JP2007069994A - Sheet processing device and bookbinding device using this - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet processing device and a bookbinding device using this capable of orderly loading successively carried-out sheets on a tray and aligning them in a predetermined attitude. <P>SOLUTION: The sheet processing device is provided with a loading tray means for loading the sheets successively conveyed out from a paper delivery port in a bundle-like shape; a sheet bundle conveying means for conveying the sheets on the loading tray means to a predetermined processing position; and a post-processing means for applying pasting and other post-processing to the sheet bundle conveyed to the processing position. Further, on the loading tray means, a first alignment means for widthwise aligning the sheets in a direction perpendicular to conveying direction of the loaded sheets, and a second alignment means for aligning the sheets is provided on a restriction means for restricting a leading end or a rear end in a conveying direction of the sheets. After the sheets are widthwise aligned by the first alignment means, the sheets are aligned to the restriction means by the second alignment means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus that aligns and accumulates print sheets carried out from an image forming apparatus or the like in a bundle, and binds the back portion thereof with adhesive glue, staples, and the like, and a bookbinding apparatus using the same. The present invention relates to an improvement in an apparatus for orderly aligning a sheet bundle sequentially conveyed to a predetermined reference position.

  In general, a post-processing apparatus that prints an image created by a computer, a word processor, or the like with a printer, aligns a series of printed sheets in a bundle, and performs stapling, glue binding, or the like is widely used. A bookbinding apparatus that automatically aligns sheets conveyed sequentially from the image forming apparatus in a bundle, applies adhesive paste to the edge of the sheet bundle, and binds it to the cover sheet. The apparatus automatically processes from image formation to bookbinding. Various types have been proposed. As an apparatus for accumulating sheets sequentially fed from the image forming apparatus in a bundle like this, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes an apparatus configuration that aligns sheets in a substantially vertical posture.

On the other hand, as a tray device that stacks sheets in a bundle, a stacking apparatus that stacks sheets in a substantially horizontal posture is widely known, and an aligning unit that aligns sheets stacked on the tray with a width-shifting member is also widely known. A typical aligning means is a method in which an abutting restricting member is provided at one end in the sheet unloading direction and the leading end or the rear end of the sheet is abutted and aligned with the restricting member. In this method, a pair of side edge aligning members are brought into contact with the side edge of the sheet so as to be aligned to the reference position. As a method for aligning the leading or trailing end of the former sheet with a regulating member, for example, in Patent Document 2, the tray for stacking sheets is tilted and the trailing end is brought into contact with the reference surface of the tray end by its own weight. What to do is disclosed. In addition to the weight of the sheet, there is also known one that assists the conveying force with a roller or the like.
JP 2004-114196 A JP 2004-269249 A

  However, when sheets are aligned in the process of stacking sheets on the tray, conventionally, the sheets are stored in a predetermined position on the tray from the discharge port, and then the sheets are aligned in the width direction. For this reason, when aligning a large-capacity sheet bundle, or in the case of a bookbinding apparatus that binds the aligned sheet bundle with adhesive glue or the like, a fatal problem such as missing pages occurs due to poor alignment. This is because, for example, in a stacking state in which the number of sheets exceeds 100 sheets, the side edge aligning member is moved when the sheet loaded in the sheet width direction is greatly displaced in the width direction with respect to the already stacked sheets. Stopping at the position of the accumulated sheet and correct width alignment is not performed. Alternatively, the side edge aligning member may receive a width shifting force and may be scattered outside the tray.

  Similarly, when the sheet to be loaded is curled in a U shape in the conveyance orthogonal direction, the width direction end portion of the sheet may be further curved when the side edge aligning member is aligned, and the width may not be aligned. . Therefore, when the accumulated sheet bundle is glued by a bookbinding apparatus or the like, the bookbinding quality such as page irregularity or missing pages is seriously affected. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet processing apparatus and a bookbinding apparatus using the sheet processing apparatus capable of orderly stacking sequentially conveyed sheets on a tray and aligning them in a predetermined posture. Furthermore, it is an issue to collect curled sheets or a large number of sheets in an orderly manner.

