JP2003054805A - After-processor, method of conveying recording paper, image forming system provided with this after-processor, and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an after-processor, improving paper discharge performance at paper discharge time of a sub-tray, which can improve productivity in the case of generating a separate job during a stapling job, a conveying method thereof, an image forming system, and its control method. SOLUTION: This after-processor conveys recording paper discharged from the image forming device 3 to be received through an inlet conveying route (1) by switching with a first switching part 27 to a route (2) conveying to a main unit paper discharge plate 11 without performing an after-processing means or to a route (3) conveying to a lift paper discharge plate 13 or a fixed paper discharge plate 14 after applying after-processing of shift processing, stapling processing, etc., a drive means 30 or 32 independently controlled is provided in each of the conveying route (1) or (3), at least a second drive means 31 is provided with a means reducing a conveying speed of the recording paper just before a discharge.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a binding process (stapling process) for a bundle of recording sheets on which an image is formed,
The present invention relates to a post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing such as center-folding processing, a method of conveying recording paper, an image forming system including the post-processing apparatus, and a control method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a sheet of paper on which an image has been recorded by an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a composite machine of these machines is printed in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction for each copy or job. Shift processing of shifting and discharging, processing of inserting front paper, back paper, partition paper, etc. above and below or in a bundle, collating a plurality of discharged paper for each number of copies, and binding by stapling means Post-processing devices that perform post-processing such as stapling processing and center-folding processing that folds and discharges a bundle of sheets are used.

The post-processing apparatus is connected to the main body of the image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer and is driven according to a copy or print sequence. Therefore, in order to process the image forming process at high speed, the image forming apparatus is required. There is a need for a post-processing device that is driven corresponding to the processing speed of. As a post-processing device capable of performing the shift process, saddle stitching process, and center folding process, there are JP-A-6-72064 and 7-1874.
79, 8-192951, 10-14.
8983, 10-167562, JP 2
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 001-73221.

In the above post-processing device, not only the recording paper discharged from the main body of the image forming apparatus is directly discharged, but also other papers are inserted and collated.
It is necessary to switch the discharge in the sub tray (main body discharge tray) direction, the straight discharge in the shift processing direction, the staple discharge in the stapling process or the center folding process by the switching means, but in the past, until the switching means The same drive source is used for the conveyance of the sub tray and the conveyance of the sub tray discharge, or the conveyance of the straight / staple discharge and the conveyance of the sub tray discharge, and the discharge processing is performed at the same driving speed.

[0005]

However, the above-mentioned conventional post-processing apparatus has the following problems.

The first problem is that when the conveyance from the image forming apparatus to the switching means and the conveyance from the switching means in the sub-tray direction are driven using the same drive source, the recording paper is not scattered on the sub-tray. Since the sub-tray discharge speed cannot be increased because the sheets are aligned and discharged, as a result, the discharge processing takes time and the discharge performance from the image forming apparatus deteriorates.

The second problem is that straight paper is discharged /
When staple output and sub-tray output are driven using the same drive source, another job will occur during the stapling job execution, and if you try to eject in the sub-tray direction, staple processing or stacker (stacking unit) Even the recording sheets and inserted sheets that have been accumulated in are also ejected at the same time. Also,
If another job is made to wait until the staple job is completed, the processing of the image forming apparatus will be delayed.

A third problem is that when the common driving source drives the conveyance in each of these directions, the conveyance speed is regulated by the speed of the slowest conveyance path, so that various jobs can be efficiently performed. It means that it cannot be processed.

As described above, even if the performance of the image forming apparatus main body is improved and complicated processing is possible, if the post-processing of the recording paper conveyed from the image forming apparatus main body takes time, the image forming system The overall performance cannot be improved and the convenience of the user is impaired. Then, this problem becomes more remarkable when the image forming apparatus is driven by being connected to a large number of terminals via a network.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its main purpose is to enable rapid conveyance corresponding to high-speed processing of the image forming apparatus, and to improve the sheet ejection performance during sub-tray ejection. Provided are a post-processing apparatus and a recording-paper conveying method, an image forming system including the post-processing apparatus, and a control method thereof, which can improve the productivity when another job occurs during a staple job. To do.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the post-processing apparatus of the present invention uses the transport path switching means to transfer the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus and received through the entrance transport path to the first sheet. And transports the sheet to the first sheet discharge tray without performing a post-processing unit in the first sheet transport path.
In the post-processing apparatus for carrying out a predetermined post-processing on the second transport path and then transporting the post-processing to the second paper discharge tray, the entrance transport path, the first transport path, and the second transport path. A drive unit that independently conveys the sheet is provided in each of the paths, and at least the drive unit of the first conveyance path includes a unit that varies the sheet conveyance speed.

