JP2011153022A - Sheet processing device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small and inexpensive sheet processing device, which can receive a sheet of a next sheet bundle even when the preceding sheet bundle is processed. <P>SOLUTION: The sheet processing device is movable in the width direction of a sheet including: a jogger 45 which moves to a holding position for holding the sheet discharged from a discharge roller 43, a regulation position for regulating the held sheet and a retracted position without holding the sheet; a buffer jogger 100 which moves to the holding position and the retracted position; and a guide part for guiding the sheet discharged from the discharge roller 43 to the jogger 45 or the buffer jogger 100. The sheet processing device stacks the sheets the following sheet bundle on the buffer jogger 100, drops the sheets the following sheet bundle to the jogger 45 returned to the holding position, and then stacks the remaining sheet of the following sheet bundle on the jogger 45 until the jogger 45 which drops the preceding sheet bundle to a stack try 50 provided in the lower side returns to the holding position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus for processing a sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, a sheet processing apparatus that temporarily stacks discharged sheets on a processing tray and performs processing such as stapling on a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of stacked sheets. Are known.

  In this sheet processing apparatus, when processing a sheet bundle continuously, the processing of the previous sheet bundle is performed, and the sheet of the next sheet bundle is placed on the processing tray until the sheet bundle is discharged from the processing tray. I can't accept it. Therefore, it is necessary to temporarily stop the conveyance of the next sheet bundle, and there is a problem that the productivity is lowered by the amount of the stop time.

  Thus, until the next sheet bundle sheet can be received on the processing tray, the next sheet bundle sheet is temporarily stopped without temporarily stopping the conveyance of the next sheet bundle sheet. A configuration is disclosed in which an automatic standby is performed. Patent documents 1 and 2 shown below are examples.

JP-A-2005-060106 JP 2006-096459 A

  However, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, a dedicated conveyance path for temporarily retracting a sheet of the next sheet bundle is branched from the conveyance path that guides the sheet to the processing tray and is placed in the sheet processing apparatus. Provided. Further, a function is provided in which the preceding sheet temporarily retracted to the dedicated conveyance path is superimposed on the subsequent sheet and conveyed to the processing tray. For this reason, the apparatus is increased in size and cost.

  On the other hand, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 2, a standby tray provided in the middle of the conveyance path is made to wait for a sheet that needs to be processed, and the standby sheet is moved to the processing tray by its own weight fall. ing. However, the sheet bundle processed in the processing tray is discharged from the processing tray to the sheet discharge tray on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction by the conveying unit and stacked. Therefore, there is a problem that the size of the entire apparatus in the sheet conveyance direction is large.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a small and inexpensive sheet processing apparatus that can receive a sheet of the next sheet bundle even during the processing of the previous sheet bundle.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is a sheet processing apparatus that performs processing on a conveyed sheet, and is capable of moving in a width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction, and a discharge unit that discharges the sheet. A first holding position that moves to a holding position that holds both sides in the width direction of the sheet discharged by the discharging unit, a restriction position that regulates the width direction end of the held sheet, and a retreat position that does not hold the sheet. And a holding position for holding the sheet discharged by the discharging means above the first holding portion and a retreating position not holding the sheet. A second holding unit for dropping the sheet onto the first holding unit; a guide unit for guiding the sheet discharged by the discharging means to the first holding unit or the second holding unit; 1's A processing means for processing a sheet bundle made up of a plurality of sheets held by the holding portion, and a lower portion of the first holding portion, the first holding portion being moved to the retracted position and dropped. A sheet stacking unit configured to stack a sheet bundle, and the second sheet is conveyed by the guide unit while the preceding sheet bundle to be processed by the processing unit is held by the first holding unit. The first holding unit drops the preceding sheet bundle onto the stacking unit, and then moves the second holding unit to the retracted position, after the first holding unit drops the preceding sheet bundle onto the stacking unit. The sheet forming the succeeding sheet bundle stacked on the first section is dropped on the first holding section, and the remaining sheets forming the succeeding sheet bundle on the first holding section are dropped on the first holding section by the guide section. It is characterized by guiding to the holding part.

  According to the present invention, even when the first holding unit is processing the previous sheet bundle, the second holding unit above it can receive and hold the sheet of the next sheet bundle. Further, the sheet bundle processed by the first holding unit is dropped and stacked on the stacking means below by moving the first holding unit to the retracted position. Therefore, a small and inexpensive sheet processing apparatus can be provided, and the productivity of continuously processing the sheet bundle can be further improved.

Main sectional view of an image forming apparatus to which a sheet processing apparatus is connected (A) is a perspective view of a sheet processing unit in the sheet processing apparatus, (b) is a perspective view of a jogger and a buffer jogger. (A) is a perspective view of the lower guide in 1st Embodiment, (b) is a perspective view of a discharge belt and an abutting part. (A), (c), (e), and (g) are top views of the sheet processing unit in the first embodiment, and (b), (d), (f), and (h) are side views of the sheet processing unit in the first embodiment. (A), (c), (e), and (g) are top views of the sheet processing unit in the first embodiment, and (b), (d), (f), and (h) are side views of the sheet processing unit in the first embodiment. Configuration perspective view during sheet delivery to buffer jogger (A) is a perspective view of a sheet processing unit during a simple stack job, (b) is a top view of the sheet processing unit during a simple stack job, and (c) is a side view of the sheet processing unit during a simple stack job. Flow chart showing the flow of operation of the sheet processing unit during a continuous staple job Block diagram showing the controller (A) is a perspective view of a sheet processing unit in the second embodiment, (b) is a perspective view of a lower guide in the second embodiment. (A) is a perspective view of a sheet processing unit in the third embodiment, (b) is a perspective view of a lower guide in the third embodiment. (A) is a perspective view of a sheet processing unit in the fourth embodiment, (b) is a perspective view of a lower guide in the fourth embodiment. The perspective view of the lower guide in 5th Embodiment The top view of the sheet processing part in a 6th embodiment The perspective view of the sheet processing part in 7th Embodiment, (b) is a side view of the sheet processing part in 5th Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in the following embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified. Absent.

