JP2005145661A - Sheet treating device, and image processor having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a space-saving sheet treating device, and an image processor having the same. <P>SOLUTION: A typical configuration of the sheet treating device and the image processor comprises a sheet stacking means in which a sheet bundle is stacked thereon, a sheet bundle transport path in which the sheet bundle stacked on the sheet stacking means is transported, and a sheet bundle folding means provided on the sheet bundle effective path and consisting of a striking plate and a folding roller. At least a part of the sheet bundle transport path located on the sheet bundle folding means is curved, the striking plate is disposed on the outer side of a curved portion of the sheet bundle transport path, and the folding roller is disposed on the inner side of the curved portion of the sheet bundle transport path. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus, and an image processing apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, and a composite device that includes the sheet processing apparatus in a main body and forms an image on a sheet.

  In the present application, the sheet processing apparatus refers to an apparatus that performs post-processing such as folding processing and binding processing on a sheet on which an image is formed in the image forming apparatus. Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 7, the sheet processing apparatus 503 is generally provided on the side surface of the main body of the image forming apparatus 501. Note that the image forming apparatus 501 includes an image reading device 502 at the top.

  A sheet processing apparatus 503 shown in the figure has post-processing functions such as folding processing and binding processing. For example, sheets sequentially taken from the main body of the image forming apparatus 501 are stacked on a saddle tray 504 formed in a substantially straight shape with a steep inclination to form a bundle. The stapler unit 505 binds the vicinity of the approximate center of the sheet bundle, and then the sheet bundle is folded into two by a folding device. The folding device is composed of a pair of folding rollers 506 made up of a pair of rollers and a pushing means made up of a pushing plate 507 and the like, and the pushing plate 507 sticks the position where the sheet bundle is bound to the nip of the folding roller pair 506. The bundle is folded, and the folded sheet bundle is folded in two while being nipped and conveyed by a pair of folding rollers 506. As a result, the sheet bundle is folded into two at the center binding position of the sheet and bound and is discharged to the stacking tray 508.

  Further, the sheet processing apparatus 503 performs a binding process using the stapler 509, and discharges and stacks the sheets on the staple tray 510. Further, a stack tray 511 for discharging and stacking when the binding process and the folding process are not performed is also provided.

JP2003-095519

  However, since the conventional sheet processing apparatus is mounted on the side surface of the main body of the image forming apparatus, the width of the sheet processing apparatus is added to the width of the main body of the apparatus, and a large installation occupation area is necessary. Furthermore, since the saddle tray 504 is formed in a substantially straight shape with a steep inclination, a space in the height direction of the apparatus is required. Furthermore, since a thrust plate that operates substantially perpendicularly to the saddle tray 504 is required, space is wasted. Further, since the folding process and the stapling process are performed in separate processing trays, the space and the cost are required.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a sheet processing apparatus that saves space and an image processing apparatus including the sheet processing apparatus.

  In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of a sheet processing apparatus and an image processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a sheet stacking unit on which sheets are stacked, and a sheet bundle stacked on the sheet stacking unit is conveyed. A sheet bundle conveying path; and a sheet bundle folding unit including a thrust plate and a folding roller provided in the sheet bundle conveying path, and at least a part of the sheet bundle conveying path where the sheet bundle folding unit is located is curved. The thrust plate is disposed outside the curved portion of the sheet bundle conveyance path, and the folding roller is disposed inside the curved portion of the sheet bundle conveyance path. .

  According to the present invention, a part of the sheet bundle conveying path is formed in a curved shape, and the folding plate of the sheet bundle folding unit is arranged outside the curved part and the folding roller of the sheet bundle folding unit is arranged inside the curved part. By providing, both the space in the height direction and the space in the horizontal direction of the device can be reduced, the space in the device can be efficiently used, and the device can be downsized.

[First embodiment]
Hereinafter, a sheet processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and a copier as an example of an image processing apparatus including the sheet processing apparatus in a main body will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a schematic front sectional view of the image processing apparatus, FIG. 2 is a schematic front sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus, FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of folding processing, and FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining stapling processing.

