JP2012126476A - Sheet post-processing apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a sheet post-processing apparatus that is capable of more efficiently forming a plurality of holes in a sheet conveying direction.SOLUTION: Jogger fences 402 and 403 functioning as a sheet moving mechanism move a sheet S or a sheet bundle B to one side in a width direction and carry in the side edge Sb of the sheet S or the sheet bundle B to a hole forming position Pp corresponding to a punch unit 600, and then the punch unit 600 functioning as a punch forming mechanism forms holes (for example, binding holes) on the sheet S or the sheet bundle B by punching operation. After the punch unit 600 performs the punching operation, the jogger fences 402 and 403 functioning as the sheet moving mechanism move the sheet S or the sheet bundle B to a predetermined carrying-out position. Thereafter, the sheet bundle B is ejected to a sheet ejection tray by a movable fence 410 functioning as a sheet ejection mechanism.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a sheet post-processing apparatus having a punching formation mechanism that forms a hole such as a binding hole in a sheet is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-240759 A

  However, the paper post-processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 can form a plurality of holes along the paper width direction, but cannot form a plurality of holes along the paper conveyance direction.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus capable of forming a plurality of holes more efficiently along the sheet conveyance direction.

  In the paper post-processing apparatus according to the present invention, a paper transport mechanism that transports paper, a paper discharge mechanism that discharges paper, a paper discharge tray that stacks paper discharged from the paper discharge mechanism, and the paper discharge mechanism. A perforation forming mechanism that is provided downstream of the paper mechanism and above the paper discharge tray and forms a plurality of holes along the paper conveyance direction at an end of the paper in the width direction, and moves the paper in the width direction Accordingly, the perforation forming mechanism includes a paper moving mechanism that carries the paper into and out of the hole forming position where the hole is formed in the paper.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a paper post-processing apparatus capable of forming a plurality of holes more efficiently along the paper transport direction.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a part of the paper transport mechanism of the paper post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing another part of the paper transport mechanism of the paper post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another part of the sheet transport mechanism of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from an angle different from FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing still another part of the paper transport mechanism of the paper post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing still another part of the paper transport mechanism of the paper post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the sheet aligning unit of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the operation of each unit in the shift mode of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, where (a) accepts sheets, (b) aligns, and (c) (D) is a final alignment, (e) is a movement of a bundle of sheets, and (f) is a diagram showing discharge to a discharge tray. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the operation of each unit in the staple mode of the paper post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, where (a) accepts paper, (b) aligns, and (c) (D) is a final alignment, (e) is a staple, and (f) is a diagram showing discharge to a discharge tray. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing the operation of each part in the punch mode of the paper post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 11A is a paper alignment, FIG. 11B is a paper carry-in and punch, and FIG. () Is a sheet discharge, (d) is discharged to a discharge tray, and (e) is a diagram showing alignment of the next sheet. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a paper discharge tray of the paper post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a side view of the paper height detection mechanism of the paper post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a side view showing another state of the paper height detection mechanism of the paper post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the punch unit of the paper post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a side view schematically showing the punching operation of the punch unit of the paper post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention (indicated by an arrow W in FIG. 15), where (a) is an initial state, and (b). (C) is a figure which shows the state after penetrating a paper before penetrating a paper. FIG. 17 is a side view (operation diagram) schematically showing a dice moving mechanism of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 is a side view schematically showing a drive mechanism portion of a dice moving mechanism of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 19A and 19B are side views showing the operation of the dice moving mechanism of the paper post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 19A is a state where the dice is moved immediately after the punching operation, and FIG. (C) is a state after the sheet is moved, and (d) is a diagram showing a state where the dice is returned to the original position. FIG. 20 is a side view including the shift discharge roller of the paper post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the shift discharge roller of the paper post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment includes an image forming apparatus 100, a sheet post-processing apparatus 200, and an image reading apparatus 500.

