JP2007118351A - Imaging system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem wherein when an image is present on a pasting margin, of a cover, to which a wrapped paper bundle is pasted, the pasting strength between the paper bundle and the cover deteriorates as a result of executing a bookbinding operation such as pasting. <P>SOLUTION: This imaging system decides whether there is an area of an image formation part of the cover in the pasting section of an adhesion means. In case the decision is made that the area of the image formation part is present in the pasting section, a warning is issued. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a gluing bookbinding apparatus and an image forming system including the gluing bookbinding apparatus, and more particularly to a determination unit and a warning unit that determine whether or not accurate gluing can be performed.

Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a sheet for selectively performing processing such as a gluing device for gluing one side of a bundle of sheets composed of a plurality of sheets and a cutting process for trimming other than the gluing surface A processing apparatus is configured to be attached, and an image forming apparatus is configured by connecting them (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2005-104063 A

  However, in the above-described prior art, even when an image exists on the glued surface between the sheet bundle and the cover to be bonded so as to wrap the sheet bundle, the bookbinding operation such as glueing is performed. For this reason, if there is a cover image on the gluing surface, there is a problem that the gluing strength of the sheet bundle and the cover is reduced. In addition, the bookbinding is completed in a state not intended by the user, such as hiding the image existing on the gluing surface, and there is a problem from the viewpoint of usability.

  In view of the above, the present invention can guarantee the quality of the product to be bound by determining the presence or absence of the image forming unit on the pasting surface before performing the bookbinding operation, and is a user-friendly bookbinding device for the user. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming system capable of realizing the above.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus, a stacking unit for stacking recording paper discharged from the image forming apparatus, and a paste on the back side of the stack of sheets stacked by the stacking unit. Gluing means for applying the melted glue, an adhesive means for generating a booklet by adhering a cover to the glued surface applied by the gluing means, and cutting a bundle end face of the bookbinding generated by the adhesive means In an image forming system comprising a bookbinding apparatus comprising a bookbinding means comprising a cutting means, an image of a bundle thickness estimating means for estimating the thickness of the bookbinding generated by the bookbinding means, and a glued portion of the bookbinding cover White width calculation means for calculating a white width, comparison value storage means for storing values determined by the bundle thickness estimation means and the white width calculation means, the bundle thickness estimation means, and the white space Comparing the values obtained by the calculation means, a judgment means for judging whether or not the image forming portion of the cover page is present in the glue portion in the adhesion means, and the image on the glue portion by the judgment means. An image forming system is provided that includes a warning unit that issues a warning when it is determined that a formation portion exists.

  According to the invention according to the present invention, it is possible to guarantee the quality of the product to be bound by determining the presence or absence of the image forming unit on the pasting surface before performing the bookbinding operation. If the front image forming portion of the cover is present in the glued portion and the quality of the bookbinding product cannot be guaranteed, a warning can be displayed and the user can be notified of this. Can be realized.

(overall structure)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a longitudinal sectional structure of a main part of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus includes an image forming apparatus main body 10 and a post-processing apparatus such as a glue binding apparatus 500 and a finisher apparatus 400. The image forming apparatus main body 10 includes an image reader 200 that reads an image from a document and a printer 350 that forms the read image on a sheet.

  More specifically, the document feeder 100 is mounted on the image reader 200 of the image forming apparatus main body 10. The document feeder 100 feeds documents set upward on the document tray one by one from the first page in order to the left in FIG. 1, and flows from the left on the platen glass 102 through a curved path to a reading position. Then, the paper is conveyed to the right, and then discharged toward the external paper discharge tray 112. When the original passes through the plate reading position on the platen glass 102 from the left to the right, the original image is read by the scanner unit 104 held at a position corresponding to the flow reading position. This reading method is generally referred to as document scanning. Specifically, when the original passes through the reading position, the original reading surface is irradiated with the light from the lamp 103 of the scanner unit 104, and the reflected light from the original passes through the mirrors 105, 106, and 107 to the lens. To 108. The light that has passed through the lens 108 forms an image on the imaging surface of the image sensor 109.

  In this way, by transporting the document so that it passes from the left side to the right of the sink reading position, the document reading scan in which the direction orthogonal to the document transport direction is the main scanning direction and the transport direction is the sub-scanning direction. Is done. That is, when the document passes the flow reading position, the document image is read in the sub-scanning direction while reading the document image by the image sensor 109 line by line in the main scanning direction. The optically read image is converted into image data by the image sensor 109 and output. The image data output from the image sensor 109 is input to the exposure control unit 110 of the printer 350 as a video signal.

  Note that it is also possible to read a document by conveying the document onto the platen glass 102 by the document feeder 100 and stopping it at a predetermined position, and scanning the scanner unit 104 from left to right in this state. This reading method is a so-called fixed original reading method.

  When reading a document without using the document feeder 100, the user first lifts the document feeder 100 to place the document on the platen glass 102, and then scans the scanner unit 104 from left to right. The original is read by. That is, when reading a document without using the document feeder 100, a fixed document reading is performed.

