JP2010260672A - Sheet processing device and image forming system having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet processing device miniaturizable by moving the position of a staple device to a plurality of binding positions when different binding processings are selectively performed, formed in a simple structure, and manufacturable at low cost. <P>SOLUTION: First and second processing paths extend from a sheet loading path, a sheet stacking means for stacking sheets thereon is provided to each of these paths, and a staple unit is attached to a device frame so as to be movable to the binding position of each sheet stacking means. The staple unit is made to selectively face a first binding position or a second binding position by a shift means. Consequently, different binding processings can be performed by a single staple device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus, and more particularly, to an improvement in a binding mechanism in which sheets conveyed from an image forming apparatus and the like are aligned and collected.

  In general, this type of sheet processing apparatus is widely known as an apparatus that performs post-processing on a sheet sent to a sheet discharge port of an image forming apparatus or the like. For example, it is known as an apparatus configuration in which sheets from a sheet discharge port are temporarily stacked and aligned, and a binding process is performed on the sheet bundle.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-213971), a sheet on which an image is formed is distributed to a first path and a second path for post-processing, and the sheets are aligned and accumulated in the first path. An apparatus is disclosed in which an end-stitching stapling apparatus that binds the edges of a bundle is provided, and a saddle-stitching stapling apparatus that binds the center of a bundle of sheets that are aligned and stacked in a first path is provided. A booklet process is performed for filing on the first path, and a magazine binding process is performed on the second path. In an apparatus with such a different binding processing method, a plurality of stapling apparatuses must be arranged in the apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133620.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-187214), sheets formed with images are aligned and collected in a single path, and the center of the sheet bundle is stapled (saddle stitched), and then the center of the sheet is collected. A device has been proposed in which sheets are finished into a magazine shape and conveyed to a stacker, and similarly, the edge of the sheet bundle aligned in this path is stapled and conveyed to the stacker.

JP 2008-213971 A JP 2005-187214 A

  As described above, when the sheets sent from the image forming apparatus are aligned and bound, the edge binding finish for binding the edge of the sheet bundle and the magazine binding for finishing the sheet bundle by folding from the center are selectively performed. A sheet processing apparatus that finishes the sheet is known. In this case, the sheets from the carry-in path are sorted and aligned in the end binding finishing path and the magazine binding finishing path, the end binding stapling apparatus is provided in the end binding finishing path, and the saddle stitching stapling apparatus is provided in the magazine binding finishing path. It is arranged. For this reason, there is a known problem that the size of the apparatus is increased at the same time as being expensive.

  Further, as proposed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, the saddle stitching device is arranged in a path for stacking and stacking, and the binding device used in the device for binding the end binding finish and the magazine binding finish with a common staple device. However, since the sheet stacking path is configured in common, for example, a sheet that is not subjected to the staple binding process needs to be stored in the stacker from another discharge path different from this path. . In such an apparatus configuration, a bundle folding mechanism that folds a sheet bundle in a path for stacking sheets and a stopper mechanism that positions the sheet bundle at a binding position must be arranged in a limited space.

  Accordingly, when the stapling device is limited to the saddle stitching mechanism, this device is configured so that the head portion for inserting the staple needle into the sheet bundle and the anvil portion for bending the needle tip are separated so that the sheet bundle passes through the central portion. There is a need. For this reason, when the separated components are misaligned, a jam occurs. In addition, this mechanism must be constructed robustly, leading to an increase in the size of the apparatus. Similarly, since the sheet stacking path is configured in common, the succeeding sheet cannot stay in this path, for example, during the binding process.

  Accordingly, the inventor of the present invention has an idea that the paths to be subjected to different binding processes are individually configured, and the magazine binding finishing and the end binding finishing are selectively executed by deflecting the attitude of the stapling apparatus to the binding positions of both paths. It came. In this case, it has been clarified that the end binding mechanism can be adopted as a stapling apparatus by stapling the folded edge of the sheet bundle for the magazine binding finish.

  The present invention can be configured to be small and compact by moving the stapling apparatus to a plurality of binding positions when selectively performing different binding processes, and the structure for that is simple and inexpensive. The main problem is to provide a sheet processing apparatus.