  The image forming apparatus (image forming unit) 100 is configured as an indirect transfer tandem color image forming apparatus. 1 is provided with an image forming unit 110 having four color image forming stations 111, and an optical writing unit (not shown) is provided adjacent to the lower part of the image forming unit 110. Yes. A paper feeding unit 120 is provided below the image forming unit 110. The sheet picked up by the sheet feeding unit 120 is conveyed to the intermediate transfer unit 140 and the fixing unit 150 through the sheet feeding conveyance path 130. The sheet on which the image is fixed is conveyed to the sheet post-processing apparatus 200 side through the sheet discharge conveyance path 160. In the double-sided conveyance path 170, a sheet on which an image is formed on one side is reversed, and preparation for forming an image on the other side is performed.

  The image forming unit 110 includes YMCK (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) photosensitive drums of the imaging station 111, and a charging unit, a developing unit, a primary unit arranged along the outer periphery of the photosensitive drum. A transfer unit, a cleaning unit, a static elimination unit, an intermediate transfer belt 112 for intermediate transfer of an image formed on the photosensitive drum by a primary transfer unit, and an optical writing unit for writing an image of each color on the photosensitive drum (all (Not shown). The optical writing unit is disposed below the image forming station 111, and the intermediate transfer belt 112 is disposed above the image forming station 111.

  The intermediate transfer belt 112 is rotatably supported by a plurality of support rollers, and one of the support rollers 114 is opposed to the intermediate transfer roller 115 via the intermediate transfer belt 112 in the intermediate transfer unit 140, and the intermediate transfer belt 112. The upper image is secondarily transferred to the paper. The image forming process of the indirect transfer tandem color image forming apparatus is well known and is not directly related to the gist of the present invention, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The paper feeding unit 120 includes a paper feeding tray 121, a pickup roller 122, a paper feeding / conveying roller 123, and the like, and feeds paper picked up from the paper feeding tray 121 along the vertical direction (vertical direction). It is sent upward along 130. The fed sheet is sent to the fixing unit 150 after the image is transferred by the intermediate transfer unit 140. The fixing unit 150 includes a fixing roller and a pressure roller, and heat and pressure are applied in a process in which the paper passes through the nip between the two, and the toner is fixed to the paper.

  A paper discharge conveyance path 160 and a double-side conveyance path 170 are provided downstream of the fixing unit 150. The sheet conveyance path is branched in two directions by a branching claw 161. Depending on the operation of the branching claw 161, a case where the paper is conveyed to the paper post-processing apparatus 200 side and a case where the paper is conveyed to the double-sided conveyance path 170 is selected. A branch conveyance roller 162 is provided in the immediate vicinity of the branch claw 161 on the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction, and this branch conveyance roller 162 applies a conveyance force to the sheet.

  The sheet post-processing apparatus 200 is disposed inside the image forming apparatus 100, performs a predetermined process on the image-formed sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus 100, and loads the sheet on a discharge tray 301 positioned at the most downstream side. To do. The detailed configuration and operation of the sheet post-processing apparatus 200 will be described later.

  The image reading device 500 is a known device that optically scans an original set on a contact glass and reads an image on the original surface. Since the configuration and function of the image reading apparatus 500 itself are known and are not directly related to the gist of the present invention, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the image forming apparatus 100 having the above-described configuration, image data used for writing is generated based on document data read from the image reading apparatus 500 or print data transferred from an external PC or the like, and based on the image data. Optical writing is performed from the optical writing unit to each photosensitive drum, and images formed for each color at each imaging station are sequentially transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 112, and four color images are formed on the intermediate transfer belt 112. A superimposed color image is formed.

  On the other hand, paper is fed from the paper feed tray 121 according to image formation. The sheet is temporarily stopped at a registration roller position (not shown) immediately before the intermediate transfer unit 140, sent in time with the leading edge of the image on the intermediate transfer belt 112, secondarily transferred by the intermediate transfer unit 140, and sent to the fixing unit 150. It is sent.

  The sheet on which the image is fixed by the fixing unit 150 is conveyed to the discharge conveyance path 160 side in the case of single-sided printing or after double-sided printing by double-sided printing by the switching operation of the branch claw 161. Is conveyed to the double-sided conveyance path 170 side.

