JP2009190192A - Gluing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restrain productivity from getting worse by a bookbinding process based on attaching a paste sheet, in the bookbinding process using the paste sheet. <P>SOLUTION: A gluing unit 120 includes the paste sheet 121, and a paste transfer roller 126 for transferring a paste by pressing a paste deposit face of the paste sheet 121 onto a paper sheet, in a paste transfer mechanism 36A. An inner-binding folding device includes a moving mechanism 138 for moving the paste transfer roller 126 toward a transfer position. The gluing unit 120 is mounted removably on the inner-binding folding device. A feed gear 132 is connected to a feed roller 130 via a one-way clutch, and is connected to a rack gear 136 to transmit a driving force when the gluing unit 120 is mounted on the inner-binding folding device. The rack gear 136 drives the feed roller 130, using a force of moving the paste transfer roller 126 by the moving mechanism 138. The feed roller 130 is driven to feed the paste sheet 121. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a gluing device, and more particularly, to a gluing device that presses a gluing member having gluing on one surface of a substrate against a transfer material to transfer the gluing.

At present, a paste sheet to which a transfer paste is attached is known. As a binding technique using such a glue sheet, for example, the glue sheet is moved with the glue sheet transferred from the gluing position while one of the sheets is attached to the glue sheet, and the glue is transferred. Has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, for example, a gluing bookbinding apparatus has been proposed in which a solid glue layer holding tape is pressed against a sheet by a pressing member disposed between the original winding part and the winding part to transfer the glue (see, for example, Patent Document 2). ).
JP 2007-216677 A JP 2003-291558 A

  When the bookbinding process is performed using the glue sheet as described above, the glue sheet needs to be mounted again when the untransferred glue sheet is used. Since this mounting man-hour affects the productivity of the bookbinding process, it is desirable that the mounting process be as simple as possible.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to suppress a decrease in the productivity of the bookbinding process due to the attachment of the glue sheet.

  In order to solve the above problems, a gluing device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a gluing member having gluing adhered to one surface of a substrate, and a gluing member pressing the gluing adhering surface of the gluing member against a transfer material at a transfer position. A pasting unit having a glue transfer member for transferring glue to a transfer material; and a main body having a moving mechanism for moving the glue transfer member toward a transfer position. The gluing unit is detachably provided on the main body.

  According to this aspect, when there is no glue member that has not been transferred, the glue member that can be transferred can be easily attached to the main body by replacing the glue unit. For this reason, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the productivity of the bookbinding process due to the attachment of the glue sheet.

  The gluing unit may further include a feeding mechanism that feeds the gluing member so that a portion of the gluing member to which the glue is not transferred is pressed against the transfer material. The main body may further include a driving unit that drives the feeding mechanism. The feeding mechanism may be coupled to the driving means when the gluing unit is mounted on the main body. According to this aspect, it is possible to avoid providing drive means in the gluing unit, and it is possible to suppress an increase in the cost of the gluing unit.

  The driving means may drive the feeding mechanism using a force by which the moving mechanism moves the glue transfer member. According to this aspect, for example, the cost can be reduced and control for feeding the glue member can be simplified compared to the case where an actuator for driving the feeding mechanism is provided separately from the moving mechanism. .

  The feed mechanism may include a pair of feed rollers that sandwich the glue member, and a feed gear that is coupled to at least one of the pair of feed rollers via a one-way clutch. The drive means may have a rack gear fixed to the main body. The feed gear meshes with the rack gear when the gluing unit is mounted on the main body, and rotates by moving along the rack gear along with the movement of the glue transfer member. The one-way clutch moves in the direction in which the glue transfer member faces the transfer position. Alternatively, the rotational torque of the feed gear is transmitted to the feed roller so that the glue member is fed when moving in one of the directions away from the transfer position, and the glue member is fed when the glue transfer member moves in the other direction. It may be avoided that the rotational torque of the feed gear is transmitted to the feed roller.

  According to this aspect, using a simple configuration such as a rack gear, the force by which the moving mechanism moves the glue transfer member can be appropriately converted to the force that drives the feed mechanism. For this reason, the increase in cost by the mechanism for converting force in this way can be suppressed.

  The feed mechanism may rotate by moving the feed gear along the rack gear as the gluing unit is attached to the main body, and may feed the glue member. According to this aspect, when the gluing unit is attached to the main body, the gluing member can be appropriately sent. For this reason, for example, when the glue member is formed in a flexible tape shape, an appropriate tension can be given to the glue member when the glue unit is mounted, and the subsequent transfer of glue can be facilitated. it can.

  According to the bookbinding apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the productivity of the bookbinding process due to the attachment of the glue sheet.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a bookbinding apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. The bookbinding apparatus 10 includes a paper feeding device 12, a saddle stitch folding device 14, a cutting device 16, a stacker 18, and a management device 20.

  The sheet feeding device 12 includes an A tray 22A and a B tray 22B (hereinafter collectively referred to as “tray 22” as necessary). The tray 22 is loaded with paper on which an image is formed by an image forming method such as printing, electrophotographic method, and ink jet method.

  The sheet feeding device 12 is provided with a sheet feeding control unit 110 having a CPU that executes various arithmetic processes, a ROM that stores various control programs, and a RAM that is used as a work area for data storage and program execution. . A separate feeding mechanism 24 is provided for each of the A tray 22A and the B tray 22B. The separation feeding mechanism 24 separates and sends out the uppermost sheet among the sheets stacked on the corresponding tray 22. The separation / feed mechanism 24 according to the first embodiment employs an air suction type. Since the air suction type separation and feeding mechanism is known, its detailed description is omitted. Of course, a so-called friction type separation / feed mechanism may be provided instead of the air suction type separation / feed mechanism.

