JP2010037041A - Sheet processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet processor pressing down paper without increasing the cost, by pressing down the paper on a tray, and without having to arrange a special mechanism for pressing down the paper loaded on the tray. <P>SOLUTION: This sheet processor has a paper-ejecting roller 28 ejecting the carried paper, the paper-ejecting tray 55 for loading the ejected paper, a moving means for moving the paper-ejecting tray 55 by a predetermined quantity in the shift direction orthogonal to the paper-ejecting direction; registering members 500a and 500b for registering the paper on the paper ejecting tray 55, by contacting so as to sandwich a side end part of the paper parallel to the paper ejecting direction; and a retreat means for making the registering members 500a and 500b retreat in the vertical direction to the paper ejecting direction, by rotatively driving the registering members 500a and 500b about a rotary shaft in the shift operation for sorting the ejected paper. The registering members 500a and 500b register an inside upper surface of a paper end part of the paper orthogonal to the carrying direction of the paper loaded on the paper ejecting tray 55, when it is not ejecting paper. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is provided integrally or separately in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a printing machine, and performs predetermined processing, such as sorting, stacking, binding, and the like, on an image-formed sheet (sheet-like recording medium). The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus that performs saddle stitching and discharges paper, and a sheet processing apparatus in an image forming apparatus that includes the sheet conveyance path or includes the sheet processing apparatus integrally or separately.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a sheet processing apparatus that is arranged on the paper discharge side of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer and performs sheet processing such as sorting, stacking, binding, and saddle stitching, paper is discharged after processing such as stapling or from the image forming apparatus. A technique for sorting and aligning a bundle of sheets on a paper discharge tray for each job is known (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2). Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus that can align and sort sheets on a tray with high accuracy. Further, Patent Document 2 includes a roller for pressing the paper on the tray.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-240295 JP 2004-10239 A

  However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 as shown above, an apparatus that can accurately sort and sort the sheets on the tray is disclosed. Since there is no mechanism for pressing the printed paper, the paper bundle may shift during or after alignment. On the other hand, although Patent Document 2 includes a roller for pressing the paper on the tray, there is a problem in that the cost increases because the roller is provided only for pressing the paper.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is possible to press the paper on the tray without increasing the cost without providing a special mechanism for pressing the paper stacked on the tray. An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet processing apparatus that can press a sheet.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the invention according to claim 1 is a discharge unit that discharges a sheet medium that is conveyed, and a stacking unit that stacks the sheet medium discharged by the discharge unit. A moving means for moving the stacking means by a predetermined amount in a shift direction orthogonal to the discharge direction of the sheet medium and a side edge of the sheet medium parallel to the discharge direction of the sheet medium so as to sandwich the sheet medium on the stacking means. An aligning member for aligning the sheet medium, and a retreat for retracting the aligning member in a direction perpendicular to the discharge direction of the sheet medium by rotating the aligning member around a rotation axis during a shift operation for sorting the discharged sheet medium And the aligning member presses the inner upper surface of the sheet end of the sheet orthogonal to the transport direction of the sheet stacked on the stacking unit when the sheet is not discharged. And wherein the door.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first aspect, when the sheets are sorted and stacked on the stacking unit, the aligning member presses the inside of the sorting amount. It is characterized by that.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the inner side of the paper in the transport direction of the paper of the smallest paper size that can be stacked on the stacking unit and the inner side of the paper corresponding to the sorting amount. It can be pressed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the size of the paper stacked on the stacking unit is stored, and the pressing position is changed depending on the size of the paper stacked on the stacking unit. It is characterized by that.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the size of the paper stacked on the stacking unit is stored, and when the size of the paper is different on the stacking unit, the stack is loaded. Further, it is characterized in that the inside of the sheet and the inside of the sheet by the offset amount are pressed in the conveyance direction of the smallest size sheet.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first aspect, when the sheet is not stacked on the stacking unit, the pressing by the aligning member is not performed, When the sheets stacked on the sheet are removed, the aligning member is returned to the standby position.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first aspect, when the paper stacked on the stacking unit is pressed by the aligning member, the aligning member is operated at a low speed to contact the paper. It was made to let it be made to do.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first aspect, when the alignment member is separated upward from a state where the sheets stacked on the stacking unit are pressed by the alignment member. In addition, the aligning member is operated at a low speed so that the aligning member is separated from the sheet surface.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first aspect, when the alignment member is separated upward from a state in which the sheets stacked on the stacking unit are pressed by the alignment member. Further, one of the plurality of aligning members is first separated from the paper surface, and then the other is separated from the paper surface.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the portion of the aligning member that presses the sheets stacked on the stacking means has a surface configuration. It is characterized by that.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the sheet is discharged to the stacking means in a state where the sheets stacked on the stacking means are pressed by the aligning member. In this case, the alignment member is moved from a position where the alignment member is pressed to a sheet alignment position.