  The sheet conveyed to the duplex conveyance path 170 is reversed and sent to the intermediate transfer unit 140, and after an image is formed on the other side, it is returned to the discharge conveyance path 160 side. The paper transported to the paper discharge transport path 160 side is transported to the paper post-processing device 200 and is subjected to predetermined paper processing by the paper post-processing device 200 or discharged to the paper discharge tray 301 without processing.

<Configuration of sheet post-processing apparatus: FIGS. 2 to 7>
As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet post-processing apparatus 200 is provided with a conveyance guide plate 201, an opening / closing guide plate 202, a first discharge guide plate 203, a second discharge guide plate 204, and the like. In addition, the conveyance path 205 is configured by the guide plates 201, 202, 203, and 204.

  In the uppermost stream of the transport path 205, a transport inlet 206 is opened by a transport guide plate 201 and an opening / closing guide plate 202. Immediately after the carry-in entrance 206, an entrance sensor (not shown) for detecting the position of the sheet is provided, and a transport roller pair 207 is provided downstream in the vicinity of the entrance sensor (not shown). Further, downstream of the conveyance path 205, a conveyance roller pair 208 that discharges paper to a staple tray 401 as an internal tray is provided. The conveyance roller pairs 207 and 208 correspond to a sheet conveyance mechanism.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the drive side roller shafts 207 a and 208 a of the transport roller pair 207 and 208 are connected to a stepping motor 212 via a pulley 210 and a timing belt 211. Each pair of rollers 207 and 208 is rotated by the rotation driving of the stepping motor 212.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a swing arm 213 is coaxially provided on the drive side roller shaft 208 a of the transport roller pair 208, and the swing arm 213 has an elastic friction member (sponge). A hitting roller 214 is provided. The hitting roller 214 is connected to a pulley 220 fixed on the driving side roller shaft 208a via a timing belt 215, a pulley 216, a shaft 217, a pulley 218, and a timing belt 219, and the rotation of the driving side roller shaft 208a. The hitting roller 214 is rotated in the same direction by the movement.

  Further, the swing arm 213 is always loaded in the direction of the staple tray 401 by its own weight and is held by the lever 221. As the lever 221 reciprocates, the swing arm 213 rotates in the direction of the staple tray 401 and the tapping roller 214 comes into contact with the staple tray 401 and further rotates and is held by the lever 221 again.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the cam 226 connected via the timing belt 225 is rotated by the rotation driving of the stepping motor 224, and the cam protrusion 226 a inserted in the link portion 221 a of the lever 221 is rotated. As a result, the lever 221 reciprocates.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a gear 228 is mounted on the drive side roller shaft 208a of the conveying roller pair 208 (see FIG. 2). Further, a holder 229 is rotatably provided on the driving side roller shaft 208a of the conveying roller pair 208. The holder 229 is provided with a return roller 230 having at least an outer periphery made of an elastic friction member (sponge), and the return roller 230 is connected to the gear 228 via an intermediate gear 231. As a result, the rotation of the driving roller shaft 208a is transmitted to the return roller 230. In addition, the holder 229 is always loaded in the direction of the staple tray 401 by its own weight and the weight of the return roller 230, and the outer periphery of the return roller 230 rotates in a state of being always in contact with the staple tray 401. A paper pressing member 240 is provided outside the return roller 230 of the drive side roller shaft 208a.

<Configuration of Sheet Alignment Unit: FIGS. 8 to 10>
As shown in FIG. 8, the staple tray 401 is provided with jogger fences 402 and 403. The jogger fences 402 and 403 are inserted into guide shafts (not shown) fixed to the staple tray 401. Furthermore, the jogger fences 402 and 403 are connected to stepping motors 406 and 407 via timing belts (not shown), and perform linear reciprocation by forward and reverse rotation driving of the stepping motors 406 and 407. The jogger fences 402 and 403 can be driven independently. Further, the staple tray 401 is provided with a movable fence 410, and alignment of the conveyance direction is performed by abutting the rear end of the paper against the staple tray 401.

