JP2006103839A - Sheet handling device and image forming device equipped with it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet handling device and an image forming device equipped with it capable of reducing deviation of alignment of sheets. <P>SOLUTION: This sheet handling device 400 is provided with a handling tray 410 having a sheet loading face 410a for loading a sheet, a rear end stopper 411 for receiving at least an end part on one side of sheet, an offset roller 407 for transferring an end part of sheet onto the rear end stopper 411, and a clamp member 412 for holding the sheet received by the rear end stopper 411. At least a part of the sheet loading face 410a is used as a slide prevention face 417. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus that aligns (aligns) end portions of sheets, and an image forming apparatus that includes the sheet processing apparatus in an apparatus main body.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there are various types of sheet processing apparatuses for processing sheets. Among them, a sheet processing apparatus that aligns and binds end portions of a plurality of discharged sheets (performs a stapling process). Yes (see Patent Document 1).

  This sheet processing apparatus is provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus. The processing apparatus discharges the sheet discharged from the apparatus main body so as to fly the sheet onto the staple tray by the sheet discharge roller, and then pulls the sheet back to the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction and hits the rear end against the rear end stopper. Thus, the rear ends are aligned and then bound.

  For this reason, the sheet processing apparatus includes an elastic member called a paddle and an alignment belt that rotates in synchronization with a discharge roller that discharges the sheet onto the staple tray, and the nip point between the alignment belt and the staple tray by the paddle. Then, the sheet is abutted against the trailing edge stopper by the frictional force between the alignment belt and the sheet, and the trailing edge is aligned. In addition to the alignment of the trailing edge, the sheet processing treatment is performed by aligning the width of the sheet by sandwiching the sheet in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction by the width alignment member.

JP 2002-37512 A (see FIG. 2)

  However, the conventional sheet processing apparatus uses the frictional force obtained by the contact between the paddle and the sheet due to the rotation of the paddle to align the trailing end of the sheet, so that the number of sheets stacked increases. Therefore, the amount of deflection of the paddle is increased, the contact pressure of the paddle against the sheet is increased, and there is a possibility that the sheet is buckled when the sheet is abutted against the abutting portion.

  Further, when the alignment belt, the sheet, and the frictional force are used for aligning the trailing end of the sheet, the alignment sheet bundle is displaced due to a slight movement of the alignment belt that occurs when the alignment belt rotates. There was a fear.

  Further, since the conventional sheet processing apparatus discharges the sheet so that the sheet is ejected onto the staple tray by the sheet discharge roller, there is a sheet that does not fall stably depending on the type of the sheet. For this reason, the conventional sheet processing apparatus may not be able to stably convey such a sheet that falls without being stabilized to the sheet abutting portion, and may not be able to align the trailing edge of the sheet.

  In addition, when a regulating member that is movable in the sheet width direction is provided as a means for aligning in the sheet width direction and alignment is performed by moving the regulating member, there is a slight change in the sheet size due to the influence of temperature, humidity, etc. Assuming that this happened, it was configured to absorb the change to some extent by attaching a spring to the regulating member, etc., but the change could not be absorbed and the seat could be buckled, thereby matching There was a risk of misalignment.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet processing apparatus that reduces sheet misalignment.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that includes a sheet processing apparatus that reduces misalignment of sheets and increases the efficiency of sheet image formation.

  In order to achieve the above object, a sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a sheet stacking unit having a sheet stacking surface on which sheets are stacked, a sheet receiving unit that receives at least one end of the sheet, and a sheet receiving unit. , A sheet conveying means for transferring the end of the sheet, and a holding means for holding the sheet received by the sheet receiving means, wherein at least a part of the sheet stacking surface is used as a non-slip surface.

  In order to achieve the above object, the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention is fed into the sheet stacking unit from a state of being separated from the sheet stacking unit having a sheet stacking surface on which sheets are stacked, and the sheet stacking unit. A sheet conveying unit that descends and contacts the sheet, conveys the sheet to the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction, and then conveys the sheet upstream; and an end of the sheet conveyed to the upstream side by the sheet conveying unit A sheet receiving means for receiving the portion and a holding means for holding the sheet received by the sheet receiving means, wherein at least a part of the sheet stacking surface is a non-slip surface, and the friction coefficient of the anti-slip surface is It is characterized by being larger than the friction coefficient of the sheet and smaller than the friction coefficient of the surface of the sheet conveying means.

  In the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention, the anti-slip surface is an uneven surface formed by a large number of convex portions.

  In the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention, the non-slip surface is formed on a separate anti-slip member provided in the sheet stacking means.

  In the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention, the anti-slip member is replaceably provided in the sheet stacking unit.

  In the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention, the anti-slip member is an elastic body.

  In the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention, the sheet conveying means is a rotating body.

  In order to achieve the above object, a sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a sheet stacking unit having a sheet stacking surface on which sheets are stacked, an antislip unit provided on at least a part of the sheet stacking surface, and the antislip unit. And a sheet aligning unit configured to align at least one of an upstream end of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit in a sheet transport direction and a side end along the sheet transport direction.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes: an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet; and a sheet processing device that aligns end portions of the sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit. The sheet processing apparatus is any one of the sheet processing apparatuses described above.

