JP2009107777A - Sheet aligning device, sheet processing device, and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable appropriate adjustment of alignment positions relative to aligning members independently movable by individual driving sections, and to prevent the occurrence of inconvenience in sheet processing. <P>SOLUTION: This sheet aligning device is provided with a staple tray storing a sheet member carried in, a pair of jogger fences aligning the sheet member stacked on the staple tray abutting from a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the sheet member, and a CPU controlling a driving motor driving these jogger fences. In driving the jogger fences by adjusting the distance between the jogger fences at alignment of the sheet member, the distance between jogger fence aligning members at the alignment of the sheet member is set as an adjustment value for each size of the sheet member, and the adjustment value is set only with respect to the jogger fence set on the driving side to align the sheet member (S707-S712). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention includes a sheet aligning device that aligns a sheet-like recording medium that has been carried in (referred to simply as a “sheet or sheet member” in the present specification), the sheet aligning device, and performs predetermined processing on the sheet. The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus to be applied, and an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile including the sheet processing apparatus, and a digital multi-functional apparatus including a combination of these functions.

  As a sheet processing apparatus having an aligning device for aligning the sheet member discharged from the image forming apparatus, the jogger fence is operated and sandwiched from both sides in the width direction of the sheet member (direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction). A device having a mechanism for aligning a bundle of sheet members is generally known. In this type of sheet processing apparatus, fluctuations due to errors in cutting the width dimension of the conveyed sheet member, heat shrinkage due to heat during image forming processing in the image forming apparatus, tolerances of apparatus components, or assembling Due to variations in assembly accuracy and the like, a difference occurs in the distance between the alignment plates and the width of the sheet member at the time of alignment of the sheet member, and the alignment accuracy deteriorates. Therefore, in this type of apparatus, the width during the alignment operation of the jogger fence can be adjusted for each sheet member size.

  On the other hand, for example, the invention described in Patent Document 1 or 2 is known as this type of technology. Among them, Patent Document 1 includes a storage means for storing recording paper and an aligning means for aligning the recording paper stored in the storage means in order to provide a recording paper post-processing apparatus that can obtain highly reliable bookbinding. In the recording paper aligning apparatus, the aligning unit includes a first aligning member for aligning the recording paper, and a first member that is separated from the end in the width direction of the recording paper by the aligning member according to the width size of the recording paper. The first stop position, the second stop position that is close to a predetermined amount from the first stop position in the width direction of the recording paper and that is far from the end in the width direction, and the end portion in the width direction of the recording paper are substantially in contact with each other. Moving means for moving the recording paper to a third stop position, and when the recording paper is received in the storage means, the first stop position is set to the first stop position, and a predetermined time has elapsed after the recording paper is stored in the storage means. And the recording paper arrives at the alignment position. The second stop located in front, in the third position after the recording paper has arrived at justification, the invention is described, characterized in that moving the aligning member by the moving means.

Further, in Patent Document 2, in order to be able to perform sorting and alignment with a small driving power regardless of the amount of loading on the stacking means, and to align sheet-like media with high accuracy, A sheet having discharging means for discharging the sheet-like medium to be discharged and a stacking means for stacking the sheet-like medium discharged by the discharging means, and aligning and stacking the sheet-like medium stacked on the stacking means In the sheet-like medium processing apparatus, the aligning function for aligning the sheet-like medium discharged from the discharge unit and stacked on the stacking unit only at a fixed position in a direction (shift direction) orthogonal to the discharge direction; The invention is characterized by comprising an aligning means having a sorting and aligning function for aligning at different positions in a direction (shift direction) orthogonal to the discharge direction.
Japanese Patent No. 2960770 JP 2002-179326 A

Here, when the jogger fence can be moved independently by an individual driving unit, there are the following two driving methods. That is,
1) Drive both alignment plates.
2) Either one of the alignment plates is driven, and the other alignment plate is not driven and is set as a reference plane.
It is a method. Here, when performing the alignment operation by the method 2), as described above, if the width at the alignment operation of the jogger fence for each sheet member size is reflected on both the alignment plate on the driving side and the reference side, The sheet member is aligned at a position shifted from the original center position of the apparatus by the adjustment value by the adjustment value. When performing the binding process after alignment, the binding needle is positioned at a position shifted from the desired position of the sheet member. There was a problem of being struck.

  The invention described in Patent Document 1 is characterized in that a change is made to the stop position, and the invention described in Patent Document 2 is characterized in that a plurality of alignment positions are set. The details of the deviation and the adjustment of the alignment position are not mentioned.

  Accordingly, the problem to be solved by the present invention is that the alignment position can be appropriately adjusted with respect to the alignment member that can be independently moved by the individual driving unit, and inconvenience is not caused in the sheet processing. There is.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the first means includes a stacking means for storing a sheet member to be carried in, and the sheet stacked on the stacking means in contact with the sheet member in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the sheet member. Alignment means for aligning members, wherein the alignment means abuts against the sheet members on the stacking means to align the sheet members, and a pair of alignment members capable of approaching and separating, and the pair of alignment members. In the sheet aligning apparatus, comprising: a drive unit that is driven independently; and a control unit that drives the drive unit by adjusting an interval of the alignment member when the sheet member is aligned. The sheet member alignment interval is set as an adjustment value for each sheet member size, and the adjustment value is set only for the alignment member set on the driving side to align the sheet member. And features.

