JP2006151666A - Sheet post-processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet post-processing device, in which an image forming device or a sheet post-processing device to be connected to an image forming system can be changeably combined in such a way that post-processing functions can be realized while maintaining maximum processing ability of the image forming device and the sheet post-processing device. <P>SOLUTION: A buffer module device disposed between the image forming device and the post-processing device comprises a first carrying path to carry sheets delivered from the image forming device to the post-processing, a buffer tray to temporarily accumulate the sheets delivered from the image forming device, a second carrying path to carry the sheets delivered from the image forming device to the buffer tray, a third carrying path to carry the accumulated sheets on the buffer tray to the post-processing device, and a first carrying path changing means to change to carry the sheets delivered from the image forming device to the first carrying path or the second carrying path. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus, and more particularly to a sheet post-processing apparatus to which a buffer module device used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a laser beam printer is connected.

  Conventionally, an image forming apparatus and a sheet post-processing apparatus are configured as a system and are commercialized as an image forming system apparatus.

As another conventional example, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 can be cited.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-243138 JP 2004-151181 A

  However, in the case of the system product as described above, for example, when the sheet post-processing apparatus fails, the image forming apparatus can only be used as a stand-alone, and the post-processing function of the failed sheet post-processing apparatus cannot be used at all. was there. Further, even when the image forming apparatus fails, there is a problem that the sheet post-processing apparatus cannot be used at all and the user's work is remarkably reduced. In addition, the image forming apparatus and the sheet post-processing apparatus of different system products cannot be recombined and used.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art. The image forming apparatus and the sheet post-processing apparatus can be recombined so that the image forming apparatus and the sheet post-processing apparatus connected to the image forming system apparatus can be recombined. An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus capable of realizing a post-processing function while maintaining the processing capacity to the maximum.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a buffer module device that is disposed between an image forming apparatus and a sheet post-processing apparatus, and that transfers sheets between the image forming apparatus and the sheet post-processing apparatus. In the sheet post-processing apparatus, the buffer module device includes a sheet receiving unit that receives a sheet at a sheet discharging position of the image forming apparatus, a sheet discharging unit that discharges a sheet at the sheet receiving position of the sheet post-processing apparatus, A first conveyance path for receiving a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus and directly conveying the sheet to a sheet post-processing apparatus; a buffer tray for receiving and temporarily storing the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus; and the image Second transport for receiving a sheet discharged from the forming apparatus and transporting the sheet to the buffer tray A third conveyance path for conveying the sheets accumulated in the buffer tray to the sheet post-processing apparatus, and a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus in the first conveyance path or the second conveyance path. A first conveyance path switching means for switching the conveyance to any one of the conveyance paths, and a first conveyance path for switching the first conveyance path and the third conveyance path for conveying the sheet to the post-processing apparatus. 2 transport path switching means.

  In the present invention, the buffer module device includes a first processing capacity calculation unit that calculates a first processing capacity of the image forming apparatus, and a second processing capacity that calculates a second processing capacity of the sheet post-processing apparatus. The first processing capacity calculation means and the first processing capacity calculation means perform the first processing based on the transport speed of the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus and the transport time between sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus. The second processing capability calculation means calculates the second processing capability based on a conveyance speed that can be received by the sheet post-processing apparatus and a conveyance time between sheets that can be received by the sheet post-processing apparatus. And comparing means for comparing the first processing capability and the second processing capability.

  In the present invention, if the result of the comparison means determines that the first processing capability is greater than the second processing capability, the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus is placed on the buffer tray. In order to convey, the first conveyance path switching means is switched to the second conveyance path, the conveyance speed of the second conveyance path is made to coincide with the conveyance speed of the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus, The conveyance speed of the third conveyance path is made to coincide with the conveyance speed that can be received by the sheet post-processing apparatus.

  Further, in the present invention, when it is determined by the result of the comparison means that the first processing capability is smaller than the second processing capability, the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus is removed from the first processing capability. In order to convey to the conveyance path, the first conveyance path switching unit is switched to the first conveyance path, and the conveyance speed of the first conveyance path and the conveyance speed that can be received by the sheet post-processing apparatus are set to the image. It is characterized in that it matches the conveyance speed of the sheet discharged from the forming apparatus.