In the present invention, the first conveying path is provided with means for detecting the sheet passing through the path.
In the means for varying the transport speed of the paper, it is preferable that control for reducing the transport speed is performed immediately before the trailing edge of the paper passes through the drive means.

Further, in the present invention, the post-processing apparatus is provided with a time measuring means, and the time measuring means is operated immediately after the leading edge of the paper passes through the driving means of the first transport path to operate the time measuring means. The means for varying the carrying speed may be configured to control the carrying speed to be reduced after a predetermined time has elapsed.

Further, in the present invention, at least a stapling means (binding stopping means) and a stacking means for stacking the sheets to be stapled by the stapling means are provided in the second transport path. In the case where the sheets for which the stapling process is being performed are accumulated therein, and when a new sheet is discharged from the image forming apparatus to the entrance conveyance path, the driving means of the second conveyance path is stopped. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which control for driving the drive means of the first transport path is performed, and the new paper is different from the invalid transfer paper at the time of JAM of the image forming apparatus or the stapling process. Paper ejection of processing,
Alternatively, it is preferable to include any one of the discharge processing of the interruption processing with respect to the stapling processing.

Further, in the present invention, it is preferable that the image forming apparatus comprises any one of a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile and a light printing machine.

Further, in the carrying method in the post-processing apparatus of the present invention, the paper discharged from the image forming apparatus and received through the entrance carrying path is transferred to the first by the carrying path switching means.
And the second transport route, and the first transport route transports the sheet to the first paper discharge tray without performing the post-processing unit, and the second transport route transports the sheet. In the carrying method of the post-processing apparatus, which performs control to carry to the second paper discharge tray after performing a predetermined post-processing,
The entrance transport path, the first transport path, and the second transport path can be independently driven by driving means provided in each, and at least the first transport path is provided. The drive means performs a process of reducing the transport speed immediately before the paper is discharged to the first paper discharge tray.

Further, in the image forming system of the present invention, the post-processing apparatus is connected to an image forming apparatus which transfers image data of an original read by an electrophotographic system or image data transmitted via a network onto a sheet. It will be.

Further, the control method of the image forming system of the present invention is an image forming apparatus which transfers image data of an original read by an electrophotographic method or image data transmitted via a network to a sheet, and the image forming apparatus. In a method of controlling an image forming system, which comprises at least a post-processing device for performing a predetermined post-processing on the paper ejected from the post-processing device, the post-processing device is ejected from the image forming device. An entrance transport path for receiving the paper and a first transport path for transporting the paper to the first paper discharge tray without post-processing.
Drive means provided in each of the transport path and the second transport path for performing a predetermined post-processing and transporting to the second paper discharge tray, and a first control means for controlling the drive means. ,
The image forming apparatus includes second control means capable of communicating with the first control means of the post-processing apparatus, and refers to a signal transmitted from the second control means of the image forming apparatus. The first control means controls ON / OFF of each drive means or transport speed control.

In the present invention, when the sheet is ejected from the image forming apparatus, the second control unit is in execution or waiting for execution in the image forming apparatus with respect to the first control unit. The first control means may be configured to determine the speed at which the sheet is conveyed by referring to the signal.

As described above, according to the present invention, the conveyance from the exit of the image forming apparatus to the switching means, the discharging from the switching means in the direction of the first sheet discharge tray without post-processing, the shift processing, the stapling processing, and the center folding are performed. An independent drive source is provided to drive each of the discharged sheets in the direction of the second discharge tray to which post-processing such as processing is performed, so that the processing of the image processing apparatus is delayed due to the conveyance at the time of discharging the sub-tray. It is possible to improve the discharge performance without needing to do so, and even during the stapling job, the first discharge tray can be used without wasting the recording paper or the insertion paper accumulated in the stapling process or the stacker. It is possible to perform paper discharge processing in the direction.

Further, by controlling the carrying speed of each carrying path in accordance with the processing sequence of the image forming apparatus,
Efficient transportation can be realized as the entire image forming system.

[0022]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A post-processing apparatus and a recording paper conveying method according to an embodiment of the present invention, an image forming system including the post-processing apparatus, and a control method thereof will be described with reference to FIGS. Explain. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an image forming system including a post-processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a switching portion for explaining a conveyance path. Further, FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the driving means in the post-processing device, and FIG.
It is a figure which shows an example of the function of a drive means. In addition, FIG.
It is a flowchart figure which shows the operation | movement of conveyance in the post-processing apparatus of this embodiment.

Before describing the post-processing apparatus of this embodiment, the overall configuration of the image forming system and the function of each component will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 1
Is an automatic document feeder 2 for inserting a document, an image forming device 3 for forming an image by a known electrophotographic method, and post-processing such as shift processing, saddle-stitching processing, and center-folding processing, which are features of the present invention. And a post-processing device 4 for performing.