  According to a second means, in the first means, the alignment member set on the drive side is one of a pair of alignment members, and the other of the alignment members is set on a reference side. And

  The third means is characterized in that, in the first means, the alignment member set on the drive side is both of a pair of alignment members, and the adjustment value is set for both alignment members. .

  A fourth means is characterized in that, in the third means, the adjustment values set for both the alignment members are each ½ of the total adjustment values.

  According to a fifth means, in any one of the first to third means, the minimum unit of the adjustment value at the time of alignment of the sheet member is twice the minimum unit that can be driven by the driving means. To do.

  According to a sixth means, in any one of the first to third means, when the adjustment value exceeds a certain value determined by the sheet member size and the adjustment value, the maximum value that does not exceed the certain value. The value is set to an adjustment value for driving the alignment member.

  A seventh means is the minimum value satisfying a certain value when the adjustment value is less than a certain value determined by the sheet member size and the adjustment value in any of the first to third means. Is set to an adjustment value for driving the alignment member.

  The eighth means is provided on the upstream side or the downstream side in the sheet member conveying direction of the sheet aligning apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh means, and performs predetermined processing on the sheet member. The sheet processing apparatus includes a sheet processing unit that performs the above processing.

  A ninth means is characterized in that the image forming apparatus includes the sheet aligning apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh means.

  The tenth means is characterized in that the image forming apparatus includes the sheet processing apparatus according to the eighth means.

  In the embodiment described later, the stacking means corresponds to the staple tray 401, the alignment member corresponds to the jogger fences 402 and 403, the driving means corresponds to the jogger driving motors 406 and 407, and the control means corresponds to the CPU 601.

  According to the present invention, an adjustment value of an alignment position is appropriately set for a pair of alignment members that are driven individually, and high-precision sheet alignment is possible, so that inconvenience does not occur in sheet processing.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a sheet post-processing apparatus as a sheet processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a part of an image forming apparatus. This sheet post-processing apparatus 1 is used with a carry-in port 205 connected to a paper discharge port PE of the image forming apparatus PR.

  In FIG. 1, the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 includes a stapler 200, a conveyance path 204, a staple tray 401, a hitting roller 214, and a paper discharge tray 301. The transport path 204 includes a transport guide plate 201, an opening / closing guide plate 202, and a paper discharge guide plate 203, and a transport inlet 205 is provided at the uppermost stream of the transport path 204. The carry-in port 205 corresponds to the end of the conveyance guide plate 201 and the open / close guide plate 202 on the most upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction. An inlet sensor 206 for detecting the position of the paper is provided near the downstream side in the paper transport direction at the opening end of the carry-in entrance 205, and a transport roller pair 207 is further provided near the downstream thereof. A paper discharge roller pair 208 is provided on the most downstream side of the conveyance path 204, and a paper discharge sensor 209 is provided in the vicinity of the upstream of the paper discharge roller pair 208.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a drive mechanism of the transport roller pair 207 and the paper discharge roller pair 208. In the figure, the driving rollers 207 a and 208 a of the conveying roller pair 207 and the discharge roller pair 208 are connected to a stepping motor 212 via a pulley 210 and a timing belt 211, and each of them is driven by the rotational driving force of the stepping motor 212. The roller pair 207, 208 rotates.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the discharge roller pair 208 and the hitting roller 214. The figure (a) is the figure seen from the tapping roller 214 arrangement | positioning side, and the figure (b) is the figure seen from the back side of the figure (a). As shown in these drawings, a swing arm 213 is swingably provided on the same axis as the drive side roller 208a of the discharge roller pair 208. The swing arm 213 is further provided with a hitting roller 214 made of an elastic friction member (sponge). The hitting roller 214 is attached to the tip of the arm extending from the free end side of the swing arm 213 to the downstream side in the paper discharge direction.

  The tapping roller is connected to a pulley 220 fixed on the drive-side discharge roller 208a shaft via a timing belt 215, a pulley 216, a shaft 217, a pulley 218, and a timing belt 219, and the drive-side discharge The hitting roller 214 rotates in the same direction by the rotation of the roller 208a. The pulley 216 is fixed to the end portion of the shaft 217 located at the substantially central portion of the swing arm 213, and the pulley 218 is fixed to the end portion of the shaft 217 positioned on the end side of the swing arm 213, and rotates integrally. . The swing arm 213 is always loaded in the direction of the staple tray 401 by its own weight or a spring (not shown), and is applied to the stopper portion 222 by the lever 221 loaded in the opposite direction. It is held at the abutted position. The swing arm 213 is rotated in the direction of the staple tray 401 by the reciprocating rotation of the lever 221, and the hitting roller 214 is brought into contact with the staple tray 401, and is further rotated and abutted against the stopper portion 222 again. Stop.

