JP2002274746A - Paper delivery device and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper delivery device having a control means for smoothly stacking a bundle of sheets after the sheet after-processing in the paper delivery device, on a second sheet stacking part without interfered with a sheet stacking amount detecting means. SOLUTION: In this paper delivery device provided with a first sheet stacking part for temporarily stacking conveyed sheets, a means for dropping the bundle of sheets to the second sheet stacking part located at a lower part of the first sheet stacking part, a flapper 301 as a sheet conveying passage changing means, and a full stack detecting flag 60 as the stacking amount detecting means, the flapper 301 is located at a lower part with respect to the delivery roller 1 by operating a flapper solenoid SL, and the interlocked full stack detecting flag is retracted to an upper part with respect to the second sheet stacking part, until the bundle of sheets is stacked.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to control of a paper discharge device connected to a recording device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, after a plurality of sheets on which an image has been formed (printed) are discharged from the image forming apparatus, each end of the sheet is stacked as one type of a sheet discharging apparatus. Some include a sheet post-processing device that performs post-processing such as stapling (stapling) after alignment, and discharges the sheet. Such a sheet post-processing apparatus is provided on a side surface of the image forming apparatus main body on the sheet discharge port side, and sequentially prints sheets on the image forming apparatus main body side.
2. Description of the Related Art There is known a type in which an ink is supplied from an outlet, aligned at each end, subjected to post-processing, and then discharged.

[0003]

However, in the case of the above prior art, there is a problem that the image forming apparatus provided with the sheet post-processing apparatus requires more space than the image forming apparatus main body.

Therefore, a configuration has been considered in which a sheet post-processing apparatus is provided above the image forming apparatus. That is, in the sheet post-processing apparatus, a first sheet stacking unit is provided in the sheet post-processing apparatus, and the sheet bundle stacked on the first sheet stacking unit is a sheet bundle directly discharged from the image forming apparatus main body. After the sheet post-processing is performed on the second sheet stacking unit provided for stacking, the sheet is dropped and stacked, thereby realizing the sheet post-processing in a space-saving manner. In order to realize this, the sheets discharged directly from the image forming apparatus main body to the second sheet stacking unit are subjected to post-processing, and are fully loaded without obstructing the sheet bundle dropped and stacked on the second sheet stacking unit. Enables discharge to the height of the detection position. 2: Depending on whether or not to perform post-processing, the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus main body is reliably conveyed to the first sheet stacking unit or the second sheet stacking unit. Transported to 3: The post-processed sheet bundle can be reliably transferred to the second sheet stacking unit without the full load detection flag of the post-processing unit interfering with the discharge roller unit of the image forming apparatus main body. To drop and load
However, in particular, regarding 3, depending on the operation of the sheet conveyance path changing unit, the full load detection flag
When the sheet bundle is dropped on the second stacking portion, the falling sheet bundle interferes with the full load detection flag when the sheet bundle is dropped on the second stacking portion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to smoothly place sheets on a first sheet stacking section and a second sheet stacking section according to use. Another object of the present invention is to provide a sheet discharge device and an image forming apparatus which can reliably detect the stacking height of the second sheet stacking portion with a simple configuration.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, information on an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet and a paper discharge device provided above the image forming apparatus are stored. A communication unit for exchanging the sheet, a sheet conveying path changing unit for carrying the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus into the sheet discharging device, and a sheet temporarily transferred by the sheet conveying path changing unit provided in the sheet discharging device. Sheet stacking unit for temporarily stacking, aligning means for aligning sheets stacked on the first sheet stacking unit, and sheet post-processing for performing post-processing of a sheet bundle aligned by the aligning means Means, a load amount detecting means for detecting a sheet load amount of a second sheet load portion provided at an upper portion of the image forming apparatus,
Wherein the aligning means is configured to drop the sheet bundle of the first sheet stacking section to the second sheet stacking section, and to carry the sheet into the first sheet stacking section. The sheet conveying path changing means is operated, and the load amount detecting means provided in conjunction with the sheet conveying path changing means is retracted upward from the second sheet stacking section, and the post-processing is performed. Control means is provided for continuing the operation of the sheet conveying path changing means until the sheet bundle stacked on the first sheet stacking section is stacked on the second sheet stacking section.

[0007] It is preferable that the aligning means drops the sheet bundle of the first sheet stacking section to the second sheet stacking section by opening the sheet stack beyond the sheet width.

It is preferable that the sheet conveying path changing means be operated to carry the sheet into the first sheet stacking section after receiving a notice of sheet carrying notified from the image forming apparatus. is there.

Communication means for exchanging information between an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet and a paper discharge device provided above the image forming device, and a sheet discharged from the image forming device to a paper discharge device Sheet transport path changing means to be carried in, a first sheet loading section for temporarily loading sheets loaded by the sheet transport path changing means provided in the sheet discharging device, and a first sheet loading section Aligning means for aligning the sheets stacked on the sheet bundle, sheet post-processing means for performing post-processing of the sheet bundle aligned by the aligning means, and a second sheet stacking unit provided at an upper portion of the image forming apparatus. And a load amount detecting means for detecting a sheet load amount,
The aligning unit is configured to transfer the sheet bundle of the first sheet stacking unit to the second sheet stacking unit.
The sheet discharge device which operates so as to drop onto the sheet stacking section has a control means for stopping the operation of the sheet conveyance path changing means only when the stacking amount detecting means is operated.

[0010] Communication means for exchanging information between an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet and a sheet discharging device provided above the image forming apparatus, and a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus to a sheet discharging device. Sheet transport path changing means to be carried in, a first sheet loading section for temporarily loading sheets loaded by the sheet transport path changing means provided in the sheet discharging device, and a first sheet loading section Aligning means for aligning the sheets stacked on the sheet bundle, sheet post-processing means for performing post-processing of the sheet bundle aligned by the aligning means, and a second sheet stacking unit provided at an upper portion of the image forming apparatus. And a load amount detecting means for detecting a sheet load amount,
The aligning unit is configured to transfer the sheet bundle of the first sheet stacking unit to the second sheet stacking unit.
A sheet ejecting device that operates to drop onto the sheet stacking section of the image forming apparatus, comprising: means for detecting an interruption of the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus; and means for detecting an interruption instruction of the sheet post-processing instruction. Only when the interruption is detected and when the interruption instruction of the sheet post-processing instruction is detected, a control means for stopping the operation of the sheet conveying path changing means and setting the alignment means to an initial position is provided.

It is preferable that the image forming apparatus is provided with the paper discharging device.

