JP2014065609A - Paper processing device, image forming system, and paper processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure excellent aligning accuracy by preventing a sheet of paper from sticking.SOLUTION: There are provided a staple paper discharge roller for discharging sheets of paper, an end face binding processing tray for loading the sheets of paper discharged by the staple paper discharge roller, and first blowers 54a and 54b for blowing for the sheets of paper. Since jogger fences 53a and 53b for matching a direction orthogonal to the paper discharge direction are also provided, an air layer is formed in the lower face side of the sheet of paper to be discharged, adhesion or sticking is prevented between the sheet of paper and the end face binding processing tray and between the sheets of paper continuously discharged, and aligning can be achieved in such the state.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus, an image forming system, and a sheet processing method, and in particular, a sheet-shaped recording medium such as a loaded sheet, a recording sheet, a transfer sheet, and an OHP sheet (in this specification, simply “sheet”). A sheet processing apparatus that blows and aligns the sheet when the sheet is discharged, an image forming system including the sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a digital multifunction peripheral, and the sheet processing The present invention relates to a paper processing method executed by an apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a sheet processing apparatus that performs various processes on a sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus, for example, post-processing such as alignment, binding, folding, and bookbinding. The devices referred to are known and widely used.

  As this type of apparatus, for example, a technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-252520 (Patent Document 1) is known. This known technique is intended to reliably convey a sheet received from a Z-folding apparatus after a binding process, and reliably discharge the sheet without causing buckling, wrinkling, tearing, or the like.

  In order to achieve this object, this known technique is configured to align and align the sheets ejected from the image forming apparatus on the sheet placing table after the Z folding process, and to bind the bound sheet bundle to the sheet ejecting unit. In the sheet post-processing apparatus for discharging by the pair of discharge belts and the discharge roller, the discharge roller pair is set in a half-open state, and the rear end portion in the discharge direction of the sheet bundle is held by the discharge belt of the discharge unit. Then, after transporting on the sheet mounting table and the leading end of the sheet bundle in the sheet discharge direction reaches the vicinity of the nipping position of the sheet discharge roller pair, the sheet conveyance is temporarily stopped and the sheet discharge roller pair is brought into a pressure contact state. None, the sheet bundle is pressed and held by the pair of paper discharge rollers, re-conveyed, and has a control means for controlling so as to be discharged out of the apparatus.

  Further, in this known technique, an air blowing unit is arranged above the paper placing table, and when the Z-folded paper is placed on the paper placing table, the air blowing unit is operated, The rear surface of the folded sheet is pressed against the sheet placing table by blowing air so that the sheets are aligned. At that time, the air blowing means has a width in the vicinity of the center of the length in the conveyance direction of the Z-folded paper placed on the paper placement table, and a width orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the Z-folded paper. It is arranged near the center of the direction.

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, a blowing unit is provided above the sheet mounting table, and the sheet is pressed by buckling the sheet by blowing air from the blowing unit on the back of the folded sheet. Although it does not cause wrinkles or tears, misalignment due to sticking of paper such as coated paper is not considered. For this reason, blowing air to the back of the paper from the blowing means installed above the paper mounting table for paper that has not been folded does not prevent the paper from sticking to each other. Good consistency could not be ensured.

  Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to prevent the sticking of paper and to ensure good alignment accuracy.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention includes a paper discharge unit that discharges paper, a stacking unit that stacks the paper discharged by the paper discharge unit, and a blower that blows air to the paper. And a sheet processing apparatus including alignment means for aligning a direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction. Note that problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified in the following description of embodiments.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent sticking of paper and to ensure good alignment accuracy.

1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of an image forming system according to Example 1 in an embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic block diagram which looked at the end surface binding processing tray in FIG. 1 from the stacking surface side of the tray. It is a principal part front view which shows schematic structure of the lower part of an end surface binding process tray. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of an end surface binding processing tray and its attachment mechanism. It is a side view which shows operation | movement of the discharge | release belt in FIG. FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram of the stapling unit illustrating a state during conveyance of the first sheet in Embodiment 1. FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram of the staple unit illustrating a state when the first sheet is discharged from the staple discharge roller to the end face binding processing tray side in the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is an operation explanatory diagram of the stapling unit illustrating a state when the conveyance of the first sheet to the end face binding processing tray is completed in the first exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram of the stapling unit illustrating a state when the second sheet is discharged onto the first sheet in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram of the stapling unit showing a state when the discharge of a plurality of sheets onto the end face binding processing tray from the state of FIG. 9 is completed. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of an image forming system including a sheet post-processing device and an image forming apparatus. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of ventilation operation | movement control. It is a front view which shows the selection screen at the time of the ventilation mode selection of the operation panel of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 6 is a front view illustrating a setting screen for an air flow rate on an operation panel of the image forming apparatus. It is the schematic block diagram which looked at the end surface binding processing tray in Example 2 from the stacking surface side of the said tray. FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating an operation state during conveyance of the first sheet in Embodiment 2. FIG. 17 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state when the first sheet from the state of FIG. 16 is discharged from the staple discharge roller to the end-face binding processing tray F side. FIG. 18 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state when conveyance of the first sheet from the state of FIG. 17 to the end face binding processing tray is completed. FIG. 11 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a sheet bundle discharging operation when no blower is provided. FIG. 12 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating an operation of blowing air from the lower side of the sheet stacking surface of the end-face binding processing tray from the second blowing device before starting the raising operation of the rear end fence in the second embodiment. FIG. 21 is a perspective view illustrating a state of a sheet bundle when the air is blown as illustrated in FIG. 20. FIG. 21 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the sheet bundle is further pushed up from the state of FIG. 20.

  In the present embodiment, air is blown toward a sheet or a sheet bundle stacked on the end-face binding processing tray so as to prevent alignment between sheets, or to be seated on the sheet bundle. . Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to the equivalent parts, and the overlapping description will be omitted as appropriate.

