JP2010149313A - Bookbinding apparatus and image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bookbinding apparatus which enables efficient processing of following sheet bundles in a short time when applying adhesive onto the sheet bundles stacked and set in a uniform number of copies and conducting the bookbinding process. <P>SOLUTION: The bookbinding apparatus includes: a stacking means for setting and stacking sheets in an uniform number of copies; a bookbinding process route for guiding a sheet bundle from the stacking means to the adhesive application position, to the cover binding position, and to the cutting position, in this sequence; and an adhesive application means, a cover binding means, and a cutting means positioned on the route in this sequence. The controlling means of the bundle delivery means for conveying sheet bundles is structured so as to transfer the sheet bundle to the cutting position before the pre-set cooling time of the adhesive passes and to conduct the cutting process at the cutting position after the pre-set cooling time has passed when delivering the sheet bundle from the cover binding position to the downstream side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention collects sheets conveyed from a printing apparatus such as an image forming apparatus in a bundle and aligns the sheets, and heat-melt adhesive (hot melt adhesive) on one end edge (back binding edge) of the sheet bundle. The present invention relates to a bookbinding apparatus that applies and binds to a cover sheet and an image forming system including the bookbinding apparatus.

  In general, this type of bookbinding apparatus is a terminal device of an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a printing machine, and after stacking image-formed sheets in the order of pages and aligning them in a bundle shape, an adhesive is applied to the end face to form a cover sheet. Widely used as a binding device. An adhesive application device incorporated in such a bookbinding apparatus applies a liquid adhesive to one end edge of a sheet bundle with a container that contains an adhesive such as glue and an application roll provided in the container. . A heater is built in the container, and the solid adhesive filled in the container is dissolved to control the temperature to a viscosity suitable for adhesion.

  When the heat-melted adhesive is applied to the sheet bundle and bound with the cover sheet, it is necessary to wait for the adhesive to cool and solidify at the cover binding position and to transfer the processed sheet bundle downstream. There is. For example, an adhesive mainly composed of a thermoplastic resin is heated to hundreds of degrees Celsius and cooled to about 60 degrees Celsius (in the case of an adhesive having a melting point of 90 degrees Celsius). There is a problem that takes time. If the adhesive is not sufficiently cooled, a problem occurs on the downstream side of the binding processing unit.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, sheets from an image forming apparatus are aligned and collected, an adhesive is applied to the sheet bundle, and case binding is performed with a cover sheet, and the periphery of the booklet sheet is cut and aligned (tri-directional trimming). A device has been proposed. In an apparatus including such a cutting unit, if the adhesive is not sufficiently cooled, the back binding portion is deformed and distorted by a shearing force at the time of cutting. For this reason, there is a problem that the back cover part is deformed and the surface quality is inferior such as distortion and wrinkle unevenness.

Therefore, the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 waits for the adhesive to be cooled and completely solidified at the cover binding position, and after a predetermined timer time has passed, the sheet bundle is transferred to the downstream cutting position. ing.
JP 2008-162178 A (FIG. 1)

  As described above, there is known a bookbinding apparatus (system) that cuts and aligns a sheet bundle that has been bound by attaching a cutting unit downstream of the cover binding position (for example, Patent Document 1). In this case, conventionally, the sheet bundle is transferred to the cutting position on the downstream side after the elapse of the cooling time in which the adhesive is cooled to a predetermined temperature or less at the binding position.

  For this reason, the time required for the bookbinding process requires a longer time than the time required for image formation, and as a result, there is a problem that the image processing time must be delayed or a waiting time must be set for the operation. It was. The control operation of this conventional apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 11. A sheet bundle coated with an adhesive at the cover binding position is bound and bound by a cover sheet to form a booklet (St100). Then, after a preset cooling time of the adhesive has passed, the bound sheet bundle is transferred from the cover binding position to the downstream cutting position. At this time, the control unit (control CPU) of the bookbinding process determines whether or not a predetermined cooling time has elapsed (St101), and diagnoses whether or not the sheet bundle can be conveyed by the downstream cutting unit (St102). If the sheet bundle can be received by the cutting unit, the sheet bundle is transferred to the cutting unit (St103), and if it cannot be received (for example, during the cutting operation of the preceding bundle sheet), it waits until it can be received. . Then, after transferring the bundle sheet to the cutting position, the control unit transfers the subsequent sheet from the stacking tray to the adhesive application position, and proceeds to bookbinding processing of the subsequent sheet bundle (St104).

  As described above, in the conventional apparatus, after binding the middle sheet bundle and the cover sheet with the adhesive at the cover binding position, the apparatus waits for the adhesive to cool at this position (bookbinding processing stage), and after that, downstream Then, after the bundle sheet is moved to the cutting position, the subsequent sheet binding process is performed. The subsequent sheet binding process includes a control configuration for starting transfer of the subsequent sheet deposited on the stacking tray for collecting and stacking the sheets to the adhesive application position on the downstream side, and control for starting conveyance of the subsequent sheet toward the stacking tray. The configuration is known. In any control configuration, there is a problem that it takes time because the bundle sheet is transferred to the cutting position after the adhesive is cooled at the cover binding position and then the subsequent sheet binding process is continued.