  The sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention can prevent the sheets stacked on the stacking unit from being displaced due to wind or the like by pressing the inner upper surface of the sheet with the aligning member in the conveyance direction of the sheets stacked on the stacking unit. . Therefore, it is possible to press the sheets on the stacking means only by the operation of the aligning member without providing a special mechanism, and it is possible to provide a sheet processing apparatus that can press the sheets without increasing the cost.

  Exemplary embodiments of a sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus according to this embodiment. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 50 denotes an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, reference numeral 51 denotes a sheet post-processing apparatus as a sheet processing apparatus, and reference numeral 52 denotes a sheet bundle discharged onto a discharge tray for each job. A sheet medium aligning device that sorts and aligns, a reference numeral 55 denotes a discharge tray that moves up and down while keeping the sheet surface to be stacked at a constant height, and a reference numeral 60 controls the image forming device 50 in an integrated manner. A system controller that communicates with the paper post-processing device 51 and transmits a control signal necessary for paper post-processing, and a control unit 70 controls the entire paper post-processing device 51.

  Further, in the sheet post-processing apparatus 51, reference numeral 4 denotes an inlet sensor, reference numeral 5 denotes an inlet roller pair, reference numerals 6, 8 to 16 denote conveying rollers, reference numeral 7 denotes a branching claw, reference numeral 16 denotes a pre-staple sensor, reference numeral 21 denotes a stapler, Reference numeral 22 is a staple tray, reference numeral 23 is a reference fence, reference numeral 24 is a jogger fence, reference numeral 25 is a tip stopper, reference numeral 26 is a discharge belt, reference numeral 26a is a discharge claw, reference numeral 27 is a tapping roller, reference numeral 28 is a discharge roller, reference numeral Reference numeral 31 denotes a retraction route, reference numeral 32 denotes a conveyance path, reference numeral 33 denotes a staple main route, reference numeral 34 denotes an abutting member, and reference numerals 40 and 41 denote branch claws.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet post-processing device 51 has a discharge tray 55 that can be raised and lowered as a sheet stacking unit. The paper discharge tray 55 is controlled to move up and down by a driving means (not shown). Further, the height of the paper discharge tray 55 is detected by a sensor capable of detecting the height of the paper discharge tray 55, and image formation is controlled so that the height of the paper stacked on the upper surface of the paper discharge tray 55 is constant. An entrance sensor 4 and an entrance roller pair 5 are provided in the vicinity of the apparatus 50 and the paper delivery portion, and the paper taken in by the entrance roller pair 5 is instructed in a post-processing mode (staple mode for performing a binding process, job) Each shift route is transferred according to a shift mode or the like that is sorted every time.

  When the staple mode is selected, the paper delivered by the pair of entrance rollers 5 is transported, and the transport rollers 10, 13, and 14 are moved by the branch claw 7 whose position can be switched by on / off control of a solenoid (not shown). Then, the stable tray 7 is stacked by the paper discharge roller 15. At this time, alignment in the sheet conveyance direction is performed by the hitting roller 27, and alignment in the lateral width direction (direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction) of the sheet is performed by the jogger fence 24. When the predetermined number of sheets are aligned, the stapler 21 performs binding processing, and the sheet bundle lifted by the discharge claw 26a is discharged to the discharge tray 55 by the discharge roller 28 and stacked.

  When the shift mode is selected, the paper is discharged from the inlet roller pair 5 through the transport rollers 6, 8, 9 to the paper discharge tray 55 by the paper discharge roller 28 and stacked. This embodiment is an example in which the paper discharge tray 55 is reciprocated in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction to sort the paper. That is, the paper is sorted by moving the paper discharge tray 55 in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction in order to sort the paper (including the paper bundle) stacked on the paper discharge tray 55.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing how the sheet medium aligning device 52 according to this embodiment is discharged and aligned. As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet medium aligning device 52 includes a discharge tray 55 for stacking sheets discharged from the discharge roller 28, a tray lifting / lowering means for moving the discharge tray 55 up and down, Positioning means for controlling the position in the ascending / descending direction, tray moving means as sorting means for reciprocating the paper discharge tray 55 in the shift direction d orthogonal to the paper discharge direction a, aligning members 500a and 500b as aligning means, and driving means thereof And the like, and the sheets stacked on the sheet discharge tray 55 are brought into contact with the aligning members 500a and 500b so as to sandwich the sheet end portion (sheet side end) parallel to the discharge direction to align the sheet position. .

