JP2005212991A - Paper processing device and paper processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a punching failure caused by the swell of a middle-folded paper sheaf in the case of applying post-processing for twofold middle-folding and punching to the paper sheaf saddle-stitched by saddle stitching. <P>SOLUTION: A post-processing device applies saddle stitching to the paper sheaf S which is a stack of paper Si delivered from an image forming device body 10, and applies middle folding and punching to the saddle-stitched paper sheaf S for delivery. In this case, punching is performed by a punching unit U provided with a punching blade device 833 and additionally provided with a pair of pressure rollers 830L, 830R movable along a fold part Sc of the paper sheaf S folded in two by a middle folding means, and capable of pressure-reinforcing the fold part Sc when moving. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper processing apparatus and paper processing for performing post-processing such as binding processing, folding processing, and punching processing on paper discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multi-function machine thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus and a sheet processing method including a mechanism for performing a folding process on a bundle of sheets bound by a saddle stitching process and performing a punching process.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a paper processing apparatus that performs stapling processing for stapling on paper on which an image is recorded by an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, perforation processing for filing, or half-folding processing for folding the bound paper is conventionally performed. Various proposals have been made.

For example, in Patent Document 1, binding is performed at the center of a sheet bundle discharged from the image forming apparatus, the bound sheet bundle is folded in half, and punched with respect to the folded and closed sheet bundle. A paper processing apparatus that performs punching (punching) by an apparatus (punching device) is disclosed. That is, after the folding process of the sheet bundle, the punch device is arranged in the sheet conveyance path for discharging the sheet bundle to the discharge tray, and after the punching process is performed by the punch apparatus, the sheet bundle is discharged. A sheet processing apparatus is known. According to such a paper processing apparatus, the punching process can be automated, and the punch holes can be prevented from being displaced as compared with the case where the sheets subjected to the punching process are accumulated and the saddle stitching and the middle folding are performed. There is an advantage that you can.
JP 2001-151406 A

  In general, the center folding process employs a method in which a center part in the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle subjected to the saddle stitching process is pressed by a center folding plate member into a holding position of a pair of folding rollers to form a fold part. However, since it is practically difficult to apply the crease processing to such a degree that the folding surfaces are in close contact with each other only after passing through the pair of folding rollers, the bundle of sheets folded in a unavoidable manner swells. It will be.

  Therefore, when the punching process is performed on the folded sheet bundle, various punching defects may occur due to the swelling of the sheet bundle. That is, when perforating the paper bundle through the perforating blade, the paper bundle has a bulge, so the perforating blade passes through the upper layer side of the folded paper bundle, passes through the gap layer based on the swelling, and then Although it penetrates the lower layer side of the sheet bundle, the hole position may be shifted between the upper layer side and the lower layer side of the folded sheet bundle due to the presence of the gap layer. Furthermore, when the swell of the sheet bundle is large, the thickness of the sheet bundle exceeds the permissible width of the punching device (the width between the punching blade and the receiving base of the punching blade), and the punching process itself cannot be performed. Sometimes a paper jam occurs.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, when post-processing is performed in which a sheet bundle discharged from the image forming apparatus and subjected to saddle stitching by saddle stitching is subjected to half-folding processing and punching processing, An object of the present invention is to provide a paper processing apparatus and a paper processing method that can prevent perforation defects.

  A sheet processing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a saddle stitching unit, a center folding unit, and a punching unit, and the saddle stitching unit performs a saddle stitching process on a sheet bundle in which sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus are stacked. The sheet processing apparatus includes a mechanism that folds the bound and bound sheet bundle into two by the center folding unit, and performs a punching process on the sheet bundle folded in half by the punching unit and discharges the sheet bundle. A pair of pressure rollers is provided that is movable along the fold portion of the sheet bundle folded in half by the center folding means and capable of pressurizing and strengthening the fold portion of the sheet bundle during the movement. It is characterized by being.

  According to such a configuration, when the punching unit is moved along the fold portion of the sheet bundle and the punching process is performed at a predetermined position of the fold portion of the sheet bundle, the pressure roller pair attached to the punching unit in advance is performed. As a result, the crease portion is pressurized and strengthened to suppress the swelling of the sheet bundle, and the punching process can be performed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the sheet processing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the half-folding unit includes a pair of folding rollers that form and convey a fold portion in the sheet bundle after the saddle stitching process. Is configured to be transported to a clamping position of a pair of pressure rollers provided in the punching means. According to this configuration, after the folding process of the sheet bundle is performed by the pair of folding rollers as the folding unit, the process (punching process) on the sheet bundle by the punching unit can be performed immediately.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the sheet processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the perforating unit includes a perforation unit in which a perforation blade and the pressure roller pair are mounted on a base, and the perforation unit is attached to a sheet bundle. And a guide mechanism that moves along the crease portion. According to this configuration, the punching blade that performs the punching process and the pressure roller pair that performs the pressure strengthening process of the fold portion of the sheet bundle are integrally unitized, and the guide mechanism moves along the fold portion of the sheet bundle. It can be moved freely.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the sheet processing apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the pressure roller pair is disposed at least on the front side in the moving direction of the punching unit by the guide mechanism with respect to the punching blade. According to this configuration, as the punching unit advances, the fold portion of the sheet bundle is pressurized and strengthened by the pair of pressure rollers, and immediately after that, the punching process is performed by the punching blade in the vicinity of the fold portion that has been pressure-strengthened. be able to.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the sheet processing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, wherein the perforation unit includes a perforation blade disposed at a substantially central portion of the base and a first pressure roller disposed on one side of the perforation blade. A pair and a second pressure roller pair disposed on the other side of the punching blade are provided. According to this configuration, regardless of the advancing direction of the punching unit (that is, in any of the reciprocating operations), the fold portion of the sheet bundle by the pressure roller pair is pressure-strengthened and the punching process is performed by the punching blade. Will be able to.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the sheet processing method performs a saddle stitching process on the sheet bundle in which the introduced sheets are stacked, and then performs a half-folding process to fold the bound sheet bundle in half, and then performs this half-folding. In the sheet processing method of performing punching processing on the sheet bundle that has been discharged and discharging the sheet bundle, the fold portion of the sheet bundle folded in half by the middle folding process is sequentially pressure-enhanced with a pair of pressure rollers, and the pressure-enhanced A punching process is performed at a predetermined position of the fold portion.

