JP2009249048A - Paper sheet post-processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact paper sheet post-processing device capable of preventing misalignment of the paper sheets of a stapled booklet caused by sagging of rear end corner parts of a paper sheet bundle to be bound, and having excellent paper sheet aligning performance of the booklet. <P>SOLUTION: In the compact paper sheet post-processing device having excellent paper sheet aligning performance of a booklet (a paper sheet bundle), when performing the side stitching processing, a pair of binding means are moved to the first predetermined position outside the second predetermined position for binding, and the movement of the pair of binding means is controlled so as to support rear ends of paper sheets to be conveyed in from an image forming device by the pair of binding means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention accepts paper discharged from an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, and a multi-function machine having these functions, and performs post-processing such as binding processing by loading the paper on a paper mounting table. The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus to be implemented.

  Many high-function composite devices have been proposed that add a paper post-processing device (bookbinding processing device) that collates and binds (stacks) paper bundles that have been image-recorded in image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, and facsimiles. ing.

  In addition, the bundle of sheets that have been subjected to binding processing needs to be neatly arranged, and the market demand in this regard has become increasingly severe in recent years.

  Various techniques have been proposed for aligning the end faces of a sheet bundle, and Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for aligning the end faces of a sheet bundle before performing a binding process on a plurality of sheet bundles.

In the technique described in Patent Document 1, a width alignment member that regulates the width direction of a sheet bundle (sheet) stacked on an inclined sheet placement table is moved to align the sheet width direction, and integrated with a pair of binding means. In particular, the end of the sheet is brought into contact with a sheet end abutting member (as a result) that moves in the width direction, thereby positioning the sheet conveyance direction.
JP 2004-91171 A

  However, there is a case where the paper discharged on the paper mounting table is curled due to the characteristics of the paper itself.

  Also, a part of the paper placed on the paper placement table (for example, for the reason of bringing a member for performing a binding process or a width alignment member into contact with the placed paper while placing the paper on the paper placement table (for example, There may be a configuration in which the corner of the sheet is not supported by the sheet placing table. In such a configuration, a part of the unsupported paper may hang down from the paper mounting table due to its own weight, and a part of the paper may affect the entire surface of the paper, resulting in curling of the entire paper. is there.

  Even when trying to align the end face of the paper as in Patent Document 1 in a state where the paper is curled in this way, for example, the end face in the width direction of the paper is not successfully brought into contact with the width alignment member due to the curl, The end faces of the paper bundle cannot be neatly aligned.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus that prevents unevenness of sheets constituting a bound booklet and has excellent sheet alignment performance.

The object is achieved by the invention described below.
1. Aligning the sheets stacked on the sheet mounting table in the width direction of the sheet perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, the conveying means for conveying the sheet, the sheet placing table for loading the sheet conveyed by the conveying means A width aligning means, a binding means for supporting one end of a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets stacked on the sheet placing table, and performing a binding process on the sheet bundle, and the binding means in the width direction. A moving means for moving; and at least the width matching means, the binding means, and a control means for controlling the moving means,
After the binding means is set at a first predetermined position, the control means supports one end of the sheet bundle by the binding means and aligns the sheet bundle by the width aligning means, and the first direction in the width direction. After setting the binding means at a second predetermined position inside the predetermined position, at least the width aligning means, the binding means, and the moving means so as to execute a binding process on the sheet bundle by the binding means. A sheet post-processing apparatus characterized by controlling.
2. The control unit controls the moving unit to move the binding unit from the first predetermined position to the second predetermined position when the number of sheets stacked on the sheet mounting table reaches a predetermined number. 2. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to 1, wherein
3. The control means controls the width alignment means so that the position of the sheet bundle is regulated by the width alignment means when the binding means is moved from the first predetermined position to the second predetermined position. 3. The paper post-processing apparatus according to 1 or 2,
4.1. A sheet post-processing apparatus according to any one of 4.1 to 4, and an image forming apparatus that conveys the sheet to the sheet post-processing apparatus after forming an image on the sheet. An image forming system.

  According to the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent unevenness of sheets constituting a bound booklet.