  The paper feeder 12 also has a lifting mechanism (not shown) that raises and lowers each of the trays 22 and a paper height sensor (not shown) that detects the height of the paper stacked on each tray 22. . The paper feed control unit 110 stops raising the tray 22 when it is detected that the uppermost paper among the papers stacked on the tray 22 has reached the paper feedable height. In this way, the paper feed control unit 110 maintains the height of the paper stacked on the top of the tray 22 at a paper feedable height, and allows the paper to be continuously fed by the separation and feeding mechanism 24.

  The paper feeding device 12 has a switchback reversing mechanism 26. When the user designates reversal in the management device 20, the switchback reversing mechanism 26 reverses the paper sent out from the A tray 22A and returns it to the paper transport path. The common conveyance path 28 joins the sheet conveyance path for conveying the sheet sent out from the A tray 22A and the sheet conveyance path for conveying the sheet sent out from the B tray 22B.

  The saddle stitch folding device 14 includes a gluing mechanism 30, a binding mechanism 50, and a folding mechanism 70. The gluing mechanism 30 includes a conveyance roller 32, a paper conveyance plate 34, a glue transfer mechanism 36 </ b> A, and a paper sensor 40. The paper is transported from the common transport path 28 of the paper feeder 12 to the paper transport plate 34. The transport rollers 32 are arranged to face each other with the paper transport plate 34 interposed therebetween, and transport the paper fed onto the paper transport plate 34 toward the binding mechanism 50. The gluing mechanism 30 has one side guide (not shown) for restricting the movement of the paper in the direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction (hereinafter referred to as “paper width direction”), one on the front side and one on the rear side. It is provided one by one. Each of these side guides is connected to a motor via a gear mechanism, and by operating this motor, the side guides can be moved in the paper width direction in accordance with the width of the paper. .

  Two glue transfer mechanisms 36A are provided, and each is arranged above the sheet conveying plate 34 so as to be movable up and down. The glue transfer mechanism 36 </ b> A moves down to transfer the glue onto the upper surface of the paper on the paper transport plate 34. The paper sensor 40 is constituted by an optical sensor having a light emitting element and a light receiving element. The paper sensor 40 is disposed near and downstream of the glue transfer mechanism 36A, and detects the leading edge of the paper transported on the paper transport plate 34 by detecting a change in the amount of light received by the light emitting element. The saddle stitch folding device 14 is provided with a gluing control unit 112. The gluing control unit 112 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and controls driving of the conveyance roller 32 and raising / lowering of the glue transfer mechanism 36A.

  Here, the configuration of the glue transfer mechanism 36A will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The glue transfer mechanism 36 </ b> A includes a glue unit 120 and a movement mechanism 138. The moving mechanism 138 is attached to the inside of the saddle stitch folding device 14 via a cam mechanism (not shown). The gluing unit 120 is configured to be detachable from the moving mechanism 138. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the glue transfer mechanism 36A before the gluing unit 120 according to the first embodiment is mounted on the moving mechanism 138. As shown in FIG.

  The gluing unit 120 includes a feeding reel 122, a take-up reel 124, a glue transfer roller 126, a case 127, a take-up gear 128, a feed roller 130, a feed gear 132, and an idler gear 134. The case 127 has an opening on the lower surface, and an attachment portion 120a that protrudes from the upper surface and extends in the paper transport direction. For ease of understanding, the case 127 is shown in cross section in FIG.

  The glue sheet 121 as the glue member is configured by adhering glue to one surface of a long flexible sheet. The supply reel 122 is rotatably attached to the case 127 in a state where the glue sheet 121 is wound so that the glue adhering surface to which the glue is attached is on the outside. By pressing the side of the glue sheet 121 to which the glue is applied, the glue of the pressed part is peeled off from the sheet and transferred to the sheet. Since such a glue sheet is known, a detailed description of the configuration of the glue sheet 121 is omitted.

  The take-up reel 124 is attached to the case 127 so as to be arranged beside the supply reel 122. The glue transfer roller 126 as a glue transfer member is rotatably attached to the case 127 below the side opposite to the side where the pay-out reel 122 is located when viewed from the take-up reel 124. At this time, the glue transfer roller 126 is disposed so as to protrude downward from the opening on the lower surface of the case 127. The glue sheet 121 wound around the feed reel 122 has the back surface of the glue adhering surface joined to the outer surface of the glue transfer roller 126, and one end is fixed to the outer surface of the take-up reel 124. When the take-up reel 124 rotates, the glue sheet 121 wound around the feed reel 122 via the outer surface of the glue transfer roller 126 is taken up by the take-up reel 124. The feeding reel 122 is fitted on the rotating shaft so as to generate appropriate friction. For this reason, even if the glue sheet 121 is taken up by the take-up reel 124, the contact portion between the supply reel 122 and its rotating shaft functions as a torque limiter, and an appropriate tension is maintained on the glue sheet 121. The glue transfer roller 126 is made of an elastic material so that the pressed portion is compressed to increase the glued area.

  The glue sheet 121 extending between the glue transfer roller 126 and the take-up reel 124 is sandwiched between a pair of feed rollers 130. A feed gear 132 is fixed to the lower feed roller 130 of the pair of feed rollers 130 so as to rotate coaxially. When rotational torque is applied to the feed gear 132, the lower feed roller 130 connected to the feed gear 132 rotates, and the upper feed roller 130 is driven accordingly. As the pair of feed rollers 130 rotate in this manner, the glue sheet 121 is fed toward the take-up reel 124. Accordingly, the pair of feed rollers 130 and the feed gear 132 function as a feed mechanism that feeds the glue sheet 121.