  The first embodiment is an example in which, when aligning sheets on the end face binding processing tray, the sheet is blown by a blowing unit provided in an aligning unit that performs alignment in the sheet width direction to prevent sheet adhesion and align.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an image forming system SY including a sheet post-processing apparatus PD and an image forming apparatus PR as a sheet processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus PR is an image processing circuit that converts input image data into printable image data, and an optical writing apparatus that performs optical writing on a photoconductor based on an image signal output from the image processing circuit. A developing device for developing the latent image formed on the photosensitive member by optical writing, a transfer device for transferring the toner image visualized by the developing device to paper, and a fixing device for fixing the toner image transferred on the paper At least the paper on which the toner image is fixed is sent to the paper post-processing device PD, and desired post-processing is performed by the paper post-processing device PD. Here, the image forming apparatus PR is of an electrophotographic system as described above, but any known image forming apparatus such as an ink jet system or a thermal transfer system can be used. In this embodiment, the image processing circuit, the optical writing device, the developing device, the transfer device, and the fixing device constitute image forming means.

  The sheet post-processing apparatus PD is attached to the side portion of the image forming apparatus PR. The paper discharged from the image forming apparatus PR is guided to the paper post-processing device PD. The sheet post-processing apparatus PD includes a conveyance path A, a conveyance path B, a conveyance path C, a conveyance path D, and a conveyance path H, and the sheet is a post-processing unit (in this embodiment) that performs post-processing on one sheet. It is first transported to a transport path A having a punch unit 50) as a punching means.

  The conveyance path B is a conveyance path that leads to the upper tray 201 through the conveyance path A, and the conveyance path C is a conveyance path C that leads to the shift tray 202. The conveyance path D is a conveyance path that leads to a processing tray (hereinafter also referred to as an “end face binding processing tray”) F that performs alignment, stapling, and the like. The conveyance path A is distributed to the conveyance paths B, C, and D by the branch claw 15 and the branch claw 16, respectively.

  In this sheet post-processing apparatus, punching (punching unit 50), sheet alignment + edge binding (jogger fence 53, end surface binding stapler S1), sheet alignment + saddle binding (saddle stitch upper jogger fence 250a, Processing such as saddle stitching lower jogger fence 250b, saddle stitching stapler S2), paper sorting (shift tray 202), center folding (folding plate 74, folding roller 81), and the like can be performed. Therefore, the transport path A and the subsequent transport path B, transport path C, and transport path D are selected according to the processing. Further, the conveyance path D includes a paper storage portion E, and an end face binding processing tray F, a saddle stitching / center folding processing tray G, and a paper discharge conveyance path H are provided on the downstream side of the conveyance path D.

  In the conveyance path A common to the upstream of the conveyance path B, the conveyance path C, and the conveyance path D, an inlet sensor 301 that detects a sheet received from the image forming apparatus PR, an inlet roller 1, a punch unit 50, The punch and waste container 51, the conveying roller (pair) 2, the first and second branching claws 15, and the branching claws 16 are sequentially arranged. The first and second branch claws 15 and 16 are held in the state shown in FIG. 1 by a spring (not shown) (initial state), and the branch claws 15 and 16 are turned on by turning on the first and second solenoids (not shown). Can be driven respectively. At that time, by selecting ON / OFF of the first and second solenoids, the combination of the branch directions of the first and second branch claws 15 and 16 is changed, and the transport path B, the transport path C, and the transport path D are changed. Sort the paper.

  When the sheet is guided to the conveyance path B, the state shown in FIG. 1, that is, the first solenoid remains OFF (the first branching claw 15 is in the initial state). As a result, the paper is discharged from the transport roller 3 to the upper tray 201 via the paper discharge roller 4. When the sheet is guided to the conveyance path C, the first and second solenoids are turned on from the state shown in FIG. 1 (the second branch claw 16 is in the initial state), so that the branch claw 15 branches upward. The nail | claw 16 will be in the state which each rotated below. As a result, the sheet is conveyed to the shift tray 202 side through the conveyance roller (pair) 5 and the discharge roller pair 6 (6a, 6b). In this case, paper sorting is performed. Sheets are sorted by a shift tray paper discharge unit located at the most downstream portion of the sheet post-processing apparatus PD. The paper sorting is performed by a shift discharge roller pair 6 (6a, 6b), a return roller 13, a paper surface detection sensor 330, a shift tray 202, a shift mechanism (not shown) that reciprocates the shift tray 202 in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction, And a shift tray lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the shift tray 202.

  When the sheet is guided to the conveyance path D, the first solenoid that drives the first branch claw 15 is turned on, and the second solenoid that drives the second branch claw is turned off. As a result, the branch claw 15 is turned upward and the branch claw 16 is turned upward, and the sheet is guided from the transport roller 2 to the transport path D side through the transport roller (pair) 7. The sheet guided to the conveyance path D is guided to the end surface binding processing tray F, and alignment, stapling, and the like are performed on the end surface binding processing tray F. The sheet subjected to alignment, stapling, and the like is conveyed by the guide member 44 to the shift path 202, and the saddle stitching / intermediate folding processing tray G (hereinafter also simply referred to as “saddle stitching processing tray”). Be distributed to.

  When guided to the shift tray 202, the sheet bundle PB is discharged from the discharge roller pair 6 to the shift tray 202. Further, the sheet bundle PB guided to the saddle stitching processing tray G side is folded and bound by the saddle stitching processing tray G, and is discharged from the paper discharge roller 83 to the lower tray 203 through the paper discharge conveyance path H. .

  On the other hand, a branch claw 17 is disposed in the conveyance path D, and is held in the state shown in the figure by a low load spring (not shown). After the trailing edge of the sheet conveyed by the conveying roller 7 passes through the branch claw 17, at least the conveying roller 9 among the conveying rollers (pairs) 9, 10 and the staple discharge roller (pair) 11 is reversed to remove the sheet. It can be reversed along the turn guide 8. As a result, the sheet is guided from the rear end of the sheet to the sheet storage portion E so as to stay (prestack), and can be conveyed while being overlapped with the next sheet. By repeating this operation, it is possible to convey two or more sheets in a superimposed manner. Reference numeral 304 denotes a prestack sensor for setting a reverse feed timing when prestacking sheets.