  As described above, according to the present invention, in the buffer module device arranged between the image forming apparatus and the sheet post-processing apparatus, the processing capacity of the image forming apparatus and the processing capacity of the sheet post-processing apparatus are calculated. When it is determined that the processing capability of the image forming apparatus is greater than the processing capability of the sheet post-processing apparatus, the conveyance speed of the second conveyance path is matched with the conveyance speed of the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus, The conveyance speed of the third conveyance path can be matched with the conveyance speed that can be received by the sheet post-processing apparatus. In addition, when it is determined that the processing capability of the image forming apparatus is smaller than the processing capability of the sheet post-processing apparatus, the first conveyance is performed to convey the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus to the first conveyance path. By switching the path switching means to the first conveyance path, the conveyance speed of the first conveyance path and the conveyance speed that can be received by the sheet post-processing apparatus can coincide with the conveyance speed of the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus. Therefore, the image forming apparatus and the sheet post-processing apparatus connected to the image forming system apparatus can be freely recombined, and the sheet post-processing function can be realized while maintaining the processing capability of the image forming apparatus to the maximum.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Description of FIG. 1)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The image forming apparatus 1000 includes a document feeder 100, an image reader 200, a printer 300, a buffer module 400, a folding device 500, and a finisher main body 600.

  The document feeder 100 transports the set documents one by one from the top page in order from the left to the right on the platen glass 102 through a curved path, and then discharges them to the sheet discharge tray 112. At this time, the scanner unit 104 is held at a predetermined position, and the document is read by passing the document from the left to the right on the scanner unit 104.

  When the original passes, the light from the lamp 103 of the scanner unit 104 is irradiated onto the original, and the reflected light from the original is guided to the image sensor 109 via the mirrors 105, 106, 107 and the lens 108. It is also possible to read the original by moving the scanner unit 104 from left to right after stopping the original after the original is conveyed onto the platen glass 102 by the original feeding device 100.

  The document image read by the image sensor 109 is subjected to image processing and sent to the exposure control unit 110. The exposure control unit 110 outputs laser light corresponding to the image signal. The laser beam is irradiated onto the photosensitive drum 111, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 111. The electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 111 is developed by the developing unit 113, and the developer on the photosensitive drum 111 is applied to the sheet fed from any of the cassettes 114 and 115, the manual sheet feeding unit 125, and the duplex conveyance path 124. The image is transferred by the transfer unit 116.

  The sheet onto which the developer has been transferred is subjected to a developer fixing process in the fixing unit 117. The sheet that has passed through the fixing unit 117 is once guided to the path 122 by the flapper 121, and after the trailing edge of the sheet has passed through the flapper 121, the sheet is switched back and guided to the discharge roller 118 by the flapper 121.

  As a result, the surface onto which the developer has been transferred is discharged from the printer 300 by the discharge roller 118 in a downward state (face down).

  When an image is formed on the hard sheet such as an OHP sheet from the manual sheet feeding unit 125, the surface onto which the developer is transferred is discharged from the discharge roller 118 in an upward state (face-up) without being guided to the path 122.

  When forming an image on both sides of the sheet, the sheet is guided straight from the fixing unit 117 to the discharge roller 118, and the sheet is switched back immediately after the trailing edge of the sheet passes through the flapper 121. Lead to 124. The sheet discharged from the discharge roller 118 is sent to the buffer module 400.

  The buffer module 400 has a buffer tray 403 capable of temporarily storing sheets, and matches the processing speed of the folding processing unit 500 or the finisher main body 600 to which the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus 1000 is connected to the next stage. Switching control of the entrance switching flapper 401 is performed, and path switching between the through path 411 and the entrance path 412 is performed. Thereby, adjustment control of the processing capabilities of the image forming apparatus 1000 and the post-processing apparatus is performed. The detailed control of the buffer module 400 will be described later.

