JP2009220965A - Paper processing apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To release a stack of aligned paper onto the loader means without spoiling the quality of the alignment of paper. <P>SOLUTION: The paper processing apparatus includes: a shift tray 202 on which paper is loaded; a rear end fence 51 and a jogger fence 53 both used for aligning paper; a pair of paper release rollers 6 for releasing the aligned paper or a stack of paper onto the shift tray 202, the pair of paper release rollers being situated on the most downstream side of the transfer direction; a paper stack transfer mechanism 600 for transferring the aligned paper or the stack of paper toward the downstream side of the transfer direction; and a release claw 52 for moving the aligned paper or the stack of paper from the upstream side of the paper stack transfer mechanism 600 to the downstream side of the paper stack transfer mechanism 600 and for releasing the paper onto the shift tray 202. The paper stack transfer means 600 applies a releasing force to the stack of paper when the release claw 52a releases the stack of aligned paper onto the shift tray 202. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  According to the present invention, a sheet processing apparatus provided with a binding / folding unit for performing predetermined processing, for example, binding or folding, on a sheet-like recording medium (hereinafter simply referred to as “paper”), and the sheet processing apparatus are integrated or integrated. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile, or a digital multi-function machine provided separately.

  As this type of technology, for example, the inventions disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known. Among these, in Patent Document 1, a brush roller is provided on the same axis as the conveying roller, and the trailing edge of the paper is pressed against the staple tray side by the cooperative action of the brush roller and the paper pressing means. An invention is described in which a conveyance failure due to the floating of the rear end is prevented.

Further, in Patent Document 2, when a sheet bundle stored on a staple tray is fed to a discharge roller by a discharge claw, the return roller is driven in synchronization with the discharge claw to convey the sheet bundle in the sheet discharge direction. Further, there is described an invention in which large-size paper that is likely to buckle at the rear end of the paper can be reliably discharged.
Japanese Patent No. 3832964 Japanese Patent No. 3619684

  In the invention described in each of the above-mentioned patent documents, there is a problem of transportability after the sheets are aligned, and in the invention described in Patent Document 1, the rear end portion of the paper is pressed against the staple tray side so that the paper by curling. According to the invention described in Patent Document 2, when the sheet bundle stored on the staple tray is fed to the discharge roller by the discharge claw, the return roller is synchronized with the discharge claw. It is driven to reliably eject large-size paper that tends to buckle. However, in any of the inventions, a brush roller or a return roller equivalent to this is used. However, after passing through the brush roller or the return roller, there is no possibility of pressing, so there is a possibility of bending or buckling. There is.

  That is, in the conventional example, when the trailing end of the sheet bundle aligned by the aligning unit is lifted by the discharge unit, the sheet is bent, and a paper jam that may occur during the subsequent discharge or a bending trace remains in the sheet bundle. The possibility cannot be dispelled.

  Accordingly, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to ensure that the aligned sheet bundle can be discharged onto the stacking means without deteriorating the quality of the aligned sheet bundle.

  In order to solve the above problem, the first means includes a stacking means for stacking sheets, an aligning means for aligning sheets, and a conveyance direction for discharging the sheets or sheet bundle aligned by the aligning means onto the stacking means. The discharge means located on the most downstream side, the conveyance means for conveying the sheet or sheet bundle aligned by the alignment means to the downstream side in the conveyance direction, and the sheet or sheet bundle aligned by the alignment means than the conveyance means In a paper processing apparatus including a discharge unit that moves from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction and discharges it onto the stacking unit, when the stack of sheets aligned by the alignment unit is discharged to the stacking unit by the discharge unit In addition, a discharge force is given to the sheet bundle by the conveying unit.

  The second means is characterized in that, in the first means, when the leading end of the sheet bundle reaches the discharge means, a state in which no conveying force is applied from the discharge means to the sheet bundle is provided.

  The third means is characterized in that, in the first means, the discharge means is continuously applied by the discharge means after the discharge means is provided to the sheet bundle by the transport means.

  According to a fourth means, in the first means, after the leading end of the sheet bundle has passed through the discharge means by a predetermined amount, the discharge means is brought into contact with the sheet bundle and a discharge force is given to the sheet bundle. Features.

  The fifth means is the first means, wherein the transport means is at least two of a first standby position at the time of alignment by the alignment means and a second standby position immediately before giving a discharge to the sheet bundle. One standby position is provided.

  The sixth means is characterized in that, in the first means, the restriction in the anti-emission direction is released when the conveying means gives a discharge to the sheet bundle.

  A seventh means is characterized in that, in the sixth means, the release speed while the discharge means is applied by the transport means is equal to or higher than the moving speed of the discharge means.

  According to an eighth means, in the sixth means, before the sheet bundle is transported by the transport means and the discharge power from the transport means is lost, the discharge means gives the paper bundle a discharge power. Features.

  According to a ninth means, in the sixth means, when the sheet bundle obtains a discharge power from both the discharge means and the transport means, the discharge speed by the discharge means is equal to or higher than the discharge speed by the transport means. It is characterized by that.

  A tenth means is characterized in that, in any one of the first, third, fourth, and fifth means, whether or not the output power is given is determined based on the size of the sheet bundle to be discharged.

  The eleventh means is characterized in that, in any of the first, fourth, and fifth means, whether or not the release power is given is determined based on the type or number of sheets to be discharged.

  A twelfth means is the paper processing apparatus according to the second means, wherein the appropriateness of the setting of the state is determined based on the type or number of sheets to be discharged.

  A thirteenth means is characterized in that the image forming apparatus includes a sheet processing apparatus according to any one of the first to twelfth means.

  In the embodiment described later, the stacking unit is the shift tray 202, the alignment unit is the rear end fence 51 and the jogger fence 53, the discharge unit is the discharge roller pair 6, the transfer unit is the bundle transfer mechanism 600, and the discharge unit. Corresponds to the discharge claw 52a, and each means is controlled by the CPU 360 of the control device 350.

  According to the present invention, when the sheet bundle aligned by the aligning means is discharged to the stacking means by the discharge means, the discharge means provides the sheet bundle with the discharge means, so that the quality of the aligned sheet bundle is not impaired. Can be reliably discharged onto the loading means.

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

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of an image forming system including a sheet post-processing apparatus as a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. Part of the device is shown.

  In FIG. 1, the sheet post-processing device PD is attached to the side portion of the image forming apparatus PR, and the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus PR is guided to the sheet post-processing device PD. The sheet passes through a conveyance path A having post-processing means (in this embodiment, a punch unit 100 as a punching means) for post-processing one sheet, and then to the conveyance path B and the shift tray 202 which are led to the upper tray 201. The branching claw 15 and the branching claw 16 are configured to distribute to a conveyance path C that leads to a conveyance path D that leads to a conveyance path C that leads, and a processing tray F that performs alignment and staple binding (hereinafter also referred to as an end face binding processing tray).

