JP2005088478A - Posttreatment apparatus, image forming apparatus and method for taking out sheet - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a posttreatment apparatus for preventing spread during conveyance of a bundle of sheets by constituting so that the bundle of the sheets folded in middle is received with a side face of a crest side of the bundle of the sheets to a sheet receiving means. <P>SOLUTION: In a posttreatment apparatus comprising a creasing means for creasing an image formed sheet and a loading means for supporting the sheet creased by the creasing means by a valley side of the sheet, the posttreatment apparatus further comprises a support means for supporting a folded part on the valley side of the sheet loaded by the loading means or its vicinity and taking out start position to a taking out finishing position, and a sheet receiving means for receiving the taken out sheet by a side face to the crest side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing of an image-formed sheet and a sheet conveying method, and more particularly to a post-processing apparatus that can discharge a sheet bundle that has been subjected to half-folding processing.

  Conventionally, an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine can be equipped with a post-processing device having a function of folding or binding paper after image recording, and an image including the post-processing device. A forming apparatus has been developed, and a technique for discharging a sheet bundle that has been subjected to folding processing or binding processing in a closed state is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

  In the configuration of discharging the sheet bundle in Patent Document 1, the valley-side fold portion of the sheet that has been folded in half (a half-fold) is abutted against the leading end portion of the sheet support, and the number of stacked sheets reaches a predetermined number. When the paper support moves, the paper bundle is delivered to a pair of rollers disposed above and discharged. By rotating the roller pair in the reverse direction, the roller pair also has a function of stacking the sheets folded in the sheet folding section on the sheet support, and the apparatus can be reduced in size and simplified.

  In Patent Document 2, when a thick sheet bundle made up of a large number of sheets is subjected to half-folding processing, the first folding roller is pressed by a center folding plate member while pressing the center portion in the transport direction of the sheet bundle subjected to saddle stitching processing. A pushing fold portion is formed at a pair of holding positions, and the fold portion is reinforced by running while pressing the fold portion by a second fold roller movable in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction.

Also, a bookbinding machine is known that includes an endless chain that runs one or more clamps that grip a collated sheet bundle in order to significantly increase production speed (see, for example, Patent Document 3).
JP 2001-151406 A (page 4, FIG. 5) JP 2003-182928 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-35135

  In recent years, the level of customer demand for post-processing devices has increased, and folding processing or binding processing for a bundle of sheets ranging from a small number to a large number of sheets is desired. However, when a large number of paper bundles are formed, in the configurations described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, in order to discharge the paper bundle closed by the roller pair, the paper sheets outside the paper bundle contacting the rollers are discharged. A conveyance force is applied, and the conveyance force that should be transmitted by friction between sheets is not sufficiently transmitted to the entire sheet bundle, and problems such as conveyance defects and wrinkles are likely to occur. Similarly, even in the configuration described in Patent Document 3, wrinkles are likely to occur on the paper outside the paper bundle in contact with the clamp. Further, when a sheet support that receives a folded sheet as described in Patent Document 1 on the inner side surface of the valley side of the sheet is used, there is a problem that a fold of the sheet is likely to spread.

  Furthermore, when a paper bundle is conveyed while being nipped by a roller or a clamp, if a roller pair or clamp holding pressure is set so that the conveying force can be transmitted to a large number of paper bundles, a small number of paper In a bundle, a sufficient conveyance force cannot be transmitted to the sheet bundle, and the sheet bundle may drop during the conveyance or the sheet bundle may be tilted. Therefore, in order to control the clamping pressure, a clamping pressure adjusting device or the like is required, and the device becomes large. In particular, the configuration described in Patent Document 3 has a problem that a large clamping pressure is required because the mass of the entire sheet bundle is supported only by the frictional force at the clamping part of the clamp.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to achieve a conveyance failure or wrinkle when a stacked sheet bundle is conveyed even with a large number of sheet bundles even though the structure is small and simple. It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly reliable post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus including the post-processing apparatus.