  When the sheet is guided to the conveyance path D and the sheet alignment and the end binding are performed, the sheets guided to the end surface binding processing tray F by the staple discharge roller 11 are sequentially stacked on the end surface binding processing tray F. In this case, each sheet of paper is tapped down in the direction of arrow D1 '(see FIG. 4) by the tapping roller 12, and alignment in the vertical direction (paper transport (paper discharge) direction) is performed. In addition, the jogger fence 53 performs alignment in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction (also referred to as a sheet width direction (arrow D2 direction)) (see FIG. 4). An end-face stitching stapler S1 as a binding means is driven by a staple signal from the CPU 101, which will be described later, between the end of the job, that is, from the last sheet of the sheet bundle PB to the first sheet of the next sheet bundle PB, and the binding process is performed. . The sheet bundle PB subjected to the binding process is immediately sent to the paper discharge roller pair 6 by the discharge belt 52 (see FIG. 2) on which the discharge claw 52a protrudes, and is discharged to the shift tray 202 set at the receiving position. Paper.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the end-face stitching stapler S1 includes a stitcher (driver) S1a for ejecting staples and a clincher S1b for bending the leading ends of the staples. Further, since the space portion S1c through which the first and second rear end reference fences 51a and 51b can pass is formed between the two, the end surface binding stapler S1 and the rear end reference fence 51 do not interfere with each other. The stapler S1 is movable. Unlike the saddle stitching stapler S2, the end-face stitching stapler S1 includes a stitcher S1a and a clincher S1b.

  The stitcher S1a functions as a fixed side without moving in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface, and functions as a moving side in which the clincher S1b moves in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface. As a result, when the binding operation is performed on the sheet bundle PB, the sheet bundle PB in contact with the stack surfaces 51a1 and 51b1 (see FIG. 4) of the first and second rear end reference fences 51a and 51b. The clincher S1b moves to a stitcher S1a side through a predetermined binding portion, and a binding operation is performed in the process.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the discharge belt 52 is positioned at the alignment center in the sheet width direction, is stretched between the pulleys 62, and is driven by the discharge belt drive motor 157. A plurality of discharge rollers 56 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the discharge belt 52, are provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the drive shaft, and function as driven rollers. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the operation of the discharge belt in FIG. 1, and the direction of arrow D1 is the paper transport direction.

  The release claw 52 a is configured such that the home position is detected by a release belt HP sensor 311, and this release belt HP sensor 311 is turned on / off by a discharge claw 52 a provided on the discharge belt 52. Two discharge claws 52a are arranged at opposing positions on the outer periphery of the discharge belt 52, and the sheet bundle PB stored in the end face binding processing tray F is moved and conveyed alternately. Further, if necessary, the discharge belt 52 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the sheet bundle accommodated in the end face binding processing tray F on the back surface of the discharge claw 52a opposite to the discharge claw 52a opposite to the sheet bundle PB. It is also possible to align the leading ends of the PB in the transport direction.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 110 denotes a pressing member. The pressing member 110 is positioned at the lower end portion of the rear end reference fence 51 so that the rear end of the sheet bundle PB accommodated in the rear end reference fence 51 can be pressed, and is substantially perpendicular to the end face binding processing tray F. Reciprocates in the direction. The sheets discharged to the end-face binding processing tray F are struck for each sheet and aligned in the vertical direction (paper conveyance direction) with the roller 12. However, if the trailing edge of the paper loaded on the end-face binding processing tray F is curled or stiff, the trailing edge tends to buckle and swell due to the weight of the paper itself. Further, as the number of sheets stacked increases, the gap for entering the next sheet in the rear end reference fence 51 is reduced, and the vertical alignment tends to deteriorate.

  Therefore, a pressing mechanism that presses the rear end of the sheet to reduce the swelling of the rear end of the sheet so that the sheet can easily enter the rear end reference fence 51. The pressing member directly presses the sheet or the sheet bundle PB. 110. The pressing member is also referred to as a rear end pressing lever.

  In FIG. 1, reference numerals 302, 303, 304, 305, and 310 denote paper detection sensors, which detect the presence / absence of paper passing at the provided position or the presence / absence of paper stacking.

  Further, in FIG. 1, a reference symbol F is attached to the large range as an end-face binding processing tray, but the reference symbol F directly indicates that the paper P is discharged from the staple discharge roller 11, aligned, stacked, A tray that is bound. The sheet P is a collective term for a first sheet P1, a second sheet P2, an n-1th sheet Pn-1, and an nth sheet Pn, which will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the end face binding processing tray F as viewed from the tray stacking surface side, and corresponds to the case of viewing from the right side surface of FIG. In the figure, alignment in the width direction of the sheet received from the upstream image forming apparatus PR is performed by jogger fences 53a and 53b, and alignment in the vertical direction is performed by first and second rear end reference fences 51a and 51b (FIG. 1 is indicated by reference numeral 51).

  The jogger fences 53a and 53b are provided with first blowers 54a and 54b for blowing air toward the inside of the jogger fences 53a and 53b. The first blowers 54a and 54b are movable over a preset range in the longitudinal direction (arrow D3 direction) of the jogger fences 53a and 53b by a moving mechanism (not shown). As the moving mechanism, for example, a known mechanism such as a timing belt, a conveying screw, or a linear motor is used.

  The first blowers 54a and 54b have blower openings 54a1 and 54b1 that open toward the inside of the jogger fences 53a and 53b. The air is blown from the air blowing ports 54a1 and 54b1 toward the inside of the jogger fences 53a and 53b. The air blowing ports 54a1 and 54b1 are provided with louvers (not shown) together with the angle changing mechanism of the louvers. And it is also possible to change the blowing directions 54a2 and 54b2 to, for example, the arrow D4 direction by the angle changing mechanism. In this embodiment, the maximum angle to be changed is set to 90 degrees, for example.

