JP2014227284A - Paper processing device, image formation system, and paper folding method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve compactness, energy conserving, resource saving, and cost reducing of a folding mechanism for folding a sheet of paper using a roller.SOLUTION: In a paper processing device including a first pair of transportation rollers R1 for transporting a sheet of paper P, a second pair of transportation rollers Rt for receiving the sheet of paper P transported by the first pair of transportation rollers R1 and transporting the sheet of paper P to a subsequent stage, and a pair of a second transportation roller R3 and a third transportation roller R4 for folding the sheet of paper P by rotating the second pair of transportation rollers Rt in a reverse direction in a state of holding the sheet of paper P by the first pair of transportation rollers R1 and the second pair of transportation rollers Rt, the first pair of transportation rollers R1 and the second pair of transportation rollers Rt are driven by one drive motor M.

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper processing apparatus, an image forming system, and a paper folding method, and in particular, a sheet-like recording medium such as a paper, a transfer paper, a printing paper, and an OHP sheet (hereinafter referred to as “paper”). ), A sheet processing apparatus that performs folding processing, an image forming system including the sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, and a digital multifunction peripheral, and a sheet that is implemented by the sheet processing apparatus It relates to the folding method.

  A technique is already known in which a sheet is bent between two pairs of rollers, and the sheet is folded by sandwiching the bent portion in another roller nip. As an example of this technique, for example, a technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-277006 (Patent Document 1) is known.

  This technique relates to a method of folding a medium with a folding device, wherein the folding device includes a rotatable folding cylinder and a first rotatable pinch that engages with the folding cylinder to form a first folding pinch. A press member, a second rotatable press member that engages with the folding cylinder to form a second folded pinch, and a medium feeding means; a) the medium is fed by the first pinch and the first pinch; Feeding toward the middle cylinder between the two pinches; b) directing the medium into the first pinch by rotating the cylinder in the first direction; and c) slackening the medium between the feeding means and the cylinder. And d) moving the slack into the second pinch by rotating the cylinder in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

  In the known technology, one pair of two pairs of cylinders (hereinafter referred to as rollers) is forward-conveyed and one pair on one side is reverse-conveyed to form a deflection between the two pairs of rollers. The bent portion is sandwiched between the roller nips and folded. That is, when a sheet is folded by this method, both the two roller pairs are rotated forward during conveyance, and the downstream roller pair is reversed during the folding process. In order to realize such driving, the two pairs of rollers usually require independent driving sources.

  However, when independent drive sources are provided for the two pairs of rollers in this way, the size, energy saving, resource saving, and cost reduction of the apparatus are prevented accordingly.

  Accordingly, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to reduce the size, energy saving, resource saving and cost reduction of a sheet processing apparatus having a function of folding a sheet using a roller.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a first conveying member pair that conveys a sheet, and a second conveying member pair that receives the sheet conveyed by the first conveying member pair and conveys the sheet to a subsequent stage. A third conveying member pair that folds the sheet by rotating the second conveying member pair in the opposite direction while holding the sheet by the first conveying member pair and the second conveying member pair; The first transport member pair and the second transport member pair are driven by the same drive source. Note that problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent in the following description of embodiments.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve downsizing, energy saving, resource saving, and cost reduction of a sheet processing apparatus having a function of folding a sheet using a roller.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the image forming system which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the folding mechanism of the folding processing apparatus in FIG.1 and FIG.2. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram of a comparative example illustrating an initial state before a sheet is conveyed from the image forming apparatus side. FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state when a sheet is carried into the first transport path from the state of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state when the leading edge of the sheet is conveyed from the second sheet detection sensor until reaching a first protrusion amount from the state of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the second conveying member pair is rotated in the reverse rotation while the first conveying member is rotated in the conveying direction from the state of FIG. 7 to make a crease. FIG. 9 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state when the sheet on which the first fold is formed by the first fold roller pair is transported to the second transport path from the state of FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the sheet is transported along the second transport path from the state of FIG. 9, sandwiched between the forward and reverse roller pairs and transported downstream. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows the state which reversely rotates a normal / reverse rotation roller pair from the state of FIG. 10, and conveys it to the 2nd folding roller pair side. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing which shows the state in which 2nd folding is given by the 2nd folding roller pair from the state of FIG. 11, and it is conveyed downstream. FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory diagram corresponding to FIG. 6 illustrating a state when a sheet is carried into the first conveyance path in the present embodiment. FIG. 14 is an operation explanatory diagram corresponding to FIG. 7 illustrating a state when the leading edge of the sheet is conveyed from the second sheet detection sensor to the first protrusion amount from the state of FIG. 13. FIG. 15 is an operation explanatory view corresponding to FIG. 8 illustrating a state when the second conveying member pair is rotated in the reverse rotation while the first conveying member is rotated in the conveying direction from the state of FIG. FIG. 16 is an operation explanatory diagram corresponding to FIG. 9 illustrating a state when the sheet on which the first fold is formed by the first folding roller pair is transported to the second transport path from the state of FIG. 15. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state when a sheet is stopped and reversed when folding lengths are different.