  The exposure control unit 110 of the printer 350 modulates and outputs a laser beam based on the video signal input from the image reader 200. The laser light is irradiated onto the photosensitive drum 111 while being scanned by the polygon mirror 110a. An electrostatic latent image corresponding to the scanned laser beam is formed on the photosensitive drum 111. Here, the exposure control unit 110 outputs a laser beam so that a correct image (an image that is not a mirror image) is formed during document fixed reading. The electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 111 is visualized as a developer image by the developer supplied from the developing device 113.

  On the other hand, sheets fed by the pickup rollers 127 and 128 from the upper cassette 114 or the lower cassette 115 provided in the printer 350 are conveyed to the registration rollers 126 by the sheet feeding rollers 129 and 130. When the leading edge of the sheet reaches the registration roller 126, the registration roller 126 is driven at an arbitrary timing, and the sheet is conveyed between the photosensitive drum 111 and the transfer unit 116 at a timing synchronized with the start of laser beam irradiation. To do. The developer image formed on the photosensitive drum 111 is transferred by the transfer unit 116 onto the fed paper. The sheet onto which the developer image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 117, and the fixing unit 117 fixes the developer image on the sheet by heating and pressurizing the sheet. The sheet that has passed through the fixing unit 117 is discharged from the printer 350 to the outside of the image forming apparatus main body (gluing bookbinding machine 500) via the flapper 121 and the discharge roller 118.

  Here, when the sheet is discharged with its image forming surface facing downward (face-down), the sheet that has passed through the fixing unit 117 is once guided into the reverse path 122 by the switching operation of the flapper 121, and the trailing edge of the sheet. After passing through the flapper 121, the paper is switched back and discharged from the printer 350 by the discharge roller 118. This paper discharge form is called reverse paper discharge. This reverse paper discharge is performed when forming an image in order from the first page, such as when forming an image read using the document feeder 100 or when forming an image output from a computer. The paper order after the paper discharge is the correct page order.

  In addition, when a hard sheet such as an OHP sheet is fed from the manual sheet feeding unit 125 and an image is formed on the sheet, the image forming surface is faced up without leading the sheet to the reverse path 122 (face-up). ) By the discharge roller 118. Further, when double-sided recording for image formation is set on both sides of the paper, the paper is guided to the reverse path 122 by the switching operation of the flapper 121 and then transported to the double-sided transport path 124 and then guided to the double-sided transport path 124. Control is performed so that the fed paper is fed again between the photosensitive drum 111 and the transfer unit 116 at the timing described above.

  The paper discharged from the printer 350 of the image forming apparatus main body 10 is sent to the gluing bookbinding machine 500.

(Overall system block diagram)
Next, a configuration of a controller that controls the entire image forming system and an overall system block diagram will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 47 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a controller that controls the entire image forming system of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 47, the controller includes a CPU circuit unit 150. The CPU circuit unit 150 includes a CPU (not shown), a ROM 151, and a RAM 152, and each block 101 is controlled by a control program stored in the ROM 151. , 201, 202, 209, 304, 601 and 501 are collectively controlled. The RAM 152 temporarily stores control data and is used as a work area for arithmetic processing associated with control.

  The document feeder control unit 101 controls driving of the document feeder 100 based on an instruction from the CPU circuit unit 150. The image reader control unit 201 performs drive control on the above-described scanner unit 104, the image sensor 109, and the like, and transfers an analog image signal output from the image sensor 109 to the image signal control unit 202. Further, the image signal control unit 202 controls the bundle thickness estimation unit 120 described later.

  The image signal control unit 202 converts each analog image signal from the image sensor 109 into a digital signal, performs each process, converts the digital signal into a video signal, and outputs the video signal to the printer control unit 304. In addition, the digital image signal input from the computer 210 via the external I / F 209 is subjected to various processes, and the digital image signal is converted into a video signal and output to the printer control unit 304. The processing operation by the image signal control unit 202 is controlled by the CPU circuit unit 150. The printer control unit 304 drives the above-described exposure control unit 110 based on the input video signal. Further, the image signal control unit 202 performs control of an outline width calculating unit 204 described later.

  The bookbinding apparatus control unit 501 includes a stacking unit 580, a gluing unit 581, an adhesive unit 582, and a cutting unit 583, which will be described later, and collectively controls each unit of the bookbinding apparatus based on a signal from the CPU circuit unit 150.

  The operation display device control unit 601 exchanges information between the operation display device 600 and the CPU circuit unit 150. The operation display device 600 includes a plurality of keys for setting various functions relating to image formation, a display unit for displaying information indicating a setting state, and the like, and a key signal corresponding to the operation of each key is sent to the CPU circuit unit 150. While outputting, corresponding information is displayed on the display unit based on the signal from the CPU circuit unit 150.

(Glue binding equipment)
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an internal configuration of the gluing bookbinding machine 500 according to the present invention.

  The gluing bookbinding machine 500 includes a paper stacking unit A for stacking recording sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus as a bookbinding mode to create a sheet bundle, a gluing unit B for gluing the stacked bundle, and a glued stack. It is composed of a bonding part C for bonding the bundle and the cover, a cutting part D for cutting three directions other than the gluing surface, and a bookbinding discharging part E for discharging the completed bookbinding in order to align the bookbinding end surface after bonding the cover. .