In the present invention, the first and second processing paths are extended from the sheet carry-in path, and sheet stacking means for stacking sheets is provided in each path, and the staple unit can be moved to the binding position of each sheet stacking means. Attach to the equipment frame. The shift means selectively causes the unit to face the first binding position and the second binding position. As a result, different binding processes can be performed with a single stapling apparatus, and the apparatus can be reduced in size and size.

  Further, the configuration will be described in detail. A sheet carry-in path (P1) for sequentially transferring sheets to the downstream side, and first and second processing paths (P2, P3) branched and connected to the sheet carry-in path, First sheet stacking means (29) arranged in the first processing path for collecting and collecting sheets from the sheet carry-in path, and aligning sheets from the sheet carry-in path arranged in the second processing path. Second sheet stacking means (22) for stacking, sheet bundle folding means (25) for folding the sheet bundle stacked on the second sheet stacking means, and sheets stacked by the first and second sheet stacking means A staple unit (30) for binding the bundle is provided.

  The staple unit then binds the first bundle position (Sp1) for binding the sheet bundle accumulated in the first sheet stacking means, and the second binding position for binding the sheet bundle accumulated in the second sheet stacking means ( A shift means (SM) for moving the staple unit between the first binding position and the second binding position is provided so that the position of the staple unit can be moved between the first binding position and the second binding position.

  According to the present invention, sheets are aligned and accumulated in the first and second processing paths extending to the sheet carry-in path, and the staple unit is selectively moved to the binding position of each path by the shift means. There are the following effects.

  First, the first processing path is configured as an end binding finishing path, the second processing path is configured as a magazine binding finishing path, and the stapling unit is moved to the binding position of the processing path to move the binding device to a single staple unit. It will consist of. For this reason, the apparatus can be made small and compact and inexpensive.

  Further, since the processing paths are configured separately for the first and second, for example, one is configured as a straight transport path and the other is configured as a switchback transport path, or one is routed horizontally and the other is routed vertically. It is possible to lay out relatively freely according to the device specifications such as placement.

  Further, according to the present invention, the staple unit position moving mechanism can be easily displaced by adopting a configuration in which the staple unit is rotatably attached to the apparatus frame so that the unit is rotated by a predetermined angle to face the first and second binding positions. The structure can be reduced.

1 is an explanatory diagram of an overall configuration of an image forming system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a main part of a sheet processing apparatus in the system of FIG. 1. Explanatory drawing of the detailed structure of the end binding finishing path | route in the apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a detailed configuration of a magazine binding finishing path in the apparatus of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a paper discharge mechanism for a magazine binding finishing path in the apparatus of FIG. 4. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a staple unit in the apparatus of FIG. 2. FIGS. 7A and 7B are explanatory diagrams of a stapling mechanism in the stapling unit of FIG. 6, in which FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a control configuration in the apparatus of FIG. 2.

[Configuration of image forming system]
First, an image forming system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The illustrated system includes an image forming apparatus A and a sheet processing apparatus B. The sheet processing apparatus B incorporates a staple unit 30 that aligns and stacks the sheets from the image forming apparatus A and binds them together. Each configuration will be described below.

  The sheet processing apparatus B includes a sheet stacking apparatus C as a stacking unit. The sheet processing apparatus B 23a is connected to the sheet discharge port 3 of the image forming apparatus A, and the sheets formed by the image forming apparatus A are stapled by the sheet processing apparatus B to stack the stack tray 21 and the second stack tray 41. It is comprised so that it may house. The sheet stacking unit C is built in the sheet processing apparatus B as a unit that stacks and stacks the image-formed sheets supplied to the carry-in port 23a in a bundle.