The object of the present invention can be achieved by the following constitution.
(Claim 1)
Middle folding means for creasing the image-formed paper;
In a post-processing apparatus having a stacking unit that supports and stacks a sheet that has been creased by the center folding unit on the valley side surface of the sheet,
Supporting means for supporting the fold portion on the valley side of the paper loaded on the stacking means or the vicinity thereof, and moving from the take-out start position to the take-out end position to take out the paper;
And a paper receiving means for receiving the taken-out paper on the side surface on the mountain side.
(Claim 2)
2. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet receiving means is disposed with an inclined surface of 20 [deg.] To 90 [deg.] With respect to a horizontal plane.
(Claim 3)
Middle folding means for creasing the image-formed paper;
In a post-processing apparatus having a stacking unit that supports and stacks a sheet that has been creased by the center folding unit on the valley side surface of the sheet,
Supporting means for supporting the fold portion on the valley side of the paper loaded on the stacking means or the vicinity thereof, and moving from the take-out start position to the take-out end position to take out the paper;
And a paper grip means for gripping the taken-out paper.
(Claim 4)
An image forming apparatus comprising the post-processing device according to claim 1.
(Claim 5)
In a paper take-out method in which a fold is made by a middle folding means for making a crease in the paper, and the stacked paper bundle is moved from the take-out start position to the take-out end position,
The paper receiving means is disposed at the removal end position,
Supporting the folds on the valley side of the stacked stack of paper or the vicinity thereof with support means,
Moving the sheet bundle from the take-out start position to the take-out end position by the support means;
A method for taking out a sheet, wherein the sheet receiving means receives the side surface of the peak side of the sheet bundle.
(Claim 6)
In a paper take-out method in which a fold is made by a middle folding means for making a crease in the paper, and the stacked paper bundle is moved from the take-out start position to the take-out end position,
A paper grip means is disposed at the removal end position,
Supporting the folds on the valley side of the stacked stack of paper or the vicinity thereof with support means,
Moving the sheet bundle from the take-out start position to the take-out end position by the support means;
A method of taking out a sheet, wherein the sheet bundle is gripped by the sheet grip means.

  According to the invention of claim 1 or claim 4, with a simple configuration, the folded sheets are stacked on the stacking means, and the supporting means supports and removes the fold portion on the valley side of the sheet or the vicinity thereof, and the sheet By passing the paper to the receiving means, it is possible to remove some of the paper sheets that make up the paper without applying a local force and without damaging the paper bundle. By receiving, the spread of the paper can be suppressed. Here, the valley side surface of the creased sheet S refers to the sheet surfaces that face each other on the inner side when the sheet is folded along the crease, and the outer sheet surface is referred to as a crest side surface.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the sheet receiving means is disposed with an inclined surface of 20 ° to 90 ° with respect to the horizontal plane, so that one surface of the peak side of the sheet bundle taken out by the sheet receiving means is received by the inclined surface. The spread of the sheet bundle at the crease portion can be suppressed, and it is not necessary to secure an extra space in the sheet conveyance path.

  According to the invention of claim 3, by providing the paper grip means, it is possible to further suppress the spread of the sheet bundle at the crease portion, and to stably convey the sheet bundle.

  According to the invention of claim 5, by supporting the vicinity of the fold portion on the valley side of the stacked sheet bundle by the support means, by moving the sheet bundle from the take-out start position to the take-out end position by the support means, Since the conveying force applied from the support means is reliably transmitted to the entire sheet bundle through the fold portion of the sheet bundle, the sheet bundle can be surely taken out without damaging the sheet bundle even for a large number of sheet bundles. I can do it. In addition, since the sheet bundle is not sandwiched, a stable conveying force can always be applied to a sheet bundle ranging from a small number to a large number of sheets, and a folding process for a sheet bundle ranging from a small number to a large number of sheets, or , Binding processing becomes possible. Further, by receiving the side surface on the mountain side of the sheet bundle with the sheet receiving means, it is possible to suppress the spread of the sheet bundle at the crease part, and to reduce the space in the sheet bundle thickness direction of the conveyance path for conveying the folded sheet bundle. Therefore, the apparatus for conveying the sheet bundle can be reduced in size.

  According to the invention of claim 5, by providing the paper grip means, the paper bundle can be further stably conveyed, the spread of the paper bundle at the fold portion can be further suppressed, and the apparatus for conveying the paper bundle is further improved. Can be downsized.

  Hereinafter, an example of a post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus including the post-processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus including a post-processing apparatus.

  Here, the image forming apparatus provided with the post-processing device is a configuration with a built-in post-processing device or an externally integrated configuration as shown in the figure and can be controlled from the image forming device. A forming device.

  Note that the post-processing apparatus can be configured to be used alone.