  Since the cooling time of this adhesive varies depending on the thickness of the sheet bundle to be bound, the environmental temperature, the temperature of the intermediate paper sheet, etc., the preset cooling time is the longest, that is, the sheet bundle is thick, the environmental temperature is high, The formed sheet temperature is set under high conditions. Therefore, when the sheet bundle is thin and the environmental temperature is low, the actual adhesive is transferred to the downstream side even after the set time has elapsed even if it is cooled to an appropriate temperature.

  Therefore, the present inventor has an idea that the bundle sheet that has been bound at the cover binding position is transferred to the cutting position on the downstream side without waiting for the adhesive to completely cool, and the transfer to the subsequent sheet bundle binding process is performed after the transfer. It came.

  The present invention provides a bookbinding apparatus capable of efficiently processing a subsequent sheet bundle in a short time when an adhesive is applied to a bundle of sheets bundled in a bundle and bound. That is the issue.

The present invention adopts the following configuration in order to solve the above problems.
A stacking unit that stacks and stacks sheets, a bookbinding path that guides a sheet bundle from the stacking unit in the order of an adhesive application position, a cover binding position, and a cutting position, and an adhesive application unit and a cover binding unit in this path, Arrange in order of cutting means. When the control unit of the bundle conveying means for transferring the sheet bundle transfers the sheet bundle downstream from the cover binding position, the sheet bundle is transferred to the cutting position before the preset cooling time of the adhesive is reached. The cutting process is performed after a predetermined cooling time has elapsed at this cutting position.

  In the present invention, the sheet bundle is transferred from the cover binding position to the cutting position before the preset cooling time of the adhesive elapses, and is subjected to the cutting process after a predetermined cooling time has elapsed at the cutting position. Since it is a thing, there exist the following effects.

  The bound sheet bundle is transferred to the cutting position without waiting for the cooling time of the adhesive, and the subsequent sheet bundle is transferred to the adhesive application position while the adhesive is cooled at the cutting position. Can be executed continuously. For this reason, the interval time can be shortened and the bookbinding process can be continued efficiently.

  Further, in the present invention, the distance between the cover binding position and the cutting position is set longer than the length in the sheet bundle transfer direction, the sheet bundle is transferred from the cover binding position to the cutting position, and then the sheet bundle is transferred from the stacking unit to the adhesive application position. Alternatively, it is possible to improve the efficiency of continuous processing while reducing the interval time by configuring so as to issue a permission signal for the operation of feeding the cover sheet to the cover binding position.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an image forming system provided with a bookbinding apparatus B according to the present invention. 2 is an enlarged explanatory view of the main part of the bookbinding apparatus B, and FIGS. 3A and 3B are explanatory views of an adhesive application mechanism.

  FIG. 1 shows an image forming system according to the present invention, which is composed of an image forming apparatus A and a bookbinding apparatus B, and is configured such that a sheet formed with an image by the image forming apparatus A is bound by a bookbinding apparatus B. Hereinafter, the image forming apparatus A and the bookbinding apparatus B will be described in this order.

[Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
First, the image forming apparatus A can employ various structures such as a copying machine, a printer, and a printing machine, but an electrostatic printing apparatus is illustrated. In the image forming apparatus A, a paper feed unit 2, a printing unit 3, a paper discharge unit 4, and a control unit are built in a casing 1. A plurality of cassettes 5 corresponding to the sheet size are prepared in the sheet feeding unit 2, and a sheet having a size designated by the control unit is fed out to the sheet feeding path 6. A registration roller 7 is provided in the sheet feeding path 6 and the sheet is fed to the downstream printing unit 3 at a predetermined timing after the leading edges of the sheets are aligned.

  The printing unit 3 is provided with an electrostatic drum 10. A print head 9, a developing device 11, a transfer charger 12, and the like are disposed around the electrostatic drum 10. The print head 9 is composed of, for example, a laser light emitter, and forms an electrostatic latent image on the electrostatic drum 10. A toner ink is attached to the latent image by the developing device 11 and printed on a sheet by the transfer charger 12. . This print sheet is fixed by the fixing device 13 and carried out to the paper discharge path 17. The paper discharge unit 4 is provided with a paper discharge port 14 and a paper discharge roller 15 formed in the casing 1. Reference numeral 16 denotes a circulation path. The print sheet from the paper discharge path 17 is turned upside down on the switchback path and then sent to the registration roller 7 again to form an image on the back surface of the print sheet. In this way, the print sheet on which one side or both sides are formed is carried out from the paper discharge port 14 by the paper discharge roller 15.