[First Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet processing apparatus 40 according to the first embodiment is connected to a side surface of the image forming apparatus main body 1, receives a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 1, and receives a predetermined staple or the like on the sheet. Is selectively performed. The image forming apparatus main body 1 includes an image forming unit (image forming process unit 6) that forms an image on a sheet, and an image reading unit 20 that reads information described in a document.

(Configuration of image forming apparatus main body)
First, the image forming apparatus main body 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus main body 1 separates and feeds a plurality of sheets S stacked on a feeding cassette 2 one by one by a feeding roller 3, and forms an image along a conveyance path 4. Transport to process unit 6.

  The image forming process unit 6 is an image forming unit that forms an image (toner image) by electrophotography. Specifically, the photosensitive drum 7 as a charged image carrier is irradiated with light by a laser scanner 10 to form an image, the image is developed using toner, and the toner image is transferred to a sheet. It is.

  The sheet onto which the toner image has been transferred from the photosensitive drum 7 is conveyed along the conveyance path 5 to the heat fixing device 8, and heat and pressure are applied by the heat fixing device 8 to fix the image. The sheet on which the image has been fixed is switched by the switching member 21 to either the face-up conveyance path 30 or the switchback conveyance path 15 that reverses the front and back of the sheet.

  The sheet sent to the switchback conveyance path 15 is conveyed to the conveyance path 18 by the switchback conveyance roller 17 until the trailing edge of the sheet passes the switching member 36. Thereafter, the switchback conveyance roller 17 is reversed, and the sheet is conveyed in a state where the rear end side is the front end side. At this time, when the switching member 36 is switched, the inverted sheet is sent to the face-down conveyance path 33. Here, the switching member 36 is always urged toward the side closing the switchback conveyance path 15, and for example, the urging force may be set lightly to be pushed out by the conveyance force of the sheet, and a solenoid or the like may be used. The method of switching the conveyance path at the timing may be used.

  The face-up conveyance path 30 and the face-down conveyance path 33 merge before the discharge roller 32. Both the sheet guided to the face-up conveyance path 30 and the sheet passing through the face-down conveyance path 33 from the switchback conveyance path 15 are discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 1 by the discharge roller 19.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image reading unit 20 includes a scanner unit 51 and an automatic document feeding unit (hereinafter referred to as ADF) 52. The ADF 52 separates and feeds a plurality of documents stacked on the document stacking tray 53 one by one by a feed roller 54 and passes the document reading position where the optical carriage 58 of the scanner unit 51 is stopped. It is. The ADF 52 can be opened and closed rearward about a hinge (not shown) at the rear of the apparatus, and is opened and closed when a document is placed on the document table glass 57.

  The scanner unit 51 includes a movable optical carriage 58, and reads information described in a document. In the scanner unit 51, the document description information is read while the optical carriage 58 scans the document placed on the document table glass 57 in the horizontal direction, and photoelectrically converted by the CCD. Further, when the original is read by the ADF 52, the optical carriage 58 stops at the original reading position (position shown in FIG. 1) and reads the description information of the original being conveyed as described above.

  Next, the sheet processing apparatus 40 will be described. The sheet processing apparatus 40 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A can selectively perform processing such as stapling on the sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus main body 1. The sheet processing apparatus 40 includes a holding position that holds a sheet, and a holding unit 60 that can move from the holding position to a retracted position that does not hold the sheet. The holding unit 60 is a holding unit that holds a sheet discharged by a discharge roller 43 as a first discharge unit, and will be described in detail later.

  Further, the sheet processing apparatus 40 includes a stapler (sheet binding unit) 49 as a processing unit that performs processing on a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets held by the holding unit 60. Further, the sheet processing apparatus 40 includes a stack tray 50 as a stacking unit. The stack tray is provided below the holding unit 60 and stacks the sheets discharged without being held by the holding unit 60 or the sheet bundle dropped by moving the holding unit 60 to the retreat position.

