JP2010070292A - Paper aligning device and image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper sheet aligning device capable of restricting a displacement between paper sheets in the conveying direction to the minimum, capable of handling at a high speed and capable of stably conveying paper sheets when aligning a plurality of paper sheets and changing the conveying direction to deliver the paper sheets to a post-treatment device, and to provide an image forming system using the same. <P>SOLUTION: This paper sheet aligning device aligns a plurality of paper sheets by stacking them, and turns a distal end and a rear end of the paper sheets, and thereafter, when changing the conveying direction of the paper sheets and delivering the paper sheets to the paper sheet post-treatment device, a change of the conveying direction of the paper sheets and conveyance thereof are performed by pinching the paper sheets with an endless belt wound around a plurality of rollers and a turnable opposite conveying member facing the belt and abutting thereon. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet aligning apparatus and an image forming system, and more particularly to a sheet aligning apparatus that enables efficient sheet post-processing.

  A sheet post-processing device as a component of an image forming system is generally a device that performs shift processing, punching processing, binding processing, folding processing, gluing bookbinding processing, and the like on a sheet on which an image is formed.

  The punching processing unit, the binding processing unit, the folding processing unit, the glue binding processing unit, and the like are provided with alignment processing means for aligning sheets as preprocessing means for these processes.

  Conventional alignment processing means generally has an inclined intermediate stacker for temporarily storing paper, and a movable restricting member provided on both sides or one side of the intermediate stacker. A sheet alignment process is performed on the conveyance path for conveying the sheet. That is, the sheet is slid down on the intermediate stacker to align the conveyance direction of the sheet, and when a set number of sheets are stacked on the intermediate stacker, the supply of the sheet to the intermediate stacker is stopped and the movable regulating member Are reciprocated to perform sheet alignment in the conveyance path width direction, and then post-processing such as punching, binding, folding, and gluing bookbinding is performed.

  In the conventional alignment processing means, it is necessary to stop the conveyance of the succeeding sheet during the post-processing of the preceding sheet. Therefore, the sheet processing speed decreases, and the high-speed performance of the image forming apparatus main body is not met. There is a problem that the high-speed performance of the image forming apparatus main body is not sufficiently exhibited. Further, since the conveyance stop control is entered, the conveyance control becomes complicated and lacks stability, and there is a problem that conveyance failure such as a jam easily occurs.

In order to solve the above problems, the paper storage unit has a paper storage unit that stores a plurality of papers that are carried in a stack, and the paper width direction that is perpendicular to the transport direction and the front and rear ends of the paper that is carried in. A sheet aligning device is disclosed in which the leading edge and the trailing edge are reversed and carried out (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2007-137536 A

  Patent Document 1 performs alignment processing with high accuracy by superimposing a plurality of sheets without interfering with each other without stopping the conveyance of subsequent sheets even when post-processing is being performed on the preceding sheet. is there. A plurality of sheets subjected to alignment processing in the sheet storage unit are conveyed by a sheet carry-out unit including an intermediate conveyance roller, a discharge roller, and a guide plate, and the conveyance direction of the sheet is changed from a substantially vertical direction to a substantially horizontal direction. And then carried out.

  However, since the change path of the paper conveyance direction at the paper carry-out portion is formed by a combination of guide plates having a predetermined gap, a deviation in the conveyance direction occurs between the papers. For this reason, even if the sheets are aligned in the sheet storage unit, a deviation occurs at the time of carry-out, and a problem due to the deviation occurs in the subsequent post-processing.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described situation, and changes the transport direction of a plurality of sheets aligned by the aligning device, minimizes misalignment between the sheets in the transport direction when transported to the post-processing device, and performs high-speed processing. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet aligning apparatus that can perform the above described process and enables stable sheet conveyance, and an image forming system using the sheet aligning apparatus.

The above object is achieved by the following configuration.
1. A stop that is movable along the paper conveyance path, which is brought into contact with a carry-in means for carrying in the paper, a paper storage part that stores a plurality of the papers that have been carried in, and a leading-end direction of the paper that has been carried into the paper storage part A member, a longitudinal alignment member that can be retracted from the paper conveyance path, where a rear end of the paper carried in the paper storage unit abuts, and a side edge regulation that is movable in a paper width direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction A reversing conveyance means for reversing and conveying the front and rear ends of the aligned sheets, and an endless shape wound around a plurality of rollers. And a counter-rotating conveying member that faces and contacts the belt, and conveys the sheet conveyed from the reverse conveying unit while being sandwiched between the belt and the opposed conveying member. Change transport direction Sheet aligning apparatus characterized by having a discharge means for unloading.
2. 2. The sheet aligning apparatus according to 1, wherein the counter conveying member is a roller or an endless counter belt.
3. 3. The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carry-out unit includes a driving unit that rotates the belt, and the counter conveying member is driven by the rotating belt.
4). The sheet aligning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the belt includes a core body, and the core body is disposed on a surface side of the belt that is in contact with the opposing conveyance member. .
5). An image forming apparatus main body that forms an image on a sheet; the sheet aligning apparatus according to any one of 1 to 4 that receives a sheet from the image forming apparatus main body; and a sheet conveying direction downstream of the sheet aligning apparatus; An image forming system, comprising: a sheet post-processing device that performs post-processing on a sheet transported from the sheet aligning device.

  According to the above, when a plurality of sheets aligned by the sheet aligning apparatus are discharged to the sheet post-processing apparatus, the deviation between the sheets can be minimized during the conveyance in which the conveying direction is changed. It becomes possible to make it unnecessary to align the deviation in the conveyance direction again in the apparatus. Even when alignment is performed again, the amount of misalignment is small, so that the alignment mechanism can be made small and simple.

