JP2001341927A - Sheet-like medium processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device capable of neatly arranging paper properly in a simple constitution. SOLUTION: A pair of properly arranging members 102 and 103 are provided to arranged paper, loaded on a tray 12, properly in a shift direction. The properly arranging member comprises truing up parts 102a and 103a to true up the positions of the end faces by making contact with and separating from the end faces of the paper paralleling the delivery direction of paper delivered from a delivery means 3, and feeding means 92 and 93 to move the paper in a topmost level of the paper delivered on the tray 12 from the delivery means 3 toward a rear end fence 40 situated at the end part of the tray 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a sheet-like medium processing apparatus, a post-processing apparatus, and an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus for performing post-processing such as a punching unit for punching filing holes in a sheet-form medium on which an image has been formed and ejected from an image forming apparatus, a stapling unit, and a stamp, The sheet-like medium discharged from the discharge unit is stacked on a tray called a paper discharge tray, a stacking tray, or the like. Although the stacked sheet media are automatically aligned for subsequent use, the degree of alignment of the sheet media, that is, the accuracy of the alignment, becomes a problem.

In a conventional sheet-like medium processing apparatus, a sheet-like medium formed with an image in an image forming apparatus and sent toward the sheet-like medium processing apparatus in a conveying direction detects the passage of the sheet-like medium. The sheet is guided to a pair of sheet ejection rollers as ejection means via the sheet ejection sensor. A tray is located below the discharge rollers. The sheet-like medium discharged from the discharge roller in the discharge direction, which is an extension of the transport direction, drops obliquely downward due to inertia and own weight on the tray after the rear end of the sheet-like medium separates from the discharge roller. To be loaded.

When the sheet medium is not on the tray,
The distance from the upper surface of the tray to the nip portion of the sheet discharge roller, and if the sheet-shaped media is stacked on the tray surface, the sheet falls by the free fall distance from the uppermost surface of the stacked sheet-shaped media to the nip portion. The shaped medium falls freely and lands.

Incidentally, since this sheet-like medium processing apparatus has a sorting function, the tray reciprocates in a shift direction orthogonal to the sheet discharging direction in a horizontal plane at a predetermined amount required for sorting, for example, a stroke of about 4 mm. Can move. For this reason, the tray is slidably held on a pedestal extending in the shift direction, and can be reciprocated on the pedestal in the shift direction by a drive mechanism.

A predetermined number of sheet-like media are stacked on the tray stopped at the forward end of the reciprocating movement stroke. For example, when several sheets of sheet-like medium bundles are sorted and stacked with eight sheet-like mediums as one set, when the tray is at the forward end, the eight sheet-like mediums are sequentially arranged from the discharge rollers. Are discharged one after another and loaded.
Next, the tray is moved to the return end, and when the tray is at the return end, the sheet-like medium is discharged from the discharge rollers and stacked. When eight sheet-like media are stacked at the backward end, the tray is moved to the forward end, and the same operation as described above is performed.

[0007] Hereinafter, the same operation is repeated until a desired number of sheets of a sheet bundle are stacked. as a result,
On the tray, a set of eight sheet-like medium bundles is set as one copy,
It is possible to obtain a stacked state in which the step of the end surface of the sheet-like medium between the sections is sorted by the uneven step of 8 mm.

[0008] In the sheet-like medium processing apparatus having such a sorting function, conventionally, the sheet-like medium discharged from the paper discharge roller simply falls freely and is stacked on a tray. That is, the sheet medium separated from the discharge rollers is in a free state until it is stacked on the tray, and when the lateral registration of the sheet medium received from the image forming apparatus is shifted or skewed, the sheet medium is placed on the tray. The sheet-shaped media end faces in the shift direction of the stacked sheet-shaped media are not aligned between the sheet-shaped media, and are laterally shifted to cause the sheet-shaped media to be non-uniform.

[0009] In a copy trader or the like, a sorted and stacked sheet-like medium bundle is set in a next step, for example, by a punch machine, and therefore, it is required to stack in a highly accurate sorting state. If the sheet medium bundle has poor alignment accuracy, the sheet medium bundle taken out of the shift tray must be manually realigned and then set on a punch machine, resulting in waste of work efficiency. Therefore, the upper segment, for example, a so-called copy trader, demands strict alignment accuracy for the stacked sheet-like media, and it is desired to improve the alignment accuracy.

As this kind of prior art, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-24 is disclosed.
In Japanese Patent No. 5148, two aligning members which can be independently moved are provided on both sides in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. Although a technique of executing two processing operations of a shift process and sorting is disclosed, the mechanism has a complicated configuration because the alignment member performs an operation for two processes of a sheet alignment process and a shift process. Has become.

Although the tray is inclined such that the downstream side in the paper discharging direction rises, the downstream end in the paper discharging direction may be uneven depending on the type of sheet medium.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet-like medium processing apparatus, a post-processing apparatus, and an image forming apparatus which can arrange sheet-like media neatly with a simple structure.

[0013]

The present invention has the following configuration to achieve the above object. (1). A discharge unit for discharging the conveyed sheet medium, a tray for stacking the sheet medium discharged by the discharge unit, and a portion necessary for sorting the tray into the sheet medium stacked on the tray. A tray moving means for performing a sorting operation by moving in a shift direction orthogonal to the direction of the fixed amount and the discharging, wherein the sheet-like medium stacked on the tray is aligned in the shift direction. An aligning member that contacts and separates an end surface of the sheet medium parallel to a discharge direction of the sheet medium discharged from the discharge unit and aligns the position of the end surface; Means for moving the uppermost sheet medium of the sheet medium discharged onto the tray from the means toward a rear end fence provided at an end of the tray. (Claim 1). (2). (1) The sheet-like medium processing apparatus according to (1),
The alignment member is a pair of members slidably and swingably supported on a spindle disposed in the shift direction, and provided in opposition to the shift direction. And reciprocating means for moving in the direction of approaching and separating from each other to perform the contacting / separating operation. (3). (2) In the sheet-like medium processing apparatus described in (2),
The reciprocating means includes a receiving position in which the aligning portion of the aligning member is located outside the end face of the sheet-shaped medium discharged from the discharging means and separated from the end face; It can be located at any of the alignment positions that are inside the sheet-like medium from the receiving position and are pressed against the end face (claim 3). (4). (1) The sheet-like medium processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (3), further comprising: a pressing unit configured to take a swing position corresponding to a load applied to the alignment member,
This pressing means includes a support shaft pivotally attaching the alignment member,
An elastic means for connecting the support shaft and the alignment member and a support shaft driving means for rotating the support shaft are provided (claim 4). (5). (4) In the sheet-like medium processing apparatus described in (4),
The elastic means is a torsion coil spring, and the support shaft driving means is a solenoid. (6). (1) In the sheet-like medium processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5), the feeding unit includes: a rotating body provided adjacent to the inside of the alignment unit; and a rotation stop of the rotating body. A rotating body driving means for freely driving, a protruding state in which the rotating body protrudes downward so as to contact the uppermost one of the sheet-like media on the tray, and a retreating state in which the revolving body retreats upward so as not to contact It is provided with switchable displacement means (claim 6). (7). (6) In the sheet-like medium processing apparatus described in (6),
The rotating body driving means includes a transmission mechanism for transmitting power through a rotating member provided on the support shaft (claim 7). (8). (6) In the sheet-like medium processing apparatus according to (7), the displacement means includes an urging means for elastically contacting the rotating body with the sheet-like medium on the tray under the protruding state. (Claim 8). (9). In a post-processing apparatus having post-processing means for performing post-processing on a sheet-like medium and conveying means for conveying the post-processed sheet-like medium, any one of (1) to (8)
The present invention further comprises a sheet-like medium processing apparatus described in (1). (10). (1) to (8) in an image forming apparatus having an image forming means for forming an image on a sheet medium and a conveying means for conveying the sheet medium on which the image is formed.
The sheet-shaped medium processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (3) is provided.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. [Case 1] The post-processing apparatus according to the present invention includes an apparatus having a post-processing means for performing post-processing on a sheet medium and a conveying means for conveying the post-processed sheet medium. Examples include stamping, punching, stapling, and other types of processing on a sheet medium. It is possible to select whether or not to perform post-processing. The sheet-like medium that has been post-processed by selection or the sheet-form medium that has not been subjected to post-processing by selection is aligned on the tray by the alignment operation by the alignment member. Sorted by. [Case 2] The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes:
It includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet-like medium and a unit that has a conveying unit that conveys an image-formed sheet-like medium. The sheet-shaped medium on which the image is formed can be sorted in a state of being aligned on the tray by the alignment operation by the alignment member. [Case 3] The sheet-like medium processing apparatus according to the present invention is configured as a single apparatus. This sheet-like medium processing apparatus is used in combination with an apparatus having a means for discharging a sheet-like medium, and sorts the sheet-like medium in a state of being aligned on a tray by an aligning operation by an aligning means.