  4 and 5 are perspective views showing a drive mechanism of the lever 221. FIG. The example shown in FIG. 4 is an example using DC / SOL, and FIG. 5 is an example using a stepping motor. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the lever 221 is driven to swing by the DC / SOL 223 connected to the lever 221. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the cam 226 connected via the timing belt 225 is rotated by the rotation driving of the stepping motor 224, and the cam protrusion 226 a inserted in the link portion 227 of the lever 221 a is rotated. Driven by.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration in the vicinity of the driving roller 208a. As shown in the figure, a gear 228 is fitted on the drive side roller 208a shaft of the paper discharge roller pair 208, and a holder 229 is rotatably provided on the drive side roller shaft of the paper discharge roller pair 208. It has been. The holder 229 is provided with a return roller 230 made of an elastic friction member (sponge) and is connected to the gear 228 via an intermediate gear 231. As a result, the rotation of the drive-side discharge roller 208a is transmitted to the return roller 230. The holder 229 is always loaded in the direction of the staple tray 401 due to its own weight and the weight of the return roller 230, and the return roller 230 is always in contact with the staple tray 401 with the outer periphery thereof in contact with the return tray 230. The roller 230 rotates.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the sheet aligning unit. In the figure, a pair of jogger fences 402 and 403 are provided at both ends of the staple tray 401 in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. The jogger fences 402 and 403 are inserted into guide shafts 404 and 405 fixed to the staple tray 401. Further, the jogger fences 402 and 403 are connected to stepping motors (jogger motors) 406 and 407 via timing belts (not shown), and the stepping motors 406 and 407 are linearly reciprocated by forward and reverse rotation driving. The staple tray 401 is provided with home sensors 408 and 409 for detecting the standby positions of the jogger fences 402 and 403. The staple tray 401 is provided with reference fences 410 and 411.

  A timing belt 431 that moves in parallel with the sheet conveyance direction is provided at the center of the staple tray 401. The timing belt 431 is stretched between pulleys (not shown), and the discharge claw 430 is erected outward from the outer peripheral surface of the timing belt 431 and rotates integrally with the timing belt 431.

  The driving pulley is driven by a timing belt that is stretched between a pulley connected to a driving shaft of a motor (stepping motor). The driving force is transmitted from the driving pulley 440 to the timing belt, and the discharge claw 430 is driven (see FIG. 1).

Each section from paper loading to alignment operates as follows.
FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing the operation timing of each part, FIG. 8A shows the operation timing in the sort mode, and FIG. 8B shows the operation timing in the stipple mode. The timing of both is the same as that of the other parts, except that the operation timings of the jogger motors 406 and 407 for driving the jogger fences 402 and 403 are different. In FIG. 8, when the length of the sheet transported in the image forming apparatus PR is small (B5Y / A4Y), the sheet enters the carry-in entrance 205 of the sheet post-processing apparatus 1, and the entrance sensor 206 After detecting the leading edge of the paper, the stepping motor 212 is accelerated after being conveyed by a certain amount (20 mm), and the paper is conveyed from the receiving linear speed of 138 mm / s to 500 mm / s. When the length of the paper in the conveyance direction is a large size (other than the above), the paper trailing edge passes through an image forming apparatus paper discharge sensor (not shown) and then is conveyed by a certain amount and then accelerated. .

  The sheet that has been accelerated and conveyed in the conveyance path 204 is conveyed by a certain amount after the trailing edge of the sheet passes through the inlet sensor 206 (the position where the trailing edge of the sheet reaches 30 mm upstream of the pair of discharge rollers 208). The sheet is decelerated and conveyed by the deceleration of the stepping motor 212, and is decelerated to 200 mm / s for the small size and 300 mm / s for the large size. Then, the sheet is discharged from the discharge roller pair 208 onto the staple tray 401 at the linear speed.

  After the rear end of the sheet passes through the inlet sensor 206 and is conveyed by a certain amount and passes through the discharge roller pair 208 (after the rear end of the sheet passes through the discharge roller pair 208 and is conveyed about 5 mm), the DC / SOL 223 or driving of the stepping motor 224 starts the lever 221 to rotate, the swing arm 213 rotates in the direction of the staple tray 401, and the tapping roller 214 is discharged onto the staple tray 401. Abuts near the end. The abutting hitting roller 214 is conveyed so that the trailing edge of the sheet abuts against the reference fences 410 and 411 by its own rotation. Further, the paper whose rear end is in contact with the reference fences 410 and 411 by the hitting roller 214 is further conveyed in the reference fence directions 410 and 411 by the rotation of the return roller 230 and maintains the posture.

  FIG. 9 is an operation explanatory diagram showing the paper alignment operation of the jogger fences 402 and 403 in the sort (shift) mode, and FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram showing the paper alignment operation of the jogger fences 402 and 403 in the staple mode.

  Simultaneously with receiving the paper discharge signal from the image forming apparatus, the jogger fences 402 and 403 move to the receiving position according to the width-direction size of the paper that is carried in (FIGS. 9A and 10A). At this time, the jogger fences 402 and 403 move to the position of the sheet width +15 mm in the shift mode and to the position of the sheet width +7 mm in the stipple mode, and stop to be the receiving position.