  Next, a flow of a series of bookbinding operations will be described. This time, only a summary of a series of bookbinding operations will be described, and a detailed description of each part will be described later.

  In the bookbinding mode, the paper stacking unit A is a part for stacking the recording paper discharged from the image forming apparatus on the stacking tray 520 to create a paper bundle 540. The sheet bundle 540 produced by the sheet stacking section A moves to the pasting section B, and the glue is applied to the lower side of the sheet bundle by the glue container 525, the glue application roller 524, and the glue application roller control motor 522. The bonding section C is responsible for bonding the glued sheet bundle 540 to the cover sheet P discharged from the image forming apparatus 10 and delivering it as a booklet 570 to the trim gripper 512. Then, the booklet 570 is conveyed to the cutting part D by the trim gripper 512. In the cutting unit D, the cutter 528 is moved in the horizontal direction by the cutter control motor 527 to cut the booklet 570. The trimmed scraps that have been trimmed fall into the scrap receiving box 533, and when a series of trimming operations are completed, the trimmed scraps are collected in the scrap box 532. The booklet 570 that has been cut by the cutting unit is conveyed from the cutting unit D to the bookbinding discharge unit E, and the booklet 570 is discharged.

  The above flow is a series of bookbinding operations in the bookbinding mode. In addition to the bookbinding mode, the normal discharge mode can be selectively made possible without performing bookbinding.

  A switching flapper 521 is disposed on the downstream side of the conveying roller pair 505. The switching flapper 521 is a flapper for selectively guiding the sheet sent by the conveying roller pair 505 to the sheet stacking tray 520 or the post-processing device 400.

  In the normal mode, the paper P discharged from the image forming apparatus 10 is discharged to the post-processing device 400 by the conveyance roller pairs 505, 510, 511, 513, and 514 and the paper discharge roller 515. As the post-processing apparatus, in a sheet post-processing apparatus connected as a downstream apparatus of the bookbinding machine, for example, a finisher 400 or the like, processing as a bundle, that is, bundle discharge processing, binding processing, folding processing, bookbinding Post-processing such as processing can be performed.

  In the bookbinding mode, the paper P discharged from the image forming apparatus 10 is discharged to the paper stacking tray 520 and aligned by the transport roller pairs 506, 507, and 508 and the stacking section discharge roller 509. A sheet bundle 540 is obtained.

(Paper flow)
Next, the paper flow of the gluing bookbinding apparatus 500 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 23, the gluing bookbinding apparatus 500 takes in the paper discharged from the image forming apparatus 10 to the inside by the conveyance roller pair 505 and guides it to the conveyance path (a). In the case of the middle sheet of the sheet bundle, the sheet taken inside by the conveying roller pair 505 is guided to the conveying path (b) by the switching flapper 521 and is conveyed by the conveying roller pairs 506, 507, 508, and 509. The paper P is discharged from the conveyance roller pair 509 to the paper stacking tray 520. When all the sheets that are the middle sheets are discharged to the sheet stacking tray 520, the sheet stack 540 of the middle sheets is gripped by the gluing gripper 523, and as shown by the broken lines in FIG. Moved in a bundle.

  As shown in FIG. 25, the bundle of intermediate sheets moved upward from the glued portion B is rotated in the vertical direction while being gripped by the glued gripper 523, and the side surface of the sheet bundle as the back cover faces the glued portion B. It becomes the position to do. Thereafter, as will be described in detail later, the glue container 525 and the glue application roller 524 are moved along the sheet bundle, whereby the end of the sheet bundle is glued. During this time, a cover sheet Pc serving as a cover sheet is discharged from the image forming apparatus 10 and conveyed to the gluing bookbinding apparatus 500. The paper Pc taken in by the pair of transport rollers 505 is switched by the switching flapper 521 and is guided from the transport path (a) to the transport path (c), and is transported by the transport roller pairs 510, 511, 513, and 514. Be transported. In the transport path (c), a sensor (not shown) is provided on the downstream side of the transport roller pair 513. As shown in FIG. 26, after the sensor detects the front end of the cover sheet Pc that is the cover sheet of the sheet bundle. After transporting for a predetermined distance, transport of the cover sheet Pc is stopped.

  When the cover sheet Pc stops in the transport path (c), the rear end of the cover sheet Pc is configured to pass through the switching flapper 521, and when the sheet bundle is continuously formed, the cover sheet Pc is transferred to the transport path (c ), The switching flapper 521 is switched to receive the intermediate sheet for the next sheet bundle from the image forming apparatus 10 and conveyed from the conveyance path (a) to the sheet stacking tray 520 via the conveyance path (b). I do.

  After that, details regarding the portion where the cover sheet is wrapped around the sheet bundle coated with glue and conveyed downstream will be described later.

  As described above with respect to the case where the cover is conveyed from the image forming apparatus 10, the inserter 300 is provided in the upper part of the gluing bookbinding apparatus 500, and only the cover can be inserted from the inserter 300.