  Next, an image processing system including a sheet post-processing apparatus, an image forming apparatus, and a sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Outline of image processing system]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image processing system including an image forming apparatus A, an image reading apparatus B, and a sheet post-processing apparatus FS.

  The image forming apparatus A includes a charging unit 2, an image exposure unit (writing unit) 3, a developing unit 4, a transfer unit 5A, a charge removing unit 5B, a separation claw 5C, and a cleaning unit 6 around the rotating image carrier 1. It has an arranged image forming unit. After the surface of the image carrier 1 is uniformly charged by the charging unit 2, exposure scanning based on image data read from the document is performed by the laser beam of the image exposure unit 3 to form a latent image. The latent image is reversely developed by the developing means 4 to form a toner image on the surface of the image carrier 1.

  The paper S fed from the paper storage means 7A is sent to the transfer position. The toner image is transferred onto the paper S by the transfer means 5A at the transfer position. Thereafter, the charge on the back surface of the sheet S is erased by the charge removing unit 5B, separated from the image carrier 1 by the separation claw 5C, and conveyed by the intermediate conveyance unit 7B. Then, it is heated and fixed by the fixing means 8 and once transported to the lower reverse transport path 7E by the transport path switching plate 7D, then transported in the reverse direction and discharged from the paper discharge section 7C with the image surface facing downward.

  When image formation is performed on both sides of the sheet S, the sheet S heated and fixed by the fixing unit 8 is branched from the normal sheet discharge path by the conveyance path switching plate 7D, and is switched back in the reverse conveyance path 7E. After the reversal, the paper is introduced into the paper feed path via the double-sided copy conveyance path 7F. After the toner image is transferred to the sheet S in the image forming unit, the sheet S is fixed by the fixing unit 8 and discharged out of the apparatus by the sheet discharge unit 7C. The paper S discharged from the paper discharge unit 7C is sent to the receiving unit of the paper post-processing device FS.

  The surface of the image carrier 1 after the transfer is cleaned by the cleaning unit 6 downstream of the separation claw, and the developer remaining on the surface of the image carrier 1 is removed.

  On the upper front side of the image forming apparatus A, an operation unit 9 for selecting and setting an image forming mode and a sheet post-processing mode is disposed. On the upper part of the image forming apparatus A, an image reading apparatus B provided with an automatic document feeder of a document moving type reading system is installed.

[Outline of paper post-processing equipment]
FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram showing a transport path of the paper S in the paper post-processing apparatus FS according to the present invention.

  In the sheet post-processing apparatus FS, the first sheet feeding unit 20A, the second sheet feeding unit 20B, and the fixed sheet discharge table 30 are arranged in the upper stage in the figure, and the punching unit 40, the shift unit 50, and the sheet discharge unit 60 are arranged in the middle stage. A binding processing unit (hereinafter also referred to as a paper storage unit) 70 is arranged in series on the same plane forming an inclined surface.

  In addition, on the left side of the sheet post-processing device FS in the figure, a lifting / discharging tray 61 on which the shift-processed sheets S and the edge-binding sheets bundle Sa are stacked is disposed.

  In the sheet post-processing apparatus FS, the receiving unit 10 for the sheet S carried out from the image forming apparatus A is adjusted to a position and height so as to coincide with the sheet discharge unit 7C of the image forming apparatus A.

  The receiving unit 10 is supplied from the sheet S that has undergone image formation processing from the image forming apparatus A, the slip sheet K1 that partitions the sheet bundle supplied from the first sheet feeding unit 20A, and the second sheet feeding unit 20B. Cover sheet K2 is introduced.

  The slip sheet K1 accommodated in the sheet feeding tray of the first sheet feeding means 20A is separated and fed by the sheet feeding unit 21, is sandwiched between the transport rollers 22, 23, and 24 and is introduced into the receiving unit 10. . Further, the cover sheet K2 accommodated in the sheet feeding tray of the second sheet feeding unit 20B is separated and fed by the sheet feeding unit 25, is sandwiched between the transport rollers 23 and 24, and is introduced into the receiving unit 10. .

