JP2010202337A - Sheet processing system, image processing system, and sheet handling method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet processing system capable of coping with large amount processing and high speed processing of a sheet member without interrupting work on a midway of job when the sheets are sorted and stacked. <P>SOLUTION: First and second stackers 100-1, 2 are provided with second conveying passages L2-1, 2 for conveying the sheet from a front stage to a rear stage, shift trays 102-1, 2 and third conveying passages L3-1, 2 branched from the second conveying passages L2-1, 2. When the sheets conveyed-in from the image forming device are subjected to stacking processing by connecting both, the sheets delivered to the shift tray 102-1 of the first stacker 100-1 are fulled, a first branch claw 120-1 is switched to convey the sheets from the second conveying passage L2 to the second stacker 100-2, and a first branch claw 120-2 of the second stacker 100-2 is switched to conveying to the shift tray 102-2 side to deliver the sheets to the shift tray 102-2. During this, a lower door of the first stacker 100-1 is opened, a truck 109-1 is pulled out, and a sorted bundle of sheets is taken out. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention connects a large-capacity sheet stacking apparatus that sorts and stacks sheet members (hereinafter referred to as “sheets” or “sheet members”) such as paper, recording paper, and OHP sheets that are carried in. The present invention relates to a sheet processing system to be used, an image forming system provided with the sheet processing system in a subsequent stage of the image forming apparatus, and a sheet handling method executed in the sheet processing system or the image forming system.

  Various sheet stacking apparatuses that stack sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus are known. In such a sheet stacking apparatus, since a large amount of sheets are received and stacked, it is necessary to take out the stacked sheets without hindering the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus as much as possible. As such an apparatus, for example, the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known. Among them, in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-159418), when the paper discharge tray is full and the operator needs to remove paper from the paper discharge tray, the operator presses the paper removal start key on the operation panel. Based on the signal, the control unit switches from the normal paper discharge mode for discharging from the first transport path to the paper discharge tray to the mode for discharging from the second transport path to the staple tray. Remove the paper until the tray is full, and when it is full, collect the accumulated paper and discharge it to the paper output tray, return to normal paper output mode, and print a large number of continuous prints that exceed the capacity of the paper output tray. Describes an invention in which the time for removing paper from the paper discharge tray can be secured without stopping printing as much as possible.

  Further, in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-335552), a plurality of stackers convey a sheet on a sheet stacking base in the apparatus and stack the sheet, and a sheet is conveyed to a subsequent stage. The same configuration having a second conveyance path for discharging to the apparatus, a switching means for switching between the first conveyance path and the second conveyance path, and a detection means for detecting the fullness of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking table. None, when the detection means detects the fullness of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking table via the first conveyance path, the sheets are sequentially conveyed to the subsequent stacker via the second conveyance path, and the last connected An invention is described in which when the stacker detection means detects that the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking table are full, the transport of the last stacker to the second transport path is prohibited.

  In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, when the sheets stacked on the sheet discharge tray on which the sheets are stacked are full, the sheet is switched from the normal sheet discharge mode to the sheet discharge mode to the staple tray, and the sheets on the sheet discharge tray are switched. In addition, in the invention described in Patent Document 2, when the stacker of the stacker located upstream in the sheet conveying direction is full, the stacker is loaded on the stacker of the stacker located at the subsequent stage of the stacker. Thus, the stacking operation is prohibited when the transport path is switched, the stacking destination is sequentially changed to the connected downstream stacker, and the last stacker is full.

  As described above, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, when the sheet on the sheet discharge tray becomes full, the sheet is temporarily discharged to the staple tray and the sheet on the sheet discharge tray is taken out during that time, but the CPM is large. In recent image forming apparatuses, the staple tray becomes full immediately, and the amount of sheets that can be taken out from the paper discharge tray is limited, and it is not possible to handle a large amount of sheet processing. In the invention described in Patent Document 2, when one stacker is full, the sheet discharge destination is changed to the next stacker. However, when the last stacker is full, the discharge operation is prohibited at that point. That is, the image forming operation is prohibited, and the image forming operation is interrupted at that time. In any of the inventions, when processing a large amount of printed matter, a user who handles a large amount of printed matter may cause such interruptions several times a day, and the machine is stopped each time. , We end up with the problem of reduced processing power. In addition, when the paper is jammed in the post-processing device, the machine is once stopped and restarted after the jammed paper is removed, so that the processing capability also decreases here.

  Recently, due to speeding up of processing capability and mass processing in an image forming apparatus system and diversification of jobs, the speed of paper sorting in post-processing, a large amount of printing processing, and the requirement for sorting multiple jobs are increasing. In the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, there is a possibility that the image forming operation may be interrupted in the middle of a job, so that it is not possible to cope with mass processing and high-speed processing.