  Here, the holding unit 60 will be described with reference to FIG. The holding unit 60 includes a jogger 45 (45a, 45b) that constitutes a first holding unit together with a processing stacking unit 44, which will be described later, and a buffer jogger 100 (that constitutes a second holding unit provided above the jogger 45). 100a, 100b). As shown in FIG. 2A, each jogger includes a pair of joggers on one side in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction and joggers on the opposite side (the other side in the width direction). Each jogger is cross-sectioned by a holding surface that holds the discharged sheet, a regulating surface that regulates the widthwise end of the held sheet, and a guide surface that is provided to face the holding surface via the regulating surface. Is formed in a U-shape. In FIG. 2A, a indicates a jogger on one side in the sheet width direction, and b indicates a jogger on the other side in the sheet width direction. The jogger 45 is provided so as to be movable in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction, and regulates the holding position for holding both sides in the width direction of the sheet discharged by the discharge roller 43 and the width direction end of the held sheet. It moves to the restriction position and the retracted position that does not hold the sheet. The buffer jogger 100 is provided so as to be movable in the width direction of the sheet, and moves to a holding position where the sheet discharged by the discharge roller 43 is held above the jogger 45 and a retreat position where the sheet is not held.

  Further, the holding unit 60 has a guide portion 61 for guiding and stacking the sheet discharged by the discharge roller 43 onto the jogger 45 or the buffer jogger 100. The guide portion 61 includes an upper guide 46 as a first guide portion and a lower guide 101 as a second guide portion. The upper guide 46 is provided above the discharge roller 43 and is movable to a first position for guiding the sheet discharged by the discharge roller 43 to the jogger 45 and a second position for guiding the sheet to the buffer jogger 100. This is the first guide part. The upper guide 46 is provided to reliably guide the discharged sheet in a gap between the holding surface of each jogger and the guide surface while suppressing the sheet from rising. The drive unit 133 can be rotated according to the holding position of each jogger. The lower guide 101 is provided below the discharge roller 43, and is movable to a holding position for holding the sheet discharged by the discharge roller 43 together with the buffer jogger 100, and a retreat position for retreating from the holding position and not holding the sheet. It is a 2nd guide part. Here, as shown in FIG. 2A, the lower guide 101 is one of a lower guide 101a on one side in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction and a lower guide 101b on the opposite side (the other side in the width direction). Composed of pairs. The lower guide 101 can be moved to a holding position and a retracted position by a driving unit 134. The operation of the holding unit 60 will be described later.

  In the sheet processing apparatus 40, reference numeral 41 denotes an inlet for receiving a sheet from the image forming apparatus main body 1. A switchable switching member 78 for guiding the sheet to the conveyance path 82 or the conveyance path 83 is provided downstream thereof. A discharge roller 43 as a first discharge unit that discharges the sheet is provided downstream of the conveyance path 82. A conveyance roller 86 that conveys the sheet is provided in the conveyance path 83, and a switchable switching member 76 that guides the sheet to the conveyance path 87 or the conveyance path 88 is further provided downstream thereof. The switching member 78 and the switching member 76 are switched based on a detection signal of a sensor (not shown) of the image forming apparatus main body 1.

  Here, a case where a sheet is carried into the conveyance path 83 will be described. The sheet switched by the switching member 78 is further conveyed to the downstream conveying roller 86 and the downstream switching member 76. The sheet is selectively guided to the conveyance path 87 or the conveyance path 88 by the switching member 76. Then, the sheet guided to the transport path 87 is discharged to the stacking tray 81 by the discharge roller 80, and the sheet guided to the transport path 88 is discharged to the stacking tray 75 by the discharge roller 79.

  Next, a case where the switching member 78 is switched and a sheet is carried into the conveyance path 82 will be described.

  A processing stacking unit 44 for stacking sheets to be processed is provided downstream of the discharge roller 43. The processing stacking unit 44 is provided continuously to the upstream side of the jogger 45 in the sheet conveying direction, and is provided inside the sheet processing apparatus 40. The processing stacking unit 44 holds the sheet together with the jogger 45, and holds the side on which the sheet bundle processing is performed. By providing a part of the first holding unit for holding the sheet bundle to be processed in this way inside the sheet processing apparatus, the size of the apparatus in the sheet conveying direction can be further reduced. As described above, the buffer jogger 100 is provided above the jogger 45. Further, a lower guide 101 for guiding the sheet to the buffer jogger 100 is provided above the processing stacking unit 44. Further, an upper guide 46, a vertical alignment paddle 47, and a discharge roller 108 are provided above the lower guide 101. Further, the processing stacking unit 44 includes a stapler 49 that binds the end of the aligned sheet bundle, a discharge roller 109 that forms a pair with the discharge roller 108, an abutment unit 103 that pushes out the sheet bundle, and a discharge belt 102. The 2nd discharge means which consists of these is provided. Further, as described above, the stack tray 50 as the stacking unit is provided below the jogger 45 in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the upper portion of the jogger 45 is supported by the jogger support members 104 (104a, 104b), and is movable along the jogger rail 106 in the seat width direction. Similarly, the upper part of the buffer jogger 100 is supported by a buffer jogger support member 105 (105a, 105b), and is movable along the buffer jogger rail 107 in the seat width direction. As shown in FIG. 2B, the jogger 45 and the buffer jogger 100 can be arranged at desired positions without blocking the sheet conveyance path by being suspended and attached from above.

  The lower guide 101 is configured to be movable in the sheet conveyance direction from the retracted position below the discharge roller 43 toward the buffer jogger 100. Here, the lower guide 101 is attached to a belt 113 stretched between two pulleys 111 and 112 as shown in FIG. When the driving force is transmitted to the gear 114 coupled to the pulley 111, the lower guide 101 moves directly to the sheet conveyance direction and moves to the holding position or the retreat position. The movement of the lower guide 101 to the holding position or the retracted position can be realized by rotating the belt 113 forward or backward. Further, the retracted position of the lower guide 101 is not limited to the position below the discharge roller 43. For example, the position may be a position retracted upstream of the alignment reference wall 48 in the sheet conveyance direction, and may be a position that does not hinder the conveyance of the sheet discharged from the discharge roller 43 to the jogger 45.