  In addition, sheets other than the slip sheet K1 and the cover sheet K2 can be loaded in the first sheet feeding unit 20A and the second sheet feeding unit 20B. Hereinafter, the slip sheet K1 and the cover sheet K2 are collectively referred to as a sheet S.

  A punching means 40 is disposed downstream of the receiving unit 10 in the sheet conveyance direction. The punching means 40 includes a driving means for moving in the paper width direction, a punch lifting / lowering driving means, a paper width detecting means, and the like.

  A registration roller 11 is disposed on the upstream side in the paper conveyance direction of the punching position by the punching means 40, and a conveyance roller 12 is disposed on the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, on the downstream side of the punching means 40 in the paper conveyance direction, a paper branching means comprising switching means G1 and G2 is provided. The switching means G1 and G2 are driven by a solenoid (not shown) to any one of the three paper transport paths, that is, the first transport path a for upper sheet discharge, the second transport path b for the middle stage, and the third transport path c for the lower stage. Branch selectively.

  When the first transport path a is selected, the switching unit G1 blocks the second transport path b and the third transport path c and opens only the first transport path a.

  The sheet S passing through the first conveyance path a is nipped by the conveyance roller 31 and rises, is discharged by the discharge roller 32, is placed on the fixed sheet discharge table 30, and is sequentially stacked.

  When the second transport path b is selected, the switching unit G1 retracts upward, and the switching unit G2 blocks the third transport path c and opens the second transport path b to allow the paper S to pass. The sheet S passes through a sheet passing path formed between the switching units G1 and G2.

  The image forming sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus A, the sheet S fed from the first sheet feeding unit 20A, or the sheet S fed from the second sheet feeding unit 20B is switched by the switching unit. It passes through the intermediate paper path between G1 and G2. Then, the shift unit 50 performs a shift process so as to move a predetermined amount in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction, and the paper discharge unit 60 discharges the paper. The shift unit 50 performs a shift process for changing the paper discharge position of the paper S in the transport width direction every predetermined number of sheets.

  The paper S that has been subjected to the shift process or the paper S that has not been subjected to the shift process is discharged by the paper discharge means 60 onto the lift paper discharge tray 61 outside the apparatus and sequentially placed. The elevating / discharging tray 61 is configured to descend sequentially when a large number of sheets S are discharged, and can accommodate a maximum of about 3000 sheets (A4, B5) of sheets S.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the post-processing unit U including the binding processing unit 70.

  When the binding processing is set in the operation unit 9, the image-formed paper S that has been subjected to image formation processing by the image forming apparatus A and sent to the receiving unit 10 of the paper post-processing device FS passes through the punching means 40. Then, it is sent to the third transport path c below the switching means G2, and is sandwiched by the transport rollers and transported downward (see FIG. 2).

  In the third transport path c, the paper S is transported by the transport rollers, the front end of the paper comes into contact with the peripheral surface of the entrance transport roller pair 15 and stops, and enters a standby state. At a predetermined timing, the inlet transport roller pair 15 rotates, sandwiches and transports the paper S, and discharges it onto the paper placement table 71.

  An inlet portion sensor (detecting means) PS1 disposed upstream of the pair of inlet transport rollers 15 in the paper transport direction detects the passage of the paper S.

  After the trailing edge of the sheet S is discharged from the holding position of the entrance conveyance roller pair 15, the sheet S descends on the inclined surface of the sheet placing table 71 by its own weight, and the trailing edge of the sheet is bound by the binding means 701. The abutting members 721 and 722 provided in the vicinity of the binding portion 702 are brought into contact with and stopped.

  The abutting members 721 and 722 are attached to the binding means 701 and 702, respectively, and move integrally with the binding means.

