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory perspective view illustrating a relationship between a partition guide serving as a paper discharge mechanism of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. 2, a paper discharge roller, and a side edge alignment member. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a detailed configuration of a paper discharge mechanism of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. 2. (A) is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship (paper discharge mechanism) of the partition guide of FIG. 3, a paper discharge roller, and a side edge alignment member, (b) is explanatory drawing of a different surface of the paper discharge mechanism. 2 is an explanatory view showing the configuration of the skew correction means and the side edge alignment means of the paper discharge mechanism section, (a) is a planar configuration, (b) is an elevational configuration. 2A shows an operation state of the paper discharge mechanism, FIG. 2A shows an initial state where the sheet enters the paper discharge path, and FIG. 2B shows a state where the rear end of the sheet is detached from the conveying roller. 2A and 2B show the operation state of the paper discharge mechanism, in which FIG. 2C shows a state in which the rear end of the sheet is guided from the discharge path to the back conveyance path, and FIG. Each hit state is shown. 2 shows an operation state of the paper discharge mechanism, (e) shows a state in which the paper discharge roller and the partition guide are retracted to the side from the sheet engagement position, and (f) shows a stapled state after the post-processing operation. A state in which the sheet bundle is nipped between the carry-out roller and the paper discharge roller and carried to the stack tray is shown. (A) is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the sheet pressing means, (b) shows an embodiment different from FIG. 3 of the stacked sheet alignment means in the processing tray, and the alignment surface and the guide surface of the partition guide are different positions in the sheet width direction. The form to arrange is shown. Explanatory drawing which shows the raising / lowering mechanism of a stack tray. The block diagram which shows the control structure in the system of FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the operation program of the control means in the control structure of FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the specific operation | movement flow of the control means in the control structure of FIG. Explanatory drawing of the state which aligns and aligns a sheet | seat with the process tray in the conventional apparatus.

  The present invention will be described in detail below according to the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an image forming system according to the present invention. This system includes an image forming unit A, an image reading unit B, and a post-processing unit C. The original image is read by the image reading unit B, and an image is formed on the sheet by the image forming unit A based on the image data. Then, finishing processing such as binding processing is performed on the image-formed sheet by the post-processing unit C.

  The illustrated post-processing unit C is configured as an apparatus that performs a binding process by aligning and stacking sheets on which images are formed and incorporated in the paper discharge area 15 of the image forming unit A. The image reading unit B is mounted above the image forming unit A, and a post-processing unit C is disposed between the two units.

  In addition, the image forming unit A, the image reading unit B, and the post-processing unit C may be configured as independent stand-alone structures, and each apparatus may be connected by a network cable to form a system. In this case, the carry-in port 34 of the post-processing unit C is connected to the paper discharge port 16 of the image forming unit A. The image forming unit A, the image reading unit B, and the post-processing unit C shown in FIG.

[Image forming unit]
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming unit A includes a paper feeding unit 1, an image forming unit 2, a paper discharge unit 3, and a signal processing unit (not shown), and is built in the apparatus housing 4. The sheet feeding unit 1 includes a cassette 5 that stores sheets. The illustrated unit includes a plurality of cassettes 5a, 5b, and 5c, and can store sheets of different sizes. Each of the cassettes 5a to 5c has a built-in sheet feeding roller 6 for feeding out the sheet and separation means (separation claw, separation roller, etc .; not shown) for separating the sheets one by one.

  Further, the sheet feeding unit 1 is provided with a sheet feeding path 7 to feed sheets from each cassette 5 to the image forming unit 2. A pair of registration rollers 8 is provided at the end of the sheet feeding path 7 so that the sheets fed from the respective cassettes 5 are aligned at the leading edge, and waits until the sheet is fed according to the image forming timing of the image forming unit 2.

  As described above, the sheet feeding unit 1 is configured by a plurality of cassettes according to the apparatus specifications, and is configured to feed a sheet having a size selected by the control unit to the image forming unit 2 on the downstream side. Each cassette 5 is detachably attached to the apparatus housing 4 so that sheets can be replenished.

  The image forming unit 2 can employ various image forming mechanisms for forming an image on a sheet. The illustrated one shows an electrostatic image forming mechanism. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of drums 9 constituted by photosensitive members (photoconductors) are arranged in the apparatus housing 4 in accordance with color components. Each drum 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d is provided with a light emitter (laser head or the like) 10 and a developing device 11. Then, a latent image (electrostatic image) is formed on each drum 9 by the light emitter 10, and toner ink is attached by the developing device 11. The ink image attached on each drum is transferred to the transfer belt 12 for each color component, and the image is synthesized.

  The transfer image formed on the belt is transferred onto the sheet sent from the paper feeding unit 1 by the charger 13, fixed by the fixing device (heating roller) 14, and then sent to the paper discharge unit 3.

  The paper discharge unit 3 includes a paper discharge port 16 for carrying out a sheet to a paper discharge area 15 formed in the apparatus housing 4 and a paper discharge path 17 for guiding the sheet from the image forming unit 2 to this paper discharge port. Yes. Note that a duplex path 18 (described later) is connected to the paper discharge unit 3 so that a sheet having an image formed on the front surface is reversed and fed to the image forming unit 2 again.

[Duplex route]
In the duplex path 18, the sheet on which the image is formed on the front side by the image forming unit 2 is reversed and retransmitted to the image forming unit 2. Then, after the image forming unit 2 forms an image on the back surface side, the image is discharged from the paper discharge port 16. For this reason, the duplex path 18 includes a switchback path 18a for returning the sheet sent from the image forming unit 2 to the inside of the apparatus by reversing the conveyance direction, and a U-turn path 18b for turning the sheet returned to the inside of the apparatus upside down. Has been. The apparatus shown in the figure is characterized in that a switchback path 18a is formed in the paper discharge path 31 of the post-processing unit C.

  As a result, it is necessary to individually form a path for conveying the sheet from the sheet discharge outlet 16 to the post-processing unit C (sheet discharge path 17) and a path for reversing the sheet conveyance direction for reversing the front and back (switchback path 18a). There is no. In order to distinguish a paper discharge port 30 and a paper discharge path 31 of the post-processing unit C described later from a paper discharge port 16 and a paper discharge route 17 of the image forming unit A, the paper discharge port of the image forming unit A is discharged from the main body. The port 16 and the paper discharge path are referred to as a main body paper discharge path 17.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a main body discharge path 17 for conveying a sheet from the image forming unit 2 to the main body discharge port 16 is substantially linear and arranged in the vertical direction. A fixing device 14 is disposed at the entrance end of this path. Conveying rollers for conveying the sheet are disposed at appropriate locations in the main body discharge path 17, and the illustrated conveying roller 19 is connected to a drive motor (not illustrated) so as to be able to rotate forward and backward. Accordingly, the sheet is transferred in the paper discharge direction and the carry-in direction in the paper discharge path by forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor.

  A U-turn path 18b that branches from the main body discharge path 17 and reverses the sheet upside down and guides the sheet to the registration roller pair 8 of the image forming unit 2 is disposed in the apparatus housing. Then, the sheet is guided from the main body discharge path 17 to the U-turn path 18b by the path switching means 20, and then the sheet is guided to the image forming unit 2 after being turned upside down. A plurality of conveying roller pairs are arranged at predetermined intervals in the U-turn path 18b.

[Image reading unit]
The image reading unit B includes a platen 22 and a reading carriage 23 that reciprocates along the platen. The platen 22 is made of transparent glass, and includes a still image reading surface that scans a still image by moving the reading carriage 23 and a traveling image reading surface that reads a document image traveling at a predetermined speed.