According to such a configuration, when the punching unit is moved along the fold portion of the sheet bundle and the punching process is performed at a predetermined position of the fold portion of the sheet bundle, the fold portion is sequentially pressure-enhanced by the pressure roller pair. As a result, the bulge of the sheet bundle is suppressed, and the punching process can be performed thereon.

  A paper processing method according to a seventh aspect is the paper processing method according to the sixth aspect, wherein the pair of pressure rollers and the punching blade for performing the punching process are unitized, and the unit is moved along the fold portion of the sheet bundle to punch the paper. A processing cycle in which the unit is stopped at a predetermined position and immediately punched by a punching blade at a predetermined position of the crease portion whose pressure is strengthened is repeated as many times as the number of holes to be drilled. According to this configuration, it is possible to sequentially perform punching processing to a required portion in a state where the fold portion is pressure-strengthened by the pressure roller pair.

According to the sheet processing apparatus of the first aspect, the punching process can be performed after the fold portion is pressed and strengthened by the pair of pressure rollers to suppress the swelling of the sheet bundle. Play.
(1) When punching a sheet bundle through a perforating blade, the gap layer between the upper layer sheet and the lower layer sheet of the folded sheet bundle can be reduced, so that the upper layer side and the lower layer side With this, there will be no deviation in the hole position. Of course, the disadvantage that the thickness of the sheet bundle exceeds the permissible width of the punching device is eliminated. Therefore, in the case where the punching process is performed on the folded sheet bundle, it is possible to eliminate the occurrence of the punching defect due to the swelling of the sheet bundle.
(2) As a result, the crease portion is pressurized and strengthened by the pair of pressure rollers, so that the bulge of the sheet bundle is suppressed, so that the appearance shape of the sheet bundle can be improved. . Further, since the degree of swelling of the sheet bundle is reduced, the stockability on the discharge tray after the discharge of the sheet bundle is improved.

  According to the sheet processing apparatus of the second aspect, since the folding process is performed on the sheet bundle by the punching unit immediately after the folding process of the sheet bundle by the pair of folding rollers, the arrangement of the apparatus is possible. Can be made more efficient and the device can be made more compact. Furthermore, if the sheet bundle is left for a long time after the middle folding process, folding of the crease portion tends to be recovered and the folded sheet bundle tends to expand. However, the sheet bundle is immediately moved to the nipping position by the pressure roller pair. By delivering the pressure, the pressure roller pair can be pressure-enhanced before the above-described folding is recovered, so that effective pressure-enhancement of the fold portion can be performed.

  According to the sheet processing apparatus of the third aspect, the punching blade that performs the punching process and the pressure roller pair that performs the pressure strengthening process of the fold portion of the sheet bundle are integrally unitized, and the sheet bundle is formed by the guide mechanism. Since it can be moved freely along the crease part, it becomes easy to link the pressure strengthening process of the crease part and the perforation process, and it is possible to make it difficult to cause a perforation defect. In addition, there is an advantage that the device configuration can be simplified by unitizing the perforating blade and the pressure roller pair. Furthermore, by devising the guide mechanism, the punching unit can be easily escaped to the retracted position with respect to the sheet bundle conveyance path before and after the punching process.

  According to the sheet processing apparatus of the fourth aspect, it is possible to pressurize and strengthen the fold portion of the sheet bundle with the pair of pressure rollers, and immediately perform punching processing with the punching blade in the vicinity of the creased portion that has been pressurized and strengthened. Therefore, since the punching process can be performed in the state where the fold part is most reinforced (the state where the folding of the fold part is not recovered), the punching process can be performed reliably and accurately.

  According to the sheet processing apparatus of the fifth aspect, the punching unit can be used in both reciprocating operations, and it is not necessary to return the punching unit to the home position after the punching process. Can be made.

  According to the sheet processing method of the sixth aspect, in the case where the punching process is performed on the folded sheet bundle, it is possible to eliminate the occurrence of the punching defect due to the swelling of the sheet bundle. Further, since the appearance shape of the sheet bundle can be improved and the degree of swelling of the sheet bundle is reduced, there is a secondary effect that the stockability on the discharge tray after the discharge of the sheet bundle is improved. Play.

  According to the sheet processing apparatus of the seventh aspect, the punching process to the required portion can be sequentially performed in a state where the crease portion is pressure-strengthened by the pressure roller pair, so that the punching process can be surely and accurately performed. Become.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus (copier) 1 with a sheet processing apparatus 600 (hereinafter referred to as a post-processing unit 600) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The copying machine 1 includes a main body unit 10 having an image forming unit 100, a document feeding unit 200 and a document reading unit 300 installed above the main body unit 10, and a paper feeding unit 400 installed at a lower part of the main body unit 10. The operation display unit 500 installed on the front part of the main body unit 10 and the post-processing unit 600 installed on one side of the main body unit 10 according to the present invention are provided.