  Next, the flow of paper when bookbinding is performed by inserting a cover from the inserter 300 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 23 to 26, the image forming apparatus 10 sequentially receives sheets, creates a sheet bundle with the sheet stacking tray 520, and moves the entire sheet to the pasting unit B by the pasting gripper 523. To do. When the cover sheet Pc is inserted from the inserter 300, as shown in FIG. 27, one sheet is fed from the uppermost sheet on the sheet feed tray 310 by the sheet feed roller 301 while the bundle of intermediate sheets is being moved to the pasting portion B. Do paper. The fed cover sheet Pc is transported by transport roller pairs 303, 503, and 504, and is guided from the transport path (d) to the transport path (c) by the switching flapper 521.

  Next, details of each operation in each part of the glue binding apparatus 500 will be described.

(Gluing means in the gluing part)
3 shows a configuration diagram of the gluing part B, and FIG. 4 shows an outline of gluing operation in the gluing part B. The gluing unit B includes a gluing gripper 523 that grips the sheet bundle, a glue container 525 that stores glue, a glue application roller 524 that applies glue to the sheet bundle, and a glue application roller control motor 522.

  The glue application roller 524 immersed in the glue container 525 is always in rotation by the rotation of the glue application roller control motor 522. The gluing unit 580 including the glue container 525, the glue application roller 524, and the glue application roller control motor 522 is arranged in a direction parallel to the sheet bundle in the longitudinal direction of the lower surface of the sheet bundle 540 gripped in an upright state by the glue gripper 523. The movement is performed by driving means (not shown). The glue is applied by reciprocating the glue unit. As shown in FIG. 4, the gluing unit 580 starts to move from an initial position on the back side of the gluing bookbinding apparatus 500 and stops at a predetermined position on the front surface of the gluing bookbinding apparatus 500. At this time, the gluing unit 580 does not glue the lower side of the sheet bundle. Gluing to the sheet bundle is performed when moving from the front side to the back side of the gluing bookbinding apparatus 500. The gluing unit 580 stopped at a predetermined position moves up to a position where the glue application roller 524 comes into contact with the lower surface of the sheet bundle. The glue unit 580 applies glue to the lower surface of the sheet bundle 540 by the glue application roller 524 while moving from the front side to the back side of the glue binding apparatus 500.

(Adhesion means at the adhesion part)
FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the bonding portion C. The adhesive portion C receives and conveys the cover sheet 550 supplied from the image forming apparatus 10, and conveys guides 560 and 561 that stop at a predetermined position, and a pressure member 563 that presses the cover sheet 550 against the adhesive application surface of the sheet bundle 540. The folding members 562 and 564 are used when the cover sheet is wrapped in a sheet bundle.

  The operation flow of the bonding portion C will be described with reference to FIGS.

  After the pasting operation to the sheet bundle 540 is finished, the glue gripper 523 that grips the sheet bundle 540 by a driving unit (not shown) descends from the pasting portion B. Then, the glue application surface is adhered to the cover 550 prepared in the horizontal direction by the conveyance guides 560 and 561 (see FIG. 5).

  After the bonding, the gluing gripper 523 is lowered, and the bonding portion of the cover sheet 550 placed on the pressing member 563 is pressed and bonded to the bonding surface of the sheet bundle 540. Note that the upper part of the conveyance guide 560 and the upper part of the conveyance guide 561 are retracted before the adhesive application surface is pressed by the lowering of the sheet bundle 540 to prevent interference with the sheet bundle 540 (see FIG. 6).

  After the cover sheet 550 is bonded to the sheet bundle 540, the folding members 562 and 564, the lower part of the conveyance guide 560, and the lower part of the conveyance guide 561 are raised in the upper oblique direction by the driving means (not shown) from the broken line position to the solid line position. Moving. As the folding members 562 and 564 are raised in the oblique direction, the cover sheet 550 is pushed upward, the cover sheet 550 is bent from the side edge portion of the glue application surface, and the sheet bundle 540 is subjected to a squeezing process (see FIG. 7). ).

  After the cover processing of the cover sheet 550 is completed, the folding members 562 and 564, the lower part of the conveyance guide 560, and the lower part of the conveyance guide 561 are retracted from the broken line position to the solid line position by a driving unit (not shown). At the same time, the pressure member 563 is also moved in the horizontal direction by a driving means (not shown). By the horizontal movement of the pressure member 563, a space in which the booklet 570 can be lowered by the lowering means of the gluing gripper 523 is secured (see FIG. 8).

  The booklet 570 lowered to the lower part of the conveyance guide 560 and the conveyance guide 561 by the lowering means of the gluing gripper 523 is lowered to a position where the lower end of the booklet 570 contacts the trim unit transfer rollers 565 and 566 (see FIG. 9).

  Thereafter, the glue gripper 523 that has gripped the booklet 570 releases the grip of the booklet 570, and at the same time, the booklet 570 is conveyed downward by the trim unit transfer rollers 565 and 566 (see FIG. 10).

  The trim unit delivery rollers 565 and 566 carry the sheet downward, carry the sheet to a predetermined position, and then stop the booklet 570. Thereafter, the trim gripper 512 grips the booklet 570 by driving means (not shown) (see FIG. 11).