  In the shift mode, the trailing edge of the paper passes through the paper discharge roller pair 208 (FIG. 9B), and comes into contact with the reference fences 410 and 411 by the hitting roller 214 and the return roller 230 (FIG. 9C). )), The close side jogger fence 402 moves in the direction of the 30 mm reference side jogger fence 403, and the sheet side end is brought into contact with the reference side jogger fence 403 for alignment. Next, it moves back 30 mm again, stops at the receiving position, waits for the next sheet to be discharged, repeats the same operation for the discharged sheets, and aligns the sheet bundle with the reference side jogger fence 403 (FIG. 9D )). Further, after aligning a predetermined number of sheets and discharging a sheet bundle to the sheet discharge tray 301 by an operation of a discharge claw 430 described later (FIG. 9 (e)), the next sheet is the approach side of the jogger fences 402 and 403. When the reference side is switched, the shifting operation is performed in the direction opposite to the immediately preceding sheet bundle (FIGS. 9 (f), (g), (h), (i)). By repeating this a predetermined number of copies, the sheet bundle is stacked on the sheet discharge tray 301 in a shifted state. The operation timings of the jogger fences 402 and 403 are all controlled by time management from the detection of the trailing edge of the sheet by the entrance sensor 206.

  In the stipple mode, the trailing edge of the paper passes through the paper discharge roller pair 208 (FIG. 10B), and at the same time as the tapping roller 214 starts to rotate, the jogger fences 402 and 403 move forward by 5 mm to make the paper. It stops at the position of width +2 mm (FIG. 10C). Further, at the same time as the trailing edge of the sheet comes into contact with the reference fences 410 and 411, the sheet moves forward by 2.5 mm, aligns the sheet with the center (FIG. 10 (d)), moves back to the receiving position, stops, and discharges the next sheet. Waiting (FIG. 10 (e)), the above operation is sequentially repeated on the discharged sheets, and the sheet bundle is aligned at the center.

  When the predetermined number of alignment operations are completed (FIG. 10 (f)), the binding device 450 performs binding processing at a predetermined position near the rear end of the sheet bundle (FIG. 10 (g)), and the discharge claw 430 discharges the paper discharge tray 301. It is released upward (FIG. 10 (h)). By repeating this for a predetermined number of copies, the sheet bundle is stacked in a stapled state on the paper discharge tray 301 (FIGS. 10 (i) and 10 (j)). The operation timings of the jogger fences 402 and 403 are all controlled by time management from the detection of the trailing edge of the sheet by the entrance sensor 206.

    FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the configuration of the paper discharge tray section as viewed from the outside, FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the configuration of the paper discharge tray section as viewed from the inside side, and FIG. 13 is a presser provided on the paper discharge tray section. It is a perspective view of a member. 11 and 12, the paper discharge tray 301 is fixed to support members 302 and 303 provided on the rear side and the front side of the apparatus. Timing belts 304 and 305 arranged in the vertical direction are attached to the support members 302 and 303. Of the pulleys 307 and 307a around which the timing belts 304 and 305 are stretched, the driving pulley 307 has a driving shaft 306. It is connected. Further, a gear 308 is attached to the drive shaft 306, and a drive gear of a DC motor 309 is connected to the gear 308, and the discharge tray 301 is moved up and down by the rotation of the DC motor.

  An end fence 310 is provided substantially vertically at an end of the sheet discharge tray 301 on the main body side of the sheet post-processing apparatus 1. A shaft 312 fitted with a lever 313 is rotatably attached to the end fence 310. A pair of paper pressing members 311 are pivotally mounted near both ends of the shaft 312 (FIG. 13). Further, the paper pressing member 311 is provided with a spring (not shown) that pressurizes the front end portion toward the end fence 310. Further, a DC / SOL 315 is fixed in the vicinity of one end of the shaft 312, and the shaft 312 swings by a certain angle by the operation of the DC / SOL 315, whereby the lever 313 is rotated and the sheet pressing member is rotated. 311 is rotated. The end fence 310 is provided with a paper height detection sensor 314.

  The sheet pressing member 311 is normally stopped at a position where the leading end pressing portion 311a protrudes from the sheet alignment surface of the end fence 310 by the pressure spring, and the leading end pressing portion 311a is driven by the suction operation of the DC / SOL 315. Rotates to a position where the end fence 310 is completely retracted from the sheet alignment surface. The detection of the stacked paper height of the paper discharge tray 301 is performed by pushing up the front end pressing portion 311a of the paper pressing member 311 protruding from the end fence 301 by the upper surface of the paper stacked by raising the paper discharge tray 301. The detection is performed by the paper height detection sensor 314 detecting a detection portion provided in a part of the pressing member 311.

  14 and 15 are operation explanatory views showing the operation of the paper discharge tray section when paper is discharged. As can be seen from these drawings, the following paper discharge operation is performed in the paper discharge tray section.