  A is an image forming apparatus, DF is an automatic document feeder, LT is a large capacity feeder, and B is a post-processing apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus A includes an image reading unit (image input device) 1, an image processing unit 2, an image writing unit 3, an image forming unit 4, paper feed cassettes 5A, 5B, and 5C, a manual paper feed tray 5D, and a first paper feed. Sections 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D, a second sheet feeding section 6F, a fixing device 7, a discharge section 8, an automatic duplex copying sheet feeding section (ADU) 8B, and the like.

  An automatic document feeder DF is mounted on the upper part of the image forming apparatus A.

  A post-processing apparatus B is integrally connected to the left side of the image forming apparatus A shown in the drawing on the discharge unit 8 side.

  A document d placed on the document table of the automatic document feeder DF is conveyed in the direction of the arrow, and an image on one or both sides of the document is read by the optical system of the image reading unit 1 and read by the image sensor CCD.

  The analog signal photoelectrically converted by the image sensor CCD is subjected to analog processing, A / D conversion, shading correction, image compression processing, and the like in the image processing unit 2 and then sent to the image writing unit 3 as an image information signal. .

  The image forming unit 4 is a part where an image is formed using an electrophotographic process, and processing such as charging, exposure, development, transfer, separation, and cleaning is performed on the photosensitive drum 4A. In the exposure processing step, output light of a semiconductor laser (not shown) based on the image information signal is applied to the photosensitive drum 4A to form an electrostatic latent image. Further, in the developing process, a toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image is formed.

  When any one of the sheet feeding cassettes 5A to 5C, the manual sheet feeding tray 5D, the large capacity sheet feeding device LT, and the first sheet feeding units 6A to 6E corresponding thereto is selected, the sheet S is transferred to the transfer unit 4B. And the toner image on the photosensitive drum 4A is transferred.

  The sheet S carrying the toner image is fixed by the fixing device 7 and sent to the post-processing device B from the discharge unit 8.

  In the case of double-sided image formation, the sheet S having an image formed on one side is sent to the automatic double-sided copy paper feeding unit 8B by the conveyance path switching plate 8A, and image formation and fixing are performed on the opposite side in the image forming unit 4. It is discharged from the crack discharge unit 8 and sent to the post-processing apparatus B.

  Next, an outline of the post-processing apparatus B will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5.

  2 is a front view of a post-processing apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a right side view, FIG. 4 is a left side view, and FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the flow of paper in the post-processing apparatus.

  In each figure, arrows X, Y, and Z are coordinate axes representing directions. In FIG. 2, X represents a horizontal direction, Y represents a vertical direction, and Z represents a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. Instead of the direction and the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2, the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction are used. Further, the positive direction of each coordinate is represented by the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction (from the back to the front of FIG. 2), and the negative direction is represented by the reverse X direction, the reverse Y direction, and the reverse Z direction.

  The sheet S on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus A is transported by the transport path switching unit G1 at the entrance 201 of the post-processing apparatus B, and is discharged as it is without being processed. It is transported to one of transport paths R2 where stapling is performed.

  A plurality of sheets S fed to the conveyance path for performing the half-folding process and the stapling process are folded in half by the half-folding process unit in a stacked state, and stacked on the stacking unit having an inverted V-shape. After reaching the predetermined number, the stapling process is performed, and the sheet is taken out by the supporting means according to the present invention and cut and cut out.

  The conveyance path R2 that performs the saddle stitching process and the conveyance path R1 that does not perform other processes or processes will be described with reference to FIG.

  The sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus A and introduced into the entrance 201 of the post-processing apparatus B is nipped by the entrance roller 202 and is either the transport path R1 above the transport path switching means G1 or the transport path R2 below. To be transported.

  The sheet S branched to the conveyance path R1 by the action of the conveyance path switching means G1 is nipped and conveyed by the conveyance rollers 203 to 207, and either the conveyance path R3 above the conveyance path switching means G2 or the conveyance path R4 below. It is conveyed to the crab.

  The sheet S conveyed to the upper conveyance path R3 is discharged by the discharge roller 208 and discharged to a sub discharge tray (top tray) 209 disposed on the upper portion of the post-processing apparatus B.

  The sheet S conveyed to the lower conveyance path R4 is nipped and conveyed by the conveyance rollers 210 to 213, and is sent to another post-processing device or the like by the paper discharge roller 214.

  The direction change of the paper in the transport paths R2, R5, and R6 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Returning to the entrance 201, the sheet S conveyed to the conveyance path R2 by the action of the conveyance path switching means G1 is conveyed in the reverse Y direction, and is temporarily stopped and stored at a predetermined position (position P1 shown in the drawing). .