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing alignment members 500a and 500b and their drive mechanism portions in the sheet medium aligning apparatus 52 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the sheet medium aligning device 52 includes a stepping motor 201 that controls movement in the left-right direction (a direction that is perpendicular to the paper discharge direction and horizontal), a stepping motor 200 that controls movement in the up-down direction, and a stepping A drive shaft 505 connected to the pulley of the motor 200, a movable plate connected to the drive shaft, a filler 507 indicating the rotation state of the drive shaft 505, and a sensor 300 that detects the filler 507. The aligning members 500a and 500b are moved so that the distance between them is wide and narrow. The state where the sensor 300 detects the filler 507 is the home position, and the alignment members 500a and 500b are in the lowered state position.

  4 to 12 show the state of the aligning operation by the aligning members 500a and 500b on the paper discharge tray 55. FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, when the discharge operation is completed, the aligning members 500a and 500b stop at a position away from the paper by a certain distance. Thereafter, the aligning members 500a and 500b are retracted upward as shown in FIG. 5, moved to the end of the sheet as shown in FIG. 6, and then the aligning members 500a and 500b are lowered again and conveyed as shown in FIG. Hold the paper edge in the direction. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the sheets stacked on the discharge tray 55 from being displaced. Also, after sorting, the paper is offset in a direction perpendicular to the paper discharge direction, so if the paper edge is pressed as it is, the part where the paper is not stacked is pressed as shown in FIG. Therefore, there is a possibility that the paper is shifted by pressing with the aligning members 500a and 500b. Therefore, when pressing the sorted paper as shown in FIG. 9, the inside of the sorting portion is pressed.

  Further, when a plurality of types of sizes are mixed and stacked on the paper discharge tray 55, as shown in FIG. 10, by pressing the position to the minimum stackable size, even if a plurality of types of sizes are stacked, The parts that are not stacked can be pressed by the alignment members 500a and 500b. When the size loaded on the paper discharge tray 55 can be grasped, the minimum size loaded on the paper discharge tray 55 is pressed by the aligning members 500a and 500b as shown in FIG. A place close to the part can be pressed.

  Since the aligning members 500a and 500b are lowered on the paper, there is a concern that the paper stacked on the paper discharge tray 55 may be shifted due to the lowering operation. Therefore, the operation speed when lowering the aligning members 500a and 500b on the paper discharge tray 55 is made slower than the normal operation to prevent paper misalignment caused by lowering the aligning members 500a and 500b. Similarly, when the aligning members 500a and 500b are retracted upward from the top, the operation speed is similarly slowed to prevent deviation.

  In addition, the aligning members 500a and 500b are retracted upward one side at a time, for example, the aligning member 500a is retracted upward first, and then the aligning member 500b is retracted to prevent the sheet from being displaced during retraction.

  When paper is not stacked on the paper discharge tray 55, an impact sound hitting the paper discharge tray 55 may be generated when the aligning members 500a and 500b are lowered, so the operation of the aligning members 500a and 500b is performed. It is better not to. Further, even when the paper on the paper discharge tray 55 is removed, the aligning members 500a and 500b are moved upward from the paper discharge tray 55 or to the home position so as not to come into contact with the paper discharge tray 55. Avoid generating sound.

  In addition, as the contact surface with the paper is as wide as possible, the effect of preventing the paper misalignment is high. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the surface of the aligning members 500a and 500b opposite to the surface where the paper is aligned is widened and the surface that contacts the paper is formed. It is also possible to make it wider and more difficult to shift.

  Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. First, the inner side of the sheet is pressed by the aligning members 500a and 500b in the conveyance direction of the sheet stacked on the discharge tray 55 (hereinafter referred to as stacking unit), so that the sheet stacked on the stacking unit is winded. It is possible to prevent deviation due to influences. Secondly, by pressing the inner side more than the paper width by the sorting amount, the paper loaded on the stacking means is not broken by the aligning members 500a and 500b even if the paper is sorted and stacked on the stacking means. Can be pressed.

  Third, by pressing the inside of the paper in the transport direction of the paper of the smallest paper size that can be loaded on the loading means and the inside of the paper for the sorting amount, the minimum size can be changed from the maximum size that can be loaded on the loading means. Even when the sheets are stacked, the sheets can be pressed by the aligning members 500a and 500b. Fourth, the size of the paper loaded on the loading means is stored, and the position close to the edge of the paper can be pressed by changing the pressing position depending on the size of the paper actually loaded on the loading means. can do.

  Fifth, the size of the paper loaded on the stacking means is stored, and when the paper size is different in the stacking means, different sizes can be loaded by pressing with the smallest loaded paper size. Even the part near the end can be pressed. Sixth, when the sheets are not stacked on the stacking unit, the aligning members 500a and 500b are not pressed, and when the sheets stacked on the stacking unit are removed, the aligning members 500a and 500b are removed. Is returned to the standby position, so that the aligning members 500a and 500b hit the stacking means and no unpleasant noise is generated.