  Since the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention has at least a part of the sheet stacking surface as a non-slip surface, it is possible to prevent misalignment of the sheet and the sheet bundle in the sheet conveying direction and improve alignment.

  The sheet processing apparatus of the present invention uses at least a part of the sheet stacking surface as a non-slip surface, and the friction coefficient of the anti-slip surface is larger than the friction coefficient of the sheet and smaller than the friction coefficient of the surface of the sheet conveying means. It is possible to improve alignment by preventing misalignment of the sheet and the sheet bundle in the sheet conveying direction when a small number of sheets are stacked due to an impact when the conveying unit descends onto the sheet.

  In the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention, since the anti-slip member is provided so as to be replaceable with the sheet stacking unit, when the friction coefficient of the sheet conveying unit or the anti-slip member changes due to long-term use, the sheet conveying unit or the sheet Can be replaced with a member having a friction coefficient matched to the above, and the consistency can be improved.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a sheet processing apparatus that reduces misalignment of sheets. Therefore, the sheet can be smoothly supplied to the sheet processing apparatus, and the efficiency of sheet image formation can be increased. .

  Hereinafter, a sheet processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and an image forming apparatus including the sheet processing apparatus in an apparatus main body, for example, a copying machine will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of a schematic configuration of a copier equipped with a sheet processing apparatus of the present invention in an apparatus main body.

  Examples of the image forming apparatus include a copying machine, a facsimile, a printer, and a complex machine of these. Therefore, the image forming apparatus is not limited to a copying machine.

  Further, the sheet processing apparatus 400 of the present invention is not connected only to the apparatus main body 500A of the copying machine 500. The sheet processing apparatus 400 is separate from the apparatus main body 500A of the copier 500, but may be incorporated in the apparatus main body 500A.

  Further, the sheet processing apparatus of the present embodiment includes the stapler unit 420 to bind the sheet bundle. However, instead of the stapler unit 420, the sheet processing apparatus includes a punching device to punch holes in the sheet bundle. Also good. Therefore, the sheet processing apparatus is not limited to binding a sheet bundle. Furthermore, a stapler unit and a punching device are not necessarily required. The sheet processing apparatus may have at least a function of aligning the trailing edge of the sheet.

  The copier 500 includes a reader unit 100, a printer unit 200, a sheet processing apparatus 400, and the like. An automatic document feeder 300 (hereinafter referred to as “ADF”) for supplying documents one by one onto the platen glass 102 is provided on the upper part of the apparatus main body 500A of the copying machine 500. A sheet processing apparatus 400 that performs post-processing of sheets discharged from the copying machine 500 is connected to the side of the apparatus main body 500A of the copying machine 500.

  The copier 500 reads an image of a document supplied by the ADF 300 with the reader unit 100 or reads an image of a document placed on the platen glass 102 of the reader unit 100 with the reader unit 100 and prints the image on the printer. In addition to functioning as a copying machine for copying on a sheet by the unit 200, the printer unit 200 receives an image signal sent from an external personal computer and functions as a printer for forming the image signal on a sheet. Yes. Further, the copier 500 transmits an image signal read by the reader unit 100 to another facsimile, or receives a facsimile signal from another facsimile by the printer unit 200, and prints an image on a sheet based on the signal. It also functions as a facsimile machine to be formed.

  In FIG. 1, a reader unit 100 converts a document image into image data. The printer unit 200 has a plurality of types of sheet cassettes 204 and 205 on which a plurality of sheets are stacked, and outputs image data as a visible image on a sheet in accordance with a print command.

  When the document is conveyed to a predetermined position on the platen glass 102 by the ADF 300, the reader unit 100 turns on the lamp 103 of the reader unit 100 and moves the scanner unit 104 so that the lamp 103 irradiates the document. . The reflected light from the document is input to the CCD image sensor unit 109 through the mirrors 105, 106, 107 and the lens 108. The reflected light of the original irradiated to the CCD image sensor unit 109 is subjected to electrical processing such as photoelectric conversion in the CCD image sensor unit 109 and is subjected to normal digital processing. Thereafter, these image signals are input to the printer unit 200.

  The image signal input to the printer unit 200 is converted into an optical signal modulated by the exposure control unit 201, and irradiates, for example, a photoconductor 202 that is an image forming unit. The latent image formed on the photosensitive member 202 by this irradiation light is developed by the developing unit 203 to become a toner image. Then, in synchronization with the leading edge of the toner image, the sheet is conveyed from one of the sheet cassettes 204 and 205, and the toner image is transferred to the sheet by the transfer unit 206. The transferred toner image is fixed on the sheet by the fixing unit 207. The sheet on which the toner image is fixed passes through a path 214 and is discharged from the sheet discharge unit 208 to the outside of the apparatus main body 500A of the copier 500. Thereafter, the sheets are sorted, bound, and the like according to an operation mode designated in advance by the sheet processing apparatus 400.