The present invention is characterized in that two pairs of rollers are driven by only one driving source, and the sheet is folded by forming a bend between the two pairs of rollers.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, equivalent parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted as appropriate.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, an image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment basically includes an image forming apparatus 200, a folding processing apparatus 100, and a post-processing apparatus 300. The folding processing apparatus 100 is provided between the front-stage image forming apparatus 200 and the rear-stage post-processing apparatus 300. A sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus 200 is conveyed to the folding processing apparatus 100, subjected to a predetermined folding process by the folding processing apparatus 100, and further sent to the post-processing apparatus 300. In the post-processing device 300, post-processing such as alignment processing, binding processing, or bookbinding processing is performed on the folded paper or the paper that is not pressed.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to another embodiment. In FIG. 2, the folding processing apparatus 100 is a so-called in-body installation type provided in a paper discharge unit in the image forming apparatus 200. In the image forming system 1 shown in FIG. 2, when the folding processing apparatus 100 is installed in the in-body discharge unit 200 a of the image forming apparatus 200 and the post-processing is not connected to the subsequent stage, the installation area of the image forming apparatus 200 is increased. Since the paper discharge tray 400 only protrudes, the system is greatly reduced in size as compared with the embodiment of FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a folding mechanism of the folding processing apparatus 100 in FIGS. 1 and 2. This folding mechanism is a diagram showing a comparative example in which a drive source is provided for each roller pair as in the known example. Here, in order to show the details of the folding operation and for comparison with the operation of driving two roller pairs with one driving source described later, a comparative example will be described first.

  The folding apparatus 100 includes two conveyance paths, a first conveyance path W1 and a second conveyance path W2, and the first to third plurality of conveyance members F1, F2 along the two conveyance paths W1, W2. , F3 are arranged. The second transport member F2 is disposed so as to sandwich the first transport path W1 and the second transport path W2, and has a function of folding and transferring the paper P from the first transport path W1 to the second transport path W2.

  The first conveying member F1 is composed of a first conveying roller pair R1. The second transport member F2 includes first to fourth transport rollers R2, R3, R4, and R5. The third transport member F3 includes a fifth transport roller pair R6. The first and fifth transport roller pairs R1 and R6 (first transport member F1 and third transport member F3) are independently driven by the first and third drive motors M1 and M3, respectively, to impart transport force to the paper P. .

  The first transport roller pair R1 is provided on the entrance side of the folding processing apparatus 100 in the first transport path W1, receives the paper P from the preceding image forming apparatus 200, is driven by the first drive motor M1, and is driven by the folding processing apparatus 100. The paper P is conveyed downstream.

  Although not shown, the second conveyance path W2 is joined at the downstream end (sheet discharge side) W2a in the sheet conveyance direction at the downstream side of the first conveyance path W1, and the upstream end W2b at the sheet conveyance direction is the first. 3 joins the upstream side of the conveying roller pair R1 or is in an open state shown in FIG. And it is connected by the 2nd conveyance path W2 and the communication path W2c in the installation location of the 2nd conveyance member F2 downstream of the 1st conveyance roller pair R1 of the 1st conveyance path W1.

  In the second conveying member F2, the first and second conveying rollers R2 and R3 face each other across the first conveying path W1 as a second conveying roller pair, and a second nip N2 is formed therebetween. The second and third transport rollers R3 and R4 are disposed as a third transport roller pair oppositely between the first transport path W1 and the second transport path W2, and form a third nip N3 therebetween. ing. The path guided by the third nip N3 functions as a communication path W2c that guides the sheet from the first transport path W1 to the second transport path W2. Further, the second and fourth transport rollers R3 and R5 face each other across the second transport path W2 as a fourth transport roller pair, and a fourth nip N4 is formed therebetween.

  These first to fourth transport rollers R2 to R5 (second to fourth transport roller pairs) are driven by a second drive motor M2 that drives the second transport roller R3. That is, all the second drive members F2 are driven by the second drive motor M2. The second drive motor M2 can rotate in both forward and reverse directions. By changing the direction of rotation, the second drive motor M2 conveys the paper P and performs a folding process. Note that the second transport member F2 may be formed of not only a pair of transport rollers but also an adhesive transport roller pair or a suction belt.

