JP2011251776A - Paper processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To set even a paper sheet folded and loaded on a paper feeding table within a horizontal level of the top surface.SOLUTION: A paper processing device includes a paper receiver (3) which loads paper sheets discharged from a printing processing part on a paper receiver (21). The device includes: a control part for the control to stop at least a paper feeding operation of a paper feeding part when the height of paper sheets loaded on the paper receiver (21) reaches the height limit selected from a plurality of specified height limits; and an input unit such as an operation panel for the input of one height limit selected from the plurality of height limits to the control part. The plurality of specified height limits can be switched over between (H1), the first loading height limit for loading unfolded single kind of paper sheets, and the second loading height limit (H2) lower than the first loading height limit (H1) for loading folded single kind of paper sheets or a bundle of paper sheets with uneven thickness.

Description

The present invention provides a paper processing unit including a paper feeding unit that feeds paper, a paper processing unit that performs paper processing such as printing, folding, bookbinding (booklet production), and a paper receiving unit that stacks the processed paper. Relates to the device.

  As a sheet processed by a sheet processing apparatus, for example, a stencil printing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 19, in addition to a single flat sheet P0 having a uniform thickness and no crease, an envelope P1 as illustrated in FIG. Various forms of paper or booklets such as the folding papers P2 to P4 as shown in FIGS. 21 to 23 and the booklet P5 bound with a plurality of papers as shown in FIG. 24 are printed. An envelope P1 shown in FIG. 20 has a fold A1 on four sides and an X-shaped triple overlapping portion B1, and the folding sheets P2 to P4 shown in FIGS. 21 to 23 also have a plurality of folds A1 and a triple overlapping portion. B2 etc. exist, and the booklet P5 shown in FIG. 24 has a binding portion C1 having a large thickness at the end. Further, as the sheet processing apparatus, a sheet capable of producing folded sheets P2 to P4 by performing processing such as cutting, folding and folding of a single sheet P0 without a fold as shown in FIG. 19 in one apparatus. There are a processing apparatus, a sheet processing apparatus capable of producing a booklet P5 by performing processing such as cutting and bonding of a single sheet P0 without a crease in one apparatus as shown in FIG.

  In the printing operation, a large number of envelopes P1, folding sheets P2, P3, P4, and booklets P5 are stacked on the sheet feeding table and fed one by one or one bundle, like the flat single sheet P0. Are printed in the print processing unit and stacked on the paper receiving unit. When the state where the printed envelope P1 and the like on the paper tray reaches a predetermined stacking limit height is detected by a paper height sensor or the like, the paper feeding unit is stopped. Conventional documents include Patent Documents 1 and 2.

JP-A-11-43258 Japanese Patent Publication No.62-14457

  When a single flat sheet P0 having no creases or the like shown in FIG. 19 is printed, the printed sheets P0 stacked on the paper tray 100 are stacked without tilting as shown in FIG. The uppermost sheet P0 is always maintained in a flat posture.

  On the other hand, when the envelope P1, the folding sheets P2 to P4, and the booklet P5 as shown in FIGS. 20 to 24 are printed, the thickness is increased due to the presence of the fold A1, the overlapping portions B1 and B2, or the binding portion C1. Since it is not uniform, as shown in FIG. 26, as the stacking height on the paper tray 100 becomes higher, the uppermost envelope P1 and the like are greatly inclined.

  The paper receiving unit 100 of the conventional stencil printing apparatus sets the stacking limit height H1 on the paper receiving table 100 as shown in FIG. 25 with reference to a single flat sheet P0 as shown in FIG. When the paper P0 reaches the paper stacking limit height H1, the position of the uppermost paper P0 is detected by an optical sensor, or when the paper receiving tray 100 is an elevator type, the lowering amount of the paper receiving tray 100 is detected. Thus, the sheet feeding operation by the sheet feeding unit has been stopped.