  The standby position of the paper discharge tray 301 when the paper is discharged to the paper alignment portion by the paper discharge roller pair 208 is that the paper discharge tray 301 pushes up the front end pressing portion 311a of the paper pressing member 311 and the paper height. The position detected by the detection sensor 314, or a position raised by a predetermined height from the position, the sheet bundle aligning operation and binding operation are performed at this position.

  The sheet bundle aligned and sorted and jogged by the jogger fences 402 and 403 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 301 as the discharge claw 430 moves forward (FIGS. 14A, 14B, and 14C). ), FIG. 15 (a), (b), (c)). At the same time as the discharge claw 301 advances and stops, the DC / SOL 315 sucks and rotates to a position where the paper pressing member 311 is completely retracted from the end fence 310 (FIGS. 14A and 14B). . At the same time as the discharge claw 301 stops, the DC motor 309 starts to drive, lowers the discharge tray 301 by a predetermined distance, and drops and stacks the sheet bundle on the discharge tray 301 (FIG. 14 (c), (D)). Further, simultaneously with the stop after the discharge tray 301 is lowered by a predetermined amount, the DC / SOL 315 is turned off, the sheet pressing member 311 protrudes again from the end fence 310 (FIG. 14 (e)), and immediately after that, the discharge tray 301 is again released. The paper bundle is lifted again, and the upper surface of the bundle of sheets stacked on the sheet discharge tray 301 pushes up the sheet pressing member 311 and stops at a position detected by the sheet height detection sensor 314 or a predetermined height after the detection. Then, the sheet is stopped (FIGS. 14 (f) and 14 (g)), and the vicinity of the rear end of the sheet bundle is pressed by the front end pressing portion 311a of the sheet pressing member 311 to prepare for the next sheet discharge (FIG. 14 (h)). ).

Alternatively, at the same time as the discharge claw 301 moves forward and stops, the DC motor 309 starts to drive, lowers the discharge tray 301 by a predetermined distance (FIG. 15C), and stacks the sheet bundle on the discharge tray 301. To drop load. At that time, simultaneously with the stop after the discharge tray 301 is lowered by a predetermined amount, the DC / SOL 315 performs a suction operation to rotate the sheet pressing member 311 to a position where it is completely retracted from the end fence 310 (FIG. 15 ( d)). Immediately after, the DC / SOL 315 is turned off, and the sheet pressing member 311 is projected again from the end fence 310 (FIGS. 15E and 15F). Next, the sheet discharge tray 301 is raised again, and the sheet pressing member 311 is pushed up by the upper surface of the sheet bundle stacked on the sheet discharge tray 301 (FIG. 15G), and the sheet height detection sensor 314 detects it. Stop at position. Alternatively, after detection, the sheet is stopped after rising to a predetermined height, and the vicinity of the rear end of the sheet bundle is pressed by the front end pressing portion 311a of the sheet pressing member 311 to prepare for the next sheet discharge (FIG. 15 (h)).
In this way, the sheet bundle is stacked on the sheet discharge tray 301.

  FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the sheet post-processing apparatus 1. The control unit 600 of the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 is configured around a CPU 601, and a RAM 603 and a ROM 604 are connected to the CPU 601 via a bus 602. The CPU 601 reads the control program from the ROM 604 and executes it. The RAM 603 holds temporary data necessary for control. The CPU 601 is connected to the home jogger home sensor 408 and the front jogger drive motor driver 606 for controlling the jogger fence 402 via the IO port 605. The position of the front jogger fence 402 is grasped by an input from the home sensor 408, and the front jogger fence 402 is moved by rotating the stepping motor 406 by a signal output to the motor driver 606. Similarly, a home sensor 409 and a motor driver 607 are connected to the CPU 1 via the IO port 605 to control the back jogger fence 403, and the back jogger fence 403 is moved in the same manner as the labor jogger fence 402.

  The CPU 601 is connected to a host device 611 that is an image forming apparatus PR via a serial bus 610. Further, a switch 415 having a plurality of poles is connected to the CPU 601 via the IO port 612, and data set by the pole selection of the switch 415 is held in the RAM 603.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a slide switch 420 as a specific example of the switch, and FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of an adjustment value determined by pole selection of the slide switch 420 in a table format. The slide switch 420 is set to the sign of the adjustment value (ON is-, OFF is +) for the first pole (hereinafter referred to as lever 1), and 0. 0 in the second to third poles (lever 2 to 4). Adjustment values are set at a pitch of 5 mm. The sign of the adjustment value of the lever 1 indicates that ON is − and OFF is +.

  Specifically, if the adjustment value set by the slide switch 420 is, for example, “−1.0 mm” of NO (11) in FIG. 18, the CPU 601 receives the activation request from the host device 611, and the CPU 601 A drive command is output to 607. In response to this, the motor drivers 606 and 607 drive the stepping motors 406 and 407 to change the amount of movement when the jogger fences 402 and 403 are moved to the alignment positions of the sheet members from the case where the adjustment value is ± 0 mm. , 403 is narrowed by 1 mm. On the other hand, the adjustment data transmitted from the host device 611 can also adjust the distance between the jogger fences 402 and 403 at the time of sheet member alignment, and can also be set for each sheet member size.