  The reading carriage 23 includes a light source lamp, a reflection mirror that changes reflected light from the document, and a photoelectric conversion element (not shown). The photoelectric conversion element is composed of line sensors arranged on the platen in the document width direction (main scanning direction), and the reading carriage 23 reciprocates in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to this to read the document image in line order. It has become. Further, an automatic document feeder 24 that moves the document at a predetermined speed is mounted above the traveling image reading surface of the platen 22. The automatic document feeder 24 is composed of a feeder mechanism that feeds original sheets set on a paper feed tray one by one to a platen and stores them in a paper discharge tray after reading an image.

[Post-processing unit]
The post-processing unit C performs post-processing on the sheet sent from the image forming unit A and stores it in the stack tray 33. FIG. 2 shows the overall configuration of the post-processing unit C. A device for mounting the post-processing unit C as an option in a paper discharge area 15 provided in the image forming unit A is incorporated. The post-processing unit C is configured to store the sheets sent to the main body discharge port 16 of the image forming unit A in a stack tray 33 after the sheets are aligned and stacked and then bound.

  For this reason, the post-processing unit C includes a paper discharge path 31 having a paper discharge port 30, a processing tray 32 for collecting and binding sheets, and a stack tray 33 for storing the bundle of sheets that have been subjected to binding processing. . The illustrated paper discharge path 31 includes a carry-in port 34 connected to the main body paper discharge port 16 and a path guide 35 (route guide member; the same applies hereinafter) that guides the sheet to the paper discharge port 30, and a conveyance roller 36 disposed in this path. It consists of The path guide 35 constitutes a path for conveying a sheet by the upper guide member 35a and the lower guide member 35b. In the figure, Se1 is a carry-in sensor, and Se2 is a paper discharge sensor.

"Output path"
The paper discharge path 31 and the processing tray 32 are arranged above and below with a step h so that the path is located above and the tray is located below. A paper discharge roller 40 is disposed at the paper discharge port 30, and conveys the sheet sent from the carry-in port 34 to the processing tray 32. As will be described later, the sheet discharge roller 40 is constituted by a forward / reverse roller, and reverses the sheet conveyance direction to be carried into the processing tray 32 from the sheet discharge path 31. The processing tray 32 is provided with a stacked sheet aligning unit 38 for aligning and stacking sheets and positioning the sheet at a predetermined processing position, and a post-processing unit (staple binding device) 39.

  A stack tray 33 is arranged on the downstream side of the processing tray 32, and both trays are substantially the same so that the sheet fed from the paper discharge port 30 is bridge-supported by the processing tray 32 at the rear end and the stack tray 33 at the leading end. It is arranged at the height position. As described above, the processing tray 32 and the stack tray 33 share and support the leading end side and the trailing end side of the sheet, whereby the apparatus can be configured to be small and compact.

<Discharge roller>
A paper discharge roller 40 is disposed at the paper discharge port 30 of the paper discharge path 31. The front end of the sheet sent from the carry-in port 34 is constituted by a discharge roller 40 that can be rotated forward and backward so that the conveyance direction is reversed and the sheet is conveyed back to the processing tray 32 after being carried out from the discharge port 30. The paper discharge roller 40 includes a first roller 40a that engages with the upper surface of the sheet carried out from the paper discharge port 30, and a paper discharge second roller 40b that engages with the lower surface of the sheet. Is connected to a forward / reverse motor M1 (not shown).

<Discharge first roller>
The first sheet discharge roller 40a engages with the upper surface of the sheet, and is positioned above the sheet that is fed through the sheet discharge path 31, and the first sheet discharge roller 40a moves up and down so as to be pressed against and separated from the second sheet discharge roller 40b. It consists of a movable roller. Hereinafter, the first discharge roller 40a will be referred to as a first discharge roller, and its lifting mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, a lifting arm 41 is swingably provided on the apparatus frame, and a discharge first roller 40a is axially supported at the end of this arm. A lift motor (shift motor) M2 is connected to the base end of the lift arm 41, and an operating position (solid line position in FIG. 4) that presses the discharge first roller 40a against the discharge second roller 40b by forward and reverse rotation. Then, it moves up and down between a standby position (a broken line position in FIG. 4) separated from this.

  An example of the lifting mechanism will be described. A rotating shaft (not shown) of the lifting motor M2 and a support shaft 42 of the lifting arm are connected by a spring clutch. When the lifting motor M2 rotates in one direction, the spring clutch of the support shaft 42 of the lifting arm is relaxed, and the lifting arm 41 is moved from the standby position to the operating position. Further, the spring clutch is contracted by the reverse rotation of the elevating motor M2, and the elevating arm 41 is moved from the operating position to the standby position, and after that, it abuts against a stopper (not shown) and is held in position.

  Further, the support shaft 42 of the lift arm is provided with a pulley connected to the lift motor M2, and the pulley and the roller shaft are interlocked by a belt or the like so as to transmit the rotation to the discharge first roller 40a. In addition, although the case where the lifting arm 41 is swung up and down with a motor has been described, it may be swung with an actuator such as an operating solenoid.

  In such a configuration, when the lifting motor M2 is rotated forward and backward, the first discharge roller 40a is in contact with the standby position retracted from the sheet conveyance path (discharge path) and the second discharge roller 40b with the sheet interposed therebetween. It can move between positions. Therefore, when the sheet is in the standby position, the sheet conveyed to the sheet discharge port 30 is free without being restrained by the roller, and when in the operating position, the sheet is conveyed in the rotation direction while being held by the roller. .

<Discharge second roller>
The paper discharge second roller 40b is disposed at a position where it engages with the paper discharge first roller 40a, and is composed of an idle roller driven by the rotation of the paper discharge first roller 40a. The sheet discharge second roller 40b is configured to retreat from the movement locus (path) of the sheet as will be described later. Hereinafter, the second discharge roller 40b is referred to as a second discharge roller. The second discharge roller 40b is a roller that engages with a peripheral surface of the first discharge roller 40a and rotatably supports the roller. The shaft pin 43 includes a shaft pin 43, which is implanted in a later-described alignment member (stacked sheet alignment means described later) 51. The illustrated second discharge roller 40b is made of a resin roller such as Delrin and is lightweight.

[Back transport route]
The paper discharge path 31 is provided with a back conveyance path 44 through which a sheet having its front end conveyed to the paper discharge outlet 30 is carried into the processing tray 32 from the rear end. As shown in FIG. 4, the path guide 35 constituting the sheet discharge path 31 is provided with a branch portion 35y (a branch portion of the sheet discharge path), and the back conveyance path 44 carries out the sheet from the branch portion 35y to the upper side of the processing tray. It is arranged to be transported. The branching unit 35y is provided with a path switching means 45, and guides the sheet rear end to the processing tray side in the state of FIG. 4 after the sheet rear end passes through the branching unit 35y. The path switching means 45 shown in the figure is configured to switch the path direction by an operating means M3 common to a sheet pressing means 48 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the back conveyance path 44 has a guide structure that is separated from the sheets stacked on the processing tray by a partition guide member 46. This is to avoid rubbing between the already loaded stacked sheets and the loaded sheets when the sheets are carried from the branch portion 35y onto the processing tray. Therefore, the partition guide member 46 may be formed by a resin film (for example, mylar sheet) depending on the resin plate as shown in the figure.