  The document reading unit 300 reads a document and generates image data corresponding to the document. The document reading unit 300 includes a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor that generates image data from an optically acquired document image, a scanner 301 including an exposure lamp, and the like, and includes contact glasses 302 and 303 on an upper surface thereof. ing. The document reading unit 300 receives image data acquired while scanning a document placed on the contact glass 302 or a document conveyed so as to be in contact with the contact glass 303 by the document feeding unit 200. Output to.

  The document feeding unit 200 feeds a document to the document reading unit 300. The document feeding unit 200 includes a document placement unit 201, a carry-in drive unit 202 including a carry-in roller, a conveyance roller 203, a discharge roller 204, a paper discharge table 205, and a document detection switch 206 that detects the presence or absence of a document. Thus, the originals placed on the original placement unit 201 are automatically conveyed one by one in contact with the contact glass 303 and discharged onto the paper discharge tray 205 after exposure scanning of the originals. Further, the document feeding unit 200 is configured to be retractable, and when the upper surface of the contact glass 302 is lifted upward, the document to be read, for example, a book that is opened in a spread state, is opened on the upper surface of the contact glass 302. Etc. can be placed.

  The paper feeding unit 400 feeds paper to the image forming unit 100. The paper feed unit 400 is a manual paper feed including paper feed cassettes 401 and 402 that store sheets of various sizes (recording paper), a manual feed tray 4031 configured to be openable and closable at one side of the main body unit 10, and the like. Part 403 is provided. The paper feed unit 400 includes a transport path 404 that transports paper from the paper feed cassettes 401 and 402 to the image forming unit 100, and a transport path 405 that transports paper from the manual paper feed unit 403 to the image forming unit 100. . Each of the paper feed cassettes 401 and 402 and the manual paper feed unit 403 includes pickup rollers 406, 407, and 408 for taking out the stored paper, and paper feed rollers 409, 410, and 411 for feeding the paper one by one to the transport path. I have.

  The transport path 404 includes transport rollers 412 and 413 for transporting paper, and registration rollers 414 for waiting the transported paper in front of the image forming unit 100. In addition, the manual conveyance path 405 joins the conveyance path 404 on the upstream side of the registration rollers 414.

  The image forming unit 100 performs predetermined image formation (printing) on the paper conveyed by the paper supply unit 400. The image forming unit 100 includes a photosensitive drum 101 rotatably supported in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure, a charging unit 102 disposed around the photosensitive drum 101, a developing unit 103, a cleaning unit 104, and a laser. A scanning unit 105, a transfer roller 106, and a fixing roller 107 are provided.

  The charging unit 102 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 to a predetermined potential. The laser scanning unit 105 irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 with a laser beam based on image data transmitted from an image storage unit 30 described later, and forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 101. . The developing unit 103 makes the image (original image) appear by attaching toner to the electrostatic latent image. The transfer roller 106 is for transferring the toner image that has been manifested on the photosensitive drum 101 to the sheet while the conveyed sheet is pressed against the photosensitive drum 101. The fixing roller 107 fixes the toner image transferred to the paper. The fixing roller 107 includes a heat roller and a pressure roller. The heat on the heat roller melts the toner on the paper, and the pressure is applied by the pressure roller to fix the toner on the paper. The cleaning unit 104 cleans the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 after the transfer of the image onto the paper is completed.

  The operation display unit 500 performs a predetermined instruction input according to a user operation. The operation display unit 500 displays a start key 501 for a user to input a print execution instruction, a numeric keypad 502 for inputting the number of copies to be printed, operation guide information for inputting various copying operation settings, and the like. In addition, a liquid crystal display for displaying various operation buttons such as a punch setting button, a saddle stitch setting button, and a half-fold setting button for inputting post-processing settings such as punch processing, saddle stitching processing, and half-folding processing ( And a display 503 (display) composed of an LCD) or the like.

  A paper discharge unit 108 in the cylinder is provided at the upper portion of the main body 10, and the paper conveyed from the fixing roller 107 is discharged to the paper discharge unit 108 by the discharge roller 109. Further, the sheet conveyed from the fixing roller 107 is discharged by the discharge roller 110 to the post-processing unit 600 outside the main body unit 10 when the post-processing request is made. Note that the conveyance direction of the sheet can be switched between the discharge roller 109 side and the discharge roller 110 side by the discharge branch guide 111.

  The post-processing unit 600 according to the present invention performs post-processing such as stapling, saddle stitching, and center folding on the paper that has been printed by the main body unit 10. The post-processing unit 600 performs punch processing on the paper that is carried (discharged) to the post-processing unit 600 by the discharge roller 110 (this punch processing unit 610 is a sheet that is not exclusively folded). The elevating mechanism 641 can be moved up and down to adjust the position to a reference position suitable for discharging the sheet bundle from the sheet discharge roller 630. The main tray 64 from which the sheet conveyed from the punch processing unit 610 is discharged, and the sheet feeding which is provided on the upper side of the post-processing unit 600 and supplies the insert sheet (partition paper) K1 and the cover sheet (cover) K2. Sections 601 and 602 and a paper discharge sub-tray 603. Further, the post-processing unit 600 stacks sheets to perform a stapling process (saddle stitching process), which will be described later, and forms a bundle of sheets, and performs a folding process on the sheet bundle subjected to the saddle stitching process and the like. And a post-processing unit 60 including a punching processing unit 83 that performs punching processing at a predetermined position of the sheet bundle that has been subjected to the center folding process, which is a characteristic part of the present invention. Then, on the downstream side of the post-processing unit 60 and in the lower side portion of the post-processing unit 600, the sheet subjected to the middle folding process and the punching process by the middle folding processing unit 80 and the punching processing unit 83. A discharge tray 90 from which the bundle So is discharged is installed.

