JP2011157170A - Paper processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve registration accuracy in a paper bundle, in a paper processing device for performing processing to the registered paper bundle. <P>SOLUTION: This paper processing device includes a paper stacking part for stacking the paper bundle A, a paper registering part having a pair of aligning members 241 oppositely arranged so that a mutual interval can be adjusted and abutting on a pair of opposed edge parts 2b of paper 2 on the paper stacking part and sandwiching and registering the paper bundle A by moving the aligning members 241, a processing unit 203 for performing the processing to the registered paper bundle A by moving on a moving passage along the opposed direction of the pair of aligning members 241 and regulating the moving passage by the aligning members 241 of putting the paper bundle A in a registering state, and a releasing part 253 for releasing regulation when the processing unit 203 performs the processing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus that is provided integrally with an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile machine or that is attached to the image forming apparatus and performs predetermined processing on a sheet.

  Conventionally, processing such as binding, forming a hole for filing, and adding information to a sheet on which an image is formed by an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile is performed. Various paper processing apparatuses are provided.

  Among such paper processing apparatuses, in a paper processing apparatus that accepts paper from an image forming apparatus and performs binding by aligning a bundle of paper in the width direction of the paper, the binding accuracy is the key to quality. Techniques for improving accuracy have been proposed. As this type of technique, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a technique for aligning sheets in the width direction by reciprocating at least one of the aligning members each time a sheet is stored in a storage unit.

JP 2009-143655 A

  Performing the aligning operation before binding the sheet bundle as in the technique described in Patent Document 1 is desirable in order to ensure the binding alignment accuracy. However, for example, in a paper processing apparatus that binds the corners of a sheet bundle, the jogger fence is provided outside the movement path of the binding unit because the binding unit moves to the corners of the sheet bundle. For this reason, when the binding unit binds the corners of the sheet bundle, the jogger fence cannot press the corners of the sheet bundle, and the accuracy of alignment of the sheet bundle is lowered.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to improve the accuracy of sheet bundle alignment in a sheet processing apparatus that performs processing on aligned sheet bundles.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention includes a sheet stacking unit that supports a sheet bundle formed by a plurality of sheets that are sequentially loaded and stacked, and a mutual interval between them. A pair of aligning members that are arranged so as to oppose each other and abut against a pair of opposing edges of the sheet on the sheet stacking unit, and move at least one of the aligning members to sandwich the sheet bundle The sheet aligning section to be aligned and the movement path along the opposing direction of the pair of aligning members are moved to perform processing on the aligned sheet bundle, and the movement path brings the sheet bundle into alignment. A processing unit that is regulated by the aligning member, and a release unit that releases the regulation when the processing unit performs the processing.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the accuracy of sheet bundle alignment in a sheet processing apparatus that performs processing on aligned sheet bundles.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal side view showing the overall configuration of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a driving roller of the paper introduction unit and its driving mechanism. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a part of the sheet processing unit. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the driving roller, the swing arm, and the hitting roller of the paper introduction unit. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration shown in FIG. 4 as viewed from the back side. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the swing arm and its drive mechanism. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the return roller and its drive mechanism. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the jogger fence and its surroundings. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the jogger fence and its surroundings. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the jogger fence in the sort mode. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the jogger fence in the stipple mode. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the paper discharge unit. FIG. 13 is a side view showing the sheet pressing portion and its periphery. FIG. 14 is a side view showing the sheet pressing portion and its periphery. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the paper discharge unit. FIG. 16: is a top view which shows the jogger fence of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and its periphery. FIG. 17 is a plan view showing the jogger fence and its surroundings. FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the structure of the jogger fence.

  Embodiments of a sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is attached to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile apparatus, and performs post-processing such as alignment processing and binding processing on sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet processing apparatus 1 includes a sheet introducing unit 100 that introduces a sheet 2 discharged from an image forming apparatus (not shown) into the apparatus, and a sheet 2 introduced by the sheet introducing unit 100. A sheet processing unit 200 that performs a binding process as a process, and a sheet discharge unit 300 that discharges the sheet 2 post-processed by the sheet processing unit 200 are provided. In the sheet processing apparatus 1, a conveyance path 3 is formed from the sheet receiving port 101 of the sheet introduction unit 100 to the sheet discharge tray 301 of the sheet discharge unit 300, and the sheet processing apparatus 1 extends along the conveyance path 3. The paper 2 is conveyed. The sheet processing apparatus 1 includes a control unit (not shown) having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a communication interface, and the like. The control unit drives and controls each unit of the sheet processing apparatus 1. The control unit is connected to the control unit of the image forming apparatus so that data communication is possible.