  In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a scanner unit which optically reads a document image to be printed by the print head 9. As is generally known, the platen 23 on which a document sheet is placed and set, a carriage 21 that scans a document image along the platen 23, and an optical device that photoelectrically converts an optical image from the carriage 21. It comprises a reading means (for example, a CCD device) 22. In the illustrated example, a document feeder 25 for automatically feeding a document sheet to the platen is provided on the platen 23.

[Configuration of bookbinding device]
Next, the bookbinding apparatus B attached to the image forming apparatus A will be described with reference to FIG. The bookbinding apparatus B includes a stacking unit 40 that stacks and arranges printing sheets in a bundle in the casing 30, an adhesive application unit 55 that applies adhesive paste to the sheet bundle from the stacking unit 40, and an adhesive. A cover binding means 60 for binding the cover sheet to the coated sheet bundle is configured.

[Configuration of transport route]
The conveyance path of each sheet will be described. In the casing 30, a carry-in path 31 having a carry-in entrance 31 a continuous with the paper discharge port 14 of the image forming apparatus A is provided. The feeding path 34 is connected via a path switching flapper 36. A bookbinding processing path 33 is connected to the intermediate paper transport path 32 via the stacking unit 40, and a post-processing path 38 is connected to the cover sheet feeding path 34. The bookbinding path 33 is arranged in a direction that cuts the apparatus in a substantially vertical direction, and the cover sheet feeding path 34 is arranged in a direction that crosses the apparatus in a substantially horizontal direction.

  The bookbinding processing path 33 and the cover sheet feeding path 34 intersect (orthogonal) each other, and a cover binding means 60 described later is arranged at the intersection. The carry-in path 31 configured as described above is connected to the paper discharge port 14 of the image forming apparatus A, and receives a print sheet from the image forming apparatus A. In this case, the image forming apparatus A carries out a print sheet (saddle stitching sheet) on which content information is printed and a print sheet (cover sheet) on which a title used as a cover cover is printed. In this way, the carry-in path 31 is branched into the intermediate sheet transport path 32 and the cover sheet feed path 34, and the print sheets are distributed and transported to the respective paths via the path switching flapper 36.

  On the other hand, an inserter device 26 is connected to the carry-in path 31 so that cover sheets that are not subjected to printing processing by the image forming apparatus A are separated from the paper feed tray 26a one by one and supplied to the carry-in path 31. is there. The inserter device 26 is provided with one or a plurality of stages of paper feed trays 26a. A paper feed means for separating and feeding stacked sheets one by one at the front end of the tray, and a downstream side of the paper feed means. A paper feed path 27 is provided, and the paper feed path 27 is connected to the carry-in path 31 via a path switching piece 28. Further, a transport roller 31b is disposed in the carry-in path 31, a transport roller 32a is disposed in the intermediate paper transport path 32, and a bundle transport means 47, a bundle posture deflecting means 64, and a paper discharge roller 66, which will be described later, are disposed in the bookbinding processing path 33. ing.

  Further, a transport roller 34a is disposed in the cover sheet feeding path 34, and a transport roller 38a is disposed in the post-processing path 38, and each is coupled to a drive motor. Note that 34g shown in FIG. 4 is a movable guide of the cover sheet feeding path 34, which is arranged on the left and right sides of a cover binding position F, which will be described later, and upstream and downstream of the cover sheet fed to this cover binding position F. To each. The pair of movable guides 34g are connected to a drive motor (not shown) so as to retreat upward (during the cover binding process) from the cover binding position F.

[Configuration of stacking unit]
A stacking tray (tray means; hereinafter the same) 41 disposed at the paper discharge port 32b of the intermediate paper conveyance path 32 stacks and stores sheets from the paper discharge port 32b in a bundle. As shown in FIG. 2, the stacking tray 41 is composed of a tray member arranged in a substantially horizontal posture, and a forward / reverse roller 42a and a carry-in guide 42b are provided above the tray member. The print sheet from the paper discharge port 32b is guided onto the stacking tray 41 by the carry-in guide 42b and stored by the forward / reverse roller 42a. The forward / reverse roller 42a transfers the print sheet to the front end side of the stacking tray 41 by forward rotation, and controls the rear end of the sheet against the regulating member 43 disposed at the rear end of the tray by reverse rotation. Further, the stacking tray 41 is provided with sheet side aligning means (not shown), and both side edges of the printed sheets stored on the stacking tray are aligned to the reference position. With such a configuration, the print sheets from the intermediate paper conveyance path 32 are sequentially stacked on the stacking tray 41 and are aligned in a bundle.