Therefore, in particular, the operation timing of the sheet conveying path changing means is optimized, and the operation of the full load detection flag and the detection timing are optimized to drop from the first sheet stacking section to the second sheet stacking section. It is possible to prevent the stacked sheet bundle and the full load detection flag from interfering with each other, and to stack sheets neatly on the second sheet stacking unit.

[0013]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions of the components described in this embodiment,
The materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to them unless otherwise specified. In the following embodiments, an example of a sheet post-processing device mounted on a printer device represented by a laser beam printer will be described.

(First Embodiment) First, FIGS.
The first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing the overall configuration of a sheet post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus (printer) according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes a printer main body as an image forming apparatus, which is independently connected to a computer or a network such as a LAN, and which is based on image information and print signals transmitted from the computer and the network. This is an apparatus for forming (printing) an image on a sheet by a predetermined image forming process and discharging the sheet.

On the other hand, the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 controls the sheet discharged from the printer
01, and placed on the first sheet stacking unit in a face-down state with the image side down via the transporting unit in the sheet post-processing apparatus, performing alignment by the alignment unit, and This is a device for bundling sheets and stapling one or more places of the sheets and discharging and stacking them, or simply discharging and stacking the sheets face down.

Here, the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 and the printer main body 100 are electrically connected by a cable connector (not shown). Further, the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 includes:
It has a casing part 300A for storing each part, and is detachable from an apparatus main body 100A of the printer main body 100 described later.

Next, the configuration of each part of the printer main body 100 will be described along the conveying path of the conveyed sheet S.

In the printer body 100, the feeding cassette 2
00, a plurality of sheets S are stacked, and the uppermost sheet among these is sequentially separated and fed one by one by various rollers. Then, by a predetermined print signal supplied from a computer or a network,
In the printer main body 100, the toner image is transferred onto the upper surface of the sheet S in the printer main body 100 by the image forming unit 101 that forms a toner image by a so-called laser beam type image forming process.
By applying heat and pressure in the fixing device 120 on the downstream side, the toner image is permanently fixed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet S on which the image has been fixed is folded back along a substantially U-shaped sheet conveying path up to the discharge roller 130, whereby the image surface is inverted, and the image surface is turned downward. In this state, the sheet is discharged face-down from the printer main body 100 to the outside by the discharge roller 130. Here, the sheet S is supplied to the flapper 3 of the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 based on a control signal from a control unit (not shown).
01 is determined, the printer body 10
Face down (FD) discharge unit 1 provided at the top of
25 or the sheet post-processing device 300
Is selected via the system.

Next, the configuration of the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 and the movement of each unit when the sheet S conveyed by the discharge roller 130 is directed to the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. I do. Here, FIG.
3A and 3B are cross-sectional views of the discharge roller 130 and the sheet post-processing apparatus 300, and FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 3B shows a BB cross section of FIG.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 320 denotes a conveying roller;
1 is a discharge sensor, M is a jogger motor as a driving source,
322 is a sheet return member, and 323 is a reference wall for abutting the rear end of the sheet.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transport rollers 320
It is disposed above the flapper 301 on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction, and is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown). The discharge sensor 321 is disposed near the downstream side of the transport roller 320 in the sheet transport direction.
0 detects the leading edge and trailing edge of the conveyed sheet. The jogger motor M is connected to each slide guide 3 described later.
This is a motor for driving the motors 10 and 311. In this embodiment, a stepping motor is used.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the sheet return member 322 is disposed at the most downstream side in the sheet post-processing apparatus 300, and is configured to be rotatable about a support shaft 322a. I have. Here, FIG. 2A shows an initial position of the sheet return member 322, and FIG. 2B shows a state where the sheet return member 322 is pushed up by the sheet S. When the sheet return member 322 has a predetermined weight and is pushed up in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2 by an external force, the sheet return member 322 tends to rotate in the arrow direction (clockwise direction) in FIG. As a result, the sheets are stacked with their rear ends aligned with the reference wall 323.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 according to the present embodiment, a slide guide R310 and a slide guide L311 which will be described in detail later are provided as guide members for aligning the sheet in the width direction. ing.

In the sheet post-processing apparatus 300, when staple processing is performed based on a command output in advance from a computer or the like, before a sheet S to be stapled is discharged by a discharge roller 130, a solenoid (not shown) is used. The flapper 301 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 2 via a link (not shown). When the leading end side of the flapper 301 is located below the nip portion of the discharge roller 130 as shown in FIG. 2, the sheet discharged from the discharge roller 130 to the outside of the apparatus as shown in FIG. S is drawn upward along the flapper 301, is carried into the sheet post-processing device 300, and is carried into the first sheet stacking unit 300B for temporarily stacking sheets.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 3A, in the sheet post-processing apparatus 300, the right slide guide R310 and the left slide guide L with respect to the sheet loading direction.
The sheet 311 is retracted to a position outside by a predetermined amount from the width direction of the sheet S so as not to interfere with the incoming sheet S, and waits for the sheet S to enter.

In the sheet post-processing apparatus 300, 1
The first sheet S is the discharge roller 13 of the printer body 100.
0, the sheet S becomes a flapper 301
The first sheet stacking unit 3 configured by the slide guide R310 and the slide guide L311 is carried by the discharge roller 320, which is carried into the apparatus main body 300A so as to be scooped up and is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown).
It is conveyed on the guide surface of 00B.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2A, the guide surface of the first sheet stacking section 300B is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction, and the upstream side and the downstream side in the sheet loading direction. , And specifically, a bent portion 300C that bends at an inclination angle α is formed between a predetermined section on the upstream side and a predetermined section on the downstream side. The guide surface of the first sheet stacking portion 300B has such a bent portion 300C to prevent the central portion of the sheet S that is not guided by the slide guides 310 and 311 from bending.

When the leading edge of the sheet S conveyed into the apparatus main body 300A is detected by the discharge sensor 321 near the downstream side of the discharge roller 320, the discharge sensor 321 is detected.
Is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG.
Next, when the rear end passes through the discharge roller 320, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2B, the flag 321a has its own weight as shown in FIG.
, The rear end of the sheet is pressed downward, so that the sheet reliably falls on the guide surface formed by the slide guide R310 and the slide guide L311.
At this time, the discharge sensor 321 is turned off.

When the leading end of the sheet S pushes up the sheet return member 322 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2, the sheet return member 322 rotates in the opposite direction by its own weight as described above, and Against the reference wall 323. Thus, the rear ends of the sheets stacked on the first sheet stacking unit 300B in the transport direction are aligned.

