JP6996845B2 - Sheet processing device and image forming system equipped with it - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to, for example, a sheet processing device that processes sheets of different sizes discharged and loaded from an image forming device.

Conventionally, as a post-processing of a sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile, or a composite device thereof, a sheet processing device for saddle-stitching a sheet to create a booklet has been provided. There is also known a post-processing device capable of inserting a sheet having a size smaller than that of a sheet that has been saddle-stitched or folded into a booklet, into the sheet that has been saddle-stitched or folded.

For example, in Patent Document 1, paper is sandwiched between a pair of folding rollers that rotate in opposite directions and a folding plate that travels straight, creases are made, and then the paper is unfolded again and conveyed, and the creases are conveyed from another route. Disclosed is a post-processing device in which an insert paper without a mark is sandwiched between spreads of a booklet-shaped paper with further creases, and then a finishing fold process is performed. Further, Patent Document 2 is a post-processing in which paper such as printing paper and insert paper is ejected upward from a paper ejection portion onto an upwardly inclined paper tray and then dropped and accumulated to be saddle-stitched or folded. The device is disclosed. In the post-processing device disclosed in Patent Document 2, in consideration of finishing the booklet with the insert paper inserted, when the insert paper is to be ejected to the paper tray together with the printing paper that is the base of the booklet, the insert paper is inserted. When the lower end position of the next ejected printing paper is higher than the upper end position of the most recently ejected inserted paper, the lower end of the printing paper interferes with the upper end of the inserted paper to cause a paper jam. Therefore, when the insert paper is ejected and then the printing paper is ejected, the paper loaded in the paper tray is moved so that the lower end of the printing paper is dropped on the paper surface of the insert paper loaded on the top layer of the paper tray. I'm letting you.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-152952 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-11254

In the post-processing apparatus as described in Patent Document 1, the sheet is creased once, then opened, the insert paper conveyed by another route is inserted, and then the finishing middle fold process is performed, so that the crease is made. There is a problem that the device becomes large because a mechanism for unfolding the folded paper, a finish folding mechanism, a route for transporting the folded paper, and a route for transporting the unfolded inserted paper are required. Further, in the post-processing apparatus as described in Patent Document 2, the transport path of the printing paper and the inserted paper is common, and there is no need for a mechanism for unfolding the creases, but the paper is pulled upward from the paper ejection portion. Since the paper tray is lowered after being ejected to the paper tray, a space for at least the maximum size of the paper is secured above the paper ejection section, and the sheet is moved when the paper on the paper tray is moved. Since it is necessary to secure a space for allowing the upper end of the paper to escape, there may still be a problem that the size of the device becomes large, especially when the sizes of the printing paper and the insert paper are significantly different.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet processing device having a compact structure and capable of loading a sheet without interfering with the end portions of the sheets discharged onto the sheet mounting tray.

In view of the above object, the present invention has, as a first aspect, a sheet loading tray having an inclined upward mounting surface, and a first size ejected from an outlet located above the sheet loading tray. A sheet processing device for loading a second size sheet having a length in the discharge direction longer than that of the first size sheet on the above- mentioned mounting surface and processing the loaded sheet. A first alignment position that abuts on the lower end of the first size sheet loaded on the mounting surface to align the lower end positions, and a first alignment position that is provided below the first alignment position and has the second size. A lower end regulating member that moves up and down along the previously described mounting surface in order to move to a second matching position that abuts on the lower end of the sheet and aligns the lower end position, and the first size loaded on the previously described mounting surface. The contact surface that abuts on the upper end of the sheet and the lower end of the sheet that is arranged on the discharge port side of the contact surface and is discharged from the discharge port to the sheet loading tray are loaded on the above-mentioned mounting surface. The contact surface is provided with an inclined surface that extends downward from the above-mentioned mounting surface in order to guide the sheet so as to get over the upper end of the first size sheet, and the contact surface is the first size. A first upper end presser member that moves up and down along the previously described mounting surface and a previously described mounting surface in order to move to a pressing position that abuts on the upper end of the sheet and a retracting position that is away from the upper end of the first size sheet. The control unit includes a processing unit that processes the sheet loaded on the top, a first upper end pressing member, and a control unit that controls the operation of the lower end regulation member , and the control unit has the first size. When receiving the sheet, the lower end regulating member is positioned at the first alignment position , and the second size sheet is discharged from the discharge port to the sheet loading tray following the first size sheet. Occasionally, from the state where the sheet of the first size is sandwiched between the first upper end pressing member at the holding position and the lower end regulating member at the first matching position, the lower end regulating member is said to be the same. It is characterized in that the first upper end pressing member and the lower end regulating member are controlled to move in synchronization while maintaining the state of sandwiching the first size sheet until it is positioned at the second matching position. Provided is a sheet processing apparatus.

In the above sheet processing device, the sheet discharged from the discharge port descends along the mounting surface and abuts on the lower end regulating member, so that the vertical positions on the mounting surface are aligned regardless of the size. , Processing by the processing unit can be performed. Further, with the lower end of the first size sheet mounted on the mounting surface in contact with the lower end regulating member, the first upper end pressing member moves to the pressing position and is mounted on the mounting surface. By abutting against the upper end of the first size sheet, the first size sheet is pressed against the lower end regulating member, so that the transport direction of the first size sheet loaded on the mounting surface ( The position in the vertical direction along the mounting surface) can be more reliably aligned. Further, since the first upper end presser member has an inclined surface that extends toward the discharge port side so as to move away from the mounting surface, the first upper end presser member abuts on the upper end of the sheet of the first size. In this state, even if the succeeding sheet is ejected from above the upper end of the first size sheet loaded on the sheet loading tray, the ejected sheet descends along the mounting surface. While being guided along the inclined surface of the first upper end holding member, it is possible to get over the upper end of the first size sheet loaded on the sheet loading tray, and the lower end of the discharged sheet (on the first side in the discharge direction). It is possible to prevent the end portion) from interfering with the upper end of the loaded first size sheet.

As one embodiment, the processing unit is arranged so as to face the pair of folding rollers arranged on the side facing the veneer described above and facing each other, and the pair of folding rollers sandwiching the sheet loading tray. The working position where the veneer pushes at least the second size sheet on the above-mentioned mounting surface between the pair of folding rollers and the first size sheet and the second size sheet, including the veneer to be formed. It can be moved to and from the standby position away from. With such a configuration, the processing unit can perform a center folding process on the loaded sheet. In this case, it is preferable that the lower side surface of the veneer is a guide surface that tapers toward the pair of folding rollers, and the lower end regulating member can be raised and lowered along the mounting surface. After moving the veneer to the operating position, the control unit raises the lower end regulating member so that the upper end of the first size sheet comes into contact with the guide surface. More preferred. In this way, after pushing the second size sheet between the pair of folding rollers by the veneer, if the lower end regulating member is raised and the first size sheet is pressed against the guide surface, the first size sheet can be used. The upper edge of the sheet is guided between the pair of folding rollers.

The first upper end presser member may include a cover portion extending so as to cover the upper end of the first size sheet when moved to the presser position.

Further, the sheet processing device moves up and down along the mounting surface between a pressing position abutting on the upper end of the second size sheet and a retracting position away from the upper end of the second size sheet. It is preferable to further include an upper end holding member. In this case, it is more preferable that the second upper end pressing member has an inclined surface on the discharge port side that extends away from the above-mentioned mounting surface as it goes downward.

Further, as the second aspect of the present invention, as described above, an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet and discharging the image-formed sheet and a sheet ejected from the image forming apparatus are integrated and processed. To provide an image forming system including a sheet processing apparatus of the above.

According to the present invention, even if the discharge port is provided above the upper end of the sheet loaded on the sheet mounting tray, the discharged sheet is the first by the first upper end regulating member having an inclined surface. It is possible to get over the upper end of a sheet of size 1. Therefore, it is not necessary to move the position of the sheet on the mounting surface of the sheet loading tray so that the upper end of the sheet is located above the position of the discharge port according to the size of the sheet loaded on the sheet loading tray. It is possible to prevent the lower end of the discharged sheet (the end on the leading side in the discharge direction) from interfering with the upper end of the first size sheet loaded on the sheet loading tray. In addition, since the sheets are ejected downward from the paper ejection port toward the sheet loading tray, an additional space for allowing the movement of the maximum size sheet above the ejection port is secured above the ejection port. There is no need. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the increase in size of the device while preventing the interference between the lower end of the sheet discharged from the discharge port and the upper end of the sheet loaded on the sheet loading tray, and to make the sheet processing device compact. can.