  Here, when single-sheet punching processing is selected on the operation display unit 500, a predetermined punching processing is performed on one sheet Si by the punch processing unit 610, and this sheet Si is stored in the main tray 64 or sub-tray. The paper is discharged to 603. In this case, the transport path switching unit 620 switches the transport path so that the paper is discharged along such a transport route. This operation is the same when the main tray 64 or the sub-tray 603 is designated as the discharge destination in simple paper discharge. Since such a mechanism part is not the main part of this invention, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted. On the other hand, when the binding process (saddle stitching process) or the folding process (saddle folding process) is selected on the operation display unit 500, the post-processing unit 60 performs the process.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the post-processing unit 60 in an enlarged manner. The post-processing unit 60 roughly categorizes the sheets discharged from the main body 10 of the image forming apparatus 1 to form a bundle of sheets, and performs a binding process unit 70 (binding processing such as stapling needles) on the bundle of sheets. A saddle stitching unit), a folding processing unit 80 for folding the sheet bundle bound by the binding processing unit 70 in half (paper folding unit), and a sheet bundle subjected to the folding process by the folding processing unit 80. A perforation processing unit 83 (perforation means) that performs perforation processing at predetermined locations.

  When the binding process is selected by the user, the binding processing unit 70 converts the paper Si sent via the transport path 65 selected by the transport path switching unit 620 and the transport rollers 651 and 652 to a predetermined angle. A paper tray 71 that stacks in an inclined state (that is, stacks paper), and can be freely moved in and out of the paper stacking surface of the paper tray 71 and supports the lower end of the paper Si carried into the paper tray 71. A stapling mechanism 700 including a stopper 72, a saddle stitching stopper 78, a needle-striking mechanism 701 and a needle-receiving mechanism 702, and the like.

  Loading of the paper Si into the paper receiving tray 71 is performed by an inlet transport roller 711 disposed facing the downstream of the transport path 65. That is, the entrance conveyance roller 711 pinches the sheet Si sent from the conveyance roller 652 positioned downstream of the conveyance path 65 and carries it in the sheet receiving base 71 in the upward direction in the drawing.

  First, a description will be given of a case where the end binding is designated (when the center folding process is not performed). The loaded paper Si is placed on the paper receiving plate 71 and then disposed on the lower portion of the paper receiving plate 71. 712 guides the lower edge of the sheet to abut against the end binding stopper 72. The paper guide mechanism 712 includes an endless belt, the endless belt is in contact with the paper receiving base 71 with an appropriate urging force, and the lower end of the paper Si is wound by the feed rotation of the endless belt, The lower edge of the sheet is guided to the stopper 72.

  Such an operation is repeated for a predetermined number of times (the number of sheets desired by the user) each time the sheet Si is transported from the transport path 65, the sheet Si is stacked, and the lower end edge is aligned by the end binding stopper 72. Thus, a sheet bundle S is formed on the sheet receiving base 71. When the sheets are stacked, alignment in the width direction of the sheets is performed by the width alignment member 73. The width alignment member 73 performs alignment in the width direction of the sheet bundle S by lightly striking the width direction side edge portion of the sheet Si (detailed mechanism is not shown). When a predetermined number of sheet bundles S are formed and the sheets are aligned, the staple mechanism unit 700 including the needle driving mechanism 701 and the needle receiving mechanism 702 binds the sheet bundle S (end binding process). The sheet bundle S is bound at the end.

  The sheet bundle S after the end binding process is conveyed in the upward direction of the drawing by the discharge claw 76 attached to the discharge belt 75 driven by the drive pulleys 74A and 74B. That is, the paper receiving base 71 is provided with a slit so that the discharge claw 76 can be rotated around an alternate long and short dash line in the drawing, and the discharge claw protruding on the paper receiving base 71 through the slit. 76, the sheet bundle S is guided to the nipping position by the sheet discharge roller 630 (see FIG. 1) while the lower edge of the sheet bundle S is supported, and the sheet bundle S is discharged toward the main tray 64 by the sheet discharge roller 630. .

  On the other hand, the case where the saddle stitching process is selected (case where the middle folding process is performed) will be described. The loaded paper Si is similarly placed on the paper tray 71. At this time, the end binding stopper 72 is used as the paper. The sheet guide mechanism 712 is retracted from the sheet placing surface by the receiving table 71, and the sheet guide mechanism 712 is located at a predetermined portion of the sheet passing path 77 communicating with the same at the same inclination angle as the sheet receiving table 71. Each sheet Si is guided so that the lower edge of the sheet comes into contact with the sheet. The saddle stitching stopper 78 is movable in the vertical direction of the sheet passing path 77, and the lower end of the sheet that can be saddle stitched at the center of the sheet in the staple mechanism 700 according to the size of the sheet Si to be carried in. It is appropriately moved to the support position.