In the first embodiment, when the discharge sensor 321 is turned off, the right slide guide R31
Only 0 operates so that the alignment operation in the width direction of each sheet stacked on the first sheet stacking unit 300B is started. Specifically, when the slide guide R310 is driven by the motor M and moves to the left in FIG. 3, the reference pin R330 provided on the slide guide R310 abuts on the right side of the sheet S, and the sheet moves toward the slide guide L311. Press S. Then, the left side surface of the sheet S abuts against the reference pins L331 provided on the slide guide L311 so that the alignment of each sheet in the width direction is performed.

Here, the structure of the slide guide will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the configuration of the slide guide showing the AA cross section of FIG. 4 and 5
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a slide guide.

Each of the slide guides 310 and 311 is provided with a guide pin 314 (314a, 31) provided on the frame F.
4d), it is possible to reciprocate in the left-right direction of FIG. 3, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction (the sheet width direction), and move by the transmission of the driving force from the jogger motor M. Has become.

As shown in FIG. 3B, each of the slide guides 310 and 311 has a wall for guiding both sides of the sheet S and a support for supporting the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet S, as shown in FIG. Thus, each of the sheets discharged onto the first sheet stacking unit 300B is supported by the lower surface of the U-shape, and the center of the sheet S in the width direction is guided. It is not configured.

A step gear 317 is provided on the slide guide R310.
And a rack 310a having a flat gear that meshes with the rack. On the other hand, the step gear 3 is also provided on the slide guide L311.
Slide rack L31 having a plate gear meshing with the gear 17
2 are installed. Here, the slide rack L3
Reference numeral 12 is provided so as to be relatively movable with respect to the slide guide L311 via a coiled spring 313. Here, one end of the spring 313 has a slide guide L31.
1, the other end of the slide guide L312 and the slide guide L311 and the slide rack L312.
It is urging in the direction to spread. The slide rack L312 is provided with a square hole 311 on the slide guide L311 side.
a, which has an embossed portion 312a that moves in the area a.

On the side wall of the slide guide R310, two reference pins R330 made of metal having excellent wear resistance.
However, two reference pins L331 are provided on the side wall of the slide guide L311. When the sheets are aligned, the slide guide R310 moves as described later, and the reference pins R330 and The reference pin L331 contacts.

The slide guide R310 and the slide guide L311 are provided with a step gear 317 and a height regulating member 3 respectively.
15 supports the height direction.

In FIGS. 3 to 5, H denotes a stapler for stapling a sheet. The stapler H is fixedly arranged on the slide guide L311 side in order to perform stapling on the upper left corner of the image surface of the sheet on which an image is formed and to bind each sheet.

Next, the operation of each of the slide guides 310 and 311 will be described. When power is supplied to the sheet post-processing apparatus 300, the discharge roller 320 driven by the drive motor starts to rotate, and then the jogger motor M rotates and the step gear 317 rotates, so that the slide guide R3
The ten rack portions 310a are driven and retract outside.
When the jogger motor M rotates and the step gear 317 rotates, the slide guide L311 first rotates the slide rack 31.
2 relatively moves, and the embossed portion 3 of the slide rack 312
After the contact 12a comes into contact with the left end face of the square hole 311a of the slide guide L311 in FIG. 3, it is retracted outward by being pressed by the embossed portion 312a.

The flag section 31 is provided on the slide guide R310.
0f is provided, and when the flag unit 310f moves to a predetermined evacuation distance, as shown in FIG. 5A, the photo sensor 316 is shielded from light, and at that time the jogger motor M stops. This position is defined as a home position (initial position).

A signal that the sheet S enters the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 is sent from the printer main body 100 to the sheet post-processing apparatus 3.
00, the jogger motor M rotates, and the slide guide R310 and the slide guide L311 move inward, and as shown in FIGS. It stops at a position wide by a predetermined amount d.
In this position, the guide pin 314c abuts on the end of the slide guide L311 and cannot move further inward. In the first embodiment, FIG.
This position shown in (a) and (b) is a standby position, and in this standby position, the side surface of the slide guide L311 is a reference position during the alignment operation.

In the present embodiment, when the size (width) of the sheet S is the maximum size that can be passed, the slide guide R310 and the slide guide L311 are set such that the gaps on both sides are the predetermined amounts d and d, respectively. Standby position has been set.

When a sheet having a smaller width is aligned by the sheet post-processing apparatus 300, the slide guide R310 moves to the left by an amount corresponding to this, so that the gap on the right side in FIG. Is always a predetermined amount d. On the other hand, in this case, the gap between the sheet and the slide guide L311 is wider than the predetermined amount d by half of the narrowed amount.

When the first sheet S is discharged from the discharge roller 130 of the image forming apparatus 100, the sheet S is scooped up by the flapper 301 and the sheet post-processing apparatus 300
And is conveyed to the respective slide guides 310 and 311 by the discharge roller 320.

At this time, after the leading end of the sheet S is detected by the discharge sensor 321, each of the slide guides 31
The stapler H is conveyed along the guide surfaces 0 and 311, and the left corner (the lower left corner in FIG. 3A) enters the opening of the stapler H. Further, the sheet S has its leading end center portion in contact with the sheet return member 322, and when the sheet S is vibrant, the sheet S is moved in the counterclockwise direction in FIG.
Then, the sheet return member 322 is rotated clockwise by its own weight, so that the rear end is aligned with the reference wall 323.

Almost simultaneously with this operation, when the trailing end of the sheet S passes through the discharge roller 320, the discharge sensor 321
When the discharge sensor 321 is turned off, the rear end of the sheet is pressed downward by the flag 321a, and the slide guide R330 and the slide guide L331 are turned off. Is reliably dropped on the guide surface of the first sheet stacking portion 300B constituted by

In the first embodiment, the discharge sensor 321
Is turned off, the jogger motor M starts rotating,
The slide guide at the standby position starts the alignment operation as follows. That is, at the start of the alignment operation, the jogger motor M rotates in a direction in which the slide guide moves inward. Here, the slide guide L311 cannot move because it is in contact with the guide pin 314c, and only the slide rack 312 provided on the slide guide L311 moves in the direction to contract the spring 313. Therefore, during the alignment operation, only the slide guide R310 moves, so that the reference pin R330 of the slide guide R310 first comes into contact with the right end surface of the sheet S.
When the sheet S moves to the left side in FIG. 3 and its left end surface contacts the reference pin L331 of the slide guide L311, the state shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B is obtained.