  The image forming apparatus PR includes an image processing circuit that converts input image data into printable image data, although not shown, and an optical writing device that performs optical writing on a photoconductor based on an image signal output from the image processing circuit A developing device for developing the latent image formed on the photosensitive member by optical writing, a transfer device for transferring the toner image visualized by the developing device to paper, and a fixing device for fixing the toner image transferred on the paper At least the paper on which the toner image is fixed is sent to the paper post-processing device PD, and desired post-processing is performed by the paper post-processing device PD. Here, the image forming apparatus PR is of an electrophotographic system as described above, but any known image forming apparatus such as an ink jet system or a thermal transfer system can be used. In this embodiment, the image processing circuit, the optical writing device, the developing device, the transfer device, and the fixing device constitute image forming means.

  The sheet guided to the end surface binding processing tray F through the transport paths A and D and subjected to alignment, stapling, and the like in the end surface binding processing tray F is shifted by a guide member 609 serving as a deflection unit and a guide plate 611. The conveyance path C leads to 202, and is configured to be distributed to a saddle stitching and center folding processing tray G (hereinafter also simply referred to as “folding processing tray”) for folding and the like. The sheet is guided to the lower tray 203 through the conveyance path H. Further, a branching claw 17 is disposed in the conveyance path D and is held in the state shown in the figure by a low load spring (not shown), and after the trailing edge of the paper conveyed by the conveyance roller 7 passes through the branching claw 17. Then, by reversing at least the conveyance roller 9 among the conveyance rollers 9 and 10 and the staple discharge roller 11, the sheet is moved backward along the turn guide 8 and the trailing edge of the sheet is guided to the sheet storage portion E to be retained. And can be conveyed in a superimposed manner. By repeating this operation, it is possible to convey two or more sheets in a superimposed manner.

  In the conveyance path A common to the upstream of the conveyance path B, the conveyance path C, and the conveyance path D, an inlet sensor 301 that detects a sheet received from the image forming apparatus PR, and an inlet roller 1, a punch unit 100, The punch and waste hopper 101, the conveying roller 2, the branching claw 15 and the branching claw 16 are sequentially arranged. The branch claw 15 and the branch claw 16 are held in the state shown in FIG. 1 by a spring (not shown), and when the solenoid (not shown) is turned on, the branch claw 15 rotates upward and the branch claw 16 rotates downward. The paper is distributed to the conveyance path B, the conveyance path C, and the conveyance path D.

  When the paper is guided to the conveyance path B, the solenoid is turned off in the state of FIG. 1, and when the paper is guided to the conveyance path C, the branch claw 15 is moved upward by turning on the solenoid from the state of FIG. When the branching claw 16 is rotated downward, the paper is discharged from the transport roller 3 to the upper tray 201 through the paper discharge roller 4 and guided to the transport path D, the branching claw 16 is in the state shown in FIG. The solenoid is turned off and the branch claw 15 is turned upward by turning on the solenoid from the state shown in FIG. 1, and the paper is shifted through the conveying roller 5 and the discharge roller pair 6 (6a, 6b). Transport to the tray 202 side.

  In this sheet post-processing apparatus, punching (punch unit 100), sheet alignment + edge binding (jogger fence 53, end surface binding stapler S1), sheet alignment + saddle binding (saddle stitch upper jogger fence 250a, Processing such as saddle stitching lower jogger fence 250b, saddle stitching stapler S2), paper sorting (shift tray 202), center folding (folding plate 74, folding roller 81), and the like can be performed.

2. Shift Tray Unit As shown in FIG. 1, the shift tray paper discharge unit located at the most downstream portion of the paper post-processing device PD includes a shift paper discharge roller pair 6 (6a, 6b), a return roller 13, and a paper surface detection sensor. 330, a shift tray 202, a shift mechanism (not shown) that reciprocates the shift tray 202 in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction, and a shift tray lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the shift tray 202.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 13 denotes a return roller, and the return roller 13 comes from a sponge roller for contacting the paper discharged from the shift paper discharge roller pair 6 and aligning the rear end of the paper against the end fence. Become. The return roller 13 is rotated by the rotational force of the shift paper discharge roller pair 6. A tray lift limit switch is provided in the vicinity of the return roller 13, and when the shift tray 202 is lifted to push up the return roller 13, the tray lift limit switch is turned on and the tray lift motor is stopped. Thereby, overrun of the shift tray 202 is prevented. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a paper surface detection sensor 330 is provided in the vicinity of the return roller 13 as paper surface position detecting means for detecting the paper surface position of the paper discharged on the shift tray 202 or the sheet bundle. Yes.

  In this embodiment, the paper surface detection sensor (for stippling) and the paper surface detection sensor (for non-stipple) are turned on when blocked by the shielding portion. Therefore, when the shift tray 202 is raised and the contact portion of the paper surface detection lever is rotated upward, the paper surface detection sensor (for stippling) is turned off, and when it is further rotated, the paper surface detection sensor (for non-stipple) is turned on. When it is detected by the paper surface detection sensor (for stippling) and the paper surface detection sensor (for non-stipple) that the sheet stacking amount has reached a predetermined height, the shift tray 202 is lowered by a predetermined amount by driving the tray lifting / lowering motor. Thereby, the paper surface position of the shift tray 202 is kept substantially constant.

3. End-face Binding Processing Tray Unit 3.1 Overall Configuration of End-face Binding Processing Tray The sheets guided to the end-face binding processing tray F by the staple discharge roller 11 are sequentially stacked on the end-face binding processing tray F. In this case, alignment in the vertical direction (paper conveyance direction) is performed with the tapping roller 12 for each sheet, and alignment in the horizontal direction (direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction—also referred to as the sheet width direction) is performed with the jogger fence 53. The end-face stitching stapler S1 is driven by the staple signal from the control device 350 (see FIG. 24) between the end of the job, that is, from the last sheet of the sheet bundle to the first sheet of the next sheet bundle, and the binding process is performed. The sheet bundle subjected to the binding process is immediately sent to the shift paper discharge roller 6 by the discharge belt 52 with the discharge claw 52a protruding, and is discharged to the shift tray 202 set at the receiving position.