  However, in the case of printing the envelope P1, the folded sheets P2 to P4 and the booklet P5 as shown in FIGS. 20 to 24, when the stack is stacked up to the same stacking limit height H1 as that of the flat sheet P0, the thickness is reduced. Due to the non-uniformity, the uppermost envelope P1 etc. is greatly inclined and when the guide plates 101 on both sides are removed when taking out from the paper tray 100, the loaded envelope P1 etc. collapses and is neatly aligned It was difficult to take out.

(Object of invention)
An object of the present invention is to allow a sheet to be loaded on a paper receiving tray to collapse by allowing a stacking limit height to be set in accordance with the form of a sheet to be processed such as printing, particularly the uniformity of thickness. It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper processing apparatus that can be taken out in a neatly arranged state.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a paper feeding unit that feeds paper stacked on a paper feeding table one by one or one bundle, a print processing unit that processes the fed paper, And a paper receiving unit that stacks the paper discharged from the print processing unit on the paper receiving tray, and the paper stacked on the paper receiving tray has a predetermined height limit. A control unit that controls to stop the sheet feeding operation of at least the sheet feeding unit when the selected limit height is reached, and selects and inputs one of the plurality of limit heights to the control unit Input means, and the plurality of predetermined limit heights include a first stacking limit height when a single sheet without folds is stacked, and a single sheet having a fold or a thickness of In the case of stacking a uniform sheet bundle, it is lower than the first stacking limit height 2 loading in height, is freely switched.

The present invention can apply the following configurations in the paper processing apparatus.
(A) a first sheet height sensor that detects the first stacking limit height; and a second sheet height sensor that detects the second stacking limit height; When the second sheet height sensor detects the second stacking limit height, and when the first sheet height sensor detects the first stacking limit height, at least the sheet feeding unit Stop the operation.

(B) The paper cradle is configured to be movable up and down, and is controlled by the control unit so as to descend in accordance with an increase in paper on the paper cradle, so that the first and second paper heights The sensor is configured to detect each stacking limit height by detecting a descending position or a descending amount of the paper tray.

(C) The input means is an inclination detection sensor that detects whether the uppermost sheet of the sheets stacked on the sheet feeding unit is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, and the control unit detects the inclination detection When the sensor detects that the sensor is tilted by a predetermined amount or more, the second paper height sensor is switched on.

(D) The input means is a manual key or button on the operation panel unit, and the manual key or button is used to switch to an arbitrary stacking height limit.

(E) The second stacking limit height detected by the second sheet height sensor can be changed.

(F) The height of the paper cradle is fixed, and the first and second paper height sensors are set so as to directly detect the respective stacking limit heights of the paper on the paper cradle. Has been.

(G) When the control unit has reached the number of sheets fed, the number of bundles fed, the number of ejected sheets or the number of ejected bundles corresponding to the first and second stacking limit heights, It is configured to stop operation.

  According to the present invention, (1) the sheets stacked when taking out the stacked sheets are not collapsed according to various types of sheets such as a single sheet without a fold, an envelope, a folded sheet, or a booklet. When the stacking height on the paper tray is set and the paper feed unit is stopped when each of the set stacking heights is reached, stacking paper with non-uniform thickness on the paper tray However, it can be taken out in the state of being stacked up to the maximum stacking height allowable for each sheet without falling down, and processing operations such as printing operations can be performed efficiently.

(2) If the first and second sheet height sensors for detecting the first and second stacking limit heights are provided as in the configuration requirement (a), the first and second sheet height sensors are surely adapted to the form of each sheet. The paper feed unit can be stopped when the paper has been stacked up to the maximum paper limit.

(3) When the first and second stacking limit heights are indirectly detected by detecting the lowered position or the lowered amount of the elevator-type paper cradle as in the component requirement (b), the topmost sheet Regardless of the state, the sheet feeding unit can always be surely stopped at a predetermined stacking height limit.

(4) As in the configuration requirement (c), when the sheet feeding unit automatically detects the inclination of the stacked sheets and sets the stacking limit height, the setup operation before the processing operation is performed. Becomes easier.