  In FIG. 2, the air blowing angle is swung only in the paper discharge direction, but it may be in the opposite direction, and is appropriately set according to the paper size and the positions of the air outlets 54a1 and 54b1. As the louver angle changing mechanism, a known mechanism is adopted in which the slide member is connected to the louver and each louver is rotated with respect to each rotation fulcrum. The slide member is driven by a motor.

  In the present embodiment, the first blowers 54a and 54b are provided directly on the jogger fences 53a and 53b. However, for example, a blower source including a fan and a fan motor is provided separately, and via a telescopic hose-like duct. It can also comprise so that it may ventilate to the ventilation port 54a1, 54b1, and it blows off from the said ventilation port 54a1, 54b1.

  FIG. 3 is a front view of an essential part showing a schematic configuration of the lower part of the end face binding processing tray F. A rear end reference fence 51, an end face binding stapler S 1, and a staple discharge roller 11 are provided below the end face binding processing tray F, and a pressing member 110 is disposed on the side facing the rear end reference fence 51. Although the pressing member 110 has been touched before, the pressing member 110 is for pressing the rear end of the sheet bundle PB accommodated in the rear end reference fence 51 and is located at the lower end portion of the rear end reference fence 51 and is connected to the end face binding processing tray F. It is possible to reciprocate in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction. A plurality of pressing members 110 (three in this embodiment) are provided in the paper width direction, and each pressing member 110 moves in conjunction with the end face binding stapler S1 in the paper width direction by a mechanism (not shown). Further, the sheet bundle PB can be moved close to and away from the sheet bundle PB, and the sheet bundle PB is held with the rear end reference fence 51 when the rear end of the sheet bundle PB is pressed with a predetermined pressure to perform the binding process. To do.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the end face binding processing tray F and its attached mechanism. As shown in the drawing, the sheets P guided to the end-face binding processing tray F by the staple paper discharge roller 11 are sequentially stacked on the end-face binding processing tray F. At this time, when the number of sheets P to be discharged to the end face binding processing tray F is one, alignment in the vertical direction (paper conveyance direction) is performed by the tapping roller 12 for each sheet, and the jogger fences 53a and 53b perform the width direction. Alignment (in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction) is performed. The tapping roller 12 is swung around the fulcrum 12a and is given a pendulum motion by the SOL 170. The tapping roller 12 intermittently acts on the sheet fed to the end surface binding processing tray F to move the sheet P in the direction of the arrow D1 ', thereby causing the sheet trailing end ST Is abutted against the rear end reference fence 51. The hitting roller 12 itself rotates counterclockwise. The jogger fence 53 is provided with a pair of front and rear (53a, 53b: left and right in the figure) as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, and is driven through a timing belt by a jogger motor 158 capable of forward and reverse rotation to reciprocate in the paper width direction. To do.

  After the alignment operation is completed, the binding process is performed by the end surface binding stapler S1, and the discharge belt 52 is driven counterclockwise by the discharge belt drive motor 157 as can be seen from the perspective view showing the operation of the discharge belt in FIG. . As a result, the sheet bundle PB after the binding process is scooped by the discharge claw 52a attached to the discharge belt 52 and discharged from the end face binding process tray F.

  Reference numerals 64a and 64b are a front side plate and a rear side plate. Further, this operation can be performed in the case of an unbound bundle that is not subjected to the binding process after the alignment process.

  A sheet bundle deflection mechanism I is provided on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction of the end face binding processing tray F. As shown in FIG. 1, the conveyance path for conveying the sheet bundle PB from the end face binding processing tray F to the saddle stitching processing tray G, and from the end face binding processing tray F to the shift tray 202, and the conveying means for conveying the sheet bundle PB are: A conveyance mechanism 35 that applies a conveyance force to the bundle PB, a discharge roller 56 that turns the sheet bundle PB, and a guide member 44 that performs a guide for turning the sheet bundle PB.

  Each detailed configuration will be described. The driving force of the driving shaft 37 is transmitted to the roller 36 of the transport mechanism 35 by a timing belt. The roller 36 and the driving shaft 37 are connected and supported by an arm, and driven. The shaft 37 can be swung about the rotation fulcrum. The roller 36 of the transport mechanism 35 is driven to swing by a cam 40. The cam 40 rotates around a rotation shaft and is driven by a motor (not shown). In the transport mechanism 35, a driven roller 42 is disposed at a position opposite to the roller 36, the sheet bundle PB is sandwiched between the driven roller 42 and the roller 36, and pressurized by an elastic material to give a transport force.

  A conveying path for turning the sheet bundle PB from the end face binding processing tray F to the saddle stitching processing tray G is formed between the discharge roller 56 and the inner surface of the guide member 44 facing the discharge roller 56. The guide member 44 rotates around a fulcrum, and the drive is transmitted from the bundle branch drive motor 161 (see FIG. 2). When the sheet bundle is conveyed from the end face binding processing tray F to the shift tray 202, the guide member 44 rotates in the illustrated clockwise direction around the fulcrum, and the outer surface of the guide member 44 (the surface on the side not facing the discharge roller 56). ) And the outer guide plate function as a conveyance path.

  When the sheet bundle PB is sent from the end face binding processing tray F to the saddle stitching processing tray G, the trailing edge of the sheet bundle PB aligned on the end face binding processing tray F is pushed up by the discharge claw 52a, and the roller 36 of the transport mechanism 35 and this A sheet bundle is sandwiched between the opposed driven rollers 42 facing each other, and a conveying force is applied. At this time, the roller 36 of the transport mechanism 35 stands by at a position where it does not hit the front end of the sheet bundle PB. Next, after the leading edge of the sheet bundle PB passes, the roller 36 of the conveying mechanism 35 is brought into contact with the surface of the sheet to give a conveying force. At this time, the guide member 44 and the discharge roller 56 form a guide for the turn conveyance path, and the sheet bundle PB is conveyed to the downstream saddle stitching processing tray G.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the saddle stitching processing tray G is provided on the downstream side of the sheet bundle deflection mechanism I including the transport mechanism 35, the guide member 44, and the discharge roller 56. The saddle stitching processing tray G is provided substantially vertically on the downstream side of the sheet bundle deflecting mechanism I. The center folding mechanism is provided at the center, the bundle conveying guide plate upper 92 is disposed above, and the bundle is conveyed downward. A guide plate lower 91 is disposed.