  The booklet 570 is lowered downward by a trim gripper 512 lowering means (not shown), and the booklet 570 is lowered to the position of the cutting part D. At this time, the pressurizing member 563 that has moved in the horizontal direction moves to a position where it can press the adhesive portion of the cover (see FIG. 12).

(Cutting means in the cutting department)
Next, an operation flow of the cutting unit D will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 18.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the booklet 570 in which the sheet bundle of the middle sheets and the cover are bonded by the bonding unit described above is moved to the cutting unit by the trim gripper 512, and then the trim gripper 512, the cutter 528, and the cutting waste receiving box. 533 cuts each end in conjunction with each other.

  In the cutting operation, after the cutting waste receiving box 533 is moved below the booklet 570 before cutting by the cutter 528 (see FIG. 14), the cutter 528 appears and disappears from the booklet 570 and performs cutting on one side. At this time, the cutting waste is stored in a cutting waste receiving box 533 waiting under the booklet 570 (see FIG. 15). Thereafter, the cutter 532 is driven in the reverse direction to move to the retracted position, and the cutting waste receiving box 533 also moves to the retracted position (see FIG. 16).

  The cutting operation described above with respect to the booklet 570 is performed on the three sides of the small edge and the top and bottom. However, the booklet 570 that has been bonded is moved with the spine end portion on the lower side. Is rotated 90 degrees to rotate the booklet 570 by 90 degrees, and then the ground is cut. Next, the trim gripper 512 is rotated 90 degrees in the same direction to perform a cutting operation, and cut the fore edge. Further, the trim gripper 512 is rotated 90 degrees to perform a cutting operation, and the top edge is cut to complete cutting other than the end portion of the spine cover.

  However, the booklet 570 is further rotated 90 degrees by the trim gripper 512 without performing the cutting operation so that the back cover portion of the booklet 570 after cutting is conveyed downward to the bookbinding discharge unit described later (see FIG. 17).

  The cutting waste receiving box 533 moves between a retracted position when the cutting operation is not performed and a waste receiving position during the cutting operation. The retracted position of the cutting waste receiving box 533 is located above the cutting waste box 532. As shown in FIG. 18, the bottom plate portion of the cutting waste receiving box 533 is configured to be openable, and when moved to the retracted position, the bottom plate portion of the cutting waste receiving box 533 is opened, The cutting waste is stored in the cutting waste box 532.

(Bookbinding discharge section)
FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the bookbinding discharge unit E. The trim gripper 512 that transports the booklet 570 from the cutting unit D to the bookbinding discharge unit E, and the bookbinding discharge unit that transports the booklet 570 to the bookbinding discharge unit E. Entrance roller 515, stacking plate 529 for temporarily stacking the conveyed booklet, bookbinding support plate 530 for supporting bookbinding in the vertical direction, stacking stabilization plate (bookbinding discharge stabilizing plate) 534, and bookbinding support plate 530 moved in the horizontal direction It is comprised from the discharge conveyance belt 531 to be made.

  The flow of operations of the bookbinding discharge unit E will be described with reference to FIGS.

  After completion of the cutting operation, the booklet 570 is conveyed to a bookbinding discharge unit entrance roller 515 immediately below the cutting unit by a trim gripper 512 lowering unit (not shown). Then, the booklet 570 is conveyed by the bookbinding discharge unit entrance roller 515, and the bookbinding gripper 512 releases the support of the booklet 570 and moves to a predetermined position of the cover bonding portion C. At this time, the bookbinding stack 529 is tilted to the right in the bookbinding discharge section E, and the booklet 570 is stacked on the bookbinding stack 529 by the bookbinding discharge section entrance roller 515 (see FIG. 19).

  Thereafter, the bookbinding stacking plate 529 that has fallen stands in the vertical direction, and the booklet 570 is supported by the bookbinding support plate 530 in a state where the booklet 570 is vertical. Here, the bookbinding discharge stabilization plate 534 below the discharge conveyance belt 531 is moved upward by a lifting means (not shown), and the booklet 570 is supported by the bookbinding support plate 530 and the bookbinding discharge stabilization plate 534 (see FIG. 20). Thereafter, the bookbinding support plate 530 is moved leftward by the discharge conveyance belt 531 to secure a discharge space when the next booklet 571 is conveyed (see FIG. 21). By securing a discharge space for the booklet 571 in FIG. 21 and performing the above-described operation, the booklet 571 can be stacked vertically next to the booklet 570 (see FIG. 22).

(Operation display section)
FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an operation display unit 600 in the image forming apparatus of FIG.

  The operation display device 600 includes a start key 602 for starting an image forming operation, a stop key 603 for interrupting the image forming operation, ten keys 604 to 612 and 614 for setting numerical values, an ID key 613, and a clear key. 615, a reset key 616, and the like are arranged. In addition, a liquid crystal display unit 620 having a touch panel formed thereon is arranged, and a soft key can be created on the screen.

  For example, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment has various processing modes such as non-sorting, sorting, and bookbinding modes as post-processing modes of the post-processing apparatus 400 and the glue binding apparatus 500. Setting such a processing mode is performed by an input operation from the operation display device 600.

(Binding mode setting)
Hereinafter, the flow of bookbinding mode setting will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 41 and FIGS.