(5) As in the configuration requirement (d), when the stacking limit height is set by operating the keys or buttons on the operation panel unit, the stacking limit is set while the operator confirms the paper type. You can set the height.

(6) By making the second stacking limit height changeable as in the configuration requirement (e), it is finely set to a stacking limit height suitable for each of various types (forms) of paper. it can.

(7) When the paper cradle is fixed as in the component requirement (f), the fixed paper cradle is simply detected by directly detecting the stacking height of the paper on the paper cradle. However, it is possible to set and control the load limit height.
(8) As in the configuration requirement (g), when at least the sheet feeding unit is stopped when the number of sheets fed corresponding to each stacking limit height is reached, the height sensor becomes unnecessary. .

1 is a perspective view of a stencil printing apparatus, which is a paper processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of the stencil printing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a paper receiving portion of the stencil printing apparatus of FIG. 1 as viewed from above in a paper transport direction side (front side). FIG. 4 is a front view of the paper receiving portion of FIG. 3 as viewed from the paper conveyance direction side (front side). FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the paper receiving portion of FIG. 3 as viewed from above on the side opposite to the paper transport direction (rear side). FIG. 4 is a rear view of the paper receiving portion of FIG. 3 as viewed from the side opposite to the paper transport direction (rear side). FIG. 5 is a front view of the same paper receiver as in FIG. 4, showing a state in which the paper receiver is lowered to a position corresponding to the first stacking limit height. It is a side view of the paper receiving part of the same state as FIG. FIG. 5 is a front view of the same paper receiver as in FIG. 4, showing a state in which the paper receiver is lowered to a position corresponding to the second stacking height limit. FIG. 10 is a side view of the paper receiver in the same state as in FIG. 9. It is a front view of the paper receiving part which shows the state which opened the upper cover. It is a top view which shows one state of the display surface of an operation panel. It is a top view which shows another state of the display surface of an operation panel. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the paper receiving portion according to the second embodiment of the present invention in a state where the paper receiving tray is lowered to a position corresponding to the second stacking limit height, as in FIG. 9. It is a front view of the paper receiving part of FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a stencil printing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the stencil printing paper of FIG. It is the 4th Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a rear view of the paper feed part of a stencil printing apparatus. It is a perspective view of a flat single sheet without a fold. It is a perspective view of a western envelope. It is a perspective view which shows an example of folding paper. It is a perspective view which shows an example of folding paper. It is a perspective view which shows an example of folding paper. It is a perspective view of a booklet. FIG. 20 is a front view showing a state in which the sheets of FIG. 19 are stacked on a paper tray. FIG. 25 is a front view showing a state where the envelopes of FIGS. 20 to 24 are stacked on a paper tray.

[First Embodiment of the Invention]
1 to 13 show a stencil printing apparatus as an example of a paper processing apparatus according to the present invention, and an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on these drawings.

(Overview of stencil printing machine)
In FIG. 1, which is an overall perspective view of the stencil printing apparatus, for convenience of explanation, the paper conveyance direction F is referred to as “front”, and the horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction when viewed from the rear is referred to as “left-right direction”. To do. The stencil printing apparatus includes a printing processing unit (paper processing unit) 1, a paper feeding unit 2 disposed on the rear side of the printing processing unit 1, and a paper receiving unit 3 disposed on the front side of the printing processing unit 1. It is equipped with. The print processing unit 1 includes a transport mechanism that transports the paper in the transport direction F, a stencil printing mechanism that includes a printing plate cylinder, a pressing roller, and the like, and a control unit 6. An operation panel (an example of an input unit) 5 having operation keys or operation buttons is provided at the upper end of the print processing unit 1 on the operation side (right side as viewed from the back). An operation panel 5 and sensors described later are electrically connected to the input unit of the control unit 6, and an output unit of the control unit 6 includes a paper feeding unit 2, a print processing unit 1, and a paper receiving unit 3. Each drive unit is electrically connected, and each operation unit is controlled based on input signals from the operation panel 5 and each sensor.