  Furthermore, after aligning a plurality of sheets with a sheet aligning device to ensure alignment processing, a plurality of sheets are conveyed at the same time, thereby maintaining high-speed processing in accordance with the preceding and following processes and performing alignment processing with high accuracy. Can do.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an image forming system according to the present invention.

  The image forming system includes an image forming apparatus main body A, an automatic document feeder DF, a large-capacity paper feeder LT, an intermediate transport unit B which is a paper aligning device, and a paper post-processing device FS.

[Image forming device body]
The illustrated image forming apparatus main body A includes an image reading unit 1, an image processing unit 2, an image writing unit 3, an image forming unit 4, a paper feeding / conveying unit 5, and a fixing device 6.

  The image forming unit 4 includes a photosensitive drum 4A, a charging unit 4B, a developing unit 4C, a transfer unit 4D, a separating unit 4E, a cleaning unit 4F, and the like.

  The paper feeding / conveying means 5 includes a paper feeding cassette 5A, a first paper feeding means 5B, a second paper feeding means 5C, a conveying means 5D, a paper discharging means 5E, and an automatic duplex copying paper feeding means (ADU) 5F.

  An operation display unit 8 having an input unit and a display unit is arranged on the upper front side of the image forming apparatus main body A. An automatic document feeder DF is mounted on the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body A. An intermediate transport unit B is connected to the paper discharge means 5E side of the left side of the image forming apparatus main body A shown in the figure, and a sheet post-processing device FS is connected to the left side thereof.

  The document placed on the document table of the automatic document feeder DF is read on one or both sides of the document by the optical system of the image reading unit 1, and the photoelectrically converted analog signal is converted into an analog signal in the image processing unit 2. After processing such as processing, A / D conversion, shading correction, and image compression processing, the image is sent to the image writing unit 3.

  In the image writing unit 3, output light from the semiconductor laser is irradiated onto the photosensitive drum 4 </ b> A of the image forming unit 4 to form a latent image. In the image forming unit 4, processes such as charging, exposure, development, transfer, separation, and cleaning are performed.

  The sheet S fed by the first sheet feeding unit 5B is transferred to the sheet S by the transfer unit 4D. The paper S carrying the image is fixed by the fixing device 6 and sent from the paper discharge means 5E to the intermediate transport unit B. Alternatively, the single-sided image processed paper S sent to the automatic double-sided copy paper feeding unit 5F is again subjected to double-sided image processing in the image forming unit 4 and then discharged by the paper discharge unit 5E and sent to the intermediate transport unit B.

  The communication means of the control means 9A arranged in the image forming apparatus main body A and the communication means of the control means 9B arranged in the intermediate transport unit B are connected by a communication line 9C and exchange input signals and control signals. To do.

[Large capacity feeder]
The large-capacity paper feeding device LT includes a paper stacking unit 7A, a first paper feeding unit 7B, and the like, and continuously feeds a large amount of paper S to the image forming apparatus main body A.

[Intermediate transport unit]
FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of the intermediate transport unit B. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. The intermediate transport unit B includes a paper carry-in section 11 that is a paper carry-in means, a reverse transport section 12 that is a reverse transport means, a paper carry-out section 13 that is a carry-out means, and a bypass transport section 14 that performs bypass transport.

  The paper carry-in unit 11 includes a paper conveyance path r11 having a pair of conveyance rollers R1 and a guide plate 111 including a driving roller R1a and a driven roller R1b. The sheets S discharged from the sheet discharge unit 5E of the image forming apparatus main body A are sequentially received by the sheet carry-in unit 11 and conveyed.

  A swingable transport path switching member G1 is provided at the entrance of the paper carry-in section 11. The conveyance path switching member G1 is switched to a position indicated by a solid line and a broken line in FIG. 3 by a driving unit (not shown) such as a solenoid. By switching the position of the transport path switching member G1, the transport path of the paper S is switched to the paper carry-in unit 11 or the bypass transport unit 14. When the transport path switching member G1 is at the position of the solid line in FIG. 3, the paper S is transported to the reverse transport section 12 through the paper carry-in section 11, and is transported to the bypass transport section 14 when at the position of the broken line. The

  The reversing conveyance unit 12 includes a sheet conveyance path r12 formed by a pair of guide plates 121 arranged in parallel, a storage unit 12A that stores a plurality of loaded sheets, a horizontal alignment unit that includes a horizontal alignment plate 122, A vertical alignment means having a stop member 123 and a vertical alignment member 124, a direction changing plate 125, a pair of carry-in rollers R3, and a pair of carry-out rollers R4 are provided.

  In the storage unit 12A, a plurality of sheets S received from the sheet carry-in unit 11 are stored in an overlapped state, and the alignment of the sheet S in the vertical alignment unit is perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the sheet S in the horizontal alignment unit. After the sheet S is aligned in the width direction, it is discharged upward. In other words, the sheet S is aligned, the leading end and the trailing end in the conveying direction are reversed, and the sheet S is conveyed to the sheet carrying-out unit 13.

  Each of the pair of carry-in rollers R3 and carry-out rollers R4 includes drive rollers R3a and R4a and driven rollers R3b and R4b. The driving rollers R3a and R4a are rotationally driven by driving means (not shown), and the carry-in roller R3 and the carry-out roller R4 sandwich and convey the paper S. Further, the carry-out roller R4 is configured such that the driven roller R4b can contact and separate from the drive roller R4a.

  The stop member 123 has a stop surface portion 123A against which the leading edge of the paper S abuts, and is raised and lowered by being guided by the guide bar 126 by a driving unit (not shown).

  The vertical alignment member 124 is driven to swing by driving means (not shown) such as a solenoid.