  Further, an upper bundle conveying roller 71 is provided above the bundle conveying guide plate 92, and a lower bundle conveying roller 72 is provided below the bundle conveying guide plate. Further, a saddle stitch upper jogger fence 250a is arranged on both sides along the side surface of the bundle conveyance guide plate upper 92 so as to straddle between both rollers 71 and 72. Similarly, a saddle stitching lower jogger fence 250b is provided on both sides along the side surface of the bundle conveyance guide plate lower 91. Further, a saddle stitch stapler S2 is disposed at a place where the saddle stitch lower jogger fence 250b is installed.

  The saddle stitching upper jogger fence 250a and the saddle stitching lower jogger fence 250b are driven by a driving mechanism (not shown) and perform an alignment operation in a direction (paper width direction) perpendicular to the paper transport direction. The saddle stitching stapler S2 is a pair of a clincher portion and a driver portion, and two pairs are provided at a predetermined interval in the sheet width direction.

  A movable rear end reference fence 73 is disposed so as to cross the bundle conveyance guide plate lower 91, and can be moved in the sheet conveyance direction (vertical direction in the drawing) by a moving mechanism including a timing belt and its driving mechanism. Yes. As shown in FIG. 1, the drive mechanism includes a drive pulley and a driven pulley on which the timing belt is stretched, and a stepping motor that drives the drive pulley. Similarly, a rear end tapping claw 251 and its drive mechanism are provided on the upper end side of the upper bundle transport guide plate 92. The trailing edge tapping claw 251 can reciprocate in a direction away from the sheet bundle deflecting mechanism and a direction in which the trailing edge of the sheet bundle (the side that contacts the trailing edge when the sheet bundle is introduced) is pushed by a timing belt 252 and a driving mechanism (not shown). ing.

  The center folding mechanism is provided at a substantially central portion of the saddle stitching processing tray G, and includes a folding plate 74, a folding roller 81, and a conveyance path H that conveys the folded sheet bundle. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 326 denotes a home position sensor for detecting the home position of the rear end tapping claw 251. Reference numeral 323 denotes a folded portion passage sensor for detecting a folded sheet. Reference numeral 321 denotes a bundle detection sensor that detects that the sheet bundle has reached the center folding position. Reference numeral 322 denotes a movable rear end reference fence home position sensor that detects the home position of the movable rear end reference fence 73.

  In this embodiment, a detection lever 501 for detecting the stacking height of the sheet bundle PB folded in the lower tray 203 is provided so as to be swingable by a fulcrum 501a. The angle of the detection lever 501 is detected by a paper surface sensor 505. Detecting and raising / lowering the lower tray 203 and detecting overflow.

  6 to 10 are explanatory views showing the sheet conveyance control of the staple unit and the operation of the blower. In these drawings, (a) is a view of the end face binding processing tray F as viewed from the front side of the apparatus, and (b) is a view of the end face binding processing tray F as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the end face binding processing tray F. .

  FIG. 6 shows an operation state during conveyance of the first sheet. The first sheet P1 passes through the conveyance path D and reaches the staple discharge roller 11. At this time, it is determined whether or not to blow air based on the paper information of the paper P1, and when the air is blown, the first blowers 54a and 54b start blowing. Further, the first blowers 54a and 54b are moved to the vicinity of the center in the transport direction length of the paper P1 according to the paper size. Further, the jogger fences 53a and 53b are moved to the optimum position in the width direction of the paper P1 (the direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction) according to the paper size to prepare for the reception of the paper P1. At this time, the hitting roller 12 is located at the retracted position so that it does not interfere with paper reception.

  FIG. 7 shows a state where the first sheet P1 is discharged from the staple discharge roller 11 to the end face binding processing tray F side. At this time, the paper P1 discharged from the staple paper discharge roller 11 is transported along the jogger fences 53a and 53b moving to the jogging operation start position, and air is blown by the first blowers 54a and 54b during the transport. Is called. The jogging operation start position is a position preset in the preparation operation.

  By this air blowing operation, an air layer is formed between the paper P1 and the paper contact (grounding) surface on the end face binding processing tray F side. As a result, the close contact or adhesion of the sheet P1 to the contact surface of the end surface binding processing tray F is suppressed, and sticking is prevented. Note that the second sheet P2 is conveyed along the conveyance path D while the first sheet P1 is being discharged from the staple discharge roller 11. FIG. 7A shows this state.

  FIG. 8 shows a state when the conveyance of the first sheet P1 to the end face binding processing tray F is completed. As shown in the figure, the sheet P1 discharged from the staple discharge roller 11 and discharged to the end face binding processing tray F side is discharged in a state of being blown from the first blowers 54a and 54b. Therefore, it is dropped to the rear end fence 51 by the hitting operation of the hitting roller 12 and its own weight without sticking to the sheet contact surface of the end face binding processing tray F. At this time, the second sheet P2 waits until the end face binding processing tray F can receive the next sheet in a state where the leading end is in contact with the nip position of the staple discharge roller 11.

  FIG. 9 shows a state when the second sheet P2 is discharged onto the first sheet P1. When the second sheet P2 is discharged from the staple discharge roller 11 onto the end face binding processing tray F, the first blowing devices 54a and 54b are blowing from the side surfaces of the sheets P1 and P2. As a result, an air layer is formed between the first sheet P1 and the second sheet P2, and adhesion between the first and second sheets P1 and P2 can be suppressed or prevented. . Since the first and second sheets P1 and P2 are not in close contact in this way, the extrusion of the first sheet P1 is suppressed or prevented, and further the buckling of the second sheet P2 is suppressed. Or can be prevented.