[0015] Of these embodiments, the embodiment of case 1 will be described first. The sheet medium handled includes copy paper, transfer paper, recording paper, cover sheet, interleaf paper (partition paper), computer form, special paper, OHP sheet, and the like. I do. Embodiment of [Case 1] [1] Post-processing apparatus In this example, the apparatus is configured as a post-processing apparatus including a sheet-shaped medium processing apparatus. Hereinafter, an example in which the sheet-shaped medium processing apparatus is configured as an independent post-processing apparatus used in combination with the image forming apparatus will be described.

In FIG. 1, a post-processing device 51 as post-processing means for performing post-processing on a sheet is provided in combination with the image forming device 50. In the image forming apparatus 50,
The sheet S on which an image is formed by the image forming means is sent to the post-processing device 51 in accordance with the post-processing content instructed by the operator.

When the image forming apparatus 50 is a copying machine, the post-processing includes a normal mode in which sheets are simply stacked in the order of discharge. In this mode, only the paper size and the number of copies are specified. There is a staple mode for performing staple processing. In this mode, in addition to the paper size and the number of copies, the number of binding sheets, the binding position, and the like are specified.
There is a sorting mode for performing a sorting process. There is a punch mode. In this mode, drilling is performed.

These work instructions for post-processing are transmitted to the control unit including the CPU by key operation from the operation panel of the copying machine, and the post-processing is performed between the control unit and the image forming apparatus 50 and the post-processing apparatus 51. And post-processing is performed.

The post-processing device 51 shown in FIG. 1 can execute these post-processings. In FIG. 1, an automatic document reading device 55 is attached above the image forming apparatus 50, and a paper feeder 56 is provided below the image forming apparatus 50. In this example, the sheet-like medium processing device 57 is configured as a part of the post-processing device 51.

In FIG. 2, which is an enlarged view of the internal structure of the post-processing apparatus 51 shown in FIG. 1, a sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus 50 in the direction of the arrow is provided on the right side of the post-processing apparatus. The receiving opening is provided as a sheet discharge conveyance path entrance 1.

An entrance sensor 36, a transport roller 2a, a rotary punch 15, a transport roller 2b, and a branch claw 8a are provided in this order from the paper discharge transport path entrance 1 in the traveling direction of the paper. The sheet S passes through the rotary punch 15 before reaching the branch claw 8a. In the above-described punch mode, a punching process is performed on the sheet S while passing through the rotary punch 15.

The sheet S that has reached the branching claw 8a is sent to the paper discharge tray 14 in the normal mode by switching the course by turning the branching claw 8a.
It is divided into the case heading for another course.

When the normal mode is instructed, the sheets S are conveyed to the discharge tray 14 by the branching claws 8a and are stacked by the designated number of sheets. When the staple mode or the sorting mode is instructed,
At the branching claw 8a, a different course from the paper discharge tray 14 side is advanced,
The next branch claw 8b is reached.

In the branching claw 8b as well, the course is switched, and the course is sent to either the tray 12 for performing the sorting process for the staple mode or the case sent to the stapling apparatus 11 for the sorting mode. Split.

When the staple mode is designated, the sheet S is fed from the branching claw 8b to the stapling apparatus 1
Go to 1. In the transport path toward the stapling device 11, lower transport rollers 4a and 4b, a paper discharge sensor 37, a paper feed roller (brush roller) 6, and the like are arranged. Lower conveying roller 4a and lower conveying roller 4b connected by belt
Are driven by a motor 54.

The paper S is transported by the lower transport roller 4a and the lower transport roller 4b, and is sequentially fed into the staple tray 62 via the paper feed roller 6, where the staple tray 6
The rear end is supported by a rear end fence 19 for receiving the lower side of the sheet provided on the lower side of the sheet 2, and each time the sheet discharge sensor 37 detects the rear end, a jogger is provided so as to face the sheet surface. The stacked sheets S are aligned by the movement of the fence in the opening and closing direction, the operation of the return roller 5, and the like.

The stapling apparatus 11 moves to perform the stapling process on the sheet bundle after the alignment. At a position behind the staple tray 62, a discharge belt 10 for discharging a stapled (stitched) sheet bundle, which is a conveying unit for conveying a bundle of sheets, is disposed.

The ejection belt 10 is provided with ejection claws 10a for hooking a bundle of sheets, and when the stapling process is completed, the ejection belt 10 rotates. As a result, the stapled sheet bundle is lifted by the ejection claw 10a, and is passed through the pair of ejection rollers 3 as ejection means.
2 is discharged.

When the sorting mode is instructed, the sheet S is conveyed from the branching claw 8b toward the tray 12 by the conveying roller 7 serving as a sheet conveying means, and is discharged in the discharging direction a by the discharging roller 3. Will be sent out.

The upper surface of the tray 12 is inclined such that the height of the upper surface increases in the discharge direction a.
A rear end fence made of a vertical surface is located at the lower base end of the inclined surface 2 as shown by reference numeral 40 in FIG.

After the sheet S discharged from the sheet discharge roller 3 falls on the tray 12, the aligning member 102 according to the present invention,
103, the paper end faces parallel to the discharge direction a are aligned,
After being aligned, it is dropped on the tray 12.

Further, the tray 1
2 Above, slide along the above slope, and the rear end is the rear end fence 4
However, in some cases, the paper may not slide smoothly depending on the paper size or paper type and the alignment may not be performed. Feeding means for moving toward 40 is provided on the alignment members 102 and 103.
This feeding means will be described later.

The tray 12 is movable in a shift direction c orthogonal to the discharge direction a. 2 and 4, the shift direction c is not shown because it is a direction penetrating the paper. In other figures, it is indicated by reference numeral c. In order to make the tray 12 movable in the shift direction c, in this example, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the tray 12 has a support structure that can slide on the pedestal 8. This support structure is shown in FIG.

In FIG. 4, two guide plates 30 and 31 having a length in a direction penetrating the paper plane, that is, a shift direction c and facing in the left-right direction are provided integrally on the upper portion of the pedestal 8. . A shaft protrudes outside each of these guide plates 30 and 31, and rollers 32 and 33 are pivotally supported.

On the other hand, a flat portion having a length in the shift direction c is formed at the bottom of the tray 12, and the flat portion is placed on the rollers 32 and 33. In addition, two shafts are implanted on the flat portion of the tray 12 at positions corresponding to the insides of the guide plates 30 and 31, and rollers 34 and 35 are respectively mounted on these two shafts. It is pivoted. These rollers 34 and 35 are in contact with the insides of the guide plates 30 and 31, respectively.

With such a structure, the tray 12 is movable in the shift direction c by being guided by the guide plates 30 and 31.
The load on the tray 12 is received by the rollers 32 and 33.

Further, although not shown, a rack is provided along the shift direction c, and the tray 12 is driven by a suitable reciprocating mechanism such as a driving mechanism for driving a pinion meshing with the rack by a motor capable of rotating forward and reverse, or a crank mechanism. Can be driven back and forth in the shift direction c. Thus, the tray 12 can be reciprocated in the shift direction c by a predetermined amount necessary for sorting the sheets.

The reciprocating mechanism and the rollers 32, 33, 3
The tray moving means 60 for performing the sorting operation by moving the tray 12 in the shift direction c includes the guide plates 4 and 35 and the guide plates 30 and 31.

Assuming that the reciprocating movement amount of the tray 12 is dmm, the operation of receiving a sheet bundle at the forward end of this reciprocating stroke and then receiving the next sheet bundle at the backward end is repeated. It is possible to sort the stacked paper bundles into a state in which the dmm position is shifted in an uneven manner. The moving amount d is set to an appropriate amount that clearly sorts the sheets. For example, it can be set to about 5 to 10 mm in A4 size.

The paper discharge roller 3 is at a fixed position, and when the paper is stacked on the tray 12, the paper cannot be discharged.
Further, there is a reference interval between the nip portion of the sheet discharging roller 3 and the upper surface of the tray 12 or between the nip portion of the sheet discharging roller 3 and the uppermost surface of the sheet on the tray 12 so that the sheet is properly discharged.

The tray 12 is configured to be able to move up and down in order to maintain a constant reference interval in accordance with the stack of sheets on the tray 12. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3A, the tray 12 is suspended by the upper and lower lift belts 48. The vertical lift belt 48 is driven by the vertical motor 23 via a gear train and a timing belt, and is raised or lowered by the forward or reverse rotation of the vertical motor 23.
The upper and lower lift belts 48, the gear train, the upper and lower lift belts 48, and the like constitute elevating means 95 for elevating and lowering the tray 12.

The copied sheets are discharged onto the tray 12 one after another. Then, the top surface of the stacked papers rises. As shown in FIG. 3A, one end of a paper lever 13 swingably supported by a shaft 13a is provided on the uppermost surface of the stacked paper so as to come into contact with its own weight. The other end is detected by a paper surface sensor 43 composed of a photo interrupter.

In the sorting mode, the paper surface sensor 43
The vertical position of the tray 12 is controlled, and the paper surface sensor 42 performs the same control in the staple mode.

As shown also in FIG.
Is designed to rotate about the fulcrum by a moment due to its own weight, and when the tray 12 is lowered, the upper free end of the paper surface lever 13 is at a position where the paper surface sensor 42 or the paper surface sensor 43 is turned on. A stopper means for stopping the rotation is provided.