  An idler gear 134 is fixed to the upper feed roller 130 so as to rotate coaxially. A take-up gear 128 is fixed to the take-up reel 124 so as to rotate coaxially. The idler gear 134 meshes with the take-up gear 128. As the idler gear 134 is driven, the take-up gear 128 rotates, and the glue sheet 121 that is fed is taken up by the take-up reel 124. The take-up reel 124 is fitted on the rotating shaft so as to generate appropriate friction. In a state in which the take-up reel 124 and its rotation shaft do not slide, the take-up gear 128 and the idler gear 134 are provided so that the take-up speed by the take-up reel 124 is faster than the feed speed by the feed roller 130. Yes. With such a configuration, even when the glue sheet 121 is fed toward the take-up reel 124 by the feed roller 130, the contact portion between the take-up reel 124 and its rotating shaft functions as a torque limiter, and maintains an appropriate tension. In this state, the take-up reel 124 can take up the glue sheet 121.

  The moving mechanism 138 is disposed above the paper transport plate 34. The moving mechanism 138 includes a pipe 139, a shaft 140, a unit mounting member 141, a stopper 142, and a coil spring 143. The pipe 139 is connected to the cam mechanism so that the axial direction is directed vertically. The shaft 140 is inserted into the insertion hole of the pipe 139 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. A stopper 142 is fixed in the vicinity of the upper end of the pipe 139, and the downward movement of the shaft 140 is restricted by the stopper 142 coming into contact with the upper end of the moving mechanism 138. A unit mounting member 141 is fixed to the lower end of the shaft 140. The unit attachment member 141 is formed with an attachment groove 141a that extends in the paper conveyance direction and has the same cross section as the attachment portion 120a. A coil spring 143 is arranged between the lower end of the pipe 139 and the upper end of the unit mounting member 141 so as to be wound around the shaft 140. The coil spring 143 applies a biasing force in a direction in which the pipe 139 and the unit mounting member 141 are separated from each other. The rack gear 136 is disposed in a region between the moving mechanism 138 and the paper transport plate 34.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the glue transfer mechanism 36 </ b> A in a state where the glue unit 120 according to the first embodiment is mounted on the moving mechanism 138. The gluing unit 120 is attached to the moving mechanism 138 by inserting an attachment portion 120 a into the attachment groove 141 a from the upstream side to the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction on the paper conveyance plate 34. At this time, the rack gear 136 meshes with the feed gear 132 so that the driving force can be transmitted.

  The cam mechanism connected to the moving mechanism 138 is further connected to a glue transfer motor (not shown). The movement mechanism 138 operates the glue transfer motor to lower the glue unit 120 via the cam mechanism, and moves the glue transfer roller 126 toward the glue transfer position where the glue is transferred to the sheet. As a result, the glue sheet 121 is pressed against the sheet conveyed on the sheet conveying plate 34, and the glue is transferred to the upper surface of the sheet.

  When the moving mechanism 138 descends, the feed gear 132 rotates while moving downward along the rack gear 136. Therefore, the rack gear 136 functions as a driving unit that drives the feed gear 132. As a result, the feed roller 130 rotates and the paste sheet 121 is transferred until the non-transferred paste sheet 121 covers the outer periphery below the paste transfer roller 126 so that the portion of the paste sheet 121 to which the paste is not transferred is pressed against the sheet. Will be sent. The rack gear 136 drives the feed roller 130 using the force by which the moving mechanism 138 moves the glue transfer roller 126 in this way. Thereby, the feed roller 130 can be driven with a simple configuration.

  Note that the gear portion of the rack gear 136 may be deleted below the rack gear 136. This prevents the glue sheet 121 from being sent even when the glue transfer mechanism 36A descends and the glue transfer roller 126 presses the glue sheet 121 against the upper surface of the paper.

  The glue sheet 121 is connected to the lower feed roller 130 via a one-way clutch (not shown). This one-way clutch transmits the rotational torque of the feed gear 132 to the feed roller 130 when the glue unit 120 moves downward, and the torque of the feed gear 132 is transmitted to the feed roller 130 when the glue unit 120 moves upward. Avoid being transmitted. For this reason, when the glue unit 121 is raised after the glue sheet 121 is pressed against the upper surface of the sheet conveyed to the sheet conveyance plate 34, the feed gear 132 rotates by moving along the idler gear 134. The state where the roller 130 does not rotate is maintained. Thereby, it can avoid sending the glue sheet 121 in the reverse direction.

  Note that a feed gear may be fixed to the upper feed roller 130 of the pair of feed rollers 130 so as to rotate coaxially via a one-way clutch. The rack gear 136 may mesh with the feed gear when the gluing unit 120 is mounted on the moving mechanism 138. At this time, the one-way clutch transmits the rotational torque of the feed gear 132 to the feed roller 130 when the glue unit 120 moves upward, and the torque of the feed gear 132 when the glue unit 120 moves downward. Transmission to 130 may be avoided. In this case, it is avoided that the glue sheet 121 is sent when the glue unit 120 is lowered and the glue sheet 121 is pressed against the upper surface of the sheet. On the other hand, after the glue sheet 121 is pressed against the upper surface of the paper, the glue sheet 121 is fed from the glue transfer roller 126 toward the take-up reel 124 when the glue unit 120 is raised. This also makes it possible to appropriately feed the glue sheet 121 so that the part to which no glue is transferred is pressed against the paper. In this case as well, the length of the glue sheet 121 sent may be the same as described above.