  When a predetermined number of sheet bundles S to be saddle-stitched are formed on the sheet receiving base 71 and sheet alignment is performed in the same manner as described above, the staple mechanism unit 700 including the needle driving mechanism 701 and the needle receiving mechanism 702 is formed. Thus, a binding process (saddle stitching process) is performed on the sheet bundle S, and the sheet bundle is bound at a substantially central portion of the sheet bundle S to create a saddle stitched sheet bundle (completion of the saddle stitching process).

  When such a saddle stitching process is performed on the sheet bundle S, the folding unit 80 then performs the middle folding process on the sheet bundle S, and the sheet bundle S is folded in half. The folding processing unit 80 includes a middle folding plate member 81 and a folding roller pair 82 including an upper roller 821 and a lower roller 822.

  The pair of folding rollers 82 performs a first intermediate folding process on the sheet bundle S to form a crease, and sandwiches a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the sheet Si from the main body 10 of the image forming apparatus 1. The direction. The upper roller 821 and the lower roller 832 of the folding roller pair 82 are supported by a pair of upper and lower pressing mechanisms that are substantially symmetrical. That is, the upper pressing mechanism is related to the upper roller 821, the support plate 801 that rotatably supports the upper roller 821 on the tip end side, and the rear end side of the support plate 801. A spring 803 that is stopped and biases the upper roller 821 toward the clamping position. The lower pressing mechanism has the same configuration and includes a lower roller 822, a support plate 802, and a spring 804. The upper roller 821 and the lower roller 822 are configured to be synchronously driven and rotated by roller driving means (not shown).

  In the middle folding process for the sheet bundle S, the central portion of the sheet bundle S is positioned at the holding position of the folding roller pair 82, and the middle folding plate member 81 is directed from the rear of the sheet bundle S toward the holding position of the folding roller pair 82. This is accomplished by pushing the sheet bundle S into the holding area of the pair of folding rollers 82 while pressing and folding the sheet bundle S. Therefore, when such a half-folding is designated by the user, the saddle-stitching stopper 78 supports the saddle-stitched sheet bundle S, and the substantially central portion of the sheet bundle S is pressed by the middle-folding plate member 81. The position is moved to the lower portion 77B of the sheet passing path 77 (78B in the drawing indicates the position of the saddle stitching stopper 78 after such movement).

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the process of the folding process by the folding processing unit 80. First, as shown in FIG. 3A, a folding roller pair 82 (upper roller) is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow in the drawing while the folding plate member 81 presses and bends the central portion in the vertical direction of the sheet bundle S. 821 and the lower roller 822). Further, the sheet bundle S is pressed by the middle folding plate member 81, and as shown in FIG. 3B, the middle folding plate member 81 enters a position beyond the clamping position N of the upper roller 821 and the lower roller 822, The nipping position N of the upper roller 821 and the lower roller 822 is pushed and separated. At this time, the sheet bundle S is pressed by the pressing force applied from the respective support plates 801 and 802, and the sheet bundle S is folded in the middle. In this folded state, the folding roller pair 82 in the driving state moves forward (from the right in the drawing). Proceed to the left).

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3C, the half-folded plate member 81 is retracted from the nipping position N of the upper roller 821 and the lower roller 822 and returned to the initial position, and the sheet bundle S subjected to the middle folding process is returned to the upper roller. 821 and the lower roller 822, and the middle folding process is completed. In this state, a fold portion Sc is formed at the leading end of the sheet bundle S.

  FIG. 4 shows the state of the sheet bundle S after the half-folding process. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the sheet bundle Sa, and FIG. FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of the sheet bundle S. FIG. As shown in the figure, the position of the crease part Sc substantially coincides with the stapling position (staple stop part SP) on the sheet bundle S by the staple mechanism part 700 during the saddle stitching process.

  As described above, the saddle stitching and center folding processes are performed, and the bound sheet bundle S is created. When the punching process for the sheet bundle S is selected by the user, the fold line is formed. The paper bundle S is discharged to the discharge tray 90 after a predetermined number of holes are made in a predetermined portion of the paper edge near the portion Sc. When the punching process is not selected, the sheet bundle S is discharged to the discharge tray 90 as it is with the saddle stitching and folding process being performed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the punching process is performed by a punching processing unit 83, which is a characteristic part of the present invention, arranged on the output side of the folding processing unit 80 (downstream in the transport direction of the sheet bundle S). Done. FIG. 5A shows an overall view of the perforation processing unit 83, and FIG. 5B shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG. 5A.

  The punching processing unit 83 according to the present invention includes a punching unit 83U, a ball screw 84 that feeds and moves the punching unit 83U along the fold portion Sc of the sheet bundle S, and a guide rail 85 that guides the feed movement of the punching unit 83U. It has. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the drilling unit 83 </ b> U is disposed on a base 834, a drilling blade device 833 disposed at a central portion on one side of the base 834, and both sides of the drilling blade device 833. And a pair of pressure rollers 830 (a first pressure roller pair 830R and a left pressure roller pair 830L as first and second pressure roller pairs) for pressurizing and strengthening the fold portion Sc of the sheet bundle S. Has been.