This stopper means locks and turns on the paper lever 13 at the position of the paper surface sensor 43 at the position of the paper surface sensor 43 in the sorting process job, and turns on and locks the paper surface lever 13 at the position of the paper surface sensor 42 in the staple mode. Let it. Tray 1
As the sheets S are stacked on the sheet 2, the lower free end of the sheet lever 13 is pushed up. It turns off when the paper surface sensor 42 or the paper surface sensor 43 comes off.

In this case, since the sorting mode is set, the loading surface of the paper S rises every time the paper S is discharged one by one.
Each time the free end of the paper surface lever 13 departs from the paper surface sensor 43, the vertical motor 23 is driven to control the paper discharge tray 12 to be lowered until the paper surface sensor 43 is turned on. Accordingly, the condition of the landing position of the sheet on the tray 12 is controlled such that the interval between the ejection roller 3 and the tray 12 (the uppermost surface of the sheet) is a constant reference interval. Here, the paper surface sensors 42 and 43, the paper surface lever 13 and the like are detection means for detecting information for controlling the height of the tray 12 to a constant height and sending it to the control unit.

The fixed height position of the tray 12 at such a reference interval is referred to as a reference height position, and is set as an appropriate position for receiving a sheet in a normal state other than a sheet fed in a special mode such as curling. The set position.

When the sheets are discharged one by one in the sorting mode, and when the stapled sheet bundle is discharged in the staple mode, the discharge conditions are different. The height position is different.
This is apparent from the fact that the positions of the paper surface sensors 42 and 43 are different. At the end of the post-processing, an operation of lowering the sheet discharge tray 12 by about 30 mm in preparation for taking out the sheet is performed.

In any of the sorting mode, the staple mode, and the post-processing mode, the paper from the paper discharge roller 3 is discharged onto the tray 12 at the appropriate reference height, and the tray 12 is lowered every time the paper is stacked. Finally, the lower limit sensor 44 detects the lower limit position. Further, when the tray 12 is lifted, the tray 12 is
Based on the detection information of the paper surface by the detection means such as the paper surface lever 13, the height is raised to the reference height.

When the tray 12 reaches a predetermined ascending limit position, an actuator provided on the tray 12 pushes the upper limit switch to stop the vertical motor 23 to prevent the tray 12 from being damaged due to overrun. [1-1] Paper Processing Apparatus The post-processing apparatus 51 can perform post-processing, which is an essential function, and, as described below, is loaded on the tray 12 that performs sorting operation by the paper processing apparatus. Later paper can be aligned. Therefore, even if the sheet is displaced from the discharge roller 3 onto the tray 12 due to a lateral shift and falls, the sheet in the disturbed state is displaced in the shift direction c by the functions of the aligning member and the feeding means. a is also aligned with high precision and the tray 1
2 can be loaded in a state of being sorted by the sorting function.

The sheet S in the transport path after the discharge roller 3
Is performed by a sheet processing device integrally formed with the post-processing device 51. Needless to say, the sheet processing apparatus may have an independent unit configuration.

In FIG. 2, the paper processing apparatus includes a discharge roller 3 as discharge means, a tray 12 on which the sheets S discharged from the discharge roller 3 are stacked, a lifting means 95 for raising and lowering the tray 12, a tray Positioning means for controlling the position of the ascending and descending directions of the tray 12, tray moving means 60 for reciprocating the tray 12 in a shift direction (a direction penetrating the paper surface of FIG. 2) orthogonal to the discharge direction a of FIG. 2, and loaded on the tray 12. And the return rollers 92 and 93 (refer to FIG. 6 described later) as feed means provided in the alignment members 102 and 103.

Among them, the tray lifting / lowering means 95 corresponds to the vertical motor 23 and the vertical lift belt 48 described in FIG. 3A. The positioning means in the elevating direction is the paper surface lever 13, the paper surface sensors 42, 4 in FIG.
3 and the like are indicated by reference numeral 96. Although the moving means of the tray 12 is not shown, an eccentric shaft fixed to an eccentric position of a disk rotated by a motor is fitted into a hole formed in the tray 12, and the tray 12 is reciprocated by rotating the disk. A moving mechanism is conceivable.

An outline of the sorting / arranging operation using these members will be described. 1 to 5, the tray 12 is raised and lowered by a tray raising and lowering means 95, and is always controlled by a positioning means 96 to a reference height suitable for landing of the sheet S. To the one end in the shift direction.

Align the paper S on the tray in the shift direction 1
The pair of aligning members 102 and 103 are waiting at a receiving position with a predetermined facing interval at which the sheet S discharged from the sheet discharging roller 3 can be received.

The sheet S is discharged from the discharge roller 3 and the tray 1
At least one of the aligning members 102 and 103 performs an operation of narrowing the facing interval from the receiving position and presses the aligning portion slightly against the end surface of the sheet S to sandwich the sheet bundle. Align the end faces parallel to the discharge direction.

In order to ensure this alignment operation, the alignment members 102, 10
3 is parallel to the shift direction c, and the tray 1
U from the center axis OO of 2 to the equally distributed position
The grooves 82 and 83 are formed by being hollowed in a letter shape, and the lower ends of the alignment members 102 and 103 are slightly cut into the grooves 82 and 83. Thus, the aligning members 102 and 103 can be reliably pressed against the end face of the paper and aligned without causing interference with the tray 12.

Next, return rollers 92 and 93, which are rotating bodies as one member of the feeding means provided in the alignment members 102 and 103, are brought into contact with the surface of the uppermost sheet that has been aligned previously, and the return is performed. By rotating the rollers 92 and 93, the sheet is sent in the direction opposite to the discharge direction a, and the rear end of the sheet S is pressed against the rear fence 40 to align the rear ends. After that, the operation of increasing the facing distance is performed, and the operation returns to the receiving position. By performing this series of aligning operations, not only the end surface of the sheet S parallel to the discharge direction a but also the end surface of the rear end portion parallel to the shift direction c are aligned.

Conventionally, the tray 12 is inclined beforehand. However, depending on the type of paper, the tray 12 may not descend along the inclination and irregularity may occur at the rear end of the paper. As described above, the provision of the return rollers 92 and 93 as the feeding means allows the tray 12 to be provided regardless of the paper type.
Even if a steeper gradient is not applied, it is possible to obtain a clear alignment of the shifted sheets.

A predetermined number of sheets S forming one set (hereinafter simply referred to as a set), which is a unit of sorting specified in advance,
When the trays 12 are shifted and the trays 12 are shifted, the raising and lowering means 95 is operated to lower the trays 12 by a predetermined amount in order to prevent the alignment members 102 and 103 from interfering with the aligned sheet bundle. And evacuate. After the retreat, the tray 12 is moved to the other end in the shift direction c by the tray moving means while the aligned paper is placed thereon.

When the tray 12 is located on the other end side, the tray 12 is raised from the retracted position by the elevating means 95,
The uppermost sheet level is set at the reference position by the positioning means 96. Further, the aligning members 102 and 103 are returned from the retracted position to the receiving position.

As in the previous operation of aligning the set, the sheet S of the next set from the discharge roller 3 is on the tray 12 and
The paper is discharged between the alignment members 102 and 103 and stacked. Each time the stacking is performed, the alignment members 102 and 103 perform the alignment operation, sandwich and align the sheet bundle, and return to the receiving position. In addition, the return rollers 92 and 93 rotate so that the rear end of the uppermost sheet abuts against the rear end fence 40 to be aligned.

When a predetermined number of sheets S constituting a set are aligned, the tray 12 is moved by the tray moving means 98 to the one end side in the shift direction c. Alignment member 1
The tray 12 is lowered to prevent the sheets 02 and 103 from interfering with the aligned sheet bundle.

Since the sheets S are stacked on the tray 12 during the sorting / arranging operation, the tray 12 is lowered by an appropriate amount by the tray elevating means 95 and the tray elevating means 96, and the sheet The position of the upper surface is controlled so as to maintain a constant height from the nip portion of the sheet discharging roller 3 and to maintain the landing position at a constant level. The above is the outline of the configuration and operation of the sheet processing apparatus. [1-1-1] Tray In FIG. 2, when the above-described sorting mode is instructed, the sheet S is transferred from the branching claw 8b to the tray 12 via the sheet discharge sensor 38 by the transfer roller 7 as a sheet transfer means.
, And is sent out by the discharge rollers 3 in the discharge direction a.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 4, the tray 1
The upper surface of 2 is inclined such that the height of the upper surface increases in the discharge direction a. At the lower base end of the inclined surface of the tray 12, a rear end fence made of a vertical surface is located as shown by reference numeral 40 in FIG.

In FIG. 3A, the sheet S discharged from the sheet discharging roller 3 enters between the aligning members 102 and 103 waiting at the receiving position, and is aligned.
By the operation described above, the end faces parallel to the discharge direction a of the paper S are aligned.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG.
The return rollers 92 and 93 provided on the sheets 2 and 103 are in contact with the upper surface of the uppermost sheet S, and the rotation of the return rollers 92 and 93 causes the sheet S to be fed until the rear end of the sheet S hits the rear end fence 40. Thus, all the end faces of the sheet are aligned.

As shown in FIG. 5, a concave groove 82 is formed on a portion of the upper surface of the tray 12 which faces the aligning member 102, and a concave groove 83 is formed on a portion which faces the aligning member 103. It is partially lower than the upper surface of the tray 12.