[Processing tray configuration]
The configuration of the processing tray 32 will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the processing tray 32 is disposed below the sheet discharge path 31 and is disposed at an interval that forms a step h with the sheet discharge outlet 30. A stack tray 33 is disposed on the downstream side of the processing tray 32, and a sheet fed from the sheet discharge port 30 through the back conveyance path 44 is bridge-supported between both trays. In this state, post-processing is performed by the post-processing means 39 and then stored in the stack tray 33.

<Sheet edge regulating means>
The processing tray 32 includes a post-processing unit 39 and a trailing-end regulating unit 47 that regulates the trailing end of the sheet against the post-processing position, and a stacked sheet that aligns the width direction of the sheets stacked on the processing tray with the reference position. An alignment means 38 is arranged. The trailing edge regulating means 47 is configured by a stopper member that is disposed at the edge of the processing tray 32 and that regulates the sheet against the processing position of the aftertreatment means (staple binding device) 39. The illustrated stopper members are arranged at two positions on the left and right sides, and are attached to the apparatus frame so as to be movable in conjunction with a staple binding apparatus that moves in the sheet width direction.

<Sheet holding means>
The processing tray 32 is provided with a sheet pressing unit 48 that presses the leading end portion (rear end portion in the paper discharge direction) of the sheet sent from the back conveyance path 44. The sheet pressing unit 48 maintains the posture of the sheet by pressing (pressing) the leading edge of the sheet conveyed back from the paper discharge path 31 onto the processing tray from above the processing tray. This posture maintenance prevents the sheet posture from being disturbed when the rear end portion of the sheet whose front end portion is abutted and restricted by the rear end regulating means 47 is dropped from the partition guide 46.

  FIG. 10 (a) shows the structure thereof. The sheet pressing means 48 is constituted by a swing lever structure whose base end portion is supported by a frame so as to be swingable by a support shaft 49, and a paper pressure portion 48a is provided at the distal end portion. It is formed in a shape that presses the sheet. As shown in FIG. 10A, the sheet pressing means 48 is configured to apply a pressing force to the sheet with an urging spring 50 and reduce the pressing force with an operating means (an actuator such as a solenoid or a motor) M3. Yes.

  The sheet pressing means 48 is provided with a carry-in guide 48 b for guiding the sheet sent from the back conveying path 44 to the trailing edge regulating means 47. This carry-in guide 48b is for reliably guiding a sheet with a curled tip or a thin sheet (a sheet with weak waist) to the rear end regulating means 47. In addition, the form in which the pressure of the paper pressure unit 48a is released by the actuating means M3 includes a form in which the paper pressure part 48a is retracted to a position spaced upward from the uppermost sheet on the processing tray, and a hindrance to the progress of the loaded sheet. Any form that reduces the applied pressure while in contact with the uppermost sheet on the processing tray to such an extent that it does not become possible can be adopted. The specific structure is possible, for example, by adjusting the operating stroke of the operating means M3.

  The above-described sheet pressing means 48 and the above-described path switching means 45 may be configured to be opened / closed or pressed by separate operating means, but the illustrated means is a common operating means M3 and both means are interlocked. It is comprised so that it may do. As shown in FIG. 10A, when the sheet pressure portion 48a of the sheet pressing unit 48 presses the sheet, the path switching unit 45 moves the sheet carried out to the sheet discharge port 30 from the rear end side to the back conveying path 44. It is made to interlock | cooperate with the broken-line state of the same figure so that it may guide. Further, when the paper pressure unit 48a is in the non-operating state in which the applied pressure is released, the path switching unit 45 is interlocked with the solid line state in which the sheet is guided from the paper discharge path 31 toward the paper discharge port. For example, this interlocking mechanism is provided with a winding spring on the support shaft 49 so that one-way rotation links the path switching means 45 to the solid line position, and when rotating in the opposite direction, the path switching means 45 moves to the broken line position by its own weight. Configure.

<Loaded sheet alignment means>
Further, the processing tray 32 is provided with a stacked sheet aligning means 38 that matches the width direction of the stacked sheets with the reference position. This reference position is preset as a center reference or a side reference. The illustrated stacked sheet alignment means 38 includes a pair of left and right alignment members (alignment plates) 51a and 51b disposed on the processing tray, and an alignment motor (shift motor) M4 that moves the alignment members in the sheet width direction. ing. The detailed configuration of the stacked sheet alignment unit 38 will be described later.

[Single sheet alignment mechanism]
A single sheet aligning means 52 is disposed in the sheet discharge path 31 to align the sheet width direction posture with a reference line (the center line in the figure is shown) when a sheet sent from the carry-in port 34 is sent to the sheet discharge port 30. Has been. This is because the position in the width direction (conveyance orthogonal direction) of the sheet coincides with a preset reference line in the process of conveying the sheet from the carry-in entrance 34 to the discharge exit 30.

  In the present invention, “single sheet aligning means” means means for aligning the postures of sheets conveyed one by one (in the path), and “bundle sheet aligning means” is (stacked on the processing tray). B) Means for aligning the posture of a bundled sheet. In either case, “alignment” means that the sheet is aligned with a preset reference position. A sheet having a different alignment position, a center reference based on the sheet center, and a side edge on one side of the sheet. Is set to one of the side references based on. Hereinafter, the center standard will be described for convenience of explanation, but it may be a side standard.

  The single sheet aligning means 52 includes a pair of left and right side edge aligning members 53a and 53b that engage with the sheet side edges, and an aligning drive means 54 that moves each side edge aligning member in the sheet width direction. Each of the side edge alignment members 53a and 53b is provided with an alignment surface 53x that engages with the side edge of the sheet, and is slidably fitted to and supported by the apparatus frame (the illustrated one is the path guide member 35).

  As shown in FIG. 6, a slit 35c is formed in the path guide (lower guide member) 35b in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction, and a side edge alignment member 53 is fitted in the slit. The side edge alignment member 53 is provided with an alignment surface 53x that engages with the sheet side edge. The pair of left and right side edge alignment members 53a and 53b are supported by the slit 35c, and are fitted to a pair of toothed pulleys 55 disposed on the back side of the lower guide member 35b (timing belt). 56 is fixed. A shift motor M5a (M5b) is connected to one of the pulleys.

  Accordingly, the side edge alignment members 53a and 53b approach or separate from the sheet center by forward and reverse rotation of the shift motor M5a (M5b). Further, the pair of left and right side edge alignment members 53 a and 53 b are disposed between the above-described conveyance roller 36 and the discharge roller 40. The pair of left and right side edge alignment members 53a and 53b are driven by the left and right shift motors M5a and M5b, respectively, so as to approach or separate from the sheet center as shown in the drawing. In addition, it is also possible to connect the racks provided on the left and right side edge alignment members 53 with the pinions provided on the apparatus frame and transmit the rotation of the shift motor to the pinions. In this case, the left and right side edge alignment members 53a and 53b move in the opposite directions by the same amount by the rotation of the pinion.

[Scuation correction means]
The paper discharge path 31 is provided with the following skew correcting means 57 together with the single sheet aligning means 52. Then, the sheet width direction is made to coincide with the reference line by the single sheet aligning means 52, and at the same time, the sheet inclination (skew) is corrected. The skew correction means 57 aligns the leading edge or the trailing edge of the sheet in the conveyance direction with a line (right angle line) perpendicular to the conveyance direction.