  At the position P1, the subsequent small number of sheets S are stacked and stored.

  Although the number of stored sheets is three in the present embodiment, the number of stored sheets is not limited to this and can be set as appropriate.

  The three sheets S accommodated at the position P1 are superposed and conveyed in the Z direction by conveying rollers 215, 216, guide plates (not shown), etc., and then deflected in the X direction to the position P2. Stop temporarily (conveyance path R5).

  In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the sheet S is simply referred to as the sheet S instead of the three sheets (or a plurality of sheets).

  The sheet S temporarily stopped at the position P2 is conveyed in the Y direction by the conveying rollers 217 and 218 and the guide plate at a predetermined timing, and then deflected in the reverse Z direction (conveying path R6).

  Thereafter, the sheet S deflected in the reverse Z direction is sent to the center folding means 230 by the conveyance alignment belt 220. The center folding means will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the long side direction of the paper S is configured to coincide with the conveyance direction of the conveyance alignment belt 220.

  In FIG. 3, arrows X, Y, and Z are the same coordinate axes as in FIG. 2, where the X direction is from the front side of the paper, the Y direction is from bottom to top, and the Z direction is from right to left.

  The middle folding means 230 includes an alignment member 232, middle folding rollers 234 and 235, a middle folding knife 236, and the like.

  The alignment plate 232 is disposed at a position half the length of the long side direction of the sheet S from the contact point between the folding rollers 234 and 235.

  The sheet S deflected in the reverse Z direction is pushed by an alignment claw 221 provided on the conveyance alignment belt 220, and the leading end of the sheet S abuts on the alignment member 232 on a guide plate 251 forming a half-folded sheet conveyance means 250 described later. It is conveyed to.

  Subsequently, the alignment claw 221 moves backward and forward by forward / reverse rotation of the conveyance alignment belt 220, and the trailing edge of the sheet S (three sheets) is pressed to align the width in the conveyance direction.

  After completion of the aligning operation described above, the center folding knife 236 provided below the contact points of the center folding rollers 234 and 235 pushes up the central portion in the long side direction of the sheet S on the guide plate 251 and is opposite to each other in the arrow direction shown in the figure. The sheet S is digged into the rotating folding rollers 234 and 235.

  The creased sheet S is creased at the center in the long side direction by the center folding rollers 234 and 235, and then returned to the guide plate 251 by the reverse rotation of the center folding rollers 234 and 235. It is transported in the X direction by the transport means 250.

  When the paper size is changed, the position of the alignment plate 232, the operation of the transport alignment belt 220, and the like are changed according to the paper size by a control unit (not shown).

  Note that when the sheet S is Z-folded (tri-folded), the roller 237, the folding knife 238, and the like can be used.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the sheet S (see FIG. 5) creased in the central portion in the long side direction by the center folding unit 230 is transported by a transport claw 252 provided on the transport belt of the center folded sheet transport unit 250, and It is conveyed in the X direction by a guide plate (not shown) and sent to the next sheet binding step 300 (conveyance path R7).

  Although the sheet S is sent out from the half-fold sheet conveying means 250, since the sheet has a crease in the conveying direction, the rigidity of the sheet is increased and can be stably delivered to the sheet binding step 300.

  The sheet binding process 300 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The sheet S that has been subjected to the center folding process in the center folding unit 230 proceeds in the transport path R7 direction (X direction in the drawing) by the sheet transport unit 250, and is subsequently arranged in the sheet binding step 300 by an alignment member and a guide unit (not shown). It is placed on the inverted V-shaped stacking means 310 provided. Subsequent half-folded sheets S continue to be stacked on the stacking unit 310 through the transport path R7.

  The stacking unit 310 includes an inverted V-shaped crease support member and an edge support member. The crease support member supports the crease a on the valley side surface of the creased sheet S, and the edge support member. Supports the edge of the valley side surface of the creased sheet S.

  Above the stacking means 310, the needle hitting means 350 is fixed. Inside the stacking unit 310, a needle receiving unit 370 is supported below the folds of the stacked sheets so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The binding unit has a two-part structure composed of the needle hitting unit 350 and the needle receiving unit 370. Are arranged in two sets in the sheet crease direction.

  The plurality of sheets S placed on the stacking unit 310 are aligned by the alignment member, and the creases of the respective sheets are aligned by the pressing unit 330.