  The paper introduction unit 100 includes first to third guide plates 102, 103, and 104 that form an introduction conveyance path 3a that is a part of the conveyance path 3, and a conveyance unit that conveys the paper 2 along the introduction conveyance path 3a. 105. The second and third guide plates 103 and 104 are disposed above the first guide plate 102 so as to face the first guide plate 102. A paper inlet 101 is formed by the first guide plate 102 and the second guide plate 103 at the most upstream portion in the paper conveyance direction in the introduction conveyance path 3a. The discharged paper 2 is received. Further, the second guide plate 103 is rotatable about an end portion of the second guide plate 103 on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction, and the second guide plate 103 is rotated upward. Thus, a part of the introduction conveyance path 3a is opened. An inlet sensor 106 that detects the sheet 2 in the introduction conveyance path 3a is provided on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction at the sheet reception port 101.

  The transport unit 105 includes a first transport roller pair 111 and a second transport roller pair 112 arranged along the introduction transport path 3a. The first transport roller pair 111 is disposed downstream of the entrance sensor 106 in the paper transport direction. The second conveyance roller pair 112 is disposed on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction of the second conveyance roller pair 111 and in the vicinity of the exit of the introduction conveyance path 3a.

  The first and second transport roller pairs 111 and 112 have driving rollers 111a and 112a and driven rollers 111b and 112b, respectively. The driving rollers 111a and 112a are fixed to the driving shafts 113 and 114, respectively, as shown in FIG. The drive shafts 113 and 114 are connected to a stepping motor 117 as a drive source via a pulley 115 and a timing belt 116. Accordingly, the driving force of the stepping motor 117 is transmitted to the driving rollers 111a and 112a, and the driving rollers 111a and 112a rotate. The driven rollers 111b and 112b are supported by a supporting member (not shown) so as to be able to contact and separate from the driving rollers 111a and 112a, and are urged toward the driving rollers 111a and 112a by an urging member (not shown). In such a configuration, the rotating driving rollers 111a and 112a draw the sheet 2 conveyed from the upstream side between the driving rollers 111a and 112a and the driven rollers 111b and 112b, and the driven rollers 111b and 112b While sandwiching the sheet 2, the sheet 2 is conveyed to the sheet processing unit 200.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet processing unit 200 divides the stacking tray 201 as a sheet stacking unit that supports the sheet bundle A composed of the sheets 2 conveyed from the sheet introducing unit 100 and the sheet bundle A on the stacking tray 201. A sheet aligning unit 202 to be aligned, a binding unit 203 that performs a binding process on the sheet bundle A aligned by the sheet aligning unit 202, a discharge unit 204 that discharges the sheet 2 subjected to the binding process to the paper discharge tray 301, It has. The paper processing unit 200 is provided with a guide plate 205.

  In the stacking tray 201, a plurality of sheets 2 sequentially carried in from the sheet introducing unit 100 are stacked, and a sheet bundle A is formed by the plurality of sheets 2, and the stacking tray 201 supports the sheet bundle A.

  The sheet aligning unit 202 is configured to align the sheet 2 on the stacking tray 201 in the vertical direction (the width direction of the sheet 2 along the sheet conveying direction), and the sheet aligning unit 202 in the horizontal direction ( And a horizontal alignment unit 211 that performs alignment in the width direction of the sheet 2 perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction.

  The vertical alignment unit 210 includes a reference member 212 on which a vertical reference surface 212a that is a reference surface for vertical alignment of the paper 2 is formed, and a tapping roller that moves the paper 2 on the stacking tray 201 toward the vertical reference surface 212a. 213 and a return roller 214.

  As shown in FIG. 3, two reference members 212 are provided along the width direction of the conveyance path 3 orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction at a position downstream of the sheet return direction in the stacking tray 201. The reference member 212 is in contact with the first edge 2 a of the paper 2 on the stacking tray 201. Here, the first edge 2a of the paper 2 is one edge of the paper A in the paper width direction parallel to the paper transport direction. The paper return direction is the direction in which the paper 2 moves backward when the paper conveyance direction of the paper 2 by the paper introduction unit 100 is used as a reference.