  In FIG. 2, which is a right side view of the stencil printing apparatus, the paper feed unit 2 includes an elevator-type liftable paper feed base 11 and an air adsorption type paper feed belt mechanism disposed above the paper feed base 11. 12, a pair of left and right side guide plates 13 for restricting the left and right side end positions of the stacked paper P (collectively referred to as “P” in FIG. 19 to FIG. 24), and the back of the stacked paper P A rear end guide 14 for regulating the end position is provided. The air suction type paper feeding belt mechanism 12 sucks the uppermost paper P on the paper feed tray 11 and feeds it forward (conveying direction F), thereby supplying the paper P one by one to the print processing unit 2. .

(Configuration of the paper receiver)
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the paper receiving portion 3 as viewed from the upper right front. The paper receiving portion 3 includes an elevator-type paper receiving base 21 that can be moved up and down, and a pair of front and rear that supports the paper receiving base 21 so that it can be moved up and down. The column bases 22, 23, the support bases 22 a, 23 a formed integrally with the lower end portions of the respective column bases 22, 23, and the upper end portions of both column bases 22, 23 are rotated upward via the rotation shaft 25. And an upper cover 26 that is freely supported.

  On the lower surface of the upper cover 26, a pair of left and right side guide plates 30 that regulate the positions of the left and right side edges of the stacked paper and a front end guide plate 31 that regulates the front edge of the stacked paper are provided so as to protrude downward. Each side guide plate 30 and the rear end guide 31 can move upward integrally with the upper cover 26 by rotating the upper cover 26 about the rotation shaft 25 upward as shown in FIG. It is like that. Further, the both side guide plates 30 can be adjusted in the left-right direction position according to the width of the paper, and the front end guide 31 can be adjusted in the front-back direction position according to the front-rear length of the paper.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the paper tray 21 is placed on a lifting platform 36 having a pair of front and rear fork claws 36 a, and a substantially vertical vertical wall 36 b is integrally formed at the left end of the fork claws 36 a. The front and rear ends of the vertical wall 36b are supported by guide rails 34 provided on the column bases 22 and 23 so as to be movable up and down. In other words, the paper receiving tray 21 is supported by the column bases 22 and 23 via the lifting platform 36 so as to be movable up and down.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding unit 3 as viewed from the upper right rear, and a driving piece 38 that projects into the column bases 22 and 23 is integrated with the front and rear ends of the vertical wall 36b of the lifting platform 36. Each drive piece 38 is connected to front and rear chain type drive mechanisms 41 and 42 (see FIGS. 4 and 6) disposed in the respective column bases 22 and 23.

  FIG. 6 is a rear view of the paper receiver 3, and the rear chain drive mechanism 42 is disposed at a lower end of the fixed sprocket 51 and a fixed sprocket 51 disposed at the upper end of the rear column base 23. A movable (lifting / lowering) sprocket 52 that is movable in the vertical direction, a drive chain 53, and a spring 54 are provided. The drive shaft 55 of the fixed sprocket 51 is connected to an output shaft 58 of an electric motor (not shown) via a pair of reduction gears 56 and 57 so that power can be transmitted. The spring 54 is stretched between a movable plate 60 that supports the movable sprocket 52 and a spring support piece 61 provided at the lower end of the rear column base 23, and due to the elastic force of the spring 54, The movable sprocket 52 is biased downward.

  One end portion 53a of the drive chain 53 is locked to the locking piece 63 at the upper end of the rear column base 23, extends downward from the locking portion 63, is wound around the movable sprocket 52, and is folded upward. It extends upward, is wound around the fixed sprocket 51 and extends downward again, and the other end 53 b is connected to the bent portion 38 a of the drive piece 38 of the lifting platform 36. The drive piece 38 extends into the column base 23 through a vertically long slit 59 formed in the rear column base 23.