  When the number of stacked sheets S reaches a predetermined number, the holding member 330 is lowered and the sheet receiving means 370 is raised while the sheet S is being pressed, and the staple needles by the needle driving means 350 are driven into the fold portion of the sheet bundle. That is, the two sets of binding means strike the binding needles at two centrally distributed locations along the folds of the sheet bundle on the stacking means 310.

  Next, an outline and cutting process of the saddle stitched sheet bundle take-out process 400 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The sheet bundle subjected to the saddle stitching process in the sheet binding step 300 is supported by a swingable support member 420 and swung in a chain line direction, and is supported on the receiving conveyor 500 serving as a sheet receiving unit on the side surface of the stack of sheets. In addition, it is sandwiched by grip means 550 installed on the receiving conveyor 500, and the bulge of the fold portion is suppressed. The sheet bundle Q is conveyed obliquely downward while being held by the grip means 550 and released from the grip means 550 by the rotation of a conveyance belt (described later) disposed on the receiving conveyor 500, and is further inclined. Is transported by the conveyor belt 600 that is rotated at, and stopped at a predetermined position.

  Thereafter, the conveyor belt 600 swings and becomes horizontal. Since the edge (the free end on the opposite side of the fold) of the sheet bundle placed on the transport belt 600 in the horizontal state is uneven due to the stacking of the sheets, the sheet is cut by the cutting means (trimmer) 700. And you can align the small ends.

  The sheet bundle produced by the cutting process is placed on the reversely rotating conveyance belt 600 and conveyed with the trailing end of the sheet bundle being pressed by the paper discharge claw fixed to the conveyance belt 600. It falls in the direction of the arrow from the tip of 600. The dropped sheet bundle is discharged to a paper discharge tray 900 disposed outside the front side of the post-processing apparatus B by a rotating conveyor belt 800.

  Thereafter, the above operation is repeated until the stacked sheet bundle reaches a predetermined number of copies.

  The operation described above is executed by the control means of the post-processing apparatus, but may be executed by the control means of the image forming apparatus.

  Details of the take-out process 400 including the supporting means and the driving means will be described with reference to FIGS.

  6 is an enlarged front view of the take-out process 400 of FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged plan view.

  The take-out process 400 includes a support means 420 having a function of taking out the paper S from the stacking means 310 when the number of stacked paper S reaches a predetermined number, a driving means 430, and the like.

  The driving unit 430 includes a swing unit 440 and a moving unit 460.

  In the following description, the sheet S that has reached a predetermined number and is saddle-stitched is referred to as a sheet bundle Q.

  First, the support means 420 will be described.

  The support means 420 is composed of a pair of rod-like members each having a substantially L-shaped tip portion 421, a longitudinal portion 422, and a fixing portion 423.

  In the longitudinal portion 422, a fixing portion 423 that is an end opposite to the tip portion 421 is fixed to a swing shaft 441 of a swinging means 440 described later.

  As shown in the figure, the support means 420 is swung by the rocking means 440 with the center K of the rocking shaft 441 as the center of rotation, and the leading end 421 is in the vicinity of the fold a on the valley side of the paper S (hereinafter referred to as the take-out position). And a position where the sheet bundle Q is received and transferred to the conveyor 500 (hereinafter referred to as a transfer position).

  At the take-out position, the tip 421 of the support means 420 is disposed so as to be substantially parallel to the fold line a.

  Next, the swinging means 440 that swings the support means 420 will be described.

  The pair of swinging shafts 441 described above are rotatably supported by a pair of swinging holding members 461 constituting a moving unit 460 described later.

  A pair of gears H1 is fixed to the pair of swing shafts 441, and the gears H1 are rotatably supported by support shafts (not shown) fixed to the side plates 301 and 302. Engage with H2.

  The pair of gears H2 meshes with a pair of gears H3 fixed to a rotating shaft 442 that is rotatably supported by the side plate 301 and the side plate 302.

  One of the pair of gears H3 meshes with a gear H4 fixed to the side plate 301, for example, fixed to the output shaft of a swing motor M1 made of a stepping motor.

  The operation of the swinging means 440 configured as above will be described.

  By the forward / reverse rotation of the swing motor M1, the swing shaft 441 swings via the gears H1 to H4, and the support means 420 rotates about the center K of the swing shaft 441, whereby the support means 420 is It moves between the take-out position and the receiving position described above.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the swing shaft 441 is located at a position away from the front end of the stacking unit 310, that is, a fold portion of the stacked sheets, and as a result, the support unit 420 is stacked on the stacking unit 310. Since the bundle Q is rotated so as to be scooped up diagonally to the right, a local force is not applied to some of the sheets constituting the sheet bundle, and even a large number of sheet bundles are not damaged and are reliably removed. It becomes possible.