  In the second conveying member F2, the second conveying roller R3 is a driving conveying roller, and the first, third, and fourth conveying rollers R2, R4, and R5 are driven conveying rollers that rotate in contact with the second conveying roller R3, respectively. It is. Further, a first folding roller pair is constituted by a third conveying roller pair comprising a second conveying roller R3 and a third conveying roller R4, and a fourth conveying roller pair comprising a second conveying roller R3 and a fourth conveying roller R5 is used as a first conveying roller pair. A two-fold roller is configured.

  The first, third and fourth transport rollers R2, R4, R5 are respectively given elastic force toward the second transport roller R3 by first to third compression springs (elastic members) S2, S3, S4, respectively. Contact with the second transport roller R3 is maintained. Thereby, the driving force is obtained from the second transport roller R3, and the other three transport rollers R2, R4, R5 are driven.

  The first conveying roller pair R1 includes a driving conveying roller R1a and a driven conveying roller R1b, and a driving force is applied to the driving conveying roller R1a from the first driving motor M1. The driven transport roller R1b is given elastic force to the drive transport roller R1a side by the first compression spring S1, contacts at the first nip N1, and is driven in that state. The fifth transport roller pair R6 includes a drive transport roller R6a and a driven transport roller R6b, and a driving force is applied to the drive transport roller R6a in a state synchronized with the gear mechanism from the third drive motor M3. The driven conveyance roller R6b is given an elastic force to the drive conveyance roller R6a side by the fifth compression spring S5, contacts at the fifth nip N5, and is driven in that state.

  A first sheet detection sensor SN1 is disposed immediately before the first conveyance roller pair R1 in the first conveyance path W1. A second sheet detection sensor SN2 is disposed immediately after the nips of the first and second transport rollers R2, R3. A third sheet detection sensor SN3 is disposed in the immediate vicinity of the second conveyance path W2 on the side away from the fourth conveyance roller R5 of the fifth conveyance roller pair R6. The first sheet detection sensor SN1 functions as an entrance sheet detection sensor, and the second sheet detection sensor SN2 functions as a discharged sheet detection sensor.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the image forming system in the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 4, the folding processing apparatus 100 includes a control circuit on which a microcomputer having a CPU 100a, an I / O interface 100b, and the like is mounted. Signals from the CPU of the image forming apparatus 200, each switch of the operation panel 201, and each sheet detection sensor (not shown) are input to the CPU 100a via the communication interface 100c. The CPU 100a executes predetermined control based on a signal input from the image forming apparatus 200 side. Further, the CPU 100a controls the drive of the solenoid and the motor via the driver and the motor driver, and acquires the paper detection sensor information in the apparatus from the interface. Further, for example, the motor driver is controlled by the motor driver via the I / O interface 100b for the control target, and the paper detection sensor information is acquired from the paper detection sensor.

  The control is executed based on the program defined by the program code while the CPU 100a reads the program code stored in the ROM (not shown), develops it in the RAM (not shown), and uses the RAM as a work area and a data buffer. Is done.

  In the present embodiment, the folding mechanism shown in FIG. 3 can be used to perform two-fold, Z-fold, inner three-fold, and outer three-fold. Each of these folding operations and rotational drive control of rollers, which will be described later, are instructed and executed by the CPU 100a shown in FIG.

  5 to 12 are operation explanatory views showing an outline of the operation of each part in the case of Z-folding.

  FIG. 5 shows an initial state before the sheet is conveyed from the image forming apparatus 200 side. From the state of FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. 6, the paper P is carried into the first transport path W1 from the image forming apparatus 200 side. When the first paper detection sensor (entrance paper detection sensor) SN1 detects the leading edge P1 of the paper P, the first drive motor M1 that drives the transport drive roller R1a of the first transport roller pair R1 starts to rotate (in the direction of arrow R1). ). When the paper P enters the first nip N1 of the first transport roller pair R1, the paper P is transported to the second transport member F2 side on the downstream side by the first transport roller pair R1. The sheet P having the leading end reached the first conveying member F2 is sandwiched by the second nip N2 between the first and second conveying rollers R2 and R3 (second conveying roller pair) and further conveyed downstream.

  Then, the second drive motor M2 is driven at the time when it is transported to just before the second nip N2 between the second transport roller R3 and the third transport roller R4, and the second transport member F1 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Whether or not the sheet has been conveyed just before the second nip N2 is determined from, for example, the rotation speed of the first drive motor M1 that drives the conveyance drive roller R1a (or the linear speed of the first conveyance roller pair R1) and the conveyance time. it can.