  FIG. 10 shows a state when the discharge of a plurality of sheets P onto the end face binding processing tray F is completed. In FIG. 10, the operations of FIGS. 6 to 9 are repeated, and the sheet conveyance direction and the sheet width direction are aligned to form a stacked sheet bundle PB. As described above, the transport direction of the paper P is aligned by the rear end reference fence 51, and the paper width direction is aligned by the jogger fences 53a and 53b. At that time, the nth sheet Pn discharged onto the end face binding processing tray F is discharged first by the air blown from the first blowers 54a and 54b provided in the jogger fences 53a and 54. Further, it does not stick to the (n-1) th sheet Pn-1 (n is an integer of 2 or more). Therefore, the sheet bundle PB aligned with good alignment accuracy is formed on the end face binding processing tray F.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of an image forming system SY including the sheet post-processing apparatus PD and the image forming apparatus PR. The sheet post-processing apparatus PD includes a control circuit on which a microcomputer having a CPU 101, an I / O interface 102, and the like is mounted. The CPU 101 receives signals from the CPU of the image forming apparatus PR, each switch of the operation panel 105, and each sensor (not shown) via the communication interface 103. The CPU 101 executes predetermined control based on the input signal. Further, the CPU 101 drives and controls a solenoid and a motor via a driver and a motor driver, and acquires sensor information in the apparatus from the interface. In addition, motor drive control is performed by the motor driver via the I / O interface 102 in accordance with the control target and sensor, and sensor information is acquired from the sensor.

  The operation panel 105 can communicate with the image forming apparatus PR via the communication interface 106. The communication interface 103 is also capable of bidirectional communication, and a signal indicating information necessary for control on the image forming apparatus PR side is transmitted from the CPU 101 of the sheet post-processing apparatus PD to the CPU of the image forming apparatus PR. Is done. The control executed by the sheet post-processing device PD is such that the program code stored in a ROM (not shown) is read by the CPU 101 and expanded in a RAM (not shown), and the program code is used while using the RAM as a work area and a data buffer. It is executed based on the program defined in.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the air blowing operation control in this embodiment, FIG. 13 is a front view showing a selection screen 110 when the air blowing mode is selected on the operation panel 105 of the image forming apparatus PR, and FIG. FIG.

  When the air blowing mode is selected, as shown in FIG. 13, the automatic selection key 110a, the forced ON key 110b, and the forced OFF key 110c are displayed on the selection screen 110 in the air blowing mode. When the display area of each key is touched, The touched function can be selected. When automatic selection is selected by touching the automatic selection key 110a, when coated paper is selected in the paper type setting, the blower 400 automatically sets the air to be blown. When the forced ON key 110b and the forced OFF key 110c are selected, the presence / absence of air blowing can be set regardless of the paper type.

  FIG. 14 shows an example of the display of the air volume setting screen from the operation panel 105 of the image forming apparatus PR. The air blowing amount is automatically adjusted to the optimum air blowing amount at the time of discharge from the paper information (paper type, paper thickness, paper size) from the image forming apparatus PR. On the air volume setting screen 111, 70% is set as the fan motor DUTY for driving the fan of the first air blower 54, and the state is displayed. In this case, by touching the plus key 111a or the minus key 111b, the default air flow rate can be increased or decreased and adjusted.

  Therefore, in FIG. 12, when the air blowing operation control is started, first, the selection state of the air blowing mode is determined (step S1). The determination of the air blowing mode is made as to what mode is selected from the touch state of the selection screen 110 of the operation panel 105 of the image forming apparatus PR as shown in FIG. When the user touches the automatic selection key 110a, it waits for the paper P to be received in the end-face binding processing tray F (step S2). Then, paper information transmitted from the image forming apparatus PR side is acquired (step S3). Next, it is determined from the acquired paper information whether the paper P to be discharged is a coated paper (step S4).

  In this determination, if it is not coated paper, the first blower 54a, 54b is turned off (step S5), and if it is coated paper, the first blower 54a, 54b is turned on (step S6). Finish. At that time, the air blowing amount is automatically adjusted to the optimum air blowing amount at the time of discharge based on the paper information input from the image forming apparatus PR.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1 that the forced OFF key 110c has been selected, the first blowers 54a and 54b are turned off (step S5), and the process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1 that the forced ON key 110b has been selected, the first blowers 54a and 54b are turned on (step S6), and the process ends.

  Note that the CPU 101 executes each process of the flowchart of FIG.

  As described above, by controlling the timing and amount of air blown from the blower 400, the adhesion between the sheets can be reduced. As a result, buckling or sticking can be prevented and good alignment accuracy can be obtained.

  In the second embodiment, the width position is shifted from the top and bottom in the sheet thickness direction to generate air (stiffen) in the sheet width direction by blowing air, and the rigidity of the sheet is increased to buckle at the time of discharge or during discharge It is characterized by preventing buckling.

  An image forming system SY from the sheet post-processing device PD and the image forming device PR according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and includes an end surface binding processing tray F and its attached mechanism shown in FIG. Further, the operation of the discharge belt shown in FIG. 5 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 15 is a schematic configuration diagram of the end face binding processing tray F viewed from the stacking surface side of the tray F, and corresponds to the case of viewing from the right side surface of FIG. In the figure, alignment in the width direction of the sheet received from the upstream image forming apparatus PR is performed by jogger fences 53a and 53b, and alignment in the vertical direction is performed by first and second rear end reference fences 51a and 51b (FIG. 1 is indicated by reference numeral 51).

  A plurality of openings 55 are provided on the sheet stacking surface F1 of the end surface binding processing tray F. An opening / closing valve 56 is provided below each opening 55 (back surface F2 of the sheet stacking surface F1), and each opening 55 can be independently opened and shielded by the opening / closing valve 56. Further, a second air blower 57 (57a) that blows to the paper P stacked through the opening 55 is movable below the back surface F2 of the paper stacking surface F1 (in the direction of arrow T1 in FIG. 15B). 57b). As shown in FIG. 15, a pair of second blowers 57a and 57b are arranged at symmetrical positions with the sheet conveyance center (the center in the longitudinal direction of the discharge belt 52) as the symmetry axis. In addition, a third blower 58 is provided in the vicinity of the center of the sheet conveyance direction above the rear end fence 51 so that air can be blown to the sheet P side and the blowing direction can be changed along the sheet conveyance direction (arrow T2 direction). Yes.