  The bookbinding mode is set from the display unit 620 (FIG. 30). When the “applied mode” key, which is a soft key, is selected on the initial screen shown in FIG. 30, a transition is made to an application mode selection screen as shown in FIG. When the “binding” soft key is selected from the application mode menu, the setting of the binding mode is started (S1000).

  First, the binding direction of the deliverable is selected from “right open” and “left open” (S1001, FIG. 32). “Right open” is a way to increase from the right page to the left page when the book is opened, and “Left open” is to increase from the left page to the right page.

  After the binding direction is selected, when the “Next” soft key is pressed, a transition is made to the display screen shown in FIG. 33, and a paper feed stage for feeding the case cover is selected (S1002, S1003). Here, the paper source of the case cover is selected from a paper cassette and an inserter. Here, the case where the inserter is set as the paper supply source will be described later.

  In S1002, when a paper feed tray other than the inserter is selected and the “Next” soft key is pressed, the flow advances to setting of the intermediate paper feed tray (S1004, FIG. 34). Here, a paper feed stage that feeds a bundle of sheets wrapped in a case cover is selected. After selection, press the “Next” soft key.

  Next, the finish size is set on the display screen shown in FIGS. 35 and 36 (S1005). In the display screen of FIG. 35, the size after trimming is selected from a prescribed size, or the “detail setting” soft key is pressed to move to the display screen of FIG. 36, and an arbitrary size is designated.

(Original scan mode setting)
Subsequently, the document reading mode is set (S1006). In the display screen of FIG. 37, the “cover mode” is selected if the case cover original and the middle cover original are separated, and the “standard mode” is selected if the front cover / back cover and the intermediate original are bundled together. select.

  When the “standard mode” is selected and the process proceeds to the next, a display as shown in FIG. 38 is displayed on the display unit 620 to prompt the user to set the document on the document feeder 100 (S1008). The mode setting ends (S1015). Hereinafter, a mode in which “standard mode” is selected as the document reading mode and bookbinding is referred to as “standard mode”.

  When “Cover Mode” is selected in S1006 and S1007, the original that is the case cover is read. A display as shown in FIG. 39 is displayed on the display unit 620 to prompt the user to set a case cover original on the original feeder 100 and press the start button (S1009). When the start button 602 of the operation display unit 600 in FIG. 29 is pressed, reading of the cover original is started (S1010).

  When reading of the cover original is completed, a display as shown in FIG. 40 is displayed on the display unit 620, prompting the user to set the original of the intermediate paper on the original feeder 100 (S1011), and setting the bookbinding mode. Is finished (S1015). Hereinafter, a mode in which “book cover mode” is selected as the document reading mode and bookbinding is referred to as “cover page mode”.

  If the inserter is set as the paper feed stage in S1003, the process proceeds to the selection of the medium paper feed stage (S1012). In the display screen shown in FIG. 34, a paper feed stage for feeding a bundle of sheets wrapped in a case cover is selected. After selection, press the “Next” soft key.

  Next, the finish size is set on the display screen shown in FIGS. 35 and 36 (S1013). In the display screen of FIG. 35, the size after trimming is selected from a prescribed size, or the “detail setting” soft key is pressed to move to the display screen of FIG. 36, and an arbitrary size is designated.

  In S1013, after setting the finish size, the display unit 620 displays as shown in FIG. 38, prompting the user to set the document on the document feeder 100 (S1014), and the setting of the bookbinding mode is completed (S1014). S1015). Hereinafter, a mode in which bookbinding is performed by feeding a cover sheet from an inserter is referred to as an “insert mode”.

(Bundle thickness estimation means)
The bundle thickness estimation means will be described with reference to FIG. In the flow of setting the bookbinding mode, the intermediate paper feed stage is set. 34, the paper feed stage 1 is plain paper, the paper feed stage 2 is thick paper 1, the paper feed stage 3 is plain paper, the paper feed stage 4 is thick paper 2, and the like. The paper type for each paper feed stage is set in advance by the user. Further, the sheet thickness information per sheet for each sheet type is stored in the ROM 151 of FIG. 47 described later. Therefore, if the selection is made with the medium paper feed stage setting shown in FIG. 34, the paper thickness per sheet can be recognized from the paper type of the selected paper feed stage. When a series of settings in the bookbinding mode is completed, the actual bookbinding operation is performed. As the flow of image formation and bookbinding operation, the first step is to read the intermediate paper document to the end and then perform the image formation / bookbinding operation. It is the composition which starts. The original document feeder 100 of the image forming apparatus 10 reads the intermediate paper originals one by one, and the number of the read intermediate paper originals is stored in the RAM 152 in FIG. Since the paper thickness of the paper on which image formation is to be performed and the number of middle sheets are stored at this time, Equation (1) is obtained from these two pieces of information.

Bundle thickness value = paper thickness per sheet x number of medium sheets (1)
With this formula, the bundle thickness value of the bookbinding bundle to be bound can be estimated.

  The bundle thickness value estimated by the bundle thickness estimating means is used for the subsequent control of the image forming apparatus by the comparing means described later.