It is explanatory drawing of the whole structure of the image formation system which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the whole structure of the sheet processing apparatus in the image formation system shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which enlarges and shows a part of the sheet processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the sheet folding apparatus incorporated in the sheet processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2 in detail. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part of the middle folding unit of the sheet folding device of FIG. 4, showing a state in which the veneer is arranged in the standby position. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part of the middle folding unit of the sheet folding device of FIG. 4, showing a state in which the veneer is moved to an operating position where the sheet is pushed between the pair of folding rollers. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing an enlarged view of a first upper end pressing member of the sheet folding device of FIG. 4. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing an enlarged view of a second upper end pressing member of the sheet folding device of FIG. 4. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the control device of the image formation system shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory view showing a processing process in the sheet folding apparatus of FIG. 4, and (a) to (e) are processes of accumulating small-sized sheets carried into a sheet loading tray in a predetermined position and posture. Is shown. It is a schematic explanatory view which shows the processing process in the sheet folding apparatus of FIG. It shows the process of loading in accordance with. It is a schematic explanatory view which shows the processing process in the sheet folding apparatus of FIG. 4, and (j) to (m) show the process of performing the middle folding process on the sheet loaded on the sheet loading tray. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the integrated processing of the small size sheet in the sheet folding apparatus of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the integration processing of the large size sheet in the sheet folding apparatus of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the middle folding process in the sheet folding apparatus of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention and the image forming system including the same will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the attached drawings, the same or similar components are designated by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1 shows an image forming system including a sheet bundle processing apparatus according to the present invention. The image forming system shown in FIG. 1 includes an image forming device A and a sheet processing device B, and the sheet processing device B incorporates a sheet folding device C as a unit, and the image forming device C is incorporated in the sheet processing device B. The sheets image-formed by A are aligned and accumulated by the sheet processing device B, and the integrated sheet bundle is subjected to post-processing such as needle binding and center folding, and the first stack tray 21 or the second on the downstream side is subjected to post-processing. It is stored in the stack tray 22 of. Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus A and the sheet processing apparatus B will be described in detail.

[Image forming device]
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus A includes a paper feeding unit 2 and an image forming unit 3 in the housing 1, and feeds a sheet from the paper feeding unit 2 to the image forming unit 3. After the image forming unit 3 forms an image on the sheet, the sheet is carried out from the main body paper ejection port 4.

In the illustrated embodiment, the paper feed unit 2 includes a plurality of cassettes 2a and 2b, and each of the cassettes 2a and 2b can store sheets of different standard sizes selected in advance. Further, a manual feed tray 2x is provided so that the user can insert a sheet according to the purpose of use. From the paper feed unit 2 having such a configuration, a sheet having a size, paper quality (coated paper, plain paper, etc.) and a thickness specified by using the control panel 15 described later is fed to the image forming unit 3.

The image forming unit 3 may be configured to form an image on the sheet sent from the paper feeding unit 2, and various image forming mechanisms can be adopted. In the illustrated embodiment, an electrostatic image forming mechanism is shown as the image forming unit 3. However, the image forming unit 3 is not limited to the electrostatic image forming mechanism shown in the figure, and an inkjet image forming mechanism, an offset type image forming mechanism, or the like can also be adopted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming unit 3 is provided with a light emitter (laser head or the like) 5, a photosensitive drum 6, a developing device 7, a transfer charger 8, and a fixing device 9. A latent image (still image) is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 6 by the light emitter 5, and toner ink is adhered by the developer 7. The ink image (toner ink) adhered on the photosensitive drum 6 is image-transferred to the sheet sent from the paper feed unit 2 by the transfer charger 8, and the image-transferred sheet is fixed by the fuser 9 and then fixed. , Is sent to the paper ejection path 10.

The image forming unit 3 is further provided with a circulation path 11 and a main body switchback path 12. The circulation path 11 and the main body switchback path 12 are paths for performing double-sided printing, and the sheet in which the image is fixed on the front surface side discharged from the fuser 9 is turned upside down via the main body switchback path 12. After that, double-sided printing is performed by transporting the image to the image forming unit 3 again by the circulation path 11 and printing on the back surface side of the sheet. The sheet printed on both sides in this way is ejected from the main body paper ejection port 4 after being turned upside down again in the main body switchback path 12.

An image reading unit 13 for reading an original image is provided on the upper portion of the image forming apparatus A configured in this way, and a document feeding unit 14 is mounted on the upper portion of the image reading unit 13. The image reading unit 13 includes a platen 13a made of transparent glass, a reading carriage 13b, and a photoelectric conversion element 13c, and scans and reads an image of a document sheet mounted on the platen 13a with the reading carriage 13b. , It is converted into an electric signal by the photoelectric conversion element 13c. Further, the document feeding unit 14 includes the paper feed tray 14a, separates the document sheets placed on the paper feed tray 14a one by one, and automatically feeds them to the platen 13a of the image reading unit 13. It is configured in.

The image forming apparatus A is further provided with a control panel 15, an image data storage unit 16, and a buffer memory 17. Using the control panel 15, for example, sheet size, color printing / monochrome printing, number of prints, and so on. Image formation conditions such as single-sided printing / double-sided printing and enlargement / reduction printing can be set in the main body control unit 61, which will be described later. Further, the image data storage unit 16 stores the electric signal read by the image reading unit 13 and converted by the photoelectric conversion element 13c as image data. The image data storage unit 16 can also store image data transferred, for example, through a network. The image data stored in the image data storage unit 16 is transferred to the buffer memory 17, and is sequentially transferred from the buffer memory 17 to the light emitter 5.

From the control panel 15, in addition to the image formation conditions, sheet processing conditions can also be input and specified. As the sheet processing conditions, for example, "printout mode", "binding finish mode", "sheet bundle folding finish mode" and the like are set. These sheet processing conditions will be described later.

[Sheet processing device]
The sheet processing device B connected to the image forming device A has an overall configuration shown in FIG. 2 and an internal structure shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, with the device housing 20, the first paper ejection tray 21, and the second. The paper ejection tray 22 is provided, and the image-formed sheet ejected from the main body ejection port 4 of the image forming apparatus A is received, and (1) the sheet ejected from the main body ejection port 4 is subjected to sheet processing. It is stored in the first paper ejection tray 21 without any problems (“printout mode”), or (2) the sheets ejected from the main body paper ejection port 4 are aligned in a bundle and subjected to binding processing, and then the first is performed. It is stored in the paper ejection tray 21 of No. 1 (“binding finish mode”), or (3) the sheets ejected from the main body ejection port 4 are aligned in a bundle and then folded into a booklet to be ejected second. It is configured to be stored in the paper tray 22 (“sheet bundle folding finishing mode”).

Inside the device housing 20 of the sheet processing device B, a sheet carry-in path P1 extending in a substantially horizontal direction is provided between the carry-in port 23 and the paper ejection port 24. As shown in FIG. 1, the carry-in inlet 23 of the sheet carry-in route P1 is arranged so as to be connected to the main body paper discharge port 4 of the image forming apparatus A, and the sheet discharged from the main body paper discharge port 4 is carried in the sheet. It can be carried into the sheet processing apparatus B via the path P1. Further, inside the device housing 20, a first switchback transport path SP1 and a second switchback transport path SP2 that branch from the sheet carry-in path P1 and transfer the sheet in the reverse direction are provided, and the first switchback transport path SP2 is provided. The switchback transport path SP1 is arranged on the downstream side (rear end side of the device) of the seat carry-in path P1, and the second switchback transport path SP2 is arranged on the upstream side of the first switchback transport path SP1. There is. On the downstream side of the first switchback transport path SP2 extending from the paper ejection port 24 of the sheet carry-in route P1, the processing tray 30 is arranged below the paper ejection port 24 and the step, and the first downstream side thereof. The output tray 21 is connected. Further, a folding device C is arranged on the downstream side of the second switchback transport path SP2, and a second paper output tray 22 is connected to the downstream side thereof.