At least when no paper is loaded on the grooves 82 and 83, the aligning members 102 and 103 at the receiving position partially enter the grooves 82 and 83 and The overlapping state is maintained. This is to ensure that the alignment members 102 and 103 are brought into contact with the end surface of the sheet S in the alignment operation. [1-1-2] Tray Elevating Means, Tray Elevating Positioning Means As described with reference to FIG. 3, the elevating means 95 for elevating and lowering the tray 12 is provided when the sheet S is discharged from the discharge roller 3.
The vertical position of the uppermost surface of the paper stacked on the upper surface 2 or the upper surface of the tray 12 is moved in the elevating direction so as to be a proper discharge position suitable for discharging the paper S from the discharge roller 3. Determine the position of 12.

In FIG. 2, FIG. 3 (a) and FIG. 5, the discharge roller 3 is at a fixed position. Therefore, in a configuration in which the tray 12 does not move up and down, when the sheets S are discharged and stacked on the tray 12, the height of the sheet bundle increases, and the sheet bundle interrupts the discharge of the sheet. It will not be possible to discharge.

The provision of the elevating means 95 allows the tray 1
2 is moved up and down, and the distance from the nip portion of the discharge roller 3 to the upper surface of the tray 12 or the distance from the nip portion of the discharge roller 3 to the uppermost surface of the sheet S on the tray 12 is discharged by the positioning means. It can be maintained at a proper interval where the paper is properly performed. Thereby, the sheet S is placed on the upper surface of the tray 12.
Can be discharged in a state where the variation in the landing position is small.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the tray 12 is suspended by a vertical lift belt 48. The vertical lift belt 48 is driven by a vertical motor 71 via a gear train and a timing belt, and is raised or lowered by forward or reverse rotation of the vertical motor 71. The upper and lower lift belts 70, the upper and lower motors 71, the gear train, the timing belt, and the like are main components of the elevating means 95 for elevating and lowering the tray.

As the sheets S on which images have been formed are successively discharged and stacked on the tray 12, the uppermost surface of the sheets S rises. FIG. 3 (a) shows the top surface of the stacked sheets.
As shown in FIG. 2, one end of the paper surface lever 13 swingably supported by the shaft 13a is provided so as to come into contact with its own weight.
The other end of the paper surface lever 13 is detected by a paper surface sensor 43 composed of a photo interrupter.

In the sorting mode, the paper surface sensor 43
The paper surface sensor 42 controls the vertical position of the tray 12, and performs the same control in the staple mode. The paper discharge position varies depending on the mode.

The paper lever 13 is adapted to rotate about the fulcrum by the moment of its own weight, and when the tray 12 is lowered, the upper free end of the paper lever 13 is connected to the paper surface sensor 42 or the paper surface sensor. There is provided a stopper means for stopping the rotation of the paper surface lever 13 at a position where the 43 is turned on.

This stopper means stops the rotation at the position where the paper surface lever 13 turns on the paper surface sensor 43 in the sorting process, and the paper surface sensor 42 in the staple mode.
The rotation is stopped at the position where is turned on. As the sheets S are stacked on the tray 12, the lower free end of the sheet lever 13 is pushed up. As a result, the paper lever 13
Are off when the paper surface sensor 42 or the paper surface sensor 43 comes off.

In this case, since the sorting mode is set, the loading surface of the paper S rises every time the paper S is discharged one by one.
Every time the free end of the paper surface lever 13 comes off the paper surface sensor 43, the vertical motor 23 is driven to control the tray 12 to be lowered until the paper surface sensor 43 is turned on.

Thus, the condition of the landing position of the sheet S on the tray 12 is such that the interval between the sheet discharging roller 3 and the tray 12 (the uppermost surface of the sheet) is controlled to the appropriate interval. Here, the paper surface sensors 42 and 43, the paper surface lever 13 and the like are connected to the tray 12
Positioning means 9 for controlling the height of the tray to a constant height
6 is a main component, detects information for positioning and sends it to the control means.

The height position of the tray 12 at such an appropriate interval is referred to as an appropriate discharge position, and is an appropriate position for receiving a sheet in a normal state other than a sheet fed in a special mode such as curling. This is the position set as the position.

The conditions for discharging the sheets are different between the case where the sheets are discharged one by one in the sorting mode and the case where the bundle of sheets stapled in the stapling mode is discharged. The discharge position is different.
This is apparent from the fact that the positions of the paper surface sensors 75 and 74 are different. At the end of the post-processing, an operation of lowering the sheet discharge tray 12 by about 30 mm in preparation for taking out the sheet is performed.

In any of the sorting mode, the staple mode, and the post-processing mode, the sheet S from the sheet discharge roller 3 is discharged onto the tray 12 at a reference height suitable for each of the modes, and each time the sheet S is stacked, the tray S Is lowered, and finally the lower limit position is detected by the lower limit sensor 44. Further, when the tray 12 is lifted, the tray 12 is
3. Based on the detection information of the paper surface by the positioning means such as the paper surface lever 13, the height is raised to the reference height.

When the tray 12 reaches a predetermined upper limit position, a lever (not shown) interlocked with the tray 12 pushes the upper limit switch to stop the vertical motor 23, thereby preventing the tray 12 from being damaged due to overrun. it can. At the time of discharging the sheet, the tray 12 is controlled by the elevating means 95 and the positioning means 96 to a proper discharge position at an appropriate interval. [1-1-3] Tray moving means In FIG. 5, the tray 12 moves to one end in the shift direction c to perform the sorting operation, and then moves to the other end.
The shift operation is performed so as to move from the other end to the one end. Assuming that a unit of work when processing a predetermined number of sheets of discharged paper constituting a set which is a unit of sorting is one job,
During the same job, the tray 12 does not shift in the shift direction c, but moves in the shift direction c each time one job (copy) is completed, and receives one sheet of paper S for the next job at one moving end. Upon receiving the sheet S, the sheet S is placed on the tray 12.
Every time is stacked, the aligning operation by the aligning members 102 and 103 and the rear end alignment of the sheets by the return rollers 82 and 83 are performed.

The tray moving means for performing the sorting operation by moving the tray 12 in the shift direction c in order to sort the sheets (including the sheet bundle) stacked on the tray 12 is, as described above, a motor. A mechanism is conceivable in which an eccentric shaft fixed at an eccentric position of a rotating disk is fitted into a hole formed in the tray 12 and the tray 12 is reciprocated by rotating the disk. Here, the moving amount of the tray 12 is an amount necessary for sorting, and for example, 20 m depending on the paper size, paper type, operator preference, and the like.
m.

As shown in FIG. 4, the tray moving means comprises a tray supporting structure for slidably supporting the tray 12 on the pedestal 8, and a tray reciprocating mechanism such as a disk rotated by a motor and an eccentric shaft. .

In addition, various tray reciprocating mechanisms can be considered. For example, although not shown, a drive mechanism that provides a rack along the shift direction c and drives a pinion that meshes with the rack with a motor that can rotate forward and reverse, a crank mechanism, and the like. By the tray moving means having such a configuration, the tray 12 can be reciprocated in the shift direction c by a predetermined amount necessary for sorting the sheets.

[1-1-4] Alignment Member In FIG. 5, the upper portions of the alignment members 102 and 103 are supported in the frame 75. The frame 75 is provided with reciprocating means as means for causing the aligning members 102 and 103 to perform the aligning operation. The reciprocating means is driven and controlled by control means comprising a microcomputer.

The lower end portions of the aligning members 102 and 103, which are opposed to each other, are cut off stepwise,
The alignment units 102a and 103a are formed of flat surfaces. The aligning sections 102a and 103a contact and separate from the end face of the sheet parallel to the discharge direction a. At this stage of the contacting and separating operation, the return rollers 92 and 93 shown in FIG.
a, 103a,
a and 103a are exposed.

After the aligning operation by the aligning sections 102a and 103a is completed, the return rollers 92 and 93 move inside the aligning sections 102a and 103a as shown in FIG. 5 and come into contact with the upper surface of the paper just aligned. To the rear end fence 40 to align the rear end. [1-1-5] Reciprocating Means of Alignment Member The mechanical components of the alignment members 102 and 103 are housed in a box-shaped frame 90 as shown in FIG. 6 and are configured as an integrated alignment unit. . The frame 75 is detachably attached to the main body of the post-processing device 51 by screwing or by an uneven engagement / disengagement means.
It is possible to easily cope with a user who does not need the alignment function according to (3).

As described above, since the supporting portions of the aligning members 102 and 103 are supported by the main body of the post-processing device 51 above the paper discharge rollers 3, the tray 12 can be moved up and down or the paper from the paper discharge rollers 3 can be moved. The aligning members 102 and 103 can be operated without affecting the S discharging operation, and the aligning members 102 and 103 can be easily configured.

The aligning members 102 and 103 are slidably and oscillatably supported on the support shaft 76 disposed in the shift direction c at the upper part thereof, and are moved by the reciprocating means so as to approach and separate from each other. Can be

FIG. 6 shows the configuration when viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG. The alignment member 102 is provided on the frame 75.
And a pair of pulleys 9 and 9 'for reciprocating the aligning member 103, respectively. A timing belt 16 is wound around the pair of pulleys 7 and 7 ′, and a timing belt 17 is wound around the pair of pulleys 9 and 9 ′.