  The present invention employs the following configuration in order to solve the above problems. First, a stacking tray unit that stacks sheets sequentially discharged from the sheet discharge outlet in a bundle is provided. The stacking tray unit includes a first aligning unit that aligns and aligns the sheets in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance of the stacked sheets, and a second unit that aligns the sheets with a regulating unit that regulates the leading or trailing end of the sheet in the conveyance direction. And aligning the sheet with the first aligning means, and aligning the sheet with the restricting means with the second aligning means. As a result, after the sheets stacked on the tray are positioned and aligned with the regulating means in the conveyance direction, the sheets are aligned and aligned in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. Since the sheet is aligned in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction and then aligned with the regulation means in the conveyance direction, the sheet can be accurately aligned with the regulation means.

  For example, an alignment roller that can be rotated forward and backward is provided above the stacking tray, and after the sheet is conveyed onto the tray by this roller, the sheet is aligned in the perpendicular direction, and then the roller is rotated in the reverse direction so as to hit the conveying direction regulating means. The above-described problems can be achieved with a simple structure that matches and matches. Further, since the sheet carried out on the tray is lifted from the stacked sheet and is shifted in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance, the alignment force required for alignment is small and the sheet is aligned in an accurate posture.

  In the present invention, when sheets sequentially discharged from the sheet discharge outlet are stacked in a stack on the stacking tray, the first alignment means arranged on the stacking tray aligns the sheets in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance, and then aligns the sheets. Since the second aligning means is abutted and aligned with the restricting means for restricting the leading or trailing end in the transport direction, the sheet from the conventional discharge port is abutted against the restricting means with the leading or trailing end in the transport direction. After the alignment, the conveyance orthogonal direction is aligned and the sheets from the sheet discharge outlet are aligned in a state of being lifted from these sheet bundles before being closely integrated with the stacked sheets. Therefore, it is possible to accurately align and align with a simple mechanism. In addition, since the edge-alignment alignment is performed after the width-alignment alignment, the end edges can be reliably aligned, and sheet bundle alignment suitable for a bookbinding apparatus such as glue binding is possible.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the illustrated embodiments. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming system incorporating a sheet cutting apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of the main part of the sheet cutting unit, and FIG. 3 shows details of the sheet stacking unit in the apparatus of FIG.

"Configuration of image forming system"
An image forming system shown in FIG. 1 includes an image forming apparatus (a copying machine shown in the figure) A, a bookbinding apparatus (bookbinding section) B connected to a paper discharge port of the image forming apparatus, and a downstream of the bookbinding apparatus B. The sheet cutting apparatus according to the present invention is incorporated as a unit in the bookbinding apparatus B. The bookbinding apparatus B receives sheets from the paper discharge port of the image forming apparatus A, collects a series of documents in a bundle, and glues the sheets to one side edge (back) of the bundle to bind the cover sheet. Next, a predetermined amount of the peripheral edge of the sheet bound in the booklet shape is cut and accumulated in the storage stacker. The post-processing apparatus C is attached to the bookbinding apparatus, and is configured to receive a sheet not subjected to bookbinding processing and to perform post-processing such as step binding, punching (punching processing), stamp (printing processing), and the like. The illustrated post-processing apparatus C includes a paper discharge stacker 35 that stores sheets formed with the image forming apparatus A.

  First, the image forming apparatus A shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The image forming apparatus A includes an image forming unit 3 provided in the main body device 2 and an image reading device (scanner unit) 7 disposed above the main body device 2. And a document feeder (ADF unit) 5. The main body apparatus 2 is provided with an image forming unit 3, and forms an image on a sheet such as plain paper or an OHP sheet supplied from the paper supply unit 9 via the conveyance roller 10. For example, the image forming unit 3 forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 8 by the light irradiating unit 13, and attaches toner with a developing unit and transfers it onto a sheet. This sheet is fixed by the fixing device 6 and carried out from the paper discharge port 19. When performing double-sided printing, the sheet printed on one side is turned upside down by the switchback path 17, sent again from the circulation path 18 to the photosensitive drum 8, printed on the back side, and carried out from the paper discharge port 19. In addition, 12 in the figure is a manual sheet feeding port, and supplies special sheets such as thick paper such as a cover sheet and coating sheet.