  After the second conveying member F1 starts to rotate in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 7, a protrusion amount (first protrusion amount) Δ1 from the position of the second paper detection sensor SN2 is determined in order to set a folding position. The Z-folding is performed by folding outward (first folding) from the leading end P1 of the sheet P in the sheet transport direction at a quarter position of the entire length of the sheet, and folding inward (second folding) at a position of 1/2 of the total length. The position in FIG. 8 is a position where a fold line P3 is formed at a position ¼ from the front end P1 of the paper P. The setting of this position is also performed by the CPU 100a or referring to the ROM table.

  That is, the paper P is transported from when the leading edge P1 of the paper P is detected by the second paper detection sensor SN2 until the leading edge P1 of the paper P reaches the first protrusion amount Δ1. The first protrusion amount Δ1 is determined from the sheet length and the folding method, and is determined by the rotation amount of the first transport roller R2. When the leading edge P1 of the sheet P reaches the protrusion amount Δ1, the second conveying member F2 (second conveying roller R3) is temporarily stopped. At that time, when the leading edge P1 of the paper P is detected by the second paper detection sensor SN2, the second drive motor M2 decelerates, and the paper P is conveyed to the first protrusion amount Δ1, and stops at that position. . This deceleration enables highly accurate stop position control.

  To set the first protrusion amount Δ1, the CPU 100a receives data on the length in the transport direction of the paper P from the image forming apparatus 200 before starting the job (before image formation on the paper P), and the data The amount of movement is automatically calculated based on, and the calculation result is used. Even if it is not calculated, the relationship between the paper size and the movement amount can be tabulated in advance and stored in the ROM, and the movement amount can be set according to the paper size.

  Next, with the first conveying member F1 rotated in the conveying direction, the second conveying member F2 (second conveying roller R3) is rotated in the reverse direction with respect to the conveying direction up to FIG. 7 as shown in FIG. The first protrusion amount Δ1 can also be determined based on the transport amount of the first transport member F1 from the position of the first paper detection sensor SN1.

  The sheet P is transported in the reverse direction by the reverse rotation of the second transport member F2 (second drive motor M2). On the other hand, since the first conveying member F1 rotates in the direction continued from FIG. 6 and conveys the paper P, bending is formed in the third nip N3 as in the case of folding in two (FIG. 8). This bending enters the third nip N3 and the first folding is performed. Thereby, the first fold line P3 is formed. The first folded paper P is transported to the second transport path W2 as shown in FIG.

  The paper P is transported along the downward gradient of the second transport path W2, and is sandwiched and transported by the fifth nip N5 of the fifth transport roller pair R6 that has started rotating in the direction of the arrow as shown in FIG. Is done. When the leading end (first fold line P3) of the paper P is detected by the third paper detection sensor SN3 and reaches a position protruding from the position by the second protrusion amount Δ2, the third transport member F3 (fifth) is detected. The conveyance roller pair R6: the third drive motor M3) stops. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the sheet P is conveyed in the arrow direction by the first folding roller pair (second and fourth conveying rollers R3, R5 pair: third conveying roller pair).

  Next, after the elapse of a preset time, the reverse rotation of the forward / reverse roller pair 3 (fifth transport roller pair R6) is started. Note that the second protrusion amount Δ2 can also be set as a protrusion amount from the fifth nip N5.

  Similarly to the first protrusion amount Δ1, the second protrusion amount Δ2 is determined from the sheet length and the folding method, and the rotation amount of the fifth transport roller pair R6 (forward / reverse roller pair) (drive step of the third drive motor M3). Number). In order to perform such control, in the present embodiment, the first to third drive motors M1, M2, and M3 are configured by stepping motors. Each of the drive motors M1, M2, and M3 can be configured by a motor other than the stepping motor, for example, a DC motor. In that case, a control method corresponding to the employed motor type is taken. For example, when a DC motor is used, the protrusion amount or drive stop timing is controlled based on the number of encoder pulses counted.

  When the rotation of the second and third conveying members F2 and F3 shown in FIG. 11 is continued, the second bending roller pair (second and fourth conveying rollers R3 and R5: fourth conveying roller pair) is bent. Enters the fourth nip N4, and the paper P is transported in the direction of the end W2a on the paper discharge side of the second transport path W2. In the course of this conveyance, the second fold is applied as shown in FIG. The second folded paper P is further conveyed from the paper discharge side end W2a through the first conveyance path W1 to the post-processing apparatus 300 in the subsequent stage, or is discharged to the paper discharge tray 400.