A belt holding portion 21 (see FIG. 9) is formed on the alignment member 103, and the timing belt 17 is fitted and fixed in a groove of the belt holding portion 21. Similarly, the timing belt 16 of the alignment member 102 is fixed to the belt holding unit 20.

In FIG. 6, each shaft of pulleys 7 and 9 has
A rotating shaft of a motor (not shown) capable of rotating forward and backward is connected to each. These motors are attached to the frame 75, and can individually drive the timing belts 16 and 17 to rotate forward and reverse. In accordance with the forward / reverse rotation, the alignment members 102 and 103 can be individually reciprocated in the shift direction c.

A reciprocating means is constituted by the pulleys 7, 7 ', 9, 9, the timing belts 16, 17, the motor and the like. The reciprocating means makes the aligning member 10
Reference numerals 2 and 103 denote receiving positions, which are positions outside the end face parallel to the discharge direction a and separated from the end face of the paper discharged from the discharge hand roller 3 by the aligning sections 102a and 103a, and the aligning section 102a. , 103a can be located at any of the alignment positions, which are positions on the inside of the sheet relative to the receiving position and pressed against the end face,
It is possible to cleanly align the paper end faces parallel to the discharge direction. [1-1-6] Pressing Means of Alignment Member As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the alignment members 102 and 103 are rotatably supported by the support shaft 76. The shaft end of the support shaft 76 is pivotally attached to the frame 75. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the support shaft 76 and the aligning members 102 and 103 are connected via torsion coil springs 77 and 78 as elastic means, and the aligning members 102 and 103 are oscillated according to the load received. It is displaced to take a moving position.

[0095] To explain in detail below, Fig. 7 is a simplified view omitting extra members. In this figure, one end of the torsion coil spring 77 is hung on the aligning member 102 and the other end is The end is inserted into the support shaft 76 after being wound around the support shaft 76. Similarly, one end of the torsion coil spring 78 is hung on the alignment member 103, the other end is wound around the support shaft 76, and the end is inserted into the support shaft 75.

A base end of a lever 79 is fixed to the shaft end of the support shaft 76. Wire 8 is attached to the free end of lever 79.
4 is hung on one end, and the other end of the wire 84 is hung on a plunger of a solenoid 88 fixed to the frame 75.

When the solenoid 88 is turned off, the aligning members 102 and 103 do not receive an external force.
2, 83. This is shown in FIG.
This is the normal state shown in FIG. When the solenoid 88 is turned on, the wire 84 is pulled, and in FIG. 7, the support shaft 6 rotates counterclockwise to rotate the alignment members 102, 1
03 is lifted above the upper surface of the tray 12. That is, the state shown in FIG. 14 is obtained.

When the solenoid 88 is turned on and the wire 84
When the lever 79 is pulled through the torsion coil spring 7, the torsion coil spring 7 rotates even if the support shaft 31 rotates.
The torsional coil springs 77 and 78 are not deformed, and the alignment members 102 and 103 are slightly rotated and inclined by the rigidity of the torsion coil springs 77 and 78 themselves.

FIG. 8 (c) shows a state where the solenoid 88 is turned on, as in FIG. 8 (b). Alignment member 102
When a load is applied to one or both of the alignment members 103 as indicated by the black triangles in the figure, the lever 79 and the support shaft 76 rotate, but the loaded alignment member 102 or the alignment member 103 Does not rotate, the torsion coil spring 77
Alternatively, the torsion coil spring 78 is deformed, and the aligning member 102 or the aligning member 103 can apply a pressure in the rotation direction of the support shaft 76 by the elasticity of the deformation of the spring. In this way, the alignment members 102 and 103 are displaced so as to take a rocking position corresponding to the load received by the pressing means.

In this embodiment, the support shaft 76, the lever 79, the torsion coil springs 77 and 78, the solenoid 88 and the like constitute a pressing means. The pressing means includes a support shaft 76 pivotally connecting the alignment members 102 and 103, and the support shaft 76 and the alignment member 102,
It comprises torsion coil springs 77 and 78 as elastic means for connecting the shaft 103 and a solenoid 88 and a lever 79 as support shaft driving means for rotating the support shaft 76. The solenoid 88 is turned on. Accordingly, the support shaft 76 is rotated, and accordingly, it has a function of causing the aligning members 102 and 103 to assume a swinging position according to a load to be received, and is configured in combination with the aligning members 102 and 103. Have been. [1-1-7] Feeding Means The uppermost sheet of the sheets discharged and stacked on the tray 12 from the discharging means including the sheet discharging rollers 3 is directed toward the rear end fence 40 provided at the end of the tray 12. It has a feeding means for moving.

The feeding means includes a return roller 9 as a rotating body provided adjacent to the inside of the aligning sections 102a and 103a.
2, 93; rotating body driving means for driving the return rollers 92, 93 so as to be able to stop rotation; and projecting the return rollers 92, 93 downward so as to be in contact with the uppermost one of the sheets stacked on the tray 12. And a displacement means for switching the state between the retracted state and the retracted state in which the retracted state is retracted upward so as not to touch. (I) Rotating Body Driving Means The rotating body driving means for driving the return rollers 92 and 93 will be described. The rotator driving means includes a means for driving the return roller 93, a means for driving the return roller 92, and two
However, since they have exactly the same configuration, here, a description will be given of the rotating body driving means for driving the return roller 93, and description of the rotating body driving means relating to the return roller 92 will be omitted.

In FIG. 9, the aligning member 103 is
The upper portion of 02a is formed in a tubular shape, and a support shaft 76 is inserted through the inside of the tubular portion. Support shaft 76
Is rotatable with respect to the alignment member 103. A pulley 1 as a rotating member is provided on the support shaft 76 inside the upper part of the cylinder.
05 is pivoted.

A shaft 106 is pivotally attached to a lower portion of the alignment member 103. The central portion of a pulley 107 and a lever 108 is fixed to the shaft 106. Lever 108
A pulley 109 integrally formed with the return roller 92 is pivotally connected to one end of the pulley 109.

A timing belt 110 is looped between the pulley 107 and the pulley 109, and a timing belt 111 is looped between the pulley 107 and the pulley 105.

The pulley 112 is located on the frame 75 at a position facing the pulley 105.
Between the pulley 12 and the pulley 105
Is hung around. The pulley 112 is fixed to a shaft 114, and the shaft 114 is connected to a shaft of a feed motor (not shown).

The shaft 114 is also a shaft integrated with the pulley corresponding to the pulley 105 in the rotating body driving means for driving the return roller 102 provided on the alignment member 102 side. The return rollers 92 and 93 can be rotationally driven by a common feed motor.

The rotation of the feed motor shaft is controlled by pulley 11
2. Timing belt 113, pulley 105, timing belt 111, pulley 107, timing belt 11
0, the pulley 109 is transmitted in this order, and the return rollers 92, 9
3 can be rotated.

Here, the pulley 112, the timing belt 113, the timing belt 111, the pulley 107, the timing belt 110, and the pulley 109 constitute a transmission mechanism via the pulley 105.

Since the transmission mechanism is a mechanism for transmitting power via the pulley 105, the position of the pulley 105 is maintained despite the fact that the alignment member 103 is rotated about the support shaft 75 by the support shaft driving means. Is invariable and pulley 11
Power is transmitted to the return roller 93 through the second roller 2.

By switching the rotation direction of the feed motor between forward and reverse, the rotation direction of the return rollers 92 and 93 can also be switched between forward and reverse. These feed motors, pulleys 105, 107, 109, 112, timing belts 110, 111, 112 and the like are main members of the rotating body driving means. (Ii) Displacing means The displacing means is a protruding state in which the return rollers 92, 93 protrude downward so as to come into contact with the highest one of the sheets stacked on the tray 12, and a retracted state in which the return rollers 92, 93 are retracted upward so as not to contact. Means for switching the state.

[0111] There are two types of displacement means, a configuration attached to the return roller 92 and a configuration attached to the return roller 93. Since these have the same configuration, in this example, the return roller is used. The configuration provided in addition to 93 will be described.

In FIG. 9, one end of the lever 108, on which the return roller 93 is pivotally mounted, and the aligning member 103
A tension spring 115 is hung between them. A wire 118 is provided between the other end of the lever 108 and the plunger of the solenoid 116 with a spring 117 interposed therebetween. Solenoid 116 is provided on alignment member 103. Spring 115 and Spring 1
17, the force of the spring 117 is strong. Spring 115 and Spring 1
17, the lever 108 is pulled in the same direction.

When the solenoid 116 is turned off (non-excited), the lever 108 is rotated counterclockwise about the shaft 106 by the contracting force of the spring 115, as shown in FIGS. , The return roller 93 is in the alignment section 10
It is in a retracted state in which it is retracted upward from 2a.