  An image reading device (scanner unit) 7 is disposed above the main body device 2 configured as described above. The image reading device 7 scans a document placed on the platen with a photoelectric conversion element and transfers image data to the data storage unit 14 of the main body device 2. Further, the image reading device 7 is provided with a document supply device (ADF unit) 5 for automatically feeding a document to the platen. The document feeder 5 separates the documents set on the sheet feeding tray one by one and automatically feeds them to the platen. Such an image forming apparatus is widely used and has various structures. However, the image forming apparatus is not limited to the electrostatic printing system shown in the figure, and a system such as screen printing or ink jet printing can be employed.

"Configuration of bookbinding equipment"
A bookbinding device B is attached to the paper discharge port 19 of the image forming apparatus A. As shown in detail in FIG. 1, a stacking unit 42 that stacks and stores sheets in a bundle, an adhesive application unit 22, a cover bonding unit 60, a cutting unit 23, and a storage stack unit 34 are provided. . Then, after receiving the sheet on which the image is formed from the sheet carry-in path T1 connected to the paper discharge port 19 of the image forming apparatus A, a series of sheets are stacked and aligned by the stacking unit 42, and then this is applied by the adhesive application unit 22. Gluing is performed on one side edge of the bundled sheet, and the cover sheet is bound together with the cover sheet by the cover sheet bonding portion 60. The adhesive application unit 22 and the cover sheet bonding unit 60 constitute a “binding means”. Thereafter, the cutting section 23 performs a series of bookbinding processes for cutting and finishing the peripheral edge of the booklet-shaped sheet.

  In particular, in the illustrated apparatus, the stacking unit 42 stacks and aligns sheets in a substantially horizontal posture, rotates the sheet bundle S1 by 90 degrees, glues it in a substantially vertical posture, binds it to a cover sheet, It is characterized by sequentially processing the cutting alignment in a substantially vertical posture. Thus, the apparatus is made compact by transferring the sheet from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction. Further, a conveyance path T2 for guiding the sheet to the stacking unit 42 and a conveyance path T3 for guiding the sheet to the post-processing apparatus C are connected to the sheet carry-in path T1 through a path switching flapper 27 as illustrated. 1 shows a configuration in which a cover sheet is supplied from the image forming apparatus A. However, an insert device that automatically supplies a cover sheet is provided in the sheet carry-in path T1, and the cover sheet is supplied from the insert device. A configuration may be adopted in which a sheet is supplied. 25 and 29 shown in the figure are conveying rollers arranged in each path.

  The apparatus configured as described above includes a normal discharge mode in which the sheet from the image forming apparatus A is directly carried out to the discharge tray 35 of the post-processing apparatus C by the switching flapper (switching means) 27, and the image forming apparatus. After the sheet from A is sent from the carry-in path T1 to the transport path T2, and glued by the adhesive application unit 22, the bookbinding mode in which the sheet is bound and finished in an uncut state, and the sheet edge after the bookbinding is cut and cut. It is executed in the bookbinding / cutting mode to align. Explaining the configuration of the stacking unit 42 described above, a stacking tray 42a is disposed on the transport path T2 so as to form an upper and lower step on the downstream side of the sheet discharge port 40. Then, the sheets are sequentially carried out to the stacking tray 42 a by the discharge roller 31 provided at the paper discharge port 40. An alignment roller 44 and a weight member 45 capable of forward and reverse rotation are disposed between the paper discharge port 40 and the stacking tray 42a.