  The reference member 212 is movable along the width direction of the transport path 3. Specifically, each reference member 212 is fixed to a slider 215, and each slider 215 is supported by a support member 216 extending in the width direction of the transport path 3 so as to be movable along the width direction of the transport path 3. Has been. A rack 217 is fixed to each slider 215, and the pair of racks 217 are connected to each other via a gear 218 disposed below the central portion in the width direction of the stacking tray 201. With this structure, the pair of reference members 212 moves symmetrically with respect to the gear 218, and the interval between the reference members 212 can be adjusted.

  Each reference member 212 is provided with a guide portion 212a. Each guide portion 212a is urged toward the central portion of the stacking tray 201 in the width direction of the stacking tray 201 by a guide portion spring (not shown). Further, the guide portion 212a can be hooked on a hook portion (not shown) of the binding unit 203. When the binding unit 203 moves toward the end of the stacking tray 201 in the width direction, the hook portion of the binding unit 203 moves against the urging force of the guide portion spring by hooking the inside of the guide portion 212a. The reference member 212 follows the binding unit 203. Thereby, the space | interval of a pair of reference member 212 spreads. On the other hand, when the binding unit 203 moves toward the center of the stacking tray 201, the reference member 212 moves in a direction approaching each other by the biasing force of the guide portion spring, and the interval between the reference members 212 is narrow. Become.