  With respect to the abutting portion 103 and the discharge belt 102, as shown in FIG. 3B, the discharge belt 102 is stretched between the two pulleys 115 and 116, and the abutting portion 103 is attached to the discharge belt 102. ing. The butting portion 103 and the discharge belt 102 discharge the sheet bundle held by the first holding portion including the jogger 45 and the processing stacking portion 44 toward the stack tray 50 to the outside of the sheet processing apparatus 40. 2 discharge means. That is, when the driving force is transmitted to the gear 117 connected to the pulley 115, the discharge belt 102 rotates and the abutting portion 103 attached to the discharge belt 102 moves in the sheet conveyance direction. The abutting portion 103 moves from the second position retracted upstream in the sheet conveying direction of the alignment reference wall 48 for abutting and aligning the rear end of the sheet bundle to the first position downstream of the alignment reference wall 48 in the sheet conveying direction. And push out the sheet bundle. Further, the movement of the abutting portion 103 from the first position to the second position can be realized by reversing the discharge belt 102. With this configuration, the sheet bundle held in the processing stacking portion 44 can be discharged out of the apparatus more reliably, and the dropping of the sheet bundle when the jogger 45 is moved to the retracted position can be assisted. . Although the second position of the abutting portion 103 is illustrated as a position retracted to the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction from the alignment reference wall 48, the present invention is not limited to this, and the second position is the alignment reference. Similarly to the wall 48, the rear end of the sheet bundle may be abutted and aligned.

  Next, the operation and arrangement of each unit during a stapling job for continuously binding a sheet bundle will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the sheet processing apparatus 40 shown in FIG. In FIG. 2A, the upper guide 46 is indicated by a broken line, and the exterior member is not shown.

  4 and 5 show views of the portion shown in FIG. 2A as viewed from above in the vertical direction and from the lateral direction. 4 and 5, (a), (c), (e), and (g) are views seen from above in the vertical direction, and (b), (d), (f), and (h) are seen from the lateral direction. It is a figure. 4 and 5, the upper guide 46 is omitted from the vertical direction, and the jogger 45a, the buffer jogger 100a, and the stapler 49 on the front side in the sheet width direction are omitted from the horizontal direction. . In the continuous staple job described here, the discharge roller 108 is always arranged at the second position shown in FIGS.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an outline of a series of processes at the time of a stapling job described below.

  In the standby state of S201 in FIG. 8, the jogger 45 is in a retracted position where no sheet is held. When a print signal for continuously processing a sheet bundle is input in S202 in FIG. 8, the jogger 45 moves to a holding position for holding a sheet in S103. At this time, the buffer jogger 100 does not move from the holding position. In step S204, the upper guide 46 moves to the first position where the sheet is guided to the jogger 45. At this time, the lower guide 101 is retracted to a position (retreat position) that does not hinder the conveyance of the sheet to the jogger 45. The retracted position of the lower guide 101 is a position retracted upstream of the alignment reference wall 48 in the sheet conveying direction.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the sheet S1 of the preceding sheet bundle conveyed by the discharge roller 43 passes through the processing stacking unit 44 and is conveyed to the jogger 45 (S205). At this time, the sheet S1 of the preceding sheet bundle is guided to the jogger 45 by the upper guide 46 disposed at the first position shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). And it hold | maintains with the jogger 45 arrange | positioned in the holding position holding the width direction both ends of the sheet | seat S1 of a preceding sheet bundle.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 4C and 4D, when the trailing end of the sheet S <b> 1 of the preceding sheet bundle passes the discharge roller 43, the sheet S <b> 1 of the preceding sheet bundle is landed on the processing stacking unit 44. Then, by placing the jogger 45 at the alignment position (regulation position), the sheets S1 of the preceding sheet bundle are aligned in the sheet width direction (S206). Thereafter, the vertical alignment paddle 47 abuts on the upper surface of the sheet S1 of the preceding sheet bundle, and the end of the sheet S1 of the preceding sheet bundle in the conveying direction end against the alignment reference wall 48 (counterclockwise shown in FIG. 4D). Direction). As a result, the sheet S1 of the preceding sheet bundle is vertically aligned in the transport direction (S207). After the end of the vertical alignment, the vertical alignment paddle 47 is retracted to the original position until the next sheet of the preceding sheet bundle comes. This is repeated until the last sheet of the preceding sheet bundle, that is, until the predetermined number of sheets in one sheet bundle is reached (S208).