3.2 Paper Discharge Mechanism The discharge claw 52a is configured such that its home position is detected by a discharge belt HP sensor 311, and this discharge belt HP sensor 311 is turned on / off by a discharge claw 52a provided on the discharge belt 52. Turn off. Two discharge claws 52a are arranged at opposing positions on the outer periphery of the discharge belt 52, and the sheet bundle stored in the end face binding processing tray F is moved and conveyed alternately. Further, if necessary, the discharge belt 52 is reversely rotated, and the sheet bundle stored in the end face binding processing tray F on the back surface of the discharge claw 52a opposite to the discharge claw 52a opposite to the sheet bundle is moved. It is also possible to align the tips in the transport direction. Therefore, the discharge claw 52a also functions as a means for aligning the sheet bundle in the sheet conveyance direction.

  Further, on the drive shaft of the discharge belt 52 driven by a discharge motor (not shown), the discharge belt 52 and its drive pulley are arranged at the alignment center in the paper width direction, and the discharge roller 56 is arranged symmetrically with respect to the drive pulley. It has been fixed. Further, the peripheral speed of these discharge rollers 56 is set to be higher than the peripheral speed of the discharge belt 52.

3.3 Processing Mechanism The hitting roller 12 is swung around the fulcrum 12a and is given a pendulum motion by a SOL (solenoid), and acts intermittently on the sheet fed to the end surface binding processing tray F, and the sheet is fed to the rear end fence 51. Strike. The hitting roller 12 rotates counterclockwise. The jogger fence 53 is driven via a timing belt by a jogger motor (not shown) capable of forward and reverse rotation, and reciprocates in the paper width direction.

  The end-face stitching stapler S1 is driven via a timing belt by a not-shown stapler moving motor (not shown), and moves in the sheet width direction to bind a predetermined position of the sheet edge. A stapler movement HP sensor for detecting the home position of the end-face stitching stapler S1 is provided at one end of the movement range, and the binding position in the sheet width direction is determined by the amount of movement of the end-face stitching stapler S1 from the home position. Be controlled. The end-face stitching stapler S1 further replaces the staple needle by rotating only the binding mechanism portion of the stapler S1 obliquely at a predetermined angle at the home position so that the needle driving angle can be changed parallel or obliquely with respect to the paper edge. Is configured so that it can be easily performed. That is, the stapler S1 is rotated obliquely by the oblique motor, and when the needle replacement position sensor detects that the needle replacement position sensor has reached a predetermined oblique angle or the needle replacement position, the oblique motor stops. When the diagonal strike is finished or the needle exchange is finished, the original position is rotated to prepare for the next staple.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 310 denotes a paper presence / absence sensor that detects the presence / absence of paper on the end-face binding processing tray F.

4). Sheet Bundle Deflection Mechanism As shown in the enlarged views of the end-face binding processing tray F and the folding processing tray G in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sheet bundle deflection mechanism includes a bundle conveyance mechanism 600 that applies a conveyance force to the sheet bundle, and a sheet bundle. It comprises a discharge roller 56 for turning, and a guide member 609 for guiding the turn portion of the paper bundle. The discharge roller 56 is provided at the upper end of the end surface binding processing tray F as described above, and the guide member 609 is disposed on the outer peripheral portion thereof.

  Each detailed configuration will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the roller 601 of the bundle conveying mechanism 600 is configured to transmit the drive of the drive shaft 602 by the timing belt 603, and the roller 601 and the drive shaft 602 are armed. It is connected and supported by 604 and can move with the drive shaft 602 as a rotation fulcrum. The roller 601 of the bundle transport mechanism 600 is rotated by a cam 605. The cam 605 rotates about a rotating shaft 606, and the drive is transmitted from the motor M1.

The home position of the cam 605 that rotates the bundle transport mechanism 600 is detected by the sensor SN1, and the rotation angle from the home position may be controlled by adding a sensor in FIG. 2, or adjusted by pulse control of the motor M1. You may do it. A driven roller 607 is disposed at a position opposite to the roller 601 of the bundle conveying mechanism 600, the sheet bundle P is sandwiched between the driven roller 607 and the roller 601, and is pressurized by an elastic material 608 constituted by, for example, a tension spring, thereby conveying force. Is given.

  The transport path for transporting a bundle of sheets from the end-face binding processing tray F to the folding processing tray G includes a discharge roller 56 and a guide member 609 on the side opposite to the discharge roller 56, and the guide member 609 rotates around a fulcrum 610. The drive is transmitted from the motor M2. The home position of the guide member 609 is detected by the sensor SN2. In addition, the conveyance path for conveying the sheet bundle from the edge binding processing unit F to the shift tray 202 serving as a stacking unit is such that the guide member 609 rotates in the clockwise direction in the drawing around the fulcrum 610 as shown in FIG. A guide path is formed by the guide member 609 and the guide plate 611.

5. Folding processing tray Saddle stitching and folding are performed in a folding processing tray G provided downstream of the end face binding processing tray F. The sheet bundle is guided from the end face binding processing tray F to the folding processing tray G by the sheet bundle deflection mechanism. Hereinafter, the configuration of the saddle stitching middle folding processing tray will be described.

5.1 Configuration of Folding Tray As shown in FIG. 1, a folding processing tray G is provided on the downstream side of the sheet bundle deflection mechanism including the bundle conveying mechanism 600, the guide member 609, and the discharge roller 56. The folding processing tray G is provided substantially vertically on the downstream side of the sheet bundle deflecting mechanism, the middle folding mechanism at the center, the bundle conveying guide plate upper 92 above it, and the bundle conveying guide plate below. A lower 91 is arranged. Further, an upper bundle conveying roller 71 is provided above the upper bundle conveying guide plate 92, and a lower bundle conveying roller 72 is provided below the upper bundle conveying guide plate 92. A saddle stitch upper jogger fence 250a is arranged on both sides along the side surface of 92. Similarly, a saddle stitch lower jogger fence 250b is provided on both sides along the side surface of the bundle conveyance guide plate lower 91, and a saddle stitch stapler S2 is disposed at a place where the saddle stitch lower jogger fence 250b is installed. The saddle stitching upper jogger fence 250a and the saddle stitching lower jogger fence 250b are driven by a driving mechanism (not shown) and perform an alignment operation in a direction (paper width direction) orthogonal to the conveyance direction. The saddle stitching stapler S2 is a pair of a clincher portion and a driver portion, and two pairs are provided at a predetermined interval in the sheet width direction. Here, although two pairs are provided in a fixed state, a pair of clincher portions and a driver portion may be moved in the width direction of the sheet to perform two-point binding.