[Sheet delivery route]
In the sheet carry-in route P1, a carry-in roller 25 for transporting the sheet received from the carry-in inlet 23 toward the paper discharge port 24 and a sheet provided at the outlet end of the carry-in route P1 and carried out are discharged from the paper discharge port 24. A paper ejection roller 26 for paper is provided, and these rollers are driven by a drive motor (not shown) capable of forward / reverse rotation. Further, an inlet sensor S1 and an outlet sensor S2 for detecting the front end and / or the rear end of the sheet are provided in the vicinity of the carry-in inlet 23 and the paper discharge port 24 of the sheet carry-in route P1, respectively. As shown in FIG. 1, the carry-in roller 25 may be provided at a plurality of places along the sheet carry-in route P1.

As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the sheet carry-in route P1 includes a route switching piece 27 that guides the sheet to the second switchback transfer path SP2 and a sheet that reaches the second switchback transfer path SP2. A buffer guide 28 that temporarily retains and holds the buffer guide 28 is further provided, and is driven by an operating means (not shown) such as a solenoid. Further, on the sheet carry-in route P1, a post-processing unit 29 for performing post-processing such as stamping (stamping means) and punching (drilling means) on the sheet is provided. In the illustrated embodiment, the post-processing unit 29 is arranged in the vicinity of the carry-in entrance 23 of the sheet carry-in path P1 so as to be detachable from the device housing 20 according to the device specifications.

[First switchback transport path]
The first switchback transport path SP1 provided on the downstream side of the sheet carry-in path P1 is configured as follows. The sheet carry-in route P1 is provided with a paper ejection roller 26 and a paper ejection port 24 at the outlet end thereof, and on the downstream side of the paper ejection port 24, a processing tray 30 is provided below the paper ejection port 24 at a step. It is provided. The processing tray 30 is composed of a tray for loading and supporting a plurality of sheets discharged from the paper ejection port 24.

As shown in FIG. 3, the processing tray 30 has a forward / reverse roller 31 arranged above the processing tray 30 and a forward / reverse roller 31 arranged above the processing tray 30 as a transfer mechanism for transporting sheets on the processing tray 30. A driven roller 32 that cooperates with the forward / reverse roller 31 and a scraping rotating body 33 are provided.

The forward / reverse roller 31 and the driven roller 32 are provided near the front end portion of the processing tray 30 in the carry-out direction (the end portion on the first stack tray 21 side). The forward / reverse roller 31 is arranged above the processing tray 30 and has an operating position (position shown by a solid line in FIG. 3) in contact with the top sheet on the processing tray 30 and the top sheet on the processing tray 30. It is configured to be able to move up and down with and from a standby position (position shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3) separated from the standby position. Further, the forward / reverse rotation roller 31 and the driven roller 32 sandwich the sheet from above and below so that the roller body of the forward / reverse rotation roller 31 and the roller body of the driven roller 32 can convey the sheet when the forward / reverse rotation roller 31 is lowered to the operating position. Is located in.

When the sheet is brought into the processing tray 30, the forward / reverse roller 31 configured in this way moves to a receiving position (for example, a standby position) away from the processing tray 30 and is discharged from the paper ejection port 24. When the rear end in the traveling direction of the sheet reaches the processing tray 30, it is controlled to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 3 while descending to the operating position and in contact with the upper surface of the uppermost sheet on the processing tray 30. Will be done.

In the illustrated embodiment, the scraping rotating body 33 is composed of an endless belt hung between two pulleys so that one of the pulleys rotates together with the drive shaft 26x of the lower paper ejection roller 26. The other pulley is pivotally supported so as to hang down on the processing tray 30 around the central axis of the pulley coaxial with the drive shaft 26x. The scraping rotating body 33 engages with the upper surface of a new sheet conveyed onto the sheet at the uppermost position of the sheet bundle loaded on the treatment tray 30, and presses the tip of the sheet in the drawing. It rotates counterclockwise and feeds the sheet until it comes into contact with the regulating member 34 described later. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the curl and skew of the sheet that may occur while transporting the sheet onto the processing tray 30 to the regulating member 34. The scraping rotating body 33 is not limited to the belt, and may be configured by a paddle member, a roller, or the like.

At the rear end portion of the processing tray 30 in the paper ejection direction (the right end portion in FIG. 3), a regulating member 34 for regulating the position of the end portion of the sheet in the paper ejection direction and a binding device 35 are arranged. Here, the paper ejection direction in the processing tray 30 means the direction in which the sheet is ejected from the processing tray 30 toward the first paper ejection tray 21. In the present embodiment, the binding device 35 is composed of an end face binding stapler, and staples are placed at one or a plurality of positions at the rear end in the paper ejection direction (the right end in FIG. 3) of the sheet bundles accumulated on the processing tray 30. Perform binding. However, the binding device 35 is not limited to staplers and end face bindings that perform binding processing using staples. For example, the binding device 35 may be configured by a binding device that performs crimp binding. Further, in the present embodiment, the regulating member 34 includes a grip claw 34a for gripping the sheet bundle and a regulating surface 34b for restricting the rear end of the sheet by abutting against each other, and processes the bound sheet bundle. It is configured to be reciprocating in the paper ejection direction along the processing tray 30 so as to be able to carry out the function of carrying out to the first paper ejection tray 21 arranged on the downstream side of the tray 30. The regulating member 34 is connected to the drive arm 36, and the regulating member 34 can be reciprocated in the paper ejection direction along the processing tray 30 by swinging the drive arm 36 by the paper ejection motor M. It has become.

Further, the processing tray 30 is provided with a pair of side matching plates 37 that match the width direction (direction perpendicular to the paper ejection direction) of the sheets stacked on the processing tray 30. The seats are arranged against each other in the left-right direction (front-back direction in FIG. 3) so as to align the seats with respect to the center, and are configured to be able to approach and separate from the center of the seat.

In the first switchback transport path SP1 configured in this way, the sheet ejected from the paper ejection port 24 moves on the processing tray 30 toward the first paper ejection tray 21, and is rearward in the traveling direction of the sheet. The direction toward the first stack tray 21 (that is, the paper ejection direction) by the forward / reverse roller 31 that rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 3 after the end is ejected from the paper ejection port 24 and reaches the processing tray 30. The switchback is conveyed toward the regulating member 34 in the opposite direction (hereinafter, also referred to as “carry-in direction”). At this time, the scraping rotating body 33 cooperates with the forward / reverse roller 31 to feed the sheet along the processing tray 30 until it comes into contact with the regulating member 34. In the "binding finish mode", the sheets fed onto the processing tray 30 are aligned on the processing tray 30 by aligning the sheets from the paper ejection port 24 on the processing tray 30, and the aligned sheet bundles are aligned at the trailing edge by the binding device 35. Staple bind one or more places. In the "printout mode", the sheet sent along the processing tray 30 is sandwiched between the forward / reverse roller 31 and the driven roller 32 without transporting the sheet from the paper ejection port 24 by switchback. It is carried out to the first paper ejection tray 21.

[Second switchback transport path and sheet folding device]
As shown in FIG. 1, the second switchback transport path SP2 branched from the sheet carry-in path P1 extends substantially in the vertical direction, and on the downstream side of the second switchback transport path SP2, A sheet folding device C is provided which collects sheets sent from the second switchback transport path SP2 in a part-aligned manner and performs saddle stitching processing and center folding processing. As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the sheet folding device C is integrated in the integration guide 38, the saddle stitching unit 39 for saddle stitching the sheets integrated in the integration guide 38, and the integration guide 38. It is provided with a saddle-folding unit 40 that performs saddle-stitching processing on the sheet. The integration guide 38 includes a seat loading tray 38a having a mounting surface 38d which is an upward dogleg-shaped inclined surface, a switchback path 38b, and an exit guide portion 38c. A discharge roller 41 and a discharge port 42 are provided at the outlet end of the second switchback transport path SP2, and a sheet loading tray 38a is provided on the downstream side of the discharge port 42 so as to be separated from the discharge port 42 by a step. Is placed. Further, the switchback path 38b is connected to the upper end side of the seat loading tray 38a. The sheet loading tray 38a is formed so as to have a length dimension capable of accommodating the maximum size sheet, and is configured so that the sheets discharged from the discharge port 40 can be sequentially loaded on the mounting surface 38d. ..