  4 and 5, the hitting roller 213 is attached to the tip of the swing arm 219, and the hitting roller 213 is discharged from the introduction conveyance path 3 a by the second conveyance roller pair 111. 2 above. The swing arm 219 swings around a drive shaft 113 provided for the second transport roller pair 111. Therefore, the hitting roller 213 swings with the swing arm 219 about the drive shaft 113. The hitting roller 213 is connected to a pulley 220 fixed to the drive shaft 113 via a timing belt 221, a pulley 222, a shaft 223, a pulley 224, and a timing belt 225. With this structure, the driving force of the stepping motor 117 (FIG. 2) is transmitted to the hitting roller 213, and the hitting roller 213 rotates in the same direction as the second driving roller 111a. As will be described later, the hitting roller 213 is in contact with the upper surface of the paper 2 on the stacking tray 201 and rotates to convey the paper 2 toward the vertical reference surface 212a. The hitting roller 213 is formed of an elastic friction member. Specifically, the hitting roller 213 is formed of a material (for example, a sponge material) having a friction coefficient capable of slipping on the surface of the paper 2 when the paper 2 hits the vertical reference surface 212a and the movement of the paper 2 is restricted. Yes.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the swing arm 219 is rotatably attached to the drive shaft 113. The swing arm 219 is biased toward the stacking tray 201 by its own weight or the like. Further, the swing arm 219 is held by a lever 226, and movement by its own weight toward the stacking tray 201 is restricted. The lever 226 reciprocates around an axis parallel to the drive shaft 113 in response to the driving force of the stepping motor 227 that is a drive source. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the lever 226 is formed with a link portion 226a, and the protrusion 229a of the cam 229 is engaged with the link portion 226a. The cam 229 is connected to the stepping motor 227 via the timing belt 228. With this structure, the rotational driving force of the stepping motor 227 is converted into the swing of the swing arm 219. When the lever 226 is rotated in one direction, the swing arm 219 and the hitting roller 213 are rotated toward the stacking tray 201, and when the lever 226 is rotated in the other direction, the swing arm 219 and The hitting roller 213 swings away from the stacking tray 201.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the return roller 214 is rotatably attached to a free end portion of a holder 230 that is rotatably attached to a drive shaft 114 provided for the second transport roller pair 111. ing. A gear 231 is fixed to the return roller 214. The gear 231 is connected to a gear 232 fixed to the drive shaft 114 via an intermediate gear 233. The intermediate gear 233 is rotatably attached to the holder 230. With this structure, the rotational driving force of the stepping motor 117 is transmitted to the return roller 214, and the return roller 214 rotates in the same direction as the drive roller 112a. The holder 230 is always urged toward the stacking tray 201 by its own weight and the weight of the return roller 214. The return roller 214 rotates while being in contact with the stacking tray 201 when there is no sheet 2 on the stacking tray 201. That is, the return roller 214 slips with respect to the stacking tray 201. The return roller 214 rotates in contact with the upper surface of the paper 2 on the stacking tray 201, thereby conveying the paper 2 toward the vertical reference surface 212a. The return roller 214 is formed of an elastic friction member. Specifically, the return roller 214 is formed of a material (for example, a sponge material) having a friction coefficient capable of slipping on the surface of the paper 2 when the paper 2 hits the vertical reference surface 212a and the movement of the paper 2 is restricted. Yes. A paper pressing member 234 is provided outside the return roller 214 on the drive shaft 114.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the horizontal alignment portion 211 has a pair of jogger fences 241 as a pair of alignment members. The pair of jogger fences 241 are arranged to face each other on the stacking tray 201 so that the distance between them can be adjusted. As shown in FIG. A pair of second edges 2b. Specifically, the jogger fence 241 contacts the end 2c of the second edge 2b of the paper 2 on the first edge 2a side. Here, the pair of edges 2b of the paper A are the edges of the paper 2 in the paper width direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction. Then, the sheet aligning unit 202 moves at least one (both in the present embodiment) jogger fence 241 to align the sheet bundle A.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the pair of jogger fences 241 have shapes that are plane-symmetric with each other. The jogger fence 241 has a contact surface 241 a that contacts the second edge 2 b of the sheet 2. The contact surface 241 a is located above the stacking tray 201. Each jogger fence 241 is movable along the width direction of the stacking tray 201 (the width direction of the paper transport path 3). The jogger fence 241 is guided in the width direction of the stacking tray 201 by a guide shaft (not shown) that is fixed to the stacking tray 201 and extends in the width direction of the stacking tray 201. Each jogger fence 241 is connected to stepping motors 242 and 243 via timing belts (not shown), and is driven along the width direction of the stacking tray 201 by forward and reverse rotation of the stepping motors 242 and 243. Perform a linear reciprocal movement. Each jogger fence 241 is driven independently. The stacking tray 201 is provided with home sensors 244 and 245 for detecting the jogger fence 241 located at the standby position.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the jogger fence 241 is rotatably supported by a support portion 250. The support portion 250 includes a support shaft 251 and a torsion spring 252 as an urging member that is externally attached to the support shaft 251, and a jogger fence 241 is fixed to one end of the torsion spring 252. The torsion spring 252 is restricted from moving in the axial direction of the support shaft 251. The support part 250 supports the jogger fence 241 so as to be retractable from the movement path of the binding unit 203. Further, the support shaft 251 is connected to the guide shaft (not shown) and is guided in the width direction of the stacking tray 201. The jogger fence 241 is connected via the torsion spring 252 and the support shaft 251. It is connected to the guide shaft (not shown). The jogger fence 241 is urged by the torsion spring 252 toward the center in the width direction of the stacking tray 201 (the center in the sheet width direction). The jogger fence 241 is restricted by a stopper (not shown) from moving toward the center in the width direction of the stacking tray 201 at a position where the contact surface 241a is along the sheet conveyance direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the discharge unit 204 includes an extruding member 261 and a timing belt 262 in which the extruding member 261 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface. The timing belt 262 is stretched between a driving roller 263 and a driven roller 264, and the timing belt 262 rotates when the driving roller 263 is driven to rotate by a motor. The pushing member 261 is located at a position (for example, the position shown in FIG. 1) retracted from the upper surface of the stacking tray 201 during the paper processing by the vertical alignment unit 210 and the horizontal alignment unit 211. In the discharge unit 204, the timing belt 262 rotates from the state where the pushing member 261 is located at the retracted position, so that the pushing member 261 pushes the rear end of the sheet bundle A (see FIG. 8) on the stacking tray 201. The sheet bundle A is discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 301. In FIG. 7, the pushing member 261 in the process of executing the discharging operation is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the binding unit 203 is disposed on the reference member 212 side in the stacking tray 201. The binding unit 203 moves on the movement path along the opposing direction of the pair of jogger fences 241 and performs processing on the aligned sheet bundle A. The movement path of the binding unit 203 is regulated by the jogger fence 241 that aligns the sheet bundle A. In other words, a part of the movement path of the binding unit 203 overlaps with the arrangement area of the jogger fence 241.

  Specifically, the binding unit 203 is supported by a guide member (not shown) so as to be movable along the width direction of the stacking tray 201. The binding unit 203 is moved along the width direction of the stacking tray 201 by a driving mechanism (not shown). The binding unit 203 includes a driver unit 203a that drives out the needle and a clincher unit 203b that bends the tip of the needle that has been driven into the sheet bundle A. The binding unit 203 performs binding processing on an area 2e sandwiched between the pair of jogger fences 241 when the sheet aligning unit 202 is aligned in the sheet bundle A aligned on the stacking tray 201 and aligned by the sheet aligning unit 202. The sheet processing unit 200 is provided with a sensor (not shown) that detects the binding unit 203 located at a predetermined home position.

  The operation of the sheet processing unit 200 having the above configuration will be described. The operations of the following units are performed under the control of the control unit.