  The direction changing plate 125 is driven and oscillated by driving means (not shown) such as a solenoid, and guides the discharging direction from the reverse conveying unit 12.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a driving means for the lateral alignment plate 122. The pair of left and right lateral alignment plates 122 engages with pins 128A and 128B locked to a belt 127 rotated by a motor M4 that is a driving means and moves in the paper width direction to perform width alignment.

  The paper carry-out unit 13 includes a drive roller R11, a driven roller R12, a rotatable endless belt B10 wound around a tension roller R13, and a roller R5 that is a rotatable counter-conveying member that faces and contacts the belt B10. , And a paper transport path r13 formed by a pair of paper discharge roller R6 and a guide plate 131 including a driving roller R6a and a driven roller R6b. The driving roller R11 is driven by driving means (not shown) such as a motor, and rotates the belt B11. The roller R5 follows the belt B10.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the contact portion between the belt B10 and the roller R5 abuts at an angle of about 90 ° so that the sheet S enters from the lower part in the vertical direction and is discharged in the horizontal direction. Yes.

  The belt B10 and the roller R5 are ejected upward from the reversing conveyance unit 13 and convey the sheet S entering from the lower part in the vertical direction of the abutting unit while being nipped by the abutting unit, and the conveyance direction is changed from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction. To be discharged.

  The discharged paper S passes through the paper conveyance path r13 and is carried out to the subsequent paper post-processing device FS by the paper discharge roller R6.

  The bypass conveyance unit 14 includes a sheet conveyance path r14 that conveys the sheet S and includes a pair of rollers R7 including a driving roller R7a and a driven roller R7b and a guide plate 141. In the case where a plurality of sheets S are overlapped and not aligned by the reverse conveying unit 13, the sheets S are conveyed one by one through the bypass conveying unit 14 to the subsequent sheet post-processing device FS by the discharge roller R 6. It is carried out.

  Next, a paper conveyance process at the time of paper alignment in the intermediate conveyance unit B will be described. 5 to 7 are cross-sectional views illustrating the paper conveyance process in the intermediate conveyance unit B. FIG. The example shown in the figure is a case where two sheets are aligned and transported. At the time of paper alignment, the conveyance path switching member G1 is at a position indicated by a solid line in FIG.

  1. In FIG. 5A, the first sheet S1 that is nipped and conveyed by the driving and rotating conveyance roller R1 is transferred along the guide plate 111 of the sheet conveyance path r11, and is nipped by the carry-in roller R3 and conveyed. Then, it proceeds toward the paper storage unit 12A. The leading end of the first sheet S1 conveyed to the sheet storage unit 12A comes into contact with the stop surface 123A of the stop member 123 and stops.

  2. In FIG. 5B, the direction changing plate 125 is swung from the position shown in FIG. 5A to the position shown in FIG. 5B by driving means (not shown). Thereafter, the stop member 123 is moved by the driving means (not shown) from the initial position V0 to the first position V1 that is raised by a predetermined distance L1 (for example, 20 mm) shown in FIG. And the front end after the rear end is reversed reaches the vicinity of the carry-out roller R4 and stops.

  3. In FIG. 6A, the direction change plate 125 is restored, and the second sheet S2 that is nipped and conveyed by the conveyance roller R1 is conveyed along the guide plate 111 in the sheet conveyance path r11, and the conveyance roller R3. The paper is conveyed while being held between the paper storage unit 12A and the paper storage unit 12A. After the leading end of the sheet S2 is transferred along the guide plate 121 of the sheet transport path r12 and enters the sheet storage unit 12A, the stop member 123 is returned to the initial position V0 by the driving unit. The leading end portion of the second sheet S2 conveyed to the sheet storage portion 12A comes into contact with the stop surface portion 123A of the stop member 123 and stops. At this stop position, the second sheet S2 is superposed on the first sheet S1.

  4). In FIG. 6B, as in FIG. 5B, the direction changing plate 125 is swung, and the driven roller R4b of the carry-out roller R4 is separated from the driving roller R4a. Thereafter, the stop member 123 moves further above the predetermined distance L1 to the second position V2 that is raised from the initial position V0 by a predetermined distance L2 (for example, 40 mm), and the upper end portions of the two sheets S1 and S2 that are superimposed ( The front end portion after the front end portion and the rear end portion are reversed comes into contact with the stop surface portion 124A of the vertical alignment member 124 and stops, and the vertical alignment is performed with high accuracy. The upper end stop position of the two vertically aligned sheets S1 and S2 is downstream in the transport direction from the nip position of the carry-out roller R4.

  At the same time as or after completion of the vertical alignment, the horizontal alignment unit 122 is driven by the driving unit to press the side edges in the width direction of the sheets S1 and S2 to perform the horizontal alignment.

  5. In FIG. 7A, as in FIG. 6A, the direction change plate 125 returns and the third sheet S3 that is nipped and conveyed by the conveyance roller R1 is the guide plate 111 of the sheet conveyance path r11. , And is conveyed while being sandwiched between the carry-in rollers R3 and proceeds toward the paper storage unit 12A.

  At substantially the same time, the driven roller R4b of the carry-out roller R4 and the driving roller R4a are in contact with each other and sandwich the upper ends of the two sheets S1 and S2, and the vertical alignment member 124 is driven by the driving means (not shown). Retreat from the transport path.

  6). In FIG. 7B, the two sheets S <b> 1 and S <b> 2 sandwiched by the carry-out roller R <b> 4 are conveyed to the paper discharge unit 13 by the rotation of the carry-out roller R <b> 4.

  Further, the stop member 123 is returned to the initial position V0, and the third sheet S3 that is nipped and conveyed by the carry-in roller R3 is stored in the sheet storage unit 12A.

  As described above, the two sheets S1 and S2 that are aligned and conveyed to the sheet discharge unit 13 are sandwiched and conveyed by the belt B10 and the roller R5 of the sheet conveyance unit 13, and the conveyance direction is changed from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction. Converted to Further, the paper is discharged to the succeeding paper post-processing device FS by the paper discharge roller R6.