  Next, the moving means 460 will be described.

  The moving unit 460 moves along the direction of the fold line a of the sheet S from a position (hereinafter referred to as a support position) where the leading end 421 of the support unit 420 supports the sheet bundle Q and a position (hereinafter referred to as a support position). , Referred to as a separation position).

  The pair of swing holding members 461 are fixed to a pair of slide blocks 462, the slide blocks 462 are slidably held by the pair of slide shafts 463, and are movable in a direction parallel to the fold line a of the paper S. is there.

  The pair of slide shafts 463 are fixed to the side plates 301 and 302.

  A first link plate 464 and a second link plate 465 are fixed to the pair of slide blocks 462.

  The first link plate 464 and the second link plate 465 are each formed with a slot MZ1 having an elongated shape in a direction parallel to the slide shaft 463, and the slot MZ1 is slidably engaged with the guide pin GP1. doing.

  The guide pin GP1 is fixed to a bottom plate (not shown) connected to the side plates 301 and 302.

  Further, the first link plate 464 and the second link plate 465 are each formed with a slot MZ2 having a long hole shape in a direction perpendicular to the slide shaft 463, and the guide pin GP2 can slide in the slot MZ2. Is engaged.

  The two guide pins GP2 are fixed to both ends of the drive link 466, and a link rotation shaft 467 is fixed to the drive link 466 at an intermediate position between the two guide pins GP2.

  A gear H5 is fixed to the link rotation shaft 467, and the link rotation shaft 467 is rotatably supported by the bottom plate.

  The gear H5 meshes with a gear H6 fixed to the output shaft of a slide motor M2, for example, a stepping motor, which is fixed to the side plate 301.

  The operation of the moving means 460 configured as above will be described.

  When the slide motor M2 rotates forward and backward, the link rotation shaft 467 and the drive link 466 rotate, and in response to this, the pair of slide blocks 462 and the pair of swings fixed to the first link plate 464 and the second link plate 465. The holding member 461 slides in directions opposite to each other, and the pair of support means 420 fixed to the swing shaft 441 widen or narrow each other. As a result, the pair of support means 420 can move simultaneously and in a direction parallel to the fold line a of the paper S by an equal distance. That is, the support means 420 moves between the support position and the separation position described above.

  When the paper size is changed, the slide motor M2 is rotated based on the width of the paper, and the swing holding plate 461 is slid to move the support means 420.

  As described above, the support means 420 is swung between the take-out position and the delivery position described above by the rocking means 440 when viewed in the rotation direction, and is moved by the moving means 460 when viewed in the fold direction of the paper S. It moves between the aforementioned support position and separation position.

  The support means 420 is configured to sequentially move at the four positions described below by a combination of the operations of the swinging means 440 and the moving means 460 as described above.

  T1 (removal / retraction position); a position determined by the delivery position and the separation position, where the support means 460 receives the sheet bundle Q and completes delivery to the conveyor 500 and is separated from the sheet bundle Q.

  T2 (takeout standby position); a position determined by the takeout position and the separation position, and a position where the front end 421 of the support means 460 is near the fold on the valley side of the paper S and away from the paper S.

  T3 (takeout start position); a position determined by the takeout position and the support position, and a position where the leading end 421 of the support means 460 is inserted in the vicinity of the fold portion on the valley side of the paper S and supports the paper bundle Q.

  T4 (extraction end position); a position determined by the delivery position and the support position, and a position where the support means 460 receives the paper bundle Q and delivers it to the conveyor 500.

  In the present invention, the vicinity of the fold portion is a range in which the support means or gripper of the present invention can achieve the object of the present invention, and is an area separated from the fold portion, but orthogonal to the fold of the folded sheet. The standard is an area that is less than or equal to one-half of the total length of the sheet and that is separated from the crease portion of the paper, and more preferably an area that is separated by less than one-fourth of the total length.

  Next, the configuration and operation of the paper receiving means (receiving conveyor) and the paper grip means according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, and 8. FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a grip device which is a paper grip means.