  The image processing apparatus according to this embodiment is a copying machine 204, in which a printer 202 having an image forming unit is disposed below, and a scanner 203 having an image reading unit is disposed above, and a sheet processing apparatus 201 is disposed therebetween. Has been established. That is, the sheet processing apparatus 201 is disposed above the printer 202 and below the scanner 203. The sheet processing apparatus 201 can be installed not only in a copying machine but also in a facsimile machine, a printer, and a composite device thereof.

  The scanner 203 is equipped with a reading sheet supply device 205, which transports the document P set on the document tray 206 to a document reading position on the document table glass 207, and reads the document by the optical system 208. The read image is sent to the printer 202 as image information.

  At the lower part of the main body of the printer 202, for example, a plurality of sheet storage units 210 and 211 on which sheets S (S1 and S2) of different sizes are stacked, and a sheet supply unit 212 for supplying sheets are provided. The sheet S supplied by the sheet supply unit 212 is conveyed to the image forming unit 214 via the sheet conveyance path 213. The laser scanner 215 scans the laser beam based on the image information read by the optical system 208, and forms a latent image (toner image) on the photosensitive belt 216 (which may be a photosensitive drum) of the image forming unit 214. Form. The sheet S on which the toner image formed on the photosensitive belt 216 has been transferred passes through a fixing device 217 that softens and melts the toner image on the sheet and fixes it on the sheet. It is transported to the transport path.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet processing apparatus 201 receives the sheet S conveyed from the printer 202 by the entrance roller pair 220 and sends it to the conveyance roller 222. In the vicinity of the entrance roller pair 220, a sheet detection sensor 221 for detecting the passage of the conveyed sheet S is provided. When the trailing edge of the sheet passes through the sheet detection sensor 221, control is performed so that the sheet is discharged from the conveying roller 222 at a predetermined speed. The discharged sheets are stacked on the processing tray 223 as sheet stacking means and aligned.

(Folding operation)
Furthermore, based on FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the structure of the sheet processing apparatus 201 is demonstrated along the operation | movement at the time of a folding process. The folding process refers to a process in which needle punching is performed at the center position of the sheet bundle and the sheet bundle is folded in two at the center position. The saddle unit that performs the folding process is mainly configured by a curved path 225 as a sheet bundle conveyance path, a pair of folding rollers 232 as a sheet bundle folding means, and a thrust plate 233. A combination of the processing tray 223 and the curved path 225 corresponds to a saddle tray (a tray that is aligned for performing folding processing) in the conventional example.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the sheet sent to the sheet processing apparatus 201 is discharged onto the processing tray 223 formed substantially horizontally and substantially straight when the trailing end of the sheet passes through the conveying roller 222. On the downstream side of the processing tray 223, a switching flapper 224 as a transport path switching means is disposed. When folding processing is performed, the transport path is formed in the posture shown in the figure, and the sheet transported from the processing tray 223 is curved. Guide you to Pass 225. The bundle conveying roller pair 226 provided in the curved path 225 can be separated by a driving unit (not shown) such as a solenoid, and is separated in advance before the sheet is discharged.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), a swing arm 227 whose one end is rotatably supported swings downward, and a return roller 228 supported rotatably on the swing arm 227 The sheet is conveyed on the processing tray 223 until it hits the trailing edge stopper 229, and the alignment in the sheet conveying direction is completed. Thereafter, alignment in the front-rear direction of the sheet is performed by an alignment plate 230 (which may be in two positions at the front-rear side) that can move in the front-rear direction (both left and right sides when viewed from the conveyance direction). At this time, in the substantially horizontal processing tray 223, since there is a possibility that the sheet is skewed when the alignment plate 230 is aligned, the alignment in the transport direction is performed again by the return roller 228, and the alignment of the sheet is completed.