  The folding device 500 performs a process of folding the sheet into a Z shape. The folding device 500 has a folding conveyance horizontal path 501 for introducing the paper discharged from the buffer module 400 and guiding it to the finisher main body 600 side. In addition, a folding path selection flapper 502 is provided at the exit (finisher main body 600 side) of the folding conveyance horizontal path 501. When performing the folding process, the folding path selection flapper 502 is turned on, and the sheet is guided to the folding path 503. The sheet guided to the folding path 503 is conveyed to the folding roller 504 and folded into a Z shape. On the other hand, when the folding process is not performed, the folding path selection flapper 502 is turned off, and the sheet is directly sent from the buffer module 400 to the finisher 600 via the folding conveyance horizontal path 501.

  The finisher main body 600 performs processing such as sorting, binding, and punching. An inlet roller pair 601 is provided for guiding the sheet discharged through the folding device 500 to the inside. A switching flapper 604 for guiding the sheet to the finisher path 602 or the first bookbinding path 603 is provided downstream of the entrance roller pair 601.

  The sheet guided to the finisher path 602 is sent toward the buffer roller 606 via the conveying roller pair 605. The transport roller 605 and the buffer roller 606 are configured to be capable of forward and reverse rotation.

  A punch unit 607 is provided between the conveying roller pair 605 and the buffer roller 606, operates as necessary, and punches the vicinity of the rear end of the conveyed paper.

  The buffer roller 606 is a roller capable of stacking a predetermined number of sheets sent around the outer periphery of the buffer roller 606 via the conveying roller pair 605 and winding the sheet around the outer periphery of the roller. , 609, 610.

  A switching flapper 611 is disposed between the pressing rollers 609 and 610, and a switching flapper 612 is disposed downstream of the pressing rollers 610. The switching flapper 611 is a flapper for separating the paper wound around the buffer roller 606 from the buffer roller 606 and guiding it to the non-sorting path 613 or the sorting path 614. Or a flapper for leading to the buffer path 615.

  The sheet guided to the non-sort path 613 is discharged to the sample tray 701 through the discharge roller pair 616. The sheets guided to the sort path 614 are stacked on the intermediate tray 619 via the conveyance roller pair 617 and the discharge roller pair 618. The sheet bundle loaded on the processing tray 619 is subjected to alignment processing and stapling processing as necessary, and then discharged onto the stack tray 700 by the discharge roller 620.

  A stapler 621 is used for stapling processing for binding sheets stacked on the processing tray 619. The stack tray 700 is configured to be capable of self-propelled in the vertical direction.

  The sheets from the first bookbinding path 603 and the second bookbinding path 622 are stored in a storage guide by a first transport roller pair 623 and a second transport roller pair 624, and further, the leading edge of the paper is movable by a third transport roller 625. The sheet is conveyed until it comes into contact with the sheet positioning member 626. The sheet bundle extruded by the pair of folding rollers 627 and the protruding member 628 is folded and then discharged to the saddle tray 702.

  The inserter 800 is provided on the upper part of the finisher main body 600, and sequentially separates the sheet bundles stacked on the tray 801 and conveys them to the finisher path 602 or the second bookbinding path 622.

  The sheet bundle is set with the front side facing up, and is conveyed by a sheet feeding roller 802 to a separation unit including a conveyance roller 803 and a separation belt 807, and sequentially separated one by one from the uppermost sheet.

  A drawing roller pair 804 is disposed adjacent to the downstream of the separation unit, and the separated paper is stably conveyed downstream. A conveyance roller pair 805 is provided between the entrance roller pair 601 and the drawing roller pair 804.

  The conveyance path 806 from the inserter merges with the conveyance path from the buffer module 400 upstream of the inlet roller pair 601.

  Next, the configuration of the buffer module 400 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the buffer module 400 includes an inlet roller pair 404 for guiding the paper discharged from the printer 300 to the inside. Downstream of the inlet roller pair 404, the inlet switching flapper 401 for guiding the paper to the through path 411 or the inlet path 412, the paper from the through path 411 and the paper from the paper discharge path 413 are discharged outside the apparatus. An exit switching flapper 402, an inlet sensor 414 for detecting paper, and a paper discharge sensor 415 are provided.