  Accordingly, the problem to be solved by the present invention is that work is not interrupted in the middle of a job when sorting and stacking sheets, and it is possible to cope with mass processing and high-speed processing of sheet members. There is to do.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the first means includes a first sheet conveying path that conveys a sheet member from the preceding stage to the succeeding stage and a first large-capacity sheet stacking upstream of the sheet member conveying direction including the first stacking tray. The apparatus and at least two of the second large-capacity sheet stacking apparatus on the downstream side in the sheet transport direction including the second sheet transport path and the second stacking tray that transport the sheet member from the front stage to the rear stage are connected in series. The sheet processing system stacks a large number of conveyed sheet members, and the first large-capacity sheet stacking device guides the sheet members from the first sheet transport path to the first stacking tray. A third sheet conveyance path is provided, and the second large-capacity sheet stacking device is provided with a fourth sheet conveyance path for guiding sheet members from the second sheet conveyance path to the second stacking tray. And a control means for changing the discharge direction of the sheet member by switching the transport direction of the third or fourth sheet transport path according to the stacking state of the first or second stacking tray. It is characterized by that.

  The second means is the first means, wherein when the stacking state of the first or second stacking tray is a sheet stacking capacity full state and the sheet stacking capacity of one stacking tray is full, The control means switches the transport direction to the other stacking tray side.

  The third means is a state in which the first or second stacking tray is in a state in which the last sheet of the section is discharged in the first means, and the control means is in a stacking state of one stacking tray. Is the last sheet of the sheet, the sheet discharge destination of the sheet member is switched to the other stacking tray.

  The fourth means is characterized in that in any of the first to third means, there is provided display means for indicating a stack tray as a paper discharge destination.

  The fifth means further comprises operation display means for inputting instructions to the first and second large capacity sheet stacking apparatuses in any of the first to fourth means, from the operation display means. When the interruption operation is instructed, the control unit changes the discharge destination to the stacking tray of the second large-capacity sheet stacking device on the downstream side.

  A sixth means is characterized in that, in the fifth means, when an interrupt operation is instructed from the operation display means, the control means searches for a discharge destination of an empty sheet member.

  The seventh means is characterized in that, in the sixth means, when the discharge destination of the empty sheet member is searched, the discharge destination is displayed on the operation display means.

  An eighth means is the seventh means, wherein the control means causes the sheet member to be discharged to a discharge destination selected based on a discharge destination selection input displayed on the operation display means. .

  In the ninth means, when the discharge destination of the empty sheet member is searched in the sixth means, the control means changes the discharge destination to the stacking tray detected as empty by the search. It is characterized by doing.

  According to a tenth means, in any one of the first to fourth means, when a jam of a sheet member occurs on one large-capacity sheet stacking apparatus side, the control means controls the other sheet stacking in which no jam occurs. A sheet discharge destination of the sheet member is changed to the stacking tray on the tray side.

  According to an eleventh means, the sheet processing system according to any one of the first to tenth means is connected to a subsequent stage of the image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet member, and constitutes an image forming system. And

  The twelfth means includes a first large-capacity sheet stacking device on the upstream side in the sheet member transport direction including a first sheet transport path and a first stacking tray for transporting a sheet member from the front stage to the rear stage, and from the front stage to the rear stage. At least two devices of the second large-capacity sheet stacking device on the downstream side in the sheet transport direction including the second sheet transport path for transporting the sheet member and the second stacking tray are connected in series and transported. A sheet handling method in a sheet processing system for stacking a large number of members, wherein the first large-capacity sheet stacking device guides a sheet member from the first sheet transport path to the first stacking tray. The second large-capacity sheet stacking device has a fourth sheet transport path for guiding sheet members from the second sheet transport path to the second stacking tray. And a control means for changing the discharge direction of the sheet member by switching the transport direction of the third or fourth sheet transport path according to the stacking state of the first or second stacking tray, After the discharge destination is changed by the control means, the sheet member is taken out from the stacking tray while the discharge operation to the changed discharge destination is continuing and the discharge operation of the discharge destination before the change is interrupted. It is characterized by.

  In the embodiment described later, the first sheet conveyance path is the second conveyance path L2-1, the first stacking tray is the shift tray 102-1, and the first large-capacity sheet stacking apparatus is the first stacker. 100-1, the second sheet conveyance path is the second conveyance path L2-2, the second stacking tray is the shift tray 102-2, the third sheet conveyance path is the third conveyance path L3-1, The fourth sheet conveyance path is the third conveyance path L3-2, the second large-capacity sheet stacking apparatus is the second stacker 100-2, the sheet processing system is the code 2, and the control means is CPU: U, 100. -1U, 100-2U, the display means is a display device such as a lamp (including LED) (not shown) provided on the surface of the lower door 302, or the operation panel 50, the operation display means is the operation panel 50, and the image forming apparatus. Is the code PR and the image forming system. The reference numeral 1, the corresponding.