The automatic document feeder 2 is a device that separates the documents placed on the document table 2a one by one, conveys them to the image reading position, and discharges them onto the paper discharge table 2b. The automatic document feeder 2 is also configured so that after the document is conveyed to the image reading position, the front and back sides are reversed, the document is conveyed again to the image reading position, and the document is ejected onto the paper ejection tray 2b. Only one side or both sides of the original can be read by the image reading means 5 described later.
In the figure, the automatic document feeder 2 is configured to convey the document on the image reading position, and the image reading means 5 to be described later is configured to read the image of the document being conveyed. Alternatively, the conveyed original document may be temporarily stopped and the stationary original document may be read.

Further, the image forming apparatus 3 comprises an image reading means 5, an image processing means 6, an image forming means 7, a recording paper accommodating means 8, a paper feeding means 9, a reversing / discharging means 10 and the like. .

The image reading means 5 is a means for reading an image of a document and obtaining image data, and in the present embodiment, is a means for reading an image of a document conveyed by the automatic document feeder 2. Specifically, the original document conveyed by the automatic original document feeder 2 is photoelectrically converted by the CCD image sensor 5a, which is an image pickup means, through the optical system in a stationary state to obtain image data of the original document. As described above, the image data of the original document in a stationary state may be obtained while moving the optical system. Further, in the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 3 provided with the image reading means 5 is illustrated, but without the image reading means 5, the image forming apparatus 3 is connected to a personal computer via a network, a cable, etc. The data may be acquired and an image may be formed based on the data.

The image processing means 6 is means for performing analog processing, A / D conversion, shading correction, image compression processing and the like on the analog signal photoelectrically converted by the CCD image sensor 5a. After the image processing, a signal is sent to the image writing unit 7a of the image forming unit 7 via a storage unit (memory) that stores image data as needed.

The image forming means 7 is means for forming an image on the recording paper R, and in the present embodiment, means for forming an image by a known electrophotographic method. The image processing means 7 includes an image writing unit 7a, an image forming unit 7b, and a fixing unit 7c.
And have. The image writing unit 7a exposes a latent image of an image on a photosensitive drum 7d of an image forming unit 7b, which will be described later, based on the image data read by the image reading unit 5 and image-processed by the image processing unit 6. It is a means of forming. That is, the output light from the semiconductor laser based on the image data is applied to the photosensitive drum 7d of the image forming unit 7b, and a latent image is formed. On the other hand, the image forming section 7b charges, exposes, and charges the photosensitive drum 7d.
After development processing, a toner image is formed on the photoconductor drum 7d, the toner image is transferred onto a recording paper R that is separately conveyed, and the recording paper R is separated from the photoconductor drum 7d and then separated. Is a means for performing processing such as cleaning the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 7d. The fixing unit 7c is a unit that fixes the toner image transferred onto the recording paper R by the image forming unit 7b.

The recording paper storage means 8 is a means for storing the recording paper R on which an image is formed by the image forming means 7,
In this embodiment, the tray 8a and the large capacity tray (LC
T) 8b, 8c and a plurality of recording paper storage means for the manual feed tray 8d.

The paper feeding means 9 comprises a plurality of recording paper storage means 8a.
It is a means for feeding the recording paper R one by one from any one of .about.8d and feeding it to the image forming means 7. The paper feeding means 9 is provided corresponding to each of the recording paper housing means 8a to 8d, and the first paper feeding means for feeding the recording paper R from each of the recording paper housing means 8a to 8d and the first paper feeding means. The second sheet feeding unit (also referred to as registration roller) that conveys the recorded recording sheet R to the image forming unit 7a.

Then, the first paper feeding means separates the recording paper R stored in each of the recording paper housing means 8a to 8d one by one, and the leading edge of the recording paper R is temporarily stopped by the second paper feeding means, and the image is transferred. Re-feeding is started in synchronism with the toner image formed on the photoconductor drum 7d by the forming unit 7, and is conveyed to the transfer position of the image forming unit 7. Then, at this transfer position, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 7d is transferred onto the recording paper R to form an image.

The reversing / discharging means 10 is a discharging means for discharging the recording paper R having the toner image fixed to the outside of the image forming apparatus 3 and a reversing discharging means for inverting and discharging the recording paper R. And the reversing means for reversing the front and back sides of the recording R and conveying again to the image forming means 7. The reversing / paper ejecting means 10 includes a paper ejecting roller 10a for ejecting paper to the outside of the image forming apparatus 3 and a reversing unit 10b for reversing the front and back of the recording paper R.
Then, a switching unit 10c that switches the path for conveying the recording paper R that has exited the fixing unit 7c to the paper discharge roller 10a side or the reversing unit 10b side, and the recording paper R that has been reversed by the reversing unit 10b.
To the image forming means 7 again.
d and.