  Here, a conventional intermediate transport unit will be described. FIG. 8 shows a conventional intermediate transport unit D. FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. The intermediate transport unit D is the same as the intermediate transport unit B according to the present invention except that the paper transport unit 15 is different from the paper transport unit 13 of the intermediate transport unit B according to the present invention. The paper conveyance process at the time of paper alignment is the same up to the conveyance of the papers S1 and S2 by the carry-out roller R4 (1 to 6 of the paper conveyance process).

  The paper carry-out unit 15 includes two guide plates 151a and 151b disposed with a predetermined gap, a conveyance path r15 formed by them, and a paper discharge roller R6. In the example shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the gap between the guide plates 151a and 151b is set to 3.0 mm. That is, the gap of the conveyance path r15 is set to 3.0 mm.

  The sheets S1 and S2 discharged from the reverse conveyance unit 13 pass through the conveyance path r15 while being guided by the guide plates 151a and 151b, and are conveyed to the sheet discharge roller R6 by the carry-out roller R4. While passing through the transport path r15, the transport direction is changed from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction.

  However, in the intermediate conveyance unit D, when the sheets S1 and S2 pass through the conveyance path r15 and enter the paper discharge roller R6, a deviation occurs between the sheets. The deviation becomes maximum (maximum deviation amount) when the sheet S1 is conveyed along the guide plate 151a and the sheet S2 is conveyed along the guide plate 151b. For example, if the clearance of the transport path r23 is 3.0 mm and the thickness of the paper S is 0.1 mm, the maximum amount of deviation Z between the centers of the paper S1 and S2 in the thickness direction is expressed by the following equation.

Z = π × (3-0.1) /4=2.3 (mm)
That is, a maximum deviation of 2.3 mm occurs. As described above, in the conventional intermediate transport unit D, even when the paper S is aligned in the storage unit 12A, a shift occurs when the paper S is carried out to the paper post-processing device FS, and the paper post-processing device FS shifts again in the transport direction. There was a problem, such as correcting. Further, since the maximum deviation amount is large, the alignment mechanism in the paper post-processing apparatus FS is also large, which may be complicated.

  On the other hand, in the intermediate conveyance unit B according to the present invention, the sheets S1 and S2 discharged from the reverse conveyance unit 13 are nipped between the contact portions of the belt B10 and the roller R5, that is, conveyed in close contact with each other. Then, the conveying direction is changed from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction, and the paper is discharged to the paper discharge roller R6. Accordingly, as in the case of the intermediate transport unit D, the maximum shift amount Z between the thickness direction centers of the sheets S1 and S2 when entering the sheet discharge roller R6 is expressed by the following equation.

Z = π × 0.1 / 4 = 0.1 (mm)
That is, the deviation is 0.1 mm.

  Thus, in the intermediate transport unit B, it is possible to make a slight shift, and it becomes possible to make it unnecessary to align the shift in the transport direction again in the paper post-processing apparatus FS. Even when alignment is performed again, the amount of misalignment is small, so that the alignment mechanism can be made small and simple.

  Here, it is preferable that the belt B10 of the intermediate conveyance unit B includes a core body to prevent elongation. Furthermore, it is preferable that the said core body is arrange | positioned at the surface facing the roller R5 of belt B10.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a contact portion with the roller R5 when the belt B10 is used with a core. FIG. 10A shows an example in which the core body B11 is arranged at the center in the thickness direction of the belt B10, and FIG. 10B shows the core body B11 arranged on the side of the belt B10 facing the roller R5. It is an example.

  When the core body B11 is disposed at the center of the belt B10, both sides of the belt B10 expand and contract around the core body B11 when bent. For this reason, in the case of FIG. 10A, the contact surface side of the belt B10, that is, the surface side that sandwiches the paper S is contracted in the circular portion where the belt B10 contacts the roller R5. However, in the contact start portion and the end portion of contact between the belt B10 and the roller R5, the belt B10 is conveyed in the tangential direction of the roller R5, and therefore does not expand or contract. For this reason, there is a speed difference between the linear velocities v1, v2, and v3 of the contact start portion, the intermediate portion, and the end portion of the belt B10 with the roller R5. That is, v1 = v3> v2, and the linear velocity changes, so paper misalignment is likely to occur.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, when the core body B11 is arranged on the side of the belt B10 facing the roller R5, the belt B10 is expanded or contracted on the contact surface side, that is, the surface side that holds the paper S. Absent. For this reason, there is no speed difference in the linear velocities v1, v2, and v3 of the belt B10 at the contact start portion, the intermediate portion, and the end portion with the roller R5, that is, v1 = v2 = v3 and sheet misalignment occurs. There is no.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of the paper discharge unit 13. In contrast to the example shown in FIG. 3, an endless counter belt is used instead of the roller R5. The opposing belt B21 is stretched around a plurality of rollers R21, contacts and follows the belt B10, and sandwiches and conveys the sheets S1 and S2. Others conform to FIG.

[Paper post-processing device]
Various sheet post-processing devices FS will be described below. The punching and folding machine FS1, the side stitching machine FS2, the saddle stitching machine FS3, the large capacity sheet stacking machine (hereinafter referred to as a large capacity stacker), and the gluing bookbinding machine FS5 are collectively referred to as a sheet post-processing apparatus.
<Perforation folder>
FIG. 12 is an overall configuration diagram of the punching and folding machine (post-processing machine) FS1. The punching and folding machine FS1 includes a punching processing unit 20, a first folding unit 21, a second folding unit 22, a third folding unit 23, a cover sheet feeding unit 24, and the like. And post-processing such as various folding processes.

  FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the paper S after the punching process and various folding processes. 13A shows a sheet S that has been punched by the punching processing unit 20 and has two holes, and FIG. 13B shows a sheet that has been folded in the first folding unit 21 with the image surface facing outward. S, (c) is a sheet S folded inward with the image surface facing inward in the third folding part 23, and (d) is Z-folded in the first folding part 21 and the third folding part 23 with the image surface facing inward. The sheet S, (e) is the sheet S folded three times at the first folding part 21 and the second folding part 22, and (f) is the sheet folded three times at the first folding part 21 and the second folding part 22. S, (g) is a sheet S that has been subjected to double-parallel folding processing in the first folding unit 21 and the second folding unit 22, and (h) is in the first folding unit 21, the second folding unit 22, and the third folding unit 23. Each of the folded sheets S is shown.

  In the punching and folding machine FS1, 500 cover covers K are stored in a two-stage cover sheet feeding unit 24.

<Flat stitching machine>
FIG. 14 is an overall configuration diagram of the flat stitching machine (post-processing machine) FS2. The flat stitching machine FS2 includes an inlet transport unit 31, an intermediate transport unit 32, a shift processing unit 33, a stacker unit 34, a stapler unit 35, and a paper discharge unit. The paper discharge unit includes an uppermost sub-tray 36A, a main tray 36B that can be moved up and down on the left side in the figure, a paper discharge unit, and the like.

  The paper S passing through the entrance transport unit 31 is simply discharged to the sub-tray 36A, straight discharged to the main tray 36B, and side stitching processing by selecting the swing angle of the transport path switching means G4 and G5. The process branches to one of the side-stitched sheets that are discharged after being applied.

  The paper S to be subjected to the flat binding process passes through the paper transport path r21 below the transport path switching means G4, passes through the paper transport path r22 below the transport path switching means G5, and is on the inclined surface of the stacker unit 34. (Sheet conveyance path r23), the leading end of the sheet S in the advancing direction comes into contact with the sheet abutting surface of the flat stitching stopper 34A and stops. The width aligning unit 34B performs the width alignment of the sheets S stacked on the stacker unit 34.

  At this stop position, when a predetermined number of sheets S are stacked and aligned on the stacker unit 34, the stapler unit 35 having a needle striking mechanism and a needle receiving mechanism performs a side stitching process, and the sheets S are bound.

  The discharge belt 34C of the stacker unit 34 pushes up the bound paper S obliquely upward, sandwiches and conveys the paper S to the paper discharge unit 36C (paper conveyance path r24), and discharges and stacks it on the up and down main tray 36B. . The side stitching machine FS2 produces a booklet by performing a side stitching process on a maximum of 100 sheets S.

<Saddle Stitcher>
FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing sheet conveyance in a saddle stitching and saddle stitching process by the saddle stitching machine (post-processing machine) FS3. The sheet S introduced into the saddle stitching machine FS3 is transported and held from the substantially horizontal sheet transport path r31 to the substantially vertical sheet transport path r32 below (first right-angle deflection transport). The held sheet S is deflected, passes through the sheet conveyance path r33 with the sheet surface upright, and temporarily stops at a predetermined position (second right-angle deflection conveyance). Next, after the sheet S is conveyed vertically upward by a pair of conveying rollers, it is deflected and moved in the horizontal direction and stopped at a predetermined position (third right-angled deflection conveyance, sheet conveyance path r34). After the sheet S is positioned at this stop position, the folding means 40 performs a middle folding process.

  The sheet S or sheets S stopped by the folding means 40 are sandwiched between folding rollers that rotate in opposite directions and a folding plate that moves straight, and are subjected to a middle folding process. A fold part a is formed over the entire area.

  The signature SA is continuously conveyed by the conveying belt 42 of the conveying means 41 to the sheet conveying path r35 extending in the direction of the fold line a, and sent to the saddle stitching means 43. In this way, the folding means 40 performs a middle folding process on one or a small number of sheets S, firmly attaches the crease part a, and sequentially feeds it to the saddle stitching means 43, so that the fold part a is less bulged. A quality booklet (bookbinding product) SB can be produced.

  The signature SA that has been subjected to the middle folding process in the folding means 40 proceeds in the direction of the sheet conveyance path r35 and is placed on the saddle stacking means (stacker) 44 of the saddle stitching means 43. The subsequent signature SA that has undergone the middle folding process continues to pass through the paper transport path r35 and is stacked on the hook stacking means 44. The plurality of signatures SA placed on the saddle stacking means 44 are aligned by the width aligning means.

  Two sets of binding means having a two-part structure having a needle striking mechanism arranged above the hook stacking means 44 and a needle receiving mechanism arranged in the hook stacking means 44 are arranged in the direction of the sheet fold. When the saddle stitching process is set in the operation unit, the needle receiving mechanism is raised to perform the saddle stitching process. That is, the two sets of binding means strike the binding needles SP at two centrally distributed locations along the fold portion a of the signature SA on the hook stacking means 44.

  The booklet SB that has been subjected to the saddle stitching process in the saddle stitching means 43 is taken out from the booklet stacking means 44 by the booklet taking-out means, and cut by the fore-edge cutting device to align the fore-edges. The booklet SB produced by the cutting process is discharged to a paper discharge tray. The saddle stitcher FS3 performs half-fold processing on a maximum of 30 sheets S to produce a booklet SB with 120 pages on the front and back.

<Large capacity stacker>
FIG. 16 is a front sectional view of the large-capacity stacker FS4.

  The sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus main body A or the post-processing machine and introduced into the entrance of the large-capacity stacker FS4 is either the sheet conveying path r41 above the conveying path switching means G6 or the sheet conveying path r42 below. It is conveyed to. The sheet S branched to the sheet transport path r41 is transported to either the transport path r44 above or the transport path r43 below the transport path switching means G7.