  According to the present invention, the sheet discharge path of the sheet member is changed by switching the conveyance direction of the sheet conveyance path in accordance with the loading state of the first or second stacking tray, so that when the sheets are sorted and stacked, The operation is not interrupted in the middle of the process, and it is possible to cope with a large amount of sheet members and high speed processing.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the high capacity | capacitance sheet stacking apparatus (stacker) in Example 1 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a system configuration of an image forming system in which the stacker shown in FIG. 1 is connected in two stages at the rear stage of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a connection state of sheet conveyance paths in the connection state of the stacker of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of an online control configuration of the image forming system illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. It is a figure which shows the door structure and exterior structure of a stacker. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of a sheet stack of an image forming system according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure in the image forming system according to the third embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure in the image forming system according to the fourth embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure in an image forming system according to Embodiment 5. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state of connected stackers when a paper jam occurs in the middle of stacking the third copy in the first stacker. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state of connected stackers when a paper jam occurs in the middle of stacking the third copy in the second stacker.

  The present invention enables a large number of sheets to be processed continuously in large quantities without interrupting the sorting or stacking operation when stacking processing including sorting, and in a system arranged at the subsequent stage of an image forming apparatus. The sheet member on which images are continuously formed can be output without interrupting the image forming process.

  Hereinafter, each example in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a large-capacity sheet stacking apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “stacker”) according to Example 1 of the present embodiment. In the figure, a stacker 100 is basically composed of a stacker body 100A, an elevating mechanism 100B, an elevating drive mechanism 100C, a transport mechanism 100D, a shift tray 102, and a carriage 109. For example, the stacker 100 is connected to the rear stage of the image forming apparatus PR, and Used as one of the post-processing devices.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the elevating mechanism 100B is provided perpendicular to the four corners of the stacker body 100A in plan view, and includes a pair of upper and lower timing pulleys 105, a timing belt 104 stretched between the timing pulleys 105, and an elevator ( Support member) 103, and the shift tray 102 is supported by the elevator 103. That is, the four corners of the elevator 103 are suspended by a total of four timing belts 104, and each timing belt 104 is wound around a corresponding four timing pulleys 105. The central portion of the elevator 103 is a notch 103a, and the carriage 109 will be described later, but can be pulled out from the stacker main body 100A from the open portion on the front surface of the notch 103a with the shift tray 102 mounted. Yes.

  The elevating drive mechanism 100C is a mechanism for elevating the elevator 103, and includes a timing pulley 105, tension pulleys 116 and 117, a timing belt 115 spanned between these pulleys, and a tray that rotationally drives the timing belt 115. The elevating motor 108 and a gear train 107 that transmits the driving force of the tray elevating motor 108 to the driving-side timing pulley 105 via the worm gear 106 are provided.

  The transport mechanism 100D discharges the sheet transported from the image forming apparatus PR side to the shift tray 102 or transports the sheet to a subsequent sheet processing apparatus. The transport mechanism 100D includes first to third transport paths L1, L2, and L3. , The entrance roller 114, the first branch claw 120 that switches to either the second transport path L2 or the third transport path L3, and the second branch that switches to either the first transport path L1 or the second transport path L2. Claw 121. The first conveyance path L1 is a conveyance path for discharging a sheet to the proof tray 101. The first conveyance path L1 indicates a conveyance path from the second branching claw 121 to the sheet discharge to the proof tray 101. The second conveyance path L2 Is a conveyance path for conveying a sheet to a subsequent sheet processing apparatus, and refers to a conveyance path from an inlet portion to a paper discharge portion, and a third conveyance path L3 is a conveyance route for discharging a sheet to the shift tray 102. This is a path, and indicates a conveyance path from the first branching claw to the discharge to the shift tray 102.

  Note that a conveyance roller 111 for discharging a sheet to the shift tray 102 and a conveyance roller 111 for urging the conveyance roller 111 by a spring at the most downstream portion in the sheet conveyance direction of the third conveyance path L3 are driven in pressure contact. A driven roller 113 is provided, and a sheet is nipped between these rollers 111 and 113. Further, first and second sheet transport path sensors S1 and S2 are provided along the sheet transport path, and a paper surface sensor S3 is disposed in the vicinity of the paper discharge portion of the transport roller 111. A plurality of conveyance rollers 122 are arranged on each of the sheet conveyance paths L1, L2, and L3 and are driven by a driving mechanism (not shown) to convey the sheet to a predetermined position.