  Then, after the last sheet S1 of the preceding sheet bundle is carried into the jogger 45 and the above-described vertical alignment is completed, in the case where there is a subsequent job in S209 in FIG. 8, preparation for receiving the sheet of the subsequent sheet bundle is made (S210). ). That is, as shown in FIGS. 4E and 4F, the lower guide 101 moves from the retracted position not holding the sheet to the holding position holding the sheet above the processing stacking unit 44 (S213). The lower guide 101 is arranged such that the distance between the end portions in the sheet width direction is larger than the distance in the sheet width direction. By arranging in this way, it is possible to reliably place the end in the width direction of the sheet discharged by the discharge roller 43 on the buffer jogger 100. At this time, the upper guide 46 is disposed at the second position for guiding the sheet to the buffer jogger 100, and forms a sheet conveyance path with the lower guide 101 (S211). The first sheet S2 of the succeeding sheet bundle is conveyed by the discharge roller 43 in the same manner as the preceding sheet bundle, and is conveyed to the buffer jogger 100 through the sheet conveying path formed by the lower guide 101 and the upper guide 46 (S214). . At this time, similarly to the jogger 45, the buffer jogger 100 is also arranged at the holding position for holding both ends in the sheet width direction (S212). The sheets in the subsequent sheet bundle are guided by the upper guide 46 and the lower guide 101 and carried into the buffer jogger 100 until the discharge of the preceding sheet bundle is completed (S215). While the sheet S2 of the subsequent sheet bundle is conveyed to the buffer jogger 100, the upstream sheet edge of the preceding sheet bundle S1 is bound by the stapler 49 (S220). FIG. 6 shows the arrangement of each member when the sheet S2 is delivered to the buffer jogger 100. In FIG. 6, the upper guide 46 is not displayed, and the sheet S <b> 2 is displayed by a broken line and is transmitted.

  When the binding process of the preceding sheet bundle S1 is completed, as shown in FIGS. 4G and 4H, the jogger 45 moves to a retreat position where the sheet is not held (S222). At the same time, the discharge belt 102 rotates counterclockwise, and the abutting portion 103 moves from the second position in the alignment reference wall 48 to the first position (S221). As a result, the end portion of the preceding sheet bundle S1 abutted against the alignment reference wall 48 is pushed out by the abutting portion 103, and the preceding sheet bundle S1 falls onto the stack tray 50 and is stacked. After the discharge is completed, the discharge belt 102 rotates clockwise, whereby the abutting portion 103 moves to the second position in the alignment reference wall 48 (S223). Then, the jogger 45 moves to the holding position for receiving the sheet (S224), and the discharge of the preceding sheet bundle is completed (S215).

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, after the jogger 45 returns to the holding position for receiving the sheet, the buffer jogger 100 moves from the holding position to the retracted position (S216), The guide 101 moves from the holding position to the retracted position (S217). Thus, the sheet S2 of the subsequent sheet bundle held by the buffer jogger 100 and the lower guide 101 is dropped by its own weight onto the surface formed by the processing stacking unit 44 and the jogger 45. At this time, at least one sheet S2 of the subsequent sheet bundle is buffered. The upper guide 46 moves to the first position for guiding the sheet to the jogger 45 in order to cause the jogger 45 to drop the sheet S2 of the subsequent sheet bundle by its own weight (S218). Thereafter, the vertical alignment paddle 47 comes into contact with the sheet S2 of the succeeding sheet bundle in which the weight drop is completed, and the end of the sheet S of the succeeding sheet bundle abuts against the alignment reference wall 48 (shown in FIG. 4D). Rotate counterclockwise. Thereby, the sheet S2 of the subsequent sheet bundle is vertically aligned in the transport direction (S219).

  Thereafter, returning to S205 in FIG. 8, as shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D, the remaining sheets in the succeeding sheet bundle are carried in as in the case of the sheets in the preceding sheet bundle. And the matching processing operation is performed. That is, the remaining sheets of the subsequent sheet bundle are guided by the upper guide 46 and stacked on the jogger 45, and the above-described alignment process is performed. The process is repeated up to the last sheet in the subsequent sheet bundle (until a predetermined number of sheet bundles is reached) (S208).

  Then, after the last sheet of the succeeding sheet bundle is carried into the jogger 45 and the above-described vertical alignment is completed, if there is a succeeding sheet bundle in S209 in FIG. S210). That is, as shown in FIGS. 5 (e) and 5 (f), the lower guide 101 moves from the retracted position to the holding position, as in the situation of FIGS. 4 (e) and 4 (f). In step S213, the upper guide 46 moves to the second position for guiding the sheet to the buffer jogger 100 (S211). Then, the first sheet S3 of the succeeding sheet bundle is conveyed to the buffer jogger 100 (S214). During this time, the preceding sheet bundle S2 is bound by the stapler 49 at the upstream end of the sheet bundle (S220).

  When the binding process of the sheet bundle S2 is finished, as shown in FIGS. 5G and 5H, the jogger 45 does not hold the sheet as in the situations of FIGS. 4G and 4H. Move to the retreat position (S222). At the same time, the discharge belt 102 rotates counterclockwise, and the abutting portion 103 moves from the second position in the alignment reference wall 48 to the first position (S221). As a result, the end portion of the sheet bundle S2 is pushed out by the abutting portion 103, and the sheet bundle S2 is dropped and stacked on the stack tray 50, and the discharge of the sheet bundle of the preceding sheet bundle S2 is completed as described above. (S215).