In the first embodiment, the jogger motor M
Is that both ends of the sheet S are slide guides 310 and 31
After a temporary stop in the state of FIG. 4 abutting on No. 1, the reverse rotation is started and stopped when the slide guide R310 returns to the standby position of FIG. 3 again. Slide guide R during this time
The control of the amount of movement of the 310 is controlled by the number of drive pulses of the jogger motor M, which is a stepping motor, based on the position of the home position that shields the photosensor 316. Also, at this time, the slide guide L311 side is held at the reference position without moving the slide rack 312 only in the direction in which the spring 313 spreads. The part remains in contact with the slide guide L311.

Next, when the second sheet (S 2) is conveyed to the sheet post-processing device 300 in the same manner as the first sheet S, the time when the rear end of the sheet (S 2) passes through the discharge roller 320 Then, the trailing end of the sheet (S2) is dropped onto the first sheet stacking section 300B by the weight of the flag 321a, and then when the discharge sensor 321 is turned off, the alignment operation is started in the same manner as in the first sheet. That is, the jogger motor M rotates, the slide guide R310 moves, and the reference pin R3
By moving the sheet 30 until it comes into contact with the side surface of the sheet (S2) and the left side surface of the sheet (S2) comes into contact with the reference pin L331 provided on the slide guide L311,
The left edges of the two sheets are aligned. Thereafter, the slide guide R310 moves to the above-described standby position and stops.

By repeating such operations, an operation of aligning the last (n-th) sheet (Sn) of one job is performed, and each reference pin R provided on the slide guide R310 is adjusted.
330 abuts the left side surface of the sheet against each reference pin L331 of the slide guide L311 and the slide guide R310.
In the state of FIG. 4 in which the movement of the sheet bundle is stopped, the small stapler H located on the left end of the sheet bundle staples the position on the left end.

According to this configuration and operation, during the alignment operation of each sheet, the slide guide L311 stops at the reference position and does not move, but only the slide guide R310 moves.
Since the left end of each sheet is aligned with the reference position, the binding process by the stapler H fixedly arranged on the slide guide L311 side is performed accurately and reliably. Further, even when the width of each sheet carried in one job varies, or when the sheet size changes from LTR to A4 in one job, the position of the left end of each sheet is uniformly aligned. Therefore, the finish of the binding processing by the stapler H is accurate and beautiful, and an excellent effect is obtained.

In the first embodiment, when the stapling operation is completed as described above, the jogger motor M is driven to rotate, so that the slide guide R310 moves from the state shown in FIG. When the movement of the slide guide R310 starts, the slide guide L
On the 311 side, the slide rack 312 moves to the left side in FIG. 4, and the slide guide L311 itself does not immediately move.

When the position of the slide guide R310 passes the standby position shown in FIG.
Of the slide guide L311 is brought into contact with the end face of the square hole 311a of the slide guide L311.
Starts moving to the left in FIG.
0,311 moves.

Further, when the interval between the supported slide guides 310 and 311 becomes close to or greater than the width of the sheet, the stapled sheet bundle is moved to the position shown in FIG.
As shown in (a) and (b), it falls downward. Thus, the sheet bundle falls to the FD discharge unit 125 of the printer main body 100 and is stacked.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the FD discharge section 125 of the printer main body 100 is commonly used for stacking the sheet bundle discharged from the sheet post-processing apparatus 300,
Since no dedicated stacking section is provided, a small and inexpensive sheet post-processing apparatus can be provided.

FIG. 6 shows the structure of the flapper 301.

The position of the flapper 301 of the sheet post-processing apparatus 2 is determined based on a control signal from the CPU 702, and the sheet S is sent to the face-down (FD) discharge section 125 provided at the upper part of the printer main body 100. Whether the sheet is discharged as it is or discharged via the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 is selected.

When the image controller 701 discharges the sheet to the face-down (FD) discharge section 125 without post-processing, the flapper 3 of the sheet post-processing apparatus 300
Reference numeral 01 denotes a state in which it rotates clockwise around the shaft 611 by the force of the spring 610 and retracts above the nip portion of the discharge roller 130 of the image forming apparatus 100. At this time, solenoid S
L is OFF.

The full load detection flag 609 serving as the load amount detection means hangs around the shaft 613 so as to be rotatable counterclockwise.

The sheet S discharged from the discharge roller 130 of the image forming apparatus 100 goes to a face-down (FD) discharge section 125 formed above the image forming apparatus main body 100 without touching the flapper 301. The sheet S is face-down (F
D) Discharged to the discharge section 125.

At this time, the face-down (FD) discharge section 12
When the stacking amount of the sheets S stacked on No. 5 exceeds a certain value,
Full load detection flag 609 according to the stacking height of stacking sheets S
Changes in the hanging angle θ. When the hanging angle θ of the full load detection flag 609 reaches a certain angle or less, the load amount detection sensor 715 detects the
Is fixed in a state of being retracted upward from the nip portion of the discharge roller 130 of the image forming apparatus 100, and the control unit does not receive the print information carried into the first sheet stacking unit 310 until the detection is canceled. Only print information discharged to the face-down (FD) discharge section 125 without processing is executed.

In the sheet post-processing apparatus 300, when staple processing is performed based on a command output in advance from a computer or the like, the solenoid SL operates before the staple sheet S is discharged by the discharge roller 130. By pulling the link 621, the link 621 rotates around the shaft 622. In conjunction with this, the shaft 62 of the flapper 301
3 is pushed by the link 621, whereby the flapper 301
Rotates counterclockwise about the shaft 611 and rotates the flapper 3
01 is in a state in which it is hung below the nip portion of the discharge roller 130. At that time, full load detection flag 6
09 is pushed by the shaft 624 of the link 621 so that the shaft 61
It is in a state of jumping up around 3.

The sheet S discharged from the discharge roller 130 to the outside of the apparatus is drawn upward along the flapper 301, carried into the sheet post-processing apparatus 300, and loaded on the first sheet stack for temporarily stacking sheets. It is carried into the unit 310. The sheet post-processing apparatus 300 aligns the sheet bundle, performs post-processing, and drops and loads the sheet bundle to the FD discharge unit 125 of the printer main body 100 below the first sheet stacking unit 310.

At this time, the flapper 301 is
00, the sheet bundle which has fallen downward from the nip portion of the discharge roller 130
Face down (FD) without getting caught in the nip
It serves as a guide for drop discharge stacking to the discharge section 125. Further, since the full load detection flag 9 is in a jumped-up state, it is assumed that the full load detection flag 9 does not hinder the drop of the post-processing sheet bundle.

After the sheet bundle falls, the solenoid SL is turned off.
Then, the flapper 301 is moved by the force of the spring 610 to the shaft 611.
Roller 1 of the image forming apparatus which rotates clockwise around
Withdrawing above the 30 nip, the link 62
The full load detection flag 609 in which the bias of 1 is released is
Hangs counterclockwise around the center.