  4 is a view of the glue transfer mechanism 36A as viewed from the viewpoint P in FIG. Projecting guide portions 149 are provided on the front and rear side surfaces of the case 127. The guide portion 149 is provided with an insertion hole penetrating in the vertical direction, and the shaft 144 is inserted into the insertion hole. A stopper 148 having a diameter larger than that of the shaft 144 is provided at the upper end of the shaft 144. At the lower end of the shaft 144, a paper pressing portion 146 for pressing the paper is provided. A coil spring 145 is disposed between the sheet pressing portion 146 and the guide portion 149 so as to be wound around the outer periphery of the shaft 144. As a result, when the glue transfer mechanism 36 </ b> A descends and transfers the glue onto the upper surface of the sheet, the glue of the glue sheet 121 can be peeled off from the sheet by the urging force of the coil spring 145. As shown in FIG. 4, the feed gear 132 is disposed outside the case 127. Thereby, the enlargement of case 127 can be suppressed.

  Returning to FIG. The binding mechanism 50 includes a suction conveyance mechanism 54, a pressing mechanism 55, a stacking base 52, a paper sensor 60, and a pusher 67. The suction conveyance mechanism 54 includes a conveyance belt 62, a roller 64, and an air suction mechanism 66. The pressing mechanism 55 has a pusher 56. Here, the configurations of the suction conveyance mechanism 54 and the pressing mechanism 55 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the pusher 56 included in the suction conveyance mechanism 54 and the pressing mechanism 55 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 shows a state in which these are viewed from the upstream side in the paper conveyance direction (hereinafter referred to as “upstream side”) from the front and below. As shown in FIG. 5, three suction conveyance mechanisms 54 are provided in the first embodiment. In each of the suction conveyance mechanisms 54, the conveyance belt 62 is disposed so as to mesh with the pair of rollers 64 and extend in the sheet conveyance direction. The conveyance belt 62 on the downstream side of each of the three suction conveyance mechanisms 54 is fixed so as to rotate coaxially by a shaft 68. Further, the upstream conveying belt 62 of each of the three suction conveying mechanisms 54 is also fixed to be coaxially rotated by another shaft 68. In this state, the three suction conveyance mechanisms 54 are juxtaposed at intervals in the paper width direction. One shaft 68 is driven by a belt drive motor (not shown). As a result, the conveyor belt 62 is driven via the roller 64.

  An air suction mechanism 66 is provided in an area surrounded by the conveyance belt 62. The air suction mechanism 66 has an air suction hole on the lower surface, and sucks air from below. Since the structure of the air suction mechanism 66 is known, the description thereof is omitted. The conveying belt 62 is provided with a through hole for air to pass through. The lower surface of the conveyance belt 62 is a paper suction surface 62a. When the air suction mechanism 66 is sucking air, the paper is sucked on the paper suction surface 62a.

  The pusher 56 is formed in a quadrangular prism shape. In the first embodiment, two pushers 56 are provided, and each pusher 56 is arranged to extend in the vertical direction at the interval portion of the suction conveyance mechanism 54. At this time, a pressing surface 56 a for pressing the paper is formed on the lower surface of the pusher 56. The pressing mechanism 55 has a cam mechanism (not shown). When a pusher drive motor (not shown) is operated, the pusher 56 moves up and down via the cam mechanism. Thus, the pusher 56 can be moved downward from the paper suction surface 62a and retracted above the paper suction surface 62a.

  In the center of the lower surface of the pusher 56, a recess 56b is provided that is recessed upward from the pressing surface 56a. Of the lower surface of the pusher 56, a portion where the concave portion 56b is not provided becomes a pressing surface 56a for pressing the paper. By forming the concave portion 56b in this manner, the pusher 56 can be pressed against the paper while avoiding contact between the pusher 56 and the glue even if the glue is transferred to the upper surface of the paper.

  FIG. 6 is a top view of the gluing mechanism 30 and the binding mechanism 50 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, two glue transfer mechanisms 36 </ b> A are arranged so that the glue transfer points of the glue sheets 121 have the same position in the paper conveyance direction. This makes it possible to transfer glue around the folding line extending in the paper width direction.

  When glue is transferred from the glue sheet 121 of the glue transfer mechanism 36 </ b> A to the paper, the place where the glue is transferred passes through the glued part passage area 84 together with the paper and moves to the binding mechanism 50. If something touches the upper side of the paper in the pasting area 84, it becomes difficult to transport the paper. For this reason, the conveyance roller 32 on the downstream side of the glue transfer mechanism 36 </ b> A is arranged so as to avoid the gluing location passage area 84. Further, the pusher 56 is disposed at the downstream end of the pasting location passing region 84 so that a force can be applied to the pasting location. In order to arrange the pusher 56 at this position, each of the three suction conveyance mechanisms 54 is arranged at a position where the conveyance belt 62 does not contact the gluing position passage area 84.

  Returning to FIG. The paper sensor 60 is disposed in the vicinity of the pusher 56 and on the downstream side, and detects the leading edge of the paper that is sucked and conveyed by the paper suction surface 62a. The paper sensor 60 is configured by a so-called ultrasonic sensor. Specifically, the paper sensor 60 includes an ultrasonic transmitter that transmits ultrasonic waves and a receiver that receives ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic transmitter transmits ultrasonic waves obliquely to the conveyed paper. The receiver is disposed at a position for receiving ultrasonic waves reflected by the conveyed paper. Thereby, the timing at which the ultrasonic wave is received by the receiver can be identified as the detection timing of the leading edge of the paper.

  Similarly, the paper sensor 60 may be configured by an optical sensor having a light emitting element that emits light obliquely and a light receiving element that receives light reflected by the conveyed paper. Further, the paper sensor 60 may have a rotatable detector. In this case, the detector rotates in contact with the leading edge of the conveyed paper. The paper sensor 60 detects the leading edge of the paper by detecting the rotation of the detector with an optical sensor. Further, the sheet sensor 60 may be disposed at a position where the leading end of the sheet is detected at the sheet stacking position. The paper sensor 60 may be configured by a transmissive optical sensor, or may be configured by a reflective optical sensor. In this case, the detection timing of the leading edge of the paper is the paper conveyance stop timing.