[Image forming apparatus]
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus A is configured to send a sheet from the paper feeding unit 1 to the image forming unit 2, print the sheet on the image forming unit 2, and then discharge the sheet from the paper discharge port 3. . The sheet feeding unit 1 stores sheets of a plurality of sizes in sheet feeding cassettes 1 a and 1 b, and separates specified sheets one by one and feeds them to the image forming unit 2. The image forming unit 2 includes, for example, an electrostatic drum 4, a print head (laser light emitting device) 5 and a developing device 6 arranged around the electrostatic drum 4, a transfer charger 7, and a fixing device 8. An electrostatic latent image is formed by the light emitting device 5, toner is adhered to the developing device 6, an image is transferred onto the sheet by the transfer charger 7, and heat fixing is performed by the fixing device 8.

  The sheets on which images are formed in this way are sequentially carried out from the paper discharge port 3. 9 is a circulation path. A sheet printed on the front side from the fixing device 8 is reversed on the front and back via the switchback path 10 and then fed again to the image forming unit 2 to print on the back side of the sheet. This is the print path. The sheet printed on both sides in this way is turned upside down by the switchback path 10 and then carried out from the paper discharge port 3.

  11 is an image reading apparatus, which scans a document sheet set on a platen 12 with a scanning unit 13 and electrically reads it with a photoelectric conversion element (not shown). The image data is digitally processed by an image processing unit, for example, and then transferred to a data storage unit (not shown) to send an image signal to the laser emitter 5. 15 is a document feeder, which is a feeder device that feeds document sheets stored in the stack tray 16 to the platen 12.

  The image forming apparatus A configured as described above is provided with a control unit (controller) 60 shown in FIG. 8, and image forming conditions such as sheet size designation, color / monochrome printing designation, print number designation, single-sided / double-sided printing from the control panel 18. Printing conditions such as designation and enlargement / reduction printing designation are set. On the other hand, in the image forming apparatus A, image data read by the scan unit 13 or image data transferred from an external network is accumulated in the data storage unit 17, and the image data is stored in a buffer memory (page memory). And the like, and the data signal is sequentially transferred from the buffer memory 19 to the laser emitter 5.

  From the control panel 18, post-processing conditions are also input and specified simultaneously with the image forming conditions such as single-sided / double-sided printing, enlargement / reduction printing, monochrome / color printing described above. As the post-processing conditions, for example, “print-out mode”, “end binding finishing mode”, “magazine binding finishing mode”, or the like is selected. Its configuration will be described later.

[Configuration of sheet processing apparatus]
The sheet processing apparatus B receives a sheet on which an image has been formed from the sheet discharge port 3 of the image forming apparatus A, and (i) whether the sheet is stored in the stack tray 21 (“print-out mode”) or (ii) sheet discharge. Sheets from the opening 3 are aligned in a bundle and stapled, and then stored in the stack tray 21 (“edge binding finishing mode”), or (iii) the sheets from the sheet discharge outlet 3 are aligned in a bundle Then, the center is folded into a booklet shape, the folded end portion is stapled, and then stored in the second stack tray 41 (“magazine binding finishing mode”).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the casing (exterior cover) 20 of the sheet processing apparatus B is provided with a carry-in port 23 a, and this carry-in port 23 a is connected to the paper discharge port 3 of the image forming apparatus A. The carry-in port 23a is provided with a sheet carry-in path P1, and the illustrated apparatus arranges the carry-in path in a substantially horizontal direction. A sheet discharge port 25x is provided on the downstream side of the sheet carry-in path P1, a sheet sensor S1 is disposed at the carry-in port end, and a sheet discharge sensor S2 is disposed at the sheet discharge port end. In the sheet carry-in path P1, conveying rollers 37a and 37b for conveying the sheet to the downstream side are disposed at illustrated positions and are connected to a driving motor (not illustrated).

  A first processing path P2 and a second processing path P3 are branched from the sheet carry-in path P1. The first processing path P2 is connected to the sheet discharge port 25x of the sheet carry-in path P1, and the sheet from the sheet carry-in path P1 is switched back and guided to the processing tray 29 described later. The second processing path P3 is branched and connected from the central portion of the sheet carry-in path P1, and the sheet from the sheet carry-in path P1 is switched back and guided to the second stack tray 41 described later. Therefore, a path switching flapper 39 is provided in the sheet carry-in path P1. The illustrated first processing path P2 and second processing path P3 are configured as switchback paths, and are inclined in a substantially vertical direction. The reason why the sheet carry-in path P1 is inclined substantially in the horizontal direction and the first and second processing paths P2 and P3 are inclined in the substantially vertical direction is to make the apparatus compact and compact.