  Thereafter, the situation shown in FIGS. 5 (g) and 5 (h) is changed to the situation shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b) again, and the process continues until there is no subsequent job in S209 in FIG. I do. When there is no subsequent sheet bundle in S209 in FIG. 8, the final sheet bundle is bound at the upstream end of the sheet bundle by the stapler 49 (S225). When the binding process of the final sheet bundle is completed, the jogger 45 moves to a retreat position where the sheet is not held (S227). At the same time, the discharge belt 102 rotates counterclockwise, and the abutting portion 103 moves from the second position in the alignment reference wall 48 to the first position (S226). As a result, the end portion of the final sheet bundle abutted against the alignment reference wall 48 is pushed out by the abutting portion 103, and the final sheet bundle is dropped onto the stack tray 50 and stacked. After the discharge is completed, the discharge belt 102 rotates clockwise, so that the abutting portion 103 moves to the second position in the alignment reference wall 48 (S228). In this way, the final sheet bundle discharge is completed, and a standby state is entered.

  As described above, by configuring the operation / arrangement of each unit, it is possible to continuously process a sheet bundle without reducing productivity.

  The above is the operation / arrangement of each unit during a continuous staple job. Next, the operation and arrangement of each unit during a simple stack job in which processing is not performed on sheets will be described.

  FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the sheet processing unit during a simple stack job. FIGS. 7B and 7C are views of the portion shown in FIG. The figure is shown. 7B, the upper guide 46 is omitted, and in FIG. 7C, the jogger 45, the buffer jogger 100, and the stapler 49 on the front side in the sheet width direction are omitted.

  A discharge roller 109 is rotatably disposed at the downstream end of the processing stacking unit 44 in the sheet conveying direction. A pair of discharge rollers is movably provided at a position opposite to the discharge roller 109. The discharge roller 108 moves to a first position where a nip is formed with the discharge roller 109 and a second position where the buffer jogger 100 is retracted substantially vertically above.

  During a simple stack job, the discharge roller 108 is disposed at the first position and forms a nip with the discharge roller 109. Further, the upper guide 46 is disposed above the nip between the discharge roller 108 and the discharge roller 109 and at a third position below the second position of the upper guide 46, and between the discharge roller 43 and the discharge roller 108. A sheet conveyance path is formed on the sheet. Both the jogger 45 and the buffer jogger 100 are disposed at the retreat position where the sheet is not held. The sheet discharged by the discharge roller 43 is guided to the discharge roller 108 through the sheet conveyance path. At this time, the sheet is discharged to the stack tray 50 by driving the discharge roller 108.

  The sheet processing apparatus 40 has a controller as a control means in the sheet processing apparatus, and is connected to the image forming apparatus main body 1 by a communication cable (not shown). Here, the configuration of the controller that performs the control as described above will be briefly described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the controller. The controller (control means) has a CPU circuit unit 120 as shown in FIG. The CPU circuit unit 120 is mounted on the sheet processing apparatus 40 and includes a CPU (not shown), a ROM 121, and a RAM 122. The CPU circuit unit 120 controls the operations of the jogger 45, the buffer jogger 100, the upper guide 46, the lower guide 101, the abutting unit 103, and the like according to a control program stored in the ROM 121. Specifically, the CPU circuit unit 125 includes a driving unit 131 of the jogger 45, a driving unit 132 of the buffer jogger 100, a driving unit 133 of the upper guide 46, a driving unit 134 of the lower guide 101, and a driving unit 135 of the abutting unit 103. Etc., and control each operation. The RAM 122 temporarily stores control data and is used as a work area for arithmetic processing associated with control.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the sheet of the next sheet bundle can be received and held while the holding unit 60 is processing the previous sheet bundle. More specifically, even if the holding unit 60 is processing the previous sheet bundle with the jogger 45, the buffer jogger 100 above it can receive and hold the sheet of the next sheet bundle. The sheet bundle processed by the jogger 45 is dropped and stacked on the stack tray 50 below by moving the jogger 45 to the retracted position. Therefore, a small and inexpensive sheet processing apparatus can be provided, and the productivity of continuously processing the sheet bundle can be further improved.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 10A shows a perspective view of the sheet processing apparatus 40 according to the second embodiment, in which a portion for performing sheet processing is extracted. In FIG. 10A, the upper guide 46 is transmitted through. FIG. 10B is a perspective view of the lower guide 101 in the second embodiment.

  In this embodiment, during continuous stapling jobs, two lower guides 101 that are two on both sides in the width direction of the sheet in the first embodiment are further provided in the center in the width direction of the sheet, and a total of three lower guides 101 are provided. Is configured to move to a holding position or a retracted position. Since the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, members having equivalent functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  In the configuration in which only the both ends in the width direction of the sheet are supported by the lower guide 101 in the first embodiment, when the sheet is weak, the central portion in the sheet width direction is vertically below the support surface (holding surface) of the lower guide 101. You may be depressed. However, in the present embodiment, by adding the lower guide 101 that supports the lower surface of the center portion in the sheet width direction, even if the sheet is weak, the center of the sheet in the width direction is prevented from falling and more stable. Sheet conveyance and sheet delivery to the buffer jogger 100 are possible.

  In addition, since the configuration of the present embodiment only adds one lower guide used in the first embodiment, there is no significant cost increase and an effect can be expected.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 11A is a perspective view of a sheet processing apparatus 40 according to the third embodiment, in which a portion for performing sheet processing is extracted. In FIG. 11A, the upper guide 46 is transmitted through. FIG. 11B is a perspective view of the lower guide 101 in the third embodiment.