  In FIG. 1, a jogger 210 and a sub jogger 220 for aligning sheets that are discharged to the shift tray 102 and stacked are provided on the upper and lower drive mechanisms 100 </ b> C.

  A sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus PR such as a copier installed adjacent to the stacker body 100A of the stacker 100 configured as described above is introduced from the direction of arrow A. The stacker 100 in this embodiment can select an operation mode of a proof discharge mode, a straight discharge mode, and a shift discharge mode.

  The proof paper discharge mode is an operation mode in which a sheet is guided and stacked on the proof tray 101 through the sheet conveyance path L1. The straight sheet discharge mode is an operation mode in which a sheet is guided to another apparatus such as a second stacker, a post-processing apparatus, a bookbinding apparatus, and a finisher provided in the subsequent stage of the stacker 100 through the sheet conveyance path L2. The shift discharge mode is an operation mode in which sheets are discharged and stacked on the shift tray 102 through the sheet conveyance path L3. In the shift discharge mode, sheets are stacked at different shift positions on the shift tray 102.

  The shift tray 102 is placed on an elevator 103 that can be raised and lowered. As described above, the four corners of the elevator 103 are suspended by a total of four timing belts 104, and each timing belt 104 is wound around a corresponding four timing pulleys 105. These timing pulleys 105 are connected by a worm gear 106 and a gear train 107 composed of a plurality of gears, and are synchronously driven by the driving force of the tray lifting / lowering motor 108 to hold the shift tray 102. The elevator 103 is moved up and down. In the lift drive mechanism 100c in this embodiment, the power transmission system is via the worm gear 106, so that the shift tray 102 can be kept at a fixed position at the position where the tray lift motor 108 is stopped.

  When the elevator 103 of the elevating mechanism 100B is lowered to the vicinity of the lowest position by driving of the elevating drive mechanism 100C, the shift tray 102 is placed on the carriage 109, and the elevator 103 is further lowered to restrain the elevator 103. Is released, and the sheet loaded on the shift tray 102 can be carried out by the carriage 109.

  Reference numeral 110 denotes a paddle that rotates in conjunction with the sheet discharge roller 111 in the sheet conveyance path L3, and strikes the rear end portion of the sheet discharged on the shift tray 102 or a sheet bundle stacked on the shift tray 102. Press down. In addition, a filler is provided so that the top surface and the leading end of the sheets stacked on the shift tray 102 are in contact with each other, and the filler 112 is pushed up when the sheet stacking surface becomes high. The optical paper surface sensor S <b> 3 detects the stack height of the sheets on the shift tray 102 based on the movement of the filler 112. Since such a detection mechanism and an elevating mechanism are provided, in the stacker 100 according to the present embodiment, when the paper surface sensor S3 is ON, the shift tray 102 is lowered by the tray elevating motor 108 and the paper surface sensor S3. Is turned OFF, the tray lifting / lowering motor 108 is stopped. Therefore, every time the paper surface sensor S3 is turned on by the sheets stacked on the shift tray 102, the shift tray 102 is lowered by a predetermined distance. As a result, the distance between the upper surface of the uppermost sheet of the shift tray 102 and the nip between the conveying roller 111 and the driven roller 113 is always within a certain range. In addition, a full sensor S4 is provided near the lowermost part of the elevator 103 in the descending direction, the shift tray 102 is sequentially lowered by the stacking of sheets, and when the full sensor S4 detects the lowest position of the elevator 103, the shift discharge is full. It becomes. Reference numeral S5 denotes a paper discharge sensor that detects a paper discharge state to the proof tray 101.

  The first sheet conveyance path sensor S1 is a sensor that is provided at the sheet carry-in entrance and detects the passage of the sheet at the entrance, and the second sheet conveyance path sensor S2 is a sheet conveyance path in the third conveyance path L3. It is a sensor for detecting passage. The entrance roller 114 has a function of carrying a sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus PR into the stacker body 100A.

  The sheets discharged onto the shift tray 102 are aligned in the sheet width direction by the jogger 210 and the sub jogger 220, and the sheet conveyance direction is aligned by the leading end stopper 230.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a system configuration of the image forming system 1 in which the stacker 100 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the latter stage of the image forming apparatus PR, and FIG. 3 is a connection state of the sheet conveyance path in the connection state of the stacker of FIG. FIG.