When the recording paper R on which the toner image is fixed is discharged as it is, the recording paper R is guided to the paper discharge roller 10a side by the switching unit 10c, and out of the image forming apparatus 3, that is, It is conveyed to the post-processing device 4 side. When the recording paper R on which the toner image is fixed is reversed and discharged, the recording paper R is once guided and conveyed to the reversing part 10b by the switching portion 10c, and then the traveling direction is changed. It is reversed and conveyed to the sheet discharge roller 10a side, and is conveyed to the outside of the image forming apparatus 3. Further, when an image is formed on the opposite surface of the recording paper R on which the toner image is fixed, the switching unit 10
The recording paper R is guided and conveyed to the reversing unit 10b side by c, the traveling direction is reversed, and the recording paper R is conveyed to the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the second paper feeding unit by the conveyance unit 10d. Then, the image forming means 7 forms an image on the opposite surface.

Next, the post-processing device 4 will be described. The post-processing device 4 receives the image-formed recording papers R discharged from the image forming device 1 one by one, and the upper and lower sides of the set of recording papers R, or between the recording papers R, A device for inserting the front sheet K, the back sheet K, or the partition sheet K. Further, the post-processing apparatus 4 of the present embodiment is an apparatus capable of performing post-processing such as stapling (binding) processing, shift processing, and center folding processing. The post-processing device 4 includes a main body discharge tray (sub-tray) 11 on which recording sheets R discharged from the image forming apparatus 3 are stacked, a stacking unit 12, an elevating discharge tray 13, a fixed discharge tray 14, and a paper storage unit. Means 15,
Shifting means 16 and stapling means 1 as post-processing means
7 and a center folding unit 18, and a conveying unit that conveys the recording paper R or the paper K. Then, from the top of FIG. 1, the main body discharge tray 11, the sheet storage unit 15, the shift unit 16, the stacking unit 12, the stapling unit 17, the center folding unit 1
8 are arranged almost vertically.

The main body discharge tray (sub-tray) 11 discharges the recording paper R discharged from the image forming apparatus 3 without inserting the paper K, shift processing, stapling processing or center folding processing. It is a means to be done. Stacking unit (stacker)
Reference numeral 12 denotes a stacking unit that stacks the recording paper R discharged from the image forming apparatus 3 or the paper K further conveyed from the paper storage unit 15. In the present embodiment, the stapling unit 17 performs stapling processing. It is also a means to collect to do. Further, in the present embodiment, the stacking unit 12 collects the stapled recording paper R or the stack of the paper K.
It is composed of a belt suspended between a pair of rollers so that it can be conveyed to the elevating and discharging tray 13 side or the center folding means 18 side. Furthermore, in this stacking unit 12,
In FIG. 1, a regulation plate that reciprocates in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface is provided, and the recording sheet R on the stacking unit 12 reciprocates every time the recording sheet R or the sheet K is stacked. R, or the sheet K is further aligned.

The elevating and discharging tray 13 is a means for accumulating the recording paper R shifted by the shifting means 16 or the paper K, and has a moving mechanism (not shown).
This moving mechanism is configured to be movable in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the elevating and discharging tray 13 is also a means for accumulating the recording paper R stapled by the stapling means 17 or the paper K. The fixed sheet discharge tray 14 is a recording sheet R that has been subjected to a center folding process by the center folding unit 18, or a sheet K.
Is a means of accumulating.

The sheet storing means 15 is a means for storing the sheets K used as front sheets, partition sheets, back sheets and the like. The paper storage unit 15 is provided in the main body of the post-processing device 4 and is configured so that the user can place and replace the paper K.

The shift means 16 is means for shifting the recording paper R, or further the paper K, in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1). When the recording paper R discharged from the image forming apparatus 3 is passed,
Alternatively, the shift process by the shift means 16 is performed for each job, and the sheets are discharged onto the elevating and discharging tray 13 so that the user can easily be notified of the division of each copy or each job. You can, between departments, or
It is possible to prevent the recording sheets R from intermixing between jobs.

The stapling means 17 is means for stapling the recording sheets R stacked on the stacking unit 12 or a bundle of sheets K further. In the present embodiment, the recording paper R conveyed onto the stacking unit 12, or the paper K, is further aligned at the lower end by the stopper 17a, and aligned in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface by the regulation plate, so that a predetermined number of sheets are formed. (1) When the sheets are stacked, the stapling means 17 performs a binding process. In the present embodiment, not only the end of the recording paper R is stapled by the stapling means 17 for the bundle regulated by the stopper 17a, but also the bundle whose bottom end is regulated by the stopper 17b is recorded by the stapling means 17. The center portion of the R is stapled (so-called saddle stitching).