  FIG. 19 shows a case where one jogger fence is driven and the other jogger fence is not driven, and the sheet member is brought into contact as a reference surface without using the non-driven jogger fence to align the sheet members. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence at the time of a stipple mode when an adjustment value is reflected only to the jogger fence of a drive side. FIG. 20 shows the operation of the jogger fence at this time.

  In FIG. 19, when this process is started, the CPU 601 confirms an adjustment value set by the slide switch 420, for example, −1.0 mm (step S700), and adjustment data for each sheet member size from the host apparatus 611. For example, “A3: −1.0 mm” and “A4 width: −0.5 mm” are received (step S701). This adjustment value is stored in the RAM 604. Next, when the CPU 601 receives an activation request from the host device 611 (step S702), the driving of the stepping motor 211 for conveyance is started (step S703).

  Thereafter, the CPU 601 receives the sheet member size discharged from the host apparatus 611 and stores it in the RAM 604 (step S704). Here, it is assumed that “A3” is received. In addition, when the upper direction apparatus 611 receives a sheet member approaching direction, for example, a rearward approach (step S705), the approaching direction is stored in the RAM 604. Here, when the approaching direction is the back side, the near side jogger fence 402 is driven to perform the approaching operation, and the back side jogger fence 403 is not driven and becomes the reference side. When the approaching direction is the front side, the rear side jogger fence 403 is driven to perform the approaching operation, and the front side jogger fence 402 is not driven and becomes the reference side.

  When the sheet discharge signal is received in step S706, the movement positions of the jogger fences 402 and 403 are determined correspondingly (step S707). Here, the data stored in the RAM 604 in the aforementioned steps S700, S701, S704, and S705, for example, slide switch adjustment value: -1.0 mm, A3 size adjustment value: -1.0 mm, sheet member size: A3 sheet member If the width: 297.0 mm, the approach direction: the back side is determined, and it is confirmed in step S708 that the approach direction is the back side, the adjustment value is reflected on the near side jogger fence 402 (step S709). On the other hand, if the approach direction is not the back side (step S708—NO), the adjustment value is reflected on the back side jogger fence 403 (step S710), and the jogger fence 402 or 403 is moved to the receiving position (step S711). That is, in step S711, when the sheet member width and the receiving position corresponding to the adjustment value are, for example, A3 from the state shown in FIG. 20A, the sheet member width 297.0 mm + the adjustment value front side (jogger fence) Jogger fences 402 and 403 are moved to a position where the width becomes only (−2.0 mm) + stipple mode (7 mm) (FIG. 20B) and the sheet member is received (FIG. 20C).

  In step S712, the jogger fences 402 and 403 are moved to align the sheet members (FIG. 20D). Next, in step S713, it is determined whether or not an end instruction has been received from the host apparatus 611. If no end instruction has been received, the process returns to step S704 and the processing up to step S713 is repeated until an end instruction is input. Thereafter, when the alignment for all the sheet members is completed and an end instruction is received in step S713, the binding operation is performed by the binding device 450 in step S714, and the sheet member bundle bound in step S715 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 301. A series of operations are terminated.

  FIG. 21 shows the stipple mode when the adjustment value is divided by half and reflected to the alignment position of each jogger fence when the front and back jogger fences are driven and the sheet members are aligned. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of. FIG. 22 shows the operation of the jogger fence at this time.

  In FIG. 21, when this process is started, the CPU 601 executes the same process as the process of steps S700 to S704 in FIG. 19 as the process of steps S720 to S724.

  When the CPU 601 receives a sheet member alignment type, for example, a center alignment here (step S725), the CPU 601 stores the alignment type in the RAM 604. Here, when the type of centering is centered, the jogger fences 402 and 403 on both sides are driven to perform the closing operation. When the approach type is one-side approach and the approach direction is the back side, the near-side jogger fence 402 is driven to perform the approach operation, and the back-side jogger fence 403 is not driven and becomes the reference side. When the approaching direction is the front side, the rear side jogger fence 403 is driven to perform the approaching operation, and the front side jogger fence 402 is not driven and becomes the reference side.

  When the sheet discharge signal is received in step S726, the movement positions of the jogger fences 402 and 403 are determined correspondingly (step S727). Here, the data stored in the RAM 604 in steps S720, S721, S724, and S725, for example, slide switch adjustment value: -1.0 mm, A3 size adjustment value: -1.0 mm, sheet member size: A3 sheet member If the width: 297.0 mm, the alignment type: both sides are confirmed, and it is confirmed in step S728 that the alignment type is both sides, the adjustment value is reflected on the both-side jogger fence (step S729), and the jogger fences 402 and 403 are received. (Step S731). The value reflected on the both-side jogger fence is a value obtained by halving the adjustment value stored in the RAM 604. On the other hand, if the approach direction is not the back side (step S728-NO), the adjustment value is reflected on the driving jogger fence 402 or 403 (step S730), and the jogger fence 402 or 403 is moved to the receiving position (step S731). ).