  The illustrated skew correcting means 57 includes a pair of engaging claws 58a and 58b spaced in the sheet width direction and a conveying belt (toothed belt) 59 integrally formed with the engaging claws. A conveyor belt 59 having 58 is disposed between the conveyor roller 36 and the paper discharge roller 40 described above. The trailing edge of the sheet sent from the conveyance roller 36 (away from the nip point) is engaged with the pair of engagement claws 58a and 58b, and is pushed by the engagement claw 58 by the movement of the conveyance belt 59 in the paper discharge direction. Move in the direction of the paper exit.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, a pair of engaging claws 58 a and 58 b having a distance L <b> 5 in the sheet width direction sent through the paper discharge path 31 in the direction of the paper discharge port are formed integrally with the conveyance belt 59. . The transport belt 59 is fitted to the pair of toothed pulleys 60a and 60b, and is rotated in the paper discharge direction by a transport motor M6 (not shown) connected to one of the pulleys. The engagement claw 58 disposed on the downstream side of the conveying roller 36 is pushed in the sheet discharge direction at two points (or three or more points) by movement in the sheet discharge direction. At this time, even if the sheet is skewed as shown by the broken line in FIG.

[Stack tray]
Next, the configuration of the stack tray 33 will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, the stack tray 33 is disposed on the downstream side of the processing tray 32. The stack tray 33 includes a paper platform 33a on which sheets are placed, a tray lifting / lowering means 61 that moves the paper platform up and down in accordance with the stacking amount, a level sensor Se3 that detects sheets on the stack tray, The lower limit sensor Se4 detects the lower limit position.

  The stack tray 33 is supported by guide rails 62 arranged on the apparatus frame of the image forming unit A, and is configured to be movable up and down. A winding pulley 63 and a support pulley are disposed at the upper and lower ends of the guide rail 62, and a wire 65 is stretched between the pulleys. A lift motor M7 is connected to the winding pulley 63, and the paper platform 33a is fixed to the wire 65.

  When the lift motor M7 is rotated forward and backward in such a configuration, the winding pulley 63 rotates in the forward and reverse directions, and the wire 65 wound around the pulley 65 moves up and down on the paper platform (tray) 33a in the upward or downward direction. Further, in the level sensor Se3, a paper touch piece 66a and a sensor flag 66b are attached to a swing arm member 66 that pivots upward from the apparatus frame (not shown).

  The swing arm member 66 is provided with an actuator 67 such as an actuating solenoid and a motor so as to pivot from a standby position outside the tray to a detection position above the tray at the timing when the sheet is carried out to the stack tray 33. . The sensor flag 66b at the base end portion of the arm member is detected in a state where the paper touch piece 66a at the front end is in contact with the uppermost sheet.

  The control unit 83 to be described later includes a determination unit that determines whether the stack tray 33 needs to be raised or lowered by a detection signal from the level sensor Se3. By this determination means, the control means 83 controls the height of the paper table to an appropriate position by rotating the lift motor M7 forward and backward by a predetermined amount. The lower limit sensor Se4 is a limit sensor that detects that the paper platform 33a has reached the lower limit position.

  A configuration for carrying out a sheet from the processing tray 32 to the stack tray 33 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, a carry-out roller 68 is provided at the exit end of the processing tray 32. The carry-out roller 68 does not hinder the stacking of sheets on the tray in a state of being incorporated in the processing tray. When the stacked sheets are unloaded from the processing tray 32 to the downstream side, a conveying force is applied to the sheet bundle. Is granted.

  The carry-out roller 68 shown in the figure is disposed at the outlet end of the processing tray 32 so as to be built in the inside of the tray, and this roller is attached to the tip of an elevating arm 69 that is pivotally supported by the apparatus frame. A transport motor (not shown) for applying rotation to the carry-out roller 68 is connected, and an actuator (not shown) that moves up and down between the raised position and the lowered position is connected to the lift arm 69.

  When the lifting arm 69 is in the lowered position, the transport roller 68 is built in the processing tray. When in the raised position, the transport roller 68 moves up and down to a position where it comes into pressure contact with the second discharge roller 40b constituting the discharge roller. That is, the carry-out roller 68 is built in the inside of the processing tray, and a sheet is stacked thereon, and when the stacked sheet is carried out, the sheet is pushed up and nipped with the second discharge roller 40b. The sheet bundle is transferred from the processing tray 32 to the stack tray 33 by rotating the carry-out roller 68 in the paper discharge direction.

  Further, when the carry-out roller 68 moves up and down between the lower retracted position (dashed line in FIG. 11) and the upper carry-out position (solid line in FIG. 11), the opening roller 32x of the processing tray 32 is shielded in conjunction with this. The shutter plate 70 is moved up and down. This is because the stack tray 33 has a “post-processing discharge mode” for storing post-processed sheets (bundles) that are unloaded from the processing tray 32, and a “straight sheet discharge” for storing sheets that are directly unloaded from the discharge path 31. This is because the opening 32x of the processing tray is shielded in this straight paper discharge mode.

  In the case of straight paper discharge that is directly carried out from the paper discharge roller 40 to the processing tray 32 without back conveying, the sheet is nipped from the paper discharge path 31 by the paper discharge roller (first paper discharge second roller) 40 and carried out. To do. At this time, the paper discharge roller 40 is rotated only in the paper discharge direction without rotating in the reverse direction. The trailing edge of the sheet falls from the paper discharge roller 40 to the stack tray 33. However, since there is a space between the processing tray 32 and the paper discharge roller 40, the sheets stacked on the stack tray flow into the processing tray side. Fear arises.

  Therefore, the plate-like shutter plate 70 shields the outlet end (opening) 32x of the processing tray 32. The illustrated one is configured such that the shutter plate 70 moves up and down in conjunction with a lifting arm 69 that lifts and lowers the carry-out roller 68.

[Loaded sheet alignment means]
The processing tray 32 is provided with a stacked sheet aligning means 38 for aligning the width direction position of the stacked sheets with the reference line. The stacked sheet aligning means 38 presets sheets of different sizes in the same manner as the single sheet aligning means 52 described above, and matches the sheet width direction position (paper discharge orthogonal direction) to the reference line. Therefore, the processing tray 32 is provided with a slit groove 32a in a direction orthogonal to the paper discharge direction, and a pair of left and right side edge alignment members 51a and 51b are slidably fitted in the slit groove 32a.

  The pair of left and right side edge alignment members 51a and 51b are configured such that the left and right sides approach or separate from each other by the same amount with reference to a preset center line, or left and right with reference to a side line set on one side edge. One is fixed and movable so that the other approaches or separates.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the processing tray 32 is provided with a slit groove 32a (hereinafter referred to as “tray groove”) in a direction orthogonal to the paper discharge direction, and a pair of left and right side edge alignment plate members 51a, 51a, 51b is slidably fitted. Each side edge alignment member 51a, 51b is provided with an alignment surface 51x that engages with the side edge of the sheets stacked on the processing tray, and the processing tray is moved when the left and right alignment surfaces 51x simultaneously move toward each other. The sheets stacked on the top are aligned and aligned.

  Therefore, an alignment motor M4 is connected to each of the side edge alignment members 51a and 51b, and a pinion 64 connected to the motor and a rack 51r formed on the alignment member are configured to engage with each other. The left and right side edge alignment members 51a and 51b are moved closer to or away from each other by forward and reverse rotation of the alignment motor M4, and when approached, the sheets are brought closer together to match the reference lines.

[Linkage between partition guide and stacked sheet alignment means]
In the above-described configuration, the partition guide member 46 provided in the path guide 35 and the back transport path 44, and the processing tray 32, which constitute the paper discharge path 31, and the processing tray 32 are arranged in this order in the vertical direction. This is to reduce the size of the apparatus in the paper discharge direction by reversing the paper discharge direction and storing the sheet conveyed from the paper discharge path 31 in the processing tray 32.