<Shift mode: Fig. 9>
In the shift mode, when a sheet is discharged, the discharge position (discharge position) of the sheet (or a bundle of sheets) is shifted in the width direction of the sheet perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction every predetermined number of sheets, and the sheets are sorted by this shift. Mode. FIG. 9 is an operation diagram showing an outline of the operation of each part of the sheet post-processing apparatus 200 in the shift mode. In the shift mode, the jogger fences 402 and 403 are moved in the width direction of the sheet S as the trailing edge of the sheet S passes through the conveying roller pair 208 and the tapping roller 214 (see FIG. 2) starts to rotate. The operation is started ((a) of FIG. 9). When the trailing edge of the sheet S comes into contact with the movable fence 410 by the hitting roller 214 and the return roller 230, the sheet S is aligned with the center CL in the width direction ((b) of FIG. 9). Thereafter, the same processing as in FIGS. 9A and 9B is repeated for the predetermined number of sheets S, and the predetermined number of sheets S (sheet bundle B) is aligned with the center CL in the width direction. ((C) and (d) in FIG. 9). The jogger fences 402 and 403 move in the width direction together with the sheet S or the sheet bundle B to offset the sheet S or the sheet bundle B from the center in the width direction ((e) in FIG. 9), and the movable fence 410 moves to the sheet S. Alternatively, the sheet bundle B is discharged to the discharge tray 301 (see FIG. 2) ((f) in FIG. 9). In the next sheet bundle B, the moving direction of the jogger fences 402 and 403 in FIG. 9E is reversed, and the sheet bundle B is offset to the opposite side of the previous sheet bundle B in the width direction. This is repeated a predetermined number of times, and the sheet bundle B is shifted and stacked on the sheet discharge tray 301. The jogger fences 402 and 403 correspond to alignment plates that adjust the position of the paper in the width direction.

<Staple mode: FIG. 10>
The staple mode is a mode in which sheets (or sheet bundles) are bound by a stapler every predetermined number of sheets and discharged. FIG. 10 is an operation diagram showing an outline of the operation of each unit of the sheet post-processing apparatus 200 in the staple mode. In the staple mode, operations related to alignment and ejection of the sheet bundle B (except for the points (a) to (d) and (d) in FIG. 10), except that the sheet S or the sheet bundle B is drawn more deeply in the transport direction. f)) is the same as in the shift mode shown in FIG. After the final alignment ((d) in FIG. 10), the binding device 450 (see FIG. 2) drives the binding tool St into a predetermined position near the rear end Sa of the sheet bundle B and performs the binding process ((( e)) The movable fence 410 discharges the sheet bundle B bound by the binding tool St onto the sheet discharge tray 301 (see FIG. 2) ((f) in FIG. 10).

<Punch mode: Fig. 11>
The punch mode is a mode in which a binding hole is formed in a sheet or a bundle of sheets by punching and discharged. FIG. 11 is an operation diagram showing an outline of the operation of each part of the sheet post-processing apparatus 200 in the punch mode. In the punch mode, the operations ((a), (d), (e) in FIG. 11) relating to the alignment and discharge of the sheet S or the sheet bundle B are the same as those in the shift mode shown in FIG. After the final alignment (sheet alignment, FIG. 11A), the jogger fences 402 and 403 as the sheet moving mechanism move the sheet S or the sheet bundle B to the right side of FIG. The side edge Sb of the sheet S or the bundle of sheets B is carried into the hole forming position Pp corresponding to the punch unit 600, and the punch unit 600 as the punch forming mechanism is moved by the punching operation. A hole (for example, a binding hole) is formed in the sheet bundle B ((b) of FIG. 11). After the punch unit 600 performs the punching operation, the jogger fences 402 and 403 as the sheet moving mechanism move the sheet S or the sheet bundle B to a predetermined carry-out position ((c) in FIG. 11). Thereafter, the sheet bundle B is discharged onto the discharge tray 301 by the movable fence 410 serving as a discharge mechanism ((d) in FIG. 11). In the present embodiment, the punch position in the sheet conveyance direction is determined by the standby position of the movable fence 410 that abuts the rear end Sa of the sheet bundle B. Therefore, for example, the position of the binding hole can be variably set by changing the standby position of the movable fence 410 for each size of the paper S. When the shift mode process is executed in the punch mode, two or more shift amounts of the sheet bundle B after punching by the jogger fences 402 and 403 may be set.