By the second switchback transport path SP2 and the integration guide 38 having such a configuration, the sheets discharged from the discharge port 40 are sequentially loaded on the mounting surface 38d of the sheet loading tray 38a of the integration guide 38.

The sheet loading tray 38a has a binding position X and a folding position Y. A saddle stitching unit 39 is arranged at the binding position X as a processing unit for processing the sheet, and a saddle stitch unit 39 is arranged at the folding position Y. The folding unit 40 is arranged. Any saddle stitching unit 39 can be used as long as it can perform saddle stitching, and as the saddle stitching unit 39, for example, a staple binding device that performs saddle stitching using staples can be used. Since such a saddle stitching unit 39 is known, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

The middle folding unit 40 includes a pair of folding rollers 43 including a folding roller 43a and a folding roller 43b, a veneer 44 arranged to face the pair of folding rollers 43 with the sheet loading tray 38a interposed therebetween, and a pair of folding rollers. It includes a paper ejection roller pair 45 arranged on the downstream side of 43. The pair of folding rollers 43 are arranged at positions where the sheets loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a and the surfaces of the folding rollers 43a and 43b do not come into contact with each other. In the illustrated embodiment, the pair of folding rollers 43 are arranged. When one folding roller 43a is rotatably supported by the device housing 20 and urged toward the other folding roller 43b, and the sheet bundle is sandwiched between the pair of folding rollers 43a, 43b, the sheet is pressed. However, they can be brought close to each other according to the thickness of the sheet bundle. Further, the veneer 44 is supported on the veneer carrier 46 with its tip directed toward the pressure contact portion of the pair of folding rollers 43, and can move in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the sheet on the loading tray 38a. There is. The veneer carrier 46 is driven in a direction approaching and separating from the seat loading tray 38a by a carrier driving mechanism (not shown). As a result, the veneer 44 has a standby position in which the tip thereof does not protrude from the seat loading tray 38a and is separated from the seat loaded on the mounting surface 38d as shown in FIG. 5, and is shown in FIG. As such, the sheet loaded on the mounting surface 38d at the tip can be moved to and from the operating position where the sheet is pushed between the pair of folding rollers 43. Further, in the veneer 44, the lower side surface of the portion protruding from the mounting surface 38 when moved to the operating position is tapered toward the tip (that is, toward the pair of folding rollers 43) in a tapered shape. A guide surface 44a inclined so as to be formed is formed. As a result, when the upper end of the small-sized sheet is in contact with and pressed against the guide surface 44a of the veneer 64, the upper end of the small-sized sheet is smoothly guided between the pair of folding rollers 43.

An outlet guide portion 38c is provided at the folding position Y so as to be connected to the integrated guide 38, and the outlet guide portion 38 is provided on the sheet loading tray 38a as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. It is composed of opposed guide pieces narrowed so as to gradually bend the bundle of loaded sheets.

[Sheet loading tray]
The sheet loading tray 38a has a lower end regulating member 47, a first upper end pressing member 48 arranged above the lower end regulating member 47 along the sheet loading tray 38a, and a first upper end holding member 48 along the sheet loading tray 38a. The second upper end pressing member 49 arranged above the upper end pressing member 48 and the side matching members 50 arranged on both sides of the seat loading tray 38a in the width direction (front-rear direction in FIG. 4) are mounted on the mounting surface 38d. It is provided so as to protrude from.

As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the lower end regulating member 47 is composed of a channel member having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and has a regulating surface 47a inside which the lower end of the sheet is brought into contact. ing. Further, the lower end regulating member 47 is moved up and down along the seat loading tray 38a (specifically, the mounting surface 38d thereof) by the lower end regulating member driving mechanism 51, and is moved to the standby position, the large size sheet receiving position, and the small size sheet receiving position. It can be moved. In the illustrated embodiment, the lower end regulating member drive mechanism 51 is composed of a pair of pulleys arranged near the upper end and the lower end of the moving range of the lower end regulating member 47, and a transmission belt wound around both pulleys. The lower end regulating member 47 is fixed on the transmission belt and is moved up and down by rotating the pulley on the drive side by the drive means so that the seat can be moved on the seat loading tray 38a. However, the lower end regulating member drive mechanism 51 is not limited as long as the lower end regulating member 47 can be raised and lowered along the seat loading tray 38a, and other drive mechanisms can also be used.

The lower end regulating member 47 configured in this way abuts the lower end of the sheet discharged from the discharge port 42 and descends along the sheet loading tray 38 with the regulation surface 47a to stop the position of the lower end of the sheet. It regulates and functions to move the seat on the mounting surface 43d by moving up and down along the seat loading tray 38a.

As shown in detail in FIG. 7, the first upper end pressing member 48 is composed of a channel member having a substantially U-shape, and is for contacting the upper ends of the small size sheet formed inside. A contact surface 48a, a cover portion 48b extending so as to cover the upper end of the small size sheet when the upper end of the small size sheet is brought into contact with the contact surface 48a, and a cover portion 48b formed and mounted on the discharge port 42 side. At the tip of the cover portion 48b so as to press the inclined surface 48c extending inclined away from the mounting surface 38d as it goes downward along the mounting surface 38d and the upper surface of the sheet loaded on the mounting surface 38d. It has a sheet-like flexible sheet pressing member 48d attached.

Further, the first upper end pressing member 48 is moved up and down along the seat loading tray 38a (specifically, its mounting surface 38d) by the first upper end pressing member driving mechanism 52, and is loaded on the mounting surface 38d. It is possible to move between the retracted position away from the upper end of the sheet and the pressing position abutting on the upper end of the sheet loaded on the mounting surface 38d. In the illustrated embodiment, the first upper end presser member drive mechanism 52 is a pair of pulleys arranged near the upper end and the lower end of the movement range of the first presser member 48, and a transmission wound around both pulleys. The first pressing member 48, which is composed of a belt, is fixed on the transmission belt and is moved up and down by rotating the pulley on the driving side by the driving means, and the upper end of the seat loaded on the mounting surface 38d. It is possible to contact and separate from the object. However, the first upper end presser member drive mechanism 52 is not limited as long as the first upper end presser member 48 can be moved up and down along the seat loading tray 38a, and other drive mechanisms can also be used. be.

The first upper end pressing member 48 configured in this way abuts on the upper end of the sheet of the first size (hereinafter, referred to as small size), and the lower end of the small size sheet is regulated by the lower end regulating member 47. By pressing against the surface 47a, the position of the small-sized sheet along the mounting surface 38d in the transport direction (that is, in the vertical direction) is aligned, and the lower end of the subsequent sheet is of the sheet loaded on the mounting surface 38d. It functions to prevent collision with the upper end.

As shown in detail in FIG. 8, the second upper end presser member 49 is composed of a substantially U-shaped channel member and is formed inside, similarly to the first upper end presser member 48. A contact surface 49a for contacting the upper end of the large size sheet, and a cover portion 49b extending so as to cover the upper end of the large size sheet when the upper end of the large size sheet is brought into contact with the contact surface 49a. An inclined surface 49c formed on the discharge port 42 side and inclined away from the mounting surface 38d as it goes downward along the mounting surface 38d, and an upper surface of the sheet loaded on the mounting surface 38d. It has a sheet-like flexible sheet pressing member 49d attached to the tip of the cover portion 49b so as to press.