  By switching the entrance switching flapper 401, the sheet guided to the through path 411 is sent toward the paper discharge roller pair 406 via the transport roller pair 405 (405a, 405b, 405c). The paper sent to the paper discharge roller pair 406 is discharged outside the buffer module 400 and sent to the folding device 500.

  The sheet guided to the inlet path 412 by the switching of the inlet switching flapper 401 is sent toward the buffer tray 403 via the transport roller 407 and stacked on the buffer tray 403.

  Below the buffer tray 403, a feeding unit for feeding the stacked sheets to the next folding apparatus 500 is provided. The feeding unit includes a half-moon roller 409, a separation roller 408, a separation conveyance roller 418, a separation sensor 417, and a sheet presence / absence detection sensor 416 for detecting the presence / absence of sheets in the buffer tray 403.

  Here, the half-moon roller 409 and the separation roller 408 are rotated by a separation motor 434 to separate the sheets one by one from the lowermost part of the sheet bundle stacked in the buffer tray 403. The separation sensor 417 is a sensor that detects whether or not the separation is performed from the buffer tray 403. The separated sheet is transferred to the conveyance roller pair 410 (410a, 410b, 410c) via the separation conveyance roller pair 418, passes through the paper discharge path 413, and is fed from the paper discharge roller pair 406 to the next folding. It is fed to the device 500.

  A full load detection sensor 421 is disposed above the buffer tray 403. The full load detection sensor 421 detects paper when the uppermost surface of the paper stacked in the buffer tray 403 reaches P ′.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control circuit 900 that controls the buffer module 400 of this embodiment. The control circuit 900 is mainly composed of a microprocessor (hereinafter referred to as CPU) 901, and drive circuits and sensor signals for various loads are connected to the input / output ports of the CPU 901.

  The control circuit also includes a RAM 904 that is used as an area for temporarily holding control data, a work area for operations associated with control, and a ROM 903 that stores control sequence software. A communication IC 902 is a communication IC for controlling data communication with the image forming apparatus control unit 906 and the finisher control unit 905.

  The inlet motor 433 is driven by a driver 443. An excitation signal and a motor current control signal are input from the CPU 901 to this driver. Similarly to the above, the separation motor 434 and the paper discharge motor 435 are also driven by the drivers 444 and 445 receiving input signals from the CPU 901. The inlet solenoid 431 and the paper discharge solenoid 432 are driven by drivers 441 and 442, respectively. The operations of all the drivers 441 to 446 are controlled by a signal connected to the output port of the CPU 901.

  Furthermore, various sensors such as an inlet sensor 414, a paper discharge sensor 415, a paper presence / absence detection sensor 416, a separation sensor 417, and a full load detection sensor 421 are connected to an input port of the CPU 901, and the paper and driving load inside the buffer module 400 Used to control

  The operation of the buffer module 400 of the present embodiment will be described based on the buffer module chart of FIG.

  After power-on (main 1) of the buffer module 400 of FIG. 2, the buffer module 400 performs an initialization operation. At the same time, initialization operations of the image forming apparatus 1000, the folding apparatus 500, and the finisher main body 600 of FIG. 1 are also performed. After the initialization operation, if the buffer module 400 can operate normally (main 2), it waits until the operation starts (main 4). If the operation cannot be performed at this time, an error is notified to the image forming apparatus 1000 (main 3).

  When the image formation start signal of the image forming apparatus 1000 is detected, data for calculating the processing capabilities of the image forming apparatus 1000 and the finisher body 600 is acquired by the CPU 901 via the communication IC 902 in FIG. 3 (details will be described later) (main 5). The CPU 901 of the buffer module 400 calculates the processing capacities of the image forming apparatus 1000 and the finisher main body 600 from the data for calculating the processing capacities (details will be described later) (main 6).