<Discharge tray: FIGS. 12 to 14>
The paper discharge tray 301 is fixed to the support members 302 and 303. The support members 302 and 303 are connected to the drive shaft 306 via timing belts 304 and 305, a pulley 307, and the like. Further, a gear (not shown) is fitted to the drive shaft 306, and the drive shaft 306 is connected to the DC motor 309 via this gear. The discharge tray 301 is moved up and down by the rotation of the DC motor 309.

  An end fence 310 is provided substantially vertically at the end of the discharge tray 301, and a pivot shaft 331 fitted with a lever 313 is rotatably attached to the end fence 310. In addition, a paper pressing arm 312 is rotatably inserted into the rotation shaft 331. A paper pressing arm 311 is inserted into the paper pressing arm 312 so as to be rotatable about a rotation fulcrum 332. The paper pressing arm 311 is urged in one direction with respect to the paper pressing arm 312 by a spring 316 near the rotation fulcrum 332, and holds the position of FIG. 13 by a stopper (not shown).

  Further, the paper pressing arms 311 and 312 are urged to the side where the end fence 310 is provided by a spring (not shown). As a result, the leading end pressing portion 311 a provided at the leading end of the sheet pressing arm 311 presses the sheet discharge tray 301 or the stacked sheets S or the sheet bundle B.

  A solenoid 315 is fixed near one end of the lever 313. The operation of the solenoid 315 causes the lever 313 to reciprocate within a certain angle range, whereby the lever 313 rotates the sheet pressing arms 311 and 312. The end fence 310 is provided with a paper height detection sensor 314.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the sheet pressing arm 311 is normally stopped by a spring at a position where the tip pressing portion 311a protrudes from the sheet alignment surface of the end fence 310. When the sheet is discharged, the sheet pressing arm 311 is on the upper surface of the sheet pressing arm 311. While being held, the sheet S or the sheet bundle B is discharged. In addition, the upper surface of the sheet pressing arm 311 has the same height as the staple tray 401 in order to discharge the sheet bundle B more smoothly without causing buckling or the like during discharging.

  During the paper discharge operation, the suction operation of the solenoid 315 rotates the tip pressing portion 311a to a position where it is completely buried from the paper alignment surface of the end fence 310 as shown in FIG. At this time, the paper pressing arm 311 is buried along the guide portion 401 a provided on the staple tray 401 while rotating around the rotation fulcrum 332. Accordingly, since the sheet pressing arm 311 does not protrude from the staple tray 401, the discharged sheet bundle B is not pushed up.

  When the paper discharge tray 301 is raised, the upper surface of the paper S or the paper bundle B stacked on the paper discharge tray 301 pushes up the tip pressing portion 311 a of the paper pressing arm 311 protruding from the end fence 310. The sheet height detection sensor 314 detects the height of the sheet S or the sheet bundle B stacked on the sheet discharge tray 301 by detection by a detection unit 312 a provided in a part of the sheet pressing arm 312.

<Punch unit: FIGS. 15 to 19>
As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the punch unit 600 as a punching formation mechanism rotates in a state of being eccentric with respect to the punch 601, the rotation shaft 602 that rotates about the rotation axis Ax, and the rotation axis Ax. A drive cam 603 fixed to the shaft 602, a drive cam holder 604, and the like are provided. As the drive cam 603 rotates about the rotation axis Ax, the punch 601 integrated with the drive cam holder 604 moves up and down, and the punch 601 forms a through hole in the sheet S or the sheet bundle B. The rotation shaft 602 is held by the bracket 605 so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis Ax. A die 606 is provided below the bracket 605 corresponding to the punch 601. A gap G is provided between the bracket 605 and the die 606 so that at least the sheet S or the sheet bundle B can pass therethrough. The sheet S or the sheet bundle B in which the binding hole is formed has the gap G. Temporarily held inside. The die 606 is provided with a hole slightly larger than the punch 601 at a position coaxial with the punch 601. As shown in FIGS. 16A to 16C, when the drive cam 603 rotates, the blade edge portion at the lower end of the punch 601 passes through the holes of the sheet S or the sheet bundle B and the die 606. Note that an abutting member 607 is fixed to the die 606 so that an end edge (side edge Sb) in the width direction of the sheet S or the sheet bundle B abuts. The contact member 607 positions the edge portion (side edge portion Sb) in the width direction of the sheet S or the sheet bundle B.