  A movable rear end fence 73 is arranged so as to cross the lower bundle conveyance guide plate 91, and can be moved in the sheet conveyance direction (vertical direction in the figure) by a moving mechanism including a timing belt and its driving mechanism. . As shown in FIG. 1, the drive mechanism includes a drive pulley and a driven pulley on which the timing belt is stretched, and a stepping motor that drives the drive pulley. Similarly, a rear end tapping claw 251 and its drive mechanism are provided on the upper end side of the upper bundle transport guide plate 92. The trailing edge tapping claw 251 can reciprocate in a direction away from the sheet bundle deflecting mechanism and a direction in which the trailing edge of the sheet bundle (the side that contacts the trailing edge when the sheet bundle is introduced) is pushed by a timing belt 252 and a driving mechanism (not shown). ing. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 326 denotes a home position sensor for detecting the home position of the rear end tapping claw 251.

  The middle folding mechanism is provided at substantially the center of the folding processing tray G, and includes a folding plate 74, a folding roller 81, and a conveyance path H that conveys the folded sheet bundle.

5.2 Folding plate and its operating mechanism Folding plate 74 is supported by loosely fitting long holes on each of two shafts standing on a front and rear side plate (not shown), and further, a shaft erected from folding plate 74 The part is loosely fitted into the long hole of the link arm, and the link arm swings around the fulcrum, whereby the folding plate reciprocates left and right in FIG. That is, the shaft portion of the folding plate driving cam is loosely fitted in the long hole portion of the link arm, and the link arm is swung by the rotational movement of the folding plate driving cam. Accordingly, in FIG. Reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to the upper bundle conveying guide plates 91 and 92.

  In this embodiment, it is assumed that the sheet folding is bound in the middle folding, but the present invention can be applied to the case of folding one sheet. In this case, since only one sheet does not require saddle stitching, when one sheet is discharged, the sheet is fed to the folding processing tray G side, folded by the folding plate 74 and the folding roller 81, and discharged from the sheet discharge roller 83. Paper is discharged to the lower tray 203. Reference numeral 323 denotes a folded portion passage sensor for detecting a folded sheet.

  In this embodiment, a detection lever 501 for detecting the stacking height of the sheet bundle folded in the lower tray 203 is provided to be swingable by a start point 501a, and the angle of the detection lever 501 is detected by the paper surface sensor 505. Then, the raising / lowering operation and overflow detection of the lower tray 203 are performed.

6). Control Device FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the control device. As shown in the figure, the control device 350 is composed of a microcomputer having a CPU 360, an I / O interface 370, etc., each switch of the control panel of the image forming apparatus PR main body, an inlet sensor 301, and an upper discharge sensor 302. , Shift discharge sensor 303, prestack sensor 304, staple discharge sensor 305, paper presence sensor 310, discharge belt home position sensor 311, staple movement home position sensor, stapler oblique home position sensor, jogger fence home position sensor, bundle arrival Signals from the sensors 321, the movable rear end fence home position sensor 322, the folding portion passage sensor 323, the lower paper discharge sensor, and the paper surface detection sensor 330 are sent to the CPU 360 via the I / O interface 370. It is a force.

  Based on the input signal, the CPU 360 moves a tray raising / lowering motor for the shift tray 202, a discharge guide plate opening / closing motor for opening / closing the opening / closing guide plate, a shift motor for moving the shift tray 202, and a tapping roller motor for driving the tapping roller 12. , Solenoids for hitting SOL, a conveyance motor for driving each conveyance roller, a sheet discharge motor for driving each sheet discharge roller, a discharge motor for driving the discharge belt 52, a stapler moving motor for moving the end surface binding stapler S1, and end surface binding An oblique motor that rotates the stapler S1 obliquely, a jogger motor that moves the jogger fence 53, a motor M1 that drives the bundle conveying mechanism 600, a motor M2 that swings and drives the guide member 609, and a movable rear end fence 73 that moves is not shown. Move the rear end fence moving motor, folding plate 74 Folding plate driving motor, controls the driving of such folding roller drive motor for driving the folding rollers 81.

  A pulse signal of a not-shown staple conveyance motor that drives the staple discharge roller is input to the CPU 360 and counted, and the hitting SOL and the jogger motor are controlled according to this count. The punch unit 100 also performs drilling according to instructions from the CPU 360 by controlling the clutch and the motor. The sheet post-processing device PD is controlled by the CPU 360 executing a program written in a ROM (not shown) while using a RAM (not shown) as a work area.

7). Operation 7.1 Previously Performed Operation In the conventional machine, after the sheet alignment in the edge binding processing unit F in FIG. 1 or the alignment process and the stapling process, the sheet bundle P is moved by the operations shown in FIGS. discharge. That is, the guide member 609 is rotated in the clockwise direction in the drawing, and a conveyance path connected to the shift tray 202 is formed by the outer peripheral surface of the guide member 609 and the guide plate 611. Then, the rear end of the sheet bundle aligned on the end face binding processing tray F is pushed up by the discharge claw 52 a and conveyed to the shift tray 202. At this time, it is the discharge claw 52a that gives the paper bundle P a discharge output. When the discharge claw 52a is pushed up (FIG. 3) and fully raised (FIG. 4), the paper discharge roller pair 6 (6a, 6b) supplies the paper. Hold the bundle and release (discharge) it.

  Here, when the sheet bundle P is not stiff, the sheet bundle P buckles as shown in FIG. 6 when the discharge claw 52a releases the sheet bundle while accelerating. In this state, if it is pushed up as it is, the bending due to buckling increases as shown in FIG. 7, and a paper jam or a bending trace may remain.

7.2 Basic Operation Therefore, in this embodiment, the sheet bundle P aligned by the edge binding processing unit F or the sheet bundle P subjected to the stapling process after alignment is discharged to the rollers 601 of the bundle conveying mechanism 600 by the discharge claw 52a. Lift to a position where it can be pinched by 607. Next, the sheet bundle is sandwiched by the rollers 601 and 607, and the discharge operation is started by giving a discharge force to the sheet bundle (FIGS. 8 and 9). Thereafter, the sheet bundle rear end is positioned at the sheet bundle rear end in accordance with the timing at which the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle conveying mechanism 600 pass through the nip or the timing at which the roller 601 of the bundle conveying mechanism 600 is released and the roller nip is released. The sheet bundle P is supported by the discharge claw 52a that continues to give a discharge power (FIGS. 10 and 11). Here, the leading edge of the sheet being ejected contacts the ejection roller 6b or a guide member integrated with the ejection roller 6b, and the leading edge of the sheet bundle being ejected is the ejection roller 6a, so as not to be scratched or broken. The discharge roller 6b and the guide member are opened at a timing at which they do not come into contact with 6b (FIGS. 10 and 11). Thereafter, when the sheet bundle P is conveyed to a predetermined location, the discharge roller 6b and the guide member are closed, and the sheet bundle P is discharged (discharged) onto the stacking means 202 by the discharge rollers 6a and 6b (FIG. 12).

  FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing a sheet bundle discharging procedure in the present embodiment when the sheet size is small. In the figure, one flowchart is divided into two as FIGS. 25A and 25B.

  First, when the job is started, the edge binding processing unit F executes a sheet bundle alignment operation and a stapling process (step S101). A job in this processing procedure indicates an operation of creating a sheet bundle P from the first page to the last page by copying. Further, the alignment of the sheets in step S101 is performed for each sheet, and after the final sheet is discharged to the edge binding processing unit F, the alignment operation for the final sheet becomes the alignment operation as a sheet bundle. When the alignment and binding of the sheet bundle are completed (step S102—YES), the sheet bundle P reaches the nip between the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle conveyance mechanism 600 by the discharge claw 52a, and the trailing edge of the sheet bundle is lifted (step S103). The leading end of the sheet bundle P is held by the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle conveyance mechanism 600, and the discharge operation of the sheet bundle P is started (step S104).

  Next, the discharge claw 52a is moved at the same speed as the discharge speed until a predetermined time elapses (step S105), and when the sheet bundle P moves a predetermined amount (step S106-YES), the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle conveyance mechanism 600 are moved. The nip is opened (step S107). In this state, the bundle discharge operation is continued by the discharge claw 52a. When the leading end of the sheet bundle reaches a predetermined position, the pair of paper discharge rollers 6 is opened (step S117). When the leading end of the sheet bundle reaches a predetermined position on the further downstream side, the sheet discharge roller 6b is closed (step S118), and the sheet bundle is discharged by the sheet discharge roller pair 6 (6a, 6b) (step S119).

  Further, after starting the sheet bundle discharging operation in step S104, simultaneously with the discharging operation, the discharge claw 52a is moved at a speed slower than the discharging speed by the sheet bundle conveying mechanism 600 (step S108). When the sheet bundle moves by a predetermined amount (step S109-YES), the sheet bundle discharge operation by the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle conveying mechanism 600 is stopped (step S110), and the discharge claw 52a is moved to the rear end of the sheet bundle. The position is stopped (step S111), the nip between the rollers 601 and 607 is released (step S112), and the discharge operation of the sheet bundle P is started by the discharge claw 52a (step S113).

  Next, when the leading end of the sheet bundle reaches a predetermined position, the discharge roller pair 6 is opened (step S117). When the leading end of the sheet bundle reaches a predetermined position further downstream, the discharge roller 6b is closed (step S118). The sheet bundle is discharged by the pair of paper discharge rollers 6 (6a, 6b) (step S119).

  On the other hand, at the same time as the discharge operation in step S108, the discharge claw 52a is moved at a speed slower than the discharge speed by the sheet bundle conveying mechanism 600, and when the sheet bundle moves by a predetermined amount (step S114), the movement of the discharge claw 52a is performed. The speed is increased to catch up with the rear end of the sheet bundle (step S115), and the nips of the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle conveying mechanism 600 are opened. During this time, the bundle discharging operation is continued by the discharge claw 52a (step S116). When the leading edge of the sheet reaches a predetermined position, the sheet discharge roller 6b is opened (step S117), and the leading edge of the sheet bundle is further downstream. Is reached (step S118), and the sheet bundle is discharged by the discharge roller pair 6 (6a, 6b) (step S119).

7.3 Operation for Large Size Paper Note that the operation order of each unit varies depending on the positional relationship of each means and the size of the paper bundle. For example, when the sheet is large (long in the traveling direction), the sheet bundle P processed by the edge binding processing unit F is lifted by the discharge claw 52a and then sandwiched between the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle conveyance mechanism 600. The basic operation is the same as the operation until the discharge operation is started by giving the discharge output (FIGS. 13, 14, and 15), but the rear end of the sheet bundle is the nip of the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle conveyance mechanism 600. Before the sheet exits, the leading end of the sheet bundle comes into contact with the pair of discharge rollers 6, so the discharge roller 6b and the guide member are first opened (FIG. 16). Next, when the trailing edge of the sheet bundle passes through the nip of the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle conveying mechanism 600 or when the roller 601 of the bundle conveying mechanism 600 is opened and the roller nip is released, the discharge located at the trailing edge of the sheet bundle is released. The paper bundle P is supported by the claw 52a, and at the same time, the discharge output is continuously applied (FIGS. 16 and 17). Thereafter, when the sheet bundle P is conveyed to a predetermined location, the discharge roller 6b and the guide member are closed, and the sheet bundle P is discharged (discharged) onto the shift tray 202 by the sheet discharge rollers 6a and 6b (FIG. 17).

  FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing a sheet bundle discharging procedure in the present embodiment when the sheet size is large. In the figure, one flowchart is divided into two as FIGS. 26A and 26B.

  Although related to FIG. 25, the size of the paper size is that in this embodiment, the length of the paper in the paper transport direction during paper discharge is such that the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle transport mechanism 600 have a nip and a paper discharge roller pair 6. The case where it straddles the nip is large, and the case where it is not so is called small. This is because the conveyance control is changed by this length.

  In FIG. 26, when the job is started, the edge binding processing unit F performs the sheet bundle alignment operation and the stapling process (step S201). A job in this processing procedure indicates an operation of creating a sheet bundle P from the first page to the last page by copying. In step S201, the sheets are aligned one by one, and after the final sheet is discharged to the edge binding processing unit F, the alignment operation for the final sheet becomes the alignment operation as a sheet bundle. When the alignment and binding of the sheet bundle are completed (step S202—YES), the sheet bundle P reaches the nip between the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle conveying mechanism 600 by the discharge claw 52a, so that the trailing edge of the sheet bundle is lifted (step S203). The leading end of the sheet bundle P is held by the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle conveyance mechanism 600, and the discharge operation of the sheet bundle P is started (step S204).

  Next, the process proceeds to step S205 or S206. In step S205, the discharge claw 52a is moved at the same speed as the discharge speed until a predetermined time elapses. When the sheet bundle P reaches a predetermined position (YES in step S207), the nips of the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle conveyance mechanism 600 are detected. Is released (step S208). When the leading end of the sheet bundle P reaches a predetermined position further downstream, the sheet discharge roller 6b is closed (step S209), and a discharge output is given to the sheet bundle by the sheet discharge roller pair 6 (6a, 6b) (step S210).

  Thereafter, it is checked whether or not the sheet bundle P has moved by a predetermined amount, and when it has moved by a predetermined amount, the process proceeds to one of steps S212, S213, and S217.

