JP2012229108A - Sheet post-processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To convey a sheet bundle without a deviation of an end of the sheet bundle by moving a holding member for pinching and grasping the end of the sheet bundle; to reduce a mechanical load on a sheet by controlling a direction of the holding member even on a complicated conveyance route like a free curve and then ensure sheet post-processing quality; and to reduce the width of a machine by bending and binding the sheet bundle on a curve route.SOLUTION: A sheet post-processing apparatus 100 receives the sheet being a processing object and performs predetermined post-processing on the sheet. The apparatus includes: a sheet holding and moving part 120 for holding the end of the sheet bundle and moving on a curved route; and a staple 110 for binding the sheet bundle which is held and stopped on a predetermined position on the curved route by the holding and moving part 120.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus that performs binding processing, folding processing, and the like of a sheet on which an image is formed.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a sheet post-processing apparatus that performs a binding process and a folding process on a sheet bundle on which an image has been formed, a binding process is performed on a straight path when binding with a staple or the like in order to improve the consistency of the sheet bundle. Are known. In such a paper post-processing apparatus that performs binding on a straight path, there is a problem that when binding is performed, a longer straight path is required as the maximum sheet size becomes longer, and the machine becomes longer. Therefore, for the purpose of preventing the deviation of the sheet bundle and for the purpose of configuring the apparatus more compactly, the sheet bundle is changed by two gripping means, thereby enabling linear movement and turning movement (movement of a constant radius curve), that is, A configuration in which a straight line and a curved line are moved by the gripping means is disclosed (see Patent Document 1).

  In order to reduce the machine width by binding the sheet bundle in a curved path on the curved path, the method of conveying the aligned sheet bundle to the position where it is strongly niped and bound by the conveyance roller is caused by slippage by the conveyance roller. The sheet bundle is bent during conveyance along the curved path and the amount of bending differs between the innermost and outermost sheet bundles. Therefore, when the sheet bundle aligned at the edge of the paper before conveyance is bound after conveyance, There is a problem peculiar to a sheet bundle that a deviation occurs in the part. Also, in the method of conveying by moving up and down the support member that supports the lower end of the aligned sheet bundle, there is no misalignment in the conveyance of the straight path, but the machine is long, and the conveyance of the curved path is And the curved conveyance path have a large frictional resistance, the sheets are misaligned in the sheet bundle, and it is difficult to bind the sheets whose ends are aligned in the curved path. Therefore, it is considered that a mechanism that grips the end of the aligned sheet bundle and moves the gripping member to the binding position is suitable. Thereafter, the bound sheet bundle is conveyed to a folding unit disposed horizontally by a gripping member.

Japanese Patent No. 4177356

  However, in the mechanism as shown above that grips the end of the aligned sheet bundle and transports it to the binding position by moving the gripping member, the straight line or the radius of the next process is not reached. Although it moves along a free curve path in which different curves are combined, it is accompanied by a change in the transport direction of the sheet bundle, so that the direction of the gripping member that grips the end of the sheet is also necessary for transporting by one gripping means. It is necessary to control along a complicated free curve, and if the gripping member is moved along the free curve while the orientation of the gripping member is fixed or freely rotatable, the guide plate and the paper on the transport path There was a problem that the resistance of the bundle was large and scratches and dirt were generated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and by conveying a gripping member that sandwiches and grips the end portion of the sheet bundle, the sheet member is conveyed so as not to be displaced at the end portion of the sheet bundle, and is like a free curve. By controlling the orientation of the gripping member even in complex and complicated transport paths, the mechanical load on the paper is reduced to ensure paper post-processing quality, and the paper bundle is bent along the curved path for binding. The purpose is to reduce the machine width.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention is a sheet post-processing apparatus that accepts a sheet to be processed and performs a predetermined post-processing on the sheet. Gripping and moving means for gripping and moving the curved path; and paper bundle binding means for binding the paper bundle gripped by the gripping and moving means and stopped at a predetermined position of the curved path.