[Configuration of bundle conveying means]
In the bookbinding processing path 33, a bundle conveying means 47 for transferring sheets from the stacking tray 41 to the adhesive application position E on the downstream side is disposed. As shown in FIG. 2, the bundle conveying unit 47 deflects the sheet bundle accumulated on the accumulation tray 41 from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture, and bonds the sheet bundle along the bookbinding processing path 33 arranged substantially in the vertical direction. It is conveyed and set at the agent application position E. Therefore, the stacking tray 41 is moved from the stacking position (solid line in FIG. 2) to the transfer position (broken line in FIG. 2), and the sheet bundle is transferred to the bundle conveying means 47 prepared at the transfer position.

[Configuration of adhesive application part]
An adhesive application means 55 is disposed at the adhesive application position E in the bookbinding path 33. As shown in FIG. 3A, the adhesive application means 55 includes a glue container 56 that accommodates a hot-melt adhesive, an application roll 57, and a roll rotation motor MR. The glue container 56 is divided into a liquid adhesive storage chamber 56a and a solid adhesive storage chamber 56b, and an application roll 57 is rotatably incorporated in the liquid adhesive storage chamber 56a. A paste sensor 56S for detecting the remaining amount of adhesive is disposed in the liquid adhesive storage chamber 56a. The illustrated glue sensor 56S also serves as an adhesive temperature sensor, and detects the temperature of the liquefied adhesive in the liquid adhesive storage chamber, and at the same time, determines the remaining amount of adhesive by the temperature difference of the part immersed in the adhesive. To detect. Further, heating means 50 such as an electric heater is embedded in the paste container 56. The glue sensor 56S and the heating means 50 are connected to a control CPU 75 described later, and the temperature of the adhesive in the liquid adhesive storage chamber 56a is adjusted to a predetermined melting temperature. The application roll 57 is made of a heat-resistant porous material, and is configured to impregnate the glue and swell the glue layer around the roll.

  The glue container 56 configured as described above is reciprocated along the sheet bundle. The conceptual diagram is shown in FIG. 3 (b). The glue container 56 is formed to have a short length (dimension) with respect to the lower end edge (back cover portion at the time of bookbinding) SU of the sheet bundle, and the coating contained therein Along with the roll 57, it is supported on the guide rail 52 of the apparatus frame so as to move along the lower edge SU of the sheet bundle. The glue container 56 is connected to a timing belt 53 attached to the apparatus frame, and a driving motor MS is connected to the timing belt 53.

  Therefore, the glue container 56 reciprocates between the home position HP and the return position RP that starts the backward movement along the sheet bundle by the drive motor MS. Each position is set to the positional relationship shown in FIG. 3B, and the return position RP is set based on sheet width size information. Further, when the apparatus power is turned on (initial time), the home position HP is set, and after a predetermined time from the sheet grip signal of the grip sensor Sg provided in the preceding bundle conveying means 47 (sheet bundle is at the adhesive application position E). (Estimated time to reach the vehicle) from the home position HP to the return position RP. Simultaneously with this movement, the application roll 57 starts to rotate by the roll rotation motor MR. Note that SP shown in the figure is a home position sensor for the glue container 56.

  The adhesive application means 55 configured in this manner is rotated by the drive motor MS, and the glue container 56 starts to move along the guide rail 52 from the left side to the right side in FIG. In this outward path, the application roll 57 is pressed against the sheet bundle to disperse the sheet end, and in the return path from the return position RP to the home position HP, a predetermined gap is formed with the sheet end to apply the adhesive. The feed amount of the bundle conveying means 47 is adjusted by a lifting motor (not shown).

[Configuration of cover binding means]
A cover binding means 60 is arranged at the cover binding position F of the bookbinding processing path 33, and the cover binding means 60 includes a back plate 61, a back folding plate 62, and a folding roll 63 as shown in FIG. Yes. The back plate 61 is composed of a plate-like member, and this plate-like member backs up and supports the cover sheet sent to the cover sheet feeding path 34. The back plate 61 is supported by the apparatus frame so as to be movable between an operating state located in the bookbinding processing path 33 and a retracted position outside the path, and is connected to an operating means (not shown) (electromagnetic solenoid, motor, etc.). Yes. The backrest plate 61 is formed of a metal plate having a high heat conductivity and a large heat dissipation effect, and the bound and bound adhesive is cooled and solidified.

  The back folding plate 62 is composed of a pair of left and right block members as shown in FIG. 4 and is mounted on the apparatus frame so as to be able to approach (press-molded) and separate (retracted) from each other. Shift means 59 is connected to the left and right back folding plates 62a and 62b. The shift means 59 includes a rack gear 59R, a drive pinion 59P, and shift motors M3a and M3b.