  On the other hand, when the process proceeds to step S206 in step S204, the discharge operation of the sheet bundle is started in step S206, and then the discharge claw 52a is slower than the discharge speed of the sheet bundle conveyance mechanism 600 simultaneously with the discharge operation. Move at speed. When the sheet bundle P reaches a predetermined position (step S207—YES), the nip of the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle conveying mechanism 600 is released (step S208). When the leading end of the sheet bundle P reaches a predetermined position further downstream, the sheet discharge roller 6b is closed (step S209), and a discharge output is given to the sheet bundle by the sheet discharge roller pair 6 (6a, 6b) (step S210).

  Thereafter, it is checked whether or not the sheet bundle P has moved by a predetermined amount, and when it has moved by a predetermined amount, the process proceeds to one of steps S212, S213, and S217.

  In step S212, the nip between the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle transport mechanism 600 is opened, and the discharge operation of the sheet bundle P is continued by the discharge roller pair 6, and the discharge claw 52a moves so as to support the rear end of the sheet bundle. Start and finish the process.

  In step S213, the discharge operation by the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle conveyance mechanism 600 is stopped, the discharge claw 52a is stopped at the rear end position of the sheet bundle (step S214), and the roller nip of the bundle conveyance mechanism 600 is released (step S215). Then, the sheet bundle discharging operation by the paper discharge roller pair 6 is resumed. At that time, the discharge claw 52a starts moving so as to support the rear end of the sheet bundle (step S216).

  In step S217, the movement speed of the discharge claw 52a is increased to catch up with the rear end portion of the sheet bundle P, the nip between the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle conveyance mechanism 600 is released, and the bundle discharge operation is continued by the discharge roller pair 6. Then, the discharge claw 52a starts moving so as to support the rear end of the sheet bundle P (step S218).

7.4 Standby Position As shown in FIGS. 8 and 13, the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle transport mechanism 600 need to be in a position where they do not come into contact with the paper (paper front end) transported to the edge binding processing unit F during alignment. is there. After that, when the bundle is released, it is necessary to move it in contact with the sheet bundle P, and this movement requires a certain time. Rollers 601 of the bundle conveying mechanism 600 are used to efficiently perform the alignment, stippling, and discharging processes of the sheet bundle P when high productivity is required or when sheets are continuously fed at an early interval. , 607 are positioned at the first standby position PS1 that does not interfere with alignment during alignment (FIG. 19), and then the alignment operation is completed, and the sheet bundle is sent to the bundle conveying mechanism 600 by the discharge claw 52a, or While performing the stippling process after the alignment, the bundle conveying mechanism 600 is positioned at the second standby position PS2 in the vicinity of the sheet bundle (FIG. 20), and then the sheet bundle P is moved to the bundle conveyance start position by the discharge claw 52a. When positioned, the sheet bundle P is sandwiched between the roller 601 and the driven roller 607 of the bundle conveying mechanism 600 (FIG. 21). As described above, by dividing into the first standby position PS1 and the second standby position PS2 during standby, the movement time of the bundle transport mechanism 600 can be made efficient.

  The standby positions PS1 and PS2 can be changed according to the number of sheets and the thickness of the sheet. When the number of sheets is small, the sheet bundle is thin when the sheet thickness is small. It is also possible for both the second standby positions PS2 to be closer to a position closer to the sheet bundle surface than the default position. On the other hand, when the number of sheets is large or the sheet thickness is thick, the sheet bundle is thick, so it is necessary to make the position far from the default position.

  Furthermore, when the paper size is small, the paper (paper front end) conveyed to the edge binding processing unit F at the time of paper alignment is positioned below the bundle conveyance mechanism 600 and does not contact the rollers 601 and 607. At that time, the first standby position PS1 and the second standby position PS2 at the time of alignment can be set to the same position.

  The processing procedure at this time is shown in FIG. FIG. 27 shows processing corresponding to steps S101 and S102 or steps S201 and S202 surrounded by a chain line in FIGS. 25A and 26A. When changing the standby position, the steps S101 and 102 are performed for a small-size sheet. Is replaced from step S301 to step S305, and large paper is replaced with steps S201 and S202.

  That is, when the standby position is changed, when the job is started, the roller 601 of the bundle transport mechanism 600 is moved to the alignment standby position (first standby position PS1) (step S301), and the end binding processing unit is performed. The alignment operation is repeated for each sheet at F (steps S302 and S303). When the alignment operation is completed after the alignment to the last page (step S303-YES), the roller 601 is moved to the bundle conveyance start position (second standby position PS2). (Step S304) and wait for the end of the stipple process (Step S305). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S103 or step S203.

  Further, when the sheet bundle P is discharged by the bundle conveying mechanism 600, the discharge claw 52a and the paper discharge roller pair 6 may be simultaneously in contact with the sheet bundle or giving a force in the discharge direction. At this time, a configuration in which the force in the discharge direction of the sheet bundle P is released so as not to be pulled or pushed by each other's discharge power, a slight difference in discharge speed, etc. is added, and a plurality of discharge power is added. In such a case, it is necessary to ensure that their output is lost.

  Also, depending on the paper size, as shown in FIG. 22, both the bundle conveying mechanism 600 and the discharge claw 52a may be in contact with the sheet bundle P, and the paper discharge roller pair 6 and the bundle conveying mechanism 600 may be There is a case where it is in contact with a sheet bundle (FIG. 23). At this time, the roller 601 and the driven roller 607 of the bundle transport mechanism 600 are emptied in the discharge direction so that both of the sheets acting on the sheet bundle P do not damage the sheet bundle P due to the force (discharge) on the sheet bundle P. A 1-way clutch is incorporated in the structure of the mechanism so that it can be turned around. Thus, as described above, even if a force (discharge force) is applied to the sheet bundle from both of them, either one of the forces can be released.

  Further, when the sheet bundle is discharged by the bundle conveying means, the bundle conveying means prevents the discharging means located at the rear end of the sheet bundle from pushing the sheet bundle and buckling the rear end of the sheet bundle. It is necessary to make the release speed by the speed higher than the moving speed of the release means. That is, the discharge operation of the sheet bundle P is started by the roller 601 and the driven 607 of the bundle conveyance mechanism 600, and is discharged to the rear end of the sheet bundle being discharged after the conveyance operation (FIGS. 9, 10, 14, and 15). The movement speed of the discharge claw 52a is equal to or less than the discharge speed of the sheet bundle P, that is, the discharge speed of the bundle transport rollers 601 and 607, so that the claw 52a does not touch or bite into the rear end of the sheet bundle. Set to.

  In addition, when the means for giving the output to the sheet bundle P is switched from the bundle conveying mechanism 600 to the discharge claw 52a, the sheet bundle and the P bundle conveying mechanism are arranged so as not to lose the output to the sheet bundle P. Before 600 leaves, it is necessary to give a discharge power to the sheet bundle P by the discharge claw 52a.