The center-folding means 18 is means for center-folding the bundle that has been saddle-stitched by the stapling means 17 and has been conveyed. The center folding means 18 has a stopper 18a that regulates the leading end of the conveyed bundle, a protrusion 18b that protrudes the central portion of the bundle that is held / regulated at a predetermined position by the stopper 18a, and a protrusion 18b. It has a pair of belts / rollers 18c for pressure-bonding / conveying the folded bundle and performs center folding processing.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transporting means in the post-processing device 4 transports the recording paper R discharged from the image forming device 3, and the transporting roller 19 transports the recording paper R. The conveying roller 20 that conveys the recording sheet R that has been received toward the shift means 16, the stapling means 17, and the center folding means 18, and the conveying roller 21 that conveys the recording sheet R sent by the conveying roller 20 to the stacking unit 12. A sheet feeding roller 22 for feeding the sheets K stored in the sheet storing means 15 one by one, a transport roller 23 for transporting the sheet K delivered by the sheet feeding roller 22 to the transport roller 20, and a transport roller. A main body discharge roller 24 for discharging the recording paper R sent by 19 to the main body discharge tray 11;
An elevating paper ejection roller 25 for ejecting the recording paper R that has been subjected to the shift processing by the shift means 16 or the recording paper R that has been stapled by the stapling means 17 to the elevating paper ejection tray 13.
And the recording paper R that has undergone the center folding process by the center folding unit 18.
And a fixed paper discharge roller 26 for discharging the recording paper R to the fixed paper discharge tray 14, and conveys the recording paper R and the paper K in the direction of the arrow as shown in the figure.

Further, the first switching section 27 is provided for the transport roller 1
9 was conveyed from the image forming apparatus 3 (FIG. 1)
The recording paper R is transferred to the main body discharge roller 24 side, that is, in the direction of the main body discharge tray 11 (in FIG. 1) or the conveyance roller 20.
The second switching unit 28 conveys the recording paper R or the paper K conveyed by the conveyance rollers 20. The second switching unit 28 conveys the recording paper R or the paper K conveyed by the conveyance rollers 20. The roller 21 side, that is, the stapling means 17, the center folding means 18 side, or
It is a means for switching the transport path to the elevating and discharging roller 25 side, that is, the shift means 16 side.

Here, these conveying rollers are usually connected to each other by gears, belts, clutches and the like (not shown) and are driven by one motor or
Alternatively, the recording paper R discharged from the image forming apparatus 3 and the conveyance roller 19 that conveys the recording paper R to the first switching unit 27 and the main body discharge tray 11
Drive the main body discharge rollers 24 that are conveyed to the main body by the same motor, or convey rollers 20 that convey to the vertical discharge tray 13 or fixed discharge tray 14 and main body discharge rollers that convey to the main body discharge tray 11. 24 and 24 are driven by the same motor.

In this way, driving a large number of conveyance rollers with a small number of drive sources is not so fast in the conventional paper discharge process from the image forming apparatus 3, and the conveyance on the entrance side and the conveyance on the exit side are separately driven. It is not necessary to change the driving speed, the processing of the image forming apparatus 3 is not complicated, and the sub-tray paper is discharged without post-processing and the straight paper is discharged after performing post-processing. This is because it is not necessary to consider a state in which stapled paper is mixed and the control source is simplified by sharing the drive source.

However, the transport roller 19 (switching unit 2
7) and the main body discharge roller 24 (main body discharge tray 11
When the processing speed of the image recording apparatus 3 becomes faster, the main body paper ejection tray 11 is configured to be driven by the same driving means.
The discharge processing to the main body discharge tray 11 becomes slower if the drive speed of the motor is increased according to the processing speed of the image recording apparatus 3. It becomes too fast, and it becomes difficult to align and eject the recording paper R.

Further, the main body discharge roller 24 (main body discharge tray 1
1) and the transport roller 20 (transport to the elevating paper tray 13 or the fixed paper tray 14) are driven by the same drive means, when another job occurs during execution of the staple job, for example, When an invalid transfer sheet is discharged due to a problem in the image forming apparatus 3 or when the invalid transfer sheet is interrupted and discharged in a staple job, when the sheet is discharged toward the main body discharge tray 11, the staple processing or the stacking unit 12 is performed. There is a problem that the recording sheets R and sheets K that have been accumulated are also discharged at the same time.

Such problems are becoming more and more prominent as the processing speed and processing capacity of the image recording apparatus 3 are improved, the number of terminals connected to the network is increased, and the diversification of user's demands. There is a need to improve the transport function that limits the processing speed of the device. Therefore, in the present invention, a route for transporting from the image forming apparatus 3 to the first switching unit 27, a route for transporting to the main body discharge tray 11 without post-processing, a shift process, a stapling process, a center folding process, etc. It is characterized in that a path for carrying out the post-processing and carrying it to the elevating paper ejection tray 13 or the fixed paper ejection tray 14 is driven by independent drive means and the drive speed can be adjusted.