[Composition of cutting means]
At a cutting position G located on the downstream side of the folding roll 63, a bundle posture deflecting means 64 for deflecting the top and bottom direction of the sheet bundle and a cutting means 65 for cutting the periphery of the sheet bundle are arranged. The bundle posture deflecting unit 64 deflects the sheet bundle mounted from the cover binding position F in a predetermined direction (posture) and feeds the sheet bundle to the downstream cutting unit 65 or the storage stacker 67. The cutting means 65 cuts and aligns the periphery of the sheet bundle. Therefore, the bundle posture deflecting unit 64 includes rotary tables 64a and 64b that grip and rotate the sheet bundle sent from the folding roll 63. As shown in FIG. 4, the rotary tables 64a and 64b are provided on a unit frame 64f attached to the apparatus frame so as to be movable up and down. A pair of rotary tables 64 a and 64 b are rotatably supported by the unit frame 64 f with the bookbinding processing path 33 interposed therebetween, and one movable rotary table 64 b is in the sheet bundle thickness direction (perpendicular to the bookbinding processing path 33. Direction). Each of the rotary tables 64a and 64b is provided with a turning motor MX so as to deflect the posture of the sheet bundle in the bookbinding processing path.

  Therefore, the sheet bundle guided into the bookbinding path 33 is gripped by the pair of left and right rotary tables 64a and 64b, and the posture direction of the sheet bundle is deflected by a turning motor (not shown). For example, the sheet bundle having the back portion carried downward is turned 180 degrees, and the small edge portion is sent downward to the discharge roller 66 on the downstream side. Further, it is possible to perform a trimming cut in which the sheet bundle is sequentially rotated by 90 degrees, and the top portion, the ground portion, and the fore edge portion are deflected downward at the cutting position G on the downstream side to cut the three peripheral directions of the sheet bundle. The movable rotary table 64b is provided with a grip sensor (not shown), and it is detected that the sheet bundle is securely gripped between the left and right rotary tables. After this detection, the rotary tables 64a and 64b are driven to turn. Is configured to do. The unit frame 64f is configured to move the sheet bundle up and down along the bookbinding path 33 by a lifting motor MA.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the rotary tables 64a and 64b are configured such that a unit frame 64f on which these are mounted is movable up and down along the bookbinding processing path 33, and this unit frame 64f is connected to a lifting motor MA by a transfer belt 64V. Has been. Therefore, the sheet bundle after binding is positioned at the cutting position G on the downstream side by the rotary tables 64a and 64b.

  A cutting means 65 is disposed downstream of the bundle posture deflecting means 64. The cutting means 65 includes a cutting edge press member 65b that presses and supports the cutting edge of the sheet bundle on the blade receiving member 65a, and a cutting blade unit 65c. The cutting edge press member 65b is arranged at a position facing the blade receiving member 65a arranged in the bookbinding processing path 33, and is constituted by a pressing member that moves in a direction orthogonal to the sheet bundle by a driving means (not shown). The cutting blade unit 65c includes a flat blade-shaped cutting blade 65x and a cutter motor MC that drives the cutting blade 65x. By the cutting means 65 having such a configuration, a predetermined amount of the peripheral edge except the back portion of the sheet bundle that has been bound into a booklet is cut and aligned.

  On the downstream side of the cutting position G, a paper discharge roller 66 and a storage stacker 67 are disposed. As shown in FIG. 2, the storage stacker 67 stores the sheet bundle in a standing posture. As shown in FIG. 1, the storage stacker 67 is arranged in a drawer shape on the casing 30, and is configured to be able to be pulled out to the front side of the apparatus (the front side in FIG. 1). The user can see it in the state of being pulled out to the front side of the apparatus. Incidentally, 67Sf shown in the figure is a fullness detection sensor, which detects the full state of the sheet bundle stored in the storage stacker 67 and warns the operator of the removal.

  On the other hand, the bookbinding path 33 constitutes a sheet discharge path 33a for guiding a sheet bundle from the cover binding position F to the storage stacker 67, and the sheet discharge roller 66 is disposed in the sheet discharge path 33a. The paper discharge roller 66 is composed of a pair of rollers and constitutes a paper discharge means for nipping the sheet bundle and guiding it to the storage stacker 67.

[Configuration of waste storage box]
Below the cutting position G, a waste storage box 68 is provided in parallel with the storage stacker 67, and stores a piece of paper cut by the cutting blade 65x. Therefore, a sweeper means 69 is provided immediately below the cutting position G. The sweeper 69 is swung in the left-right direction in FIG. 2 by a drive motor (not shown), and is positioned immediately below the cutting position G when cutting a sheet bundle. Then, the cut pieces are guided to the waste storage box 68, and after cutting, the sheet bundle is retracted from the cutting position G so that the sheet bundle can be stored in the storage stacker 67. The waste storage box 68 is provided with a full detection sensor (full detection sensor) 68Sf and a near full detection sensor 68Sn for detecting the storage amount of the cut piece of paper stored therein. The near-full detection sensor 68Sn is arranged so as to detect a piece of paper corresponding to one time for cutting the peripheral edge of the sheet bundle so as not to become full during cutting of the sheet bundle.

