JP2013107723A - Sheet binding device, post-processing device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To uniform binding strength in any direction regardless of a direction in which a booklet is flipped in a deep drawing binding device.SOLUTION: In the sheet binding device, a plurality of sheets are laminated, an uneven teeth shape 261 is fitted into the plurality of sheets to be bound as a sheet bundle by tangled fibers of the sheets. The uneven shape is arranged in the teeth shape 261 in a circular shape or in an almost fan-shape.

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper binding tool, a post-processing apparatus, and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a paper binding tool that performs deep drawing binding without using a binding member (staple).

  In the technical field of a finisher (post-processing device) used in an MFP (multi-function composite printer), it is known to perform a process (stapling process) for binding sheets sent from the MFP every specified number of sheets.

  Conventionally, a configuration using staples was generally used as a binding device, but in recent years, a binding device that does not use staples (not using a metal needle) has been devised from the viewpoint of resource saving, ecology, and recyclability. . As an example, a binding device has been devised and used that presses a mold that forms an uneven deep drawing on a sheet from above and below a sheet bundle to be bound.

  Patent Document 1 is an example of such a deep-drawing binding device. With reference to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-260260, the binding performance deteriorates when the thickness of the paper or the number of paper bundles exceeds a certain value. Therefore, the paper binding process is performed by changing the number and arrangement of irregularities formed on the paper according to the use conditions. A post-processing device including paper binding means for execution is described.

  However, in the conventional deep-drawing binding apparatus, since a plurality of linear uneven drawing shapes are arranged in parallel, the binding strength depends on whether the bound booklet is turned in a direction perpendicular to or parallel to the arrangement direction. There was a problem that it was very different.

  Specifically, when opening in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction, the force to be opened is distributed over the entire linear drawing shape, and thus a relatively strong binding strength can be obtained. Also, if the paper is opened in a direction parallel to the arrangement direction, the force to be opened concentrates on one point having a linear aperture shape, and the bound paper is peeled off with a relatively weak force. There has been a demand for improvement in that the usability is lower than that of staple binding due to the difference in binding strength depending on the opening direction when using the booklet.

  An object of the present invention is to achieve uniform binding strength in any direction regardless of the direction in which a booklet is turned in a deep-drawing binding apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a paper binding tool that binds a plurality of paper sheets and binds the plurality of paper sheets with a concave-convex tooth shape to form a paper bundle by entanglement of fibers between the paper sheets. And the said uneven | corrugated shape is arranged in the said tooth shape in the circular shape or the substantially fan shape, The paper binding tool characterized by the above-mentioned is provided.
The present invention also provides a post-processing device provided with the above-described paper binding tool.
The present invention also provides an image forming apparatus characterized in that the post-processing apparatus is connected or incorporated.

  According to the present invention, in the deep-drawing binding apparatus, it is possible to achieve uniform binding strength in any direction regardless of the direction in which the booklet is turned.

It is an external view which shows the usage example of embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the internal structure of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. It is a front view which shows the internal structure of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram (No. 1) for explaining details of a branching claw portion in FIG. 3; It is a figure (the 2) explaining the detail of the branch nail | claw part of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram (part 1) for explaining an operation and a configuration example of the binding tool of FIG. 3; FIG. 4 is a diagram (part 2) for explaining the operation and the configuration example of the binding tool of FIG. 3; FIG. 8 is a diagram (part 1) for explaining a binding operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. 8 is a diagram (part 2) for explaining the binding operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. 10 is a diagram (No. 3) for explaining the binding operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. 8 is a diagram (part 4) for explaining the binding operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. 10 is a diagram (No. 5) for explaining the binding operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. 10 is a diagram (No. 6) for explaining the binding operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. 8 is a view (No. 7) for explaining the binding operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 8 is a view (No. 8) for explaining the binding operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG. 10 is a diagram (No. 9) for explaining the binding operation of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. 1; It is FIG. (1) explaining the characteristic of the tooth type of the binding tool of FIG. It is FIG. (2) explaining the characteristic of the tooth type of the binding tool of FIG. It is a figure explaining the booklet bound with the binding tool of FIG.

  Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention will be described. The following embodiment has the following characteristics in the deep-drawing binding process. In short, in the concave and convex shape of the deep-drawing binding mechanism, the direction of turning the bound booklet by using a fan-shaped or circular shape instead of the conventional straight-line drawing shape is the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, or any direction. However, it is characterized in that the bonding force between the sheets having no concavo-convex shape is always the same. Features of the following embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  In FIG. 1, the usage example of the post-processing apparatus 201 which concerns on this embodiment is shown. The usage example shown in FIG. 1 includes a post-processing device 201 having a conveyance path binding mechanism that includes a configuration in which sheets are superimposed and aligned in the conveyance path and a binding tool that binds the overlapped sheets in the conveyance path. This is a configuration example when coupled (FIG. 1B) or incorporated in an image forming apparatus (FIG. 1A).

  The post-processing device 201 (having a conveyance path binding mechanism) will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 are both structural examples of a post-processing apparatus having a conveyance path binding mechanism. FIG. 2 is a plan view and FIG. 3 is a front view. The names and functions of each part will be described below.

  The image forming apparatus 101 illustrated on the right side of FIGS. 2 and 3 includes an image forming apparatus discharge roller 102 and is connected to the post-processing apparatus 201 (having a conveyance path binding mechanism) or the post-processing apparatus 201 is connected to the post-processing apparatus 201. Incorporated.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the post-processing device 201 includes an entrance sensor 202, an entrance roller 203, a branch claw 204, a paper discharge roller 205, a shift link 206, a shift cam 207, a shift cam stud 208, a shift cam home position sensor 209, and a binding tool 210. , A sheet end detection sensor 220, a binding tool home position sensor 221, a binding tool moving guide rail 230, and a tooth mold 261. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a sheet conveyance path 240, a branch path 241, and an abutting surface 242 are provided inside.

The entrance sensor 202 detects the leading edge, the trailing edge, and the presence / absence of a sheet carried into the post-processing apparatus 201.
The entrance roller 203 is located at the entrance of the post-processing apparatus 201 and has a function of carrying a sheet into the apparatus. It also has a drive source and control means capable of controlling stop, rotation, and conveyance amount. The control means may be in a connected image forming apparatus. Using this roller nip, sheet abutting skew correction is also possible.
The branch claw 204 is a pivotable claw that switches the conveyance path 240 provided to guide the rear end of the sheet to the branch path 241. In addition, the sheet can be pressed against the conveyance surface of the branch path 241 so that the sheet can be fixed.
A paper discharge roller 205 is located at the exit of the post-processing apparatus 201 and has a function of conveying, shifting, and discharging the sheet. It also has a drive source and control means capable of controlling stop, rotation, and conveyance amount. The control unit may be included in the connected image forming apparatus 101.
The shift link 206 is a portion that receives the shift moving force and is attached to the shaft end of the paper discharge roller 205.
The shift cam 207 is a disk-shaped component that has a shift cam stud 208 and rotates. By rotating this part, the paper discharge roller 205 connected to the shift link long hole through the shift cam stud 208 is shifted.
The shift cam stud 208 changes the rotational movement of the shift cam 207 to the linear movement movement in the axial direction of the paper discharge roller 205 in conjunction with the shift link slot.
The shift home position sensor 209 detects the position of the shift link 206 and sets this position as the home position.
The binding tool 210 is a tool for binding sheets. In the present embodiment, a binding tool that deforms a sheet by being held by a pair of teeth and entangles fibers is used. The present invention is not limited to this binding tool, but may have a function of binding like a widely known binding tool.
The sheet edge detection sensor 220 is a sensor that detects the side edge of the sheet. When aligning sheets, this sensor detection position is aligned with reference.
The binding tool home position sensor 221 is a sensor that detects the position of the binding tool 210 that can move in the sheet width direction. The home position is a position where the binding tool 210 is located at a position that does not interfere with the conveyance of the maximum size sheet. And this position is detected.
The binding tool movement guide rail 230 is a rail that guides the movement of the binding tool 210 so that the binding tool 210 can stably move in the sheet width direction.
The conveyance path 240 is a normal path for conveying and discharging the received sheet.
The branch path 241 is a conveyance path that is provided to overlap and align the sheets, and is carried in from the rear end side by the switchback of the sheets.
The abutting surface 242 is a reference surface that abuts and aligns the rear end of the sheet.
In this embodiment, the tooth mold 261 is a tooth mold having a shape in which a pair of concavities and convexities mesh with each other.