  Further, the rewinding roller 771 performs a pendulum motion around the fulcrum 772, hits the paper S stacked on the upper surface of the paper bundle Sa from above, and pushes the floating paper S and the paper bundle Sa toward the paper placement table 71. Yes. Further, the rewinding roller 771 rotates counterclockwise so as to be conveyed to the binding means 701 and 702 side. After the trailing edge of the sheet S is discharged from the holding position of the entrance conveyance roller pair 15, the tapping solenoid 774 is turned on at the first timing. The rewinding roller 771 hits the paper S by the operation of the hitting solenoid 774. Thereafter, the hit solenoid 774 is turned off. ON / OFF is repeated at the second and third timings, and the trailing edge of the sheet S is abutted against the abutting members 721 and 722 to ensure the trailing edge alignment of the sheet S.

  When the trailing edge alignment of the sheet S is completed by the third turn-off of the hitting solenoid 774, the rewind roller 771 returns to the standby position by the biasing force of the spring. The rewinding roller 771 is in a standby position when the paper S is discharged from the inlet conveyance roller pair 15. The standby position is a position that does not hinder the paper S discharge process.

  A pair of upstream side width alignment members 73 provided movably on both side surfaces of the paper mounting table 71 are movable in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction. The interval Wr of the width alignment member 73 that regulates the width direction of the sheet bundle is changed according to the sheet size.

  At the time of receiving a sheet on which the sheet S is conveyed onto the sheet placing table 71, the width aligning member 73 performs a width alignment (width alignment) of the sheet bundle Sa by tapping the side edge in the width direction of the sheet S.

The sheet bundle Sa excluding the rear end side is supported by the sheet placing table 71 and the width aligning member 73. The sheet bundle Sa on the rear end side is supported by the pair of discharge belts 75 and the sheet placing table 71 at the center, and both sides are supported by the sheet support portions 711 and 712 of the pair of binding means 701 and 702 of the sheet bundle Sa. . (See FIG. 8 (b))
When the width direction of the sheet bundle is regulated, the binding means 701 and 702 having the needle striking mechanism and the needle receiving mechanism are operated, and the staple needle is attached to the sheet bundle supported by the paper support portions 711 and 712 of the binding means 701 and 702. Is hit. Positions 701 and 702 in FIG. 8C are positions to be bound.

The sheet bundle Sa that has been bound as described above is placed on the discharge belt 75 by pressing the rear end of the sheet bundle Sa by the discharge claw 76 of the discharge belt 75, and on the placement surface of the sheet placement table 71. And is pushed upward obliquely, and proceeds to the nipping position of the discharge roller 63 of the paper discharge means 60. The sheet bundle Sa sandwiched between the rotating discharge rollers 63 is discharged and stacked on the elevating / discharging tray 61. (See Figure 5)
A cutout portion is formed in a part of the sheet stacking surface of the sheet placing table 71 (see FIG. 5), and the discharge belt 75 wound around the drive pulley 74A and the driven pulley 74B is driven to be rotatable. . A discharge claw 76 is integrally formed on a part of the discharge belt 75. (See FIG. 2).

  Note that the sheet bundle Sa subjected to the one-end edge binding and the two-point flat binding may include the slip sheet K1 and the cover sheet K2.

  4 and 5 are plan views showing the arrangement (position in the paper width direction) of the sheet bundle Sa and the binding means 701 and 702 when performing various binding processes.

  FIG. 4D shows a time when the binding process is executed in the flat binding processing mode in which the binding needles SP1 and SP2 are driven in parallel to the side edge at two central distribution positions in the vicinity of the side edge (rear end) of the sheet bundle Sa. FIG.

  FIG. 4C is a plan view when sheets are sequentially stacked on the sheet placing table 71 in the above-described flat binding processing mode. The binding means 701 and 702 are located on both sides of the sheet width.

  FIG. 4A shows a parallel end binding process in which the needle SP2 is hit in the vicinity of the corner of the sheet bundle Sa in parallel with the side edge, or an oblique direction in which the binding needle SP1 is hit at an oblique position in the vicinity of the corner of the sheet bundle Sa. It is a top view when performing a binding process in the processing mode for the end binding process.

  FIG. 4B is a plan view when sheets are sequentially stacked on the sheet placing table 71 in the side binding processing mode. It has the same positional relationship as FIG. 4A and is located on both sides of the paper width.