  Here, when the processing capability of the finisher main body 600 is higher than the processing capability of the image forming apparatus 1000, or when both processing capabilities are equal (main 7), the paper to be carried is subjected to a through-pass process (main 9) described later. Control. If the processing capability of the image forming apparatus 1000 is higher than that of the finisher main body 600, control (main 8) using a buffer path described later is performed.

  After the series of paper transport processes, the image formation in the image forming apparatus 1000 is finished, and when the paper transport process in the buffer module 400 is finished (main 10), the buffer module 400 finishes the operation (main 11).

(Acquisition of data for calculating processing capacity)
The acquisition of the data for calculating the processing capacity will be described in detail. <(Main 4) in FIG. 4>
The buffer module 400 shown in FIG. 1 acquires data for calculating the respective processing capabilities from the image forming apparatus 1000 and the finisher main body 600 connected before and after that by the CPU 901 via the communication IC 902 (main 5).

  The data obtained from the image forming apparatus 1000 at this time is the conveyance speed of the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus 1000 and the conveyance time between the discharged sheets. Further, the data obtained from the finisher body 600 is the transport speed that can be received by the finisher body 600 and the transport time between sheets that can be received.

  Here, the case where the image forming apparatus 1000 and the finisher body A as the finisher body 600 are connected to the buffer module 400 will be specifically described. Data for calculating the processing capability of the image forming apparatus 1000 obtained by the CPU 901 of the buffer module 400 via the communication IC 902 is data as shown in FIG. That is, when the discharge paper size is A4, the discharge speed is 600 [mm / sec], the paper discharge interval is 1000 [mm / sec], and when the discharge paper size is A3, the discharge speed is 600 [mm / sec], the paper Is a conveyance interval of 2000 [mm / sec]. Next, data for calculating the processing capability obtained from the finisher main body A is data as shown in FIG. That is, when the receivable paper size is A4, the receivable speed 800 [mm / sec], the paper receivable interval 800 [mm / sec], and when the discharged paper size is A3, the receivable speed 800 [mm / sec], The paper receivable interval is 1600 [mm / sec].

  Similarly, when the image forming apparatus 1000 and the finisher body B as the finisher body 600 are connected to the buffer module 400, the data described in FIG. 5 or FIG. 7 can be obtained.

(Calculation of processing capacity)
A method for calculating the processing capacities of the image forming apparatus 1000 and the finisher main body 600 from the data for calculating the processing capacities and determining the control conditions of the buffer module 400 will be described in detail. <(Main 6) in FIG. 4>
The CPU 901 of the buffer module 400 in FIG. 3 has the processing capabilities for the image forming apparatus 1000, the buffer module 400, and the finisher main body 600 from the data for calculating the processing capabilities of the image forming apparatus 1000 and the finisher main body 600 obtained in (main 5). Calculate (main 6). Here, the processing capacity is defined as the number of sheets that can be processed by the apparatus per unit time. Further, similarly to the case of acquiring the data for calculating the processing capability described above, the case where the finisher main body A is connected to the buffer module 400 as the finisher main body 600 will be specifically described. Based on the data obtained by acquiring the data for calculating the processing capacity, the numerical value of the processing capacity as shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 can be obtained by calculation.

60 × 1000 / Conveying interval for discharging paper = Processing capacity of image forming device cpm
... (Formula 1)
60 x 1000 / paper receivable interval = finisher processing capacity cpm
... (Formula 2)
Similarly, even when the image forming apparatus 1000 and the finisher body B are connected to the buffer module 400, the numerical values described in FIG. 5 or FIG. 7 can be obtained by calculation.

  The CPU 901 of the buffer module 400 determines whether the processing capabilities of the image forming apparatus 1000 and the finisher body 600 are high or low based on the result calculated by the above-described calculation method. The CPU 901 adjusts the paper receiving speed and paper discharging speed of the buffer module 400 so that the processing capability of the image forming apparatus 1000 does not decrease when the finisher body 600 and the image forming apparatus 1000 are connected.