[Configuration of control means]
Next, the configuration of the control means in the above apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. This figure is a control block diagram. In a system in which the image forming apparatus A and the bookbinding apparatus B are connected as shown in FIG. 1, for example, the control CPU 70 provided in the image forming apparatus A has a control panel 71 and mode setting means. 72 is provided. A control CPU 75 is provided in the control unit of the bookbinding apparatus B, and the control CPU 75 calls a bookbinding process execution program from the ROM 76 and executes each process in the bookbinding process path 33.

  Further, the control CPU 75 receives a post-processing mode instruction signal, a job end signal, sheet size information, and other information required for bookbinding and a command signal from the control CPU 70 of the image forming apparatus A. On the other hand, in the carry-in path 31, the bookbinding path 33, and the cover sheet feed path 34, sheet sensors Se1 to Se6 that detect sheets to be conveyed (sheet bundle) are arranged at positions illustrated in FIG. Therefore, detection signals of the sheet sensors Se1 to Se6 are transmitted to the control CPU 75, and the control CPU 75 performs "stacking unit control unit 75a", "sheet bundle conveyance control unit 75b", "cover sheet feeding control unit 75c", and "adhesive application unit". The control unit 75d, the front cover binding unit control unit 75e, the cutting control unit 75f, the stack control unit 75g, and the adhesive temperature unit 79 are provided. Then, the bookbinding process is executed according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[Bookbinding operation]
The present invention is characterized in that the sheet bundle conveyance control unit 75b is configured as follows when the bound sheet bundle is transferred from the cover binding position F to the downstream side along the bookbinding processing path 33. As shown in FIG. 10, the sheet bundle conveyance control unit 75 b is arranged on the downstream side before a predetermined adhesive cooling time Tc elapses from the cover binding position F when the sheet trimming mode is set. When the “non-cutting finishing mode” is set, the sheet bundle at the cover binding position F is made to wait at this position until the adhesive cooling time Tc elapses.

  At this time, the path length LS between the cover binding position F and the cutting position G of the bookbinding processing path 33 is set to be longer than the length of the sheet bundle in the conveyance direction (the edge length of the maximum sheet size). Accordingly, the sheet bundle sent from the cover binding position F to the cutting position G is waited downstream from the cover binding position F, and the path length LS is set so as to wait until the adhesive cooling time Tc elapses at this position. Yes. Therefore, the sheet bundle conveyance control unit 75b transfers the sheet bundle to the cutting position G and then transfers the subsequent sheet bundle from the stacking tray 41 to the adhesive application position E or feeds the cover sheet to the cover binding position F. An operation permission signal is generated.

[Description of bookbinding operation]
Next, the bookbinding processing operation by the control CPU 75 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The image forming conditions and the post-processing mode are set on the control panel 71 of the image forming apparatus A (St001). The post-processing mode is set to, for example, “print-out mode”, “bookbinding processing mode”, “staple mode”, “stamp mode”, “punch mode”, “jog mode”, or the like. In the “print-out mode”, an image-formed sheet is carried out and stored in the paper discharge tray 37 (see FIG. 1) without bookbinding and post-processing. In the “bookbinding processing mode”, the sheets on which the images are formed are aligned and collected, and are combined with the cover sheet and stored in the storage stacker 67. Simultaneously with the setting of the bookbinding processing mode, whether the bound sheet bundle is cut and finished (cutting finishing mode) or not cut (non-cutting finishing mode) is set. In the “staple mode”, the sheet on which the image has been formed is stapled by a staple unit provided in the post-processing apparatus C. In the “stamp mode”, a stamping process is performed. Similarly, in the “punch mode”, a punching process is performed. The sorting process is executed by the post-processing apparatus C, and then stored in the paper discharge tray 37.

  Therefore, when the “bookbinding processing mode” is selected in the post-processing mode setting (St001), the image forming apparatus A executes an image forming operation and carries out the image-formed sheet to the paper discharge port 14 (St002). In the bookbinding apparatus B, the sheet is received in the carry-in path 31. At this time, the control CPU 75 positions the route switching flapper 36 in the state shown in FIG. The sheet is sent to the paper discharge port 32b by the transport roller 32a, and is sequentially stacked and stored on the stacking tray 41 (St003). In this sheet stacking operation, as shown in FIG. 5A, the sheet from the carry-in port 31a is conveyed along the intermediate paper conveyance path 32 and is conveyed out from the paper discharge port 32b. Then, the sheets are stacked and stored in the stacking tray 41 disposed on the downstream side of the sheet discharge port 32b (the state shown in FIG. 5A).

  Next, upon receiving a job end signal (St004) from the image forming apparatus A, the control CPU 75 unloads the sheet bundle on the stacking tray 41 toward the bookbinding processing path 33 by the bundle conveying means 47 described above, and sets the bundle posture to 90. Is deflected (the state of FIG. 5B). Thus, the sheet bundle aligned on the stacking tray 41 is deflected from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture, and is fed and set to the adhesive application position E in this vertical posture (St005).