  Therefore, in the illustrated apparatus, the partition guide member 46 disposed above and the stacked sheet aligning unit 38 disposed below are moved in the sheet width direction by a common driving unit, and the operation stroke of both is shortened. It is characterized by doing. The configuration will be described below.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5, the partition guide member 46 and a second discharge roller (discharge roller) 40 b in contact with the lower surface of the sheet are formed in a pair of left and right in the sheet width direction. This is to simplify the mechanism in which the left and right guides and rollers are retracted to a position away from the sheet side edge. The left and right partition guide members 46a and 46b are respectively provided with a guide surface 46x that comes into contact with the lower surface of the sheet and guides it onto the processing tray, and a roller holder portion 46y that rotatably supports the second discharge roller 40b.

  On the other hand, as described above, the pair of side edge alignment members 51 arranged on the processing tray 32 is provided in a pair of left and right in the sheet width direction, and is supported movably on the processing tray 32 (may be an apparatus frame other than the tray). .

  Therefore, the left and right side edge alignment members 51a and 51b and the partition guide member 46 are integrated by molding of synthetic resin, for example. In the partition guide 46, a guide surface 46x and a roller holder portion 46y are formed. The side edge alignment member 51 is provided with an alignment surface 51x that engages with the sheet side edge. Then, the side edge aligning member 51 and the partition guide member 46 that are opposed to each other on the left and right are integrated on the left and right sides.

  As a result, the guide surface 46x, the paper discharge second roller 40b, and the alignment surface 51x are opposed to each other in an integrated state. An alignment motor M4 is coupled to the side edge alignment member 51 and the partition guide member 46 thus configured. The motor moves integrally in the sheet width direction by forward and reverse rotation of the motor.

  With such a configuration, the discharge roller 40 that conveys the sheet from the discharge port 30 onto the processing tray so as to align the sheets stacked on the processing tray so as to match the reference line, and the sheet on the processing tray A guide surface 46x guided upward is configured as a unit, and is attached to the processing tray 32 so as to be movable in the sheet direction, for example, as illustrated. At this time, the width L1 of the sheet to be carried into the processing tray 32, the interval L2 between the alignment surfaces (referred to as alignment surface interval), the sheet support interval L3 (referred to as guide surface interval) between the left and right guide surfaces 46x, and the left and right sheet discharge. FIG. 5 shows a sheet engagement interval L4 (referred to as a roller interval) of the roller 40b.

  In FIG. 5, the left and right width adjusting units D (units in which the partition guide member 46 and the side edge alignment member 51 are integrated; the same applies hereinafter) reciprocate at a predetermined stroke Ls. This stroke will be described below. The standby position Wp of the width adjusting unit D is set such that the distance L2 between the left and right alignment surfaces is longer (wider) than the width of the maximum size sheet. This is to make the width-adjusting unit D stand by at a position away from the maximum size width of the sheets stacked on the processing tray, and even if the sheets enter the tray in a distorted posture, this does not hinder the sheet. It is set in the area. This standby position Wp is set to the home position when the apparatus is initialized.

  The operating position Ap of the width adjusting unit D is set to a position that engages with the side edge of the sheet. This position is set to a half position of the sheet size with reference to a preset sheet center (CL in the drawing). Therefore, even if the sheet carried into the processing tray 32 is sent in a biased manner or skewed and sent, the correct position on the processing tray is determined by the movement of the width adjusting unit D from the standby position Wp to the operating position Ap. Will be set.

  The alignment surface interval L2, the guide surface interval L3, and the roller surface interval L4 are configured such that the interval (length) can be changed according to the sheet size L1, and the width size of the sheet sent to the paper discharge path 31 is configured. The width adjusting unit D is moved at an interval according to. This unit movement is executed by the control means 83 described later. In this case, the roller surface interval L4 and the guide surface interval L3 have substantially the same width, and the positional relationship is shown in FIG. 5, but the outer surface position where the roller or guide surface supports (contacts) the sheet is the roller surface interval L4, the guide surface. This is defined as an interval L3.

  Note that the illustrated apparatus includes the single sheet aligning unit 52 that aligns the sheet width direction posture with the reference line in the sheet discharge path 31 described above. Therefore, it is necessary to align the sheet width direction position on the processing tray. In the case where there is no sheet, the sheets that have been aligned in the conveying process are accumulated on the processing tray 32, and whether the alignment is performed again is the “use method that does not require alignment of the sheet bundle during bookbinding” or “ It may be set depending on whether the usage method is required. The control unit 83 to be described later is configured so that the operator can select whether the sheet width direction is aligned only on the sheet discharge path 31 or whether the sheet width direction is aligned on each of the sheet discharge path 31 and the processing tray.

  The width adjusting unit D described above integrally includes the alignment surface 51x, the guide surface 46x, and the sheet support surface 40x of the paper discharge roller, and reciprocates the width adjusting unit D between the standby position Wp and the operating position Ap. . The standby position Wp is set to the outside of the maximum size sheet, and the operation position Ap is set to a position where the alignment surface 53x is aligned and aligned at the sheet side edge according to the sheet size. In addition, the width adjusting unit can be configured as shown in FIG.

  The width adjusting unit D is characterized in that the sheet guided from the paper discharge port 30 to the processing tray 32 is bent and carried in. In the above-described embodiment, the alignment surface interval L2, the guide surface interval L3, and the sheet support surface interval L4 are set to substantially the same length. The alignment surface interval L2 is a length that matches the sheet size L1, and the guide surface interval L3 and the sheet support surface interval L4 are set to dimensions that are set slightly longer than the sheet size L1.

[Different forms of width alignment unit]
A configuration of the width adjusting unit E shown in FIG. The width adjusting unit E is formed as a pair on the left and right sides, and the alignment surface 51x, the guide surface 46x, and the sheet support surface 40x are integrally formed on the left and right. The left and right alignment surface distance L2 is set to be approximately the same length as the sheet size L1. Therefore, in the illustrated example, the guide surface interval L3 and the sheet support surface interval L4 are set to be shorter than the sheet size L1, and the both sides of the sheet are curved so as to hang downward, and are carried into the processing tray 32 from the sheet discharge outlet 30. It is a feature.

  In this way, when the sheet is guided to the processing tray 32 along the guide surface 46x, when the sheet is loaded while curving both ends of the sheet, it enters the uppermost sheet on the processing tray by the strength of the waist, and along that surface. It strikes against the rear end regulating means 47. As a result, problems such as bending of the leading edge of the sheet and bending of the skew do not occur.

[Control configuration]
A control configuration of the image forming system shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The image forming unit A is provided with a control CPU 73, and a ROM 74 storing an operation program and a RAM 75 storing control data are connected to the control CPU. The control CPU 73 is provided with a paper feed controller 76, an image formation controller 77, and a paper discharge controller 78. Along with these, the control CPU 73 is connected with a mode setting means 79 and a control panel 81 having an input means 80.

  The control CPU 73 is configured to select a “print-out mode”, a “jog mode”, and a “post-processing mode”. In the “print-out mode”, the image-formed sheet is stored in the stack tray 33 without finishing. In the “jog mode”, an image-formed sheet is stored in the stack tray 33 in an offset manner so that the sheets can be sorted. In the “post-processing mode”, the sheets on which the images are formed are aligned and collected, and after being bound, are stored in the stack tray 33.

  A post-processing control CPU 83 is provided in the post-processing unit C, and a ROM 84 that stores a control program and a RAM 85 that stores control data are connected to the post-processing unit C. Then, sheet size information, a paper discharge instruction signal, and mode setting commands for the post-processing mode and the print-out mode are transferred to the post-processing control CPU 83 from the control unit of the image forming unit A.