  That is, when the positions of the rollers 601 and the driven 607 of the bundle conveyance mechanism 600 are upstream of the discharge operation (movement) end position of the discharge claw 52a, the sheet bundle P is also conveyed to the bundle conveyance mechanism 600 and the discharge roller pair 6. When the discharge claw 52a is the only means for giving a discharge output to the sheet bundle P without contacting any of the sheets, the rear end of the bundle is the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle conveyance mechanism 600 when the sheet bundle P is released. Before leaving the nip, the discharge force must be switched to the discharge claw 52a. In this method, the discharging operation by the bundle conveying roller is temporarily stopped, the discharging claw 52a is positioned and stopped at the rear end of the sheet bundle, the nip is released from the rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle conveying mechanism 600, and then the sheet is discharged by the discharging claw 52a. The method of discharging the bundle ("B" and "C" in FIGS. 25 and 26) and the movement amount of the sheet bundle by the bundle conveying mechanism 600 are counted, and the rear end of the sheet bundle P is calculated from the bundle conveying roller 601 in the calculation. There is a method of causing the discharge claw 52a to catch up with the trailing edge of the sheet bundle in accordance with the timing of reaching the nip 607 or the timing of releasing the roller nip and performing the subsequent discharge operation. The process at this time is the process indicated by “B” in FIGS. 25A and 26A described above.

  In addition, as described above, if the one-way clutch is incorporated in the mechanism so that the roller 601 and the driven roller 607 of the bundle conveying mechanism 600 can be idle in the discharge direction, the sheet bundle by the bundle conveying mechanism 600 is used. The movement amount of P is counted, and the calculation is performed so that the discharge claw 52a follows the trailing edge of the sheet bundle before the trailing edge of the sheet bundle reaches the nip between the bundle conveying rollers 601 and 607 or before the roller nip is released. The means for giving a release power to the bundle can be smoothly switched to the discharge claw 52a if it is moved at a speed higher than the discharge speed by the transport mechanism 600. This process is the process indicated by “A” in FIGS. 25A and 26A described above.

  Further, when the sheet bundle P is released, the sheet bundle P contacts both the discharge roller pair 6 and the bundle conveying mechanism 600, and when the output is given, the sheet bundle P bends between them. In order to avoid this, it is necessary to set the discharge speed at the discharge roller pair 6 to be equal to or higher than the discharge speed by the bundle conveying mechanism 600. That is, when the sheet bundle P is in contact with both the paper discharge roller pair 6 and the bundle conveyance mechanism 600 and the discharge power is given from both means, the discharge speed (discharge speed) of the paper discharge roller pair 6 is the bundle conveyance mechanism. The release rate by 600 should be equivalent. Further, if a one-way clutch is provided on one of the bundle conveyance rollers 601 and 607 of the bundle conveyance mechanism 600, even if the discharge speed by the paper discharge roller pair 6 is set to be higher than the discharge speed by the bundle conveyance mechanism 600, the distance between the two Thus, a phenomenon that the sheet bundle P is bent can be prevented.

  In addition, when the aligned sheet bundle P is discharged from the edge binding processing unit F to the shift tray 202, when a discharge output is given by the bundle conveying mechanism 600, it is normal except for the condition that buckling is likely to occur when the bundle is discharged. There is no particular problem with the discharge operation using only the discharge claw 52a. Further, since the buckling of the sheet bundle P is less likely to occur when the sheet size is small, it is possible to perform a discharge operation using a small sheet size or a normal discharge unit. Similarly, when the paper is thick (in the case of thick paper) or when the number of paper is large, buckling is unlikely to occur even if the paper size is large. can do. Note that heavy paper and thin paper, which are the types of paper, are not specifically defined by weight, but even thick paper is thick enough to resist buckling, and thin paper means paper of a thickness other than thick paper. is doing.

  Further, when the discharge force is continuously applied to the sheet bundle P by the bundle conveyance mechanism 600 and then the discharge claw 52a provides the discharge force, if the sheet size is large, before the trailing edge of the sheet bundle leaves the roller nip of the bundle conveyance mechanism 600, Since the leading end of the bundle is also sandwiched between the roller nips of the paper discharge roller pair 6, the sheet bundle P can be discharged without giving a discharge output by the discharge claw 52.

  Further, when a predetermined amount of paper passes between the paper discharge roller pair 6 with the leading end of the paper bundle P open, the paper discharge roller pair 6 is closed and the paper bundle P is conveyed so as to give an output, depending on the paper size. The timing at which the rear end passes through the roller nip of the bundle conveying mechanism 600 changes. At this time, since the roller nip of the paper discharge roller pair 6 only needs to come into contact with the paper bundle P before the paper bundle P leaves the roller nip of the bundle conveyance mechanism 600, the timing of closing the paper discharge roller pair 6 is also the timing of exiting the roller nip. You may make it change according to.

  Further, the bundle conveying mechanism 600 is set with at least two standby positions, that is, a standby position at the time of alignment by the alignment means and a standby position immediately before the sheet bundle P is given a discharge output. As described above, if the paper size is small, the first standby position PS1 and the second standby position PS2 at the time of alignment may be set to the same position. Therefore, the standby position of the bundle conveyance roller 601 of the bundle conveyance mechanism 600 is the paper size. Can be changed.

  The same applies to the case where the sheet is thin and the number of sheets is small.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
1) If a discharge force is applied to the rear end of the sheet bundle P aligned by the alignment unit, the sheet bundle P may be bent at the time of discharge. Therefore, the discharge force is output from the front end of the sheet bundle P using the bundle conveyance mechanism 600. Since the sheet bundle P is given close to and the sheet bundle P is pulled up to give a release power, reliable and high-quality bundle discharge becomes possible.

2) When the sheet bundle P is released by the bundle conveying mechanism 600, the leading end of the sheet bundle P does not come into contact with the pair of paper discharge rollers 6, and the leading end of the sheet is not bent. There is nothing.

3) Depending on the paper size, if it is impossible to continue to provide the output until the paper bundle P is stacked on the shift tray 202 by the bundle transport mechanism 600, the discharge claw 52 a may perform the discharge operation by the bundle transport mechanism 600. Since the discharging operation is performed, a high-quality bundle can be discharged without causing a bending trace or after folding.

4) When the application of the output to the sheet bundle P is switched from the bundle transport mechanism 600 to the discharge roller pair 6 or when the discharge claw 52a is switched to the discharge roller pair 6, the output is not lost. Therefore, the sheet bundle P can be brought into contact with the paper discharge roller pair 6 while the discharge power is given by the bundle conveying mechanism 600 or the discharge claw 52a, and the discharge power can be given from the paper discharge roller pair 6. A high-quality bundle can be discharged without bending marks or after folding.