  The receiving conveyor 500 includes a conveyor outer frame 501 fixed to the bottom plate, a belt driving shaft 502 and a driven shaft 503 that are rotatably supported in the vicinity of both ends by four bearings 507 fixed to the conveyor outer frame 501, a belt A driving gear 504 supported by the driving shaft 502, four timing pulleys 505 fixed to the belt driving shaft 502 and the driven shaft 503, two timing belts 506 stretched around the timing pulley 505, and a timing belt 506 The grip device 550 is fixed to the outer peripheral frame 501, the slide guide bar 508 is fixed to the conveyor outer frame 501, the grip release cam device 560 for releasing the grip of the grip device 550, the grip release bar 566, and the like. The receiving conveyor 500 may be disposed so as to form a slope of 20 ° to 90 ° with respect to the horizontal plane, but preferably a slope of 30 ° to 60 ° is desirable. The grip release cam device 560 includes a grip release cam 561, a cam shaft 562, a bearing 563, a grip release cam holding plate 564, and a cam switching drive gear 565. The grip release bar 566 is held by release bar support bars 567 that are fixed to the side plates 301 and 302 at both ends.

  The grip device 550 includes a grip roller 551 that grips a bundle of sheets, a roller shaft 552 that supports the grip roller 551, a grip upper plate 553 that fixes the roller shaft 552, and a support shaft that rotatably holds the grip upper plate 553. 554, a cam roller 555 for opening and closing the grip upper plate 553, a spring 556 for urging the grip roller 551 in the grip lower plate direction, a grip lower plate 557 connected to the grip upper plate 553 by a support shaft 554, and a grip lower plate 557 And a slide bearing 558 and the like fixed to the head. The grip upper plate 553 includes a grip release cam portion GK that contacts the grip release bar 566 and releases the grip of the sheet bundle. The grip lower plate 557 includes a support shaft attachment portion ST, a belt fixing portion BK, and a bearing attachment portion JT.

  An operation for taking out the sheet bundle Q from the stacking means 310 having the above-described configuration will be described.

  When the number of sheets S stacked on the stacking unit 310 reaches a predetermined number, the support unit 460 is swung counterclockwise through the gears by the rotation of the swing motor M1 of the swing unit 440, and from T1. Next, the sheet is moved from T2 to T3 via the drive link 466 and the like by the rotation of the slide motor M2 of the moving unit 460, and the sheet bundle Q stacked on the stacking unit 310 is supported. Thereafter, the rotation of the swing motor M1 of the swing means 440 is swung clockwise through the respective gears to move from T3 to T4, and the movement of the sheet bundle Q is completed. After the movement of the sheet bundle Q is completed, the support means 420 is moved from T4 to T1 via the drive link 466 and the like by the rotation of the slide motor M2 of the movement means 460, and the delivery of the sheet bundle Q to the receiving conveyor 500 is completed.

  At the timing when the sheet bundle Q is delivered to the receiving conveyor 500, a cam switching drive gear 565 that is connected to a cam drive motor (not shown) that drives the grip release cam device 560 and that can rotate forward and backward is driven, and the grip release cam 561 is driven. Rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 6 and moves from the grip restriction position PA to the restriction release position PB. At this time, the grip device 550 is at a predetermined stop position above the receiving conveyor 500, the cam roller 555 is detached from the grip release cam 561 by the movement of the grip release cam 561, and the grip upper plate 553 urged by the spring 556 is shown in FIG. And the vicinity of the folded portion of the sheet bundle Q is sandwiched between the grip lower plate 557 and the sheet bundle Q.

  Next, a belt drive motor (not shown) capable of forward and reverse rotation rotates, and a drive gear 504 connected to the belt drive motor is rotated. The rotation of the driving gear 504 causes the timing pulley 505 to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 6 via the belt driving shaft 502, thereby rotating the timing belt 506 counterclockwise. The grip device 550 that grips the sheet bundle Q moves in the lower left direction in FIG. 6 as the timing belt 506 rotates.

  When the timing belt 506 moves and the grip device 550 approaches a predetermined stop position below, the grip release cam portion GK of the grip upper plate 553 comes into contact with the grip release bar 566. By this contact, the grip upper plate 553 rotates clockwise around the support shaft 554 against the urging force of the spring 556, the grip of the sheet bundle Q is released, and the grip device 550 stops at a predetermined stop position. . The sheet bundle Q released from the grip of the grip device 550 continues to be moved by the transport belt 600 and is sent to the next process. During this time, the cam switching drive gear 565 is rotated by the reverse rotation of the cam drive motor, and the grip release cam 561 is returned from the restriction release position PB to the grip restriction position PA.