  As the moving mechanism of the second blowing devices 57a and 57b, a known moving mechanism such as a feed screw, a driving mechanism including a timing belt and a driving motor, or a moving mechanism using a linear motor can be used. The third blower 58 is a known neck provided with a swinging mechanism including a support unit that swings along, for example, the paper conveyance direction, and a drive motor that swings a support shaft supported by the support unit. Supported by a swing mechanism.

  FIG. 16 to FIG. 20 are explanatory diagrams showing the paper conveyance control of the staple unit and the operation of the blower. In these drawings, (a) is a view of the end face binding processing tray F as viewed from the front side of the apparatus, and (b) is a view of the end face binding processing tray F as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the end face binding processing tray F. .

  FIG. 16 shows an operation state during conveyance of the first sheet P1. The first sheet P1 passes through the conveyance path D and reaches the staple discharge roller 11. Further, the jogger fences 53a and 53b are moved to an optimum position according to the paper size, and an operation for receiving the paper P1 is performed. At this time, the opening 55 is shielded by the on-off valve 56, and air blowing by the second air blowing devices 57a and 57b is not performed.

  FIG. 17 shows a state where the first sheet P1 is discharged from the staple discharge roller 11 to the end face binding processing tray F side. The first sheet P1 discharged from the sheet discharge roller 11 is conveyed upward along the sheet placement surface F1 of the end face binding processing tray F. Also in this case, the opening 55 is shielded by the on-off valve 56, and the second blowing devices 57a and 57b do not blow.

  FIG. 18 shows a state when the conveyance of the first sheet P1 to the end face binding processing tray F is completed. The first sheet P1 discharged from the sheet discharge roller 11 and discharged to the end face binding processing tray F falls until the trailing edge of the sheet hits the trailing edge fence 51 by the returning operation of the tapping roller 12 and its own weight. At this time, the second sheet P2 waits until the end face binding processing tray F can receive the second sheet P2 by the discharge roller 11. The second and subsequent sheets P2 to Pn are also transported to the end-face binding processing tray F in the same manner as the first sheet P1, and are further aligned and stacked in a state where the rear end of the sheet hits the rear end fence 51.

  FIG. 19 is an operation explanatory view showing the sheet bundle discharging operation when the second blower devices 57a and 57b are not provided. When the sheets P1 to Pn are discharged and the sheet bundle PB is formed in the same manner as in FIGS. 16 to 18, the trailing edge fence 51 starts to rise to carry the sheet bundle PB to the delivery position to the discharge claw 52a. In parallel with this, the discharge belt 52 also starts rotating to raise the discharge claw 52a (FIG. 19A). After the trailing edge fence 51 moves to the delivery position, the discharge claw 52a pushes up the sheet bundle PB. At this time, if the stiffness of the paper bundle PB is weak, as shown in FIG. 19B, the paper bundle PB may buckle PBa during delivery, the paper bundle PB may be deformed, or the paper bundle PB may be damaged. Further, when buckling, deformation, or damage occurs, a paper jam (paper jam) may occur due to these.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, in order to prevent the buckling PBa and deformation of the sheet bundle PB, as shown in FIG. 20, the opening / closing valve 56a on the upstream side of the sheet is opened before the raising operation of the trailing edge fence 51 is started. The second blower 57 blows air toward the opening 55 opened by the on-off valve 56a. In parallel with this, the third blower 58 also blows air toward the center of the rear end of the sheet bundle PB. By the air blowing from the second blower 57, an air layer is generated below the outside of the sheet bundle PB, and an air layer is generated above the central portion of the sheet bundle PB.

  FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a state of the sheet bundle PB when the air is blown as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 20, when air is blown from the second blower 57a, 57b and the third blower 58, both ends of the paper bundle PB in the paper width direction are separated from the paper placement surface F1 of the end face binding processing tray F. Then, the central portion of the sheet bundle PB in the sheet width direction is pressed against the placement surface F1 side of the end surface binding processing tray F. In this way, the sheet bundle PB is warped PBb on the sheet placement surface F1 of the end surface binding processing tray F. Then, the sheet bundle PB is moved by the rear end fence 51 in a warped state and pushed up by the discharge claw 52a. At that time, since the sheet bundle PB is warped, the rigidity of the sheet bundle PB is increased and the sheet bundle PB is pushed up without causing buckling.

  FIG. 22 is an operation explanatory view showing a state in which the sheet bundle PB is further pushed up from the state of FIG. As described above, the third blower 58 is supported by a mechanism that can swing in the paper transport direction. Thus, in the process of pushing up from the state of FIG. 20 to FIG. 22, the air blowing angle of the third air blower 58 is changed in the direction of the arrow T2 ′ as shown in FIG. Able to blow air. As a result, the state of the warp PBb can be maintained for a long time, and buckling of the sheet bundle PB during the push-up process by the discharge claw 52a can be prevented.

  Also in the second embodiment, the blowing process can be performed along the procedure of the blowing operation control shown in FIG. 12 of the first embodiment. At that time, the air blowing process similar to that of the first embodiment can be performed by selecting or setting the selection screen 110 when the air blowing mode is selected in FIG. 13 and the air flow setting screen 111 shown in FIG.

  That is, also in the second embodiment, the air blowing mode can be selected by touching the automatic selection key 110a, the forced ON key 110b, and the forced OFF key 110c. In the automatic selection, as in the first embodiment, when coated paper is selected in the paper type setting, it is automatically set to blow. Forced ON and forced OFF can set the presence or absence of blowing regardless of the paper type.

  These controls are executed in the same manner as in the first embodiment by the CPU 101 in the image forming system including the sheet post-processing apparatus PD and the image forming apparatus PR shown in FIG. 11 of the first embodiment.