  In the present invention, the sheet bundle is grasped by the gripping movement means and conveyed to the curved path, and the saddle stitching process is performed on the conveyance path of the curved path. Therefore, the machine can be made smaller than the case where the sheet bundle is bound by the straight line. In addition, since the end of the sheet bundle is grasped and conveyed, there is an effect that the deviation of the sheet bundle is less likely to occur compared to the roller conveyance.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the paper gripping / moving unit in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a system configuration including the sheet post-processing apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration and operation of the gripping member of the paper gripping movement unit. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of the gripping member and the guide rod of the paper gripping movement unit. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of the gripping member and the guide rail of the paper gripping movement unit. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the difference in size between the paper post-processing apparatus according to this embodiment and the conventional paper post-processing apparatus.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to this embodiment. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes a paper post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing on paper, which will be described later, reference numeral 102 denotes a paper receiving unit including an entrance sensor, a transport roller, and a transport path, and reference numeral 110 binds a paper bundle in the binding processing mode. Staple, reference numeral 111 is a staple tray for stacking a bundle of sheets before binding, reference numeral 112 is a jogger for aligning a stack of sheets stacked on the staple tray 111, and reference numeral 120 is a grip for aligned sheets as will be described later. A sheet gripping and moving unit for performing sheet feeding, a transport path for transporting a bundle of sheets gripped by the sheet gripping and moving unit 120, and a reference numeral 130 for performing a predetermined fold (two-fold, Z-fold, etc.) on the bundle of sheets after binding. A paper folding unit 140 is a paper discharge stacking unit for discharging and stacking a bundle of sheets after folding or binding. The paper discharge stacking unit 140 also has a function of sorting and stacking for each job.

  Next, an outline of the operation of the sheet post-processing apparatus configured as shown in FIG. 1 will be described. In the paper post-processing apparatus 100, when the staple mode is selected from the image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and processing is started, first, a branching claw (not shown) installed in the transport path is switched. As a result, the sheet conveyed from the conveyance unit is guided to the staple unit and stacked on the staple tray 111 by the entrance roller. This operation is repeated for a predetermined number of times instructed for stapling. When a predetermined number of sheets stacked on the staple tray 111 are stacked, the width direction of the sheet bundle is aligned by the jogger 112.

  Subsequently, the sheet gripping movement unit 120 pinches the end of the aligned sheet bundle, moves the sheet bundle to the binding position of the staple 110, and performs the binding process on the curved path. Thereafter, the bound sheet bundle is sent to the sheet folding unit 130 via the conveyance path 121. The sheet folding unit 130 performs folding processing by pushing the sheet bundle into the nip of the pair of rollers with a blade. Subsequently, the folded or bound sheet bundle is stacked on the sheet discharge stacking unit 140.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the paper gripping / moving unit 120 in FIG. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 122 denotes a gripping member, reference numeral 123 denotes a second slide member, reference numeral 124 denotes a guide rod, reference numeral 125 denotes a guide rail, and reference numeral 126 denotes a first slide member. The detailed configuration of the paper gripping / moving unit 120 will be described later.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a system configuration including the sheet post-processing apparatus according to this embodiment. In FIG. 3, a sheet post-processing apparatus 100 having a stapling function, a sheet folding function, and the like, and an image forming apparatus 200 such as a copying machine or a printer, are a paper discharge side of the image forming apparatus 200 and a paper carry-in of the sheet post-processing apparatus 100. The mouth is mechanically connected with a transport mechanism capable of delivering paper, and is electrically connected so that control signals can be exchanged with each other. The paper post-processing apparatus 100 accepts the processing target paper discharged from the image forming apparatus 200, and performs a predetermined paper folding process according to the paper post-processing mode input by the user on the operation panel 201 of the image forming apparatus 200. I do.

  Although not shown, the control unit 101 is composed of a microcomputer system including a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like, receives a control signal from the system controller 204 of the image forming apparatus 200, and the CPU stores it in the ROM. Each part of the device is controlled in accordance with the control program that is provided.

  The system controller 204 is configured by a microcomputer system including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM (all not shown) and the like, and controls each part necessary for image formation such as image formation by an electrophotographic process and paper feed conveyance. In addition, control signals are communicated with external devices and peripheral devices (here, paper post-processing device 100 and the like). Further, the operation panel 201 is a display using an operation unit 200 such as keys and buttons (including soft keys) for receiving various inputs by the user, and a liquid crystal panel for displaying the device status, input settings, mode setting status, and the like. A panel 203 is provided. Reference numeral 205 denotes an image forming unit. The operation panel 201 set by the user is configured to display setting buttons and the like so that “processing” and “discharge destination” can be selected.

  In FIG. 3, the control unit 101 includes a sheet receiving unit 102, each sheet conveying unit 103, each sensor group 104, a staple tray 111, a jogger 112, a sheet gripping and moving unit 120, a staple 110, a sheet folding unit 130, a sheet A paper discharge stacking unit 140 is connected.