  When the alignment of the sheet bundle is completed as described above, the trailing end stopper 229 is moved in the conveyance direction (arrow direction) by a moving means (not shown) as shown in FIG. 3C, and the sheet bundle S is transferred by a predetermined amount. The That is, the rear end stopper 229 also serves as a sheet bundle conveying unit. The sheet bundle is then stapled and stapled at the center position (binding position) in the sheet conveying direction by a staple unit 231 serving as a staple binding unit. The staple unit 231 is divided into a needle driving portion 231a and a clincher portion 231b for clinching the needle foot, and is arranged across the sheet bundle conveyance path. In addition, two staple units 231 are disposed at symmetrical positions with respect to the center in the sheet width direction (overlapping in the drawing), and are stapled at two positions at the sheet center position. The staple unit 231 is supported so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, and waits at a binding position corresponding to the sheet size. As described above, the stapling unit 231 is disposed above the printer 202 and inside the image forming unit 214, so that the installation occupation area of the entire apparatus can be reduced.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3D, a stopper moving motor (not shown) is started, the rear end stopper 229 is further moved leftward in the drawing, and the sheet bundle S is formed in a predetermined R (arc) shape. The curved path 225 is transferred from the bottom to the top. Further, the bundle conveying roller pair 226 approaches and sandwiches the sheet bundle, and conveys the sheet bundle toward the folding roller pair 232 and the pushing plate 233 as sheet bundle folding means. The sheet bundle S is moved from below to above in a curved path 224 formed in a predetermined R (arc) shape. Then, the sheet bundle is moved until the binding position of the sheet bundle faces the nip position of the folding roller pair 232.

  After the movement is completed, the center (binding position) of the sheet bundle is pushed by the pushing plate 233. The thrust plate 233 is a plate-like member extended in the sheet width direction and is refracted so that the cross section is substantially L-shaped. One end of the thrust plate 233 is rotatably supported, and driving means (not shown) such as a solenoid. It is comprised so that it may rotate by. By rotating the thrust plate 233, the other end that is not pivotally supported projects the curved portion of the curved path 225 in the normal direction, and projects toward the nip of the folding roller pair 232 while folding the sheet bundle inside. . Then, the folding roller pair 231 nips the sheet bundle and conveys the sheet bundle with pressure, so that the sheet bundle is folded in half. Even though the thrust plate 233 is arranged outside the curved path 225 in this way, it is configured so as to project by rotating with a substantially L-shaped cross section, so that it can be compared with a conventional substantially vertical saddle tray. The apparatus can be reduced in size as compared with the case where a thrust plate is provided, and the installation occupation area can be reduced.

  The folded sheet bundle is discharged and stacked on a stacking tray 235 as a first transport unit by a discharge roller 234. The stacking tray 235 is disposed inside the curved path 225, that is, above the processing tray 223 and beside the saddle unit (the curved path 225, the folding roller pair 232, and the thrust plate 233). A sheet bundle pressing member 236 that presses the folded sheet bundle is rotatably provided above the discharge roller 234. The sheet bundle pressing member 236 presses the end portion of the sheet bundle discharged onto the stacking tray 235 so that the folded sheet bundle is not opened.

  Here, the curvature radius R of the curved path 225 is set such that πR ≧ L (L is the length in the sheet conveying direction when the sheet S is folded in half), and the straight portion length L2 ≧ L of the processing tray 223 is set. Yes. Note that the length of the sheet before being folded in half is 2L (2 × L). By setting in this way, it is possible to prevent the leading edge of the sheet from drooping downward during sheet alignment, and better alignment can be realized. However, the above conditions are desirable, but not limited thereto.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, at the position where the pushing plate 233 protrudes the sheet bundle, if the bending path 225 is bent in the reverse direction (becomes W-shaped), the sheet bundle is preliminarily folded. Easy to fold. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  Further, the sheet bundle is aligned by a straight path (processing tray), and is transferred by pushing the curved path 225 from the bottom to the top by the trailing end stopper 229. This can prevent the occurrence of a bundle shift in the sheet bundle (an oblique shift caused by the advance of the center of the bundle) that occurs when the sheet bundle is transferred by the roller pair. Further, by transporting the sheet bundle from the bottom to the top, the rear end of the sheet bundle always abuts against the rear end stopper 229 due to the weight of the sheet bundle at the time of bundle conveyance. be able to.