At this time, the face-down (FD) discharge section 12
When the stacking amount of the sheets stacked on the stack 5 becomes equal to or more than a certain value, the hanging angle of the full load detection flag 609 changes according to the stacking height of the stacked sheets. And the full load detection flag 60
When the hanging angle θ of 9 reaches a certain angle or less, the loading amount detection sensor 715 detects this, and notifies the image controller 701 of this.

Since the sheet stacking height detected by the full stack detection flag 609 is lower than the sheet stacking height detected by the image forming apparatus main body 100, the sheet stacks into the face-down (FD) discharge section 125 via the post-processing apparatus. The sheet that has been discharged to the face-down (FD) discharge section 125 without post-processing does not hinder the discharge of the sheet.

FIG. 7 is an electric block diagram according to the present invention.

The electric components of the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 include a control board (not shown), a stapler H, a drive motor M1, a jogger motor M, a solenoid SL for operating a flapper, a discharge sensor 321 and a slide guide 310. , 320 and a load amount sensor 715 for detecting the load amount on the FD discharge tray of the printer main body 100.

A one-chip microcomputer (ROM and RAM) 702 (hereinafter referred to as CPU 702)
And a motor driver 703 that drives the stapler H in response to a control signal from the CPU 702.
A drive motor driver 707 that receives a control signal from the PU 702 and rotates the drive motor M1;
02, a jogger motor driver 709 that receives the control signal from the CPU 02 and rotates the jogger motor M.
A solenoid driver 711 drives the flapper solenoid SL in response to a control signal from the controller 02.

The CPU 702 has a discharge sensor 312,
Sensor signals from the jogger HP sensor 316 and the load sensor 715 are input to control the sheet post-processing device 300.

Further, the CPU 702 is connected to the printer main body 100.
The serial communication is performed with an image controller 701 that is mounted on the upper side and transmits and receives information for controlling the printer main body 100 and the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 together with image processing.

FIGS. 8 to 15 are flowcharts showing the control of the CPU 702. Hereinafter, description will be made in order.

FIG. 8 shows a process for initializing the sheet post-processing apparatus 300. In 801, first, the CPU 70
2 is initialized. Here, various special registers such as a timer setting, an interrupt setting, a serial communication setting, and an IO port setting are performed. In 802 and 803,
The communication interrupt is released in order to perform serial communication with the image controller 701, and a command from the image controller 701 is waited.

The first command and the second command are predetermined codes, and these two command codes and CP
The number of optional devices connected to the printer main body 100 and the connection confirmation are performed by a predetermined data (abbreviated to status) code that the U 702 returns to the image controller 701.

Next, in steps 804 to 808, the sheet post-processing apparatus is initialized.

First, at step 804, the stapler H is initialized. The stapler H has a staple cartridge sensor 704 (not shown) for performing a staple-less notice and a stapler home position sensor 705 indicating that the clincher of the stapler is at the initial position. The initialization of the stapler H is completed by returning the clincher to the initial position. If the clincher is not at the initial position, the clincher is returned to the initial position by rotating the motor in a direction opposite to the rotation direction for normal stapling for a predetermined time.

In step 805, it is determined whether the stapler home position sensor 705 has detected the initial position. If the stapler motor has been rotated in the reverse direction for a predetermined time and the initial position has not been detected, stapler failure processing (not shown) is performed.

At 806, the slide guides 310 and 311
Is returned to the initial position. The CPU 702 moves the jogger motor M in a direction in which the slide guides 310 and 311 are opened.
Is rotated by a predetermined number of steps, during which the jogger HP
The initialization ends when the sensor detects the slide guides 310 and 311.

In step 807, the slide guide 3 is moved despite the fact that the jogger motor M is driven by a predetermined number of steps.
If no 10 or 311 is detected, a jogger motor failure process (not shown) is performed. In the first embodiment, the failure of the jogger motor is determined at a predetermined number of steps. However, the same operation can be obtained by rotating the jogger motor for a predetermined time.

In step 808, the discharge sensor 321 detects the remaining paper in the sheet post-processing apparatus 300, and if there is a paper, jam processing shown in FIG. 13 is performed. In the first embodiment, the remaining paper in the apparatus is detected only by the detection of the paper by the discharge sensor 321. However, when the drive motor M1 is driven for a predetermined time and the discharge sensor monitors the presence or absence of the paper,
The detection range of the paper remaining in the machine can be further expanded. This completes the initialization of the sheet post-processing apparatus 100.

FIG. 9 shows the processing of the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 during standby.

During standby, the image controller 70
1 includes a process of holding page information (not shown) sent from the server 1 and a process of waiting for a notice of paper conveyance. The page information includes a process for a paper size and a page.
02 is sent a latch command. For example, in the case of an A4 size, 3-page staple job, the first page information includes A4 size + start of job + latch commands, and the second page information includes A4 size + latch commands. The information of the page includes A4 size + job end + latch commands in the image controller 701.
From the CPU 702.

A command for inquiring about the processing time between pages is also provided. When the image controller 701 specifies information of an adjacent page to the CPU 702 by a command, the CPU 702 determines the required inter-page time based on the information. 701 is notified. In the above example, the first page (in this case, the first page is specified) is 500 ms, the first and second pages are 500 ms, and the second and third pages are 5 ms.
00 ms, if the next job is specified, 3
In the case of the page and the first page of the next job, it is 6 seconds. During the time of 6 seconds, the sheet post-processing apparatus 100 staples the sheet bundle on the slide guide,
This is a time for dropping the sheet bundle on the FD tray of the printer main body and further detecting a load amount described later.

In the standby process, the drive motor M
1 is stopped, and commands that can be processed during standby are analyzed below.

Here, the stop processing of the flapper solenoid SL is not executed, and only the drive motor M1 is stopped because the standby state of the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 may be executed even between jobs. . For example, when the image forming apparatus is processing a complicated image received from the host computer, the sheet sent from the image forming apparatus has an interval and the page information of the next sheet is not sent. The post-processing device 300 is set to the standby state.

Even in such a state, the flapper solenoid SL is kept driven, and the flapper and the full load detection flag are maintained in the state at the time of sheet conveyance. The driving of the flapper solenoid SL is stopped immediately before the staple process described later is completed.

In step 903, it is determined whether or not an automatic discharge command has been received from the image controller 701. If the command has been received, the automatic discharge processing shown in FIG. 15 is performed.

At 904, it is determined whether a sleep command has been received from the image controller 701, and if so, a sleep process (not shown) is performed.

In 905, the page information as in the above example is 1
It is determined whether any page information has been registered (latched). If no page information has been registered, the process returns to 901.