  The post-processing control CPU 83 includes a paper discharge operation control unit 86, a stacking operation control unit 87 that stacks and stacks sheets on the processing tray 32, a binding processing control unit 88, and a stack control unit 89.

[Description of operation]
The control CPU 73 of the image forming unit A described above executes the following image forming operation in accordance with the image forming program stored in the ROM 74. Similarly, the control CPU 83 of the above-described post-processing unit C executes the following post-processing operation according to the post-processing program stored in the ROM 84.

"Image formation operation"
When the “single-sided printing mode” is selected, the control CPU 73 operates the set size sheet from the sheet feeding cassette 5 and feeds it to the registration roller pair 8. Around this time, the control CPU 73 forms an image on the transfer belt 12 in accordance with predetermined image data. The image data is stored in a data storage unit (not shown) or transferred from an external device connected to the image forming unit A.

  Therefore, the control CPU 73 transfers the toner image formed on the transfer belt 12 to the sheet sent from the registration roller pair 8 by the image forming unit 2 and fixes it by the fixing device 14 on the downstream side. Thereafter, the control CPU 73 sends the image-formed sheet to the paper discharge path 17 and transfers it to a post-processing unit C described later.

  Further, when the “double-sided printing mode” is selected, the control CPU 73 executes the above-described operation to form an image on the front surface side of the sheet, and then causes the sheet to be turned upside down through the duplex path 18 provided continuously with the paper discharge unit 3. The image is reversed and fed again to the image forming unit 2, and after the image is formed on the back side of the sheet, the sheet is sent to the paper discharge path 17. At this time, the control CPU 73 causes the post-processing unit C to execute the following operation. The control CPU 83 of the post-processing unit C sends the sheet sent to the paper discharge path 31 based on the detection signal of the sensor that has reached the paper discharge path 31 from the paper discharge path to the back transport path 44.

  Simultaneously with this path switching control, when the leading edge of the sheet is carried into the processing tray 32 from the back conveyance path 44, the control CPU 83 moves the discharge first roller 40a from the standby position to the operating position and simultaneously rotates this roller. Then, the sheet carried into the processing tray 32 is sent to the downstream side along the processing tray 32 by the rotation of the discharge first roller 40a.

  The above-described control means (post-processing control CPU) 83 executes the following sheet discharge operation in accordance with programs built in the ROM 74 of the image forming unit A and the ROM 84 of the post-processing unit. The illustrated control unit 83 includes a “straight discharge mode (printout discharge mode)”, a “jog discharge mode”, and a “post-processing discharge mode”.

  In the “straight paper discharge mode”, the sheet sent to the carry-in port 34 is carried out from the paper discharge path 31 to the stack tray 33 and stored. In the illustrated apparatus, a sheet sent by the paper discharge roller 40 through the paper discharge path 31 is dropped directly from the paper discharge port 30 by the paper discharge roller 40 (without being guided to the back conveyance path) and stored in the stack tray 33. For this reason, the carry-out roller 68 is shifted to a state where it is pressed against the paper discharge second roller 40b by the lifting arm 69, and the exit end space of the processing tray 32 is shielded by the shutter plate 70. At this time, the carry-out roller 68 is connected to the motor in an idle state by, for example, a one-way clutch.

  In this state, the transport roller 68 and the paper discharge roller 40 are rotated in the paper discharge direction to carry the sheet outward from the paper discharge port 30. Then, the sheet falls onto the stack tray, the opening 32x at the exit end of the processing tray 32 is covered with the shutter plate 70, and the sheets are stacked and stored on the uppermost sheet.

  In the “jog paper discharge mode”, the sheets sent to the carry-in entrance 34 are separated from the paper discharge path 31 into the stack tray 33 and stored in a state of being aligned. When this mode is executed, the single sheet aligning means 52 is operated at the timing when the trailing edge of the sheet sent to the paper discharge path 31 is separated from the conveying roller while the paper discharge first roller 40a is kept at the separation position. At this time, the sheet is supported by the path guide 35 of the sheet discharge path 31 in a free state without being nipped by the roller.

  Therefore, the pair of left and right side edge alignment members 53a and 53b perform width alignment. The width alignment position at this time is set to an offset position determined in advance for each sheet alignment. When this mode is executed, the carry-out roller 68 is held at the raised position in pressure contact with the paper discharge second roller 40b, and the shutter plate 70 covers the tray opening 32x.

  In the “post-processing discharge mode”, the sheets sent to the carry-in port 34 are stacked on the processing tray 32 from the discharge path 31, and are bound and stored in the stack tray 33. The paper discharge operation in this mode will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7A shows a state where a sheet is carried into the paper discharge path 31, and FIG. 7B shows a case where the sheets are aligned in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance by the single sheet aligning means 52 in the path.

[Import operation]
In the initial carrying-in state, the sheet is fed into the path from the carry-in entrance 34, the position of the leading end of the sheet is detected by the carry-in sensor Se1, and then carried into the paper discharge port 30 by the carry roller 36 (FIG. 7A).

[Width alignment operation]
The control unit 83 described above carries out the carry-out in which the sheet trailing edge separates from the conveyance roller 36 to the downstream side based on the sheet size signal sent from the image forming unit A and the detection signal detected by the carry-in sensor Se1. Determine timing. Based on this determination, the control means 83 operates the single sheet aligning means 52. In the operation of the aligning means, the side edge aligning member 53 is moved from the standby position to the aligning position, and the sheet center is aligned with a preset center line. At the same time, the control means 83 operates the skew correction means 57. The skew correcting means 57 is composed of a conveying belt 59 having an engaging claw 58, and corrects the skew (skew) of the sheet under the control of the conveying motor M6 connected to the drive pulley 60 (see FIG. 7B). .

  With such an operation, the sheet is sent to the paper discharge port 30 and the sheet width direction is corrected by the single sheet aligning unit 52, and at the same time, the front and rear in the transport direction are corrected to the correct posture by the skew correcting unit 57. When the trailing edge of the sheet passes through the branch portion 35y of the sheet discharge path 31, the control unit 83 moves the sheet discharge first roller 40a from the separation position to the pressure contact position. At the same time, the path switching means 45 is operated to configure a path for guiding the trailing edge of the sheet to the processing tray side.

  Therefore, the control means 83 reverses the paper discharge roller 40 in the direction opposite to the paper discharge direction. Then, the sheet is guided to the back conveyance path 44 from the rear end side via the path switching means 45. One of the discharge rollers (second discharge roller: second discharge roller 40b) and a partition guide member 46 are arranged in the back conveyance path 44, and the sheet moves along the back conveyance path 44 toward the processing tray 32 by these. To do. At this time, the paper pressure unit 48a of the sheet pressing unit 48 is held at a position floating from the sheet on the processing tray. Further, the carry-in guide 48b of the sheet pressing unit 48 assists in guiding the sheet from the paper discharge path 31 along the partition guide member 46 onto the processing tray (see FIG. 8C).

  Next, FIG. 8D shows a state in which the sheet is abutted and aligned from the discharge port 30 to the trailing edge regulating means 47 on the processing tray, and FIG. The partition guide member 46 and the paper discharge roller (paper discharge second roller) 40b that engage with the end portion are retracted to the side of the sheet and the sheet rear end portion is dropped onto the processing tray.