  Next, the order of forming sequentially read images on both sides of one sheet will be described.

  The sheet on which the toner image is fixed on one side by the fixing unit 207 is guided to the paths 215 and 218 by the direction switching members 209 and 217 held at the solid line positions, and by the direction switching member 213 held at the broken line positions. Guided to the reverse path 212. When the rear end of the sheet passes through the direction switching member 213, the direction switching member 213 switches to the solid line position. Then, the roller 211 reverses the rotation direction. As a result, the conveyance direction is reversed, the sheet is reversed (switchback conveyance), and is conveyed to the transfer paper stacking unit 210. Then, the sheet is sent to the photoreceptor 202. When the next document is prepared on the platen glass 102, the image of the document is read in the same manner as the above process. The read image is transferred to the sheet supplied from the transfer paper stacking unit 210. In this way, two document images are formed on the front and back surfaces of the same sheet.

  On the other hand, the sheet processing apparatus 400 receives, for example, a processing tray 410 that is a sheet stacking unit that stores sheets sequentially discharged from the apparatus main body 500A of the copier 500, and a sheet discharged from the apparatus main body 500A of the copier 500. , A roller member that performs alignment processing on the processing tray 410, a stack tray that finally stacks a sheet bundle formed on the processing tray 410, and a bundle of sheets 421 corresponding to the number of documents. Are formed on the processing tray 410 and discharged to the stack tray 421 for each sheet bundle.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 400 shown in FIG.

  The sheet processing apparatus 400 includes a stapling function for performing a binding operation by the stapler unit 420 in addition to a sorting operation for sorting sheets.

  In FIG. 2, a sheet receiving unit 401 is configured to receive a sheet discharged from the printer unit 200. The sheet received by the sheet receiving unit 401 is detected by the entrance sensor 403, and is conveyed by, for example, an offset roller 407, which is a rotating member, which is a conveying roller 405 and a sheet conveying unit, and then is discharged onto the processing tray 410. . The sheet bundle discharge sensor 415 detects the sheets stacked on the processing tray 410.

  Next, for example, a sheet aligning prevention member 417 (see FIG. 4) which is a non-slip member which is a feature of the present invention will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, when the sheet P is conveyed onto the processing tray 410 in which the offset roller 407 is waiting at the raised position, the offset roller 407 is moved upward by the rotation of the offset roller arm 406 ( Operation in the direction of arrow U) and descent operation (operation in the direction of arrow D) are performed. The offset roller 407 performs a rotation operation in the sheet conveyance direction (rotation operation in the direction of arrow E) and a rotation operation in the reverse direction of the sheet conveyance (rotation operation in the direction of arrow F) by the rotation of the conveyance motor 431. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (b), the sheet P discharged onto the processing tray 410 is lowered from the rising standby position in a state where the sheet P is rotated in the transport direction (arrow E direction) immediately before the lowering. By 407, the sheet passes over the sheet clamping member 412, which is a holding unit, and is conveyed almost directly below the offset roller 407. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D, after the sheet P is conveyed to a certain position, the sheet receiving means is rotated by rotation of the offset roller 407 in the reverse conveyance direction (arrow F direction). The sheet trailing edge Pa is abutted against the trailing edge stopper 411, which is a sheet aligning means, and the sheet trailing edge Pa is aligned.

  At that time, the sheet clamp member 412 performs an opening operation before the sheet P hits the rear end stopper 411, performs a closing operation after the sheet P hits the rear end stopper 411 and the rear end Pa of the sheet is aligned, The sheet P is sandwiched. The sheet processing apparatus 400 repeats operations similar to those shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B for the second and subsequent sheets. As shown in FIG. 4C, the sheet trailing edge Pa is aligned to form a sheet bundle.

  Here, the cause of the occurrence of misalignment between the trailing edge of the sheet and the sheet bundle and the sheet alignment prevention member 417 for preventing it will be described. First, the cause is that the pressing force to the processing tray of the sheet by the lowering operation (the operation in the arrow D direction) of the offset roller 407 and the rotational force in the conveying direction (the arrow E direction) are more than the clamping force of the sheet clamp member 412. Because it is strong.

  That is, when the succeeding sheet is discharged onto the preceding sheet sandwiched by the sheet clamp member 412, the succeeding sheet of the offset roller 407 that has fallen on the succeeding sheet is conveyed to the downstream side rather than the sandwiching force of the sheet clamp member 412. Since the force is stronger, the preceding sheet in contact with the processing tray may follow the succeeding sheet and move slightly downstream, and the trailing end alignment of the preceding sheet may be disturbed.