(Through pass processing)
Based on the through-pass processing chart of FIG. 8, the through-pass processing operation (main 9) of the buffer module 400 will be described.

  When the CPU 901 in FIG. 3 determines that the processing capability of the image forming apparatus 1000 is slower than the finisher main body 600 (through 2) as the operation starts (through 1), the image forming apparatus 1000 simultaneously starts the image forming operation in FIG. The inlet solenoid 431 and the paper discharge solenoid 432 are respectively turned off, and the inlet switching flapper 401 and the outlet switching flapper 402 in FIG. 2 are switched (through 3) in order to enable paper conveyance in the through path 411 in FIG.

At this time, from the data for calculating the processing capacity, the paper discharge speed of the image forming apparatus 1000, the paper receiving speed of the buffer module 400, and the paper carry-out speed from the buffer module 400 are all equal in the buffer module 400, which will be described later. Each roller to be controlled is rotated. A specific combination of apparatuses corresponds to the case where the finisher body A is connected to the image forming apparatus 1000 as the finisher body 600. That is, when the paper size is A4, the processing capability of the image forming apparatus A is 60 [cpm], and the processing capability of the finisher main body A is 75 [cpm].
It can be determined that the processing capability of the image forming apparatus 1000 <the processing capability of the finisher main body A. Accordingly, the paper discharge speed of the image forming apparatus 1000, the paper receiving speed of the buffer module 400, and the paper carry-out speed from the buffer module 400 are all unified at 600 [mm / sec].

  In this way, when the buffer module 400 receives a sheet by the entrance roller pair 404 that rotates in accordance with the sheet discharge speed from the image forming apparatus 1000, the buffer module 400 rotates the transport roller pair 405 a, 405 b, and 405 c to rotate the sheet. The paper is conveyed to a pair of paper discharge rollers 406. When the leading edge of the sheet conveyed through the through path 411 in FIG. 2 is detected by the sheet discharge sensor 415, the finisher body 600 is driven by the sheet discharge roller pair 406 that rotates in accordance with the speed of the sheet unloaded from the image forming apparatus 1000. (Through4). At this time, the finisher main body 600 performs a processing operation in accordance with the paper conveyance speed at which the image forming apparatus 1000 can operate and the space between the paper sheets.

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the job from the image forming apparatus 1000 has been completed (through 5). If there is a continuous sheet, the process returns to (through 4), and if the operation has been completed, the process proceeds to (through 6).

(Buffer path)
Based on the buffer path processing chart of FIG. 9, the buffer path processing operation (main8) will be described.

After the operation is started (buff1), the CPU 901 in the buffer module 400 determines that the processing capability of the image forming apparatus 1000 is faster than the finisher body 600 (buff2), and detects an image formation start signal of the image forming apparatus 1000. The inlet solenoid 431 and the discharge solenoid 432 in FIG. 3 are turned on, respectively, and the inlet switching flapper 401 and the outlet switching flapper 402 in FIG. . A specific combination of apparatuses corresponds to the case where the finisher body B is connected to the image forming apparatus 1000 as the finisher body 600. That is, when the paper size is A4, the processing capability of the image forming apparatus 1000 is 60 [cpm], and the processing capability of the finisher main body B is 37.5 [cpm].
Processing capability of image forming apparatus 1000> It can be determined that the processing capability of the finisher body B is satisfied. Accordingly, the paper discharge speed of the image forming apparatus 1000 and the paper receiving speed of the buffer module 400 are set to 600 [mm / sec], and the paper carry-out speed from the buffer module 400 is set to 400 [mm / sec].

  In the buffer module 400, the sheet transported from the image forming apparatus 1000 is received by the inlet roller pair 404 of FIG. 2 that rotates at the same speed as the discharge speed of the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus 1000, and transported to the entrance path 412. The transport roller 407 whose leading edge is detected by the inlet sensor 414 starts to rotate, but the paper transported to the buffer tray 403 by the transport roller 407 falls and is stacked in the buffer tray 403 (paper P shown in FIG. 2). (Buff4).