[First processing path]
In the first processing path P2, as shown in detail in FIG. 3, a processing tray 29 is arranged with a step formed downstream of the sheet discharge path 25x of the sheet carry-in path P1. The processing tray 29 stacks and aligns the sheets sent from the paper discharge outlet 25x on the paper loading surface 29a. The illustrated tray 29 is configured to support the trailing end portion of the sheet switched back from the sheet discharge outlet 25 x, and the sheet leading end portion is configured in a tray shape to be supported by the stack tray 21 provided continuously to the processing tray 29. For this reason, a discharge roller 28 is disposed at the outlet end 29x of the processing tray, and a forward / reverse rotation roller 26 that engages with the discharge roller 28 is disposed above and below the processing tray so as to be movable up and down.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the forward / reverse roller 26 is pivotally supported by the swing arm 27, and the swing arm 27 is rotatably supported by the apparatus frame at the base end. The shaft support end is drivingly connected to the shift motor MR. At the same time, the forward / reverse roller 26 is connected to a forward / reverse motor (not shown) and is driven to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise. Therefore, the forward / reverse roller 26 is lifted and lowered from a standby position (shown in FIG. 3) separated from the paper discharge roller 28 by the shift motor MR to a position where the sheet is nip conveyed by pressing against the paper discharge roller 28. When rotating in the clockwise direction, the sheet from the paper discharge outlet 25x is transferred to the stack tray side, and when rotating in the counterclockwise direction, the sheet is switched back and conveyed along the processing tray 29.

  Reference numeral 48 in the figure denotes a paper pressing guide, which is carried onto the processing tray 29 from the paper discharge outlet 25x, and the rear end portion of the sheet that is switched back and conveyed in the right direction in FIG. 3 by the forward / reverse rotation roller 26 faces the rear end regulating stopper 31S. I will guide you. Reference numeral 47 denotes a width aligning plate that aligns the width direction of the sheets. For this reason, the width alignment plate 47 is configured to be movable in a direction orthogonal to the sheet transfer direction and is connected to an alignment motor (not shown). 58 is a paper surface detection lever of the stack tray 21 and detects the paper surface level by the level sensor Sr. SL2 is a lever operating solenoid.

  In the processing tray 29 of the first processing path P2 configured as described above, a stapling unit 30 that binds a bundle of sheets stacked and stacked on the processing tray is disposed. Although the configuration will be described later, the sheet bundle that has been collected and aligned on the processing tray 29 is positioned on the trailing edge regulating stopper 31S by the forward / reverse rotation roller 26, and the width direction thereof is aligned by the width alignment aligning plate 47, and then stapled. The unit 30 binds the trailing edge of the sheet bundle. The processing tray 29 is provided with a bundle carry-out mechanism (such as a belt conveyor mechanism) for carrying out the staple-bound sheet bundle toward the stack tray 21.

[Second processing route]
As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the second processing path P <b> 3 is provided with a stacking guide 22 that stacks sheets guided by the path switching flapper 39 in a bundle. The stacking guide 22 is a paper guide that stacks the sheets in a standing position, and a position restricting stopper 23 is disposed at the leading end of the sheet (lower end in FIG. 4) so as to be movable in the path direction. Therefore, the sheet carried in along the accumulation guide 22 is supported in a substantially standing posture with its leading end being regulated by the position regulating stopper 23.

  Accordingly, the position regulating stopper 23 is equipped with a shift motor (not shown), and positions the sheet at a predetermined position in the second processing path. In addition, a folding blade 24 and a folding roller 25 are disposed in the second processing path P3 to fold the accumulated sheet bundle from the center. The folding blade 24 is disposed so as to be positioned at the center portion of the sheet bundle whose position is regulated by the position regulating stopper 23, and the sheet is placed at the nip position of the folding rollers 25a and 25b opposed to each other across the second processing path P3. It is composed of a knife-like plate-like member for extruding a bundle and 24M for operating this plate-like member.