  Although not shown here, SP1 can be subjected to parallel end binding processing or SP2 can be subjected to oblique end binding processing. The positional relationship between the two binding means (701 and 702) in FIG. The positional relationship of SP2 becomes inversely symmetric.

  FIG. 5 is a main part plan view of the binding processing unit 70.

  The motor M1 drives and rotates the rotating shaft 74C to which the driving pulley 74A is fixed via a belt and a pulley, and rotates the two discharge belts 75. The motor M1 is a stepping motor, and the belt moving distance can be arbitrarily set according to the number of generated pulses.

  The motor M2 moves the two upstream width alignment members 73 via the belt 731 according to the sheet width. The motor M2 is a stepping motor, and the interval of the width alignment member 73 can be arbitrarily changed by generating a predetermined number of pulses.

  The motor M3 translates and rotates the two binding means 701 and 702 via the belt 703 and installs them at the binding position. The motor M3 is a stepping motor, and the interval between the pair of binding means 701 and 702 can be arbitrarily changed by generating a predetermined number of pulses.

  The motors M5 and M6 drive the needle driving mechanism of the binding means 701 and 702 to hit the binding needles SP1 and SP2.

  Although not shown in FIG. 5, the motor M7 is a motor that turns the pendulum roller counterclockwise. When the pendulum motion that strikes the rewinding roller 771 against the sheet bundle Sa is caused, the uppermost sheet on the sheet bundle is rotated in the direction of transporting to the rear end side. It stops when the rewinding roller 771 is retracted.

  Although not shown in FIG. 5, the hitting solenoid 774 generates a pendulum movement for hitting the rewinding roller 771 against the sheet bundle Sa against the biasing spring. When the hit solenoid 774 is turned off, the rewind roller 771 is avoided to the retracted position by the biasing spring.

[Binding control]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the binding process control of the sheet post-processing apparatus FS.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart for executing the binding process for the paper according to the present invention.

  The control for executing the binding process according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Among these, each part of the block diagram of FIG. 6 will also be described.

  S101 is a step of determining whether the binding process is a flat binding process or a one-point binding process (parallel binding, diagonal binding). Based on the job information (paper size, number of copies, binding processing, etc.) specified by the operation unit 9 (FIG. 6), the control unit 100 (FIG. 6) determines whether the sheet post-processing job to be executed is a side binding process. Determine whether.

  In the case of NO determination in S101, the control unit 100 proceeds to S109. S109 is a step of executing one-point binding processing, and description thereof is omitted here.

  If YES is determined in S101, the control unit 100 proceeds to S102.

  In S102, the control unit 100 outputs an instruction for moving the binding units 701 and 702 to the standby position (first predetermined position) to the moving unit 701C (FIG. 6) that drives the motor M3. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S103.

  The moving unit 701C drives the motor M3 based on the above instruction from the control unit 100 to move the binding units 701 and 702 to the standby position (first predetermined position) in order to support the rear end of the booklet sheet. set.

  The standby position is a position corresponding to the position of the width alignment member 73 in the paper width direction. The rear end corners of the sheet S and the sheet bundle Sa are supported by the sheet support portions 711 and 712 of the binding means 701 and 702. The positions of the binding means 701 and 702 indicated by broken lines in FIG. 8B indicate the standby position. As a result, the central convex posture on the rear end side of the paper, which is the subject of the present invention, is improved.

  Further, the trailing edge corners of the sheet S and the sheet bundle Sa may protrude outward as long as the drooping does not become an obstacle as in the standby positions 701 and 702 indicated by dotted lines in FIG. .

  In step S103, the control unit 100 (FIG. 6) detects the trailing edge of the passing sheet based on a signal from the entrance sensor PS1 in the sheet carry-in section. Thereafter, the control unit 100 proceeds to S104.

  In step S104, the control unit 100 (FIG. 6) integrates the number of stacked sheet bundles based on detection of the trailing edge of the passing sheet, and compares the number of stacked sheet bundles with the number of booklet sheets. From the comparison result, it is determined whether the booklet is the last paper. In other words, it is determined whether or not the number of sheets stacked on the sheet placing table 71 has reached a predetermined number. The control unit 100 returns to S103 if NO, and proceeds to S105 if YES.