  The control CPU 75 feeds the cover sheet from the cover feed path 34 before and after the feeding set of the sheet bundle to the adhesive application position E (St006). Although this state is shown in FIG. 6A, the control CPU 75 supplies the cover sheet to the cover feed path 34 before and after the sheet bundle of the stacking tray 41 is transferred to the adhesive application position E, and the cover binding position F Set to. The cover sheet is supplied from the image forming apparatus A or the inserter apparatus 26. When the sheet is fed from the inserter device 26, the control CPU 75 operates sheet feeding means (not shown) to separate the sheets one by one from the sheet feeding tray 26a and feed them to the sheet feeding path 27.

  After the cover sheet is set at the cover binding position F as described above, the control CPU 75 drives the adhesive application means 55 to apply the adhesive to the sheet bundle set at the adhesive application position E (St007). . The glue container 56 provided with the application roll 57 moves to the right in FIG. 3B along the lower edge SU of the sheet bundle, and applies the adhesive impregnated on the roll surface to the sheet bundle.

  After completion of the adhesive application operation, the control CPU 75 transfers the sheet bundle to the downstream cover binding position F by the bundle conveying means 47. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, since the cover sheet is set at this position, the cover sheet is backed up to the back plate 61, and the cover sheet and the sheet bundle are joined in an inverted T shape (FIG. 6). 6 (b) state). Next, in this state, the sheet bundle is press-formed at the back portion of the cover sheet by the back folding plate 62a (62b) and subjected to a surface mounting process (St008).

  After the above cover processing, the control CPU 75 determines whether or not the trimming finish mode is selected (St009). In the cutting finishing mode, the control CPU 75 determines whether or not the bundle conveyance is possible (St010). Whether or not the bundle can be conveyed is determined from, for example, a status signal from a sheet sensor or the like, whether or not a sheet exists at the cutting position G and whether or not the cutting unit 65 is positioned at a predetermined position.

  Therefore, when the control CPU 75 sets the cutting finishing mode and determines that the bundle can be conveyed, the control CPU 75 conveys the sheet bundle to the cutting position without waiting for the preset adhesive cooling time Tc (regardless of the elapse of the cooling time). (St011). For transferring the sheet bundle to the cutting position G, the illustrated apparatus releases the bundle conveying means 47 from the sheet bundle, and moves the cutting blade 65x to the cutting position G to drop the sheet bundle onto the cutting blade. . Although this state is shown in FIG. 7, the preceding sheet bundle is transferred from the cover binding position F to the cutting position G in a bound state. At this time, the control CPU 75 “issues a permission signal” so as to process the operations from step St004 to step St009 in parallel when a job end signal for the subsequent sheet bundle is issued (St012). This permission signal issues a permission signal for the operation of transferring the subsequent sheet bundle to the adhesive application position E or feeding the cover sheet to the cover binding position F.

  Next, the control CPU 75 determines whether or not the standby time of the sheet bundle (preceding bundle) positioned at the cutting position G has passed a preset adhesive cooling time Tc (St013). After the cooling time has elapsed, the control CPU 75 moves the movable rotary table 64b from the standby position to the sheet gripping position, and holds the sheet bundle with the fixed rotary table 64a by nip (St014). Next, after moving the cutting blade 65x to the standby position, the control CPU 75 turns the rotary tables 64a and 64b by 90 degrees to deflect the top of the sheet bundle to the lower end (St015).

  As described above, after the cover sheet bundle is turned to a predetermined posture, the control CPU 75 drives the lifting motor MA of the bundle posture deflecting unit 64 to feed and set the cover sheet bundle to the cutting position G (St016). In this feeding set, the elevating motor MA is operated to transfer the cover sheet bundle gripped by the rotary tables 64 a and 64 b to the downstream side of the bookbinding processing path 33.

  Therefore, the sheet bundle is pressed and held by the cutting edge press member 65b, and a predetermined amount is cut by the cutting blade 65x (St017). Next, the control CPU 75 retracts the cutting edge press member 65b to the standby position, then turns the cover sheet bundle 180 degrees, deflects the posture so that the ground portion becomes the lower end, and cuts the lower end portion. Next, the control CPU 75 similarly retracts the cutting edge press member 65b to the standby position, and then turns the sheet bundle 90 degrees to deflect the posture so that the fore edge is at the lower end, and cuts the lower end. After trimming the peripheral edges of the cover sheet bundle in this way, the control CPU 75 shifts to a paper discharge operation when finishing the cutting of the cover sheet bundle in the three directions (St018, St021 to St022).