  The sheet receiving unit 102 includes, for example, an optical sensor for detecting the conveyance timing of the sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus 200. Each paper transport unit 103 includes a motor, a clutch, and the like that drive each unit of the apparatus. Each sensor group 104 is provided in each part in order to control the processing by the staple 110, the operation of the sheet gripping movement unit 120, the folding operation, the paper discharge operation, and the like at a predetermined timing, and is an optical sensor such as a photo interrupter. is there. The staple 110 has a mechanism for binding a bundle of sheets. The jogger 112 loads sheets to be bound and aligns the width direction of the sheets by moving the side fence. The paper gripping / moving unit 120 has a mechanism which will be described later, and grips and moves the paper bundle. The sheet folding unit 130 performs a folding process on the bound sheet bundle. The paper discharge stacking unit 140 is a stacker that stacks the paper bundle after the post-processing.

  FIG. 4 shows the configuration and operation of the gripping member 122 of the paper gripping movement unit 120. As shown in the drawing, the gripping member 122 has a stopper shape 122a with which the paper end in the transport direction comes into contact. Further, the holding member 122 is supported by a support member 122b as shown in the figure. In addition, protrusion shafts 122c are provided at both ends of the support member 112b.

  Although not shown, the first slide member 126 that moves the guide rod 124 in the vertical direction by a driving means such as a timing belt stops the gripping member 122 at a predetermined position (home position sensor) and moves (binding position detection). An optical sensor is provided.

  The gripping member 122 has an opening / closing mechanism (not shown). The gripping member 122 has a mechanism for holding a pair of members so that the end of the sheet bundle is grasped with a finger by a leaf spring, a torsion coil spring, a tension coil spring, or the like. Although the opening / closing operation of the gripping member 122 is not shown, it is realized, for example, by providing a mechanism that operates by a solenoid to be turned ON / OFF at the timing of entering the sheet bundle by the detection of the conveyance sensor.

  The gripping member 122 obtains a driving force transmitted from a driving source such as a DC motor or a stepping motor, and moves along the guide rail 125 by a transmission member such as a timing belt or a wire. Further, as shown in the figure, the holding member 122 is configured such that both ends of the support member 122b that supports the holding member 122 are loosely fitted in the grooves of the second slide member 123 and slide.

  As shown in the figure, the second slide member 123 is provided at both ends of a support member 122b that supports the grip member 122, and moves the support member 122b in a direction substantially orthogonal to the sheet bundle conveyance direction. The guide rods 124 are provided at both ends of the support member 122b that supports the grip member 122, and support the support member 122b so as to be movable in the vertical direction (paper bundle conveyance direction) following the movement of the guide rail 125. The guide rail 125 has a curved shape as shown in the figure and serves as a movement path of the gripping member 122.

  FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the gripping member 122 and the guide rod 124 of the paper gripping movement unit 120. In FIG. 5, one of the two projecting shafts 122 c provided on both sides of the support member 122 b of the gripping member 122 is loosely fitted in the groove of the second slide member 123 disposed in the front and rear, is rotatable, and is lateral. To be slidable. The second slide member 123 is configured to move up and down along a guide rod 124 that is set up vertically to the apparatus housing, so that the gripping member 122 moves in a direction along a curved path. In addition, it is good also as a structure which has a groove | channel on the holding member 122 side, has an axis | shaft on the 2nd slide member 123 side, and is rotatable and laterally movable.

  FIG. 6 shows the configuration of the gripping member 122 and the guide rail 125 of the paper gripping movement unit 120. In FIG. 6, of the two protrusion shafts 122 c provided on both sides of the support member 122 b of the gripping member 122, the other protrusion shaft 122 c not loosely fitted in the groove of the second slide member 123 is replaced with the groove of the guide rail 125. Loosely fit. With this configuration, the gripping member 122 moves along a free curve formed by the guide rail 125 as illustrated.

  In FIG. 6, when the first slide member 126 is lowered along the axial direction of the front and rear guide rods 124 as the movement indicated by the arrow [1], the movement along the guide rail 125 is indicated by the movement indicated by the arrow [2]. The gripping member 122 moves while changing its direction. Thereafter, the gripping member 122 that is rotatably and slidably supported by the first slide member 126 moves along the groove of the second slide member 123 as indicated by an arrow [3].