When the solenoid 116 is turned on (excited), the lever 108 is rotated clockwise about the shaft 106 by the contraction force of the spring 117 which overcomes the contraction force of the spring 115, as shown in FIG. Thus, the return roller 93 is in a protruding state protruding below the alignment portion 102a. In this example, the lever 108, the spring 115, the solenoid 116, the spring 117, the wire 118, etc.
It is a member constituting a main part of the displacement means.

As described above, the spring 11 in the displacement means is used.
Reference numeral 7 indicates that the lever 108 is elastically urged in the clockwise direction by a force that overcomes the spring 115 when the solenoid 116 is turned on. Therefore, when there is a sheet on the groove 83 as shown in FIG. 11, the return roller 93 can be elastically contacted by the force of the spring 117.

Since the return rollers 92 and 93 elastically abut against the sheet by the spring 117, the return rollers 92 and 93 can be reliably brought into contact with the upper surface of the sheet and sent out, thereby improving the accuracy of the rear end alignment. .

The rotating members (return rollers 92 and 93) as the feeding means are set in the protruding state and the retracted state by the displacement means, so that the aligning sections 102a and 103a can be aligned when the aligning operation of the end face parallel to the sheet discharging direction is performed. And the rollers 92 and 93 do not hinder the sheet from hitting the end face of the sheet.
When the alignment operation by 103a is completed, the return rollers 92, 9
The operation procedure of sending out the paper whose end faces parallel to the discharge direction are completed by operating the function 3 and performing the rear end alignment can be performed, and the papers can be finely aligned. [2-1] Paper Alignment Procedure Hereinafter, a paper alignment procedure controlled by the control unit will be described with reference to FIGS. In the initial state, the alignment members 102 and 103 are, as shown in FIG.
The sheet processing apparatus is located at a home position with a facing distance sufficiently larger than the width of the sheet processed by the sheet processing apparatus.

The solenoid 88 shown in FIG. 7 is turned off, the aligning members 102 and 103 are in a state of being balanced by their own weight, and the aligning portions 102a and 103a are positioned below. The return rollers 92 and 93 have stopped rotating,
Further, since the solenoid 116 shown in FIG. 9 is turned off, it is in a retracted state.

Step P1: Step P1 shown in FIG.
Then, the tray 12 is lowered by a predetermined amount. This is because sheets may already be loaded on the tray 12 in the initial state, and the alignment members 102, 10
3 to the receiving position, the alignment member 102,
This is because 103 may interfere with the paper on the tray 12. The predetermined amount of lowering of the tray 12 depends on the alignment member 1.
When the moving members 02 and 103 move from the home position to the receiving position, the lower ends of the aligning members 102 and 103 are at a sufficient lowering position so as not to interfere with the tray 12 or the paper on the tray 12.

Step P2: In step P2, the pulleys 7, 9 of the reciprocating means shown in FIG. 6 are rotated to move the aligning members 102, 103 from the home position shown in FIG. 14 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Move 102 and 103 to the receiving position shown in FIG.

This receiving position is outside the end face parallel to the discharge direction of the paper discharged from the discharge roller 3 and has an appropriate margin of about several millimeters from the end face (α shown in FIG. 17). Position. Align paper 102a, 10
This is to accept between 3a.

Step 3: In step P3, while the state shown in FIG. 15 is maintained, the feed motor (not shown) as the rotating body driving means described with reference to FIG.
To rotate the return rollers 92 and 93 in the retracted state to the rotating state. This rotation direction is a direction in which the paper on the tray 12 is fed toward the end fence.

Step P4: In step P4, it is determined whether or not the sheet processing apparatus is in the shift mode.
If the mode is the shift mode, the process proceeds to Step P5. If the mode is not the shift mode, the process proceeds to Step P24. Here, assuming that the shift mode has been selected in advance, the process proceeds to step P5.

Step P5: In Step P5, the tray 12 is raised by driving the lifting / lowering means 95 described with reference to FIG. The tray 12 at the position shown in FIG. 15 rises in the direction of the arrow and reaches the position shown in FIG. This ascending position is a position of the reference height positioned by the detecting means described with reference to FIG.

At the position of the reference height, the alignment member 10
The lower ends of 2 and 103 are located in the grooves 82 and 83, respectively.

Step P6: In step P6, the first sheet S1 is discharged from the discharge rollers 3 to the aligning sections 102a and 103a.
Sent between. FIG. 17 shows a state where the sheet is sent. There is a margin of α between the end of the sheet S1 and the alignment units 102a and 103a.

Step P7: In step P7, the process shown in FIG.
In the state shown in FIG. 6, the reciprocating means shown in FIG. 6 is driven to bring the alignment members 102 and 103 inward, respectively, and the sheet S1 is positioned at a predetermined position on the tray 12. This state is shown in FIG.

Step P8: Further, under the state shown in FIG. 18, the solenoid 116 shown in FIG. 9 is turned on, and the return rollers 92 and 93 are set in the protruding state. Thereby, the spring 11
7, the return rollers 92 and 93 elastically come into contact with the sheet S1, so that the already rotating return rollers 92 and 93 send the sheet S1 toward the end fence 40, and the rear end of the sheet S1 is surely moved. When it is hit by the end fence 40, the process proceeds to step P9, in which the solenoid 116 is turned off to bring it into a retracted state as shown in FIG. here,
The ON / OFF timing of the solenoid 116 is specifically set in consideration of the rotation speed of the return rollers 92 and 93, the feeding distance of the sheet to the end fence 40, and the like.

Step P10: In step P10, it is determined whether or not all the sheets constituting a part have been discharged. If a part of the paper is not fully discharged, step P
Return to step 6, and repeat the same steps. Each time, tray 12
The height of the upper sheet is increased, and accordingly, the tray 12 is lowered by the elevating means 95 and the detecting means described with reference to FIG. 3, and the height of the discharge roller 3 from the nip is set to a predetermined reference height. Keep it up. In this way, as shown in FIG. 21, when a part of the sheet bundle ΔS has already been stacked on the tray 12, the process proceeds to Step P11.

Step P11: Since the shift mode is selected here, in step P11, the interval between the aligning members 102 and 103 is first adjusted by the reciprocating means shown in FIG. 6 in preparation for the shifting operation of the tray 12 and the aligning operation after the shift. It is opened up to the same spacing of the receiving positions as shown at 15. FIG. 21 shows a state in which the space is provided.

Step P12: In order to avoid interference between the alignment members 102 and 103 and the tray 12 due to the shift operation, the tray 12 is lowered in Step P12. FIG. 22 shows the state after the descent. This lowering position is a position where the lower ends of the alignment members 102 and 103 do not interfere with the uppermost sheet on the tray 12. This lowered position is shown in FIG.

Step P13: The tray 12 is shifted. In this example, in the state shown in FIG.
To the right as shown by the arrow. Figure 2 shows the state after the shift
3 is shown. In FIG. 23, the lower end of the aligning member 103 is located above the right end of the sheet bundle #S, and the aligning member 102 is located outside the end of the sheet bundle #S and above the sheet bundle #S.

Step P14: The tray 12 is raised to the position of the reference height. FIG. 24 shows the state after the rise. At this reference height, the distance from the tray 12 (the uppermost position of the sheet bundle on the tray 12) to the lower ends of the alignment members 102 and 103 is the same as the distance shown in FIG. However, in FIG. 24, since the tray 12 is shifted, the lower end of the alignment member 102 is located below the highest level of the sheet bundle #S so that the alignment operation can be performed. The lower end of 103 is the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle #S and is in contact with the vicinity of the right end by its own weight.

Steps P15 and P16: At step P15, the solenoid 88 of the spindle driving means described with reference to FIG. 7 is turned on. FIG. 25 shows the state at this time. As shown in FIG. 25, the aligning member 102 moves the aligning portion 102a to the sheet bundle S.
Since there is no obstacle that applies a load during rotation while corresponding to the uppermost portion of Σ, only an amount corresponding to the amount of rotation of the support shaft 76 corresponding to the amount pulled by the plunger of the solenoid 88 is shown in FIG. It swings to a position slightly inclined from the position shown, and then stops. Regarding the torsion coil spring 77,
No deformation.

The aligning member 103 attempts to rotate by the same swing amount as the aligning member 102 due to the rotation of the support shaft 76. However, since the sheet bundle ΔS is in the middle of rotation, it can be rotated due to this obstacle. Instead, it stops during rotation. The torsion coil spring 78 is deformed by a difference from the amount of rotation of the support shaft 76 from the stopped position, and the aligning member 103 presses the sheet with a moment corresponding to the tension generated by this deformation (step P16). . The aligning member 103 was displaced so as to take a swing position according to the load received.

Step P17: In step P17, the first sheet SS1 of the second copy is fed between the aligning sections 102a and 103a at the receiving position in FIG. FIG. 25 shows the sheet SS1 in the fed state.

Step P18: In step P18, as the aligning operation, the aligning member 103, which is in contact with the uppermost surface of the sheet bundle #S and is in contact with the vicinity of the right end thereof, is set to the fixed side during the aligning operation, and is the opposite side to the fixed aligning member. The aligning operation is performed with the aligning member of (1) as the moving side. Therefore, in step P18, the pulley 7 in the reciprocating means on the alignment member 102 side among the reciprocating means shown in FIG. 6 is driven to perform the aligning operation. This operation direction is indicated by an arrow in FIG.