  In FIG. 12, the third paper detection sensor SN3 detects the passage of the rear end of the paper P, and after passing through the fourth nip N4, the second and third transport members F2, F3 (second and third) The drive motors M2, M3) stop rotating. Further, the first drive motor M1 stops rotating at a timing after the rear end of the sheet is separated from the first nip N1 after the first sheet detection sensor SN1 detects the rear end of the sheet.

  As described above, the first conveying member pair constituted by the first conveying roller pair R1 and the second conveying roller pair (second conveying member pair: hereinafter referred to as Rt) composed of the first conveying roller R2 and the second conveying roller R3. Show)) need to perform different operations. This is because the two conveying roller pairs (R1, Rt) rotate in the forward direction while the sheet is conveyed, and during the folding process, the downstream roller pair (Rt) reverses, so that the two conveying roller pairs (R1, Rt) are reversed. This is to form a deflection.

  Summarizing the necessary movements for each pair of transport rollers (R1, Rt), the first transport roller pair R1 on the upstream side only performs forward rotation, and the second transport roller pair Rt on the downstream side is folded with forward rotation. Reverse rotation during processing is required. Here, a function required during the folding processing operation is a function of forming a bend between the two conveying roller pairs (R1, Rt). Therefore, in order to form a deflection and allow the deflection to enter the third nip N3 of the first folding roller pair (third conveyance roller pair) composed of the second and third conveyance rollers R3 and R4, the first conveyance on the upstream side. There may be a relative speed difference between the roller pair R1 and the second conveyance roller pair Rt on the downstream side. In order to produce this speed difference, both the roller pairs R1 and Rt are rotated forward during conveyance to convey the paper P, but the forward rotation operation of the first conveyance roller pair R1 on the upstream side is an indispensable condition when forming the deflection. is not. Therefore, in this embodiment, the upstream first transport roller pair R1 may be stopped, and the downstream second transport roller pair Rt may be rotated in a reverse direction to create a relative speed difference.

  Therefore, one drive source is used, and a forward / reverse driving force is directly transmitted to the downstream second conveyance roller pair Rt, and a driving force is applied to the upstream first conveyance roller pair R1 during forward rotation. The driving force is cut off and stopped during reverse rotation. As a result, the conveying operation and the folding operation can be realized with one drive source. Details of this embodiment will be described below.

  13 to 16 are diagrams showing a schematic configuration and operation of the folding mechanism in the present embodiment. In these drawings, (a) is a front view and (b) is a plan view.

  In the present embodiment, in order to drive by the one drive motor M, as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the first to fourth transmission elements G1 to G4 and the first and second timings are used. Belts T1 and T2 are provided. The driving force of the driving shaft Ms of the driving motor M is transmitted to the first transmission element G1 and the fourth transmission element G4 via the driving gear Mg, the first timing belt T1, and the second timing belt T2. With this transmitted driving force, the driving conveyance roller R1a of the first conveyance roller pair R1 and the second conveyance roller R3 of the second conveyance roller pair Rt are rotationally driven.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the two first drive motors M1 and the second drive motor M2 in FIG. Then, the driving force of the driving motor M is transmitted to the roller shaft (hereinafter referred to as the first roller shaft) R1a1 of the driving and conveying roller R1a via the first transmission element G1, and the driving force is transmitted to the roller shaft R1a1 via the fourth transmission element G4. 2 is transmitted to a roller shaft (hereinafter referred to as a second roller shaft) R3a of the transport roller R3.

  The first transmission element G1 is a mechanical element such as a one-way clutch that transmits a driving force only in one direction of rotation, and this mechanical element applies a driving force only in the direction in which the first conveying roller pair R1 conveys the paper P downstream. It has a function to communicate. The direction of conveyance downstream is a direction in which the driving conveyance roller R1a rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 13A, and the driving force is transmitted only when rotating in this direction.

  The second transmission element G2 is coaxially fixed to the first roller shaft R1a1 to which the first transmission element G1 is attached. As shown in FIG. 13B, the second transfer element G2 is further connected to the third transfer element G3. Similarly to the first transmission element G1, the third transmission element G3 is a mechanical element (one-way power transmission mechanism) that transmits a driving force only in one-side rotational direction, such as a one-way clutch. This mechanical element is shown in FIG. The clockwise direction is a function of idling, and the counterclockwise direction is a function of locking. That is, the third transmission mechanism G3 locks idling in the direction opposite to that of the first transmission mechanism G1. The third transmission element G3 is supported by a fixed shaft R3a fixed to the device side plate.