Further, the second upper end pressing member 48 is moved up and down along the seat loading tray 38a (specifically, its mounting surface 38d) by the second upper end pressing member driving mechanism 53, and is loaded on the mounting surface 38d. It is possible to move between the retracted position away from the upper end of the sheet and the pressing position abutting on the upper end of the sheet loaded on the mounting surface 38d. In the illustrated embodiment, the second upper end presser member drive mechanism 53 includes a pair of pulleys arranged near the upper end and the lower end of the movement range of the second presser member 49, and a transmission wound around both pulleys. The second pressing member 49 is fixed on the transmission belt, and the second upper end pressing member 49 is raised and lowered by rotating the pulley on the driving side by the driving means, and the mounting surface 38d is formed. It can come into contact with and separate from the upper end of the sheet loaded on top. However, the second upper end presser member drive mechanism 53 is not limited as long as the second upper end presser member 49 can be moved up and down along the seat loading tray 38a, and other drive mechanisms can also be used. be.

The second upper end pressing member 49 configured in this way abuts on the upper end of a sheet of a second size (hereinafter, referred to as a large size) larger than the first size, and presses the lower end of the large size sheet. By pressing against the regulation surface 47a of the lower end regulation member 47, the position of the large size sheet in the transport direction (that is, the vertical direction) along the mounting surface 38d is aligned, and the lower end of the subsequent sheet is placed on the mounting surface 38d. It functions to prevent collision with the upper end of the loaded seat.

The side matching member 50 is arranged so as to face the seat loading tray 38a in the width direction, and is configured to be able to reciprocate in the width direction of the seat loading tray 38a by a drive mechanism (not shown). In the present embodiment, the center position of the seat loading tray 38a in the seat width direction (center position of the folding roller pair and the veneer) is set as the center reference position of the middle folding process. In the initial state, the side matching members 50 are respectively arranged at the initial positions set equidistant from the central reference position in the seat width direction, and when the seat is carried into the seat loading tray 38a, the drive mechanism causes the side matching member 50. From the initial position, the seats are moved by a predetermined same distance corresponding to the width dimension of the seats carried into the seat loading tray 38a, and the seats are aligned so that the center position in the width direction of the seats coincides with the center reference position. After aligning the positions of the sheets in the width direction, the side alignment member 50 is returned to the initial position again.

The side matching member 50 configured in this way is brought into contact with both side portions in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the carry-in direction) of the sheet discharged from the discharge port 42 and carried into the sheet loading tray 38a in the width direction. It serves the function of aligning the positions.

When there are a plurality of sheets to be carried into the sheet loading tray 38a, as described above, the positions of the first sheet in the width direction are aligned, the side matching member 50 is returned to the initial position, and then the next sheet is carried. .. For the next sheet, the widthwise alignment operation of the sheet by the side alignment member 50 described above is repeatedly executed, and the side edges of the first sheet and the next sheet are aligned and overlapped. By repeating the sheet width direction matching operation each time a new sheet is carried in, a plurality of sheets can be aligned and integrated in a predetermined width direction position in the sheet loading tray 38a. The dimensions of the sheet discharged to the sheet loading tray 38a and to be post-processed are the post-processing control of the sheet processing device B described later from the main body control unit 61 of the image forming apparatus A together with the information regarding the post-processing to be applied to the sheet. It is transmitted to the unit 62 in advance.

[Control device]
Next, the configuration of the control device 60 of the image forming system described above will be described with reference to FIG. 9.
The control device 60 of the image forming system includes a control unit 61 (hereinafter referred to as “main body control unit”) 61 for controlling the image forming device A and a control unit (hereinafter referred to as “post-processing control unit”) for controlling the sheet bundle processing device B. It is described as.) 62.

The main body control unit 61 includes an image formation control unit 63, a paper feed control unit 64, and a control panel 15 as an input unit, and the control panel 15 sets "image formation mode" and "post-processing mode". It can be performed. In the image formation mode, it is possible to set the number of copies to be printed out, the sheet size, the sheet paper quality, color printing / monochrome printing, double-sided printing / single-sided printing, enlarged printing / reduced printing, and other image forming conditions. The main body control unit 61 controls the image formation control unit 63 and the paper feed control unit 64 according to the set image formation conditions to form an image on a predetermined sheet, and then sequentially ejects the sheets from the main body output port 4. Let me. Further, in the post-processing mode, for example, sheet processing conditions such as "printout mode", "binding finishing mode", and "sheet bundle folding finishing mode" can be set. In addition, when setting the "sheet bundle folding finish mode", it is possible to select with or without the insertion sheet. The main body control unit 61 forms a post-processing mode information such as a post-processing finishing mode and a binding mode (whether one-place binding or multiple binding at two or more places), the number of sheets, the sheet size, and the image in the post-processing control unit 62. Data such as sheet thickness information is transferred, and a job end signal is transferred to the post-processing control unit 62 each time image formation is completed.

The post-processing control unit 62 is composed of a control CPU connected to the ROM 65 and the RAM 66, and is based on the control program stored in the ROM 65 and the control data stored in the RAM 66 according to the designated post-processing mode. Then, the sheet processing device B is operated. Therefore, the post-processing control unit 62 has the carry-in roller 25 and the paper discharge roller 26 of the sheet carry-in path P1 so as to control the start, stop, and forward / reverse rotation of each motor mounted on the sheet processing device B. A forward / reverse roller 31 for accumulating sheets in the processing tray 30, a regulating member 34 of the processing tray 30, a binding device 35 of the processing tray 30, a saddle stitching unit 39 of the sheet folding device C, and a second switchback transfer path SP2. Discharge roller 41, thrust plate carrier 46 of saddle-folding unit 40 of sheet folding device C, pair of folding rollers 43, paper ejection roller pair 45, drive mechanism of side matching member 50, lower end regulation member drive mechanism 51, first upper end presser Drive circuits of each motor such as the member drive mechanism 52 and the second presser member drive mechanism 53 are connected. Further, it is configured to receive detection signals from the inlet sensor S1 and the exit sensor S2 arranged in the sheet carry-in route P1. In each post-processing mode, the post-processing control unit 62 controls the sheet processing apparatus B so as to execute the following processing operations.

[Printout mode]
In the printout mode, the image forming apparatus A forms an image of a series of documents in order from, for example, the first page to the nth page, and sequentially carries them out from the main body output port 4. When the sheet processing device B detects that the tip of the sheet carried out from the image forming device A has reached the carry-in inlet 23 by the inlet sensor S1, the buffer guide 28 is shown above by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The sheet is retracted to the position and the route switching piece 27 is moved to the lower position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3, the sheet is sent to the sheet loading path P1, and the loading roller 25 and the paper ejection roller 26 are rotationally driven. The sheet is guided to the paper ejection roller 26 along the sheet carry-in route P1. When the rear end of the sheet is detected by the paper ejection sensor S2 provided near the paper ejection port 24, the tip of the sheet is positioned at the position of the driven roller 32 of the processing tray 30 (that is, the position of the forward / reverse roller 31 in the operating position). After the estimated time to reach, the forward / reverse roller 31 comes into contact with the sheet on the processing tray 30 from the upper standby position (shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3) (shown by the solid line in FIG. 3). The forward / reverse roller 31 is rotated clockwise in FIG. As a result, the sheet that has entered the processing tray 30 is carried out toward the first paper ejection tray 21 and stored on the first paper ejection tray 21. Similarly, the subsequent sheets are sequentially carried out toward the first output tray 21, and are deposited and stored on the first output tray 21.

As described above, in the printout mode, the sheets image-formed by the image forming apparatus A are stored in the first paper ejection tray 21 via the sheet carrying-in path P1 of the sheet processing apparatus B, and are sequentially loaded and stored upward. The Rukoto. In the printout mode, the sheet is not guided to the first switchback transport path SP1 and the second switchback transport path SP2 described above.

[Binding finish mode]
In the binding finishing mode, the sheet processing device B aligns the sheets carried out from the image forming device A in a bundle shape, and then performs a binding process to finish the sheets. Specifically, the image forming apparatus A forms an image of a series of documents in order from the first page to the nth page, and sequentially carries them out from the main body ejection port 4, as in the case of the printout mode. When the sheet processing device B detects that the tip of the sheet carried out from the image forming device A in the traveling direction has reached the carry-in inlet 23 by the inlet sensor S1, the buffer guide 28 is shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The sheet is retracted to the upper position and the route switching piece 27 is moved to the lower position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3, the sheet is sent to the sheet loading path P1, and the loading roller 25 and the paper ejection roller 26 are rotationally driven. Then, it is guided to the paper ejection roller 26 along the sheet carry-in route P1. Further, when it is detected that the tip of the sheet in the traveling direction reaches the carry-in inlet 23, the side matching plate 37 is located at the sheet receiving position sufficiently distant from the center reference position so as not to hinder the carrying of the sheet into the processing tray 30. And move the forward / reverse roller 31 to the standby position (the state shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3).