  In S105, when the control unit 100 reaches a predetermined timing after passing the trailing edge of the last sheet, the control unit 100 places the binding units 701 and 702 in the above-described moving unit 701C (FIG. 6) at the staple position (second predetermined position). The movement instruction for moving to is output. Then, the control means 100 outputs a holding command for holding the restriction position to the width matching means 73C (FIG. 6), and proceeds to S106.

  The moving unit 701C drives the motor M3 based on the movement instruction to move the binding units 701 and 702 from the standby position (first predetermined position) to the inside and sets the stapler position (second predetermined position). The positions of the binding means 701 and 702 indicated by broken lines in FIG. 8C indicate the above stapler positions.

  Based on the holding command, the width aligning unit 73C holds the motor (stepping motor) that moves the pair of width aligning members 73 in the hold state while the binding units 701 and 702 move to the second treatment position. As a result, the position of the sheet bundle Sa is regulated by the pair of width alignment members 73 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the movement of the binding means 701 and 702 prevents the aligned sheet bundle from becoming uneven and the alignment from being deteriorated.

  In S <b> 106, the control unit 100 (FIG. 6) outputs a command to execute the staple process to the binding units 701 and 702. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S107.

  The binding units 701 and 702 (FIG. 6) execute a staple process (binding process) on the sheet bundle that supports the trailing end of the binding unit 701 and 702 (FIG. 6). Then, one booklet is created.

  S107 is a step of discharging the stapled booklet. The control means 100 (FIG. 6) outputs a booklet discharge command to the discharge belt drive means 75C (FIG. 6) that drives the motor M1. Then, the process proceeds to S108.

  The paper discharge belt driving means 75C drives the motor M1 based on the above instruction from the control means 100. The booklet ascends the sheet placing table 71 by the discharge claw of the discharge belt 75 and is discharged to the lift sheet discharge table 61.

  In S <b> 108, the control unit 100 counts the number of booklets created and determines whether or not the number of booklets (number of copies) of the job instructed by the operation unit 9 has been completed. In the case of YES determination, the series of jobs are ended. In the case of NO determination, the process proceeds to S102 for creating the next booklet.

  Next, the relationship between the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 and the state of the sheets S and the sheet bundle Sa stacked on the sheet mounting table 71 will be described in more detail.

  In S102 in FIG. 7, after the binding units 701 and 702 are moved to the standby position, the binding units 701 and 702 (sheet support portions 711 and 712) until the last sheet is stacked on the sheet placing table 71 in S104. The position in the paper width direction is close to the pair of width alignment members 73. Accordingly, both side portions of the rear end of the sheet bundle Sa are reliably supported by the sheet support portions 711 and 712 of the binding means 701 and 702, and the width direction of the sheet can be sufficiently regulated.

  If the binding means 711 and 712 are at the stapling position (second predetermined position) when stacking the sheet bundle Sa as in the prior art, both sides of the rear end portion of the sheet bundle Sa hang down, and the sheet bundle Sa is shown in FIG. The posture is as shown in a). The sheet bundle Sa has a larger central convex posture than the sheet bundle Sa in FIG. 8B, and the interval Wp between the sheet bundles Sa is smaller than the interval Wr between the width alignment members 73. Therefore, the width direction of the sheet bundle Sa cannot be sufficiently regulated by the width alignment member 73.

  That is, since the sagging of both side ends, which is the cause of the problem related to the present invention, is eliminated, the central position of the sheet bundle Sa supported by the sheet placing table 71 affected by the rear end position of the sheet bundle Sa The convex posture is eliminated. In this state, since the width direction of the sheet is regulated by the width alignment member 73, alignment performance in the width direction of the sheet is achieved.

  Further, the sheet stack Sa and the pair of width aligning members 73 are also provided for the sheet bundle Sa made up of sheets having a central convex curl on the sheet to be discharged, in order to eliminate the sag at the rear end of the sheet bundle Sa. Also in the posture of the supported sheet bundle Sa, the central convex posture is greatly reduced.