  This phenomenon occurs particularly when the number of stacked sheets is small. When the number of sheets stacked is large, the clamping force of the sheet clamp member 412 increases as the number of sheets stacked increases. Therefore, the sheet clamp member 412 is displaced in the transport direction by the rotation of the offset roller 407 in the transport direction. Is prevented, and misalignment hardly occurs. As a mechanism for misalignment in the conveying direction, the friction coefficient between the sheet stacking surface 410a of the processing tray 410 and the sheet is about 0.1 to about 0.15, and the color coefficient between the sheet and the sheet is particularly low friction. Even if the sheet is taken into consideration, it is about 0.2 to about 0.6. For this reason, if the friction coefficient is about 0.2 or less, a dangerous range in which the sheet is experimentally displaced is obtained. As a result, this difference in friction coefficient causes a misalignment in the conveying direction.

  18A to 18C show a conventional end processing tray 10 in which the sheet alignment misalignment prevention member 417 (see FIG. 4) is not installed. When the sheet clamp member 412 holds the sheet P, as described above, from the relationship between the sheet stacking surface 10a of the processing tray 10 and the friction coefficient between the sheet and the sheet, an alignment shift (X Only between the trailing edge Pa of the sheet and the trailing edge stopper 411. That is, the gap is generated only by X. As a result, when forming a sheet bundle, as shown in FIG. 18B, a deviation occurs in the entire sheet bundle, or as shown in FIG. 18C, a step-like deviation occurs.

  Further, if the clamping force of the sheet clamp member 412 is increased, it is necessary to increase the driving force of the sheet clamp member 412 correspondingly, and so-called driving of a motor or a solenoid for operating the so-called sheet clamp member 412 is performed. It becomes necessary to use a drive source that is one rank higher than the source, which causes another problem that a lot of space is required and the cost is increased. In addition, the sheet clamp member 412 needs to be strengthened.

  Therefore, in order to overcome these problems, the sheet processing apparatus 400 of the present invention is provided with a sheet aligning prevention member 417 on the processing tray 410 as shown in FIGS. 3 (a) to 3 (d). .

  The sheet alignment prevention member 417 is a member having a friction coefficient slightly larger than that of the sheet surface and smaller than that of the surface of the offset roller 407 in order to make the alignment operation by the offset roller 407 smooth. in use. Specifically, a member formed with a minute uneven surface that does not scratch or tear the sheet, a rubber member that is thin and has a relatively small friction coefficient, or a resin member. Is formed. Since the processing tray 410 is often a resin molded product, the uneven surface may be formed on the sheet stacking surface of the processing tray 410 at the time of molding. In addition, a member with an uneven surface, a rubber member with a small friction coefficient, and a resin member can be replaced when the friction coefficient on the surface of the offset roller 407 changes by using the offset roller 407 for a long period of time. If this is done, misalignment can always be reduced.

  Further, in the sheet processing apparatus 400 of the present embodiment, the sheet aligning prevention member 417 is disposed at the lowered position of the offset roller 407 as shown in FIG. 3, but the position and size thereof are not limited thereto. Can be set freely. In particular, the sheet alignment misalignment prevention member 417 is provided also when performing a width alignment operation for aligning the side edges of the sheets by abutting against, for example, a width direction alignment positioning wall 416 which is a sheet alignment means by an offset roller 407 described later. Thus, sheet misalignment can be prevented.

  When the succeeding sheet is discharged onto the preceding sheet sandwiched by the sheet clamp member 412, even if the preceding sheet in contact with the processing tray 410 tries to move somewhat downstream following the succeeding sheet, the sheet aligning prevention member Since the movement is prevented by 417, the rear end alignment of the entire preceding sheet is hardly disturbed.

  As described above, the sheet processing apparatus 400 according to this embodiment includes the sheet alignment shift prevention member 417 in the processing tray 410, thereby preventing alignment shift in the conveyance direction (rear end) of the sheet and the sheet bundle. As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D and FIGS. 4A to 4C, a series of operations can be performed on the processing tray 410 to form a sheet bundle with the rear ends aligned.

  FIGS. 5 to 11 are diagrams showing a series of flow from the operation of the offset roller 407 to the accompanying sheet bundle formation.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the discharged sheet is returned to the trailing edge stopper 411 by rotation in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction of the offset roller 407. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7, the end (rear end) in the transport direction is abutted against the rear end stopper 411 to perform the rear end alignment operation.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the offset roller 407 is in contact with the sheet, and moves the sheet P to the sheet width direction alignment position 416a disposed on the stapler unit 420 side to move the side edge of the sheet (sheet conveyance). A width alignment operation for aligning the side edges is performed by bringing a width direction alignment positioning wall 416 into contact with an end along the direction and an end in the width direction of the sheet.

  Here, the alignment position 416a is an alignment position for the sheet on which the binding process and the shift process are performed. Whether or not to move the sheet to the alignment position 416a is determined by control described later. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the sheet to be bound and shifted is moved to the alignment position 416a.

  After the alignment in the sheet width direction, as shown in FIG. 6, the offset roller 407 is rotated again in the direction opposite to the sheet conveying direction, and the trailing end of the sheet P is abutted against the trailing end stopper 411 for alignment. Is going. Here, the deviation of the sheet conveyance direction end (rear end) caused by sheet width direction alignment is corrected. Thereafter, the sheet with the corrected misalignment is held by the sheet clamp member 412.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the aligned sheets are held in place by the sheet clamp member 412 by raising the offset roller 407. As a result, the aligned sheets are prevented from being disturbed by the subsequent sheets that are sequentially fed to the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction and being out of alignment. The offset roller 407 may be raised after the sheet clamp member 412 holds the sheet.