Next, when the paper ejection sensor S2 provided near the paper ejection port 24 detects that the rear end of the sheet in the traveling direction has passed through the paper ejection roller 26, the post-processing control unit 62 detects the tip of the sheet in the traveling direction. After the estimated time to reach the position of the driven roller 32 of the processing tray 30 (that is, the position of the forward / reverse roller 31 in the operating position), the forward / reverse roller 31 is brought into contact with the sheet on the processing tray 30 from the upper standby position. It is lowered to the position (the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 3), the forward / reverse roller 31 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 3, and the rear end in the traveling direction of the sheet is expected to be carried onto the processing tray 30. After that, the forward / reverse roller 31 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 3 by a predetermined amount, and the sheet is fed onto the processing tray 30 toward the regulating member 34. At this time, the scraping rotation resistance 33 is also rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 3, and the sheet is conveyed until the front end in the traveling direction of the sheet comes into contact with the regulating member 34. The sheet discharged from the paper ejection port 24 in this way is switchback-transported on the processing tray 30 along the first switchback transport path SP1.

When the loading of the sheet into the processing tray 30 is stopped due to the contact of the sheet with the regulating member 34, the post-processing control unit 62 raises the forward / reverse roller 31 to the standby position and stops the sheet, and widths the sheet from the receiving position. The side matching plate 37 is moved toward the center reference so as to be sandwiched from both sides in the direction. The side matching plate 37 abuts each regulation surface on both side sides in the seat width direction (that is, two side sides facing in the width direction), and the separation distance between the two regulation surfaces matches the width dimension of the sheet. Can be moved to a position. As a result, each sheet is aligned so that the center in the width direction coincides with the center reference of the processing tray 30. The same operation is repeated until a predetermined number of sheets bound as one sheet bundle are aligned and accumulated on the processing tray 30.

When a predetermined number of sheets are aligned and accumulated on the processing tray 30, the post-processing control unit 62 drives the side matching plate 37 and the regulating member 34 to move the sheet bundle in which the sheets are integrated to the binding processing position. Move it. When the sheet bundle is positioned at the binding processing position, the post-processing control unit 62 sends a command signal to drive the binding device 35 to execute the binding processing. When the binding process is completed, the post-processing control unit 62 drives the forward / reverse roller 31 and the regulating member 34 to carry out the bound sheet bundle from the processing tray 30 to the first paper ejection tray 21.

[Sheet bundle folding finish mode]
In the sheet bundle folding finishing mode, the sheet processing apparatus B aligns the sheets carried out from the image forming apparatus A in a bundle shape and then finishes the sheets in a booklet shape. It is also possible to insert an insertion sheet that is smaller in size than other sheets. Specifically, the image forming apparatus A forms an image of a series of documents in order from the first page to the nth page, and sequentially carries them out from the main body ejection port 4, as in the case of the printout mode. When the sheet processing device B detects that the tip of the sheet carried out from the image forming device A has reached the carry-in inlet 23 by the inlet sensor S1, the buffer guide 28 is shown above by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The sheet is sent to the sheet transport path P1 by retracting to the position and the path switching piece 27 is moved to the lower position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3, and the carry-in roller 25 and the paper discharge roller 26 are rotationally driven. It is guided to the paper ejection roller 26 along the sheet carry-in route P1. Next, the post-processing control unit 62 discharges the sheet at the timing when the rear end in the traveling direction of the sheet passes through the path switching piece 27, based on the signal emitted when the rear end in the traveling direction of the sheet is detected by the inlet sensor S1. At the same time as stopping the rotation of the paper roller 26, the path switching piece 27 is swiveled upward from the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3 to the position shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. Is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. As a result, the sheet that has entered the sheet carry-in path P1 is inverted in the transport direction, guided to the second switchback transport path SP2 by the path switching piece 27, and guided to the integration guide 38 of the sheet folding device C.

Similarly, the subsequent sheets are aligned on the integration guide 38 via the second switchback transport path SP2. Upon receiving the job end signal, the post-processing control unit 52 positions the sheet at the binding position X and operates the saddle stitching unit 39 to perform staple binding processing at a plurality of locations (for example, two locations) in the center of the sheet bundle. After that, the center of the sheet is positioned at the folding position Y, the saddle-stitching process is performed by the saddle-stitching unit 40, and the sheet bundle bent into a booklet shape is controlled to be carried out to the second paper ejection tray 22.

Here, with reference to FIGS. 10 to 15, the control of the sheet stacking operation and the center folding operation in the sheet folding device C when the presence or absence of the inserted sheet is selected in the sheet bundle folding finishing mode will be described in detail.

In the image forming system, when the presence of the insertion sheet is selected in the sheet bundle folding finish mode, the short size sheet, which is the insertion sheet, is loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a of the integration guide 38, and then the large size sheet is loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a. It is placed on top of the short size sheet loaded on top. Further, on the sheet loading tray 38a, the lower end regulating member 47 can be positioned at the lowermost standby position of the sheet loading tray 38a, the large size sheet receiving position above the waiting position, and the large size sheet receiving position. The upper end presser member 48 can be positioned at a presser position that abuts on the upper end of the short size sheet and a retracted position that is located above the presser position, and the second upper end presser member 49 is above the first upper end presser member 48. It can be positioned at the presser position that is located at the top of the large-sized sheet and is in contact with the upper end of the large-sized sheet, and at the retracted position that is located above the presser position. Further, the side matching member 50 has a seat receiving position farther from each other than the width of the seat to be carried in so as not to hinder the loading of the seat into the seat loading tray 38a, and the regulation surface in the width direction of the large size seat. Large size sheet alignment position, which abuts on the side (perpendicular to the transport direction) and aligns the width direction position of the large size sheet so that the center of the large size sheet matches the center reference of the sheet loading tray 38a. The width direction of the small size sheet so that the center of the small size sheet matches the center reference of the sheet loading tray 38a by abutting the regulation surface on the side surface in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the transport direction) of the small size sheet. Small size sheet to align the position It can be positioned at the alignment position.

When the presence of the insert sheet is selected in step St1, the post-processing control unit 62 moves from the standby position at the bottom of the sheet loading tray 38a (see FIG. 10A) to the small size sheet receiving position (see FIG. 10B). ) To move the lower end regulating member 47 (step St2). Further, based on the sheet size information transmitted from the main body control unit 61 to the post-processing control unit 62, the first upper end pressing member 48 is moved to the retracted position, and the side matching member 50 is moved to the seat receiving position. To. When the lower end regulating member 47 is moved to the small size sheet receiving position, as shown in FIG. 10 (b), the integration guide 38 (detailedly, from the discharge port 42) is passed through the second switchback transport path SP2. , The small size sheet is discharged to the sheet loading tray 38a) by the discharge roller 41 (step St3).

The discharged small size sheet is conveyed along the mounting surface 38d of the sheet loading tray 38a for the estimated time to reach the lower end regulating member 47 at the small size sheet receiving position, and the lower end of the small size sheet is transferred to the lower end regulating member 47. Upon arrival (step St4), the post-processing control unit 62 moves the first upper end pressing member 48 from the retracted position to the pressing position along the mounting surface 48d, as shown in FIG. 10 (c). , The contact surface 48a of the first upper end pressing member 48 is brought into contact with the upper end of the small size sheet (step St5). As a result, the small size sheet is pressed against the lower end regulating member 47, and the positions in the transport direction (that is, the vertical direction) on the mounting surface 38d are aligned. At the same time, the side alignment member 50 is moved to the small size sheet alignment position where the separation distance of the regulation surface matches the width dimension of the small size sheet, and the regulation surface of the side alignment member 50 is moved to the side side in the width direction of the small size sheet. To abut. As a result, the small size sheet is aligned so that the center in the width direction coincides with the center reference of the sheet loading tray 38a.