  The punching blade device 833 of the punching unit 83U is moved up and down by a pressing mechanism (not shown) to punch through the sheet bundle S, an upper guide 833a for guiding the vertical movement of the punching blade 8331, It consists of a lower guide 833b that receives the cutting edge of the punching blade 8331. The pressure roller pair 830 includes a pair of upper roller 831 and lower roller 832 that are rotatably supported by support shafts 831S and 832S that are erected on a base 834, respectively. A gap provided between the upper roller 831 and the lower roller 832 in the left and right pressure roller pairs 830R and 830L, and a gap provided between the upper guide 833a and the lower guide 833b of the punching blade device 833. The portions are in a substantially horizontal relationship, and the sheet bundle S (folded portion Sc) can pass through these gap portions.

  Here, the interval (roller interval) between the upper roller 831 and the lower roller 832 of the pressure roller pair 830 can be adjusted by an interval adjusting mechanism, and the sheet bundle S can be pinched by making the roller interval wide and narrow. It is desirable to be able to select the state / non-clamping state. Furthermore, it is more preferable that the pressing force (conveying force) applied to the sheet bundle S in the sandwiched state can be changed stepwise. As such an interval adjusting mechanism, various mechanisms for adjusting the roll interval can be applied. For example, a mechanism in which one of the roller shafts is connected to a movable piece driven by a solenoid can be adopted. By providing such an interval adjusting mechanism, the sheet bundle S can be securely clamped by the pressure roller pair 830 at the time of starting the clamping of the sheet bundle S, and an appropriate pressurization according to the thickness of the sheet bundle S can be achieved. There is an advantage that reinforcement power can be added.

  Such a punching unit 83U can be moved linearly by a linear guide mechanism using a ball screw 84 and a guide rail 85. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the base 834 of the punching unit 83U is fixed to the moving table 843, and the moving operation is performed by linear movement of the moving table 843 along the guide rail 85. . The guide rail 85 has a channel-type cross-sectional structure (see FIG. 5B), and a ball screw 841 is bridged in the longitudinal direction inside the guide rail 85. The ball screw 841 is rotatably supported by bearings 851 and 852 provided on the terminal side wall of the guide rail 85, and can be rotated around its axis by a drive motor 853 disposed on one end side thereof. The drive motor 853 is controlled to start / stop rotation and forward / reverse by a motor control unit 854 that receives a command signal from the central control unit 855 of the image forming apparatus 1.

  Further, a moving element 841 that is engaged with the ball screw 841 via a bearing or the like and is linearly moved while being guided by the inner peripheral wall of the guide rail 85 by the rotation of the ball screw 841 is disposed inside the guide rail 85. The moving table 843 is attached to the moving element 841 via a connecting portion 842 protruding from the upper surface opening of the guide rail 85, and the moving element 841 and the moving table 843 are integrated. With this configuration, when the ball screw 84 is rotated by the drive motor 853 and the moving element 841 moves along the inner peripheral wall of the guide rail 85, the moving table 843 also moves synchronously. The fixed punching unit 83U is also moved. The punching unit 83U is covered with a cover 835 having an appropriate shape (with a receiving port for the sheet bundle S) (see FIG. 5B).

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view three-dimensionally showing the arrangement of the intermediate folding plate member 81, the pair of folding rollers 82 (upper roller 821, lower roller 822), and the punching unit 83U, and FIG. (Including the ball screw 84 and the guide rail 85, the half-folded plate member 81 is omitted).

  The sheet bundle S is folded in half by the half-fold plate member 81 and the folding roller pair 82 and then conveyed forward by the folding roller pair 82. The punching unit 83U sets a position that does not interfere with the conveyance path of the sheet bundle S as a home position. When the punching process is not performed, the punching unit 83U stands by at the home position. When the punching process is performed, the sheet bundle is performed. The mechanism moves across a transport path of S to a predetermined punching position and retreats from the transport path immediately after punching.

  The case where the punching process is performed will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. When the sheet bundle S is folded and conveyed by the upper roller 821 and the lower roller 822 of the folding roller pair 82 (see FIG. 7). The solid line state), the punching unit 83U stands by at the start end position Ts on one end side of the guide rail 85. At this time, the contact plate 823 protrudes on the conveyance path of the sheet bundle S, and the sheet bundle S conveyed by the pair of folding rollers 82 eventually comes into contact with the contact plate 823 and is positioned and stopped (that is, folding). The sheet bundle S is conveyed by the roller pair 82 to the nipping position of the pressure roller pair 830 of the punching unit U). In consideration of the drilling position, the contact plate 823 is installed at a moving axis of the drilling unit 83U (in FIG. 7, the moving axis is indicated by a one-dot chain line D, and the guide rail is formed so that such a moving axis is formed. 85 is set at a predetermined position in the vicinity. A cursor 824 that is movable in the width direction of the conveyance path is disposed on the side of the conveyance path of the sheet bundle S. The cursor 824 moves in the width direction according to the width size of the sheet bundle. It is configured to guide S.

  When a position sensor (not shown) detects that the sheet bundle S has hit the contact plate 823, the detection signal is sent to the central control unit 855, and the central control unit 855 operates a moving mechanism (not shown). The contact plate 823 is retracted from the conveyance path. Since this state is a standby state for punching processing for the sheet bundle S, the central control unit 855 transmits an operation instruction signal to the motor control unit 854 together with information on the size of the sheet bundle and the punching location (the number of punches). . The motor control unit 854 receives the instruction signal, and drives and stops the drive motor 853 in the forward / reverse direction at a predetermined timing.