  The alignment roller 44 is supported by a bracket 47 swingable on a support shaft 46 so as to be movable up and down, and is rotated forward and backward by a drive motor (not shown). The bracket 47 is connected to an actuator (for example, a small stepping motor or a rotary solenoid) that moves the alignment roller 44 up and down between a retracted position spaced upward from the sheet and an operating position in contact with the sheet. Accordingly, the discharge roller 31 moves from the upper retracted position to the operating position in contact with the sheet, and conveys the sheet from the sheet discharge port 40 in the forward direction (left direction in FIG. 4) by its normal rotation, and in the right direction in the figure by the reverse rotation. The sheet is conveyed to.

  A weight member 45 is provided at the paper discharge port 40. The weight member 45 is composed of a plate-shaped guide piece for guiding the sheet from the paper discharge port 40 onto the tray, and is supported so as to be rotatable about a support shaft 48. The retraction position is connected to the stepping motor 49 so as to rotate about the support shaft 48, and the retraction position retracted above the paper discharge port 40 and the sheet conveyed to the paper discharge port 40 are guided onto the stacking tray 42a. It is configured to be movable between a paper discharge guide position to be pressed and a sheet pressing position for pressing the rear end of the conveyed sheet on the tray and guiding it to a restriction member (regulation means) described later. Accordingly, the alignment roller 44 constitutes a second alignment unit (sheet transfer unit) that aligns the sheet with the regulating member at the rear end in the sheet conveyance direction.

  Therefore, when the sheet is carried out from the discharge port 40, the weight member 45 guides the sheet in the tray direction as shown in FIG. 4, and the alignment roller 44 is retracted after the leading end of the sheet reaches the stacking tray 42a. The sheet is lowered from the position to a position in contact with the sheet, and the sheet is transferred in the carry-out direction. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6, the alignment roller 44 and the weight member 45 are moved in the right direction by the reverse rotation of the alignment roller 44 in contact with the sheet after the alignment of the sheets. At this time, the weight member 45 is The sheet is lowered to the contact position and guided to the regulating member 37 while pressing the rear end of the sheet. The stacking tray 42a is provided with a regulating member (regulating means) 37 that regulates the trailing edge of the sheets stacked on the tray on the trailing edge side in the paper discharge direction. The restricting member 37 may be formed integrally with the tray so as to form an abutting surface 37a protruding on the tray integrally with the stacking tray 42a. However, the restricting member 37 shown in FIG. In order to move up and down, it is attached to a device frame (not shown).

  Generally, when sheets are stacked, depending on the state of the sheet such as a curl, it is not aligned with the reference surface of the regulating member 37 prepared at the front end or the rear end in the transport direction, and is slightly separated (about 0.1 to 0.5 mm) in the front and rear in the transport direction. There are sheets that are uneven. When an adhesive (such as glue) is applied to the sheet bundle in such a state, the uneven sheet is difficult to adhere to the adhesive. This is because from the moment when the hot-melt adhesive is applied to the sheet bundle S1, the sheet bundle S1 is deprived of heat and solidifies by cooling, so that its viscosity increases and does not penetrate between the leaves of the sheet bundle S1.

  Therefore, it is necessary to reliably align the sheet with the abutting surface 37a of the regulating member 37, and the stacking tray 42a is inclined toward the regulating member side so that the sheet abuts against the abutting surface 37a by its own weight. At the same time, the curled sheet is pressed by the weight member 45 and guided to the abutting surface 37a. Further, the alignment roller 44 ensures that the rear end of the sheet reaches the abutting surface 37a.

  Further, the above-described stacking tray 42a is provided with a first aligning means 70 that regulates the width of stacked sheets in the conveyance orthogonal direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the first aligning means 70 includes a pair of side edge aligning members 70a and 70b that are movable in the left-right width direction on the top surface of the stacking tray 42a. The pair of side edge aligning members 70a and 70b are configured to align sheets on the basis of the center, and the left and right side edge aligning members are movable so that they move toward and away from each other by the same amount toward the center of the sheet. Attach to. Further, when aligning the sheets on the one side reference, the reference side edge aligning member is fixed at the reference position, and the opposite side edge aligning member is configured to be movable.