  With reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the detail of the branch nail | claw 204 part is demonstrated. The post-processing apparatus 201 according to the present embodiment is provided with a branch claw 204 that can be rotated for the purpose of switching between the conveyance path 240 and the branch path 241. The position where the sheet received from the right side in the figure can be conveyed without resistance is the home position, and is constantly pressurized by the spring 251. The spring 251 is applied to the branch claw movable lever portion 204a, and a branch solenoid 250 is also connected to the branch claw movable lever portion 204a via a link.

  Further, the branch path 241 conveyance surface and the branch claw 204 are configured to be able to hold a sheet in the conveyance path. Switching of the conveyance path is realized by turning on the branch solenoid 250 so that the branch claw 204 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 5 to close the conveyance path 240 and guide the sheet to the branch path 241.

  With reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the operation | movement and structural example of the binding tool 210 are demonstrated. However, the configuration is not limited to this. The tooth mold 261 has a shape in which the upper and lower pairs are engaged with each other. The tooth mold 261 is installed at the end of a plurality of link groups, and is configured to come in contact with and separate from the rotation of the pressure lever 262.

  The pressure lever 262 is rotated by a rotating cam 266. The cam 266 rotates with a driving force applied from the driving motor 265, and the position of the cam 266 is controlled by the detection information of the cam home position sensor 267. The detection state of the cam home position sensor 267 is the home position, and the tooth mold 261 is open (FIG. 6).

  Referring to FIG. 7, the description will be given of the case where the sheets are bound. The sheet 261 is inserted in a state where the tooth mold 261 is opened, and the cam 266 is rotated in the direction of the arrow by the rotation of the drive motor 265. Due to the displacement of the cam surface, the pressure lever 262 rotates in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The rotational force increases through the link group using the lever, and is transmitted to the tooth mold 261 at the end. When the fixed amount cam 266 rotates, the tooth mold 261 engages and holds the paper. By this clamping, the paper is deformed and pressed, and the fibers of adjacent papers are entangled and bound. Thereafter, the motor rotates in the reverse direction and stops at the detection information of the cam home position sensor 267. Further, the lever 262 has a spring property so that when an overload is applied, the lever 262 bends and releases the overload.

  The binding operation of the post-processing device 201 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 shows a state immediately before a sheet is output from the image forming apparatus 101 and a binding operation is started. The upper part is a top view as in FIG. 2, and the lower part is a side view as in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, when output is started from the image forming apparatus 101, each unit moves to the home position and completes the initial.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an acceptance standby state. Before the sheet output from the image forming apparatus 101 is carried into the post-processing apparatus 201, the mode information and the sheet information are received, and the receiving standby state is entered based on the information. The mode includes a straight mode, a shift mode, and a binding mode. Hereinafter, each mode will be described in order.

Straight mode In the acceptance standby state, the entrance roller 203 and the paper discharge roller 205 start to rotate in the transport direction. Each roller stops when it is sequentially conveyed and discharged and the final sheet is discharged.

Shift mode In the acceptance standby state, the entrance roller 203 and the paper discharge roller 205 start to rotate in the transport direction. In the shift paper discharge operation, when the sheet is received and conveyed and the rear end passes through the entrance roller 203, the shift cam 207 rotates by a certain amount and the paper discharge roller moves in the axial direction. At this time, the sheet also moves together with the movement of the sheet discharge roller 205. When the sheet is discharged, the shift cam 207 rotates to return to the home position and prepares for the next sheet. The operation of the paper discharge roller 205 is repeated until the same sheet is discharged. When the next sheet is carried in, the shift cam 207 rotates in the reverse direction, and the sheet moves to the opposite side and is discharged.