  As shown in FIG. 10, first, when the control unit receives a paper discharge signal from the image forming apparatus, the jogger fence 241 moves to the receiving position according to the width-direction size of the paper that is carried in (( 1)). Specifically, the jogger fence 241 moves to a position where the distance from the reference position is, for example, half the width of the paper 2 +7 mm and stops. This position is the receiving position. The reference position is an intermediate position between the pair of jogger fences 241 and a center position in the width direction of the stacking tray 201.

  When the processing mode is the shift mode, the trailing edge of the sheet 2 passes through the second conveying roller pair 111, and the tapping roller 213 starts rotating. At the same time, each jogger fence 241 moves 5 mm toward the reference position. Then stop. Therefore, at this time, the distance between the contact surface 241a of each jogger fence 241 and the reference position is the length of the half of the width of the sheet 2 + 2 mm ((2) and (3) in FIG. 10). Further, the rear end of the sheet 2 is brought into contact with the reference member 212 by the rotating hitting roller 213 and the return roller 214, and at the same time, each jogger fence 241 moves 2 mm toward the reference position. In other words, the distance between the pair of jogger fences 241 is the same as the width of the sheet 2, so that the jogger fence 241 aligns the sheets 2 in the center of the stacking tray 201 in the width direction of the stacking tray 201 (in FIG. 10). (4)). At this time, the pair of reference members 212 are positioned symmetrically with respect to the central portion in the width direction of the sheet 2.

  Next, the jogger fence 241 moves again to the receiving position and stops ((5) in FIG. 10), waits for the next paper 2 to be carried in, repeats the above operation for the sequentially loaded paper 2, and then bundles the paper A is aligned at the center of the stacking tray 201 ((6) in Fig. 10) After the sheets 2 are aligned, the pair of jogger fences 241 has a sheet bundle A and one side in the width direction of the stacking tray 201, for example 15 mm. The sheet is moved and the center in the width direction of the sheet 2 is offset by 15 mm from the center in the width direction of the stacking tray 201 ((7) in FIG. 10) This movement is referred to as offset movement. Then, the sheet bundle A on the stacking tray 201 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 301 ((8) in FIG. 10), and the jogger fence 241 moves again to the receiving position ((9) in FIG. 10). If the loading of the paper is completed, the jogger fence 241 is moved to the home position (in FIG. 10 (10)).

  The jogger fence 241 changes the direction of the offset movement to the direction opposite to the direction of the previous offset movement every time the sheet bundle A is aligned. As a result, the plurality of sheet bundles A are shifted and stacked on the sheet discharge tray 301 by repeating the above operation.

  When the processing mode is the binding mode, the alignment operation of the sheets 2 is the same as the sort mode. However, when the alignment of the predetermined number of sheets 2 is completed, as shown in FIG. The binding process is performed at a predetermined position of the sheet, and the sheet bundle A on which the binding process has been performed is discharged onto the discharge tray 301 by the pushing member 261 as in the sort mode.

  In this binding mode, the binding unit 203 is positioned between the pair of jogger fences 241 while being separated from the pair of jogger fences 241 as shown in FIG. 2 between the two edges 241a. When binding is performed on the corner of the sheet bundle A after the alignment of the sheet bundle A is completed, the binding unit 203 moves toward the corner c of the sheet 2 and stops at a predetermined binding position. The corner c of the sheet bundle A is bound. In this moving process, the binding unit 203 abuts on one jogger fence 241 and rotates the entire jogger fence 241 around the support shaft 251 while pressing the jogger fence 241, thereby moving the jogger fence 241. The binding unit 203 is retracted from the moving path. As a result, the restriction on the movement path of the binding unit 203 by the jogger fence 241 that aligns the sheet bundle A is released (FIG. 9). Here, the binding unit 203 and the support shaft 251 constitute a release unit 253 that releases the restriction of the movement path of the binding unit 203 by the jogger fence 241 that aligns the sheet bundle A.

  The operation timing of each of the above parts is controlled by time management after the entrance sensor 106 detects the passage of the rear end of the sheet 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the paper discharge unit 300 includes a paper discharge tray 301 for stacking the paper 2 discharged from the stacking tray 201, and an elevating mechanism 302 (FIG. 12) that lifts and lowers the paper discharge tray 301. And a pressing portion 303 (FIGS. 13 and 14) for pressing the paper 2 on the paper discharge tray 301 from above.

  The paper discharge tray 301 is disposed on an extension of the upper surface of the stacking tray 201 and receives the paper 2 discharged from the stacking tray 201 on the upper surface. An end fence 304 is disposed substantially vertically on the stacking tray 201 side of the paper discharge tray 301.