  In FIG. 2, the first stacker 100-1 is connected to the rear stage of the image forming apparatus PR, and the second stacker 100-2 is further connected to the rear stage of the first stacker 100-1 to form one image forming system 1. Is configured. The system can also be configured by further connecting a third stacker to the subsequent stage of the second stacker 100-2, or connecting another post-processing device. The first stacker 100-1 and the second stacker 100-2 have the same configuration, and in the following description, each part of the first stacker 100-1 has a reference numeral of each part shown in FIG. And “−2” as a subscript to each part of the second stacker 100-2 to distinguish them from each other. Further, the image forming apparatus PR is provided with an operation panel 50 as an operation display unit that can be selected from the front side. In FIG. 2, the sheet processing system 2 includes the first stacker 100-1 and the second stacker 100-2.

  2 and 3, the inlet L1-1a of the first first stacker 100-1 is connected to the discharge outlet PRb of the image forming apparatus PR, and the discharge portion L2-1b of the first stacker 100-1. Are connected to the inlet L1-2a of the second stacker 100-2. Here, nothing is connected to the paper discharge unit L2-2b of the second stacker 100-2. In this way, the stackers 100-1 and 100-2 are connected, and the paper discharge port PRb, the first transport path L1-1 of the first stacker 100-1, and the second transport path L2-1 of the first stacker 100-1. When the first transport path L1-2 of the second stacker 100-2 is connected, the shift tray that is the stacking location of the first and second stackers 100-1 and 100-2 for the sheets printed by the image forming apparatus PR. It becomes possible to convey to 102-1 and 102-1.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an outline of an on-line control configuration of the image forming system shown in FIGS. That is, in the online image forming system 1 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first and second stackers 100-1 and 100-2 are connected to the image forming apparatus PR. The image forming apparatus PR and the first and second stackers include CPUs U, 100-1U, 100-2U and communication ports P, 100-1P1, 100-1P2, 100-2P1, respectively. One stacker 100-1 can communicate with each other via communication ports P and 100-1P1, and the first and second stackers 100-1 and 100-2 can communicate with each other via communication ports 100-1P2 and 100-2P1. The operation panel 50 is connected to the image forming apparatus PR through an I / F (not shown), and a display described later is executed by an instruction from the CPU: U of the image forming apparatus PR, and key input from the operation panel 50 (touch input on the touch panel). Thus, an operation input is performed from the user to the image forming apparatus PR.

  The CPUs U, 100-1U, and 100-2U mounted in the image forming apparatus PR and the first and second stackers 100-1 and 100-2 are respectively the same as the image forming apparatus PR and the first and second stackers 100. The program codes stored in the ROMs respectively mounted on -1 and 2 are read out and expanded in the RAM, and the process according to the program code is executed using the RAM as a work area and a data buffer. Thereby, display control and processing described below are performed.

  Each of these apparatuses is electrically connected in series via the communication ports P, 100-1P1, 100-1P2, and 100-2P1, and the sheet discharge port PRb, the transport path L1-1, and the transport of the image forming apparatus PR. They are also mechanically connected in series via lines L2-1 and L1-2, and in the case of online processing, they are electrically controlled simultaneously. Although illustration is omitted, by mechanically and electrically connecting in this manner, image formation such as image formation mode setting, stack destination selection, job setting, etc. is performed from the operation panel 50 to the image forming apparatus PR. In addition, various settings for sheet post-processing can be performed, and instructions for all operations and processing of the image forming system 1 can be performed.

  FIG. 5 is a view showing a door configuration and an exterior configuration of the stackers 100-1 and 100-2. In the figure, upper, right, and left exteriors 303, 304, and 305 are fixed to the frame of the main body 100A of the stacker 100, and mainly an upper door 301 that opens and closes the transport mechanism 100D, and mainly a cutout portion of the elevator 103. A lower door 302 that opens and closes 103a, the upper door 301 is provided immediately below the upper exterior 303, and the lower door 302 is provided below the upper door 301 and between the right and left exteriors 304 and 305. ing. Both are instructed by a fulcrum portion (not shown) and can be opened and closed by a pivoting operation around the fulcrum portion. The first and second doors 301 and 302 are each provided with a switch (a general electrical switch that is turned on / off by a pressing operation) or a sensor (a photosensor-photointerrupter that is turned on / off by shielding light). It is possible to detect whether the door is open or closed. Further, when the upper door 301 is closed, the first and second L1 and L2 that are the upper conveyance paths can be conveyed, and when the lower door 302 is closed, the third conveyance path that is the lower conveyance path is the third. The conveyance path L3 can be conveyed.