  Various methods are known for supporting the side edge aligning members 70a and 70b. The side edge aligning member can be moved in the width direction (in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance; the same applies hereinafter) on the bottom of the stacking tray 42a, for example. The side edge alignment member is supported by forward / reverse rotation of the drive motor by supporting and providing a rack in the width direction on an appropriate device frame, and meshing with the pinion of the drive motor (shift means) mounted on the side edge alignment member. It will reciprocate in the width direction. In addition, a pair of side edge aligning members are supported on the tray so as to be movable in the width direction, and the side edge aligning members are connected to wires extending between pulleys arranged on the left and right sides of the width direction, and one of the pulleys is driven by a drive motor (shift (Structure) may be used.

  Note that the illustrated stacking tray 42a is configured to be shorter than the length in the sheet carry-out direction so that the leading end of the sheet hangs down outside the tray. This is because the sheet is curled in a different orthogonal direction by curving the sheet in the carry-out direction when the sheet is brought close by the first aligning means 70, and at the same time, the sheet is stiffened. When the sheet is curved in this way, a buckling phenomenon does not occur when the sheet is shifted in the direction perpendicular thereto. Therefore, the stacking tray 42a is provided with a deflecting means 75 (see FIG. 5), and the illustrated deflecting means 75 is a guide piece that hangs downward from the upper end of the stacking tray 42a so as to forcibly bend the leading end of the sheet. It is configured. Accordingly, even a sheet such as cardboard or a sheet curled in the opposite direction can be bent into a predetermined shape.

  The alignment roller 44 is configured to come into contact with the sheet with an engaging force that does not hinder the movement of the sheet when the side edge alignment members 70a and 70b move the sheet. Is granted. This is because the alignment roller 44 may be retracted to the upper retracted position when the sheet is moved by the side edge aligning members 70a and 70b, but the sheet transported onto the tray is moved from the curved leading end to the outside of the tray. In order to prevent this, a means for always pressing and holding the sheet is required. In the illustrated example, the sheet is pressed and held by the alignment roller 44. Therefore, although the alignment roller 44 constitutes a pressing member that presses and holds the uppermost sheet, the pressing means may be an elastic member such as a swingable lever member or a synthetic resin film.

  When a series of sheets are stacked on the stacking tray 42a having the above-described configuration in a substantially horizontal posture, the stacking tray 42a is lowered by a predetermined distance in the direction of the arrow a from the stacking position where the sheets are stacked, as indicated by an arrow in FIG. The tray is moved to the first position P1. Next, the sheet bundle S1 is moved from the P1 position in the direction of an arrow b perpendicular to the P1 position, and is fed to the second position P2. In the second position P2, grippers 55a and 55b for holding the end of the sheet bundle S1 carried out from the stacking tray 42a are provided. The grippers 55a and 55b constitute sheet bundle conveying means for conveying the sheet from the stacking tray 42a to a predetermined processing position (glue application position).

  The grippers 55a and 55b turn the sheet bundle S1 from the horizontal posture in the direction of the arrow c in FIG. 1 to deflect it to a substantially vertical posture, and convey it to the adhesive application unit 22 disposed downstream thereof. As shown in FIG. 8, the illustrated gripper includes main grippers 56a and 56b that grip the vicinity of the gluing end surface of the sheet bundle, and sub grippers 57a and 57b that guide the sheet to the main grippers 56a and 56b and support the center of the sheet. It is composed of In the gripper mechanism shown in FIG. 8, a unit frame 131 is attached to an apparatus frame (not shown) so as to be rotatable around a shaft 130, and a fan gear 136 is rotated by a turning motor 135 provided on the apparatus frame, whereby the unit frame 131 is rotated. Rotates a predetermined angle.