-Binding mode In the acceptance standby state, the entrance roller 203 stops and the paper discharge roller 205 starts to rotate in the transport direction. Further, the binding tool 210 moves to a standby position that is retracted by a certain amount from the sheet width and stands by. After this, the operation in the binding mode will be described.

  When the sheet is carried into the post-processing apparatus 201, the front end of the sheet is detected by the entrance sensor 202, and the entrance roller 203 is moved after a certain distance (the distance at which the front end of the sheet hits the entrance roller 203 nip to cause a certain amount of bending). Start spinning. As a result, the skew of the sheet is corrected.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the conveyance amount is counted from the detection information at the rear end entrance sensor 202, and the position information is grasped.

  When the trailing edge of the sheet passes through the entrance roller 203 nip, the entrance roller 203 stops for receiving the next sheet. At the same time, the shift cam 207 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 10, and the discharge roller 205 starts moving in the axial direction together with the sheet. Then, the sheet is conveyed while being skewed in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Thereafter, when the sheet end detection sensor 220 attached to or incorporated in the binding tool 210 detects the sheet, the shift cam 207 stops and reverses, and the sheet end detection sensor 220 stops in a non-detection state. When the operation is completed, the sheet discharge roller 205 stops at a predetermined position where the trailing end of the sheet has passed the leading end of the branching claw 204.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the post-processing device 201 rotates the branch claw 204 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 11 and switches the conveyance path, and then reversely rotates the discharge roller 205 to carry the sheet trailing edge into the branch path 241. Then, the abutting surface 242 is abutted and aligned, and the discharge roller 205 is stopped. At this time, the paper discharge roller 205 is set to have a weak conveying force so as to slip when the sheet hits.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the post-processing device 201 rotates the branch claw 204 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 12 and strongly waits while pressing the sheet rear end in the branch path 241 with the contact surface of the branch claw 204. When the next sheet is output from the image forming apparatus 101, the skew correction is performed by the entrance roller 203 as in the first sheet. At the same time when the entrance roller 203 starts to rotate, the paper discharge roller 205 also starts to rotate in the transport direction.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the second and subsequent sheets are also subjected to the operations shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, and the aligned sheets are stacked in the conveyance path by sequentially moving the sheets to a target position and stacking them.

  As shown in FIG. 14, when the operation is completed with the final sheet as an aligned bundle, the discharge roller 205 is rotated by a fixed amount in the transport direction and stopped (when the trailing edge of the sheet is abutted against the abutting surface 242). ) To eliminate the bending that occurred. Thereafter, the pressing force applied to the sheet bundle is released by rotating and switching the branching claw 204 in the direction of the arrow in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the post-processing device 201 rotates the paper discharge roller 205 to convey and stop the sheet bundle by a distance where the position of the tooth mold 261 of the binding tool 210 matches the processing position of the sheet (conveying direction). Match the machining position). Further, the binding tool 210 is moved to the arrow in FIG. 15 by a distance that matches the position of the tooth mold 261 of the binding tool 210 and the processing position of the sheet, and stopped (the processing position in the width direction is adjusted).

  At this time, the branching claw 204 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 15 and returns to the sheet receiving state. Thereafter, the binding tool driving motor 265 is turned on, and the sheet bundle is pressed by the tooth mold 261 to perform squeezing, whereby the fibers are entangled and the sheets are joined to each other for binding. Although the present embodiment is the binding tool 210 that performs the drawing, the same effect can be obtained by using a binding tool that is half-punched, cut or bent, and further passed through a hole.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the post-processing apparatus 201 rotates the paper discharge roller 205 to discharge the bound bundle, and after discharge, rotates the shift cam 207 to return to the home position and moves the binding tool 210 in the direction of the arrow. The operation is completed by returning to the position. The above is the binding operation of the post-processing device 201.

  The features of the tooth mold 261 of the binding tool 210 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing details of the cross-sectional shape of the tooth mold 261 of the binding tool 210. As shown in FIG. 17, the upper and lower molds are provided with concavities and convexities so as to fit each other, and the sheets are bound together by sandwiching the booklet.