5) When the paper size is small and the number of paper bundles is small, the interval between the sent papers is short, the alignment of the paper bundle P is completed and discharged, and then the interval until the start of the alignment of the next bundle is started. Since it is short, it is positioned at the first standby position PS1 that does not interfere with the alignment when aligning the sheets so as not to reduce the productivity, and when alignment is completed, it moves to the second standby position PS2 immediately before the start of discharge, and the staple operation As soon as the operation is completed, the sheet bundle P is brought into contact with the sheet bundle P so that the discharge operation can be started. Therefore, the movement time of the driven roller 607 of the bundle conveying mechanism 600 can be shortened.

6) When a plurality of discharges are added to the sheet bundle P, the discharges are released, so that a high-quality bundle can be discharged without causing any bending or buckling.

7) When discharging the sheet bundle P by the bundle conveying mechanism 600, the discharging speed by the bundle conveying mechanism 600 is set to be equal to or higher than the moving speed of the discharging claw 52a, so that the discharging claw 52a located at the rear end of the sheet bundle is The rear end of the sheet bundle is not buckled by pressing P.

8) Since the discharge claw 52a gives a release force to the paper bundle P before the paper bundle P and the bundle conveyance mechanism 600 are separated from each other, means for giving the paper bundle P a discharge output from the bundle conveyance mechanism 600 to the discharge claw 52a. When switching to, the output given to the sheet bundle is not lost.

9) Since the discharge speed at the paper discharge roller pair 6 is set to be higher than the discharge speed by the bundle conveyance mechanism 600, the sheet bundle P contacts both the paper discharge roller pair 6 and the bundle conveyance mechanism 600 during the discharge operation of the paper bundle P. However, the sheet bundle P does not bend between the two means when the discharge power is given.

10) Efficient processing can be performed by setting the execution / non-execution, changing the timing, and changing the position of the operation for giving the output to the sheet bundle P according to the size, type, and number of sheets.

1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of an image forming system including a sheet post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus as a sheet processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is an enlarged view which shows operation | movement of the end surface binding processing tray and folding processing tray part currently implemented conventionally. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement following FIG. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement following FIG. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement following FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state where a sheet bundle is bent after sheet alignment. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement following FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing a basic operation (operation corresponding to a small size sheet) of an end face binding processing tray and a folding processing tray portion according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement following FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an operation following FIG. 9. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement following FIG. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement following FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing a basic operation (operation corresponding to a small size sheet) of an end face binding processing tray and a folding processing tray portion according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement following FIG. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement following FIG. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement following FIG. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement following FIG. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement following FIG. It is a figure which shows the 1st standby position in a bundle conveyance mechanism. It is a figure which shows the 2nd standby position in a bundle conveyance mechanism. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a state when a sheet bundle is sandwiched by the bundle conveyance mechanism from the state of FIG. 20. FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a sheet bundle is discharged from the state of FIG. 21 by a bundle conveyance mechanism. FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the front end of the sheet bundle is transferred to the pair of discharge rollers from the state illustrated in FIG. 22 and the discharge of the sheet bundle is performed by the pair of discharge rollers and the bundle conveyance mechanism. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the control apparatus in this embodiment. 10 is a flowchart (part 1) illustrating a sheet bundle discharging procedure in the present embodiment when the sheet size is small. 12 is a flowchart (part 2) illustrating a sheet bundle discharging procedure in the present embodiment when the sheet size is small. 10 is a flowchart (part 1) illustrating a sheet bundle discharging procedure in the present embodiment when the sheet size is large. 10 is a flowchart (part 2) illustrating a sheet bundle discharging procedure in the present embodiment when the sheet size is large. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure at the start of processing of a sheet bundle discharging procedure when two standby positions are set.

Explanation of symbols

6 Paper discharge roller pair 51 Rear end fence 52a Release claw 53 Jogger fence 202 Shift tray 350 Control device 360 CPU
600 Conveying mechanism 601 Drive roller 607 Driven roller F End face binding processing tray G Saddle stitching / intermediate folding processing tray (folding processing tray)
M1, M2 Motor SN1, SN2 Sensor PR Image forming device PD Paper post-processing device

Claims (13)

Loading means for loading paper,
Alignment means for aligning the paper;
A discharge unit located on the most downstream side in the transport direction for discharging the sheet or sheet bundle aligned by the alignment unit onto the stacking unit;
Conveying means for conveying the sheet or sheet bundle aligned by the aligning means to the downstream side in the conveying direction;
A discharge unit that moves the sheet or sheet bundle aligned by the alignment unit from the upstream side in the transport direction to the downstream side with respect to the transport unit, and discharges it onto the stacking unit;
In the paper processing apparatus provided with
A sheet processing apparatus, wherein when the sheet bundle aligned by the aligning means is discharged to the stacking means by the discharging means, a discharge force is given to the sheet bundle by the conveying means. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1,
A sheet processing apparatus, wherein when the leading end of the sheet bundle reaches the discharge unit, a conveyance force is not applied from the discharge unit to the sheet bundle. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The paper processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge means is continuously given by the discharge means after giving the discharge power to the sheet bundle by the conveying means. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after the leading end of the sheet bundle passes through the discharge unit by a predetermined amount, the discharge unit is brought into contact with the sheet bundle to give a discharge force to the sheet bundle. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The conveying unit includes at least two standby positions, a first standby position at the time of alignment by the alignment unit and a second standby position immediately before giving a discharge to the sheet bundle. Paper processing device. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the conveying unit gives a discharge force to the sheet bundle, the restriction in the anti-discharge direction is released. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6.
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a discharge speed while the discharge means is applied by the conveying means is equal to or higher than a moving speed of the discharge means. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6.
The sheet processing apparatus, wherein the sheet bundle is conveyed by the conveying means, and the discharge means gives the sheet bundle a discharge before losing the discharge from the conveyance means. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6.
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the sheet bundle obtains a discharge output from both the discharge unit and the transport unit, a discharge speed by the discharge unit is equal to or higher than a discharge speed by the transport unit. In the paper processing apparatus according to claim 1, 3, 4, and 5,
The paper processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein whether or not the output power is given is determined based on a size of a paper bundle to be discharged. In the paper processing apparatus according to claim 1, 4 and 5,
The paper processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein whether or not the output power is given is determined based on a type or the number of paper bundles to be discharged. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein
Whether or not the state is set is determined based on the type or number of sheets to be discharged.   An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1.

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