  The sheet bundle P stacked in this manner is lowered by the separation roller 408 and the half-moon roller 409 at an interval at which paper can be delivered between the buffer module 400 and the finisher body 600 based on the processing capability of the finisher body 600. Are separated one by one in order (buff5).

  When the leading edge of the sheet separated from the lower layer of the buffer tray 403 is detected by the separation sensor 417, the pair of transport rollers 410a, 410b, 410c in the sheet discharge path 413 moves the separated sheet toward the finisher main body 600. Rotate to transport. When the paper transported in the paper discharge path 413 is detected by the paper discharge sensor 415, the paper is carried out to the finisher main body 600 by the paper discharge roller pair 406 that rotates in accordance with the receivable speed of the finisher main body 600. (Buff5).

  If there is a sheet to be subsequently separated in the buffer tray 403, the separation process is repeated (buff 7). If there is no sheet to be separated, is the sheet to be processed subsequently carried into the buffer tray 403? Confirm whether or not (buff8).

  At this time, the sheet stacking process (buff4) to the buffer tray 403 and the sheet transporting process (buff5), (buff6), and (buff7) to the post-processing apparatus are operated independently of each other, so that the image forming apparatus 1000 The finisher main body 600 can be processed without degrading the processing capability. When there is no sheet to be processed in the buffer tray 403 at (buff8), the buffer module 400 ends the operation (buff9).

Internal configuration of image forming system Buffer module configuration Hard block diagram of the buffer module Buffer module chart Processing capacity calculation result Processing capacity calculation result Processing capacity calculation result Through-pass processing chart Buffer mopath processing chart

Claims (4)

In the sheet post-processing apparatus, which is disposed between the image forming apparatus and the sheet post-processing apparatus, and includes a buffer module apparatus that transfers a sheet between the image forming apparatus and the sheet post-processing apparatus.
The buffer module device includes:
A sheet receiving portion for receiving a sheet at a sheet discharge position of the image forming apparatus;
A sheet discharge section for discharging the sheet at the sheet receiving position of the sheet post-processing device;
A first conveyance path for receiving a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus and directly conveying the sheet to the sheet post-processing apparatus;
A buffer tray for receiving and temporarily storing sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus;
A second conveyance path for receiving a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus and conveying the sheet to the buffer tray;
A third conveyance path for conveying the sheets accumulated in the buffer tray to the sheet post-processing device;
First conveyance path switching means for switching conveyance of the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus to either the first conveyance path or the second conveyance path;
A sheet post-processing apparatus, comprising: a first transport path for transporting a sheet to the post-processing apparatus; and a second transport path switching unit for switching the third transport path. The buffer module device includes:
First processing capacity calculation means for calculating a first processing capacity of the image forming apparatus;
Second processing capacity calculation means for calculating a second processing capacity of the sheet post-processing apparatus;
The first processing capacity calculation means calculates a first processing capacity based on a transport speed of a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus and a transport time between sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus,
The second processing capacity calculating means calculates the second processing capacity based on a transport speed that can be received by the sheet post-processing apparatus and a transport time between sheets that can be received by the sheet post-processing apparatus,
The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a comparison unit that compares the first processing capability and the second processing capability.   If it is determined by the result of the comparison means that the first processing capacity is greater than the second processing capacity, the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus is transported to the buffer tray in order to transfer the sheet to the buffer tray. The first conveyance path switching means is switched to the second conveyance path, the conveyance speed of the second conveyance path is made to coincide with the conveyance speed of the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus, and the third conveyance path 3. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a conveyance speed is made to coincide with a conveyance speed that can be received by the sheet post-processing apparatus.   When the result of the comparison means determines that the first processing capacity is smaller than the second processing capacity, the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus is transported to the first transport path. In addition, the first conveyance path switching means is switched to the first conveyance path, and the conveyance speed of the first conveyance path and the conveyance speed that can be received by the sheet post-processing apparatus are discharged from the image forming apparatus. 3. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sheet post-processing apparatus matches the sheet conveyance speed.

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