  In the above-described embodiment, the lower guide 101 serving as the second guide unit is provided so as to be movable in the sheet conveyance direction and moved to the holding position or the retracted position. However, the present invention is not limited to this. . In the present embodiment, during continuous stapling jobs, the lower guides 101 as the second guide portions are provided on both sides in the sheet width direction, and can be rotated from the retracted position below the discharge roller 43 toward the buffer jogger 100. It is configured. Specifically, the lower guide 101 rotates from the retracted position inside the alignment reference wall 48 toward the buffer jogger 100 and moves to the holding position, and conversely rotates to move to the retracted position. . Since the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, members having equivalent functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  In the first and second embodiments, since the lower guide 101 moves straight in the sheet conveying direction and appears and retracts, an apparatus size that accommodates the entire length of the lower guide 101 in the longitudinal direction is required in the apparatus. . On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, since the lower guide 101 only needs to be stored in the short direction in the apparatus, the size of the apparatus in the sheet conveyance direction can be further reduced.

  Further, in the driving method using the belt described in the first embodiment, the stable operation of the lower guide 101 and the position accuracy of the front end portion are determined by the position accuracy of the pulley, the length accuracy of the belt, the tension of the belt by them, and the like. Need to ensure. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the rotation fulcrum of the lower guide is fixed by a shaft, the operation is easy to stabilize, and the position accuracy of the tip portion is easy to ensure.

  As shown in FIG. 11B, the lower guide 101 according to the present embodiment is attached to the D cut shaft by driving the gear attached to the D cut portion at the other end of the shaft. It can be easily configured.

[Fourth Embodiment]
FIG. 12A shows a perspective view of a sheet processing apparatus 40 according to the fourth embodiment, in which a portion for performing sheet processing is extracted. In FIG. 12A, the upper guide 46 is transmitted through. FIG. 12B shows a perspective view of the lower guide 101 in the fourth embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, during the continuous stapling job, the lower guide 101 described in the third embodiment is configured so that the lower guide 101 serving as the second guide portion rotates from the inside of the alignment reference wall 48 to appear and retreat. Is a fan shape that is wide from the center of rotation toward the outside. Even in this configuration, the shape of the alignment reference wall 48 that houses the lower guide 101 is slightly changed. However, since the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to members having equivalent functions. The description is omitted.

  Since the lower guide 101 is fan-shaped, it is possible to support the lower surface of the substantially central portion in the width direction of the sheet, and it is possible to prevent the sheet with low waist from falling in the vertical direction. Thereby, not only the same effect as in the third embodiment can be obtained, but also more stable sheet conveyance can be expected as compared with the configuration in the third embodiment.

[Fifth Embodiment]
FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of the lower guide 101 in the fifth embodiment.

In the present embodiment, racks 110a and 110b are provided on members that support the lower guides 101 (101a and 101b) provided on both sides in the width direction of the sheet in the first embodiment, and the drive units 110c and 110c are engaged with the racks. 110d is arranged. Thereby, the lower guide 101 can be moved in the width direction.
In the configuration in which only the both ends in the width direction of the sheet are supported by the lower guide 101 in the first embodiment, when the sheet is weak, the central portion in the sheet width direction is vertically below the support surface (holding surface) of the lower guide 101. You may be depressed. However, in the present embodiment, since the lower guide 101 is provided so as to be movable in the width direction, even if the sheet is weak, the center of the sheet in the width direction is prevented from falling, and more stable sheet conveyance is possible. And sheet delivery to the buffer jogger 100 becomes possible.

[Sixth Embodiment]
FIG. 14 shows an extracted part of the sheet processing apparatus 40 according to the sixth embodiment that performs sheet processing. In FIG. 14, the upper guide 46 is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the downstream end portion of the lower guide 101 as the second guide portion in the sheet conveyance direction is substantially vertical to the upstream end portion of the buffer jogger 100 in the sheet conveyance direction, as shown in FIG. It is arranged above the direction. Further, the lower guides 101a and 101b as the second guide portions are arranged on the inner side in the sheet width direction of the buffer joggers 100a and 100b in the sheet width direction. Further, the buffer jogger 100 is formed in a tapered shape with an upstream end edge in the sheet conveying direction from the outer side to the inner side in the sheet width direction. Since the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, members having equivalent functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  With the above configuration, the sheet discharged by the discharge roller 43 is reliably delivered to the buffer jogger 100 at both ends in the sheet width direction. In addition, even when the center portion of the sheet falls downward in the vertical direction, the sheet can be picked up and delivered by the taper shape of the buffer jogger 100.

[Seventh Embodiment]
FIG. 15A is a perspective view of a sheet processing apparatus 40 according to the seventh embodiment, in which a portion for performing sheet processing is extracted. In FIG. 15A, the upper guide 46 is omitted. FIG. 15B is a sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus 40 according to the seventh embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the discharge roller 43 serving as the first discharge unit described in the first embodiment is a so-called comb roller pair in which a plurality of upper and lower rollers that sandwich the sheet are alternately arranged.

  With such a configuration, when a sheet is delivered onto the buffer jogger 100, the sheet is prevented from sagging at the center in the width direction, and the sheet is being aligned and bound on the jogger 45 constituting the first holding unit. Contact to the bundle can be prevented more reliably.