  Specifically, in the standby state of the drilling process, the motor control unit 854 first drives the drive motor 853 to rotate forward, whereby the ball screw 84 is also rotated in the forward rotation direction and is waiting at the start position Ts. 83U starts to move toward the end position Te which is the other end side of the guide rail 85. The punching unit 83U proceeds in the guide direction by the guide rail 85, but as a result, it proceeds along the fold portion Sc of the sheet bundle S.

  FIG. 9A is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the punching unit 83U travels along the fold portion Sc of the sheet bundle S, and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view in the traveling direction thereof. When the punching unit 83U travels, the crease part Sc of the sheet bundle S passes through the gap part of the pressure roller pair 830L, 830R and the gap part of the punching blade device 833. That is, when the punching unit 83U moves from the start end position Ts on one end side of the guide rail 85 to the stop position of the sheet bundle S, the left pressure roller pair 830L of the punching unit 83U (between the upper roller 831 and the lower roller). ) Is inserted into the end edge of the crease portion Sc. In order to smoothly enter the edge of the crease portion Sc, the interval adjusting mechanism keeps the roller interval of the left pressure roller pair 830L wide until just before entering, and changes it narrowly after entering a predetermined length. It is desirable to control.

  Thereafter, the edge portion of the crease portion Sc is an interval (perforation zone) between the upper guide 833a and the lower guide 833b of the punching blade device 833, and between the rollers of the right pressure roller pair 830R (the upper roller 831 and the lower roller). The drilling unit 83U is moved to a predetermined drilling position in such a manner that the drilling unit 83U passes through (in FIG. 9).

  At this time, the crease portion Sc of the sheet bundle S is sandwiched in a pressurized state by the left pressure roller pair 830L disposed on the front side in the movement direction of the punching unit 83U, and the punching unit 83U is fed by the ball screw 84 in this pressurized state. Since the crease part Sc is moved, the creases are sequentially pressed. Therefore, this pressurization strengthens the gap layer between the upper layer sheet and the lower layer sheet of the folded sheet bundle S (see FIG. 9B).

  When the punching unit 83U is moved to a predetermined punching position, the motor control unit 854 stops the driving motor 853 and stops the punching unit 83U. Here, the central control unit 855 operates a pressing mechanism (not shown) to press the punching blade 8331 of the punching blade device 833 downward, thereby punching a predetermined position in the vicinity of the fold portion Sc of the sheet bundle S (piercing). Process). At this time, since the crease portion Sc is reinforced by the left pressure roller pair 830L, when the punching blade 8331 is passed through the sheet bundle S, the thickness of the sheet bundle S is determined to be the punching blade device 833. The inconvenience of exceeding the interval between the upper guide 833a and the lower guide 833b (that is, exceeding the allowable allowable width) is eliminated. Further, since the gap layer between the upper layer side sheet and the lower layer side sheet of the sheet bundle S is made small, there is no deviation in the hole position between the upper layer side and the lower layer side.

  In particular, since the left pressure roller pair 830L and the punching blade device 833 are in a united and close positional relationship, immediately after the fold portion Sc of the sheet bundle S is pressurized and strengthened by the left pressure roller pair 830L, Since the piercing blade 8331 performs piercing in the vicinity of the pressure-enhanced crease part Sc, the piercing process can be performed in a state in which the crease part Sc is most reinforced (the fold of the crease part Sc is not recovered). Thus, a reliable and accurate drilling process can be performed.

  When the drilling process is finished, the motor control unit 854 starts driving the drive motor 853, moves the drilling unit 83U to the next drilling position, stops the drilling unit 83U at the drilling position, and performs the same operation by the drilling blade device 833. Repeat the drilling process. Thereafter, the processing cycle is repeated for the number of holes to be drilled. When the required drilling process is completed, the drilling unit 83U is moved to the end position Te on the other end side of the guide rail 85, stopped at the end position Te, and put into a standby state.

  The sheet bundle S that has been subjected to such punching processing is transported toward the discharge tray 90 by a transport mechanism (not shown), and is discharged onto the discharge tray 90 as a post-processed sheet bundle So. As a result, the fold portion Sc of the sheet bundle So is pressure-strengthened by the pressure roller pair 831 so that the bulge is suppressed. Therefore, the outer shape of the sheet bundle So is good. Since the degree of swelling of the sheet bundle So is reduced, the secondary effect that the stockability of the discharged sheet bundle So on the discharge tray 90 is improved is produced.

  When the punching process is performed on the next sheet bundle S, the punching unit 83U uses the end position Te as a standby position, and is moved from the end position Te toward the start end position Ts in the reverse direction. Accordingly, when the next sheet bundle S is set to the standby state of the punching process as described above, the drive motor 853 is driven in reverse by the motor control unit 854, whereby the ball screw 84 is also rotated in the reverse direction, and the end position Te. The drilling unit 83U that is waiting for is moved toward the start end position Ts that is the other end of the guide rail 85. Then, stop / piercing processing at a predetermined drilling position is performed in the same manner.

The above is the description of the basic configuration and the basic operation of the post-processing unit 600 according to the present embodiment. With respect to the punching processing unit 83 (piercing unit U), the following modified embodiments (1) to (3) are provided. Can be adopted.
(1) In the above embodiment, as the pressure roller 830 of the perforation unit U, the perforation blade device 833 is disposed at a substantially central portion of the base 834, and the left side pressure roller pair 830L (the first addition roller 830L) is disposed on one side thereof. The pressure roller pair) and the right side pressure roller pair 830R (second pressure roller pair) on the other side are illustrated as two pairs of rollers. Only one set of pressure roller pairs 830 may be arranged in front. In this case, since it is not possible to perform puncturing while the crease portion Sc is pressurized and strengthened by both reciprocating operations of the piercing unit U, the standby position (home position) of the piercing unit U is set to the start end position Ts shown in FIGS. A one-way work specification in which the punching unit U is returned to its home position when a punching process is performed on one sheet bundle S, and then waiting for the reception of the next sheet bundle S. What should I do?