  The paper S that has traveled to the paper transport path r44 is stacked on a sub paper discharge tray 51 formed above the large-capacity stacker FS4. The sheet S that has advanced to the sheet conveyance path r43 is discharged out of the apparatus. Or it is sent to another large-capacity stacker.

  The sheet S that has entered the sheet conveyance path r42 is held by a gripper 53 fixed to a belt 52 around which the leading end of the sheet S rotates, and proceeds in the left direction in the figure.

  In the vicinity of the left end of the belt 52, a paper front end regulating member 54 is waiting. The paper leading edge regulating member 54 moves to a predetermined position corresponding to the size of the paper S to be introduced and stops, and performs the leading edge alignment of the paper S. When the leading edge of the sheet S comes into contact with the sheet leading edge regulating member 54, the gripper 53 is released, and the sheet S falls and is placed on the sheet stacking table 55.

  The sheet stacking table 55 is driven by an elevating drive unit 56 having an elevating member such as a motor, a belt, or a wire, and moves up and down along the guide member 57.

  When taking out the paper S stored in the large capacity stacker FS4, the operation display means 8 of the image forming apparatus main body A or the operation display means 58 of the large capacity stacker FS4 is designated to open the large capacity stacker FS4. In response to this designation, the lift driving means 56 lowers the sheet stacking table 55.

  A sheet transport carriage 59 having wheels 59A is movably disposed below the large-capacity stacker FS4. The sheet stacking table 55 is mounted in contact with the upper surface of the sheet transporting carriage 59, and the wire of the elevating drive means 56 continues to further rotate to release the holding of the sheet stacking table 55 and stop. If the operator opens the front door of the large-capacity stacker FS4 and manually or electrically pulls out the paper transport carriage 59, the paper S loaded on the paper stacking base 55 mounted on the paper transport carriage 59 is removed. Can be easily taken out.

  The large-capacity stacker FS4 can stack a maximum of about 5000 sheets S on the sheet placing table 55. When two large-capacity stackers FS4 are connected, a maximum of 10,000 sheets S can be stacked.

  The communication means of the control means 9A arranged in the image forming apparatus main body A and the communication means of the control means 9D arranged in the large-capacity stacker FS4 are connected by a communication line 9C and exchange input signals and control signals. To do.

  When the sheet S introduced into the large-capacity stacker FS4 and loaded on the sheet stacking table 55 becomes full (for example, 5000 sheets) and the sensor PS1 detects that the sheet stacking limit position is exceeded, the control unit 9D The sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus main body A is switched from the sheet conveying path r42 to the sheet conveying paths r41 and r43, and is introduced into a large-capacity stacker connected at the subsequent stage to stack and store the sheets S. The paper S can be sorted and stored in the large-capacity stacker FS4 for each paper size, paper basis weight, and recording content of the paper S discharged from the image forming apparatus main body A.

<Glue binding machine>
FIG. 17 is a front sectional view of the gluing bookbinding machine (post-processing machine) FS5. The gluing bookbinding machine FS5 includes a sheet introducing unit 61, a sheet discharging unit 62, a sheet bundle storing unit 63, a sheet bundle conveying unit 64, a glue applying unit 65, a cover sheet supplying unit 66, a cover sheet cutting unit 67, a cover sheet exterior unit (case binding unit). ) 68 and an alignment means 69 are provided. Each of these means is arranged in a column in a substantially vertical direction in the main body of the gluing bookbinding machine.

  The paper S introduced into the paper introduction means 61 is branched into either the paper discharge means 62 or the paper bundle storage means 63 by the transport path switching means G8. When the paper conveyance to the paper discharge means 62 is set, the conveyance path switching means G8 blocks the paper conveyance path r51 to the paper bundle conveyance means 64 and opens the paper conveyance path r52 to the paper discharge means 62. The paper S passing through the paper transport path r52 of the paper discharge means 62 is transported upward and stored on a fixed paper discharge tray 62A at the top of the apparatus. A maximum of about 200 sheets S can be stacked on the fixed sheet discharge tray 62A.

  The sheets S branched and conveyed by the conveyance path switching means G8 to the left in the sheet conveyance direction downstream in the drawing are stored in a predetermined position of the sheet bundle storage means 63 and sequentially stacked, and are aligned in width and vertically aligned to be predetermined. A sheet bundle Sa composed of the number of sheets S is formed. The sheet bundle Sa stacked on the sheet placing table 63A of the sheet bundle storing means 63 is conveyed obliquely downward, and then is grasped by the grasping means 64A of the sheet bundle conveying means 64, and the sheet bundle is held while grasping the sheet bundle Sa. It is turned so that the surface (back part) on which the paste is applied to Sa is turned downward and stopped at a predetermined position.

  The glue applying means 65 includes a moving body 65C that supports the glue applying roller 65A and the glue container 65B and is movable from the initial position on the back side of the glue binding machine FS5 to the glue applying position on the front side.

  After the cover sheet K stored in the cover sheet supply unit 66 passes through the sheet transport path r53 via the cover sheet cutting unit 67 and is transported to the cover sheet exterior unit 68, the rear end portion of the cover sheet K is predetermined by the cover sheet cutting unit 67. Cut to the head. The cutting length of the cover sheet K is a length obtained by adding the thickness of the back portion of the sheet bundle Sa to the length of two sheets in the traveling direction of the sheet S.