  As a driving method, only the movement [1] of moving the guide member 126 up and down is transmitted by using a timing belt or the like to transmit the driving force from a driving source such as a stepping motor, so that the gripping member 122 can freely move the guide rail 125. It is possible to move while changing the direction along the curve. Further, when the grip member 122 is stopped at a target position on the free curve of the guide rail 125, the first slide member 126 is stopped at a corresponding height (for example, a position where the guide member 126 is detected by an optical sensor). .

  By the way, the configuration of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the above-described embodiment can be expected to be smaller and smaller than the conventional sheet post-processing apparatus. FIG. 7 shows the difference in size between the sheet post-processing apparatus according to this embodiment and the conventional sheet post-processing apparatus. 7A shows a conventional paper post-processing apparatus, and FIG. 7B shows a paper post-processing apparatus according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the apparatus width L2 of the sheet post-processing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, which is a curved conveyance path, is clearly reduced with respect to the apparatus width L1 of the conventional sheet post-processing apparatus using the straight conveyance path. You can see that Thus, a compact system configuration is realized by using the sheet post-processing apparatus according to this embodiment.

  Therefore, according to the sheet post-processing apparatus of the above-described embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. First, in an apparatus that performs post-processing on a sheet after image formation, a sheet gripping movement unit 120 that grips end portions of two or more sheet bundles, a conveyance path 121 with a curve, and a sheet gripping movement unit 120 include: The stapling process is performed on the conveyance path 121 of the curved path by including the staple 110 that conveys the sheet bundle to the conveyance path 121 by moving and staples the sheet bundle on the conveyance path 121 with the curve. The machine width can be reduced as compared with the case where the sheet bundle is bound in a straight line, and the end of the sheet bundle is grasped and conveyed, so that the deviation of the sheet bundle is less likely to occur compared to the conveyance by the roller pair.

  Second, a first slide mechanism (a first slide member 126 and a guide rod 124) that supports the paper gripping / moving unit 120 so as to be slidable in one direction, and slides the first slide mechanism in a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction. By having the second slide mechanism (second slide member 123, protrusion shaft 122c) that can be made, the paper gripping movement unit 120 can slide in one direction, and the second slide mechanism that supports the paper gripping movement unit 120 is supported. Can be slid in different directions, and the gripping member 122 can be freely rotated and moved along a curved conveyance path.

  Thirdly, by having guide means (grooves of the guide rail 125) for controlling the rotation direction so that the direction of the paper gripping and moving unit 120 is changed according to the conveyance path, it has a free curve that changes the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle. The rotation direction of the sheet gripping and moving unit 120 can be controlled in accordance with the conveyance path, and the resistance between the sheet bundle and the conveyance path can be reduced to prevent generation of scratches and dirt.

  Fourth, the gripping member 122 of the paper gripping movement unit 120 has a stopper shape 122a that stops by abutting the end of the paper every time the paper is transported. When the paper is transported, the gripping member 122 is opened, Stopping and stacking with the stopper shape 122a, holding and fixing the paper with the gripping member 122, repeating these operations each time the paper is transported, stacking and holding and fixing each time a sheet of paper is fed. As a result, there is an effect of preventing the deviation of the stacked sheets when the next sheet is conveyed.

  As described above, the paper post-processing apparatus according to the present invention is installed on the paper discharge side of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, and is useful for a paper post-processing apparatus that performs predetermined post-processing on paper after image formation. In particular, it is suitable for a paper post-processing apparatus that grips and moves a sheet bundle along a curved path and binds the sheet bundle.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Paper post-processing apparatus 110 Staple 120 Paper holding | grip movement part 121 Conveyance path 122 Holding member 122a Stopper shape 122b Support member 122c Projection shaft 123 2nd slide member 124 Guide rod 125 Guide rail 126 1st slide member 200 Image forming apparatus

Claims (4)

A paper post-processing device that accepts paper to be processed and performs predetermined post-processing on the paper,
Gripping and moving means for gripping the end of the sheet bundle and moving the curved path;
A sheet bundle binding means for binding the sheet bundle gripped by the gripping movement means and stopped at a predetermined position of the curved path;
A sheet post-processing apparatus comprising: The gripping moving means is
A first slide mechanism supported so as to be slidable in one direction and supported so as to be freely rotatable with respect to the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle;
A second slide mechanism that is slidable in a direction substantially orthogonal to the moving direction of the first slide mechanism and is rotatably supported;
The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: The gripping movement means includes a guide member having a curved path guide shape,
The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second slide mechanism is moved along a guide shape of the guide member.   The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the gripping and moving means has a sheet alignment shape that abuts the end of the sheet and aligns the conveyance direction of the sheet.

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