  The die 606 and the contact member 607 are integrated, and these are configured to be movable by a die moving mechanism shown in FIGS. A slider 610 is fixed to the die 606 or the abutting member 607, and the slider 610 is attached to the rail 611 a of the guide member 611 fixed to the main body (housing or the like) of the paper post-processing apparatus 200. It is guided so as to be able to reciprocate within a predetermined range along the width direction. Further, an arm 615 is swingably supported on the main body, and a rail (for example, a through hole) 615 a for guiding the slider 610 along the longitudinal direction of the arm 615 is provided on the arm 615. . On the other hand, a pinion 612 a is fixed to a shaft (not shown) of the drive motor 612, and a gear 614 that meshes with the pinion 612 a rotates around the shaft 613. The gear 614 is provided with a slider 55 at an eccentric position. The slider 55 is guided along the longitudinal direction of the arm 615 by another rail (for example, a through hole) 615 b formed in the arm 615. With such a configuration, when the drive motor 612 rotates, the arm 615 swings as shown in FIG. 17 according to the rotation angle of the shaft (not shown) and the pinion 612a. The contact member 607 reciprocates in the width direction of the sheet bundle B and the sheet S.

  In punch mode, after the punch unit 600 operates to form a through hole in the sheet bundle B (or sheet S) (FIG. 19A), the die moving mechanism shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 operates. As a result, the die 606 and the contact member 607 move in the width direction of the sheet bundle B (or sheet S) (FIG. 19B), and thereby the sheet bundle B (or sheet S) is carried out from the hole forming position Pp. It becomes easy to do. Then, after the sheet bundle B (or sheet S) is unloaded from the hole forming position Pp (FIG. 19C), the dice 606 and the contact member 607 move in the width direction of the sheet bundle B (or sheet S). Then, it returns to the original position (initial position) ((d) of FIG. 19).

<Shift discharge roller: FIGS. 20 and 21>
Further, regarding the movement of the sheet bundle B (or sheet S) with respect to the punch unit 600, a shift sheet discharge roller (sheet discharge roller) 250 provided downstream of the staple tray 401 may be used. That is, in this case, the shift paper discharge roller 250 shown in FIG. 21 reciprocates in the width direction of the paper S (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 21), whereby the paper bundle B (or paper S) is shifted to the shift paper discharge roller. It can be shifted by 250 movements.

  FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the paper discharge roller. A bracket 252 is fixed to a main body (not shown) of the sheet post-processing apparatus 200, and a shift motor 253 is fixed to the bracket 252 as a drive source for moving the shift discharge roller 250 in the axial direction. A pinion 255 is fixed to the rotation shaft of the shift motor 253, and the pinion 255 meshes with a link gear 254 that is rotatably supported by the bracket 252.

  The link gear 254 is provided with a protrusion 254a at an eccentric position, and the protrusion 254a is an operation conversion mechanism in the axial direction (width direction) connected to the end of the shaft part 250a of the shift paper discharge roller 250. 256 is engaged. By the rotation of the shift motor 253, the projection 254a of the link gear 254 rotates on an arc, and the arc-shaped rotation of the projection 254a is caused by the operation converting mechanism 256 to operate the shift discharge roller 250 in the axial direction, that is, the sheet. It is converted into an operation in the width direction of S.