In step St6, when there is a subsequent small size sheet, the side matching member 50 is moved to the sheet receiving position so as not to interfere with the sheet loading, and the sheet is loaded from the discharge port 42 via the second switchback transport path SP2. Subsequent small size sheets are discharged to the tray 38a by the discharge roller 41 (step St7). At this time, the first upper end pressing member 48 is arranged at the pressing position, and the contact surface 48a is brought into contact with the upper end of the small size sheet placed on the sheet loading tray 38a, and is placed on the sheet loading tray 38a. The state where the upper end of the placed small size sheet is covered with the cover portion 48b is maintained.

As shown in FIG. 10D, when the sheet is conveyed in step St8 for the expected time for the lower end (tip in the conveying direction) of the subsequent small size sheet to pass through the first upper end pressing member 48, the sheet is conveyed. As shown in FIG. 10E, the post-processing control unit 62 moves the first upper end pressing member 48 from the pressing position to the retracted position in step St9, and in step St10, the lower end of the subsequent small size sheet. Reaches the lower end regulating member 47, and then moves the first upper end pressing member 48 to the pressing position again (step St11). At the same time, the side alignment member 50 is moved to the small size sheet alignment position where the separation distance of the regulation surface matches the width dimension of the small size sheet, and the regulation surface of the side alignment member 50 is moved to the side side in the width direction of the small size sheet. To abut. Such an operation from step St7 to step St11 is repeated until there is no subsequent small size sheet.

When the lower end of the subsequent small size sheet reaches the position of the upper end of the small size sheet placed on the sheet loading tray 38a, the small size sheet on which the contact surface 48a of the first upper end pressing member 48 is placed is placed. Since the cover portion 48b is in contact with the upper end of the size sheet and covers the upper end of the small size sheet, the lower end of the subsequent small size sheet moves along the inclined surface 48c and is placed on the sheet loading tray 38a. It can pass over the upper edge of the small size sheet. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the lower end of the subsequent small size sheet from interfering with the upper end of the small size sheet placed on the sheet loading tray 38a, and the small size sheet placed on the sheet loading tray 38a can be prevented from interfering with the upper end of the small size sheet. It is possible to prevent paper jams and sheet order changes due to interference between the upper end and the lower end of the subsequent small size sheet. Further, after the lower end of the subsequent small size sheet reaches the lower end regulating member 47, the first upper end pressing member 48 is moved to the retracted position and then moved to the pressing position again, and the side matching member 50 accepts the sheet. Since the small size sheet is moved from the position to the small size sheet alignment position, the small size sheet loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a is aligned with the position in the transport direction and the position in the width direction.

When the subsequent small size seats are exhausted, the side matching member 50 is subsequently moved to the seat receiving position so as not to interfere with the seat loading, and the second switch is as shown in FIG. 11 (f). The large size sheet is discharged from the discharge port 42 to the seat loading tray 38a of the integration guide 38 via the back transport path SP2 by the discharge roller 41 (step St12). At this time, the first upper end pressing member 48 is arranged at the pressing position, the contact surface 48a is brought into contact with the upper end of the small size sheet loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a, and the first upper end pressing member 48 is placed on the sheet loading tray 38a. The state where the upper end of the small size sheet is covered with the cover portion 48b is maintained. Further, the second upper end pressing member 49 is moved to the retracted position and the side matching member 50 is moved to the seat receiving position based on the sheet size information transmitted from the main body control unit 61 to the post-processing control unit 62. ..

When the discharged large size sheet is transported for the estimated time to reach the lower end regulating member 47 at the small size receiving position (step St13), the post-processing control unit 62 is as shown in FIG. 11 (g). While continuing to discharge the large size sheet from the discharge port 42 by the discharge roller 41, the lower end regulating member 47 and the first upper end pressing member 48 are loaded on the sheet until the lower end regulating member 47 reaches the large size sheet receiving position. It is lowered along the mounting surface 38d of the tray 38a (step S14) so that the large size sheet can completely pass through the discharge port 42 (step St15). When the lower end regulating member 47 reaches the large size sheet receiving position, the post-processing control unit 62 retracts the second upper end pressing member 49 along the mounting surface 48d as shown in FIG. 11 (h). It is moved from the position to the pressing position, and the contact surface 49a of the second upper end pressing member 49 is brought into contact with the upper end of the large size sheet (step St16). As a result, the large size sheet is pressed against the lower end regulating member 47, and the positions in the transport direction (that is, the vertical direction) on the mounting surface 38d are aligned. At the same time, the side alignment member 50 is moved to the large size sheet alignment position where the separation distance of the regulation surface matches the width dimension of the large size sheet, and the regulation surface of the side alignment member 50 is moved to the side side in the width direction of the large size sheet. To abut. As a result, the large size sheet is aligned so that the center in the width direction coincides with the center reference of the sheet loading tray 38a.

The first upper end holding member 48 is the upper end of the small size sheet loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a until the lower end of the large size sheet discharged from the discharge port 42 reaches the lower end regulating member 47 of the small size sheet receiving position. Since the contact surface 48a is brought into contact with the surface and the upper end of the small size sheet placed on the sheet loading tray 38a is covered with the cover portion 48b, the large size sheet discharged from the discharge port 42 is maintained. When the lower end of the small size sheet reaches the position of the upper end of the small size sheet loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a, it moves along the inclined surface 48c of the first upper end retainer 48 and is loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a. It can pass over the top edge of the seat. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the lower end of the large size sheet from interfering with the upper end of the small size sheet loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a, and the upper end of the small size sheet mounted on the sheet loading tray 38a and the large size sheet. It is possible to prevent paper jams and sheet order changes due to interference with the lower end.

In step St17, when there is a subsequent large size sheet, the side matching member 50 is moved to the sheet receiving position so as not to interfere with the sheet loading, and the sheet loading tray is moved from the discharge port 42 via the second switchback path SP2. Subsequent large size sheets are discharged to 38a by the discharge roller 41 (step St18). At this time, the second upper end pressing member 49 is arranged at the pressing position, and the contact surface 49a is brought into contact with the upper end of the large size sheet mounted on the sheet loading tray 38a, and is placed on the sheet loading tray 38a. The state where the upper end of the loaded large size sheet is covered with the cover portion 49b is maintained.

When the sheet is transported for the time expected for the lower end (tip in the transport direction) of the subsequent large size sheet to reach the lower end regulating member 47 in step St19, the post-processing control device 62 presses the second upper end pressing member 49. The second upper end pressing member 49 is moved from the position to the retracted position (step St20), and then the second upper end pressing member 49 is moved again from the retracted position to the pressing position (step St21). At the same time, the side alignment member 50 is moved to the large size sheet alignment position where the separation distance of the regulation surface matches the width dimension of the large size sheet, and the regulation surface of the side alignment member 50 is moved to the side side in the width direction of the large size sheet. To abut. Such an operation from step St18 to step St21 is repeated until there is no subsequent large size sheet.

When the lower end of the subsequent large size sheet reaches the position of the upper end of the large size sheet loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a, the large size sheet on which the contact surface 49a of the second upper end pressing member 49 is loaded. Since the cover portion 49b covers the upper end of the large size sheet in contact with the upper end of the large size sheet, the lower end of the subsequent large size sheet moves along the inclined surface 49c and is loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a. It can pass over the top edge of the seat. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the lower end of the subsequent large size sheet from interfering with the upper end of the large size sheet loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a, and the upper end of the large size sheet mounted on the sheet loading tray 38a. It is possible to prevent paper jams and sheet order changes due to interference between the and the lower end of the subsequent large size sheet. Further, after the lower end of the subsequent large size sheet reaches the lower end regulating member 47, the second upper end pressing member 49 moves to the retracted position, so that the upper end of the subsequent large size sheet is loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a. The second upper end pressing member 49 is moved to the holding position and the side matching member 50 is moved to the large size sheet matching position after being stacked on the upper end of the large size sheet, so that the side matching member 50 is moved onto the sheet loading tray 38a. The large size sheet loaded on the tray is aligned with the position in the transport direction and the position in the width direction.