  Next, when it is determined in S104 in FIG. 7 that the last sheet is stacked on the sheet placing table 71, the process proceeds to S105.

  In S105, the sheet bundle Sa is held by the pair of width alignment members 73. Under this state, the binding means 701 and 702 move to the staple position (second predetermined position). Both ends of the rear end of the sheet lose support from the binding means, and the rear end of the sheet bundle Sa hangs down as shown in FIG. However, the sheet bundle Sa is regulated by a pair of width alignment members. Therefore, the alignment state of the sheet bundle Sa in the sheet width direction does not change regardless of the trailing edge of the sheet bundle Sa depending on the movement of the binding means 701 and 702.

  Next, in S106, the binding process of the binding units 701 and 702 is executed while the sheet bundle Sa is held by the pair of width alignment members 73.

  As described above, during the movement of the binding means 701 and 702 and the binding process, the width aligning member 73 controls the sheet bundle to be in a regulated / held state. The alignment state of the sheet bundle is not changed by the movement and binding process.

  As shown in the above description regarding the embodiment according to the present invention, by controlling the position of the binding means in the width direction of the sheet, it is possible to eliminate the sagging which is a problem related to the present invention. Further, by controlling the width aligning means, it is possible to produce a sheet bundle (booklet) that is cleanly bound and has no sheet irregularities.

  In addition, it is possible to manufacture a sheet bundle (booklet) that is cleanly bound and has no irregularities even for paper having a central convex curl at the time of paper discharge, and has a wide range of applications that can be applied to various image forming apparatuses. A paper post-processing device can be provided.

  Also, the movement control of the binding means during the binding process of the present invention can be applied to the sheet post-processing device FS installed independently.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image processing system including an image forming apparatus, an image reading apparatus, and a sheet post-processing apparatus. FIG. 3 is an overall configuration diagram illustrating a sheet conveyance path in the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present invention. Sectional drawing of the post-processing unit which consists of a binding process part concerning this invention. The top view which shows the relationship between the sheet | seat bundle and binding means in the case of implementing 1 place binding processing and 2 places (flat binding) processing. The principal part top view of a paper storage part. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating binding processing control of the sheet post-processing device. 7 is a control flowchart for executing side stitching processing of the sheet post-processing apparatus. FIG. 6 is a relationship diagram illustrating a posture of a sheet bundle during a side stitching process according to the related art and the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

15 Inlet conveyance roller pair (conveyance means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 70 Binding process part 701,702 Binding means 71 Paper mounting base 721,722 Abutting member 73 Width aligning member 73C Width aligning means 100 Control means 701C Moving means A Image forming apparatus FS Paper post-processing apparatus PS1 Inlet part sensor S Paper Sa Paper Bundle SP1, SP2 Binding needle

Claims (4)

Conveying means for conveying paper;
A paper placing table on which the paper conveyed by the conveying means is stacked;
A width aligning means for aligning the sheets stacked on the sheet placing table in the sheet width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction;
A binding unit that supports one end of a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets stacked on the sheet placing table and performs a binding process on the sheet bundle;
Moving means for moving the binding means in the width direction;
And at least the width matching means, the binding means, and a control means for controlling the moving means,
After the binding means is set at a first predetermined position, the control means supports one end of the sheet bundle by the binding means and aligns the sheet bundle by the width aligning means, and the first direction in the width direction. After setting the binding means at a second predetermined position inside the predetermined position, at least the width aligning means, the binding means, and the moving means so as to execute a binding process on the sheet bundle by the binding means. A sheet post-processing apparatus characterized by controlling. The control unit controls the moving unit to move the binding unit from the first predetermined position to the second predetermined position when the number of sheets stacked on the sheet mounting table reaches a predetermined number. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1. The control means controls the width alignment means so that the position of the sheet bundle is regulated by the width alignment means when the binding means is moved from the first predetermined position to the second predetermined position. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet post-processing apparatus is provided. A sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, and an image forming apparatus that conveys the sheet to the sheet post-processing apparatus after an image is formed on the sheet. A featured image forming system.

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