  In FIG. 8D, the sheet is guided from the back conveying path 44 to the trailing edge regulating means 47 on the processing tray, and the trailing edge is abutted and aligned. At this time, the sheet pressing unit 48 is held in a state where the paper pressure unit 48 a is lifted from the stacked sheet on the processing tray, and the carry-in guide unit 48 b guides the sheet toward the trailing edge regulating unit 47. At this time, the lower surface of the sheet is supported by the partition guide member 46 and the second sheet discharge roller 40b, and both side edges of the sheet are regulated by the alignment surface 51x.

  In FIG. 9 (e), the control means 83 presses the sheet in the expected time (after a predetermined time has elapsed based on the signal detected by the paper discharge sensor Se2) of the trailing edge of the sheet against the trailing edge regulating means 47. The paper pressure unit 48a presses the rear end of the sheet with an actuator (not shown) as the means 48 and holds it on the processing tray. Thereafter, the control means 83 moves the partition guide member 46 and the paper discharge second roller 40b from the operating position Ap that engages the sheet to the standby position Wp.

  In FIG. 9F, a predetermined sheet is stacked and collected on the processing tray by repeatedly executing the above-described operation. Therefore, the control unit 83 executes a post-processing operation (binding processing by the stapling apparatus) in response to a job end signal from the image forming unit A. Then, as shown in the figure, the post-processed sheets stacked on the processing tray are carried out toward the stack tray 33.

  For this reason, the control means 83 moves the discharge first roller 40a of the discharge roller 40 (the aforementioned first discharge roller and second discharge roller) to the standby position where the discharge first roller 40a is retracted upward, and simultaneously the second discharge roller. 40b is moved from the retracted position to the operating position for engaging the seat. Then, the carry-out roller 68 is raised to a position where it is in pressure contact with the paper discharge second roller 40b, and the sheet bundle is nipped between the paper discharge second roller 40b. After this operation, the control unit 83 rotates the carry-out roller 68 in the paper discharge direction to transfer the sheet bundle to the stack tray 33 on the downstream side.

[Output operation]
Next, the control means 83 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This figure is a conceptual diagram showing the post-processing operation of the image forming system of FIG. 1, and the control means 73 of the image forming unit A sets the finishing processing mode simultaneously with the setting of the image forming conditions. The setting of the finishing processing mode is input from the control panel 81 or the like, for example, whether or not to post-process the sheet on which the operator has formed an image, or whether or not to stack the sheet without post-processing (St01).

  The apparatus shown in the figure selects one of the finishing processing modes from among [printout mode], “jog stack mode”, and “post-processing mode”. The post-processing mode is set to a processing mode in which sheets are aligned and stacked on the processing tray 32 and stapled. Hereinafter, the post-processing mode refers to bookbinding binding finishing processing. As post-processing means, stamp processing or punching processing is known in addition to staple binding processing. Any selection is possible for the present invention.

  The operation when the post-processing mode is set (St02) will be described with reference to the drawings. The control means 83 of the post-processing unit C sets whether to align the sheet width direction in the paper discharge path 31 (St03) and whether to perform the alignment operation in the sheet width direction on the processing tray 32 (St04). It is configured. At least one of the alignment operations is selected. For example, when priority is given to the processing speed, it is possible to set a mode in which sheet alignment in the width direction is not executed.

  The operation of aligning the width in the paper discharge path 31 (St03) is executed by the single sheet aligning means 52 described above. The operation of aligning the width in the processing tray 32 (St04) is executed by the above-described stacked sheet alignment means 38. When the width alignment operation of the paper discharge path 31 and the width alignment operation of the processing tray 32 are selected in this alignment condition setting (St02), the sheet is positioned in an accurate posture by the post-processing position on the processing tray. Further, when the width alignment operation is executed only in the paper discharge path 31, there is some variation in the sheets set at the processing position, but there is convenience in the case of speedy post-processing.

  Regardless of which alignment operation is selected, the control unit 83 sets the sheet size information sent from the image forming unit A and a preset reference position (center line reference or side line reference) to the side edge alignment member 53. The position of the alignment surface 53x is set to the operating position Ap and the standby position Wp. Then, the width aligning operation is executed by a timing signal when the sheet is carried onto the processing tray (for example, a predetermined time has elapsed since the signal at which the sheet trailing edge is detected by the sheet discharge sensor Se2).

  Next, the specific operation of the control means 83 will be described with reference to FIG. The control means 83 of the post-processing unit C performs setting of the post-processing mode and matching conditions by the control CPU 73 of the image forming unit A. Upon receiving the paper discharge instruction signal from the image forming unit A, the control unit 83 moves the paper discharge roller 40 to the standby position (the state where the first paper discharge roller is separated from the second paper discharge roller) in the “post-processing mode”. To do. Further, the carry-out roller 68 is moved to a non-operation position (a standby state in which the roller is built in the processing tray).

  The control means 83 causes (1) the engagement claw 58 of the skew correction means 57 to wait in the home position (standby position outside the paper discharge path: the state shown in FIG. 7A). Further, the path switching means 45 is positioned in the paper discharge direction (state shown in FIG. 7). (2) The sheet pressing unit 48 is positioned in a pressure release state in which the paper pressure unit 48a floats from the uppermost sheet on the processing tray. (3) The aligning surface 53x of the single sheet aligning means 52 (side edge aligning member 53) is positioned at a standby position away from the sheet side edge. (4) The alignment surface 51x of the stacked sheet alignment means 38, the sheet, the guide surface 46x of the partition guide member 46, and the sheet support surface 40x of the discharge second roller are moved to a position where they are engaged with the sheet.

  Thus, the paper discharge initial state is set. In this initial discharge state, substantially the same operation is performed regardless of which finishing mode is selected. Next, a case where the post-processing mode is selected according to FIG.

  The control means 83 executes the paper discharge operation after setting the paper discharge initial state. In this operation, the sheet sent to the paper discharge path 31 is transferred from the back conveying path 44 onto the processing tray, and the sheets are sequentially stacked and stacked. For this reason, the control means 83 rotates the transport roller 36. The rotation of the conveying roller 36 employs either a method in which the drive motor is activated by a paper discharge instruction signal or a signal in which the leading edge of the sheet is detected by the carry-in sensor Se1.

  Next, the control means 83 operates the single sheet aligning means 52 at a timing (delay timer) at which the sheet trailing edge is separated from the conveying roller in response to a signal detected by the carry-in sensor Se1. The single sheet aligning means 52 causes the pair of left and right side edge aligning members 53a and 53b described above to approach a reference line set in advance according to the sheet size by the rotation of the alignment motor M5.

  At this time, the leading edge of the sheet in the path is carried out from the paper discharge port 30, and the trailing edge is at a position separated from the conveying roller 36. At this time, the sheet is in a free state without being constrained by a roller or the like, and the sheet moves without being curled by the movement of the side edge alignment member 53 in the alignment direction, and is aligned with the reference line. The paper discharge roller 40 is held at a standby position where the first paper discharge roller 40a is retracted upward.

  Concurrently with the alignment in the width direction of the sheet, the control unit 83 drives the conveyance belt 59 to rotate in the paper discharge direction. Then, the engaging claw 58 provided on the belt engages with the rear end of the sheet and moves the sheet in the paper discharge direction. At this time, even if the sheet is skewed, the skew is corrected. After the single sheet aligning means 52 and the skew correcting means 57 are operated in this way, the control means 83 presses the paper discharge roller 40. In this operation, the sheet discharge first roller 40a is lowered to a position where it is engaged with the sheet discharge second roller (sheet discharge second roller) 40b, and simultaneously rotated in the direction opposite to the sheet discharge direction. At this time, the path switching means 45 is deflected so as to guide the rear end of the sheet to the back conveyance path 44 branched from the paper discharge path 31 as shown in FIG.