  As described above, the alignment is performed by the processing tray 223 having a substantially horizontal and straight shape, and the sheet bundle is conveyed by raising the curved path 225 to obtain its own gravity, and is operated by rotating the thrust plate. As a result of the configuration, both the height and lateral spaces of the apparatus can be reduced, and it has become possible to efficiently realize both reduction in installation area and ensuring consistency.

  In addition, a stacking tray 235 as a first stacking unit for stacking the folded sheet bundle can be disposed on the upper portion of the sheet processing apparatus, and both the saddle unit for performing the folding process and the stacking tray 235 are arranged in the image forming apparatus. It became possible to fit within the width. As a result, the sheet processing apparatus can be mounted on the upper side of the image forming unit instead of the side surface of the main body of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, the operability of the user, such as a document set, is good and the width of the sheet processing apparatus is added to the width of the apparatus main body without increasing the position of the image reading unit and the height of the entire apparatus more than necessary. Therefore, the installation area can be reduced.

(Stapling operation)
2 and 4, the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 201 will be described along the staple processing operation. The stapling process is a process in which only the needle punching is performed and the folding process is not performed.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, in the case of performing the stapling process, the sheet sent to the sheet processing apparatus 201 is substantially omitted when the trailing end of the sheet passes through the conveying roller 222, as in the folding process. The paper is discharged onto a processing tray 223 that is horizontal and substantially straight. The difference is that the switching flapper 224 forms a transport path in the posture shown in FIG. 4, and a stack tray 237 as a second stacking unit that stacks sheets or sheet bundles that are not folded from the sheet transported from the processing tray 223. I will guide you to. The stack tray 237 is substantially horizontal and can be moved up and down by driving means (not shown) (see FIG. 1).

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the sheet discharged onto the processing tray 223 is returned toward the trailing end stopper 229 by the return roller 228, thereby aligning the sheets on the processing tray 223 (FIG. 3A). ) And (b)). When the alignment of the sheet bundle is completed, the stapler 238 strikes the end of the sheet bundle. Then, the swing arm 227 swings downward again, and the return roller 228 rotates in the reverse direction (rotation in the original transport direction), whereby the sheet bundle is transferred toward the stack tray 237. When the rear end of the sheet bundle is separated from the nip between the return roller 228 and the roller 239 by a predetermined amount, the conveyance of the sheet bundle is stopped.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, the second rear end stopper 240 that is rotatably supported is moved away from the stack tray 237 at substantially the same timing as the return roller 228 is retracted upward. The sheet is rotated and retracted, and the rear end of the sheet bundle is dropped onto the stack tray 237. Then, the second rear end stopper 240 immediately turns toward the stack tray 237 and returns from the retracted state to align the sheet bundle. Thus, the sheet bundle is stacked on the stack tray 237.

  As described above, since the sheet bundle alignment in the folding process and the stapling process is performed by the common processing tray 223, the space in the apparatus and the production cost can be reduced.

  Note that the configuration and discharge control of the second rear end stopper 240 as described above are intended only for stacking in a space-saving manner using the substantially horizontal stack tray 237. That is, when a predetermined inclination is given to the stack tray 237, the sheet bundle may be discharged to the stack tray 237 by the return roller 228 without performing the above control.

[Second Embodiment]
A second embodiment of a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic front sectional view of the image processing apparatus, and FIG. 6 is a schematic front sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus.

  In the first embodiment, a stack tray 237 serving as a second stacking unit that stacks sheets or sheet bundles that are not folded (that is, an end-bound bundle or an unbound bundle in which the sheet ends are bound) is provided inside the apparatus main body. And it was installed under the saddle unit. In contrast, in this embodiment, a stack tray 241 as a second stacking unit is provided outside the image forming apparatus. The stack tray 241 is configured to be movable up and down by a drive source (not shown).