  The sequentially discharged sheets are aligned on the processing tray 410 by repeating the operations shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 to form a sheet bundle. Here, if sheets to be bound are stacked on the processing tray 410, the sheets are bound by the stapler unit 420 as shown in FIG. At this time, the stapler unit 420 performs the binding operation on the sheet aligned at the alignment position 416a by the alignment operation in the sheet width direction.

  Thereafter, in a state where the sheet bundle is held by the sheet clamp member 412, the sheet bundle discharge member 413 moves toward the stack tray 421 as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. When the sheet clamp member 412 releases the sheet bundle on the stack tray 421, the sheet bundle is discharged to the stack tray 421.

  12 and 17 are diagrams showing a driving mechanism of the offset roller 407. FIG.

  The offset roller 407 is supported by an offset roller arm 406 that can move upward so that a sheet can be received on the processing tray 410. The offset roller arm 406 is lifted by the ON operation of the pickup solenoid 433. The offset roller 407 obtains a rotational force via a belt by the transport motor 431. When the conveyance motor 431 is rotated, the offset roller 407 conveys the sheet to the downstream side of the sheet conveyance by the amount corresponding to the rotation amount of the conveyance motor 431 or the direction to convey the sheet upstream of the sheet conveyance direction. It is designed to rotate in the reverse direction.

  When the sheet is conveyed on the processing tray 410 for a predetermined distance and the entrance sensor 403 detects the trailing edge of the sheet, the pickup solenoid 433 is turned off. Then, the offset roller 407 descends by its own weight, contacts the sheet, and conveys the sheet to the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction. The offset roller 407 stops the sheet after conveying the sheet downstream in the sheet conveying direction, rotates in the reverse direction, conveys the sheet upstream in the sheet conveying direction, and abuts against the trailing edge stopper 411. The sheet is adjusted to the alignment position in the sheet conveyance direction.

  The sheet bundle discharge member 413 installed in the vicinity of the rear end stopper 411 is configured such that power is transmitted through the pinion 435 and the rack 436 by the sheet bundle discharge motor 430. The sheet bundle discharge member 413 is fixed to the home position by excitation of the sheet bundle discharge motor 430. The sheet clamp member 412 is opened and closed by a clamp solenoid 434. The sheet clamp member 412 opens when the offset roller 407 conveys the sheet downstream in the sheet conveyance direction and stops rotating.

  Further, the offset roller 407 can be moved to the width direction alignment positioning wall 416 serving as the alignment position reference of the sheet on the side where the stapler unit 420 is installed through the pinion 437 and the rack 438 by driving the offset motor 432. It has become. For this reason, the offset roller 407 moves the sheet whose rear end is positioned at the rear end stopper 411 to the width direction alignment positioning wall 416 by the frictional force between the sheet and the offset roller 407 and hits the sheet. It slides slightly to stop.

  Since the copying machine 500 to which the sheet processing apparatus 400 is attached knows the size of the sheet discharged from the sheet discharge section 208, the CPU 402, which is a control section of the sheet processing apparatus 400 composed of a microcomputer system, for example, performs copying. The size of the sheet conveyed on the processing tray 410 can be grasped by serial communication with the control unit 440 of the machine 500. Therefore, the CPU 402 of the sheet processing apparatus 400 grasps the sheet size every time the sheet is discharged from the copying machine 500, and rotates the offset motor 432 that moves the offset roller 407 in the width direction by a movement amount corresponding to the sheet size. It is like that. As a result, the offset roller 407 moves by an amount corresponding to the size of the sheets stacked on the processing tray 410 and can reliably press the side of the sheet against the width direction alignment positioning wall 416. ing.

  Further, in order to correct the deviation in the conveyance direction after moving in the sheet width direction, the offset roller 407 rotates again in the upstream direction in the sheet conveyance direction, and the alignment operation of the trailing edge of the sheet is completed. Yes. Thereby, highly accurate matching is realized. When the alignment process for the designated number of sheets is completed, the sheet clamp member 412 is closed to hold the sheet bundle.

  A stapler unit 420 is disposed in the vicinity of the width direction alignment positioning wall 416 on the processing tray 410. The stapler unit 420 is capable of binding (stapling) a sheet bundle formed on the processing tray 410.

  FIG. 13 is a view showing a method of discharging the sheet bundle to the stack tray by the sheet bundle discharge member 413. The position indicated by reference numeral 413a is a standby position of the sheet bundle discharge member 413. The position indicated by reference numeral 413b is the sheet bundle discharge position of the sheet bundle discharge member 413.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the sheet bundle aligned on the processing tray 410 is processed by the sheet bundle discharging member 413 moving toward the stack tray 421 while the sheet clamp member 412 holds the sheet bundle. The tray 410 is discharged to the stack tray 421.