The paper SS1 is pushed and moved by the movement of the alignment member 102, and the end of the paper SS1 comes into contact with the alignment section 102b, whereby the paper SS1 is aligned at a predetermined position. At this time, assuming that the lower end of the alignment member 103 has not been pressed against the uppermost surface of the sheet bundle #S in advance in steps P15 and P16, the end of the sheet SS1 slips through the lower end of the alignment member 103 and is not aligned. Although it is possible, as in this example, by providing the pressing means and taking the swing position according to the load received, there is no gap between the lower end portion of the alignment member 103 and the sheet, The paper does not slip through the lower end, so that a clean alignment can be achieved.

As described above, the pressing means can be displaced so as to take a swing position corresponding to the load receiving the aligning member, and the aligning member can be pressed against the already stacked sheet medium. Since no gap is left, even if the sheet-like medium is pushed by the other opposing aligning member during the aligning operation, the aligning member in the pressed state can reliably receive the sheet-like medium and reliably align. it can.

In addition, the aligning operation can be performed for the two aligning members 102 and 103 by alternately switching between the fixed side and the movable side. The movement stop position of the alignment member 102 is a position where the sheet SS1 is sandwiched. Alignment member 10 at this time
Each position of 2 and 103 is shown in FIG.

Step P19: At step P19, the solenoid 116 is turned on in the same manner as at step P8.
Is turned on to bring the return rollers 92 and 93 into a protruding state. Thereby, the sheet SS1 is sent out toward the end fence 40, and the rear end of the sheet SS1 is reliably abutted against the end fence 40.

Step P20: At step P20, the return rollers 92 and 93 are retracted by turning off the solenoid 116 as shown in FIG. This allows
As shown in FIG. 27, one sheet of the second copy is aligned at the shifted position on the first sheet bundle # S1.

Step P21: In step P21, it is determined whether or not a part of the second copy, that is, the entire number of sheets has been discharged. If all the sheets have been discharged, the process proceeds to step P22. If not all, the process returns to step P17, and the same operation is repeated until all the sheets have been discharged.

Step P22: If it is determined in step P21 that all the sheets constituting the second copy have been discharged, the process proceeds to step P22, in which the solenoid 88 that has been on is turned off.

This is to prepare for the case where the tray 12 is shifted. Prior to the shift, when the aligning members 102 and 103 are moved to the open position, if the aligning member 103 is kept in pressure contact with the uppermost sheet, the sheet is Rubbing and the alignment is disturbed,
This is to prevent this.

By turning off the solenoid 88,
The aligning member 102 returns to the position balanced by its own weight, and the aligning member 103 also comes into contact with the uppermost sheet by the moment due to its own weight.

Step P23: In step P23, it is determined whether or not there is a next sheet to be discharged, that is, whether or not there is a sheet for a part of the third copy. If not, the process ends. If there is, the process returns to step P11, and the same operation is repeated. Finally, it is determined in step P23 that there is no next sheet, and the process ends. In steps P16 and P18 marked with (*) in FIG. 13, each time the tray 12 shifts, the aligning member 103 and the aligning member 102
03 is executed in the flow of the contents replaced respectively.

If it is determined in step P4 that the mode is not the shift mode, the process proceeds to step P24 and subsequent steps. Step P24 corresponds to step P25 already described, and similarly, step P25 corresponds to step P25.
6, Step P26 corresponds to Step P7, Step P27 corresponds to Step P8, and Step P28 corresponds to Step P9, respectively, and the operation is the same.

In step P29, the presence or absence of the next sheet is determined, and the flow returns to step P24 until the next sheet runs out.
Step P after step P24 is repeated. When it is determined in step P29 that there is no next sheet, the process ends.
Embodiment of [Case 2] The image forming apparatus of this example includes an image forming unit and a conveying unit that conveys the paper, and the paper on which the image is formed is sorted by the alignment member in a state of being aligned on a tray. .

The present embodiment relates to an image forming apparatus having an image forming means for forming an image on a sheet and a conveying means for conveying the sheet on which the image is formed. The image forming apparatus 50 'shown in FIG. And an image forming unit common to the image forming apparatus 50 of FIG. Image forming apparatus 50 '
Has a sheet processing apparatus according to the configuration described in the above [Case 1] with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 28 shows main members of the image forming means and the sheet processing apparatus (sheet-like medium processing apparatus). The sheet processing apparatus constituting the contents of the image forming apparatus has the same configuration as the sheet processing apparatus described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 39.
To avoid complication, the same reference numerals as in FIGS. 1 to 39 are used in FIG. They are,
Paper discharge roller 3, pedestal 8, tray 12, paper surface lever 13, paper discharge sensor 38, paper surface sensors 42 and 43, alignment member 10
2, 103, etc.

Although not shown, the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 28 also includes the tray moving means 60 and the tray elevating means 95 provided as means for moving the tray 12 in the shift direction in the above example. I have.

The image forming apparatus 50 'will be described with reference to FIG. An image forming unit 135 is disposed substantially at the center of the apparatus main body, and a sheet feeding unit 136 is disposed immediately below the image forming unit 135. The paper supply unit 136 includes a paper supply cassette 210.

A document reading device (not shown) for reading a document can be provided above the image forming apparatus 50 ', if necessary. An upper part of the image forming unit 135 is provided with a roller RR as a conveying unit for conveying the sheet on which the image is formed.
And a guide plate are provided.

In the image forming section 135, an electrical unit F for electrically driving and controlling the apparatus is arranged. Also, a drum-shaped photoconductor 500 is arranged. Around the photosensitive member 500, a charging device 600 for charging the surface of the photosensitive member 500, an exposure device 700 for irradiating the surface of the photosensitive member with laser light to image information, and a photosensitive member 50
0, a developing device 800 for visualizing an electrostatic latent image formed by exposure to the surface, a transfer device 900 for transferring a toner image visualized on the photoconductor 500 to paper, and a toner remaining on the photoconductor surface after transfer. Cleaning device 10 for removing and collecting
00 and the like are arranged.

The photosensitive member 500, the charging device 600,
The exposure device 700, the developing device 800, the transfer device 900, the cleaning device 1000, and the like form a main part of the image forming unit. A fixing device 140 is disposed substantially above the photoconductor 500 and downstream of the photoconductor 500 on the sheet conveyance path.

When the image forming apparatus functions as a printer, an image signal is input when forming an image. In advance, the photoconductor 500 is uniformly charged by the charging device 600 in the dark. This uniformly charged photoconductor 500
Exposure light is radiated by emission of a laser diode LD (not shown) of the exposure device 700 based on an image signal, reaches the photosensitive member via a known polygon mirror or lens, and forms an electrostatic latent on the surface of the photosensitive member 500. An image is formed. This electrostatic latent image moves with the rotation of the photoconductor 500, and the developing device 800
, And further moves toward the transfer device 900.

On the other hand, the paper feed cassette 210 of the paper feed section 136
Unused paper is stored therein, and the uppermost paper S on the rotatably supported bottom plate 220 is fed to the paper feed roller 2.
30 is pressed against the spring 240
To be pressurized. At the time of paper feeding for transfer, the paper feeding roller 230 rotates, and by this rotation, the paper S is sent out from the paper feeding cassette 210 and transported to the pair of registration rollers 1400.

The paper sent to the registration rollers 1400 is temporarily stopped here. The registration roller 1400 sets the timing of the sheet so that the positional relationship between the toner image on the surface of the photoconductor 500 and the leading end of the sheet S becomes a predetermined position suitable for image transfer at the transfer position where the transfer device 900 is provided. Start transfer.

The toner image is fixed on the sheet after the transfer while passing through the fixing device 140. The sheet that has passed through the fixing device 140 is transported by a roller RR that is a transport unit.
The sheet is discharged from the sheet discharge roller 3 to the tray 12 via the sheet discharge sensor 38.

[0161] The subsequent sheet alignment function of the sheet processing apparatus is the same as the content described in the above [Case 1], and a description thereof will be omitted.

In the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, the aligning operation is performed by the aligning member on the sheets S already stacked on the tray, so that the sheets can be aligned with high accuracy. Embodiment of [Case 3] This embodiment has a configuration in which a sheet processing apparatus configured as a single apparatus is combined with an image forming post-processing apparatus including a combination of an image forming apparatus and a post-processing apparatus. From the image forming apparatus 50 ′ shown in FIG. 1 except for the main components related to the sheet processing apparatus such as the pedestal 8, the tray 12, the sheet lever 13, the sheet ejection sensor 38, the sheet surface sensors 42 and 43, and the alignment members 102 and 103. 1, the pedestal 8, the tray 12, the sheet lever 13, the sheet ejection sensor 38,
The configuration is such that the configuration excluding the main components of the paper processing apparatus such as the paper surface sensors 42 and 43 and the alignment members 102 and 103 is combined with a paper processing apparatus configured as one unit. These constitute one apparatus as a whole and are referred to as image forming post-processing apparatuses.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 29, an image forming apparatus 50 "having the same configuration as that of the image forming apparatus 50 'shown in FIG. The post-processing device 5 is a device that is disposed downstream of the sheet conveyance direction V from the post-processing device 51 illustrated in FIG.
1 ', and a sheet processing apparatus (sheet-shaped medium processing apparatus) 650 that is located downstream of the post-processing apparatus 51' in the sheet conveyance direction and is configured as a single apparatus.