  Seventh, when the sheets stacked on the stacking means are pressed by the aligning members 500a and 500b, the sheets are not shifted when they are pressed because they are operated at a low speed and the aligning member is brought into contact with the sheets. . Eighth, when the alignment member is separated from the sheet from the state where the sheet stacked on the stacking unit is being pressed by the alignment member, the alignment members 500a and 500b are operated at a low speed, and the alignment members 500a and 500b are moved to the sheet. As a result, the pressed paper is not displaced when the aligning members 500a and 500b are separated from the paper.

  Ninth, when the alignment members 500a and 500b are separated from the sheet from the state in which the sheets stacked on the stacking unit are being pressed by the alignment members 500a and 500b, one of the alignment members is removed. First, the sheet is separated from the sheet, and then the other is separated from the sheet, so that the sheet can be prevented from shifting when the aligning members 500a and 500b are retracted. The portions of the aligning members 500a and 500b that hold the paper in contact with the paper have a surface configuration, so that the area in contact with the paper can be increased and the displacement can be made more difficult. Eleventh, when discharging the paper to the stacking means in a state where the paper stacked on the stacking means is being pressed by the alignment members 500a and 500b, by moving from the pressing position to the paper alignment position, Time to move to the paper position can be shortened.

  As described above, the sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention is useful for an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a printing machine, and in particular, a sheet processing apparatus that avoids the collapse of a sheet bundle at the time of alignment or after alignment. And an image forming apparatus using the same.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the sheet processing apparatus concerning this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode of discharge and the alignment of the sheet medium aligning device concerning this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the alignment member and its drive mechanism part in the sheet medium aligning apparatus concerning this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode (1) of the alignment operation | movement by the alignment member on the paper discharge tray concerning this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode (2) of the alignment operation | movement by the alignment member on the paper discharge tray concerning this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode (3) of the alignment operation | movement by the alignment member on the paper discharge tray concerning this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode (4) of the alignment operation | movement by the alignment member on the paper discharge tray concerning this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode (5) of the alignment operation | movement by the alignment member on the paper discharge tray concerning this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode (6) of the alignment operation | movement by the alignment member on the paper discharge tray concerning this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode (7) of the alignment operation | movement by the alignment member on the paper discharge tray concerning this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode (8) of the alignment operation | movement by the alignment member on the paper discharge tray concerning this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode of the alignment operation | movement by the alignment member (surface contact example) on the paper discharge tray concerning this Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

28 Paper discharge roller 50 Image forming device 51 Paper post-processing device 52 Sheet medium alignment device 55 Paper discharge tray 60 System controller 70 Controller 500a, 500b Alignment member

Claims (11)

Discharging means for discharging the conveyed sheet medium, stacking means for stacking the sheet medium discharged by the discharging means, and movement for moving the stacking means by a predetermined amount in a shift direction orthogonal to the discharging direction of the sheet medium Means for aligning the sheet media on the stacking means so as to sandwich the side edge of the sheet medium parallel to the sheet medium ejection direction, and the alignment during the shift operation for sorting the discharged sheet media Retraction means for revolving the member around a rotation axis to retreat the alignment member in a direction perpendicular to the discharge direction of the sheet medium,
The sheet processing apparatus, wherein the aligning member presses an inner upper surface of a sheet end portion of a sheet orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the sheet stacked on the stacking unit when the sheet is not discharged.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the sheets are sorted and stacked on the stacking unit, the aligning member is configured to press the inside by a sorting amount.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is configured to press the inner side of the paper in the conveyance direction of the paper of the smallest paper size that can be stacked on the stacking unit and the inner side of the paper for the sorting amount.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet processing apparatus stores a size of a sheet stacked on the stacking unit, and changes a pressing position depending on a size of the sheet stacked on the stacking unit.   The size of the paper stacked on the stacking means is stored, and when the paper size differs in the stacking means, the paper is transported in the transport direction of the smallest stacked paper inside the paper and the amount of the offset paper The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inner side is pressed.   When the sheet is not stacked on the stacking unit, the pressing by the aligning member is not performed, and when the sheet stacked on the stacking unit is removed, the aligning member is returned to the standby position. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the sheets stacked on the stacking unit are pressed by the aligning member, the aligning member is operated at a low speed to contact the sheets.   When the aligning member is moved upward from a state where the sheets stacked on the stacking unit are being pressed by the aligning member, the aligning member is operated at a low speed so that the aligning member is separated from the sheet surface. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   When the aligning member is separated upward from the state in which the sheets stacked on the stacking unit are pressed by the aligning member, one of the aligning members is first separated from the sheet surface, and then The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the other is separated from the sheet surface.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the aligning member that presses the sheet stacked on the stacking unit has a surface configuration.   When discharging the paper to the stacking means in a state where the paper stacked on the stacking means is being pressed by the aligning member, the sheet is moved from the position where the aligning member is pressed to the paper aligning position. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1.

Images