  A loading table 52 is provided below the binding mechanism 50. On the upper surface of the loading table 52, a loading surface 52a that is a horizontal surface on which sheets are loaded is formed. The stacking table 52 is arranged such that the stacking surface 52 a is lower than the upper surface of the sheet transport plate 34. At this time, the step between the upper surface of the sheet transport plate 34 and the stacking surface 52a is set to be larger than the maximum thickness of the sheet bundle before folding processing of the saddle stitched booklet that can be created by the bookbinding apparatus 10. The loading table 52 has two fans 58. One fan 58 is disposed immediately below the stacking surface 52a, one upstream of the pusher 56 and one downstream. By operating the fan 58, the lowermost sheet directly placed on the stacking surface 52a is adsorbed to the stacking surface 52a by the suction force of air. Thereby, the shift | offset | difference to the horizontal direction of the paper loaded on the stacking surface 52a is suppressed.

  The pusher 67 is normally disposed on the most upstream side of the loading platform 52. The pusher 67 is connected to a motor via a ball screw mechanism. When the motor is operated, the pusher 67 moves in the downstream direction, and feeds the sheet bundle stacked on the stacking surface 52 a to the folding mechanism 70.

  The saddle stitch folding device 14 is provided with a binding control unit 114. The binding control unit 114 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The binding control unit 114 drives the conveyance belt 62, sucks the paper onto the paper suction surface 62a, raises and lowers the pusher 56, operates the fan 58, and sends out a bundle of paper by the pusher 67. Control.

  The folding mechanism 70 includes a sheet bundle conveying roller 73, a folding stopper 74, a folding knife 76, a folding roller 78, and a belt conveying mechanism 80. A pair of sheet bundle conveying rollers 73 are provided so as to sandwich the sheet conveying plate 72 on which the sheet bundle is conveyed. The upper sheet bundle conveying roller 73 can move upward so that the sheet bundle conveying roller 73 can release the nipping of the sheet bundle during the folding process.

  The folding stopper 74 is disposed in the vicinity of the downstream end of the paper transport plate 72 so as to protrude above the upper surface of the paper transport plate 72. The folding stopper 74 is connected to a stopper moving motor (not shown) via a ball screw mechanism, and moves in the paper transport direction when the stopper moving motor operates. The upper surface of the sheet transport plate 72 is continuous with the stacking surface 52 a, and a sheet bundle is fed from the binding mechanism 50 onto the sheet transport plate 72. The fed sheet bundle is positioned in the sheet conveying direction when the front end portion comes into contact with the folding stopper 74. The folding stopper 74 has been moved in the paper conveyance direction in advance so that the folding line of the abutted sheet bundle is in a position where it abuts against the folding knife 76. In the bookbinding apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment, the paper width direction is parallel to the folding line.

  Above the paper transport plate 72, a pair of folding rollers 78 are juxtaposed in the paper transport direction so that the axial direction is in the paper width direction. The folding knife 76 can move up and down between the pair of folding rollers 78 and below the sheet conveying plate 72 by operating a folding knife drive motor (not shown). By raising the folding knife 76 in a state where the sheet bundle is positioned in the sheet conveyance direction by the folding stopper 74, the sheet bundle is wound between the pair of folding rollers 78. The pair of folding rollers 78 is connected to a folding roller drive motor via a gear mechanism or the like. By operating the folding roller driving motor, the pair of folding rollers 78 are driven so as to convey the rolled up sheet bundle while folding it. The booklet folded by the pair of folding rollers 78 is sent to the belt conveyance mechanism 80 through the binding folded booklet conveyance path 82 that extends upward from the nip portion of the pair of folding rollers 78. The belt conveyance mechanism 80 sends the created booklet to the paper conveyance path 92 of the cutting device 16.

  The saddle stitch folding device 14 is provided with a folding control unit 116. The folding control unit 116 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and controls the position of the folding stopper 74 in the sheet conveyance direction, the raising and lowering of the folding knife 76, and the driving of the folding roller 78.

  The cutting device 16 has a three-way cutting mechanism 90. The three-way cutting mechanism 90 includes a fore-edge cutting blade 98, a sheet pressing portion 96, a stopper 94, a side guide (not shown), and a pair of top and bottom cutting blades (not shown).

  The stopper 94 can be moved forward and backward in the paper conveyance path 92 by turning on and off a solenoid (not shown). When the booklet edge is cut, a stopper 94 is projected from the paper conveyance path 92 before each booklet is fed. The stopper 94 is connected to a stopper moving motor (not shown) via a ball screw mechanism, and moves in the paper transport direction when the stopper moving motor is operated.

  The booklet conveyed to the three-way cutting mechanism 90 is stopped at the timing immediately after the spine abuts against the stopper 94. The top of the booklet is positioned by a pair of side guides (not shown) before coming into contact with the stopper 94. The sheet pressing portion 96 is lowered toward the booklet in contact with the stopper 94 when a motor (not shown) is operated.

  The fore edge cutting blade 98 is provided above the sheet conveyance path 92 on the upstream side of the sheet pressing portion 96, and is lowered when a fore edge cutting motor (not shown) is operated. Each of the top and bottom cutting blades is provided above the paper transport path 92 with the paper pressing portion 96 interposed therebetween, and is lowered by operating a top and bottom cutting motor (not shown). The pair of top and bottom cutting blades can be moved in a direction away from each other or close to each other by a center distribution method. Move away or closer.