  The fourth transmission element G4 is a gear fixed to the roller shaft R3a of the second transport roller R3. The fourth transmission element G4 rotates in the forward / reverse direction according to the rotation of the drive motor M, and rotates the second transport roller R3 in the forward / reverse direction. The first roller shaft R1a1 and the second roller shaft R3a are rotatably supported on the apparatus side plate via bearings.

  In this embodiment, a one-way clutch is illustrated as the one-way power transmission mechanism used as the first and third transmission elements G1, G3. However, the third transmission element G1 or G3 is an electromagnetic instead of the one-way clutch. A clutch or torque limiter can be used. Both are set so as to have a function of locking the rotation of the first transmission element G1 in the direction opposite to the locking direction. As a result, the third transmission element G3 can be operated in the same manner as when a one-way clutch is used.

  FIG. 13 shows the state when the paper corresponding to FIG. 6 is carried into the first transport path, and FIG. 14 shows the state of FIG. 13 corresponding to FIG. The state when it is conveyed until it reaches the protrusion amount Δ1 of 1 is shown.

  13 and 14, the driving force of the driving motor M is transmitted to the driving conveyance roller R1a and the second conveyance roller R3 via the first transmission element G1 and the fourth transmission element G4. As a result, the first conveyance roller pair R1, the second conveyance roller R2, and the third conveyance roller R3 pair both rotate in the same direction, and the paper P is conveyed in the downstream direction. Then, when the drive motor M stops and further reverses, the state shown in FIG. 15 corresponding to FIG. 8 is obtained. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a state when the paper P is creased.

  When the drive motor M is reversely rotated as shown in FIG. 15, the first transmission element G1 is idled with respect to the first roller shaft R1a1, and the power transmission from the drive motor M to the transport drive roller R1a is interrupted. In this state, the first roller shaft R1a1 can idle in the direction in which the paper P is conveyed in the downstream direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 15A), but is in the upstream direction (FIG. 15A). In the clockwise direction), the rotation is suppressed and locked by the third transmission element G3. As a result, when the second transport roller R2 and the third transport roller R3 pair reversely move, the leading end side of the paper P is transported in the upstream direction while the rear end side of the paper P is locked by the first transport roller pair R1. As a result, as described with reference to FIG. 8, the sheet P bends in the space upstream of the third nip N3 between the second conveyance roller R3 and the third conveyance roller R4 pair, and further enters the third nip N3. As a result, the paper P is folded. When transported further downstream, the first transport roller pair R1 idles in the downstream direction and is free, so that it is transported downstream in a folded state as shown in FIG. The folding operation in FIG. 16 corresponds to the folding operation in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, a DC motor may be used as the drive motor M that rotates forward and backward. As the DC motor and its driving system, for example, a DC motor and its driving device as disclosed in JP 2012-213308 A are suitable.

  A DC motor and a driving device thereof disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-213308 include an inner rotor type DC brushless motor, and a rotation detection unit that detects a rotation amount and a rotation direction of an output shaft of the inner rotor type DC brushless motor. Control means for controlling the rotation of the inner rotor type DC brushless motor, and a driver for supplying driving power to the inner rotor type DC brushless motor based on a signal from the control means, the control means comprising: Based on the target drive signal of the inner rotor type DC brushless motor acquired from the outside and the detection signal detected from the rotation detection means, the signal to the driver is changed, so that the inner rotor type DC brushless motor is changed. It is configured to control at least one of the rotational speed or rotational position of the motor. To have.

  By using such a DC motor and drive device, it is possible to quickly perform forward and reverse operations, and to improve productivity. Further, the step-out motor does not step out with respect to the load fluctuation. Further, by correcting the positional deviation due to load fluctuation or the like by feedback control, it is possible to always rotate at an accurate position. As a result, it can be folded at an accurate position, and high folding quality can be guaranteed.

  When the transport drive roller R1a1 and the second transport roller R3 are driven independently as in the comparative example, it is possible to arbitrarily control the transport speed of the transport drive roller R1a1 and the second transport roller R3. However, when the driving drive roller R1a1 and the second transporting roller R3 are driven by one drive motor M as in this embodiment, the transporting speed of the transporting driving roller R1a1 and the second transporting roller R3 is arbitrarily controlled. I can't do it. In such a case, the conveyance speeds of the conveyance drive roller R1a1 and the second conveyance roller R3 are uniquely determined by the mechanical configuration.