  The folding rollers (folding roll means; hereinafter the same) 25a and 25b are constituted by a pair of rollers in pressure contact with each other, and are configured to rotate in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4 by a drive motor (not shown). When the central portion of the sheet bundle that has been aligned and stacked on the stacking guide 22 is pushed out by the folding blade 24, the central portion is nipped between the rollers and conveyed to the downstream side. It is folded at the crease. A staple unit 30 described later is disposed on the downstream side of the folding rollers 25a and 25b, and staples the fold ends of the folded sheet bundle. Then, the folding rollers 25a and 25b are rotated in the reverse direction (counter arrow direction in FIG. 4) and carried out from the paper discharge path 40 to the second stack tray 41.

[Staple unit]
Therefore, in the present invention, the single staple unit 30 is selectively exposed to the (processing tray) 29 arranged in the first processing path P2 and the (stacking guide) 22 arranged in the second processing path P3 as described above. The configuration will be described in detail below.

  First, the staple unit 30 is composed of a binding mechanism 31 and a unit frame 32 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7A, the binding mechanism 31 includes a staple head 31h for inserting a staple needle into a sheet bundle, an anvil 31a for bending the needle tip, and a drive cam 31c. The configuration is already widely known and will not be described in detail. However, by rotating the drive cam 31c by the staple motor 31M, the staple head 31h is moved downward toward the sheet bundle.

  The staple head 31h includes a former that bends a blank needle supplied from a cartridge (not shown) into a U-shape (channel shape) and a driver that inserts the needle into a sheet bundle. Further, an anvil 31a is provided facing the staple head 31h, and the anvil 31a is constituted by a folding groove or a clincher for bending the tip of a staple needle press-fitted by a driver.

  Further, the above-described staple unit 30 is configured so that a plurality of staple heads are arranged in the sheet width direction, and a single staple bed 31h is supported so as to be movable in the sheet width direction and a plurality of sheets are bound. The latter will be described with reference to FIG. 7B. Guide rails 33a and 33b are arranged in a unit frame 32, which will be described later, in parallel with the seat width direction. The above-described staple bed 31h is fitted and supported by the pair of guide rails (rods in the drawing) to form a slider bree. A binding width moving means for moving the staple bed 31h in the width direction is provided. The illustrated width moving means 34 includes a lead screw 34S disposed in the width moving direction of the staple bed 31h, and a drive motor (not shown) that rotationally drives the lead screw 34S. The lead screw 34S is engaged with the staple bed 31h, and the rotation of the lead screw 34S moves the staple head 31h in the width direction.

[Unit frame configuration]
The above-described binding mechanism unit 31 is incorporated in the unit frame 32. For this reason, the unit frame 32 includes a pair of left and right side plates 32a and 32b having a span wider than the seat width, and one or a plurality (preferably two) of the guide rails 33a and 33b are disposed between the side plates. The binding mechanism 31 is supported on the guide rails 33a and 33b. Along with this, width moving means 34 such as a lead screw, a belt, and a wire are arranged. The pair of left and right side plates 32a and 32b on which the binding mechanism 31 is mounted are integrated by guide rails 33a and 33b or a support stem 32x. Therefore, the unit frame 32 is attached to the apparatus frame so as to be movable between the first binding position Sp1 of the first stacking means 29 and the second binding position Sp2 of the second stacking means 22.

  In the illustrated apparatus, a unit frame 32 is rotatably supported by a rotation axis 35 on an apparatus frame (not shown). Although the configuration is shown in FIG. 6, the unit frame 32 is supported by the apparatus frame by a rotation shaft 35, and can be rotated between the first binding position Sp1 and the second binding position Sp2 by the rotation of the unit frame 32 (FIG. 2). See). The unit frame 32 is integrally provided with fan-shaped gears 34a and 34b centered on the rotation shaft 35. The fan-shaped gears 34a and 34b are provided with a pinion provided on the drive shaft 36 of the shift motor SM arranged on the apparatus frame side. Meshed. Therefore, the unit frame 32 rotates by a predetermined angle around the rotation shaft 35 by the drive rotation of the shift motor SM.