  On the other hand, when the non-cut finishing mode is set in step St009, can the control CPU 75 transfer the sheet bundle positioned at the cover binding position F after the predetermined adhesive cooling time Tc has passed (St019)? It is determined whether or not (St020). When the conveyance is possible, the sheet discharge roller 66 is operated (St021) to store the sheet bundle in the storage stacker 67 (St022).

1 is an explanatory diagram of an overall configuration showing an image forming system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a bookbinding apparatus in the system of FIG. 1. It is explanatory drawing of the adhesive agent coating unit in the bookbinding apparatus of FIG. 2, (a) is explanatory drawing of a unit cross section, (b) is explanatory drawing of a unit plane. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a cutting unit in the bookbinding apparatus of FIG. 2. FIGS. 3A and 3B are operation explanatory diagrams of bookbinding processing in the bookbinding apparatus of FIG. 2, in which FIG. 2A illustrates a stacked state in which sheets are aligned in a bundle, and FIG. 2B illustrates a state in which the aligned and stacked sheet bundle is transferred to an adhesive application position. Show. FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory diagram of the bookbinding apparatus of FIG. 2, (a) shows a state in which an adhesive is applied to a sheet bundle, (b) shows a back folded state of a cover sheet at a cover binding position, FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory diagram of the bookbinding apparatus of FIG. 2, showing a state in which the adhesive of the sheet bundle subjected to bookbinding is cooled and a state in which the subsequent sheet bundle is transferred to the adhesive application position. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a control configuration of the bookbinding apparatus in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a bookbinding process flow of the bookbinding apparatus in FIG. 2. Explanatory drawing of the operation | movement procedure which cools the adhesive agent in the bookbinding process flow of FIG. Explanatory drawing of the operation | movement flow which cools the adhesive agent in the conventional bookbinding apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

A Image forming apparatus B Bookbinding apparatus E Adhesive application position F Cover sheet binding position G Cutting position 14 Paper discharge port 26 Inserter apparatus 31 Loading path 32 Middle sheet conveyance path 33 Bookbinding process path 34 Cover sheet feeding path 40 Stacking section 41 Stacking tray ( Tray means)
47 Bundle conveying means 55 Adhesive application means 56 Glue container 60 Cover sheet binding means 61 Back plate 62 Back folding plate 64 Bundle orientation deflecting means 64a Rotary table 64b Movable rotary table 65 Cutting means 65x Cutting blade 66 Paper discharge roller 67 Storage stacker 70 Control CPU
75 Control CPU
Tc Adhesive cooling time LS Path length

Claims (5)

Stacking means for stacking and stacking sequentially fed sheets;
Bookbinding processing path for guiding the sheet bundle from the stacking means in the order of adhesive application position, cover binding position, cutting position;
An adhesive application means arranged at the adhesive application position to apply a hot melt adhesive to the back binding end surface of the sheet bundle;
A cover binding means for binding a sheet bundle, which is disposed at the cover binding position and coated with an adhesive, to the cover sheet;
Cutting means for cutting the periphery of the sheet bundle arranged at the cutting position and bound on the cover,
A bundle conveying means for sequentially transferring the sheet bundle to the downstream side along the bookbinding path;
Control means for controlling the bundle conveying means;
With
The control means includes
When transferring the sheet bundle downstream from the cover binding position, the sheet bundle is transferred to the cutting position before the elapse of the cooling time of the adhesive set in advance,
A bookbinding apparatus configured to operate the cutting unit to cut the sheet bundle after a predetermined cooling time has elapsed at the cutting position. The cover binding position and the cutting position are arranged in the bookbinding process path at a distance interval longer than the length size in the transfer direction of the sheet bundle,
The control means transfers the sheet bundle from the cover binding position to the cutting position, and then permits the operation of transferring the sheet bundle from the stacking means to the adhesive application position or feeding the cover sheet to the cover binding position. The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bookbinding apparatus is configured to emit a signal. The cutting means is controlled in a cutting process mode for cutting a sheet bundle sent from the bookbinding processing path and a non-cutting mode in which the sheet bundle is not cut.
The control means includes
In the cutting process mode, the sheet bundle is transferred from the cover binding position to the cutting position before a predetermined adhesive cooling time elapses, and after the predetermined cooling time has elapsed at the cutting position, the cutting means Is configured to cut the sheet bundle,
2. The bookbinding according to claim 1, wherein in the non-cutting processing mode, the sheet bundle is configured to be transported downstream from the cover binding position after a predetermined adhesive cooling time has elapsed. apparatus. The cutting means is
A cutting blade disposed in the bookbinding path;
Cutting edge press means arranged on the upstream side of this cutting blade,
Consists of
The control means controls the bundle conveying means so that the sheet bundle is transferred from the cover binding position to the cutting edge press means and waits until a preset cooling time of the adhesive elapses. The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 2. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet;
A bookbinding device that binds and stacks the sheets from the image forming apparatus and binds them;
5. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the bookbinding apparatus is an image forming system according to claim 1.

Images