  Next, the sheet presser 48 is moved to a pressurized state after an estimated time when the rear end of the sheet is abutted against the rear end restricting unit 47 on the processing tray. For example, this timing is set to an expected time for the sheet trailing edge to reach the trailing edge regulating means 47 with reference to a signal that the sheet discharge sensor Se2 detects the sheet trailing edge. Further, the sheet pressing means 47 is set so that the paper pressure part 48a presses the sheet and holds its posture by an actuator (not shown) and the urging spring 50.

  With the rear end of the sheet being pressed and held, the partition guide member 46 and the second discharge roller 40b are retracted to the side of the sheet. In the illustrated embodiment, this operation moves to a standby position away from a position where the alignment surface 51x of the stacked sheet alignment means 38 is engaged with the sheet side edge.

  By repeatedly executing such an operation, a predetermined number of sheets are stacked on the processing tray. Therefore, when the control unit 83 receives a job end signal from the image forming unit A, the control unit 83 operates the post-processing unit 39 (for example, a stapler device). By this operation, the sheet on the processing tray is post-processed (the illustrated one is a binding process).

  Next, the control means 83 moves the carry-out roller 68 from the standby position to the operating position above the processing tray. At the same time, the paper discharge roller 40 is rotated in the paper discharge direction. Then, the sheet bundle on the processing tray is carried out to the stack tray 33 on the downstream side while being sandwiched between the carry-out roller 68 and the second discharge roller 40b. The sheets that have been aligned and stacked on the processing tray by the above operation are post-processed by the post-processing unit 39, and then are stacked and stored on the downstream stack tray 33 by the unloading unit.

  In the present invention, the “single sheet aligning means 52” and the “stacked sheet aligning means 38” adopt the same structure as a mechanism for aligning the sheets in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction and aligning them with the reference line. Is possible. As this alignment mechanism, a pair of left and right alignment plates are interlocked to move the same amount in the opposite direction (such as a rack and pinion coupling mechanism), and a mechanism that reciprocates with the rotation of a single motor, and a pair of left and right alignment It is also possible to drive the plates by independent motors, and in this case, it is possible to perform jog conveyance in which the sheet is offset by a predetermined amount and transferred to the stack tray on the downstream side.

  The illustrated apparatus shows a configuration in which the left and right alignment members 53 are driven by individual drive motors so that the sheet is offset in the conveyance orthogonal direction in the sheet discharge path 31 and is jog-out. Further, the stacked sheet aligning means 38 disposed on the processing tray 32 is configured to reciprocate between a standby position away from the side edge of the sheet and an aligning position where the sheets are aligned in the width direction.

  The left and right side edge alignment members 51 can be configured to move from the standby position to the alignment position each time a sheet is loaded into the processing tray (each time a sheet is loaded). In this case, since the partition guide 46 and the second discharge roller 40b are integrally attached to the side edge alignment member 51, the moving unit D is positioned at the alignment position when the sheet is carried into the processing tray 32. Then, after the sheet is carried in, it moves to the standby position and returns to the alignment position. The sheet is aligned by this returning operation.

A Image forming unit B Image reading unit C Post-processing unit 30 Paper discharge port 31 Paper discharge path 32 Processing tray 33 Stack tray 34 Carriage inlet 35 Path guide 36 Carrying roller 38 Stacked sheet alignment means 40 Paper discharge roller 40a Paper discharge first roller 40b Paper discharge second roller 40x Roller support surface 44 Back transport path 45 Path switching means 46 Partition guide member 46x Guide surface 46y Roller holder 51 Side edge alignment member 51x Alignment surface 52 Single sheet alignment means 53 Side edge alignment member 53x Alignment surface 57 Skew correcting means 58 engaging claw (58a, 58b)
59 Conveyor belt (toothed belt)
61 Tray lifting / lowering means 68 Unloading roller 70 Shutter plate

Claims (11)

A paper discharge path having a carry-in port and a paper discharge port;
A transport roller disposed in the paper discharge path;
A processing tray disposed with a step below the discharge port;
A back conveyance path for reversing and conveying the sheet conveyance direction from the paper discharge path to the processing tray;
A paper discharge roller that is disposed at the paper discharge port and transfers a sheet sent from the carry-in port to the back conveyance path;
Sheet guide means for guiding the sheet fed by the paper discharge roller to the processing tray so as to form the back conveyance path;
Post-processing means disposed in the processing tray;
A sheet side edge aligning unit that is disposed in the processing tray and aligns a position in the width direction of the sheet with a preset reference line;
With
The sheet guide means includes
A guide member having a pair of left and right guide surfaces movable in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction of the sheet transferred to the processing tray;
Guide shift means for moving the position of the pair of left and right guide members;
Consists of
The sheet side edge aligning means is
A side edge alignment member having an alignment surface with a pair of left and right sheet side edges movable in the sheet discharge orthogonal direction;
Alignment shift means for moving the position of the pair of left and right side edge alignment members;
Consists of
The sheet is characterized in that the guide shift means and the alignment shift means are configured such that the guide member and the side edge alignment member are integrally moved in the sheet discharge orthogonal direction by a common drive motor. Post-processing device. The roller that contacts the lower surface of the sheet that moves on the back conveyance path among the discharge rollers is composed of a movable roller that can move in the discharge orthogonal direction.
The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a pair of the movable rollers are arranged on the left and right sides of the sheet to be conveyed back. The pair of left and right guide members and the movable roller are:
When the movable roller is in a position where it engages with the sheet, each guide member guides the sheet toward the processing tray.
The alignment members are arranged such that when the movable roller is in a position retracted from the sheet, the side edges of the sheets carried on the processing tray are positioned in a standby position for the width alignment operation. Item 3. A sheet post-processing apparatus according to Item 2. The guide member and the movable roller are
A pair of left and right sides are arranged so as to nip the left and right side edges of the sheet moving along the back conveyance path from above and below,
4. Each movable roller located at the left and right side edges is rotatably supported by a roller holder formed integrally with each of the left and right guide members. Sheet post-processing equipment. 5. The sheet post-processing according to claim 4, wherein each of the side edge alignment members and each guide member formed in a pair on the left and right sides is configured to be integrally movable in the sheet conveyance orthogonal direction. apparatus. The side edge alignment member and the guide member are
Consists of synthetic resin integral molding,
6. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the movable roller is rotatably supported by a roller holder integrally formed with the guide member. The alignment surface of the side edge alignment member and the guide surface of the guide member are
The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a distance between the left and right guide surfaces is set shorter than a distance between the left and right alignment surfaces. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1,
And a control means for controlling the paper discharge roller, the sheet guide means, and the sheet side edge aligning means,
The guide member and the side edge alignment member are formed as a pair on the left and right with respect to the sheet moving in the back conveyance path,
The left and right guide members and the side edge alignment member are configured to be capable of being moved integrally in the direction perpendicular to the movement of the sheet,
The control means controls the guide shift means and the alignment shift means so that the left and right gaps between the left and right guide members and the side edge alignment members are increased in the order of the alignment position, the guide position, and the retracted position. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7. 9. The sheet discharge path is provided with a single sheet aligning unit that aligns a width direction position of a sheet transported toward a sheet discharge port by the transport roller with a reference line. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1. 10. The skew correction means for correcting the inclination of the front and rear end edges of the sheet transported toward the sheet discharge port by the conveying roller is provided in the sheet discharge path. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1. An image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet;
A post-processing unit that performs post-processing on the sheet sent from the image forming unit;
An image forming system comprising:
11. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the post-processing unit has the configuration according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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