(Outline width calculation means)
51 to 52 are diagrams for explaining the outline width calculating means. FIG. 51 is a diagram showing the relationship between the position of the cover and the density point, and FIG. 52 is a diagram showing a typical transition of the density control signal on the cover. Here, the density point refers to a point representing the density of a certain part of the cover. The density control signal refers to a signal that affects the density of an image to be formed, such as an image information signal from an external device or a laser blinking signal formed internally based on the image information signal.

  FIG. 52 shows a state in which a portion where an image is depicted is output at the maximum printable density, and a density control signal is turned off in a non-image forming portion such as a white portion in the gluing portion. Here, the center point of the cover, that is, the intermediate density point of all density points is a point representing the density at the center of the cover. As shown in FIG. 52, the value of the density control signal in the vicinity of the intermediate density point is 0, which indicates that there is an image white portion in the paste portion. Based on the number of density points for which the density control signal output before and after the intermediate density point is 0, the white width of the pasted portion is calculated by equation (2).

  Note that the blank width calculated by the blank width calculation unit is used for subsequent control of the image forming apparatus by the comparison unit described later.

(Comparison value storage means)
The comparison value storage means will be described with reference to FIG. The bundle thickness information and the outline width information determined by the bundle thickness estimation means and the outline width calculation means are stored in the RAM 152 of the CPU circuit unit 150, and a comparison operation to be described later is performed in accordance with the control of the image forming apparatus. .

(Original setting method)
42 to 44, the direction and order of the originals when the originals are set on the original feeding device 100 or the inserter 300 when performing the bookbinding mode will be described.

  In the standard mode, as shown in FIG. 42, the document is set in the document feeder 100 so that the first page A is the top surface. Further, in the cover mode, when the user is prompted to set a document to be a case cover, the page A to be the cover of the product is set in the direction shown in FIG. When prompted to set, the first page C of the original serving as the middle paper is set in the direction shown in FIG.

  In the inserter mode, the inserter 300 is set on the tray 310 so that the page A, which is the cover of the product, faces upward. If the binding direction of the deliverable is “right open”, it is arranged so that page A is on the right side of page H, which is the back cover of the deliverable, as shown in FIG. When the binding direction of the product is “left open”, the page A is arranged so as to be on the left side of the page H that is the back cover of the product as shown in FIG. Further, when the user is prompted to set a manuscript serving as a middle paper, the first page C of the manuscript serving as a middle paper is set in the direction shown in FIG.

(Imaging imposition)
Here, FIG. 45 and FIG. 46 are used to show the position of the image forming surface of the paper discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 10 to the glue binding machine 500.

  When the original is set in the standard mode shown in FIG. 41 or the cover mode shown in FIG. 43 and the binding direction of the deliverable is “right open”, it is shown by (1) to (3) in FIG. The sheets are sequentially discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 10 to the gluing bookbinding machine 500, and a right-open booklet shown in FIG. 46A is bound. If the binding direction of the product is “left open”, the sheets are discharged from the image forming apparatus body 10 to the gluing bookbinding machine 500 in the order shown in (1) to (3) of FIG. A right-open booklet shown in (b) is bound.

  Here, in the cover page mode, the page F is positioned on the document to be read last as shown in FIG. 43, and the page F is first discharged from the image forming apparatus 10 as shown in FIG. Located on the top. Therefore, when the binding direction of the deliverable is “right open” in the cover mode, it is necessary to start image formation after reading the set original to the end.

  In the inserter mode shown in FIG. 44, when the binding direction of the product is “right open”, the sheets are discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 10 in the order shown in (1) to (2) of FIG. In the case of “left open”, the sheets are discharged from the image forming apparatus body 10 in the order shown in (1) to (2) of FIG.

(Judgment means, warning means, bookbinding operation selection means)
The determination means based on the bundle thickness value and the white width information will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  As described above, first, the bookbinding mode is set, and the bundle thickness value and outline width information obtained by the bundle thickness estimation means and the outline width calculation means are acquired in this setting (S2001). At this time, these two pieces of information are stored in the RAM 152 of the CPU circuit 150 by the above-described comparison value recording means. When the setting of the bookbinding mode is completed, the bundle thickness value is compared with the blank width by a comparison operation in the RAM 152 (S2002), and it is determined that the bundle thickness value is smaller than the blank width (FIG. 49a). ), Image formation (S2003) and the bookbinding operation described above are performed, and the booklet is discharged (S2004). If it is determined that the bundle thickness value is larger than the blank width (FIG. 49b), a warning shown in FIG. 50 is displayed on the operation display unit 600 in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. Notification is made (S2005).

  However, there may be a case where it is determined that the user can still perform the bookbinding operation in consideration of a state in which the user can expect a decrease in quality. For such a case, the bookbinding operation is not completely prohibited, and the bookbinding operation selection means is provided so that bookbinding can be performed in a state where an image is present on the pasting surface (S2006). In the warning display screen of FIG. 50, the user can select whether or not to perform the bookbinding operation. Here, when “CANCEL” is selected, the bookbinding operation is not started, and when “EXECUTE” is selected, the bookbinding operation is started.