  The job is started, and the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus PR is stacked on the shift tray 102-1 via the third transport path L3-1 of the first stacker 100-1. When the stack progresses and the full sensor S4-1 of the first stacker 100-1 detects the elevator 103-1, the first branching claw 120-1 and the second branching claw 121-1 become the second. The sheet is set so as to open the conveyance path L2, and the sheet is guided to the second stacker 100-2 through the second conveyance path L2 of the first stacker 100-1. In the second stacker 100-2, the first branch claw 120-2 is set so as to be stacked on the shift tray 102-2, and the sheet is discharged to the shift tray 102-2 via the third conveyance path L3-2. And stacked. The job here refers to a series of operations including the image forming operation (printing) from the first sheet to the last sheet when the number of image forming copies is specified. This refers to a series of image forming operations from the first sheet to the last sheet of the last part, shift processing, and stacking operation. Note that the shift mechanism is a known mechanism and is not directly related to the gist of the present invention.

  Thus, when the first stacker 100-1 is full and the sheet discharge destination (stack destination) is changed to the second stacker 100-2, the sheet is not discharged to the first stacker 100-1. Therefore, it is possible to open the lower door 302-1 and take out the sheets stacked on the shift tray 102-1 from the first stacker 100-1. At this time, the shift tray 102-1 descends and rides on the carriage 109, and the elevator 103 is separated from the bottom surface of the shift tray 102. Therefore, if the lower door 302-1 is opened and the cart 109 is pulled out, the sheets stacked on the shift tray 102-1 can be taken out in a lump.

  During this time, the sheet is conveyed through the second conveyance path L2-1 of the first stacker, and the conveyance operation of the second conveyance path L2-1 is not stopped unless the upper door 301-1 is opened. In particular, the stacked sheets can be processed without interrupting the job.

  Similarly, when full detection is detected by the full detection sensor S4-2 in the second stacker 100-2, the switching operation of the first branching claw 120-1 of the first stacker 100-1 is performed, and the paper is discharged. The destination switches to the shift tray 102-1 of the first stacker 100-1. Accordingly, the sheet can be taken out from the second stacker 100-2 while being discharged to the first stacker 100-1. The loading capacity of the first and second stackers 102-1 and 102-2 is large, and sufficient time can be secured for performing the sheet take-out operation and the carriage return operation until one shift tray 102 is full. Therefore, by repeating this operation, it is possible to continue the operation indefinitely without stopping the image forming (printing) job of the image forming apparatus PR.

  In addition, a display device such as a lamp (including LED) is provided on the surface of the lower door 302 of the first and second stackers 100-1 and 100-2, and the user can operate by lighting the lamp of the display device during job operation. Whether or not it is being executed can be recognized. At that time, the information is also displayed on the operation panel 50. As a result, it is possible to prevent work interruption due to the user's careless opening of the door.

  In the first embodiment, when one stacker is full, a toggle operation triggered by the fullness of switching the discharge destination to the other stacker is executed. However, in this second embodiment, the section break is used as a trigger. This is an example in which a toggle operation is performed for each part. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a sheet stack state of the image forming system according to the second embodiment. The system configuration itself is the same as that of the first embodiment, and only the discharge destination switching control is different. Therefore, description of each overlapping part is omitted, and only different points in control will be described.

  That is, when the job has a large number of copies, the first sheet ST1 is discharged to the shift tray 102-1 of the first stacker 100-1 by switching the first branching claw 120-1 as shown in FIG. And stack. In the second copy, the paper discharge destination is switched and the sheet ST2 is stacked on the second stack 100-2. While the second part is stacked on the second stacker 100-2, the first stacker 100-1 operates a shift mechanism (not shown) to receive the third part sheet ST3 and moves the stack position. Let me. By repeating this, a plurality of sheet bundles are stacked.

  In this embodiment, the time for moving the stack position by one stacker 100 is that the sheets are being stacked by the shift tray 102 of the other stacker 100, so that it can be conveyed without increasing the sheet interval between the sections. As a result, processing can be performed at a higher speed than in the first embodiment.

  Other parts not specifically described are configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment and function in the same manner.

  There are cases where it is desired to form (print) a small number of sheets while processing a large number of sheets in one job as in the first and second embodiments. In such a case, the user selects the interrupt mode from the operation panel 50. If the job in the interrupt mode is a stack of a large number of copies and the current job is being stacked in the first stacker 100-1, the stacking tray of the sheet post-processing device B2 of the second stacker 100-2 is placed. Transport and stack.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the image forming system at this time. In this control procedure, first, when the interrupt mode is set from the operation panel 50 (step S101), the number of copies is checked (step S102), and if it is one, the sheet is discharged onto the proof tray 101-1. On the other hand, when the number of copies is large, the sheets are discharged to the downstream stacker, here, the shift tray 102 of the second stacker 100-2.

  Other parts not specifically described are configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment and function in the same manner.

  In the third embodiment, a stacker that discharges paper in advance is set as a downstream stacker. However, a stacker that discharges paper can be selected according to the availability of the stacker. This example is Example 4.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the sheet detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of sheets on the proof trays 101-1 and shift trays 102-1 and 102-2 of the first and second stackers 100-1 and 100-2. And a tray capable of discharging a sheet is searched based on an ON / OFF signal of the sensor. As the sheet detection sensor, a reflection type optical sensor or a filler type sensor that can detect even one sheet is used.