  Further, a discharge switching flapper 242 is provided on the downstream side of the staple unit 231 so that the discharge can be discharged out of the apparatus from a discharge roller 244 provided in the discharge path 243.

  By providing the stack tray 241 outside the apparatus in this manner, the number of sheets that can be stacked on the stack tray 241 of a single-bound bundle or an unbound bundle can be increased.

  Further, since the staple unit 231 used for the folding process can be used for one-sided binding, the stapler 238 can be eliminated, and the movement area of the rear end stopper 229 can be increased. . Therefore, it is possible to simplify the mechanism and reduce the production cost by providing a common stapler without providing a separate stapler.

  The present invention can be used in a sheet processing apparatus that performs post-processing such as folding processing and binding processing on a sheet, and an image processing apparatus including the sheet processing apparatus.

1 is a schematic front sectional view of an image processing apparatus. It is a schematic front sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of a folding process. It is a figure explaining a staple process. 1 is a schematic front sectional view of an image processing apparatus. It is a schematic front sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus. It is a figure explaining the image forming apparatus concerning a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

S ... sheet
201 ... Sheet processing apparatus
202… Printer
203… Scanner
204… Copier
205 ... Sheet feeding device
206… Document tray
207… Platen glass
208… Optical system
210 ... Sheet storage
211… Seat storage
212… Sheet supply section
213 ... Sheet transport path
214 ... Image forming section
215… Laser scanner
216… Photoreceptor belt
217… Fixer
218… Conveying roller pair
220… Entrance roller pair
221… Sheet detection sensor
222… Conveying roller
223… processing tray
224… Switching flapper
225… curved path
226… Bundle conveying roller pair
227… Swing arm
228… Return roller
229… Rear end stopper
230… Alignment plate
231 ... Staple unit
231a ... Needle driving portion
231b ... Clincher
232… Folding roller pair
233… Veneer
234… discharge roller
235… Loading tray
236 ... Sheet bundle holding member
237… Stack tray
238… stapler
239… Kolo
240… second rear end stopper
241… Stack tray
242… Discharge switching flapper
243… Discharge channel
244… Discharge roller
501 ... Image forming apparatus
502 ... Image reading device
503 ... Sheet processing apparatus
504 ... saddle tray
505 ... Stapler unit
506… Folding roller pair
507… Veneer
508… Loading tray
509… stapler
510… Staple tray
511… Stack tray

Claims (8)

Sheet stacking means on which sheets are stacked;
A sheet bundle conveyance path through which the sheet bundle loaded on the sheet stacking means is conveyed;
A sheet bundle folding means comprising a thrust plate and a folding roller provided in the sheet bundle conveyance path;
At least a part of the sheet bundle conveyance path where the sheet bundle folding means is located is formed in a curved shape,
The veneer is disposed outside the curved portion of the sheet bundle conveyance path,
The sheet processing apparatus, wherein the folding roller is disposed inside a curved portion of the sheet bundle conveyance path. The thrust plate has a substantially L-shaped cross section, and one end of the thrust plate is rotatably supported, and the other end projects a curved portion of the sheet bundle conveyance path in a normal direction by rotating. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1. 2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a needle binding unit in which a needle clinching unit and a clincher unit for clinching a needle foot are arranged with the sheet bundle conveyance path interposed therebetween. A first stacking unit that stacks the sheet bundle folded by the sheet bundle folding unit;
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first stacking unit is disposed inside a curved portion of the sheet bundle conveyance path. A second stacking means for stacking sheets or sheet bundles that are not folded;
A conveyance path switching means disposed on the downstream side of the sheet stacking means,
By switching the conveyance path switching means according to whether or not folding processing is performed, the sheet bundle conveyed from the sheet stacking means is selectively guided to the sheet bundle conveyance path and the second stacking means. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet stacking unit is substantially horizontal. An image processing apparatus comprising: the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1; and an image forming unit.
The image processing apparatus, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is disposed above the image forming unit. The image processing apparatus includes an image reading unit above the image forming unit,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is disposed between the image forming unit and the image reading unit.

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