  FIG. 18A shows a conventional type in which the tooth mold 261 has several straight diaphragm shapes arranged in parallel. A short vertical line shows one meshing of the uneven tooth mold. When this form is opened in the direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction, the force to be opened is distributed over the entire area of the linear aperture shape, so that a relatively strong binding strength can be obtained. Also, if the paper is opened in a direction parallel to the arrangement direction, the force to be opened concentrates on the end points of the linear aperture shape, and the bound paper is peeled off with a relatively weak force.

  On the other hand, FIG. 18B shows a type in which the tooth molds 261 of this embodiment are arranged in a concentric circle. The figure shows an example in which three circular rows are arranged concentrically, but the number of rows is arbitrary. Since this form does not depend on the directionality when turned from any direction, it is possible to maintain a uniform turning strength and excellent usability.

  Further, FIG. 18C shows another type of the present invention in which the tooth molds 261 are arranged in a fan shape. The figure shows an example in which three fan-shaped arrays are arranged, but the number of columns is arbitrary. This form can also maintain the turning strength independent of directionality. In this case, the opening angle α of the fan is not limited to 90 degrees in the figure and is arbitrary.

  FIG. 19 is a view in which a tooth pattern 261 is applied to the booklet. FIG. 19A is the circular arrangement type shown in FIG. 18B, and FIG. 19B is the fan-type arrangement deep drawing shown in FIG. 18C. The two types of teeth in the above embodiment can maintain a relatively uniform binding strength regardless of the direction in which the paper is turned, and thus are suitable for applications in which one point is applied to the edge of the paper as shown in the figure.

  On the other hand, FIG. 19C shows a deep drawing formed by the conventional linear array type tooth pattern shown in FIG. Since this type has a feature that the binding strength can be relatively maintained when turned in the direction of the figure, it is suitable for applications in which a plurality of places are applied to the end of the booklet to regulate the turning direction.

  Although not shown, by installing the circular arrangement type or the fan arrangement type and the linear arrangement type so as to be selectable, it is possible to selectively use both in the case of one-end binding at the end and in the case of multiple binding at the end.

  According to the above-described embodiment, in the deep drawing closing device, the same binding strength is maintained regardless of the direction in which the booklet is turned by using a fan-like uneven shape instead of the conventional linear uneven shape. Can do. Further, according to the above embodiment, in the deep drawing closing device, the same binding strength can be obtained regardless of the direction of turning the booklet by turning the circular uneven shape instead of the conventional linear uneven shape. Can be maintained. In this way, the above embodiment achieves uniform binding strength in any direction regardless of the direction in which the booklet is turned.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Image forming apparatus 102 Image forming apparatus Paper discharge roller 201 Post-processing apparatus 202 Entrance sensor 203 Entrance roller 204 Branch claw 204a Branch claw movable lever part 205 Paper discharge roller 206 Shift link 207 Shift cam 208 Shift cam stud 209 Shift home position sensor 210 Binding tool 220 Sheet edge detection sensor 221 Binding tool home position sensor 230 Binding tool movement guide rail 240 Transport path 241 Branch path 250 Branch solenoid 251 Spring 261 Tooth type 262 Pressure lever 265 Drive motor 266 Cam 267 Cam home position sensor

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-074858

Claims (5)

A paper binding tool that stacks a plurality of sheets and binds the plurality of sheets as a bundle of sheets by entanglement of the concave and convex tooth molds, and entangles the fibers between the sheets,
The paper binding tool, wherein the uneven shape is arranged in a circular shape or a substantially fan shape on the tooth shape.   The paper binding tool according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the uneven shapes are arranged so as to have an equal magnification around a certain point.   The concavo-convex shape arranged in a straight line shape is further provided, and the concavo-convex shape arranged in the circular shape or the substantially fan shape and the concavo-convex shape arranged in the straight line shape can be selected. The paper binding tool according to 1 or 2.   A post-processing apparatus comprising the paper binding tool according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   An image forming apparatus, wherein the post-processing apparatus according to claim 4 is connected or incorporated.

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