The structure of the driving means will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. As shown in FIG. 3, in the post-processing apparatus 4 of the present embodiment, the first driving unit 30 and the first switching unit are provided in the entrance conveyance path (of FIG. 3) of the recording paper R discharged from the image forming apparatus 3. The second drive means 31 and the elevating paper ejection tray 1 are provided in the conveyance path (in FIG. 3) from the portion 27 toward the main body paper ejection tray 11.
3 or a conveyance path (in FIG. 3) in the direction of the fixed sheet discharge tray 14 has a third drive means 32, and each drive means is provided with a drive source such as a motor.

It should be noted that the control means for performing ON / OFF control or rotation speed control of the rotation of the motor is provided as driving means 30 to 3 respectively.
No. 2 may be provided, or a drive unit 33 for controlling all the drive units may be separately provided (in the figure, the case where the unit for collectively controlling is provided is illustrated). Further, the control unit may be provided in association with a control unit that controls the entire post-processing device 4. And these control means,
The driving means 30 to 30 are connected so as to be able to communicate with the image forming apparatus 3, and refer to signals from the image forming apparatus 3 to drive the driving units 30 to 30.
32 drives independently.

Among the above control means, especially the main body paper ejection tray 11
It is desired that the second driving means 31 that discharges the paper to a high speed discharges the paper. However, if the discharge speed is increased, the recording papers are scattered on the discharge tray as described above, and it is difficult to discharge the recording papers in an aligned manner. Become. Therefore, for example, the second drive means 31 is replaced with the control means 31a.
A discharge motor 31b, a conveyance roller 31c for conveying the recording paper, an input means 31d for inputting a signal from the image forming apparatus 3, and a front end detection means for detecting the front and rear ends of the recording paper in the conveyance path. 31e and trailing edge detection means 31g, a timer 31f that determines the timing of deceleration processing, an output means 31h that outputs the conveyance status, and a storage means 3 that stores data such as a timer value, a drive speed of the discharge motor, and a deceleration speed.
1i, etc., the position of the recording paper R in the transport path is detected, the paper discharge speed is reduced immediately before the paper discharge is completed, and high speed,
In addition, it is possible to eject paper in a line.

As described above, the image forming apparatus 3 is constructed by forming the respective conveying paths by the driving means which are independently driven.
It is possible to solve the problems such as delay in discharging the sheets from the sheet and forcibly discharging the recording sheet R and the sheet K during the stapling process, and by independently determining the conveying speed and the driving timing. Thus, it is possible to carry the sheet at the maximum processing speed of the image forming system 1. Further, it is possible to suppress the power consumption by stopping the motors of the transport paths that are not used.

Next, the carrying operation of the post-processing apparatus having the driving means of the above construction will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. In order to simplify the description, in the following description, it is assumed that the first switching unit 37 switches between the transport path and the transport path, and when the transport path is selected, the stapling process is performed.

When the job is executed in the staple mode in step S101, the control means 33 monitors whether or not there is a recording sheet R discharged from the image forming apparatus 3, and the recording sheet R is conveyed in step S102. When the recording sheet R is conveyed through the path, it is determined in step S103 whether or not the recording sheet R is in the stapling mode that requires post-processing such as stapling. If it is in the stapling mode, the first step is performed in step S104. The switch 27 is moved to open the conveyance path, the recording paper R is conveyed to the stacker (stacking unit 12) provided adjacent to the stapling means 17, the stapling means 17 performs stapling processing, and the next recording paper is discharged. To wait.

On the other hand, when the processing of the recording paper R carried out in step S103 is not in the staple mode, the first switching 27 is moved to open the conveyance path in step S105, and the recording paper R is directed toward the main body discharge tray 11. And simultaneously stop the third driving means 32 on the transport path,
The ejection of the recording paper R accumulated during the stapling process or accumulated in the stacker is prevented.

The input means 3 of the second drive means 31
When the signal indicating that the recording sheet R is conveyed to the conveying path is received from the first switching unit 27 in 1d, the control unit 31a starts the operation of the sheet discharge motor 31b in step S106. here,
The drive speed of the paper discharge motor 31b is preferably high in order to enable quick paper discharge, and the drive speed may be stored in the storage means 31i in advance.
It may be variable according to the signal transmitted from the.

Then, by using the front end detecting means 31e provided on the conveying path in the direction of the main body discharge tray 11, step S10 is performed.
At 7, the leading edge of the recording paper R is detected. This tip detecting means 31
As e, an optical sensor or the like is usually used, and not only the tip of the recording paper R may be detected, but also the size and shape of the recording paper R may be detected.

When the leading edge detecting means 31e detects the leading edge of the recording paper R, it sends a signal to the control means 31a and drives the timer 31f in step S108. This timer sets the timing for decelerating the drive speed of the discharge motor 31b, and the operation time of the timer 31f may be stored in the storage means 31i in advance, or may be changed according to the signal sent from the image forming apparatus 3. You may.