The unit frame 32 is integrally formed with a sheet guide 31g for guiding the sheet bundle to the staple head 31h together with the rear end 31 of the binding machine and an end regulating stopper 31S. The sheet guide 31g and the trailing edge regulating stopper 31S guide the leading edge of the sheet transferred along the processing tray 29 and stop the positioning when the staple unit 30 is located at the first binding position Sp1. When the staple unit 30 is located at the second binding position Sp2, the leading end of the sheet bundle sent from the folding roll means 25a, 25b is guided to the second binding position Sp2 and stopped.
[Configuration of control means]

  The control configuration of the above-described image forming system will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The image forming system shown in FIG. 1 includes a control unit (hereinafter referred to as “main body control unit”) 50 of the image forming apparatus A and a control unit (hereinafter referred to as “post-processing control unit”) 60 of the sheet processing apparatus B. The main body control unit 50 includes an image formation control unit 51, a paper feed control unit 52, and an input unit 53. Then, the “image forming mode” and “post-processing mode” are set from the control panel 18 provided in the input unit 53.

  As described above, the image forming mode sets the number of printouts, sheet size, color / monochrome printing, enlargement / reduction printing, duplex / single-sided printing, and other image formation conditions. The main body control unit 50 controls the image forming control unit 51 and the paper feed control unit 52 according to the set image forming conditions, and after the image is formed on a predetermined sheet, the sheets are sequentially carried out from the main body discharge port 3. .

  At the same time, the post-processing mode is set by input from the control panel 18. This post-processing mode is set to, for example, “print-out mode”, “edge binding finishing mode”, “magazine binding finishing mode”, or the like. Therefore, the main body control unit 50 transfers the post-processing finishing mode, the number of sheets, the upper number of copies, and the binding mode (one-position binding or two or more bindings) information to the post-processing control unit 60. At the same time, the main body control unit 50 transfers a job end signal to the post-processing control unit 60 every time image formation is completed.

  The post-processing control unit 60 includes a control CPU 61 that operates the sheet processing apparatus B according to a designated finishing mode, a ROM 62 that stores an operation program, and a RAM 63 that stores control data. The control CPU 61 includes a sheet conveyance control unit 64a that performs conveyance of the sheet sent to the carry-in entrance 23a, a sheet accumulation operation control unit 64b that performs sheet accumulation operation, and a sheet binding operation that performs sheet binding processing. A control unit 64c and a sheet bundle folding operation control unit 64d that executes a sheet bundle folding operation are provided.

  The sheet conveyance control unit 64a is connected to a control circuit of a driving motor that drives the conveyance rollers 37a (37b) and the paper discharge roller 28 in the sheet carry-in path P1. The detection signal is received from the sheet sensor S1 disposed in the sheet processing path P1. Further, the sheet stacking operation control unit 64b controls the path switching flapper 39 of the sheet carry-in path P1, and when in the “end binding finishing mode”, the sheet sent to the sheet processing path P1 is transferred to the first processing path P2. In the “magazine binding finishing mode”, the information is guided to the second processing path P3.

  The sheet accumulation operation control unit 64b is connected to a drive circuit such as a lift motor or a roller drive motor for the forward / reverse roller 26 in the first processing path P2. Further, in the “magazine binding finishing mode”, it is connected to the drive circuit of the position regulating stopper 23 in the second processing path P3. Further, the sheet binding operation control unit 64c is connected to driver circuits of a staple motor 31M of the staple unit 30 and a width moving motor (not shown).

  The sheet bundle folding operation control unit 64d is connected to a drive motor 24M for the folding blade 24 and a drive circuit for a drive motor that drives and rotates the folding roll means 25a and 25b. Further, the sheet bundle folding operation control unit 64d is connected to a control circuit of shift means for controlling the movement of the position restricting stopper 23 of the stacking guide 22 to a predetermined position, and receives detection signals from sheet sensors arranged in these processing paths. It is connected to.