In step 906, it is determined whether or not a paper carrying advance notice command for the first registered page information has been received from the image controller 701, and the process stands by until it is received.

If the carry-in notice command is received, it is determined in 907 whether the page information corresponding to the carry-in notice command is "top of page". Initialize to 1,
At 909, the flapper solenoid SL is driven by the drive motors M1 and 910, and the process proceeds to the sheet conveyance process. In addition, 911
Use to move the slide guide to the paper standby position.

At 912, the jogger HP sensor is monitored,
If the slide guide does not move from the initial position even though the jogger motor M has been driven for a predetermined number of steps, processing for a jogger motor failure is performed.

FIG. 10 shows a sheet conveying process of the sheet post-processing apparatus 300.

First, in step 1001, a timer for controlling sheet conveyance is started. In 1002, the leading edge of the sheet is detected by the discharge sensor 312.
In step 3, it is determined by the timer whether or not a paper jam has occurred. If the time has elapsed, the jam processing shown in FIG. 13 is performed.

If the leading edge of the paper is detected in 1002, 1
At 004 and 1005, the discharge sensor is monitored again, and it is confirmed that the paper does not run out within a predetermined time. If no paper is detected during this time, it is determined that some transport abnormality has occurred, and the jam processing shown in FIG. 13 is performed.

At 1006, the discharge sensor 312 monitors the trailing edge of the sheet. At 1007, it is determined whether or not the monitoring time has elapsed. If the monitoring time has elapsed, it is determined that the jam has occurred, and the jam processing of FIG. 13 is performed. If the trailing edge of the paper is detected in 1006, 1008
Wait for a predetermined time to elapse.

In step 1009, the page counter indicates a predetermined number N.
It is determined whether it is +1 or more. If N + 1 or more, the sheet post-processing apparatus 100 of the present invention may not be able to staple the sheet, and the slide guide is returned to the initial position at 1010.

In step 1011, as in the initialization process, it is checked whether the slide guide has returned to the initial position. If the slide guide has not returned, a jogger motor failure process (not shown) is performed.

If it is within N sheets, the jogger motor is rotated at 1012 to align the sheets. The amount of movement of the slide guide for alignment and the like are as described in the description of FIGS.

At 1013, the page information is "job end"
Is determined, and if the job is completed, the process proceeds to stapling processing. Otherwise, the CPU 702
Notifies the image controller 701 of the ejection completion,
The page counter is counted up in 1107, and 90
It returns to the process of 5.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the stapling process.

At 1101, the drive motor M1 is stopped. At 1103, the sheet bundle is aligned by the slide guide for the stapling operation.

When the alignment operation is completed, it is determined whether the page counter is 1 at 1113, and if it is 1, the process from 1106 is performed without stapling. If it is not 1, the stapler motor is driven in 1104 to start the stapling operation.

Reference numeral 1105 denotes a needle cartridge sensor 704.
This is a process for monitoring whether the stapler motor is operating properly by moving the clincher of the stapler from the initial position. Then, a stapler motor failure (not shown) is processed. Further, if the stapling operation is performed correctly, the staple cartridge sensor 704 detects that the clincher has returned to the initial position again after a predetermined time. .

If there is no failure, the flapper solenoid SL is driven in 1106, and the slide guide is moved to the initial position in 1107. Here, as in the case of initialization, 1
At 108, it is determined whether the slide guide has returned to the initial position. If not, a jogger motor failure process (not shown) is performed. When the slide guide is moved to the initial position, the stapled sheet bundle on the slide guide falls onto the FD tray of the printer main body 100.

Reference numeral 1109 denotes a waiting time waiting process. After the sheet bundle falls, the flapper solenoid SL is stopped at 1110, the completion of discharge is notified to the image controller 701 at 1111, and the stapling process is completed. Further, at 1112, the time until the load amount sensor 715 detects and determines the load amount is waited for.

In the first embodiment, in the case of staple processing of L sheets, the completion of discharge is notified to the image controller when sheets are stacked on the slide guide from the first page to the L-1 page. The page is notified when the stapling process is completed. Job is one page, or N +
If it is one page or more, stapling is not performed.

Reference numeral 1114 denotes a detailed judgment of a stapler failure, which is a failure in which the stapler did not operate even though the stapler motor was driven.

[0112] Reference numeral 1115 denotes a case where the operation has been performed but the operation has not returned to the initial position.

At 1116, if the recovery process succeeds, the stapler jam process shown in FIG. 14 is performed instead of the stapler failure.

FIG. 12 shows a control process of the jogger motor M.

In the control processing of the jogger motor, the processing corresponding to the jogger motor is performed by designating the processing mode and the movement position from the above-described initialization processing, paper transport processing, and staple processing, and slide to a desired position. The guide moves. If the control is completed normally, a normal operation flag is set at the end of the process, and this is reported to the above-mentioned processes which have requested the process. The moving position is represented by an absolute position where the initial position of the slide guide is 0, and the moving direction is determined from the current position and the position to be moved.

In steps 1201 and 1203, the processing mode is determined. If the movement of the slide guide to the initial position is designated in 1201, the movement speed P is determined in 1202.
1 is set, and if it is designated to move to the standby position for matching in 1203, the moving speed P2 is set in 1204; otherwise, the moving speed P3 is set in 1205 as the movement at the time of matching.

Here, there is the following relationship with respect to the moving speeds P1, P2 and P3. That is, P1>P2> P3, and especially at the speed P1, the sheet bundle is
This is an important speed for orderly dropping from the printer 20 to the FD tray of the printer main body 100, and is a speed of 50 mm / sec or more.

At 1206, the number of moving pulses is calculated from the current position and the designated position, and at 1207, the moving direction is determined from the same information.

At 1208, the jogger motor starts to be driven.
At 1209, it is determined whether a predetermined number of pulses have been driven. The addition and subtraction of the pulse number and the switching of the excitation phase are performed by a timer interrupt process (not shown). In step 1210, a normal end flag is set, and the process ends.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the jam processing of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

When a paper delay jam is detected in the paper transport process, a delay jam flag is set in 1301, and the image controller 701 is notified. In the case of a paper jam, a jam flag is set at 1310 and the image controller 701 is notified. If the residual paper in the apparatus is detected in the initialization processing, a residual paper jam is set in step 1311, and the image controller 701 is notified.