  That is, when the drive sprocket 51 is rotated in the direction of the arrow R1 by the electric motor, the movable sprocket 52 is pulled up against the spring 54 by the drive chain 53, and at the same time, the other end 53b of the drive chain 53 is lowered together with the drive piece 38. As a result, the lifting platform 36 and the paper tray 21 are lowered using their own weights. Conversely, when the electric motor is reversed and the fixed sprocket 51 is rotated in the direction of the arrow R2, the movable sprocket 52 is pulled down by the spring 54 and at the same time, the other end 53b of the drive chain 53 and the drive piece 38 are raised, Thereby, the raising / lowering stand 36 and the paper receiving stand 21 raise.

  FIG. 4 is a front view of the paper receiving portion 3, and the front chain drive mechanism 41 disposed in the front column base 22 is basically the rear chain drive mechanism 42 (FIGS. 5 and 5). The components having the same configuration and the same name as the chain drive mechanism 42 on the rear side are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the front chain drive mechanism 41, the drive shaft 55 of the fixed sprocket 51 is a common shaft with the rear chain drive mechanism 42 in the rear column base 23.

  In the front column base 22 provided with such a chain type drive mechanism 41, a paper cradle upper limit sensor 70 for detecting the maximum rising position (upper limit position) of the paper cradle 21, and on the paper cradle 21 First and second sheets for detecting the first and second stacking limit heights H1 and H2 (see FIGS. 7 and 9) of the stacked sheets based on the lowered position or the lowered amount of the paper receiving base 21. Height sensors 71 and 72 are provided.

  Each of the sensors 70, 71, 72 is an optical sensor, and the bent portion 38a of the drive piece 38 is used as a detected body (light-shielding portion or reflecting portion) of each of the optical sensors 70, 71, 72. The bent portions 38a block the transmitted light from the sensors 70, 71, 72, thereby detecting the detection signal of the highest position of the lifting platform 36 and the first stacking limit height H1 on the paper receiving platform 21. A signal and a detection signal of the second stacking limit height H2 of the stacked sheets on the sheet receiving tray 21 are input to the control unit 6, respectively.

  The front wall surface of the print processing unit 1 is provided with a level sensor (optical type or lever type) 69 for detecting the position of the uppermost sheet of the stacked sheets on the paper tray 21 during the printing operation. The level sensor 69 is also electrically connected to the control unit 6. That is, in accordance with an increase in the number of sheets stacked on the paper tray 21, the paper tray 21 and the lift 36 are lowered and the paper discharged from the discharge port 1 a (FIG. 1) on the front wall of the print processing unit 1. Are always stacked on the upper side of the loaded paper.

  The position of each of the sensors 70, 71, 72 will be described in detail. The installation position of the paper cradle upper limit sensor 70 is such that the paper cradle 21 is lifted together with the lift 36 as shown in FIG. In addition, the position is set at a position shielded by the bent portion (shielding portion) 38a immediately before the upper surface of the paper receiving base 21 comes into contact with the lower end edge of the rear end guide 31.

  The first sheet height sensor 71 defines a first stacking limit height H1 when stacking a single sheet P0 without a fold as shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the paper receiving base 21 is lowered together with the lifting base 36 and the paper receiving base 21 comes to the vicinity of the support bases 22a and 23a of the column bases 22 and 23, the bent portion (Shielding part) It is arranged at a position shielded by 38a, and sheets are stacked on the paper receiving tray 21 at the position up to the first stacking limit height H1.

  The second sheet height sensor 72 defines a second stacking limit height H2 when the envelope P1, the folded sheets P2 to P4, the booklet P5, and the like as illustrated in FIGS. 20 to 24 are stacked. As shown in FIG. 9, the first paper height sensor 71 is disposed above the position of the first paper height sensor 71 by a certain distance d. Accordingly, the second stacking limit height H2 defined by the second sheet height sensor 72 is shorter (lower) by the predetermined distance d than the first stacking limit height H1. Specifically, the second stacking limit height H2 is set to a value that does not cause the stacked sheets to collapse when the side guide plate 30 and the front end guide 31 are removed.

  In the embodiment, the first paper height sensor 71 also functions as a paper cradle lower limit sensor that detects the maximum lowered position of the paper cradle 21.