  As in these control flows, when the gluing quality cannot be ensured, a warning is displayed to the user, so that the bookbinding operation can be performed while the gluing quality is sufficiently guaranteed. When the user determines that the bookbinding operation may be performed even in a state where the gluing quality cannot be sufficiently ensured, the bookbinding operation can be continued, and user-friendly control can be performed.

1 is a configuration diagram showing a longitudinal sectional structure of a main part of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Overall cross-sectional view of glue binding machine Explanatory drawing of the outline of the gluing part Explanatory drawing of the outline of the gluing part Illustration of the outline of the bonded part Illustration of the outline of the bonded part Illustration of the outline of the bonded part Illustration of the outline of the bonded part Illustration of the outline of the bonded part Illustration of the outline of the bonded part Illustration of the outline of the bonded part Illustration of the outline of the bonded part Illustration of cutting section outline Illustration of cutting section outline Illustration of cutting section outline Illustration of cutting section outline Illustration of cutting section outline Illustration of cutting section outline Illustration of bookbinding discharge unit outline Illustration of bookbinding discharge unit outline Illustration of bookbinding discharge unit outline Illustration of bookbinding discharge unit outline Illustration of paper flow when loading medium paper Illustration of paper flow when loading medium paper Flow chart of inside paper and cover Flow chart of inside paper and cover Explanatory drawing of paper flow when bookbinding is performed by inserting a cover from the inserter 300 Explanatory drawing of paper flow when bookbinding is performed by inserting a cover from the inserter 300 Illustration of bookbinding mode setting on the operation display Illustration of bookbinding mode setting on the operation display Illustration of bookbinding mode setting on the operation display Illustration of bookbinding mode setting on the operation display Illustration of bookbinding mode setting on the operation display Illustration of bookbinding mode setting on the operation display Illustration of bookbinding mode setting on the operation display Illustration of bookbinding mode setting on the operation display Illustration of bookbinding mode setting on the operation display Illustration of bookbinding mode setting on the operation display Illustration of bookbinding mode setting on the operation display Illustration of bookbinding mode setting on the operation display Booklet mode setting flowchart Explanatory drawing of document setting method in bookbinding operation Explanatory drawing of document setting method in bookbinding operation Explanatory drawing of document setting method in bookbinding operation Explanatory drawing about imposition during image formation Explanatory drawing about imposition during image formation FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a controller that controls the entire image forming system according to the present invention. Flow chart until warning is displayed Comparison diagram of bundle thickness value and outline width Figure showing warning display screen Explanatory drawing of outline width calculation means Explanatory drawing of outline width calculation means

Explanation of symbols

A Paper stacking section B Gluing section C Bonding section D Cutting section E Bookbinding discharge section 10 Image forming apparatus 100 Document feeding apparatus 101 Document feeding apparatus control section 102 Platen glass 103 Lamp 104 Scanner units 105, 106, 107 Mirror 108 Lens 109 Image sensor 110 Exposure control unit 112 Paper discharge tray 120 Bundle thickness estimation means 121 Flapper 122 Reverse path 124 Double-sided conveyance path 200 Image reader 204 White width calculation means 300 Inserter 301 Paper feed roller 303 Carrying roller pair 310 Paper feed tray 350 Printer 400 Finisher, post-processing device 500 Gluing bookbinding device 501 Bookbinding device control unit 600 Operation display device 512 Trim gripper 520 Paper stacking tray 521 Switching flapper 522 Glue application roller control motor 523 Gluing gripper 524 Glue Coating roller 525 Glue container 527 Cutter control motor 528 Cutter 529 Stacking plate 530 Bookbinding support plate 532 Cutting waste box 533 Cutting waste receiving box 534 Booklet discharge stabilization plate 540 Sheet bundle 550 Cover 570, 571 Booklet

Claims (4)

Image forming apparatus, and
Stacking means for stacking recording paper discharged from the image forming apparatus;
Gluing means for heating the glue and applying the glue melted on the back surface of the sheet bundle stacked by the stacking means;
Adhering means for generating a bookbinding booklet by adhering a cover to the gluing surface applied by the gluing means;
In an image forming system comprising a bookbinding device comprising a bookbinding means comprising a cutting means for cutting a bundle end face of bookbinding generated by the bonding means,
A bundle thickness estimating means for estimating the thickness of the bookbinding generated in the bookbinding means;
A white width calculating means for calculating an image white width of a glued portion of a cover to be bound;
Comparison value storage means for storing values determined by the bundle thickness estimation means and the white width calculation means;
A determination unit that compares the values obtained by the bundle thickness estimation unit and the outline width calculation unit and determines whether or not the image forming portion of the cover sheet is present in the glue portion of the bonding unit;
An image forming system, comprising: a warning unit that issues a warning when the determination unit determines that the image forming portion is present in the glue portion.   2. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the bundle thickness estimation unit estimates a bookbinding thickness based on a paper type and a number of intermediate paper sheets.   The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the blank width calculation unit calculates an image blank width of a glue portion of the cover by using a density control signal of the cover.   An image forming system, comprising: a bookbinding operation selection unit that causes a user to select whether or not to perform a bookbinding operation by the bookbinding unit by the warning unit.