  That is, in step S731, the sheet member width and the receiving position corresponding to the adjustment value are set to the sheet member width 297.0 mm + adjustment value, both-side jogger fence in the case of A3 from the state of FIG. The jogger fences 402 and 403 are moved to positions where the width is −1.0 mm + stipple mode 7 mm, respectively (FIG. 22B), and the sheet member is received (FIG. 22C).

  In step S712, the shifting operation by the jogger fences 402 and 403 is performed to align the sheet members (FIG. 22D). Next, in step S713, it is determined whether or not an end instruction has been received from the host device 611. If no end instruction has been received, the process returns to S723 and the processing up to step S713 is repeated until an end instruction is input. Thereafter, the alignment for all the sheet members is completed. When an end instruction is received in step S713, the binding operation is performed by the binding device 450 in step S714, and the sheet member bundle bound in step S715 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 301. A series of operations are terminated. Since steps S713 to S715 are the same as those in the flowchart of FIG. 19, the same reference numerals are given.

  The operations of the jogger fences 402 and 403 are performed by the jogger drive motors 406 and 407 shown in FIG. 17. When the jogger drive motors 406 and 407 are stepping motors, the jogger fence 402 when the motor rotates by a certain amount. , 403 is determined by gears, pulleys, timing belts, and the like attached to the stepping motor.

  Here, if the movement amount of the jogger fences 402 and 403 when the stepping motor is driven by one step is 0.25 mm, the minimum movement unit of the jogger fences 402 and 403 is 0.25 mm. That is, the resolution of the drive unit is 0.25 mm.

  Here, in the processing procedure shown in FIG. 19, all adjustment values are reflected on one jogger fence 402 or 403 as shown in steps S709 and S710, and in the processing procedure shown in FIG. 21, as shown in step S729. The adjustment value is distributed to both jogger fences 402 and 403 on both sides and reflected. However, when the adjustment value is set to 0.25 mm, when the distribution value is halved in step S729, the adjustment value becomes 0.125 mm and becomes the minimum movement unit of 0.25 mm or less, and the adjustment value cannot be reflected. Become. Therefore, in this embodiment, the minimum unit of the adjustment value of the jogger fences 402 and 403 is twice the resolution of the drive unit, here 0.5 mm, so that even if the adjustment value is distributed by 1/2, the desired value is obtained. The adjustment value can be reflected on the jogger fence.

  The alignment position adjustment value during the alignment operation of the jogger fences 402 and 403 in step S709, S710 or step S729 is the adjustment value of the slide switch 420 shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 and the sheet transmitted from the host device 611. It is set by the total of adjustment values for each member size. Here, the total value of the adjustment values is referred to as a final adjustment value. When the final adjustment value is a value that the jogger fences 402 and 403 cannot move due to the mechanical configuration of the jogger fences 402 and 403, for example, the maximum sheet acceptable size of the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. If the sheet receiving position of the jogger fences 402 and 403 is a position 2 mm away from the operable range in the machine configuration, the final adjustment value is +5 mm, that is, the jogger fence interval is increased by 5 mm. When the alignment type is center alignment, the sheet receiving positions of the jogger fences 402 and 403 are expanded by 2.5 mm, which is 1/2 of the final adjustment value. However, widening by 2.5 mm exceeds the operable range in terms of machine configuration, and there is a risk of damage to the machine. Further, when the type of alignment is one-sided alignment, the distance is 5 mm and there is a risk of damage to the machine.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the maximum value of the final adjustment value is set for each sheet member size, and when the final adjustment value exceeds the set maximum value, the set maximum value is set as the final adjustment value. Thereby, the final adjustment value does not exceed the operable range in the machine configuration, and the machine can be prevented from being damaged.

  The same can be said for the sheet receiving position of the jogger fence at the minimum sheet receiving size. In other words, when the position of the jogger fences 402 and 403 is 2 mm away from the operable range, the final adjustment value is −5 mm which narrows the jogger fence interval by 5 mm. In this case, the sheet receiving positions of the jogger fences 402 and 403 are narrowed by 2.5 mm which is 1/2 of the final adjustment value. However, narrowing by 2.5 mm exceeds the operable range in the machine configuration, and there is a risk of damage to the machine.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the minimum value of the final adjustment value is set for each sheet member size, and when the final adjustment value is less than the set minimum value, the set minimum value is set as the final adjustment value. Thereby, the final adjustment value does not exceed the operable range in the machine configuration, and the machine can be prevented from being damaged.

The final adjustment value does not exceed the operable range in the machine configuration, and the machine can be prevented from being damaged.

  The numerical values of the movement range and the final adjustment value are merely examples, and needless to say, they vary depending on the configuration, size, design specifications, and the like of the sheet post-processing apparatus 1.