  In the present embodiment, switching between the control by the first paper height sensor 71 and the control by the second paper height sensor 72 is manually performed by an operator by manual operation of the operation panel 5 in FIG. The state of the operation panel 5 at the time of switching is sequentially shown in FIGS. 12 and 13.

  In FIG. 12, “standard”, “thick paper”, “thin paper”, “Japanese envelope” and “Western envelope” are selected by selecting “paper type” on the main menu screen (not shown) of the operation panel 5. Is switched to a screen that displays the type of paper, and when “Western envelope” is selected on the screen of FIG. 12, a display screen asking “Do you want to limit the height of discharged paper?” As shown in FIG. Switch. This display screen asks whether the height of the discharged and stacked paper is set to the second stacking limit height H2. That is, when the entire power of the stencil printing apparatus is turned on, the first paper height sensor 71 is turned on, but the second height sensor 72 is kept off, and the display shown in FIG. When “Yes” is selected on the screen, the second height sensor 72 is turned on. Incidentally, the first sheet height sensor 71 is not switched off by this switching.

  The screen for selecting the height of the discharged paper as shown in FIG. 13 is not displayed only when “Western envelope” or “Japanese envelope” is selected, but is “standard”, “thick paper”, “thin paper”. However, since the paper may be fed in a folded state, the selection screen of FIG. 13 is displayed even when “standard”, “thick paper”, or “thin paper” is selected.

[Control and action]
(Continuous printing of single paper P0 without crease)
When continuously printing a single flat sheet P0 having a uniform thickness without a fold as shown in FIG. 19, “standard” “thick paper” is displayed on the display screen of the operation panel 5 in FIG. Or “Thin paper”. At this time, the screen of FIG. 13 is displayed, but “No” is selected in response to the question “Do you want to limit the height of the discharged paper?”. Then, the second paper height sensor 72 is maintained in the off state, while the first paper height sensor 71 and the paper cradle upper limit sensor 70 are maintained in the on state. Of course, the level sensor 69 is also kept on.

  In FIG. 2, the paper P0 loaded on the paper feed tray 2 is supplied to the print treatment unit 1 one by one by the air adsorption belt feeding mechanism 12, and the surface is printed by a plate cylinder or the like. Are discharged from the discharge port 1a on the front side of the paper and sequentially stacked on the paper receiving tray 21. During the operation, in the paper receiving unit 3, the level sensor 69 sequentially detects the position of the uppermost sheet P 0 on the paper receiving table 21, inputs it to the control unit 6, and a chain drive mechanism by a command signal from the control unit 6. 41 and 42 are operated, and the paper receiving base 21 and the lifting base 36 are lowered as the paper stacking height increases.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the first sheet height sensor 71 detects that the first stacking limit height H1 has been reached and inputs a detection signal to the control unit 6, the control unit 6 is used as a first stage. A stop signal is sent from the printer to the paper feeding unit 2, and the operation of the paper feeding unit 2 is stopped. Specifically, the air adsorption type paper feeding belt mechanism 12 stops. Thereafter, when the unprocessed paper remaining in the print processing unit 1 is printed and discharged to the paper receiving tray 21, the operation of the print processing unit 1 is also stopped.

  After the stop, the upper cover 26 is opened, and the stacked sheets after printing are taken out together with the paper feed table 21.

(Continuous printing of Western envelopes)
When the surface of the western envelope P1 as shown in FIG. 20 is printed, “Western envelope” is selected on the display screen of FIG. When the screen of FIG. 13 is displayed, “Yes” is selected in response to the question “Do you want to limit the height of discharged paper?”. Then, the second height sensor 72 is turned on.

  The process from the paper feed unit 2 through the print processing unit 1 to the paper receiving unit 3 is the same as that for the flat single sheet P0.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the second sheet height sensor 72 is bent by a bent portion 38 a of the drive piece 38 in a state where the height of the stacking envelope P <b> 1 on the paper tray 21 has reached the second stacking limit height H <b> 2. As a first step, the operation of the paper feed unit 1 is stopped, and then the western envelope P1 remaining in the print processing unit 1 is printed and discharged to the paper receiving unit 3. The operation of the print processing unit 1 is stopped.