When the subsequent large size sheet is exhausted, the post-processing control unit 62 retreats the first upper end pressing member 48 and the second upper end pressing member 49 from the pressing position as shown in FIG. 11 (i). (Step St22). When performing saddle stitching, the center of the large size sheet loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a in the transport direction is moved to the binding position X by moving the lower end regulating member 47, and saddle stitching is performed on the sheet by the saddle stitching unit 39. To give. At this time, if the switchback path 38b is provided, the upper end portion of the large size sheet can be released to the switchback path 38b. However, if the upper end of the large size sheet is located below the discharge port 42 when the large size sheet is moved to the binding position X, the switchback path 38b may not be provided. When the saddle stitching process is performed after the saddle stitching process or without the saddle stitching process, the center of the large size sheet loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a by the movement of the lower end regulating member 47 is folded at the center in the transport direction. The large size sheet is saddle-folded by the saddle-stitching unit 40.

Specifically, at the time of the middle folding process, first, the post-processing control unit 62 moves the veneer 44 from the standby position to the operating position as shown in FIG. 12 (j), and the seat loading tray 38a The large size sheet loaded on the top is pushed between the pair of folding rollers 43 at the tip of the veneer 44 (step St23). At this time, since the first upper end pressing member 48 has been moved to the retracted position, it does not hinder the movement of the veneer 44. Next, the post-processing control unit 62 temporarily stops the movement of the veneer 44 after the estimated time that the folding position of the large size sheet reaches between the pair of folding rollers 43 elapses (step St24), and FIG. 12 (k). ), The lower end regulating member 47 is raised along the mounting surface 38d of the seat loading tray 38a (step St25). As a result, when the upper end of the small size sheet is equal to or less than the crease position (center in the transport direction) of the large size sheet (that is, the length of the small size sheet in the transport direction is less than half the length of the large size sheet in the transport direction). In the case of), the upper end of the small size sheet loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a is pressed against the guide surface of the veneer 44 due to the rise of the lower end regulating member 47, and the crease position of the large size sheet is along the guide surface. You will be guided toward (step St26). Then, in step St27, the movement of the veneer 44 toward the space between the pair of folding rollers 43 is restarted, and in step St28, the upper folding roller 43a is moved clockwise in FIG. 6 and the lower folding roller. The rotation of the pair of folding rollers 43 is started so that the 43b is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 6, and when a predetermined amount of the sheet is conveyed by the pair of folding rollers 43, the movement of the veneer 44 is stopped and the standby position is reached. (Step St29). As a result, the large size sheet is sandwiched between the pair of folding rollers 43 in a folded state at the crease position, and the small size sheet is inserted between the folded large size sheets as an insert paper, and the pair of folding rollers are inserted. The large size sheet is folded in the middle at the nip position of 43. The folded sheet passes through the nip positions of the pair of folding rollers 43, is delivered to the paper ejection roller pair 45, and is discharged to the second paper ejection tray 22 (step St30). Further, the lower end regulating member 47 is returned to the standby position (step St31).

As described above, in the sheet processing apparatus B according to the present invention, even when sheets of different sizes are loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a and the small size sheets are inserted between the large size sheets to perform the middle folding process, the first step is performed. The lower end of the discharged sheet interferes with the upper end of the sheet loaded on the sheet loader thank-you 38a without moving the upper end of the sheet loaded on the sheet loading tray 38a above the discharge port 42. Can be prevented. Further, since the sheet is discharged downward toward the seat loading tray 38 provided below the discharge port 42, the sheet is discharged upward by the discharge port 42 as in the case of discharging the sheet upward from the discharge port 42. It is not necessary to secure a space for releasing the maximum size sheet discharged from the outlet 42, and the device can be made compact.

Although the sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention and the image forming system including the same are described above with reference to the illustrated embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. In the illustrated embodiment, the belt drive mechanism is adopted as the drive mechanism of the lower end regulating member, the first upper end pressing member, and the second upper end pressing member, but the lower end regulating member and the first upper end pressing member are adopted. And if the second upper end pressing member can be reciprocated, another drive mechanism can be adopted.

A Image forming device B Sheet processing device C Sheet folding device 38 Integration guide 38a Sheet loading tray 38d Mounting surface 39 Saddle stitching unit 40 Saddle stitching unit 42 Discharge port 43 Pair of folding rollers 44 Veneer 44a Guide surface 47 Bottom control member 47a Regulation Surface 48 First upper end pressing member 48a Contact surface 48b Cover part 48c Inclined surface 49 Second upper end pressing member 49a Contact surface 49b Cover part 49c Inclined surface 60 Control device 61 Main body control unit 62 Post-processing control unit

Claims (8)

It has a sheet loading tray with an inclined upward mounting surface, and a first size sheet discharged from a discharge port located above the sheet loading tray and a sheet having a length in the discharge direction of the first size. A sheet processing device that loads a longer second size sheet on the above- mentioned mounting surface and processes the loaded sheet.
The first alignment position that abuts on the lower end of the first size sheet loaded on the above-mentioned mounting surface to align the lower end positions, and the second size that is provided below the first alignment position. The lower end regulating member that moves up and down along the above-mentioned mounting surface in order to move to the second alignment position that abuts on the lower end of the sheet and aligns the lower end position .
A contact surface that abuts on the upper end of the first size sheet loaded on the above-mentioned mounting surface and a contact surface that is arranged on the discharge port side of the contact surface and is discharged from the discharge port to the sheet loading tray. An inclined surface that extends downward from the previously described surface so that the lower end of the sheet is guided so as to get over the upper end of the first size sheet loaded on the previously described surface. Along the above- mentioned mounting surface in order to move the contact surface to a holding position where the contact surface abuts on the upper end of the first size sheet and a retracted position away from the upper end of the first size sheet. The first upper end holding member that goes up and down, and
A processing unit that processes the sheets loaded on the above-mentioned mounting surface, and
A control unit for controlling the operation of the first upper end pressing member and the lower end regulating member is provided.
When receiving the first size sheet , the control unit positions the lower end regulating member at the first matching position , and the second size sheet follows the first size sheet. When the sheet is discharged from the discharge port to the sheet loading tray, the sheet of the first size is placed between the first upper end pressing member at the pressing position and the lower end regulating member at the first matching position. The first upper end pressing member and the lower end regulating member are synchronized while maintaining the sandwiched state of the first size sheet from the pinched state until the lower end regulating member is located at the second matching position. A sheet processing device characterized in that it is controlled to move . The processing unit includes a pair of folding rollers arranged on the side facing the above-mentioned mounting surface and facing each other, and a veneer arranged facing the pair of folding rollers with the sheet loading tray interposed therebetween. An operating position in which the veneer pushes at least a second size sheet on the previously described mounting surface between the pair of folding rollers and a standby position away from the first size sheet and the second size sheet. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, which is moved between. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the lower side surface of the veneer is a guide surface that tapers toward the pair of folding rollers. The control unit further controls the operation of the veneer, and the control unit causes the upper end of the first size sheet to come into contact with the guide surface after moving the veneer to the operating position. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3, which raises the lower end regulating member. One of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first upper end presser member includes a cover portion extending so as to cover the upper end of the first size sheet when the first upper end presser member is moved to the presser position. The sheet processing apparatus according to. The sheet processing device moves up and down along the mounting surface between a pressing position abutting on the upper end of the second size sheet and a retracting position away from the upper end of the second size sheet. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a pressing member. The second upper end pressing member is arranged on a contact surface that abuts on the upper end of the second size sheet loaded on the above-mentioned mounting surface and on the discharge port side of the contact surface. The front description is given as the lower end of the sheet discharged from the discharge port to the sheet loading tray is directed downward so as to guide the sheet so as to get over the upper end of the second size sheet loaded on the above-mentioned mounting surface. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising an inclined surface extending away from the table surface . An image forming device that forms an image on a sheet and discharges the image-formed sheet,
The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein sheets of different sizes discharged from the image forming apparatus are integrated and processed.
An image forming system comprising.

Images