  As described above, according to the embodiment, a plurality of holes can be formed more efficiently along the transport direction of the paper S by the punch unit 600 as a punching mechanism. Further, since the paper S or the paper bundle B is moved by the jogger fences 402 and 403 as the paper moving mechanism, the apparatus can be made smaller and less expensive than the case where the punch unit 600 is moved. Can be configured. Further, since the jogger fences 402 and 403 as the sheet moving mechanism can be used for alignment of the sheet S and the sheet bundle B in the shift mode, the staple mode, and the like, for carrying in and out of the punch unit 600 and for aligning. Thus, the apparatus can be configured more compactly and at a lower cost than the configuration in which the sheet moving mechanisms are separately provided. Further, since the die moving mechanism for moving the die 606 after the hole formation by the punch unit 600 is provided, the paper S and the paper bundle B can be handled more easily. Further, by providing the contact member 607, the positioning of the sheet S and the sheet bundle B can be performed more easily or with higher accuracy. Further, by providing a paper discharge roller as the paper movement mechanism, the paper movement mechanism can be obtained with a lower cost.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made. In addition, a paper post-processing device, an image forming apparatus, a paper, a paper transport mechanism, a paper discharge mechanism, a paper discharge tray, a punch formation mechanism, a transport path, a hole formation position, a paper movement mechanism, a punch, a die, a die movement mechanism, The specifications (system, configuration, shape, material, number, arrangement, size, length, width, thickness, etc.) of the contact member, alignment plate, paper discharge roller, etc. can be changed as appropriate.

  As described above, the present invention is useful for a sheet post-processing apparatus, an image forming apparatus, and the like having a perforation forming mechanism for forming perforations in a sheet.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Image forming apparatus 200 ... Paper post-processing apparatus 207 ... Conveyance roller pair (paper conveyance mechanism)
208 ... Conveying roller pair (paper conveying mechanism)
250: Shift discharge roller (discharge roller discharge mechanism)
301: Paper discharge tray 402, 403 ... Jogger fence (alignment plate, paper moving mechanism)
410 ... movable fence (paper discharge mechanism)
600 ... Punch unit (perforation forming mechanism)
601 ... Punch 606 ... Die 607 ... Abutting member

Claims (8)

A paper transport mechanism for transporting paper,
A paper discharge mechanism for discharging the paper;
A paper discharge tray for stacking paper discharged from the paper discharge mechanism;
A perforation forming mechanism that is provided downstream of the paper discharge mechanism and at an upper portion of the paper discharge tray and forms a plurality of holes along the paper conveyance direction at an end in the width direction of the paper;
A paper movement mechanism that carries the paper into and out of the hole forming position where the punch forming mechanism forms the hole in the paper by moving the paper in the width direction;
A sheet post-processing apparatus comprising:   The paper post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper movement mechanism is capable of changing a paper stacking position on the paper discharge tray.   The perforation forming mechanism has a punch penetrating the paper, a die disposed on the opposite side of the punch with respect to the paper, and a die moving mechanism for moving the die after the hole is formed in the paper. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet post-processing apparatus is provided.   The paper post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the perforation forming mechanism has a contact member against which an edge in the width direction of the paper abuts.   The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet moving mechanism includes an alignment plate that adjusts a position in a width direction of the sheet.   The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet moving mechanism includes a sheet discharge roller configured to be movable in a width direction of the sheet.   The distance by which the sheet moving mechanism moves the sheet after the hole is formed in the sheet by the punch forming mechanism is set to at least two kinds. Paper post-processing equipment. An image forming unit for forming an image on paper;
A paper transport mechanism for transporting paper on which an image has been formed in the image forming section;
A paper discharge mechanism for discharging the paper;
A paper discharge tray for stacking paper discharged from the paper discharge mechanism;
A perforation forming mechanism that is provided downstream of the paper discharge mechanism and at an upper portion of the paper discharge tray and forms a plurality of holes along the paper conveyance direction at an end in the width direction of the paper;
A paper movement mechanism that carries the paper into and out of the hole forming position where the punch forming mechanism forms the hole in the paper by moving the paper in the width direction;
An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images