  After the stop, as shown in FIG. 11, the upper cover 26 is opened to remove the both-side guide plate 30 and the front end guide 31 from the stacking envelope P1.

  At this time, the uppermost sheet of the stacking envelope P1 on the paper tray 21 is inclined, but the second stacking limit height H2 is set lower than the first stacking limit height H1. Therefore, even when the upper cover 26 is opened, the stacking envelope P1 does not collapse. Therefore, it is possible to easily remove the loading envelope P1 from the paper receiving tray 21 or transfer it to the carriage while maintaining the loaded state.

[Second Embodiment of the Invention]
14 and 15 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In the configuration different from the first embodiment, the position of the second paper height sensor 72 can be adjusted in the vertical direction. It is that you are. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 14, which is a perspective view of the paper receiver 3, the second paper height sensor 72 is supported by a guide body (not shown) provided on the left column base 22 so that the vertical position can be adjusted and the desired vertical position can be adjusted. Self-holding is possible by friction at the directional position. An adjustment lever 80 is formed integrally with the second paper height sensor 72, and the adjustment lever 80 passes through a slot 76 formed in the front column base 22 in the vertical direction and is located on the right side of the front column base 22. As it goes to the surface, it bends forward and has a handle at the front end.

  In FIG. 15, which is a front view of the paper receiver 3, the second stack height H2 of the stacking envelope P <b> 1 or the like is set by changing the vertical position of the second sheet height sensor 72 by the adjustment lever 80. Can be changed arbitrarily.

[Third Embodiment of the Invention]
16 and 17 show a third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 16 which is a perspective view, the configuration different from the first embodiment is that the paper receiving base 21 of the paper feeding unit 3 is fixed. The first and second are directly fixed on the front surface of the print processing unit 1 to detect the stacked paper height on the paper receiving tray 21 as shown in FIG. Also, third sheet height sensors 81, 82, and 83 are provided.

  The first sheet height sensor 81 corresponds to the first sheet height sensor 71 of the first embodiment, and is the first when stacking a single sheet P0 without a fold as shown in FIG. The second sheet height sensor 82 corresponds to the second sheet height sensor 72 of the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 20 to 24. This defines the second stacking limit height H2 when stacking the envelope P1, the folding sheets P2 to P4 or the booklet P5. Further, the third sheet height sensor 83 is a sheet in which envelope P1, folding sheets P2 to P4, booklet P5, etc. as shown in FIGS. The sheet stacking height is defined as a third stacking limit height H3 that is lower than the second stacking limit height H2.

[Fourth Embodiment of the Invention]
FIG. 18 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The configuration different from that of the first embodiment is to stack unprocessed paper P1 and the like stacked on the paper feed tray 11 in the paper feed unit 2. A plurality of height sensors 90 for measuring the height from above are provided. These height sensors 90 are distance sensors, for example, and measure the heights of a plurality of places on the loaded paper.

  Each height sensor 90 serves as a tilt detection sensor as a whole, and measures the height of a plurality of locations at the same time, and the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the measured values is a predetermined value or more. If there is, the second stacking limit height sensor 72 shown in FIG. 4 or the like is turned on via the control unit 6, and the height of the stacking sheets on the paper tray 21 is set to the second stacking limit height H2. Restrict.

In short, the fourth embodiment automatically selects and switches the first and second stacking limit heights H1 and H2 depending on the form of the paper. Such an automatic selection mode is as follows. It may be provided instead of the manual selection mode by the operation panel 5 described in the first embodiment, or may be configured to switch between automatic and manual by mode switching.
Further, it may be configured such that the form of the sheet can be selected as the folded form on the operation panel 5 without using the detection result of the height sensor 90. For example, by adding a “folding paper” key as one of the operation keys and selecting this “folding paper” key, the first stacking height H1 is automatically changed to the second stacking height H2. It can also be switched automatically.