  An empty tray from the search result is displayed on the operation panel 50 of the image forming apparatus PR. Based on this display, the user selects an empty (discharged) tray. Based on this selection, the image forming system automatically stacks the sheets on the selected tray.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the image forming system at this time. In the figure, when the interrupt mode is set from the operation panel 50 (step S201), an unused tray is searched based on the detection result of the sheet detection sensor (step S202). The search result is displayed on the operation panel 50 (step S203). When the user selects a paper discharge destination from the operation panel 50 (step S204), the sheet discharge destination is switched to the selected tray, and the sheet is discharged to the tray. Make paper.

  Other parts not specifically described are configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment and function in the same manner.

  In the fourth embodiment, the sheet is discharged to a tray designated by the user. In this embodiment, the user selects the discharge destination in the fourth embodiment, but the CPU: U automatically This is an example in which a paper dischargeable tray is selected and discharged.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure of the image forming system according to the fifth exemplary embodiment. In the figure, when the interrupt mode is set from the operation panel 50 (step S301), a tray that is not used is searched (step S302), and after the search, the number of copies of the job is confirmed (step S303). If the number of copies of the job is large, the sheet is conveyed and stacked on an empty shift tray (step S304). If the number of copies is 1, the sheet is conveyed and stacked on an empty proof tray 101 (step S305). ).

  Other parts not specifically described are configured in the same manner as in the first and fourth embodiments and function in the same manner.

  When a large amount of sheet processing is performed by connecting a plurality of stackers and switching the stacker to be discharged, the sheet processing can be performed efficiently as in the first to fifth embodiments. However, in order to maintain this efficiency. The most important point is to avoid job interruption as much as possible, or to minimize interruption time even if it is interrupted. The biggest cause of job interruption is paper jam. When a paper jam occurs, the job is interrupted in a normal system while the jam processing is performed. On the other hand, in this embodiment, stacking is possible without interruption of jobs.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the state of the connected stackers when a paper jam occurs in the first stacker 100-1 during the stack of the third copy ST3. That is, when a jam JP occurs in the third transport path L3-1 during execution of a job to the first stacker 100-1, the subsequent sheet is transferred to the second shift tray 102- of the second stacker 100-2. Paper is discharged to 2 and stacked. Then, a jam recovery sheet (a sheet on which the same image formation as that of the jam sheet) PJR is ejected is ejected to the proof tray 101-2 of the second stacker 100-2 between the parts moving to the fourth copy. To do. Accordingly, the first half sheet bundle ST3a before the occurrence of sheet jam is stacked on the first shift tray 102-1 of the first stacker 100-1, and the second half of the third section after occurrence of sheet jam. The sheet bundle ST3b is stacked on the second shift tray 102-2.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the state of the connected stackers when a paper jam occurs in the second stacker 100-2 during the stacking of the third copy ST3. That is, when a sheet jam JP occurs in the third transport path L3-2 during the execution of a job to the second stacker 1002, the subsequent sheet is the first shift tray 102-1 of the first stacker 100-1. If it can be discharged and discharged, it is discharged to this shift tray 102-1. The sheet that could not be discharged, that is, the subsequent sheet PB that has already passed through the first branching claw 120-1 when the first branching claw 120-1 was switched, is the proof tray of the second stacker 100-2. Paper is discharged to 101-2. The sheet jammed by the second stacker 100-2 is discharged as a jam recovery sheet PJR to the proof tray 101 of the first stacker 100-1. In this case, the sheet bundle ST3a in the first half of the third copy before the occurrence of sheet jam is stacked on the second shift tray 102-2, and the sheet bundle ST3b in the latter half of the third copy after the occurrence of the sheet jam is the first shift. Stacked on the tray 102-1.

  If the paper jam is processed in this way, the job can be continued without stopping the machine due to an abnormal operation.

  Other parts not specifically described are configured in the same manner as in the first to third embodiments and function in the same manner.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
1) When processing a large number of image-formed sheets, the jam is interrupted without stopping the machine during the paper removal operation when the stack paper is full and the jam paper removal operation when a jam occurs. Therefore, it is possible to improve the work efficiency of the sheet processing in which the stackers are connected.
2) When the stacker is toggled for each part, the shift mechanism can be moved between parts during the stacking operation in other machines, so there is no need to widen the paper between the parts. It is possible to improve the number of sheets processed.
3) When an interrupt operation is performed during a job, it is not necessary to remove a previous job sheet or separate it from a previous job sheet. Thereby, it is possible to obtain a user-like system without causing the user to feel bothersome in the work.
There are effects such as.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to this embodiment, All the technical matters contained in the technical thought described in the claim are object.