  By passing between the side guides, the top and bottom positions are aligned, and the sheet pressing portion 96 is lowered and the booklet is pressed while the stopper 94 is positioned in the paper transport direction. In this state, the fore edge cutting blade 98 first cuts the fore edge, and then the pair of top and bottom cutting blades cut the top and the bottom of the booklet. In this way, a final saddle stitch booklet is created. The booklet that has been subjected to the cutting process is conveyed onto the stacker 18. Instead of the three-way cutting mechanism 90, a fork cutting mechanism that cuts only the fore edge may be provided.

  The cutting device 16 is provided with a cutting control unit 118. The cutting control unit 118 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and controls the cutting of the booklet by the position of the stopper 94 in the paper conveyance direction, the position of the top and bottom cutting blade in the paper width direction, the small edge cutting blade 98 and the top and bottom cutting blade.

  The management apparatus 20 includes a management PC (Personal Computer) 100, a display 102, a keyboard 104, and a mouse 106. The management PC 100 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk, and the like, and is connected to the paper feeding device 12, the saddle stitch folding device 14, and the cutting device 16 so as to be able to transmit and receive data. The display 102, the keyboard 104, and the mouse 106 are connected to the management PC 100.

  The management PC 100 displays a setting screen on the display 102 so that various settings can be input by the user. The user can input various settings using the keyboard 104 and the mouse 106 while the setting screen is displayed. When the user clicks the start button displayed on the display 102, the management PC 100 sends a start signal indicating that the bookbinding process is to be started together with information indicating the setting contents to the paper feed control unit 110, the gluing control unit 112, and the binding. The data is transmitted to the control unit 114, the folding control unit 116, and the cutting control unit 118.

  FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the bookbinding apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 7, functional blocks realized by cooperation of hardware such as CPU, ROM, RAM, and software are depicted. Therefore, these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by a combination of hardware and software.

  The management PC 100 includes a size information acquisition unit 150 and a fold line setting unit 152. The size information acquisition unit 150 acquires size information including information indicating the conveyance direction length of the sheet and information indicating the width direction length in the sheet width direction. The size information acquisition unit 150 may acquire information indicating the paper size input or selected by the user as size information. For example, when a paper size sensor is provided in the tray 22, the detected paper size may be acquired as size information.

  The fold line setting unit 152 sets a fold line on the paper using the acquired size information. Specifically, the folding line setting unit 152 uses the information indicating the length in the transport direction of the paper included in the acquired size information, and is at a distance half the length in the transport direction from the leading edge of the paper to be transported. Set a straight line as a fold line. Note that the user can input the distance from the leading edge of the sheet to be conveyed as the position of the folding line on the setting screen. The fold line setting unit 152 may set a straight line at a distance from the front end of the paper input by the user as the fold line.

  The sheet feeding control unit 110 is connected to a solenoid that switches between suction and stop of air in the separation feeding mechanism 24 and a motor that drives a roller that meshes with the conveyance belt. The sheet feeding control unit 110 controls the feeding of the sheet from the sheet feeding device 12 by switching between air suction and suction stop while the transport belt is driven.

  The gluing control unit 112 is connected to a paper sensor 40, a paper conveyance motor 156 that drives the conveyance roller 32, and a glue transfer motor 158 that moves the glue transfer mechanism 36A up and down. The gluing control unit 112 counts drive pulses input to the paper transport motor 156 from when the leading edge of the paper transported by the paper sensor 40 is detected. When the counted drive pulses reach a predetermined number, the input of the drive pulses to the paper transport motor 156 is stopped to stop the paper transport. In this way, the paper feed controller 110 stops the paper on the paper transport plate 34 at a predetermined position in the paper transport direction. The paper feed controller 110 glues the lower surface of the paper by operating the glue transfer motor 158 to raise the glue transfer mechanism 36A when the conveyance of the paper is stopped.

  The binding control unit 114 is connected to the paper sensor 60, a belt drive motor 160 that drives the conveyance belt 62, and a pusher drive motor 162 that moves the pusher 56 up and down. The binding control unit 114 counts the driving pulses input to the belt driving motor 160 from when the leading edge of the paper conveyed by the paper sensor 60 is detected. When the counted drive pulses reach a predetermined number, the input of the drive pulses to the belt drive motor 160 is stopped to stop the conveyance of the paper. In this way, the binding control unit 114 stops the paper sucked on the paper suction surface 62a at a predetermined position in the paper transport direction.

  The binding control unit 114 moves the pusher 56 downward from the paper suction surface 62a when the conveyance of the paper is stopped, so that the paper sucked by the paper suction surface 62a is directed toward the stacking surface 52a by the pressing surface 56a. Press. The binding control unit 114 stops the suction of air from the paper suction surface 62a by turning off the solenoid that switches the suction and suction stop of air from the paper suction surface 62a at the timing when the pusher 56 advances downward. . In this way, the binding control unit 114 places the paper transported on the stacking surface 52a when the paper is not stacked on the stacking surface 52a. When sheets are already stacked on the stacking surface 52a, the lower surface of the transported sheet is pressed against the upper surface of the uppermost sheet among the sheets stacked on the stacking surface 52a and bonded.

  The folding control unit 116 is connected to a stopper moving motor 164 that moves the folding stopper 74 in the transport direction, a folding knife drive motor 166 that moves the folding knife 76 up and down, and a folding roller drive motor 168 that drives the folding roller 78. The folding control unit 116 moves the folding stopper 74 to a predetermined position before the laminated sheet bundle is sent to the folding mechanism 70. The folding control unit 116 operates the folding knife driving motor 166 and the folding roller driving motor 168 after the sheet bundle contacts the folding stopper 74 to raise the folding knife 76 so that the sheet bundle is sandwiched between the folding rollers 78. Collapse to create a booklet.

  The management PC 100 acquires the finished size input by the user as finished size information. Note that the management PC 100 may acquire a size obtained by further subtracting the cutting margin from the size obtained by folding the paper of the size indicated by the paper size information acquired by the size information acquisition unit 150 in half, as the finished size of the booklet. . The management PC 100 transmits the acquired finish size information to the cutting control unit 118.