Next, when the time set by the timer 31f has elapsed in step S109, a signal is sent to the control means 31a, and in step 110 the control means 31a decelerates the paper discharge motor 31b to a predetermined speed. The degree of deceleration of the paper discharge motor 31b may be constant at all times, may be changed in consideration of the presence or absence of subsequent processing, or may be changed according to an instruction from the image forming apparatus 3.

After that, the rear end detecting means 31g provided in the vicinity of the main body discharge tray 11 of the transport path is used to perform step S11.
In step 1, the trailing edge of the recording paper R is detected, and when the trailing edge is detected, a signal is sent to the control means 31a, and in step S112, the control means 3
1a stops the paper discharge motor 31b to complete the paper discharge operation. The leading edge and the trailing edge may be detected by different detecting means, or both the leading edge and the trailing edge may be detected by one detecting means.

As described above, according to the post-processing apparatus and the recording-paper conveying method, the image forming system including the post-processing apparatus, and the control method of the present embodiment, the first conveyance path is provided.
Drive means 30 and second drive means 31 of the transport path
And the third drive means and 32 of the transport path are independently driven, and at least the second drive means 31 discharges the recording paper R immediately before being discharged to the main body discharge tray 11. By reducing the drive speed of the motor 31b, it is possible to increase the discharge speed of the paper discharged to the main body discharge tray 11, and it is possible to prevent the delay of the processing of the image forming apparatus and prevent the disorder of the discharge.

If another job occurs during execution of the staple job, for example, the invalid transfer paper at the time of main body JAM or the recording paper of the interruption job paper is not changed, and the recording paper in the stacker or the paper is left as it is. The paper can be discharged to the paper discharge tray 11, and complicated processing can be executed.

Further, by controlling the driving speed of each driving means in accordance with the processing sequence of the image forming apparatus 3, the processing capacity of the image forming system 1 as a whole can be improved. Complex transport processing such as variable transport speed of each drive means according to the amount, increasing transport speed only while the transport path is moving, and lowering transport speed when approaching the discharge tray or post-processing means becomes possible. . Further, by stopping the motors of the transport paths that are not used, it is possible to suppress unnecessary power consumption.

[0064]

As described above, according to the post-processing apparatus and the method for conveying recording paper, the image forming system including the post-processing apparatus, and the control method thereof, the following effects can be obtained.

The first effect of the present invention is that the driving of the entrance side conveying path and the driving of the main body discharge tray are independently performed, so that there is no restriction of the speed due to the conveyance at the time of discharging the sub tray, and the discharging performance is improved. Is that it can be improved.

The second effect of the present invention is that by independently controlling the drive of the conveying path for discharging the sheet without post-processing and the driving of the conveying path for performing the post-processing, another job can be executed while the staple job is being executed. When it occurs, the transfer paper in the stacker can be discharged without wasting it.

Further, the third effect of the present invention is to independently control the driving of the entrance side transport path, the drive of the main body discharge tray direction and the transport of the path for performing the post-processing, thereby forming an image. This means that the respective conveying speeds can be adjusted according to the processing sequence of the apparatus, and the capability of the entire image forming system can be maximized.

The fourth effect of the present invention is to reduce the power consumption by stopping the drive means of the unused transport paths because the drive means of each transport path is controlled independently. It means that you can

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an image forming system including a post-processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a transport path of the post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a post-processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of drive means of the post-processing device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a carrying operation using the post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Image forming system 2 Automatic document feeder 3 Image forming device 4 Post-processing equipment 5 Image reading means 5a CCD image sensor 6 Image processing means 7 Image forming means 7a Image writing unit 7b Image forming unit 7c Fixing part 7d photoconductor drum 8 Recording paper storage means 8a tray 8b, 8c large capacity tray 8d bypass tray 9 Paper feeding means 10 Reversing / sheet discharging means 10a Paper ejection roller 10b Inversion section 10c switching unit 10d transport section 11 Body discharge tray 12 accumulation section 13 Lifting and discharging tray 14 Fixed output tray 15 Paper storage means 16 shift means 17 Staple Means 17a, 17b stopper 18 Center folding means 18a stopper 18b protruding part 18c belt / roller 20, 21, 23 Transport rollers 22 Paper feed roller 24 Main body ejection roller 25 Lifting and discharging roller 26 Fixed paper ejection roller 27 First switching unit 28 Second switching unit 30 First driving means 31 Second driving means 31a Control means 31b Paper ejection motor 31c Transport roller 31d input means 31e Tip detection means 31f timer 31g Rear end detection means 31h output means 32 Third Driving Means 33 Control means