  The elevating mechanism 302 has a pair of support members 311 to which the paper discharge tray 301 is fixed. The support member 311 is connected to the drive shaft 314 via the timing belt 312 and the pulley 313. A gear (not shown) is fitted to the drive shaft 314, and the drive shaft 314 is connected to a DC motor 315 as a drive source via the gear. The elevating mechanism 302 having this structure converts the rotating operation of the DC motor 315 into the elevating operation of the support member 311 to elevate the paper discharge tray 301.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the pressing unit 303 includes a sheet pressing arm 321 and an arm driving mechanism 322 that drives the sheet pressing arm 321. The paper pressing arm 321 is driven by the arm driving mechanism 322 and passes through the opening 304 a formed in the end fence 304.

  The arm drive mechanism 322 includes a support arm 323 that rotatably supports the paper pressing arm 321, a lever 325 coupled to the support arm 323 via a rotation shaft 324, and a solenoid 326 that drives the lever 325. Have. The lever 325 is fixed to the rotating shaft 324, and the rotating shaft 324 is rotatably attached to the end fence 304. The support arm 323 is rotatably attached to the rotation shaft 324. A paper pressing arm 321 is rotatably connected to the support arm 323 via a rotation fulcrum shaft 327. The paper pressing arm 321 is urged toward the paper discharge tray 301 by a spring 328 attached to the rotation fulcrum shaft 327. The sheet pressing arm 321 biased by the spring 328 is restricted from moving toward the sheet discharge tray 301 by a stopper (not shown), and maintains a predetermined angle with respect to the support arm 323 (FIGS. 10 and 11).

  The arm driving mechanism 322 has a pressure spring (not shown) that urges the paper pressing arm 321 and the support arm 323 toward the paper discharge tray 301. The front end pressing portion 321 a provided at the front end portion of the paper pressing arm 321 presses the paper discharge tray 301 or the paper 2 stacked on the paper discharge tray 301 by the urging force of the pressure spring. Further, the support arm 323 urged by the pressure spring is restricted from moving toward the sheet discharge tray 301 by the lever 325, whereby the support arm 323 rotates together with the lever 325.

  The solenoid 326 is connected to one end of the lever 325. The operation of the solenoid 326 causes the lever 325 to reciprocate at a constant angle, whereby the lever 325 rotates the support arm 323 and the paper pressing arm 321. The solenoid 326 is a DC solenoid, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the sheet pressing arm 321 stops at a position where the leading end pressing portion 321 a protrudes from a sheet alignment surface 304 b formed on the outer surface of the end fence 304 as a guide position. In this state, the upper surface of the sheet pressing arm 321 supports the sheet 2 discharged from the sheet aligning unit 202 and guides the sheet 2 to the sheet discharge tray 301. Here, in order to smoothly discharge the sheet bundle A discharged from the sheet aligning unit 202 without buckling, the upper surface of the sheet pressing arm 321 is positioned at the same height as the stacking tray 201.

  Further, during the sheet discharge operation of the sheet aligning unit 202, the sheet pressing arm 321 has the leading end pressing unit 321a from the sheet aligning surface 304b of the end fence 304 by the suction operation of the solenoid 326, as shown in FIG. It retreats while rotating around the rotation fulcrum shaft 327 to a position completely retracted inside 304 (retreat position). At this time, the sheet pressing arm 321 contacts the guide part 201a provided on the back surface of the stacking tray 201 and retracts along the guide part 201a. Accordingly, since the sheet pressing arm 321 does not protrude from the stacking tray 201, the sheet bundle A from which the sheet pressing arm 321 is released is not pushed up.

  The end fence 304 is provided with a paper height detection sensor 330 that detects the height position of the paper 2 stacked on the stacking tray 201. As the discharge tray 301 rises, the upper surface of the sheets 2 stacked on the discharge tray 301 pushes up the front end pressing portion 321 a of the sheet pressing arm 321 protruding from the end fence 304. The paper height detection sensor 330 detects the height position of the paper 2 stacked on the paper discharge tray 301 by detecting the detection part 323a of the support arm 323 that rotates in response to the push-up of the leading end pressing part 321a. To do.