  The cutting control unit 118 is connected to the stopper moving motor 170 and the top and bottom cutting blade moving motor 172. The cutting control unit 118 specifies the cutting position of the fore edge and the cutting position of the top and bottom based on the received finish size information. The cutting control unit 118 operates the stopper moving motor 170 to move the stopper 94 so as to cut the fore edge at the specified position. The cutting control unit 118 operates the top and bottom cutting blade moving motor 172 to move the top and bottom cutting blades so as to cut the top and bottom at the specified position.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a bookbinding procedure of the bookbinding apparatus according to the first embodiment. The processing in this flowchart is performed by a sheet feeding device until the conveyance of the total number of sheets obtained by multiplying the number of booklets input by the user and the number of sheets constituting one booklet after the start button is pressed by the user is completed. 12 is repeated at every sheet feeding timing.

  Similar to the first embodiment, when the paper feed control unit 110 receives a signal indicating the paper feed timing, it performs a paper feed process for feeding one sheet from the tray 22 (S50). The management PC 100 transmits information indicating whether or not the sheet is the last sheet of the booklet to the gluing control unit 112 at the timing when the sheet is sent to the gluing mechanism 30C. Based on the information, the gluing control unit 112 determines whether or not the sheet to be fed is the last sheet in the booklet (S52).

  When it is determined that the booklet is the final sheet (Y in S52), the gluing control unit 112 avoids the glue transfer (S54) and conveys the sheet to the binding mechanism 50 (S56). The binding control unit 114 stops the conveyance of the sheet when the folding line of the fed sheet is positioned at the binding reference position (S58), and lowers the pusher 56 to press the sheet toward the stacking surface 52a (S60). . In this way, by not gluing the final sheet of the booklet to the sheet, it is possible to avoid gluing to the upper surface of the sheet bundle that is created by binding.

  When the pressing of the last sheet is completed, the binding control unit 114 stops the operation of the fan 58 to release the adsorption of the sheet bundle, and then moves the pusher 67 downstream to fold the sheet bundle created. (S62). The folding control unit 116 sets the position in the sheet conveying direction that contacts the sheet when the folding knife 76 is raised as the folding position, and the sheet bundle created at this folding position when the sheet bundle contacts the folding stopper 74. The position of the folding stopper 74 is adjusted so that the folding line is positioned (S64). At the timing when the leading end of the conveyed sheet bundle comes into contact with the folding stopper 74, the folding control unit 116 raises the folding knife 76 so as to hold the sheet bundle between the folding rollers 78 and perform folding processing (S66). . The saddle stitched booklet created by folding is sent to the cutting device 16. The cutting control unit 118 performs a cutting process for cutting three sides of the sent booklet (S68). In this way, by binding the sheets glued around the folding line so that the folding lines overlap and performing folding processing, it is possible to create a saddle stitch folded booklet without a binding needle.

  If it is determined that the booklet is not the final sheet (N in S52), the gluing control unit 112 stops the conveyance of the sheet when the folding line is positioned at the gluing reference position (S70). When the paper stops, the glue control unit 112 lowers the glue transfer mechanism 36A and transfers the glue to the upper surface of the paper (S72). Since the process of S74-S78 is the same as that of S56-S60, description is abbreviate | omitted.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the glue transfer mechanism before the gluing unit according to the second embodiment is mounted on the moving mechanism. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the part similar to 1st Embodiment, and description is abbreviate | omitted. In the second embodiment, a glue transfer mechanism 36B is provided instead of the glue transfer mechanism 36A. The glue transfer mechanism 36 </ b> B includes a glue unit 200 and a moving mechanism 204. The gluing unit 200 is configured to be detachable from the moving mechanism 204.

  The gluing unit 200 is the same as the gluing unit 120 according to the first embodiment except that a case 202 is provided instead of the case 127. The case 202 is provided with an attachment portion 202a instead of the attachment portion 120a. The attaching part 202a protrudes from the downstream side surface of the case 202 and is provided so as to extend in the vertical direction.

  The moving mechanism 204 is the same as the moving mechanism 138 according to the first embodiment except that a unit mounting member 206 is provided instead of the unit mounting member 141. The unit mounting member 206 is formed in an L shape, and the other straight portion is fixed to the lower end of the shaft 140 so that one straight portion extends vertically downward on the upstream side of the pipe 139. A mounting groove 206a having the same shape as that of the mounting portion 202a is provided on the upstream side surface of the vertically extending portion. In the second embodiment, the gluing unit 200 is mounted on the moving mechanism 204 by moving the gluing unit 200 vertically downward while inserting the mounting portion 202a into the mounting groove 206a.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the glue transfer mechanism in a state where the glue unit 200 according to the second embodiment is mounted on the moving mechanism 204. The moving mechanism 204 is provided with a latch mechanism (not shown). The latch mechanism releasably locks the case 202 to the unit mounting member 206 when the mounting portion 202a is inserted into the mounting groove 206a up to a predetermined position.

  In the second embodiment, along with the mounting operation of the gluing unit 200 to the moving mechanism 204, the feed gear 132 arranged outside the case 202 moves along the extending direction of the rack gear 136 in a state where the feed gear 132 is engaged with the rack gear 136. To rotate. As a result, the feed roller 130 rotates, the glue sheet 121 is fed, and the glue sheet 121 can be given an appropriate tension when the glue unit 200 is mounted.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and an appropriate combination of the elements of each embodiment is also effective as an embodiment of the present invention. Various modifications such as design changes can be added to each embodiment based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and embodiments to which such modifications are added can also be included in the scope of the present invention. Here are some examples.