  Since the sheet bundle stacked on the stack tray 421 constitutes a part of the processing tray 410, when the sheet bundle is discharged from the processing tray 410, the stack tray 421 has the uppermost surface of the stacked sheet bundle. It descends until it substantially matches the processing tray 410.

  FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit of the sheet processing apparatus 400.

  The CPU 402 has a ROM 110 inside, and the ROM 110 stores a program corresponding to the control procedure described in the flowcharts shown in FIGS. The CPU 402 reads out and executes this program, and controls each unit. The CPU 402 includes a RAM 120. The RAM 120 stores work data and input data indicated by reference numeral 121, and the CPU 402 controls each unit based on these data. Various sensors such as an inlet sensor 403, an offset home position sensor 150, a bundle discharge home position sensor 160, and a sheet bundle discharge sensor 415 are connected to the input port of the CPU 402. Further, various motors such as a conveyance motor 431, an offset motor 432, a sheet bundle discharge motor 430, and a stack tray lifting motor 200, and various solenoids such as a pickup solenoid 433 and a clamp solenoid 434 are connected to the output port of the CPU 402. Based on the state of these sensors, the CPU 402 executes a program stored in the ROM 110 and controls loads such as various motors and various solenoids connected to the output port.

  The CPU 402 includes a serial interface unit 130, and exchanges control data with the control unit 440 of the apparatus main body 500A of the copying machine. The CPU 402 controls each unit based on the control data sent from the control unit 440 of the apparatus main body 500A via the serial interface unit 130.

  Next, the configuration diagram shown in FIGS. 1 to 13 and 17, the flowchart for explaining the operation of the sheet processing apparatus shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, and the configuration of the control unit of the sheet processing apparatus 400 shown in FIG. 16 are shown. The operation of the sheet processing apparatus will be described based on the block diagram.

  When copying operation by the copying machine 500 is started, the CPU 402 of the sheet processing apparatus 400 checks whether or not a sheet discharge signal is received from the control unit 440 of the apparatus main body 500A of the copying machine 500 (S100). When received, the CPU 402 drives the pickup solenoid 433 shown in FIG. 17 to rotate the offset roller arm 406 in the direction of the arrow U shown in FIG. 3A, and causes the offset roller 407 supported by the offset roller arm 406 to move. Increase (S110).

  The CPU 402 drives the conveyance motor 431 to rotate the conveyance roller 405 and the offset roller 407 that rotates in synchronization with the conveyance roller 405 in a direction in which the sheet can be conveyed downstream in the sheet conveyance direction (S120). As a result, the offset roller 407 rises and rotates to wait for a sheet to be fed.

  A conveyance roller 405 installed in the middle of the path rotates in the direction in which the sheet of the copier 500 is conveyed downstream, and conveys the sheet in the same direction. When the leading edge of the first sheet passes through the entrance sensor 403 and reaches the conveying roller 405, the sheet is conveyed by the conveying roller 405, away from the sheet discharge unit 208 inside the apparatus main body 500A of the copying machine 500, and the apparatus Delivery from the main body 500A is completed.

  When the CPU 402 conveys the sheet to the post-processing tray 410 by the conveyance roller 405 and receives a sheet entry detection signal for detecting the trailing edge of the first sheet from the entrance sensor 403 (S130), the CPU 402 controls the pickup solenoid 433. The offset roller 407 is lowered by its own weight (S140) and pressed against the sheet surface. The offset roller 407 has already been rotated in the same direction as the conveyance roller 405, and continues to rotate by the conveyance motor 431 to convey the sheet downstream to a predetermined position.

  Thereafter, when the sheet is conveyed to a predetermined stop position beyond the sheet clamp member 412 as shown in FIG. 3B (S150), the CPU 402 stops the conveyance motor 431, and the offset roller The rotation of 407 is stopped (S160), and the conveyance of the sheet is stopped. When the rotation of the offset roller 407 stops, the CPU 402 operates the clamp solenoid 434 shown in FIG. 12 to open the sheet clamp member 412 installed in the vicinity of the rear end stopper 411 (S170). The CPU 402 rotates the transport motor 431 in the direction opposite to the transport direction, and reversely rotates the offset roller 407 (S180). The offset roller 407 rotates in the reverse direction, conveys the sheet to the upstream side, and abuts the upstream end (rear end) of the sheet against the rear end stopper 411. (S190). As shown in FIG. 7, the CPU 402 abuts the upstream end (rear end) of the sheet against the rear end stopper 411 to align the rear end (upstream end) of the sheet (S190), and stops the rotation of the offset roller 407 (S190). S200).

  The amount of rotation of the offset roller 407 when the sheet is abutted against the trailing end stopper 411 is determined in consideration of the skew of the sheet that is generated when the sheet is fed from the copying machine 500, and the upstream of the sheet is stopped by conveying the sheet downstream. It is calculated by the CPU 402 so as to convey a distance slightly longer than the distance from the point of conveyance to the side (switchback conveyance) to the rear end stopper 411.