  One main gripper 56 a is fixed to the unit frame 131, and the other main gripper 56 b is supported by a bearing guide 138 of the unit frame 131 by a rod 137. A rack 139 is provided on the rod 137, and a grip control motor 140 is connected to the rack 139. Sub grippers 57a and 57b are attached to the main grippers 56a and 56b, respectively. The illustrated sub grippers 57a and 57 are rotatably supported by the main grippers 56a and 56b by a shaft 130, and are prevented from rotating by a lock claw (not shown). This is to correct the posture (skew correction) by rotating the sheet bundle S1 held by the sub grippers 57a and 57b. After the skew correction, the sheet bundle S1 is clamped together by fixing with a locking claw. Therefore, when it is not necessary to correct the posture of the sheet bundle S1, the main gripper and the sub gripper may be integrally formed.

  Next, the adhesive application unit 22 includes an adhesive container 66a that stores an adhesive (for example, glue), and an application roller 66b that applies the adhesive stored in the adhesive container 66a to the edge of the sheet bundle S1. The adhering means 66 is provided. The adhesion means 66 is held by the grippers 55a and 55b and applies an adhesive such as glue to the lower end edge of the sheet bundle S1 in a substantially vertical posture. Therefore, the paste container 66a shown in FIG. 1 is supported by a guide rail (not shown) along a path longer than the length of the sheet so as to be movable in the front and back direction in FIG. 1, and moves along the lower edge of the sheet bundle. In addition, it is configured to be movable between a standby position outside the application area and a replenishment position where the adhesive is replenished.

  The glue container 66a is provided with an application roller 66b impregnated with glue such as heat-resistant rubber. The application roller 66b is rotated by a drive motor (not shown), and the glue container 66a moves along the end face of the sheet bundle. A small gap is formed between the sheet and the sheet. The gluing amount is adjusted by changing the gap according to the thickness of the sheet bundle. When the adhering means 66 is positioned at the standby position, the transport path T4 of the sheet bundle S1 is secured, and the sheet bundle S1 subjected to the gluing process is sent to the cover sheet adhering portion 60 by the grippers 55a and 55b.

  A cover sheet bonding portion (cover sheet binding portion) 60 is provided at an intersection between the conveyance path T3 and the conveyance path T4. The cover sheet is conveyed on the conveyance path T3, and the center of the sheet is prepared at the intersection. ing. Therefore, the cover sheet and the sheet bundle S1 are aligned and joined in an inverted T shape so that the sheet bundle coincides with the center (sheet center) of the cover sheet. At the time of this joining, a backup plate 59 is prepared on the transport path T3. The edge of the sheet bundle S1 coated with the adhesive is pressed in the vertical direction from above by the grippers 55a and 55b against the cover sheet positioned in this way and supported by the backup plate 59. Thereafter, the cover sheet and the sheet bundle S1 are pressed from both sides by a slidable back folded plate in a state of being abutted against the backup plate 59. Thereby, a fold (back) corresponding to the thickness of the sheet bundle S1 is formed on the cover.

  Next, when the backup plate 59 moves to the outside from the transport path T4 and retracts, the grippers 55a and 55b deliver the sheet bundle S1 to which the cover sheet is adhered to the lower cutting unit 23 while sandwiching the sheet bundle S1. The cutting section 23 is provided with a pair of carry-in rollers 113 as folding rolls, and takes over the sheet bundle S1 conveyed from the grippers 55a and 55b and sends it to the cutting section 23 on the downstream side.

  Next, the configuration of the cutting unit 23 will be described. The cutting unit 23 includes a cutting stage and a cutting unit 125 (cutting edge press units 120b and 120c and a cutting blade 120a, which will be described later). The gripper 122 is configured to sandwich the sheet therebetween. A conveyance path T4 is provided downstream of the carry-in roller 113 to cut a predetermined portion of the sheet bundle S1 from the cover sheet bonding portion 60 and carry it to the storage stack portion 34. A rotary table 121 and a gripper 122 are arranged on the transport path T4 at positions facing each other with the transport guide 119 interposed therebetween. The rotary table 121 and the gripper 122 are configured to be rotatable while holding the sheet bundle S1, and a predetermined position (the top portion, the ground portion, and the fore edge portion) of the sheet bundle is arranged at a downstream cutting position XX ( (See FIG. 9C).