The post-processing control unit 60 configured as described above causes the sheet processing apparatus B to execute the next processing operation.
"Printout mode"
In this mode, the image forming apparatus A forms an image of a series of documents from, for example, the first page, and sequentially unloads the sheet from the main body discharge port 3 face down, and the sheet sent to the sheet carry-in path P1 is guided to the discharge roller 28. It is burned. Therefore, after the estimated time that the leading end of the sheet reaches the forward / reverse rotation roller 26 of the processing tray 29 based on the signal detected by the discharge sensor S2 at the discharge outlet 25x, the sheet conveyance control unit 64a waits for the forward / reverse rotation roller 26 upward. The forward / reverse rotation roller 26 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. Then, the sheet that has entered the processing tray 29 is carried out toward the first stack tray 21 by the forward / reverse rotation roller 26 and stored on the tray. The successive sheets are sequentially carried out to the first stack tray 21 and accumulated and stored on the tray.

  Accordingly, in this printout mode, sheets formed with an image by the image forming apparatus A are accommodated in the first stack tray 21 via the sheet carry-in path P1 of the sheet processing apparatus B. The pages are stacked and stored in the order of the pages. In this mode, no sheet is guided to the first processing path P2 and the second processing path P3.

"End binding finish mode"
In this mode, the image forming apparatus A forms an image of a series of documents from the first page to the nth page in the same manner as in the above-described mode, carries out a face-down state from the main body discharge port 3, and sends it to the sheet carry-in path P1. The sheet thus fed is guided to the paper discharge roller 28. Therefore, after the expected time that the front end of the sheet reaches the forward / reverse rotation roller 26 of the processing tray 29 based on a signal from the discharge sensor S2 that detects the front end of the sheet at the discharge outlet 25x, the sheet conveyance control unit 64a moves the forward / reverse rotation roller 26 upward. The forward / reverse rotation roller 26 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. Next, the sheet conveyance control unit 64a drives the forward / reverse rotation roller 26 to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. Then, the sheet that has entered from the paper discharge outlet 25x is switched back and conveyed onto the processing tray 29 along the first processing path P2. By repeating this sheet conveyance, a series of sheets are stacked on the processing tray 29 in a face-down state.

  Note that each time the sheets are stacked on the processing tray 29, the control CPU 61 operates the width alignment plate 47 to align the width direction positions of the stacked sheets. Next, the control CPU 61 operates the staple unit 30 in response to a job end signal from the image forming apparatus A to bind the trailing edge of the sheet bundle stacked on the processing tray. At this time, the staple unit 30 receives the setting signal for the finishing mode described above, and the unit frame 32 is set at an angular position with the rotation shaft 35 as the center so that the staple bed 31h faces the first binding position Sp1. After the stapling operation, the control CPU 61 operates a bundle carrying-out means (not shown) to carry out the sheet bundle on the processing tray from the first stack tray 21.

"Magazine binding finish mode"
In this mode, the image forming apparatus A forms an image on the sheet, and the sheet processing apparatus B finishes the booklet. The sheet sent to the sheet carry-in path P1 is guided to the sheet discharge roller 28, where the control CPU 61 discharges the sheet at the timing when the sheet rear end has passed the path switching flapper 39 with reference to the signal detected by the sheet sensor S1. The paper roller 28 is stopped. Then, the paper discharge roller 28 is reversed. Then, the sheet that has entered the sheet carry-in path P1 is reversed in the transport direction and is guided from the path switching flapper 39 to the second processing path P3. And it accumulates on the accumulation | aggregation guide 22 arrange | positioned in this 2nd process path P3.

  The control CPU 61 moves the position restricting stopper 23 so that the central portion of the sheet is positioned at a predetermined folding position at the timing when the sheet is carried into the stacking guide 22. When all sheets are stacked on the stacking guide 22, the control CPU 61 operates the staple unit 30 in response to a job end signal. In this operation, first, the staple motor 30 is driven and controlled so that the staple bed 31 h faces the second binding position Sp <b> 2 to rotate the staple unit 30 about the rotation shaft 35 by a predetermined angle. As a result, the staple head 31h is positioned at the second binding position Sp2 (state shown in FIG. 4).