The internal structure of the image forming apparatus 50 "is the same as that described with reference to FIG. 28, so that the internal structure is not shown. The internal structure of the post-processing device 51 'is the same as that shown in FIG. Since the content is the same as the content of the post-processing device 51 described above, the internal configuration is not illustrated.

The paper processing apparatus 650 configured as an independent apparatus has the same configuration as the paper processing apparatus described with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 27 and operates in a common manner. In order to avoid complication, the same members as those shown in FIGS.
The same reference numerals as those described in are used. These include a paper discharge roller 3, a pedestal 8, a tray 12, a paper surface lever 13, a paper discharge sensor 38, paper surface sensors 42 and 43, an alignment member 102,
103 and so on. These members are assembled to the frame 75 to form the sheet processing device 650. FIG.
In the above, the sheet sent from the image forming apparatus 50 "by the conveying means reaches the post-processing apparatus 51, where the post-processing is performed depending on the selection, or the post-processing is not performed. In the sheet processing apparatus 650, the sorting is performed by the operation of the tray 12, and the sheets are finely aligned by the aligning operation by the aligning members 102 and 103 and the return rollers 92 and 93 (see FIG. 6 and the like) as the feeding means.

In this example, the paper processing device 650 is configured as a single paper processing device, and exhibits a paper alignment function in combination with any arbitrary device for feeding paper.

[0167]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the aligning member is provided with the feeding means, all the end faces of the sheet-like medium can be aligned neatly.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the reciprocating means can move the aligning member so that the end surface of the sheet-like medium parallel to the discharge direction can be finely aligned.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to guide the sheet-like medium to the opposing aligning section smoothly by placing the aligning section at the receiving position. The end faces of the medium parallel to the discharge direction can be aligned neatly.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the aligning member is displaced by the pressing means so as to assume a swinging position corresponding to the load received by the aligning member, so that the aligning member is pressed against the already loaded sheet-like medium. Since the gap can not be formed and the gap cannot be formed, even when the sheet-shaped medium is pushed by the other aligning member facing in the aligning operation, the sheet-shaped medium does not slip through from the aligning member in the pressed state, and the sheet is securely inserted. It is possible to receive and align the medium.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a space can be saved by using a torsion coil spring and a solenoid. In particular, by using a solenoid, the operation can be switched quickly and the alignment operation can be speeded up.

In the invention according to the sixth aspect, the rotating body as the feeding means is set in the protruding state and the retreating state by the displacement means, so that the aligning unit can be aligned when the end face parallel to the discharging direction of the sheet medium is performed. The rotating body does not prevent the sheet from hitting the sheet-like medium, and when the aligning operation by the aligning unit is completed, the rotating body functions to send out the sheet-like medium whose end face has been aligned and to perform the rear end aligning. And the sheet medium can be aligned neatly.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to apply a rotational driving force to the rotating body serving as the feeding means via the transmission mechanism via the alignment member, thereby enabling the rear end alignment of the sheet medium. .

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since the rotating body elastically comes into contact with the sheet-like medium by the urging means, the rotating body can be reliably brought into contact with the upper surface of the sheet-like medium and sent out. The alignment accuracy can be improved.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to satisfactorily sort and align sheet media in the post-processing apparatus.

According to the tenth aspect, in the image forming apparatus, it is possible to satisfactorily sort and align sheet-like media.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating a post-processing apparatus including a sheet-shaped medium processing apparatus together with an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating a configuration of a post-processing apparatus including a sheet-shaped medium processing apparatus.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view illustrating a main configuration of a post-processing apparatus and a medium processing apparatus on a sheet, and FIG. 3B is an external perspective view illustrating a main part of a positioning unit.

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of a tray moving unit.

FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the post-processing device.

FIG. 6 is a front view illustrating a configuration of a reciprocating unit that moves an alignment member.

FIG. 7 is an external perspective view illustrating a configuration of a pressing unit.

8A is a diagram showing a state of the alignment member when the solenoid is turned off, FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a state of the alignment member when the solenoid is turned on, and FIG. (C) is a diagram showing a state of the alignment member when the solenoid is turned on and a load is present in a swing range of the alignment member.

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional front view of the vicinity of an alignment member illustrating a configuration of a rotating body driving unit that rotates a return roller and a displacement unit that switches a state of the rotating body.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a sheet has entered between alignment members.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a return roller is rotated to feed a sheet to a rear end fence.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a paper alignment procedure.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a paper alignment procedure.

FIG. 14 is a front view of a tray and an alignment member for explaining a paper alignment procedure.

FIG. 15 is a front view of a tray and an aligning member for explaining a sheet aligning procedure.

FIG. 16 is a front view of a tray and an aligning member for explaining a sheet aligning procedure.

FIG. 17 is a front view of the tray and the aligning member for explaining the sheet aligning procedure.

FIG. 18 is a front view of a tray and an alignment member for explaining a paper alignment procedure.

FIG. 19 is a front view of a tray and an aligning member for explaining a sheet aligning procedure.

FIG. 20 is a front view of a tray and an alignment member for explaining a paper alignment procedure.

FIG. 21 is a front view of a tray and an alignment member for explaining a procedure for aligning sheets.

FIG. 22 is a front view of a tray and an aligning member for explaining a sheet aligning procedure.

FIG. 23 is a front view of the tray and the aligning member for explaining the sheet aligning procedure.

FIG. 24 is a front view of the tray and the aligning member for explaining the sheet aligning procedure.

FIG. 25 is a front view of a tray and an alignment member for explaining a paper alignment procedure.

FIG. 26 is a front view of a tray and an alignment member for explaining a paper alignment procedure.

FIG. 27 is a front view of the tray and the aligning member for explaining the sheet aligning procedure.

FIG. 28 is a front view showing an image forming apparatus provided with a sheet-shaped medium processing apparatus together with a schematic configuration.

FIG. 29 is a front view showing a sheet-shaped medium processing apparatus configured as a single apparatus together with a post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5, 6 return roller 12 tray 102, 103 alignment member 102a, 103a alignment section

Claims (10)

[Claims] A discharge unit configured to discharge the conveyed sheet medium; a tray configured to store the sheet medium discharged by the discharge unit; and a tray configured to sort the tray into a sheet medium mounted on the tray. A tray moving means for performing a sorting operation by moving in a shift direction orthogonal to the discharge direction by a predetermined amount necessary for the sheet feeding. A pair of aligning members for aligning in the direction, the aligning member being in contact with and separating from an end surface of the sheet medium parallel to a discharge direction of the sheet medium discharged from the discharge unit, and aligning the position of the end surface. And a feeding unit that moves the uppermost sheet-like medium of the sheet-like medium discharged onto the tray from the discharging unit toward a rear end fence provided at an end of the tray. A sheet-like medium processing apparatus, comprising: 2. The sheet-like medium processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the alignment member is slidably and swingably supported by a spindle disposed in the shift direction, and is provided to face the shift direction. And a reciprocating means for moving these alignment members in a direction of approaching and separating from each other in the shift direction to perform the contacting / separating operation. Sheet-shaped media processing device. 3. The sheet-like medium processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the reciprocating means is arranged such that the aligning portion of the aligning member is outside the end face of the sheet-like medium discharged from the discharging means. And the aligning portion can be located at any of a receiving position that is separated from the end face, and an aligning position that is a position where the aligning portion is inside the sheet-like medium and is pressed against the end face with respect to the receiving position. Sheet-like medium processing apparatus. 4. The sheet-like medium processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a pressing unit configured to take a swing position corresponding to a load to be applied to the alignment member. A pressing means, a spindle pivotally attaching the alignment member,
A sheet-like medium processing apparatus comprising: elastic means for connecting the support shaft and the alignment member; and support shaft driving means for rotating the support shaft. 5. A sheet-like medium processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said elastic means is a torsion coil spring, and said support shaft driving means is a solenoid. 6. The sheet-like medium processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the feeding unit includes a rotating body provided adjacent to the inside of the alignment unit, and the rotating body. Rotator driving means for driving the rotator so as to be able to stop rotation, a protruding state in which the rotator projects downward so as to be in contact with the uppermost one of the sheet-like media on the tray, and an evacuation retracted upward so as not to be in contact A sheet-like medium processing apparatus comprising a displacement unit that can be switched to a state. 7. A sheet-like medium processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said rotating body driving means includes a transmission mechanism for transmitting power through a rotating member provided on said support shaft. Sheet processing device. 8. The sheet-like medium processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the displacement unit elastically contacts the rotating body with the sheet-like medium on the tray under the protruding state. A sheet-like medium processing device comprising a biasing means. 9. A post-processing apparatus comprising a post-processing means for performing post-processing on a sheet medium and a conveying means for conveying the post-processed sheet medium, according to any one of claims 1 to 8. A post-processing device comprising a sheet-like medium processing device. 10. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image forming means for forming an image on the sheet-like medium and a conveying means for conveying the image-formed sheet-like medium. An image forming apparatus comprising a sheet-like medium processing device.