[Other Embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the sheet processing apparatus 40 has a controller as a control unit and is connected to the image forming apparatus main body 1 via a communication cable (not shown) and controlled is exemplified. Is not to be done. The sheet processing apparatus may be configured to be controlled by a controller as a control unit included in the image forming apparatus main body.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the guide portion 61 includes the upper guide 46 as the first guide portion and the lower guide 101 as the second guide portion is illustrated, but the configuration is not limited thereto. is not. The guide unit may have other configurations as long as the sheet discharged by the discharge roller 43 is guided and stacked on the jogger 45 or the buffer jogger 100.

  In the above-described embodiment, the sheet processing apparatus that is detachably connected to the image forming apparatus main body is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the image forming apparatus may be a sheet processing apparatus that is integrally provided, and the same effects can be obtained by applying the present invention to the sheet processing apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus may be an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copier, or a facsimile machine, or an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction machine that combines these functions. The same effect can be obtained by applying the present invention to a sheet processing apparatus used in these image forming apparatuses.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus main body 40 ... Sheet processing apparatus 43 ... Discharge roller (1st discharge means)
44 ... Processing stacking unit 45 ... Jogger (first holding unit)
46 ... Upper guide (first guide part)
49 ... Stapler (processing means)
50 ... Stack tray (loading means)
60 ... holding unit 61 ... guide part 100 ... buffer jogger (second holding part)
101 ... Lower guide (second guide part)
102 ... discharge belt (second discharge means)
103 ... abutting part (second discharging means)

Claims (12)

A sheet processing apparatus that performs processing on a conveyed sheet,
Discharging means for discharging the sheet;
A holding position that is provided so as to be movable in a width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction and holds both sides in the width direction of the sheet discharged by the discharge unit; and a restriction position that restricts a width direction end of the held sheet; A first holding unit that moves to a retracted position that does not hold the sheet;
A sheet that is provided so as to be movable in the width direction of the sheet and that holds the sheet that has been moved and held between a holding position that holds the sheet discharged by the discharging unit above the first holding unit and a retreat position that does not hold the sheet. A second holding part that drops onto one holding part;
A guide portion for guiding the sheet discharged by the discharge means to the first holding portion or the second holding portion;
Processing means for processing a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets held by the first holding unit;
A stacking unit that is provided below the first holding unit, and stacks the sheet bundle that has been dropped by moving the first holding unit to the retracted position;
Have
Holding the sheet conveyed while the preceding sheet bundle processed by the processing means is held by the first holding unit to the second holding unit by the guide unit;
After the first holding unit drops the preceding sheet bundle onto the stacking unit, the succeeding sheet bundle stacked on the second holding unit is formed by moving the second holding unit to the retracted position. The sheet is dropped onto the first holding unit, and the remaining sheets forming the succeeding sheet bundle on the first holding unit are guided to the first holding unit by the guide unit. Sheet processing device. The guide portion is
A first position that is provided above the discharge means and guides the sheet discharged by the discharge means to the first holding portion; and a second position that guides the sheet to the second holding portion. A first guide that moves;
A second position that is provided below the discharge means and holds the sheet discharged by the discharge means together with the second holding portion, and a second position that retreats from the hold position and moves to a retreat position that does not hold the sheet. A guide part;
Consists of
In the case of continuously processing a sheet bundle, the first holding unit in which the last sheet forming the preceding sheet bundle is stacked on the first holding unit and then the preceding sheet bundle is dropped onto the stacking unit. Until the first guide portion is moved to the second position and the second guide portion is moved to the holding position until the sheet forming the succeeding sheet bundle is moved to the second holding position. Loaded on the holding part,
After the first holding unit drops the preceding sheet bundle onto the stacking unit and returns to the holding position, the second holding unit and the second guide unit are moved to the retracted position, and the first holding unit is moved to the retraction position. The sheets forming the subsequent sheet bundle stacked on the second holding unit are dropped onto the first holding unit, and then the first guide unit is moved to the first position to form the subsequent sheet bundle. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the remaining sheets to be stacked are stacked on the first holding unit.   The second guide portions are provided on both sides in the width direction of the sheet, and are configured to be movable in the sheet conveyance direction from the retracted position below the discharge unit toward the second holding portion. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is characterized.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the second guide portion is further provided at a center in a width direction of the sheet.   The second guide portion is provided on both sides in the width direction of the sheet, and is configured to be rotatable from a retracted position below the discharge means toward the second holding portion. Item 3. The sheet processing apparatus according to Item 2.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second guide portion has a fan shape that is wide from the rotation center toward the outside.   The second guide portions are provided on both sides of the sheet in the width direction, and are configured to be movable in the width direction of the sheet from the retracted position below the discharge means toward the second holding portion. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is characterized.   The second guide portion has a downstream end portion in the sheet conveying direction disposed vertically above the upstream end portion in the sheet conveying direction of the second holding portion, and is inward in the sheet width direction from the second holding portion. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is disposed in the position.   A processing stacking unit that holds the sheet together with the first holding unit and holds the side on which the sheet bundle is processed is provided in the sheet processing apparatus upstream of the first holding unit and in the sheet conveying direction. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is provided.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a second discharge unit configured to discharge the sheet bundle held on the processing stacking unit toward the outside of the sheet processing apparatus.   11. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharging unit is a pair of rollers in which a plurality of rollers that sandwich the sheet are alternately arranged.   An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet; and the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 that processes an image-formed sheet.

Images