  The grip device 550 stopped at the predetermined stop position returns to the upper right by the reverse rotation of the belt drive motor and starts the operation. At this time, since the grip release cam portion GK of the grip upper plate 553 is separated from the contact of the grip release bar 566, the grip upper plate 553 urged by the spring 556 rotates counterclockwise and passes through the timing belt 506. To contact the lower grip plate 557. The grip device 550 continues to move and stops at a predetermined upper stop position. However, since the grip release cam 561 is returned to the grip restriction position PA, the cam roller 555 of the grip device 550 contacts the grip release cam 561. The grip upper plate 553 resists the urging force of the spring 556 and rotates clockwise about the support shaft 554 to enter the grip release state.

  As described above, the sheet bundle scooped up from the stacking means by the support means is moved to the receiving conveyor having a slope of 20 ° to 90 °, preferably 30 ° to 60 ° with respect to the horizontal plane. Since the spread at the crease portion is suppressed and the vicinity of the crease is gripped by the grip device, the sheet bundle is conveyed to the next process without spreading.

  In the present embodiment, the power source for releasing the grip device is a motor. However, as long as the timing can be adjusted, for example, it is linked to the operation of the support means for supporting the sheet bundle. A thing using a cam mechanism etc. may be used.

  Of course, the grip device may be opened and closed using a known mechanism such as a solenoid.

  Furthermore, the number of stored sheets that are temporarily stopped and stored at a predetermined position (position P1 shown in FIG. 2) of the sheet S conveyed to the conveyance path R2 by the action of the conveyance path switching means G1 from the entrance 201 is the present embodiment. Then, although a plurality of sheets are used, the present invention can be applied even with a single sheet.

  In the present embodiment, the stapling process is performed on the sheet bundle. However, the stapling process may be performed without performing the stapling process, and the number of stacked sheets can be freely set.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus including a post-processing device. The schematic front view of a post-processing apparatus. The right view of the post-processing apparatus B of FIG. The left view of the post-processing apparatus B of FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the flow of paper in the post-processing apparatus. The enlarged front view of the taking-out process of FIG. The enlarged plan view of the taking-out process of FIG. The perspective view of a grip apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

A image forming apparatus B post-processing apparatus 230 middle folding means 310 stacking means 400 take-out process 420 support means 500 receiving conveyor (paper receiving means)
505 Timing pulley 506 Timing belt 508 Slide guide bar 550 Grip device (paper grip means)
551 Grip roller 553 Grip upper plate 554 Support shaft 555 Cam roller 557 Grip lower plate 560 Grip release cam device 561 Grip release cam

Claims (6)

Middle folding means for creasing the image-formed paper;
In a post-processing apparatus having a stacking unit that supports and stacks a sheet that has been creased by the center folding unit on the valley side surface of the sheet,
Supporting means for supporting the fold portion on the valley side of the paper loaded on the stacking means or the vicinity thereof, and moving from the take-out start position to the take-out end position to take out the paper;
And a paper receiving means for supporting one of the side surfaces on the crest side of the paper taken out. 2. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet receiving means is disposed with an inclined surface of 20 [deg.] To 90 [deg.] With respect to a horizontal plane. Middle folding means for creasing the image-formed paper;
In a post-processing apparatus having a stacking unit that supports and stacks a sheet that has been creased by the center folding unit on the valley side surface of the sheet,
Supporting means for supporting the fold portion on the valley side of the paper loaded on the stacking means or the vicinity thereof, and moving from the take-out start position to the take-out end position to take out the paper;
And a paper grip means for gripping the taken-out paper. An image forming apparatus comprising the post-processing device according to claim 1. In a paper take-out method in which a fold is made by a middle folding means for making a crease in the paper, and the stacked paper bundle is moved from the take-out start position to the take-out end position,
A paper receiving means is disposed at the removal end position,
Supporting the folds on the valley side of the stacked stack of paper or the vicinity thereof with support means,
Moving the sheet bundle from the take-out start position to the take-out end position by the support means;
One of the crest side surfaces of the sheet bundle is supported by the sheet receiving means. In a paper take-out method in which a fold is made by a middle folding means for making a crease in the paper, and the stacked paper bundle is moved from the take-out start position to the take-out end position,
A paper grip means is disposed at the removal end position,
Supporting the folds on the valley side of the stacked stack of paper or the vicinity thereof with support means,
Moving the sheet bundle from the take-out start position to the take-out end position by the support means;
A method of taking out a sheet, wherein the sheet bundle is gripped by the sheet grip means.

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