At 1302, all driving is stopped. 13
At 03, it is determined whether or not the jam is a delay jam. If the jam is a delay jam, the process waits at 1304 for the operator to open the cover. If the cover has been opened, 1305 waits for the cover to be closed, this time by the operator. In step 1106, the jam flag is reset, the image flag is notified to the image controller 701, and the process proceeds to an initialization process of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

This process is based on the assumption that the operator removes jammed paper during opening / closing of the cover. However, even if the jammed paper is not removed, it is necessary to detect and notify the remaining paper in the apparatus by the initialization process. Can be. Also, even if a jam occurs during the stapling operation or during the movement of the slide guide, these drive systems can be moved to the initial position in the initialization processing.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing a process at the time of a stapler jam.

At 1401, the stapler jam flag is set and notified to the image controller 701.
At 402, all drive systems are stopped.

At 1403, the slide guide is opened so that the operator can easily remove the staple jam. At this time, similarly to the initialization processing, it is monitored at 1404 whether or not the slide guide returns to the initial position, and if not, a jogger motor failure processing (not shown) is performed. After returning the slide guide to the initial position, it is confirmed at 1405 that the stapler needle cartridge has been pulled out by the operator, at 1406 it is confirmed that the staple cartridge has been set again, and at 1407 the staple jam flag is reset and the image controller 701 is reset. Notify.
This assumes an operation in which the operator removes an abnormal needle in the needle cartridge.

Although the first embodiment has been described above, the present embodiment is directed to an image forming apparatus that discharges a sheet to the upper surface of the apparatus. Is provided. The sheet that has been post-processed by the sheet post-processing apparatus is stacked by dropping the sheet to a lower discharge unit on the apparatus body side, thereby simplifying the sheet post-processing apparatus and reducing the cost. Was realized.

Further, in the first embodiment, the staple means has been described as the sheet post-processing means. However, in the case of the sheet post-processing accompanied by the aligning operation, for example, a punch means for punching a hole in a sheet bundle, a sheet edge Binding means for gluing
Other simple binding means can obtain the same effect.

(Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment, the processing when the sheet bundle is normally carried into the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 has been described. In the second embodiment, image formation is performed. Processing when a problem occurs in the apparatus will be described.

If a jam or the like occurs in the image forming apparatus and the driving of the flapper solenoid SL is stopped at the time when the interruption of the image forming operation is detected, the full load detection flag 609 provided in conjunction therewith is activated. Since the sheet descends to the second sheet stacking unit, there is a problem that the sheet already conveyed to the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 drops into the second sheet stacking unit and hinders the stacking.

Therefore, when, for example, a jam occurs in the image forming apparatus, the image controller 701 issues an emergency stop command to the CPU 702 of the sheet post-processing apparatus.
Then, after the operator performs a jam process, a recovery process is performed on a page for which printing failed, and the job is restarted. If the operator cancels the job, the image controller 701
Issues a job cancel command to the CPU 702.

When the CPU 702 receives the emergency stop command, the CPU 702 interrupts the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus and stops the sheet conveyance. However, while the flapper 301 is driven, the slide guides 310 and 311 as the aligning means are in the standby position. Has been stopped. That is, the sheet bundle is put on the slide guides 310 and 311 to be on standby in preparation for the restart of the job.

If a job cancel command is received during this time, the CPU 702 opens the slide guides 310 and 311 to the home position, which is the initial position, drops the sheet bundle, stops driving the flapper solenoid SL, and performs sheet post-processing. Interrupt.

Before restarting a job, a normal sheet remaining in the image forming apparatus 100 or the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 may be conveyed by automatic sheet ejection. Since this sheet is a normal sheet printed before the sheet that caused the jam, there is no problem if the sheet is conveyed to the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 and subjected to the sheet post-processing.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the automatic sheet discharging process of the sheet post-processing apparatus 300.

When a problem such as a jam occurs in the printer main body 100 while the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 is transporting a sheet or during standby, the image controller 701 controls
An emergency stop command is transmitted to the PU 702.
At this time, first, it is determined in step 1501 whether the sheet post-processing apparatus 300 is carrying the sheet. If the slide guide control is being performed, the process waits for the end of this operation in step 1503. In this case, since there is a possibility that the paper remains on the slide guide or the transport path, a flag indicating that there is a dischargeable residual paper is set in 1504, and the image controller 701 is set.
Notify. In step 1505, all the driving systems are stopped again, and in step 1506, an automatic paper discharge operation enabled flag is set and the image controller 701 is notified.

Here, while waiting for the next operation instruction from the image controller 701, if a job cancel command is received in 1507, the slide guide is returned to the initial position in 1508 to cancel the job currently being processed. The bundle of paper on the slide guide is
Drop on the FD tray. After further allowing the falling time, the flapper solenoid SL is stopped at 1515.

If the job cancel command is not received, the job can be continued after the inconvenience of the main body is released.

At 1509, it is determined whether an automatic paper ejection command has been received. If not, the processing from 1507 is repeated. When an automatic paper ejection command is received, a timer for automatic paper ejection operation is started in 1510, and the drive motor M1 is driven in 1511 to convey the paper being conveyed onto the slide guide. Here, the flapper solenoid SL is not operated.

The paper remaining in the sheet post-processing apparatus during the emergency stop processing is obviously the paper being stapled,
Other paper, which is a part of the job, but remains on the printer main body 100, for example, is recovered by the image controller 701 and is unnecessary as a job. Flapper solenoid SL
This unnecessary paper can be discharged onto the FD tray of the printer main body 100 by not operating the printer.

When the drive motor M1 is driven for a predetermined time in 1512, the drive motor M1 is stopped in 1513. In step 1514, it is checked whether or not the sheet has been discharged by the discharge sensor 321. If the sheet is detected, the jam in FIG. When the automatic paper ejection is completed, the process returns to the standby processing.

If the sheet is not being conveyed in step 1501, 152
At 0, it is determined whether the staple process is being performed. If the staple processing is being performed, the job is an end process, and the process waits for completion of the staple processing at 1521 without interrupting the processing. Then, after the end, in 1523, the automatic paper discharge enable flag is set, and the emergency stop processing ends. In this case, since there is no sheet in the sheet post-processing apparatus, there is no need to perform the automatic sheet discharge processing even if an automatic sheet discharge command is received. If it is not stapled in 1502, it is determined in 1522 whether it is in standby. If the apparatus is in the standby state, the processing in 1523 is performed. Also in this case, it is not necessary to perform the automatic paper discharge processing even if the automatic paper discharge command is received. If not in standby at 1522,
Since it is in the initialization state or the abnormal state, the automatic paper discharge enable flag is not set.