  (2) In the punching unit U as in the above embodiment, the roller interval between the two pressure roller pairs 830L and 830R is set to be relatively wide at the front side in the feed movement direction of the punching unit U, and the rear side The roller interval may be relatively narrow. For example, referring to FIG. 9, the roller interval of the left pressure roller pair 830L, which is the front side in the moving direction, is made relatively wide, and the roller interval of the right pressure roller pair 830R is made relatively narrow. Accordingly, the fold portion Sc of the sheet bundle S is pressurized and strengthened by the left pressure roller pair 830L, and after the punching process is performed by the punching blade device 833, the right pressure roller pair 830R having a relatively narrow width is used. The crease part Sc is further reinforced by pressure, and the bulge of the crease part Sc can be further suppressed. In this case as well, it is necessary to use the one-way work specification as described in (1) above.

  (3) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which one punching blade device 833 is arranged at the substantially central portion of the base 834 of the punching unit U is shown, but a plurality of these may be provided. In this case, for example, when two perforating blade devices 833 are arranged on the base 834, three pairs of pressure rollers 830 are erected on the base 834, and the perforating blade devices 833 are provided at the interval between these roller pairs. Each may be arranged. In addition, the mechanism using the ball screw 84 and the guide rail 85 as the guide mechanism has been illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the perforation unit U may be moved by a belt feeding mechanism using a belt and a pulley. .

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an internal structure of an image forming apparatus with a paper processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the post-processing unit concerning this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the process of the middle folding process by a folding process part. The state of the sheet bundle after the folding process is shown, (a) is a perspective view of the sheet bundle, (b) is a perspective view showing a state where the folded sheet bundle is double-opened, and (c) is the sheet. It is sectional drawing of a bundle. The punching processing part concerning this invention is shown, (a) is the whole sectional drawing, (b) has each shown the XX sectional drawing of (a). An example of a perforation unit is shown, (a) is the whole perspective view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a top view. It is a perspective view which shows three-dimensionally the positional relationship between the center folding means and perforation unit concerning embodiment of this invention. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a top view of FIG. 7. (A) is a perspective view which shows the state which a perforation unit advances along the crease | fold part of a sheet | seat bundle, (b) is sectional drawing of the advancing direction.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 10 Main-body part 60 Post-processing unit 600 Post-processing part (paper processing apparatus)
70 Stitching processing unit (saddle stitching means)
700 Staple Mechanism 71 Sheet Receiving Base 72 End Binding Stopper 77 Paper Passing Path 78 Saddle Stitch Stopper 80 Folding Processing Unit (Center Folding Unit)
81 Folding plate member 82 Folding roller pair 83 Punching processing unit 83U Punching unit 830, 830L, 830R Pressure roller pair (first and second pressure roller pair)
833 Perforating blade device 8331 Perforating blade 84 Ball screw 85 Guide rail 90 Discharge tray S Paper bundle Si Paper Sc Crease

Claims (7)

A saddle stitching unit, a center folding unit, and a punching unit are provided. A sheet bundle in which sheets ejected from the image forming apparatus are stacked is subjected to saddle stitching by the saddle stitching unit, and the bound sheet bundle is processed by the center folding unit. In a paper processing apparatus provided with a mechanism for performing folding processing by the punching means and discharging the sheet bundle folded in half, while folding the folded paper bundle,
The punching means is movable along the fold portion of the sheet bundle folded in half by the center folding means, and is capable of pressurizing and strengthening the fold portion of the sheet bundle during the movement. A sheet processing apparatus having a pair of pressure rollers. The center folding means includes a pair of folding rollers that form and convey a fold portion in the sheet bundle after the saddle stitching process,
2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pair of folding rollers conveys the sheet bundle to a holding position of a pair of pressure rollers provided in the punching unit.   The punching means includes a punching unit in which a punching blade and the pressure roller pair are mounted on a base, and a guide mechanism for moving the punching unit along the fold portion of the sheet bundle. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.   4. The paper processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the pressure roller pair is disposed at least on the front side in the moving direction of the punching unit by the guide mechanism with respect to the punching blade.   The perforation unit includes a perforation blade disposed at a substantially central portion of the base, a first pressure roller pair disposed on one side of the perforation blade, and a second disposed on the other side of the perforation blade. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a pair of pressure rollers. The sheet bundle in which the introduced sheets are stacked is subjected to the saddle stitching process, and then the folded sheet bundle is folded in half, and then the punched sheet is punched and discharged. In the processing method,
The sheet processing is characterized in that punching processing is performed at a predetermined position of the creased portion that has been pressure-enhanced while the crease portion of the sheet bundle folded in half by the half-folding processing is successively reinforced with a pair of pressure rollers. Method.   The pressure roller pair and a punching blade for punching are unitized, the unit is moved along the fold portion of the sheet bundle, the unit is stopped at a predetermined position to be punched, and the pressure is immediately strengthened. 7. The sheet processing method according to claim 6, wherein a processing cycle for perforating with a perforating blade at a predetermined position of the fold portion is repeated for the number of holes to be perforated.

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