As described above, according to this embodiment,
1) When one jogger fence is driven and the other jogger fence is not driven and the sheet member is brought into contact as a reference surface to align the sheet member, the adjustment value is reflected only on the driving jogger fence. By doing so, it is possible to appropriately adjust the alignment position, and when performing the binding process after alignment, the binding process can be performed at a desired position of the sheet member.
2) When aligning the sheet member by driving both alignment plates, the adjustment value is divided by half and reflected in the alignment position of each alignment plate, so that the alignment type is center-aligned or one-side aligned Therefore, it is not necessary to divide the adjustment value according to the above, and it is possible to prevent cost increase and complicated control due to the addition of means for performing adjustment.
3) The minimum unit of the adjustment value of the jogger fences 402 and 403 is set to the resolution of the drive unit that drives the jogger fences 402 and 403, that is, twice the minimum unit that can be driven. It can be reflected in drive control with certainty.
4) When the adjustment value to be set exceeds a certain value determined by the sheet member size and the adjustment value of the jogger fence 402, 403, the maximum value not exceeding the certain value is adjusted to the jogger fence 402, 403. By reflecting the value, damage to the machine can be prevented.
5) When the adjustment value to be set is less than a certain value determined by the sheet member size and the adjustment value of the jogger fence 402, 403, the smallest value satisfying the certain value is the adjustment value of the jogger fence 402, 403. By reflecting as, it is possible to prevent damage to the machine.
6) Since the jogger fences 402 and 403 can be moved independently by the individual drive motors 406 and 407, it is possible to appropriately adjust the alignment position by introducing the adjustment value, and when performing the binding process after alignment. In addition, the binding process can be accurately performed at a desired position of the sheet member.
There are effects such as.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a sheet post-processing apparatus as a sheet processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a part of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a driving mechanism for a pair of conveyance rollers and a pair of paper discharge rollers. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a discharge roller pair and a hitting roller. It is a perspective view which shows the drive mechanism which drives a lever using DC / SOL. It is a perspective view which shows the drive mechanism which drives a lever using a stepping motor. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the drive side roller vicinity. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a sheet alignment unit. It is a timing chart which shows the operation timing of each part at the time of sort mode. It is a timing chart which shows the operation timing of each part at the time of a stipple mode. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows the paper alignment operation | movement of a jogger fence at the time of a sort (shift) mode. FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a sheet alignment operation of the jogger fences 402 and 403 in the stipple mode. It is the perspective view seen from the exterior side which shows the structure of a paper discharge tray part. It is the perspective view seen from the inner side which shows the structure of a paper discharge tray part. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a pressing member provided in a paper discharge tray portion. FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating an operation example of a paper discharge tray unit when paper is discharged. FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating another example of the operation of the paper discharge tray unit when paper is discharged. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure of the sheet | seat post-processing apparatus which concerns on an Example. It is a figure which shows the slide switch as a specific example of a switch. It is a figure which shows an example of the adjustment value determined by the pole selection of a slide switch in a table format. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence at the time of a stipple mode when an adjustment value is reflected only to the jogger fence of a drive side. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the jogger fence corresponding to the process sequence of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence at the time of a stipple mode at the time of driving the jogger fence of a near side and a back side, and aligning a sheet | seat member. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the jogger fence corresponding to the processing procedure.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sheet post-processing apparatus 401 Stipple tray 402,403 Jogger fence 406 Front jogger drive motor 407 Back jogger drive motor 415 Switch 420 Slide switch 600 Control part 601 CPU
611 Host device (image forming device)
PR image forming device

Claims (10)

A stacking means for storing a sheet member to be carried in;
An aligning means for aligning the sheet members stacked on the stacking means in contact with each other in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the sheet members;
A pair of alignment members that can be brought into and out of contact with each other to align the sheet members by contacting the sheet members on the stacking unit, and a drive that independently drives the pair of alignment members. And a control means for adjusting the interval of the alignment member when aligning the sheet member to drive the driving means,
In a sheet aligning apparatus comprising:
The control means sets the interval of the alignment member when aligning the sheet member as an adjustment value for each size of the sheet member, sets the adjustment value only for the alignment member set on the driving side, and sets the sheet member A sheet aligning apparatus characterized by aligning. The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The sheet aligning apparatus, wherein the alignment member set on the driving side is one of a pair of alignment members, and the other of the alignment members is set on a reference side. The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The aligning member set on the driving side is both of a pair of aligning members, and the adjustment value is set for both aligning members. The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein
An adjustment value set for both the alignment members is ½ of the total adjustment value, respectively. In the sheet aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The minimum unit of the adjustment value at the time of alignment of the sheet member is twice the minimum unit that can be driven by the driving unit. In the sheet aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
When the adjustment value exceeds a certain value determined by the sheet member size and the adjustment value, a maximum value not exceeding the certain value is set as an adjustment value for driving the alignment member. Sheet alignment device. In the sheet aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
When the adjustment value is less than a certain value determined by the sheet member size and the adjustment value, a minimum value satisfying the certain value is set as an adjustment value for driving the alignment member. Sheet aligning device. A sheet aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A sheet processing unit that is provided on the upstream side or the downstream side in the sheet member conveyance direction of the sheet aligning device, and that performs a predetermined process on the sheet member;
A sheet processing apparatus comprising:   An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet aligning device according to claim 1.   An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 8.

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