  The cover cover means 68 receives and conveys the cover sheet K supplied from the cover sheet supply means 66, stops it at a predetermined position, and then performs positioning in the width direction by the aligning means 69. The cover cover means 68 moves the moving casing 68C to the upper position by the lifting means 68B, and the center portion of the cover K placed on the pressure member 68D is the glue application surface N of the sheet bundle Sa at the lift position. It is pressed and adhered to The side edge of the glue application surface N of the sheet bundle Sa is caused by the downward movement of the pressure member 68D facing the back of the sheet bundle Sa and the movement of a pair of symmetrical folding members 68E arranged on the upper part of the cover sheet exterior means 68. The cover sheet K is bent along the front and back surfaces of the sheet bundle Sa.

  18A is a perspective view of a sheet bundle Sa with a cover K affixed thereto, and FIG. 18B is a perspective view of a booklet (bookbinding product) Sb produced by folding the cover K around the sheet bundle Sa.

  In FIG. 17, after the cover K folding process is finished, the cover exterior means 68 is lowered and retracted by the lowering drive of the elevating means 68B, and then the discharge is retracted to the outside in the width direction of the cover K along with the retracting of the aligning means 69. The belt 68F moves to the inside in the width direction below the booklet Sb and stops. Thereafter, when the holding by the gripping means 64A is released, the booklet Sb descends and stops at a position where the lower back portion of the booklet Sb contacts the upper surface of the discharge belt 68F. The rotating discharge belt 68F discharges the booklet Sb that has been bound and bound to the sheet bundle Sa to the outside of the apparatus.

  The gluing bookbinding machine FS5 can produce a booklet Sb by gluing a maximum of 300 sheets S.

<Image forming system>
FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the image forming apparatus main body A to which the large-capacity paper feeding device LT is connected, the intermediate transport unit B, and various single post-processing machines.

  In the image forming system of the present invention, the punching and folding machine FS1, the flat stitching machine FS2, the saddle stitching machine FS3, the large capacity stacker FS4, and the glue binding machine FS5 are arbitrarily selected and connected to the image forming apparatus main body A. Thus, it is possible to select and process in accordance with all purposes such as perforation, various folding processes, flat stitching, saddle stitching, and glue binding.

  Advanced publishing-on-demand is achieved to output a large amount of multipurpose post-processing at high speed in offices of various sizes, light printing industries, and data centers.

  FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of an image forming system in which an image forming apparatus main body A to which a large-capacity sheet feeding device LT is connected, an intermediate transport unit B, and various single-purpose post-processing machines are connected. FIG. 20A shows an image forming system in which the punching and folding machine FS1 is connected to the paper discharge unit of the image forming apparatus main body A via the intermediate transport unit B. FIG. 20B shows an image forming system in which a flat stitching machine FS2 is connected to a paper discharge unit of the image forming apparatus main body A via an intermediate transport unit B. FIG. 20C illustrates an image forming system in which a saddle stitcher FS3 is connected to a paper discharge unit of the image forming apparatus main body A via an intermediate conveyance unit B. FIG. 20D shows an image forming system in which a large-capacity stacker FS4 is connected to the paper discharge unit of the image forming apparatus main body A via the intermediate transport unit B. FIG. 20E shows an image forming system in which a gluing bookbinding machine FS5 is connected to a paper discharge unit of the image forming apparatus main body A via an intermediate conveyance unit B.

  The intermediate transport unit B receives the sheets S discharged from the image forming apparatus main body A one by one, stores two or more sheets S in the sheet storage unit, and then superimposes the two or more sheets S on the subsequent sheet S. Compared to the case where the sheets are discharged to the various post-processing machines FS1 to FS5, and the succeeding various post-processing machines FS1 to FS5 simultaneously receive two or more sheets S that are superimposed one by one. Residence time during post-processing is reduced. As a result, the subsequent various post-processing machines FS1 to FS5 can increase the efficiency of the post-processing while ensuring the post-processing linear speed in the post-processing machine that enables accurate post-processing. It is effective for improving the performance.

  FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of an image forming system in which a plurality of post-processing machines are connected to the image forming apparatus main body A via the intermediate transport unit B.

  FIG. 21A shows an image forming system in which the punching and folding machine FS1 and the flat stitching machine FS2 are connected to the paper discharge unit of the image forming apparatus main body A via the intermediate transport unit B. In this system, after the sheet S is superposed and reversed, the process is selected from punching, folding, and side stitching. FIG. 21B shows an image forming system in which the large-capacity stacker FS4 and the flat stitcher FS2 are connected to the paper discharge unit of the image forming apparatus main body A via the intermediate transport unit B. In this system, after the sheet S is superposed and reversed, the process is selected and executed for either stacking of large capacity sheets S or side stitching. FIG. 21C shows an image forming system in which the punching and folding machine FS1 and the saddle stitching machine FS3 are connected to the paper discharge unit of the image forming apparatus main body A via the intermediate conveyance unit B. In this system, after the sheet S is superposed and reversed, the process is selected and executed as punching, folding, or saddle stitching. FIG. 21D shows an image forming system in which the punching and folding machine FS1 and the large-capacity stacker FS4 are connected to the paper discharge unit of the image forming apparatus main body A via the intermediate transport unit B. In this system, processing is selected and executed for any one of punching, folding, and stacking of large-capacity sheets S after the sheet S is superimposed and reversed.

  The intermediate transport unit B receives the sheets S discharged from the image forming apparatus main body A one by one, stores two or more sheets S in the sheet storage unit, and then superimposes the two or more sheets S on the subsequent sheet S. The paper is discharged to a plurality of post-processing machines FS1 to FS4, and the subsequent post-processing machines FS1 to FS4 simultaneously receive two or more sheets S that are superposed, compared with the case of receiving one by one. Residence time during processing is reduced. As a result, the succeeding post-processing machines FS1 to FS4 can improve the efficiency of the post-processing while ensuring the post-processing linear speed in the post-processing machine that enables accurate post-processing, so that the productivity of the image forming system is improved. It is effective for.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the post-processing machine combined with the image forming apparatus main body A has been described. However, the present invention is also applied to a post-processing machine that is connected to an image forming apparatus such as a light printing machine, a printer, or a multifunction machine. Is possible. It is also possible to perform various processes as a single type of post-processing machine separated from the image forming apparatus main body A. In addition, by preparing a plurality of intermediate transport units B having different transport speeds according to a plurality of types of image forming apparatus main bodies having different image forming speeds, various post-processing machines are commonly used for a plurality of types of image forming apparatus main bodies. It becomes possible.