Therefore, as described above, in the second embodiment, the paper discharge device detects the interruption of the image forming operation,
For sheets already loaded into the sheet post-processing device,
Further, the normal sheet discharging process is performed by the notification of the job cancel command, and the driving of the flapper solenoid SL is stopped only when the interruption command of the subsequent sheet post-processing command is detected, so that the alignment unit returns to the initial position. By doing so, since no sheet remains in the aligning means, the full load detection flag 60
Even when the sheet 9 descends to the second sheet stacking section, it does not interfere with the falling sheet.

[0144]

As described above, according to the present invention, the sheets stacked on the first sheet stacking unit are aligned, the sheet bundle is subjected to post-processing, and the first sheet is further processed. In a sheet discharging device that drops onto a second sheet stacking unit below the stacking unit, by optimizing the operation timing of the sheet conveyance path changing unit, it is possible to prevent the sheet bundle to be dropped and stacked and the full stack detection flag from interfering with each other. Can be prevented.

Therefore, the sheets can be smoothly loaded on the first and second loading sections in accordance with the application.
Further, it is possible to provide a sheet discharge device and an image forming apparatus that can reliably detect the stacking height of the second sheet stacking unit with a simple configuration.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a printer equipped with a sheet post-processing apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an operation explanatory diagram of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operation of the slide guide according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of the slide guide according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operation of the slide guide according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operation of a flapper and a full load detection flag.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an electric component configuration according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an initialization process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a standby flowchart according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for conveying a sheet according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a staple flowchart according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating matching in the first embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a jam process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a staple jam process according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an emergency stop and automatic paper ejection process according to the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Printer main body 100A Device main body 130 Discharge roller (sheet conveying means) 125 FD discharge part (2nd sheet stacking part) 200 feed cassette 300 Sheet post-processing apparatus 300A Device main body (casing part) 300B 1st sheet stacking part 300C Bending part 301 Flapper (switching means) 310 Slide guide R (alignment means, guide member) 311 Slide guide L (alignment means, guide member) 312 slide rack 313 Spring 314 (314a 314d) Guide pin 315 Regulatory member 316 Photosensor 317 steps Gear 320 Conveyance roller 321 Discharge sensor 322 Sheet return member 323 Reference wall 325 Loading tray (second sheet loading portion) 330 Reference pin R 331 Reference pin L 410 Slide guide R (alignment means, movement guide member) 11 Fixed guide L (alignment means, fixed guide member) 609 Full load detection flag 701 Image controller 702 One-chip ROM, RAM built-in microcomputer 704 Needleless notice sensor 705 Stapler clincher initial position sensor 706 Stapler motor 715 Loading amount detection sensor M Jogger Motor (alignment means, drive source) M1 Drive motor (paper transport) S Sheet H Stapler (staple means) F Frame SL Flapper solenoid

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Kenichiro Isobe 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Yasuyoshi Hayakawa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Non-corporation F-term (reference) 3F048 AA01 AB01 BA29 BB02 BC04 CA05 DA08 DC03 DC09 EB40 3F053 EA02 EA05 EC02 ED03 ED17 ED25 LA02 LB03 3F054 AA01 AB01 AC02 BA04 BA05 BB05 BB09 BB13 BF03 B03B01 B02B04 3F106 AA02 AB03 AC04 AC25 AC34 CA03 CA15 CA22 LA02 LB03

Claims (6)

[Claims] An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet; a communication unit for exchanging information with a sheet discharging device provided above the image forming apparatus; and a sheet discharging from the image forming apparatus. Sheet transport path changing means for carrying in the apparatus, and a first sheet for temporarily stacking the sheet carried in by the sheet transport path changing means provided in the sheet discharging device.
A sheet stacking unit, an aligning unit that aligns sheets stacked on the first sheet stacking unit, a sheet post-processing unit that performs post-processing of a sheet bundle aligned by the aligning unit, And a stacking amount detecting unit for detecting a sheet stacking amount of a second sheet stacking unit provided at an upper portion, wherein the aligning unit detects a sheet bundle of the first sheet stacking unit with a second sheet stacking unit.
A sheet discharging device that operates so as to drop onto the sheet stacking section, wherein the sheet conveying path changing section is operated to carry a sheet into the first sheet stacking section, and is provided in conjunction with the sheet conveying path changing section. The loaded stack amount detecting means is retracted upward from the second sheet stacking unit, and the sheet bundle stacked on the first sheet stacking unit after the post-processing is stacked on the second sheet stacking unit. And a control unit for continuing the operation of the sheet conveying path changing unit until the sheet discharge path changes. 2. The sheet discharging device according to claim 1, wherein the aligning unit drops the sheet bundle of the first sheet stacking unit to the second sheet stacking unit by opening the sheet bundle to a width equal to or larger than the sheet width. . 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the operation of the sheet conveyance path changing means for conveying the sheet into the first sheet stacking unit is performed after receiving a notice of sheet conveyance notified from the image forming apparatus. The sheet discharging device according to claim 1, wherein: 4. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet, a communication unit for exchanging information with a sheet discharging device provided above the image forming apparatus, and a sheet discharging from the image forming apparatus. A sheet conveying path changing unit for carrying in the apparatus, and a first sheet for temporarily stacking the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying path changing unit provided in the sheet discharging device.
A sheet stacking unit, an aligning unit that aligns sheets stacked on the first sheet stacking unit, a sheet post-processing unit that performs post-processing of a sheet bundle aligned by the aligning unit, And a stacking amount detection unit for detecting a sheet stacking amount of the second sheet stacking unit provided at an upper portion.
A sheet discharging device that operates so as to drop onto the sheet stacking section, wherein the sheet discharging device includes a control unit that stops the operation of the sheet conveying path changing unit only when the stacking amount detecting unit is operated. 5. A communication means for exchanging information between an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet and a paper discharging device provided above the image forming apparatus, and discharging the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus. Sheet transport path changing means for carrying in the apparatus, and a first sheet for temporarily stacking the sheet carried in by the sheet transport path changing means provided in the sheet discharging device.
A sheet stacking unit, an aligning unit that aligns sheets stacked on the first sheet stacking unit, a sheet post-processing unit that performs post-processing of a sheet bundle aligned by the aligning unit, And a stacking amount detecting unit for detecting a sheet stacking amount of a second sheet stacking unit provided at an upper portion, wherein the aligning unit detects a sheet bundle of the first sheet stacking unit with a second sheet stacking unit.
Means for detecting interruption of the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus,
Means for detecting an interruption command of the sheet post-processing command,
A control unit that stops the operation of the sheet conveying path changing unit and sets the alignment unit to an initial position only when the interruption of the image forming operation is detected and the interruption instruction of the sheet post-processing instruction is detected. Discharge device characterized by the following. 6. An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet discharging device according to claim 1.