[Other embodiments]
(1) In each of the above embodiments, the height of the paper loaded on the paper receiving tray 21 of the paper receiving section 3 is indirectly detected by the lowering position or the lowering amount of the elevator paper receiving base 21. The actual height on the paper tray 21 is detected by each height sensor, and is regulated to the first and second stacking limit heights. By counting the number of sheets discharged from the print processing unit 1 to the paper receiving unit 3, it is possible to indirectly define the first and second stacking limit heights H1 and H2.

  For example, in a sheet with non-uniform thickness as shown in FIG. 20 to FIG. 24, the number of sheets roughly corresponding to the second stacking limit height H2 in FIG. When “Yes” is selected on the operation panel 5 in FIG. 13, the operation of the sheet feeding unit 2 is stopped when the sheet number or the number of ejected sheets input in advance is reached.

(2) In each of the above embodiments, a stencil printing mechanism is provided as a printing processing unit, but it goes without saying that it can be applied to a printing processing apparatus having various printing functions such as a copying machine, a photo printing machine, and an ink jet printing machine. Absent. Further, it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to a paper processing apparatus having, as a part of the paper processing unit, a folding unit that performs paper folding processing, a booklet preparation unit that performs processing for booklet production (bookbinding processing), and the like.

1 Print processing section (paper processing section)
2 Paper feeding unit 3 Paper receiving unit 5 Operation panel (an example of input means)
6 Control unit 21 Paper feed table 30 Side guide plate 31 Front end guide 38a Bending part (shielding part of paper height sensor)
41, 42 Chain-type drive mechanism 71 First paper height sensor 72 Second paper height sensor 81, 82 Another example of the first and second paper height sensors 90 Height sensor (other input means) Example)

Claims (8)

A paper feed unit that feeds the sheets stacked on the paper feed tray one by one or a bundle, a print processing unit that processes the fed paper, and a paper receiver that receives the paper discharged from the print processing unit In a paper processing apparatus provided with a paper receiving unit loaded on a table,
A control unit that controls to stop at least the sheet feeding operation of the sheet feeding unit when a sheet stacked on the sheet receiving tray reaches a selected limit height among a plurality of predetermined limit heights. When,
Input means for selecting and inputting one of the plurality of restricted heights to the control unit,
The plurality of predetermined limit heights includes a first stacking limit height when stacking a single sheet without folds, and a stack of a single sheet having folds or a sheet bundle having a non-uniform thickness. A sheet processing apparatus that is switchable between a second stacking height that is lower than the first stacking limit height. A first sheet height sensor for detecting the first stacking limit height; and a second sheet height sensor for detecting the second stacking limit height;
When the second sheet height sensor detects the second stacking limit height, and when the first sheet height sensor detects the first stacking limit height, The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least the operation of the sheet feeding unit is stopped. The paper cradle is configured to be movable up and down, and is controlled by the control unit to descend according to an increase in paper on the paper cradle,
The said 1st and 2nd paper height sensor is comprised so that each said stacking limit height may be detected by detecting the downward position or the downward amount of the said paper cradle. Paper processing device. The input means is an inclination detection sensor that detects whether or not the uppermost sheet of the sheets stacked on the sheet feeding unit is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane;
4. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit switches on the second sheet height sensor when the inclination detection sensor detects that the sheet is inclined by a predetermined amount or more. 5.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the input unit is a manual key or button on an operation panel unit, and the manual key or button is used to switch to an arbitrary stacking height limit.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a second stacking limit height detected by the second sheet height sensor is changeable. The paper cradle has a fixed height,
3. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first and second sheet height sensors are set so as to directly detect the respective stacking limit heights of sheets on the sheet receiving tray.   The control unit stops at least the operation of the sheet feeding unit when the number of fed sheets, the number of bundled sheets, the number of ejected sheets, or the number of ejected bundles corresponding to the first and second stacking limit heights is reached. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is configured to.

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