  The present invention can be used not only for large-capacity sheet stacking apparatuses but also for all devices that carry sheet members and perform predetermined processing such as production jigs, robot apparatuses, and toys that handle sheet-like members.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming system 2 Sheet processing system 50 Operation panel 100-1 1st stacker 100-2 2nd stacker 102-1 and 102-1 Shift tray L2-1, L2-2 2nd conveyance path L3-1, L3 -2 3rd conveyance path PR Image forming apparatus U, 100-1U, 100-2U CPU

JP 2000-159418 A JP 2006-335552 A

Claims (12)

A first large-capacity sheet stacking device on the upstream side in the sheet member transport direction including a first sheet transport path and a first stacking tray for transporting a sheet member from the preceding stage to the subsequent stage, and a first transporting sheet member from the preceding stage to the subsequent stage At least two devices of the second large-capacity sheet stacking device on the downstream side in the sheet transport direction including the two sheet transport paths and the second stacking tray are connected in series to stack a large amount of transported sheet members. A sheet processing system,
The first large-capacity sheet stacking apparatus provides a third sheet transport path for guiding sheet members from the first sheet transport path to the first stacking tray, and the second large-capacity sheet stacking apparatus includes the first large-capacity sheet stacking apparatus. Each having a fourth sheet conveying path for guiding sheet members from the two sheet conveying paths to the second stacking tray,
And a control unit configured to switch a transport direction of the third or fourth sheet transport path according to a stacking state of the first or second stacking tray to change a sheet discharge destination of the sheet member. Sheet processing system. The sheet processing system according to claim 1,
When the stacking state of the first or second stacking tray is that the sheet stacking amount is full, and the sheet stacking amount of one stacking tray is full, the control means moves to the other stacking tray side in the conveying direction. A sheet processing system characterized by switching between. The sheet processing system according to claim 1,
The stacking state of the first or second stacking tray is a state in which the last sheet of the sheet is discharged, and the control unit removes the sheet member when the stacking state of one stacking tray becomes the last sheet of the section. A sheet processing system, wherein a paper tip is switched to the other stacking tray. The sheet processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A sheet processing system comprising display means for indicating a stack tray as a paper discharge destination. The sheet processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An operation display means for inputting instructions to the first and second large-capacity sheet stacking apparatuses;
When an interrupt operation is instructed from the operation display means, the control means changes the paper discharge destination to the stacking tray of the second large-capacity sheet stacking apparatus on the downstream side. The sheet processing system according to claim 5,
When an interrupt operation is instructed from the operation display unit, the control unit searches for a discharge destination of an empty sheet member. The sheet processing system according to claim 6,
A sheet processing system for displaying a discharge destination on the operation display unit when a discharge destination of an empty sheet member is searched. The sheet processing system according to claim 7,
The sheet processing system, wherein the control unit causes the sheet member to be discharged to a discharge destination selected based on a discharge destination selection input displayed on the operation display unit. The sheet processing system according to claim 6,
When a discharge destination of an empty sheet member is searched, the control unit changes the discharge destination to a stacking tray that is detected to be empty by the search. The sheet processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
When a jam of a sheet member occurs on one large-capacity sheet stacking apparatus side, the control unit changes a sheet member discharge destination to a stack tray on the other sheet stacking tray side where no jam has occurred. Sheet processing system.   11. An image forming system, wherein the sheet processing system according to claim 1 is connected to a rear stage of an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet member. A first large-capacity sheet stacking apparatus on the upstream side in the sheet member transport direction including a first sheet transport path and a first stacking tray for transporting a sheet member from the front stage to the rear stage, At least two devices of the second large-capacity sheet stacking device on the downstream side in the sheet transport direction including the two sheet transport paths and the second stacking tray are connected in series to stack a large number of transported sheet members. A sheet handling method in a sheet processing system,
The first large-capacity sheet stacking apparatus provides a third sheet transport path for guiding sheet members from the first sheet transport path to the first stacking tray, and the second large-capacity sheet stacking apparatus includes the first large-capacity sheet stacking apparatus. Each having a fourth sheet conveying path for guiding sheet members from the two sheet conveying paths to the second stacking tray,
Control means for changing the discharge direction of the sheet member by switching the transport direction of the third or fourth sheet transport path according to the stacking state of the first or second stacking tray;
After the discharge destination is changed by the control means, the sheet member is taken out from the stacking tray while the discharge operation to the changed discharge destination is continuing and the discharge operation of the discharge destination before the change is interrupted. Sheet handling method characterized by the above.

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