  Next, the operation of the paper discharge unit 300 will be described. As shown in FIG. 15, when the sheet 2 is carried into the sheet aligning unit 202 by the second conveyance roller pair 111, the sheet discharge tray 301 is positioned at the standby position. This standby position is a position where the paper discharge tray 301 pushes up the front end pressing portion 321a of the paper pressing arm 321 and the paper height detection sensor 330 detects the detection portion 323a, or a position where the height is increased by a predetermined height from that position. is there. With the sheet discharge tray 301 positioned at this standby position, the sheet processing unit 200 performs the alignment operation and the binding operation of the sheet bundle A. Then, the sheet bundle A pushed out from the stacking tray 201 by the pushing member 261 moving forward is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 301 while being supported by the upper surface of the sheet pressing arm 321 ((1) in FIG. 15).

  Simultaneously with the pushing member 261 moving forward and stopping, the solenoid 326 performs a suction operation. As a result, the leading end pressing portion 321a of the sheet pressing arm 321 rotates to the position where it is completely retracted inside the end fence 304 ((2) in FIG. 15). At the same time as the pushing member 261 moves forward and stops, the DC motor 315 starts driving, lowers the discharge tray 301 by a predetermined distance, and drops the sheet bundle A onto the discharge tray 301 (FIG. 15). (3)). As a result, the sheet bundle A is stacked on the sheet discharge tray 301. Further, the solenoid 326 is turned off at the same time as the paper discharge tray 301 is lowered and stopped by a predetermined amount, so that the front end pressing portion 321a protrudes again from the end fence 304 toward the paper discharge tray 301 (in FIG. 15). (3), (4), (5)). Immediately after this, the sheet discharge tray 301 is raised ((6) in FIG. 15, whereby the upper surface of the sheet bundle A stacked on the sheet discharge tray 301 pushes up the leading end pressing portion 321a ((( 7)) When the paper height detection sensor 330 detects the detection unit 323a as the leading end pressing unit 321a is pushed up, the paper discharge tray 301 is stopped at that time, or the detection unit 323a of the detection sensor detects the detection unit 323a. The leading edge pressing portion 321a presses the rear end portion of the sheet bundle A, and the sheet discharge section 300 waits until the next sheet bundle is discharged. The sheet bundle A is discharged to the sheet discharge tray 301 while being supported by the upper surface of the sheet pressing arm 321 and stacked on the previous sheet bundle A ((8) in FIG. 15).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the movement path of the binding unit 203 is regulated by the jogger fence 241 that aligns the sheet bundle A. That is, the jogger fence 241 is positioned on the movement path of the binding unit 203 to align the sheet bundle A. After the alignment, the restriction is released by the release unit 253, and the binding process unit 203 performs the binding process on the sheet bundle A. Therefore, in the sheet processing apparatus 1 that performs processing on the aligned sheet bundle A, the alignment accuracy of the sheet bundle A can be improved. At this time, in the present embodiment, the jogger fence 241 contacts the end 2c of the sheet 2 on the stacking tray 201 to align the pair of second edges 2b of the plurality of sheets. Thereafter, the binding processing unit 203 performs binding processing on the sheet bundle A. Therefore, when binding processing is performed on the corner portion of the sheet bundle A, high binding alignment accuracy can be ensured.

  In the present embodiment, the release unit 253 includes a support unit 250 and a binding processing unit 203 that support the jogger fence 241 so as to be retractable from the movement path of the binding processing unit 203. Then, the binding processing unit 203 presses the jogger fence 241 to retract from the movement path of the binding processing unit 203. Therefore, the release unit 253 can be realized with a relatively simple configuration.

  In the present embodiment, the release unit 253 retracts the entire jogger fence 241 from the movement path of the binding processing unit 203. Therefore, the structure of the jogger fence 241 can be simplified as compared with the case where a part of the jogger fence 241 is retracted from the movement path of the binding processing unit 203.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, the same code | symbol is provided to the same part as 1st Embodiment, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the structure of a jogger fence 241A as shown in FIGS.

  The jogger fence 241A of the present embodiment includes a retracting part 241b and a non-retracting part 241c. In other words, the jogger fence 241A is divided into a retreating part 241b and a non-retreating part 241c. The retracting unit 241b is positioned on the movement path of the binding unit 203, and the non-retracting unit 241c is positioned outside the moving path of the binding unit 203. And the support part 250 is supporting only the retracting part 241b so that rotation is possible. In addition, the non-retracting portion 241c is connected to the guide shaft (not shown) without the support shaft 251 and does not rotate.

  Then, the binding unit 203 constituting the release unit 253 moves only the retreat unit 241b of the jogger fence 241A, and retreats the retreat unit 241b from the movement path of the processing unit 203. At this time, the non-retracting portion 241c does not rotate even when the retracting portion 241b is pressed by the binding unit 203, and maintains the posture for regulating the sheet bundle A.