  In a modification, in the first embodiment, the glue transfer mechanism 36A and the pusher 56 are both provided to be movable in the paper width direction. In this case, the glue transfer mechanism 36A, the pusher 56, and the suction conveyance mechanism 54 in front of the apparatus are provided as a front unit so as to be integrally movable in the paper width direction. In addition, the glue transfer mechanism 36A, the pusher 56, and the suction conveyance mechanism 54 on the rear side of the apparatus are also provided as a rear unit so as to be integrally movable in the sheet width direction. The front unit and the rear unit are provided so as to be movable toward and away from each other in the paper width direction by a driving force of a single motor by a so-called center distribution method. Each of the front unit and the rear unit may be moved in the paper width direction by a driving force of a separate motor.

  The ROM of the gluing control unit 112 stores a map indicating the correspondence between the paper size information and the glue transfer position information indicating the center positions of the two glue transfer areas in the paper width direction. The gluing control unit 112 acquires glue transfer position information associated with the paper size information acquired from the size information acquisition unit 150. The gluing control unit 112 is arranged so that the center position in the sheet width direction of the glue transfer roller 126 of the glue transfer mechanism 36A and the center position in the sheet width direction of the pusher 56 are positioned at the glue transfer position indicated by the acquired glue transfer position information. Move the unit and rear unit.

  Further, the user can input the glue transfer position in the paper width direction in the management device 20. The management apparatus 20 transmits paste transfer position information indicating the input paste transfer position to the gluing control unit 112. In this case, the gluing control unit 112 moves the front unit and the rear unit so that the glue is transferred to the glue transfer position indicated by the received glue transfer position information. As described above, by allowing the glue transfer mechanism 36A and the pusher 56 to move in the paper conveyance direction, the distance between the two glue transfer areas can be adjusted according to the paper size and the user's request.

  In another variation, in the above-described embodiment, a position specifying image such as a registration mark printed on the conveyed paper is captured by an imaging device such as a line sensor. The imaging device is connected to the management PC 100, and image data generated by imaging is transmitted to the management PC 100. The fold line setting unit 152 analyzes the captured image data and specifies the position of the position specifying image. The fold line setting unit 152 sets the position of the fold line using the position of the position specifying image. For example, when a registration mark is recorded at the position of the folding line, the folding line setting unit 152 sets the position of the specified registration mark as the position of the folding line.

  In another modification, an air suction port is provided on the pressing surface 56a. The air suction port communicates with an air suction mechanism that switches between suction and release of air. Since such an air suction mechanism is known, description thereof is omitted. When the paper is pressed by the pusher 56, the binding control unit 114 sucks air from the air suction port so that the upper surface of the paper is attracted to the pressing surface 56a. When the push of the paper is finished and the pusher 56 is raised, the binding control unit 114 releases the suction of air. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the horizontal displacement of the sheet caused by pressing with the pusher 56.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a bookbinding apparatus according to a first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the glue transfer mechanism before mounting the gluing unit which concerns on 1st Embodiment to a movement mechanism. It is a figure which shows the glue transfer mechanism of the state which mounted | wore the movement mechanism with the gluing unit which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 4 is a view of a glue transfer mechanism as viewed from a viewpoint P in FIG. 3. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the pusher contained in the suction conveyance mechanism and pressing mechanism which concern on 1st Embodiment. It is a top view of the gluing mechanism and binding mechanism which concern on 1st Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the bookbinding apparatus concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the bookbinding procedure of the bookbinding apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the glue transfer mechanism before mounting the gluing unit which concerns on 2nd Embodiment to a movement mechanism. It is a figure which shows the glue transfer mechanism of the state which mounted | wore the movement mechanism with the gluing unit which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Bookbinding apparatus, 14 Saddle stitch folding apparatus, 30 Gluing mechanism, 36A and 36B Glue transfer mechanism, 120 Gluing unit, 120a Mounting part, 121 Glue sheet, 122 Delivery reel, 124 Take-up reel, 126 Glue transfer roller, 127 Case, 128 winding gear, 130 feed roller, 132 feed gear, 136 rack gear, 138 moving mechanism.

Claims (5)

Gluing member having glue on one surface of the substrate, and glue transfer member for pressing the glue-attaching surface of the glue member to the transfer material at the transfer position and transferring the glue from the glue member to the transfer material. Unit,
A main body having a moving mechanism for moving the glue transfer member toward the transfer position;
With
The gluing device, wherein the gluing unit is detachably provided on the main body. The gluing unit further includes a feed mechanism that feeds the glue member so that a portion of the glue member to which the glue is not transferred is pressed against the transfer material,
The main body further includes a driving means for driving the feeding mechanism,
The gluing device according to claim 1, wherein the feeding mechanism is coupled to the driving unit when the gluing unit is mounted on the main body.   The gluing device according to claim 2, wherein the driving unit drives the feeding mechanism using a force by which the moving mechanism moves the glue transfer member. The feed mechanism includes a pair of feed rollers that sandwich the glue member, and a feed gear connected to at least one of the pair of feed rollers via a one-way clutch,
The drive means has a rack gear fixed to the main body,
The feed gear meshes with the rack gear when the gluing unit is mounted on the main body, and rotates by moving along the rack gear together with the movement of the glue transfer member,
The one-way clutch transmits the rotational torque of the feed gear to the feed roller so that the glue member is fed when the glue transfer member moves in either the direction toward the transfer position or the direction away from the transfer position. The rotation torque of the feed gear is prevented from being transmitted to the feed roller so that the glue member is not fed when the glue transfer member moves in the other direction. The gluing device described.   The said feed mechanism rotates when the said feed gear moves along with the said rack gear with the mounting | wearing to the said main-body part of the said gluing unit, and sends the said glue member. Gluing device.

Images