  Other parts not specifically described are configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment and function in the same manner.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the sheet bundle PB is discharged, air is blown from the back surface F2 side of the sheet stacking surface F1 of the end face binding processing tray F toward the lower surface of the sheet bundle PB on the sheet stacking surface F1, and the sheet bundle is sent. Air is blown from the upper surface side of the sheet stacking surface F1 toward the center of the rear end of the PB sheet bundle. As a result, it is possible to warp the paper bundle PB in the paper width direction (stiffening), and this stiffening can increase the rigidity of the paper bundle. As a result, the buckling of the sheet bundle PB when the sheet bundle PB is pushed up and released can be prevented.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

1) A staple discharge roller 11 that discharges the paper P, an end face binding processing tray F on which the paper P discharged by the staple discharge roller 11 is stacked, and a first blower 54a that blows air to the paper P , 54b, and jogger fences 53a, 53b that align a direction D2 orthogonal to the paper discharge direction D1 of the paper P. Therefore, an air layer is formed on the lower surface side of the paper P to be discharged. It is possible to prevent adhesion and sticking between P and the end face binding processing tray F and between the papers Pn and Pn-1 to be subsequently discharged, and to align them in that state. Thereby, the consistency of the paper P is ensured, and the paper bundle PB is stacked with good alignment accuracy. As a result, when the binding process is performed at the subsequent stage, a binding failure does not occur and the binding accuracy can be ensured.

2) Since the amount of air blown by the first blowers 54a and 54b is changed according to the paper information, processing is performed so that sticking is likely to occur, for example, if the coated paper is blown, and plain paper is not likely to stick. It becomes possible to do. Thereby, useless ventilation operation becomes unnecessary and an energy saving effect can be exhibited. Also, by setting the air volume based on the type, thickness, or size of the paper, buckling or sticking can be prevented and good alignment accuracy can be obtained.

3) Since the initial value of the air flow rate can be input from the selection screen 110 of the operation panel 105, in addition to the automatic processing, the user himself / herself can set an appropriate air flow rate.

4) Since the air blowing direction of the first blowers 54a and 54b is changed, it is possible to prevent the buckling or sticking and to blow by selecting a direction in which good alignment accuracy can be obtained.

5) Since the change of the blowing direction is performed based on the paper information, the wind direction can be set based on the type, thickness, or size of the paper.

6) Since the air outlets 54a1 and 54b1 are moved along the paper discharge direction D1, buckling or sticking can be prevented, and air can be blown by moving to a position where good alignment accuracy can be obtained.

7) Since the positions of the air outlets 54a1 and 54b1 are set according to the paper information, the positions of the air outlets 54a1 and 54b1 can be set based on the type, thickness, or size of the paper.

8) Since the first blowers 54a and 54b start blowing before the first sheet P1 discharged from the staple discharge roller 11 contacts the end face binding processing tray F, the end face binding process with the paper P1 is performed. It is possible to prevent sticking to the tray F and sticking between the sheets Pn-1 discharged immediately before the second and subsequent sheets of paper Pn, thereby ensuring the consistency of the sheets P. Therefore, it is possible to guarantee a good alignment accuracy of the sheet bundle PB.

  In the present embodiment, the paper in the claims is indicated by reference numerals P, P1, P2, Pn-1, and Pn, the paper discharge means is the staple discharge roller (pair) 11, and the stacking means is the end face binding processing tray F. The air blowing means is in the first air blowing devices 54a and 54b, the alignment means is in the jogger fences 53a and 53b, the paper processing device is in the paper post-processing device PD, the air flow rate changing means is in the CPU 101, and the operation unit is in the operation panel 105 The air direction changing means includes the CPU 101 and a louver angle changing mechanism (not shown), the air blowing port is indicated by reference numerals 54a1 and 54b1, the moving means is a moving mechanism (not shown), and the image forming system includes a sheet post-processing device PD and an image forming device PR. Corresponds to each system. The CPU 101 sets the position of the air blowing port based on the paper information, changes the air blowing direction, and starts air blowing before the first sheet contacts the end face binding processing tray F.

  Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and all the technical matters included in the technical idea described in the claims are all included. The subject of the present invention. The above embodiment shows a preferable example, but those skilled in the art can realize various alternatives, modifications, variations, and improvements from the contents disclosed in this specification, These are included in the technical scope described in the appended claims.

11 Staple discharge rollers (pair)
53a, 53b Jogger fence 54a, 54b Blower 54a1, 54b1 Blower 101 CPU
105 Operation Panel F End Face Binding Processing Tray P, P1, P2, Pn-1, Pn Paper PB Paper Bundle PD Paper Post-Processing Device (Paper Processing Device)
PR image forming apparatus SY image forming system

JP 2003-252520 A

Claims (10)

A paper discharge means for discharging the paper;
Stacking means for stacking the paper discharged by the paper discharge means;
An aligning means provided with an air blowing means for blowing air to the paper, and aligning a direction orthogonal to a paper discharge direction of the paper;
A paper processing apparatus. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1,
A paper processing apparatus provided with a blowing amount changing means for changing the blowing amount according to sheet information. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
A paper processing apparatus comprising initial value setting means for operating and inputting an initial value of the air flow rate from an operation unit. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A paper processing apparatus comprising a wind direction changing means for changing a blowing direction of the blowing means. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 4,
A paper processing apparatus in which a change in a blowing direction by the wind direction changing unit is performed based on paper information. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A paper processing apparatus comprising a moving means for moving the air outlet of the air blowing means along the paper transport direction. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6,
A paper processing apparatus in which a position of an air blowing port moved by the moving unit is set according to paper information. A sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A sheet processing apparatus in which the blowing unit starts blowing before the first sheet ejected from the sheet ejecting unit contacts the stacking unit.   An image forming system comprising the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1. A paper discharge step of discharging the conveyed paper by a paper discharge unit; a stacking step of stacking the paper discharged by the paper discharge unit on a stacking unit;
An aligning step of aligning a direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction of the sheet by the aligning unit while blowing by a blowing unit provided in the aligning unit with respect to the sheet discharged from the sheet discharging unit;
A paper processing method.