  The CPU 402 determines whether or not the sheet is a sheet for which the binding process is executed based on the information of the sheet discharged from the copying machine (S210). If the sheet is a sheet for which the binding process is executed, the CPU 402 discharges the sheet from the copying machine 500. Check the size information of the sheet, and the offset movement amount according to the size of the discharged sheet, that is, the movement distance necessary to press against the width direction alignment positioning wall 416 of the sheets stacked on the processing tray 410 The offset roller 407 is offset by the offset motor 432 to the width direction alignment positioning wall 416 via the rack and pinion (S220).

  The sheet in contact with the offset roller 407 moves together with the offset roller 407 in the width direction alignment positioning wall 416 direction by the frictional force of the offset roller 407. The offset roller 407 slides on the sheet and stops after abutting the sheet against the widthwise alignment positioning wall 416. The offset roller 407 then conveys the sheet slightly downstream to make contact with the trailing edge stopper 411 and corrects the trailing edge in order to correct the misalignment of the trailing edge of the sheet after the offset movement. Thereby, the alignment of the first sheet is completed (S240).

  After the offset roller 407 is lifted by the pickup solenoid 433 (S250), the CPU 402 turns off the clamp solenoid 434. Then, the sheet clamp member 412 is closed, and the aligned sheet is held (S260).

  As a result, the sheet discharged first is not carried for conveyance downstream of the subsequent sheet to be discharged next in the sheet conveyance direction. The offset roller 407 is moved up to the home position via the rack and pinion by the offset motor 432 in a lifted state (S270).

  Thereafter, the CPU 402 checks whether or not the sheet stacked on the processing tray 410 is a sheet corresponding to the last page of the copy original (S280). If the CPU 402 determines that the page is not the last page based on the information sent from the copying machine 500, the CPU 402 returns to S100 and receives the sheet discharge signal sent from the copying machine 500 next, and the sheet of the last page is processed in the processing tray 410. The above flow is repeated until it is loaded on. As a result, each time the sheet is discharged from the copying machine 500, the CPU 402 of the sheet processing apparatus 400 grasps the size of the sheet, calculates an offset movement amount suitable for the sheet, and uses the offset roller 407 to load the sheet. It is moved by that amount of movement and aligned with the width direction alignment positioning wall 416.

  If the CPU 402 determines that the sheet is the last page, a sheet bundle corresponding to the copy original is formed on the processing tray 410, and thus checks whether or not the stapling process is selected (S300). If it is selected, the stapler unit 420 is driven to execute the stapling process (S310).

  After the stapling process is completed or when the stapling process is not selected, the CPU 402 grips the sheet bundle discharging member 413 by the sheet bundle discharging motor 430 via the rack and pinion, and the sheet bundle member 412 by the sheet clamping member 412. In this state, the sheet is moved in the direction of the stack tray 421 (320). Thereafter, the clamp solenoid 434 is driven, the sheet clamp member 412 is opened, and the sheet bundle is discharged to the stack tray 421. Then, the stack tray 421 is lowered according to the thickness of the sheet bundle (S330). The sheet bundle discharge member 413 returns to the home position (S340), and the conveyance motor 431 stops rotating and stops the rotation of the conveyance roller 405 and the offset roller 407 (S350). Then, the pickup solenoid 433 is turned off, and the offset roller 407 is lowered (S360). Thereby, a series of processes of the sheet processing apparatus 400 is completed.

  If the sheet binding process is not executed in S210, the CPU 402 drives the pickup solenoid 433 to raise the offset roller 407 and move away from the sheet (S290). Then, the CPU 402 releases the drive of the clamp solenoid 434, the sheet clamp member 412 is closed, and presses and holds the aligned sheet (S292). Thereby, the sheet discharged now is not carried in the sheet conveyance direction by the next sheet discharged.

  Thereafter, the CPU 402 checks whether or not the sheet stacked on the processing tray 410 is a sheet corresponding to the final page of the copy original (S280), and determines that it is not the final page based on information sent from the copier. In this case, the flow returns to S100, the next sheet discharge signal sent from the copier is received, and the above-described flow is repeated until the last page sheet is stacked on the processing tray 410.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S280 that the page is the last page, a sheet bundle corresponding to the copy original is formed on the processing tray 410, so the CPU 402 performs the processes of S300, S320 to S360. To complete the sheet processing. As a result, the sheet bundle that has not been bound is aligned at the rear end (upstream end) and discharged to the stack tray 421.

  Note that sheets and sheet bundles do not necessarily have to be discharged to the stack tray 421.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, a fixed stapler disposed in the vicinity of the width direction alignment positioning wall 416 is used. However, when a movable stapler or the like is used, another part or a plurality of parts of the sheet bundle are bound. be able to.

  In the sheet processing apparatus of the present embodiment, the roller is used to convey the sheet. However, when the sheet on the processing tray conveyed by the sheet conveying unit is moved to the trailing edge stopper 411 side, the rotation of the roller is not performed. The same effect can be obtained by using a sheet conveying direction moving unit that allows the member itself to move back and forth in the conveying direction and a sheet orthogonal direction moving unit that moves the sheet in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction.