  At the cutting position XX, cutting edge press means 120b, 120c for holding the cutting edge under pressure and a cutting blade 120a are arranged as follows. A blade receiving member 150 is provided at the cutting position XX, and a flat blade-shaped cutting blade 120a performs a cutting operation facing the blade receiving member 150. And the cutting edge press means which presses and supports the cutting edge of the sheet bundle S1 shown in FIG. 9A at the position facing the blade receiving member 150 is constituted by the pressing member 120c, the movable pressure plate 120b and the pressure mechanism. Has been. The cutting blade 120a is constituted by a flat blade cutter, and is arranged at a cutting position XX on the downstream side of the rotary table 121 as shown in FIG. 9C, and is configured to reciprocate in the illustrated horizontal direction. The sheet bundle S1 is cut in the order of the base portion and the fore edge portion, and the cut sheet bundle S1 is stored in the storage stack portion 34.

  In the apparatus described above, a state where sheets are stacked on the stacking tray 42a from the paper discharge port 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 shows a state where a sheet is carried into the stacking tray 42a, and the sheet S is conveyed by the conveyance roller shown in FIG. 1 to the paper discharge port 40 of the conveyance path T2. The sheet S is unloaded from the discharge port 40 onto the stacking tray 42 a by the discharge roller 31. At this time, the weight member 45 is held by the stepping motor 49 in the state shown in FIG. 4 to guide the sheets onto the stacking tray 42a. The aligning roller 44 rotates in the clockwise direction in the drawing, and conveys the sheet together with the discharge roller 31 onto the stacking tray 42a. Then, as described above, since the stacking tray 42a is set to be shorter than the length in the sheet conveyance direction, the deflection means 75 guides the sheet downward to the state shown in FIG. Curved to hang outward from the tray.

  By forcibly bending the leading edge of the sheet by the deflecting means 75, it is possible to prevent the sheet from being scattered to the outside of the tray when the sheet is curved in the reverse upward direction. Further, a sheet curved in the conveyance orthogonal direction is also forced to bend in the illustrated direction. At this time, the aligning roller 44 stops and presses and supports the sheet S with a constant pressing force. In the state shown in FIG. 5, the pair of side edge alignment members 70a and 70b are moved by a predetermined amount by the drive motor (not shown), thereby aligning the sheets. In the illustrated example, since the sheet S is aligned with the center reference, both side edge alignment members move in the same amount of opposite directions to align the sheet with the reference position. The alignment roller 44 is in contact with the sheet with an engagement force that does not prevent the sheet from being moved in the width direction. Since the sheet is shifted in the curved state in this way, the sheet is stiffened in the conveyance orthogonal direction and is moved to an accurate position by the side edge alignment member. In addition, since this sheet is immediately after being discharged from the paper discharge port 40, it is in a state of being lifted from the already stacked sheet, and the frictional resistance received by contacting the stacked sheet is reduced, and the sheet is moved to the reference position with a light shifting force. To do.

  Next, the aligning roller 44 rotates counterclockwise in the state shown in FIG. Then, the rear end of the sheet is abutted and aligned with the abutting surface 37a of the regulating member 37 disposed on the stacking tray 42a in the state of FIG. At this time, the weight member 45 is positioned by the stepping motor 49 at a position in contact with the rear end of the sheet, and the curled sheet is corrected and guided to the abutting surface 37a. In this way, after the sheets are aligned by the side edge alignment members 70a and 70b as the first alignment means, the rear end in the conveying direction is abutted and aligned with the regulating member 37 by the alignment roller 44 as the second alignment means. The alignment of the trailing edge is accurately aligned without unevenness. The sheet bundle S1 aligned in this way is applied with adhesive glue on the aligned rear end edge in the next step.