  The sheet aligning device can also be configured to be built in the post-processing machine. FIG. 22 is a configuration diagram showing an example in which the sheet aligning device is built in the saddle stitching machine (post-processing machine) FS6.

  The saddle stitcher FS6 includes a paper carry-in unit 71 that receives the paper S on which an image is recorded, a paper aligning device 72 having a reverse conveyance unit and a paper carry-out unit, a cover sheet feeding device 73, folding units 74 and 75, an intermediate stacker 76, A binding portion 77, a center folding portion 78, a fixed paper discharge tray 79A, a lift paper discharge tray 79B, and the like are included.

  The sheet aligning device 72 has substantially the same structure as that of the intermediate transport unit B. The trailing edge of the sheet S carried into the sheet carry-in section by the sheet carry-in section abuts against the stop member and is carried into the sheet storage section. Similarly, after the sheet S is abutted against the stop member and stopped and overlapped with the preceding sheet S, the stop member is raised and the rear ends of the plurality of sheets S are abutted against the vertical alignment plate. After the alignment, the vertical alignment plate is retracted from the paper conveyance path of the carry-out unit and carried out from the carry-out unit.

  In this way, after storing and aligning a plurality of sheets S in the sheet storage section, the sheets can be reversed and conveyed, so that post-processing can be performed without reducing the image processing speed of the image forming apparatus main body A. It becomes.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming system according to the present invention. It is front sectional drawing of an intermediate conveyance unit. It is the elements on larger scale of an intermediate conveyance unit. It is sectional drawing which shows the drive means of a horizontal alignment board. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a sheet conveyance process in an intermediate conveyance unit. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a sheet conveyance process in an intermediate conveyance unit. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a sheet conveyance process in an intermediate conveyance unit. It is front sectional drawing of the conventional intermediate conveyance unit. It is the elements on larger scale of the conventional intermediate conveyance unit. It is a figure of the example of arrangement | positioning of a core when using a belt with a core. It is a figure of the example which used the opposing belt for the opposing conveyance member. It is a whole block diagram of a punch folder. It is a perspective view of the paper after a punching process and various folding processes. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a flat stitching machine. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating sheet conveyance in a saddle stitching and saddle stitching process step. It is front sectional drawing of a high capacity | capacitance stacker. It is front sectional drawing of a glue binding machine. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a sheet bundle with a cover attached, and a perspective view of a booklet produced by folding the cover onto the sheet bundle. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus main body to which a large-capacity sheet feeding device is connected, an intermediate conveyance unit, and various single-purpose post-processing machines. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an image forming system in which an image forming apparatus main body to which a large-capacity sheet feeding device is connected, an intermediate transport unit, and various single-purpose post-processing devices are connected. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an image forming system in which a plurality of post-processing machines are connected to the image forming apparatus main body via an intermediate conveyance unit. FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example in which a sheet aligning device is built in a saddle stitching machine.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Paper carry-in part 12 Reverse conveyance part 13, 15 Paper carry-out part 14 Bypass conveyance part 111, 121, 131, 151a, 151b Guide plate 122 Lateral alignment means 123 Stop member 123A Stop surface part 124 Vertical alignment member 125 Direction change plate 126 Guide bar 12A Storage unit B10 Belt R1 Conveying roller R3 Conveying roller R4 Conveying roller R5 Roller R6 Discharging roller G1 Conveying path switching member A Image forming apparatus main body B, D Intermediate conveying unit FS Paper post-processing device FS1 Punch folding machine (post-processing machine)
FS2 flat stitching machine (post-processing machine)
FS3 saddle stitcher (post-processing machine)
FS4 large capacity paper stacker (large capacity stacker)
FS5 Glue binding machine (post-processing machine)
FS6 saddle stitcher (post-processing machine)
V0 initial position V1 first position V2 second position

Claims (5)

Carrying-in means for carrying in paper;
A paper storage unit that stores a plurality of the papers that have been carried in, a stop member that can move along a paper conveyance path where a leading end of the paper carried into the paper storage unit abuts, and a paper storage unit A vertical alignment member that can be retracted from the paper conveyance path, and a side edge regulating member that is movable in the paper width direction perpendicular to the paper conveyance direction, with which the rear end portion of the conveyed paper abuts against and is stored. Reversing and conveying means for superimposing and aligning the plurality of sheets, reversing the leading and trailing ends of the aligned sheets, and conveying
An endless belt wound around a plurality of rollers, and a rotatable counter conveying member facing and abutting the belt, the sheet conveyed from the reverse conveying means, the belt and the counter conveying member Unloading means for nipping and transporting the paper and changing the transport direction of the paper;
A sheet aligning apparatus comprising: The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the counter conveying member is a roller or an endless counter belt. 3. The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unloading unit includes a driving unit that rotates the belt, and the counter conveying member is driven by the rotating belt. The paper according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the belt has a core body, and the core body is disposed on a surface side of the belt that abuts against the opposite conveying member. Alignment device. An image forming apparatus main body that forms an image on a sheet, the sheet aligning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 that receives the sheet from the image forming apparatus main body, and the sheet aligning apparatus disposed downstream of the sheet conveying direction. An image forming system comprising: a paper post-processing device that performs post-processing on the paper transported from the paper aligning device.

Images