  For example, when the conveyance speed of the first conveyance roller pair R1 is faster than the second conveyance roller pair Rt, the deflection between the first conveyance roller pair R1 and the second conveyance roller pair Rt increases as the conveyance amount increases. Depending on the transport amount, the initial deflection amount at the time of stopping and reverse rotation at the time of folding changes. FIG. 17A is a diagram showing a state at the time of stop / reverse rotation when the folding length is short, and FIG. 17B is a diagram when the folding length is long. However, when the folding position is short, if it is long, the amount of conveyance until stopping increases, so the initial deflection amount at the time of stopping and reverse rotation becomes large.

  If the initial deflection amount at the time of stopping / reversing is different, the folding position changes, and it becomes impossible to fold at the set position. In addition, the folding position also varies due to variations in machine configuration. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the conveyance speed of the first conveyance roller pair R1 is set to be equal to or less than that of the second conveyance roller pair Rt.

  Specifically, the transmission gear ratio can be changed, or the conveyance roller diameter can be set by making the first conveyance roller pair R1 side smaller than the second conveyance roller pair Rt. As described above, when the transport speed of the first transport roller pair R1 is made smaller than the transport speed of the second transport roller pair Rt, the sheet P is transferred to the second transport roller when the paper front end P1 reaches the second transport roller pair Rt. It is pulled by the pair Rt. When the paper P is transported while being pulled by the second transport roller pair Rt, the first transport roller pair R1 idles in the downstream (counterclockwise) direction. Therefore, the sheet P is not bent at all during the conveyance between the first conveyance roller pair R1 and the second conveyance roller pair Rt. Therefore, even when the folding position is different and the conveyance amount until stop / reverse is different, the initial deflection amount at the time of stop / reverse is always zero by setting the conveyance speed as described above. As a result, the occurrence of variations in the folding position can be suppressed.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. In the description of the effects in the following embodiment, each component in the present embodiment is indicated by parentheses in each component in the claims, or given a reference symbol to clarify the correspondence between them.

  1) The first transport roller pair R1 (first transport member pair) that transports the paper P and the paper P transported by the first transport roller pair R1 (first transport member pair) are received and transported to the subsequent stage. The sheet P is held by the second conveying roller pair Rt (second conveying member pair), the first conveying roller pair R1 (first conveying member pair), and the conveying roller pair Rt (second conveying member pair). In the state, the second conveyance roller pair Rt (second conveyance member pair) is rotated in the reverse direction to fold the paper P, and the second conveyance roller R3 and the third conveyance roller R4 pair (third conveyance member pair); The first transport roller pair R1 (first transport member pair) and the second transport roller pair Rt (second transport member pair) are driven by the same drive motor M (drive source). I did it. As a result, only one drive source is required for what previously required two independent drive sources, so that the apparatus can be reduced in size, energy saving, resource saving, and cost reduction.

  2) When the first conveying roller pair R1 (first conveying member pair) rotates in the direction of conveying the paper P downstream in the conveying direction, the driving force from the driving motor M (driving source) is applied to the first conveying roller. When the first conveying roller pair R1 (first conveying member pair) rotates in the direction of conveying the paper P to the upstream side in the conveying direction, the driving force is transmitted to the pair R1 (first conveying member pair). Since the first to third transmission elements G1, G2, and G3 (driving force transmission members) to be cut off are provided, the first to third transmission elements G1, G2, and G3 cause the second conveyance roller pair Rt on the downstream side to The forward / reverse driving force can be directly transmitted, the driving force can be transmitted to the upstream first conveying roller pair R1 during the forward rotation operation, and the driving force can be interrupted and stopped during the reverse rotation operation. As a result, the conveying operation and the folding operation can be realized with one drive source.

  3) The first conveying roller pair R1 (first conveying member pair) is the sheet P in a state where the transmission of the driving force is blocked by the first to third transmitting elements G1, G2, G3 (driving force transmitting members). Is rotated in the direction of pulling out the paper in the downstream direction of the transport direction and locked in the direction of pulling out in the upstream direction of the transport direction, so that the paper P does not move in the upstream direction of the transport direction when the second transport roller pair Rt is reversed. The sheet P can be reliably bent between the first transport roller pair R1 and the second transport roller pair Rt.

  4) In a state where the driving force is transmitted by the first to third transmission elements G1, G2, and G3 (driving force transmission members), the second conveyance roller pair Rt (second conveyance member pair) is the first conveyance. When the paper P is transported at a transport speed equal to or higher than the roller pair R1 (first transport member pair), the first transport roller pair R1 (first transport member pair) transports the paper P downstream in the transport direction. Since the sheet rotates in the pulling direction, the sheet P does not bend during conveyance between the first conveyance roller pair R1 and the second conveyance roller pair Rt, and the initial deflection amount at the time of stop and reverse rotation is always zero. . Accordingly, the folding position does not vary and folding can be performed with high positional accuracy.