1 is a configuration diagram of an image forming system according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating details of a sheet cutting unit of a bookbinding apparatus. The perspective view which shows the detail of the accumulation | storage part in the apparatus of FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where sheets enter the tray of the stacking unit illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the sheets stored in the tray of the stacking unit illustrated in FIG. Explanatory drawing of the state which transfers the sheet | seat of the stacking | stacking part shown in FIG. 3 to a control means. Explanatory drawing of the state which abuts and matches the sheet | seat of the stacking | stacking part shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a sheet bundle conveying unit that carries out a sheet bundle from a stacking tray. The structure of the cutting blade which cuts a sheet | seat in a cutting position is shown, (a) shows the state before cutting, (b) shows the state after cutting, (c) shows the state of the sheet | seat of a cutting part, respectively.

Explanation of symbols

23 Cutting part 31 Discharge roller 37 Restriction member (regulation means)
37a Abutting surface 40 Paper discharge port 42 Stacking portion 42a Stacking tray 44 Alignment roller (second alignment means)
45 Guide weights 55a, 55b Gripper (sheet bundle conveying means)
56a, 56b Main grippers 57a, 57b Sub gripper 70 Alignment means (first alignment means)
70a Alignment member 70b Alignment member 75 Deflection means 125 Cutting means

Claims (8)

A sheet processing apparatus comprising stacking tray means for stacking sheets sequentially ejected from a sheet discharge outlet in a bundle shape,
The stacking tray unit includes a first aligning unit that aligns the sheets in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance of the stacked sheets, and a second alignment that aligns the sheets with a regulating unit that regulates the leading or trailing end of the sheet in the conveyance direction. Means,
A sheet processing apparatus comprising: aligning a sheet by the first aligning unit; and aligning the sheet to the restricting unit by the second aligning unit. The first aligning means is composed of a pair of side edge aligning members opposed to each other in the sheet conveyance orthogonal direction, and at least one of the pair of side edge aligning members includes a shift means that moves in the sheet width direction,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second alignment unit includes a sheet transfer unit that transfers the uppermost sheet on the tray to the regulation unit.   3. The sheet according to claim 2, wherein the sheet transporting unit is configured by a roller unit capable of forward and reverse rotation, and after the sheet is transported in a sheet transporting direction, the sheet is reversed and transported to the regulating unit. Processing equipment.   The stacking tray means is configured such that the leading end of the sheet hangs outward from the tray and curves, and the stacking tray is provided with a pressing member that presses and holds the uppermost sheet. The sheet processing apparatus according to 1.   5. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the stacking tray unit is provided with a sheet deflecting unit that deflects and curves the sheet from the sheet discharge port. The stacking tray means is provided with a sheet transfer means capable of rotating forward and backward to carry out a sheet from a sheet discharge outlet, and a weight member that presses the uppermost sheet on the stacking tray means and guides it to the regulating means.
2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the first aligning unit aligns and aligns the sheets, the sheet transfer unit and the weight member are retracted upward from the uppermost sheet. A stacking tray means for stacking sheets sequentially discharged from the sheet discharge outlet in a bundle;
A sheet bundle conveying means for conveying the sheets on the stacking tray means to a predetermined processing position;
A post-processing means for performing pasting or other post-processing on the sheet bundle conveyed to the processing position,
The stacking tray unit includes a first aligning unit that aligns the sheets in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance of the stacked sheets, and a second alignment that aligns the sheets with a regulating unit that regulates the leading or trailing end of the sheet in the conveyance direction. Means are provided,
After the sheets are aligned by the first aligning means, the sheets are aligned with the restricting means by the second aligning means, and the sheet bundle is conveyed to the processing position by the sheet bundle conveying means. Bookbinding device.   The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the post-processing unit further includes a cutting unit that cuts the sheet bundle subjected to the gluing process.