  Furthermore, the sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment stores a program corresponding to the control procedure shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 14 and 15 on the ROM 110 and performs control while the CPU 402 reads the program. The same effect can be obtained even if the above processing is performed by hardware.

1 is a front view of a schematic configuration of a copying machine including a sheet processing apparatus of the present invention in an apparatus main body. It is an expanded sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the sheet processing apparatus of this invention. (A) is a figure in the state where the offset roller is waiting above the processing tray. FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a state where the offset roller is lowered onto the sheet and conveys the sheet to the downstream side. (C) is a figure of the state which the offset roller is conveying the sheet | seat upstream. FIG. 6D is a diagram illustrating a state in which the offset roller abuts the rear end of the sheet against the rear end stopper. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the sheet processing apparatus of this invention. FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a state in which an offset roller is waiting above the processing tray and a subsequent sheet is being fed. FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a state where the offset roller is lowered onto the succeeding sheet and the succeeding sheet is conveyed to the downstream side. FIG. 6C is a diagram illustrating a state in which the offset roller is transporting the subsequent sheet to the upstream side. It is a figure of the state which the offset roller is conveying the sheet | seat downstream. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the offset roller is transporting the sheet to the upstream side following the operation of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the offset roller abuts the trailing edge of the sheet against the trailing edge stopper following the operation of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a view showing a state in which the offset roller abuts the side edge of the sheet against the width direction alignment positioning wall following the operation of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state where the offset roller is separated from the sheet following the operation of FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state where the sheet is clamped by the clamp member and the offset roller returns to the position shown in FIG. 5 following the operation of FIG. FIG. 6 is a state diagram when binding a sheet bundle by a stapler unit. It is a figure for demonstrating the drive mechanism of an offset roller, a conveyance roller, a sheet bundle discharge member, and a sheet clamp member. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state where a sheet bundle is discharged to a stack tray by a sheet bundle discharge member. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention. It is a flowchart following FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit of the sheet processing apparatus. FIG. It is a top view of the drive mechanism of an offset roller and a conveyance roller. It is a figure for demonstrating the problem of the conventional sheet processing apparatus. (A) is a figure when alignment gap (X) arises between the back end of a sheet, and a back end stopper. FIG. 6B is a diagram when a deviation occurs in the entire sheet bundle. (C) is a figure in case a step-like deviation occurs in the sheet bundle.

Explanation of symbols

P sheet Pa sheet trailing edge 100 reader unit 200 printer unit 202 photoconductor (image forming means)
300 Automatic document feeder (aka “ADF”)
400 Sheet processing device 402 CPU
403 Entrance sensor 406 Offset roller arm 407 Offset roller (sheet conveying means, rotating body)
410 processing tray (sheet stacking means)
410a Sheet stacking surface 411 of processing tray Rear end stopper (sheet receiving means, sheet aligning means)
412 Sheet clamp member (clamp claw, holding means)
416 Width direction alignment positioning wall (sheet alignment means)
417 Sheet alignment misalignment prevention member (slip prevention member)
420 Stapler unit 421 Stack tray 440 Control unit 500 Copying machine (image forming apparatus)
500A Copier (image forming device) main unit

Claims (9)

Sheet stacking means having a sheet stacking surface on which sheets are stacked;
Sheet receiving means for receiving at least one end of the sheet;
Sheet conveying means for transferring an end of the sheet to the sheet receiving means;
Holding means for holding the sheet received by the sheet receiving means,
A sheet processing apparatus, wherein at least a part of the sheet stacking surface is a non-slip surface. Sheet stacking means having a sheet stacking surface on which sheets are stacked;
From a state of being separated from the sheet stacking unit, the sheet descends and comes into contact with the sheet fed to the sheet stacking unit, and the sheet can be transported to the upstream side after being transported to the downstream side in the sheet transport direction. Sheet conveying means;
Sheet receiving means for receiving the end of the sheet conveyed to the upstream side by the sheet conveying means;
Holding means for holding the sheet received by the sheet receiving means,
A sheet processing apparatus characterized in that at least a part of the sheet stacking surface is a non-slip surface, and the friction coefficient of the anti-slip surface is larger than the friction coefficient of the sheet and smaller than the friction coefficient of the surface of the sheet conveying means. .   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the anti-slip surface is an uneven surface formed by a large number of convex portions.   4. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the anti-slip surface is formed on a non-slip member which is a separate member provided in the sheet stacking unit. 5.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the anti-slip member is replaceably provided in the sheet stacking unit.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the anti-slip member is an elastic body.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet conveying unit is a rotating body. Sheet stacking means having a sheet stacking surface on which sheets are stacked;
Anti-slip means provided on at least a portion of the sheet stacking surface;
A sheet aligning means for aligning at least one of an upstream end in the sheet conveying direction and a side end along the sheet conveying direction of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking means on the anti-slip means;
A sheet processing apparatus comprising: Image forming means for forming an image on a sheet;
A sheet processing apparatus for aligning the end of the sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit,
An image forming apparatus, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1.

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