  Next, the stapling unit 30 is operated in the same manner as described above to staple one or more fold edges of the sheet bundle. In response to this operation completion signal, the control CPU 61 reversely rotates the folding roll means 25a and 25b to back the sheet bundle by a predetermined amount. Next, the control CPU 61 moves the staple unit 30 to a paper discharge guide position (not shown) in FIG. 5 that is slightly away from the second binding position Sp2. Then, the sheet bundle that has been bound by rotating the folding roll means 25 a and 25 b in the paper discharge direction is carried out from the paper discharge path 40 toward the second stack tray 41. The illustrated staple unit 30 is provided with a sheet discharge guide 40g for guiding the sheet bundle from the folding roll means 25a, 25b to the sheet discharge path 40 on the downstream side (see FIG. 5).

A image forming apparatus B sheet processing apparatus C sheet stacking unit P1 sheet carry-in path P2 first process path P3 second process path S1 sheet sensor (carry-in end)
S2 Paper ejection sensor (paper exit edge)
Sp1 First binding position Sp2 Second binding position SM Shift motor 21 Stack tray 22 Stacking guide (second stacking means)
23 Position restriction stopper 23a Carry-in entrance 24 Folding blade 24M Drive motor 25a, 25b Folding roller (folding roll means)
25x discharge port 26 forward / reverse roller 28 discharge roller 29 processing tray (first stacking means)
30 Staple unit 31S Rear end regulating stopper 31h Staple head 31M Staple motor 31 Binding mechanism section 32 Unit frame 35 Rotating shaft 39 Path switching flapper 40 Paper discharge path 41 Second stack tray 47 Alignment aligning plate 50 Control section ("Main body control section"")
51 Image formation control unit 52 Paper feed control unit 53 Input unit 58 Paper surface detection lever 60 Post-processing control unit (controller)
61 Control CPU
62 ROM
63 RAM
64a Sheet conveyance control unit 64b Sheet stacking operation control unit 64c Sheet binding operation control unit 64d Sheet bundle folding operation control unit

Claims (7)

A sheet carry-in path for sequentially transferring sheets downstream;
First and second processing paths branched and connected to the sheet carry-in path;
First sheet stacking means arranged in the first processing path for stacking and stacking sheets from the sheet carry-in path;
A second sheet stacking means for stacking and stacking sheets from the sheet carry-in path arranged in the second processing path;
A staple unit for binding the bundle of sheets stacked by the first and second sheet stacking units;
With
The stapling unit is positioned between a first binding position for binding the sheet bundle stacked on the first sheet stacking means and a second binding position for binding the sheet bundle stacked on the second sheet stacking means. Movably mounted on the equipment frame,
A sheet processing apparatus comprising: a shift unit that moves the staple unit between the first binding position and the second binding position. The staple unit includes a staple head and a unit frame that supports the staple head,
The unit frame is supported by the device frame so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis,
The shift means is configured such that the staple head selectively faces the first binding position and the second binding position by rotating the unit frame around the rotation axis by a predetermined angle. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the staple unit is provided with an anvil at a position facing the staple head. 3. The staple unit according to claim 2, wherein the staple head is attached to the staple unit so as to be movable in a sheet width direction with respect to a sheet bundle at the first binding position and / or the second binding position. Sheet processing device. Sheet bundle folding means for folding the accumulated sheet bundle is disposed in the second sheet stacking means,
The sheet bundle folding means is composed of a pair of folding rollers pressed against each other,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the staple unit operates to bind the fold end edges of the sheet bundle nipped by the pair of folding rollers. The first processing path includes a first sheet bundle storage tray downstream of the first binding position, and the second processing path includes a second sheet bundle storage tray downstream of the second binding position. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the sheet processing apparatuses is provided. An image forming apparatus for sequentially forming images on sheets;
A sheet processing apparatus that performs post-processing on a sheet from the image forming apparatus;
Consisting of
An image forming system comprising: the sheet processing apparatus having the configuration according to claim 1.

Images