  Here, the positional relationship between the jogger fence 241A and the rotation center 250a of the jogger fence 241A will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 18A, at least a part of the jogger fence 241A rotated by the release portion 253 (in this embodiment, the retracting portion 241b) is a facing direction of the pair of jogger fences 241. When the rotation center 250a is positioned on the side opposite to the reference member 212 side (binding unit 203 side), the retreating portion 241b of one rotating jogger fence 241A is rotated during the rotation. , It jumps out to the other jogger fence 241A side. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 18B, the entire portion of the jogger fence 241A that is rotated by the release portion 253 (the retracting portion 241b in the present embodiment) is the facing direction of the pair of jogger fences 241A. Therefore, it is desirable to be located on the reference member 212 side in the rotation center 250a of the rotation. In other words, it is desirable that the dividing line L of the retreating part 241b and the non-retreating part 241c in the jogger fence 241A is located closer to the binding unit 203 than the rotation center 241b. By adopting such a structure, the retracting portion 241b of one rotating jogger fence 241A does not jump out to the other jogger fence 241A side. Note that this configuration may be incorporated in the first embodiment, and in this case, the portion rotated by the release portion 253 is the entire jogger fence 241.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the jogger fence 241A has the retracting portion 241b positioned on the moving path of the binding unit 203 and the non-retracting portion 241c positioned outside the moving path of the binding unit 203. The unit 253 moves only the retracting unit 241b of the jogger fence 241A. Accordingly, since the non-retracting portion 241c restricts the movement of the sheet bundle A even during the binding operation of the binding processing unit 203, the disturbance of the sheet bundle A due to the binding operation of the binding processing unit 203 can be suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, the release unit 253 retreats the jogger fence 241A from the movement path of the binding processing unit 203 by rotating at least a part (specifically, the retreat unit 241b) of the jogger fence 241A. Let The entire portion of the jogger fence 241A that is rotated by the release portion 253 (the retracting portion 241b) is located on the reference member 212 side at the center of the rotation in the opposing direction of the pair of jogger fences 241A. Therefore, the retreating part 241b of one rotating jogger fence 241A does not jump out to the other jogger fence 241A side, so that the sheet bundle A can be prevented from being disturbed by the retreating operation of the jogger fence 241A.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various other embodiments can be adopted without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the sheet processing apparatus may be provided integrally with the image forming apparatus. The processing unit may be a punching unit that punches holes in a sheet bundle. Further, the release unit is not limited to the binding unit that rotates the jogger fence, and for example, the jogger fence may be rotated by an actuator that is a separate member from the jogger fence. Alternatively, only one of the pair of jogger fences may be moved to align the sheet bundle.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Paper processing apparatus 2 ... Paper 2b ... Paper edge 201 ... Loading tray (paper stacking part)
202: Paper alignment unit 203 ... Binding unit (processing unit)
212 ... Reference member 241 ... Jogger fence (alignment member)
241b ... Retracting portion 241c ... Non-retracting portion 250 ... Supporting portion 250a ... Rotation center of jogger fence 253 ... Release portion A ... Paper bundle

Claims (6)

A paper stacking unit that supports a stack of sheets formed by a plurality of sheets that are sequentially loaded and stacked;
A pair of aligning members that are arranged opposite to each other so that the distance between them can be adjusted and abut against a pair of opposing edges of the sheet on the sheet stacking unit, and the sheet is moved by moving at least one of the aligning members A sheet aligning section that aligns the stack, and
The movement path along the opposing direction of the pair of alignment members moves to process the aligned sheet bundle, and the movement path is regulated by the alignment member that aligns the sheet bundle. A processing unit,
When the processing unit performs the processing, a release unit that releases the restriction;
A paper processing apparatus comprising:   The release unit includes a support unit that supports the aligning member so as to be retractable from the moving path and the processing unit, and the processing unit presses the aligning member to retract from the moving path. The paper processing apparatus as described.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the release unit retracts the entire alignment member from the movement path. The alignment member has a retracting portion located on the moving path and a non-retracting portion located outside the moving path,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the release unit moves only the retracting portion of the alignment member. The release unit retreats the alignment member from the movement path of the processing unit by rotating at least a part of the alignment member,
2. The entire portion of the alignment member that is rotated by the release portion is positioned on the reference member side in the rotation center in the opposing direction of the pair of alignment members. Paper processing equipment.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the process is a binding process.

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