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Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus and received via an entrance transport path is switched to a first transport path or a second transport path by a transport path switching means and is transported to the first transport path. In the transport path, the paper is transported to the first paper discharge tray without performing post-processing means, and in the second transport path, after performing a predetermined post-processing, it is transported to the second paper discharge tray. In the post-processing apparatus, a drive unit that independently conveys the sheet is provided in each of the entrance conveyance path, the first conveyance path, and the second conveyance path, and at least the first conveyance path. The drive means of
A post-processing apparatus comprising means for varying the conveyance speed of the sheet. 2. A means for detecting the sheet passing through the path is provided in the first conveying path, and in the means for varying the conveying speed of the sheet, the trailing end of the sheet passes through the driving means. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein control for reducing the transport speed is performed immediately before. 3. The post-processing apparatus is provided with a time measuring means, and the time measuring means is operated immediately after the leading edge of the paper passes through the drive means of the first transportation path to change the transportation speed of the paper. 4. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the means performs control to reduce the transport speed after a predetermined time has elapsed. 4. A stirrer means (stitching means) and a stacking means for stacking the sheets to be stapled by the stapling means are provided in the second conveying path, and stapling processing is executed in the stacking means. In the case where the sheets of paper inside are accumulated, and when a new sheet of paper is discharged from the image forming apparatus to the entrance conveyance path, the driving means of the second conveyance path is stopped and the first conveyance path is stopped. 4. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein control for driving the driving means of the transport path is performed. 5. The new sheet is J of the image forming apparatus.
5. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the post-processing apparatus includes any one of invalid transfer paper at the time of AM, paper discharge of processing different from the stapling processing, and paper discharge of interrupt processing for the stapling processing. 6. The image forming apparatus is a copying machine, a printer,
The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising one of a facsimile machine and a light printing machine. 7. A sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus and received via an entrance conveying path is switched to a first conveying path or a second conveying path by a conveying path switching means and conveyed, and the first sheet is conveyed. In the transport path, the paper is transported to the first paper discharge tray without performing post-processing means, and in the second transport path, after performing a predetermined post-processing, it is transported to the second paper discharge tray. In a carrying method in a post-processing apparatus for controlling, the entrance carrying path, the first carrying path, and the second carrying path can be independently driven by driving means provided in each. , At least in the drive means of the first transport path,
A carrying method in a post-processing apparatus, wherein a process of reducing the carrying speed is performed immediately before the paper is discharged to the first paper discharge tray. 8. The sheet passing through the first conveying path is detected by a detecting means provided in the path, and the conveying speed is reduced immediately before the trailing edge of the sheet passes through the driving means. The sheet is discharged, and the conveying method in the post-processing apparatus according to claim 7. 9. When decelerating the carrying speed, immediately after the leading edge of the paper passes through the driving means of the first carrying path, a time keeping means provided in the post-processing device is operated to allow a predetermined time to elapse. The transport method in the post-processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the transport speed is reduced later. 10. The second conveying path is provided with at least stapling means (stapling means) and stacking means for stacking the sheets to be stapled by the stapling means.
When the sheets that are undergoing stapling processing are accumulated in the accumulating means and a new sheet is discharged from the image forming apparatus to the entrance conveying path, the driving means of the second conveying path Stopping, and driving the drive means of the first transport path to eject the new paper without ejecting the paper accumulated in the accumulating means. Item 10. A transfer method in the post-processing device according to any one of items 7 to 9. 11. The new sheet is any one of an invalid transfer sheet at the time of JAM of the image forming apparatus, a sheet discharge process different from the stapling process, or a sheet discharge process interrupting the stapling process. The transport method in the post-processing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising: 12. An image forming apparatus, wherein the post-processing device according to claim 1 transfers image data of an original read by an electrophotographic method or image data transmitted via a network onto a sheet. An image forming system characterized by being connected to. 13. An image forming apparatus for transferring image data of an original read by an electrophotographic method or image data transmitted via a network onto a sheet and a sheet required for the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus. A method for controlling an image forming system, comprising at least a post-processing device for performing a predetermined post-processing according to, wherein the post-processing device includes an entrance conveyance path for receiving the sheet discharged from the image forming device, and a post-processing device. Drive means provided in each of the first transport path for transporting to the first paper discharge tray without performing the above and the second transport path for performing predetermined post-processing and transporting to the second paper discharge tray. A first control unit that controls the driving unit, the image forming apparatus includes a second control unit that can communicate with the first control unit of the post-processing apparatus, and the image forming apparatus of With reference to the signal transmitted from the second control means, the first control means performs ON / OFF control of each of the driving means or conveyance speed control, and control of the image forming system. Method. 14. When the sheet is ejected from the image forming apparatus, the second control means performs a process which is being executed or is waiting to be executed in the image forming apparatus with respect to the first control means. 14. The control method of the image forming system according to claim 13, wherein a signal indicating the above is transmitted, and the first control unit determines the speed at which the sheet is conveyed with reference to the signal.