  5) The first to third transmission elements G1, G2, and G3 (driving force transmission members) are driven by a driving conveyance roller R1a (driving-side conveyance member) of the first conveyance roller pair R1 (first conveyance member pair). A first transmission element G1 (first driving force transmission element) that is coaxially attached to the first roller shaft R1a1 (driving shaft) and transmits the driving force to the first roller shaft R1a1 (driving shaft) only in a preset direction. A second transmission element G2 (second driving force transmission element) fixed coaxially to the first roller shaft R1a1 (driving shaft), a second transmission element G2 (second driving force transmission element), and a driving force A third transmission element G3 (third driving force transmission element) that is in a transmission relationship and allows rotation of the second transmission element G2 (second driving force transmission mechanism) only in a preset direction. Due to these three transfer elements G1, G2, G3, 2) above It is possible to obtain the effect of 4).

  6) The first transmission element G1 (first driving force transmission element) transmits a driving force when the sheet P is rotated downstream in the conveyance direction, and from a one-way clutch that interrupts the driving force when the sheet P is rotated upstream in the conveyance direction. The second transmission element G2 (second driving force transmission element) is a gear, the third transmission element G2 (third driving force transmission element) is engaged with the gear, and the sheet P is moved downstream in the transport direction. A one-way clutch, electromagnetic clutch, or torque limiter that allows rotation of the first roller shaft R1a1 (drive shaft) during rotation and locks to prevent rotation of the first roller shaft R1a1 (drive shaft) when rotating upstream in the transport direction. Therefore, the effects described in 5) above can be obtained by using known machine elements.

  7) Since the transport speed of the second transport roller pair Rt (second transport member pair) is set faster than the transport speed of the first transport roller pair R1 (first transport member pair), the above 4) The described effects can always be obtained.

  8) Since the conveyance member pair is composed of a conveyance roller pair, the effects described in 1) to 7) can be obtained at low cost.

  9) The first transport roller pair R1 (first transport member pair) that transports the paper P and the paper P transported by the first transport roller pair R1 (first transport member pair) are received and transported to the subsequent stage. The sheet P is fed by the second transport roller pair Rt (second transport member pair), the first transport roller pair R1 (first transport member pair) and the second transport roller pair Rt (second transport member pair). In the held state, the second transport roller pair Rt (second transport member pair) is rotated in the reverse direction to fold the paper P, and the second transport roller R3 and the third transport roller R4 pair (third transport member pair). And the first transport roller pair R1 (first transport member pair) and the second transport roller pair Rt (second transport member pair) are the same drive motor M (drive). Source) and the second transport by the drive motor M (drive source) The transport speed of the roller pair Rt (second transport member pair) is set to a transport speed equal to or higher than the transport speed of the first transport roller pair R1 (first transport member pair), and the paper P is transported downstream in the transport direction. When the first transport roller pair R1 (first transport member pair) rotates in the direction of transporting the paper P downstream in the transport direction, the driving force from the drive motor M (drive source) is transported to the first transport. When the first conveying roller pair R1 (first conveying member pair) rotates in the direction of conveying the paper P upstream in the conveying direction, the driving force is transmitted to the roller pair R1 (first conveying member pair). And the paper P is folded by the second conveying roller R3 and the third conveying roller R4 pair (third conveying member pair) by reversing the driving motor M (driving source). The described effects can be obtained.

  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.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming system 100 Folding processing apparatus 200 Image forming apparatus 300 Post-processing apparatus G1 1st transmission element G2 2nd transmission element G3 3rd transmission element M Drive motor P Paper R1 1st conveyance roller pair R1a Drive conveyance roller R1a1 1st roller Shaft R3 Second transport roller R4 Third transport roller Rt Second transport roller pair

JP 2007-277006 A

Claims (12)

A first conveying member pair for conveying paper;
A second conveying member pair that receives the paper conveyed by the first conveying member pair and conveys the paper to a subsequent stage;
A third conveying member pair that folds the sheet by rotating the second conveying member pair in the opposite direction while holding the sheet by the first conveying member pair and the second conveying member pair;
In the paper processing apparatus provided with
The sheet processing apparatus, wherein the first conveying member pair and the second conveying member pair are driven by the same drive source. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1,
When the first conveying member pair rotates in the direction of conveying the paper downstream in the conveying direction, the driving force from the driving source is transmitted to the first conveying member pair, and the first conveying member A sheet processing apparatus comprising: a driving force transmission member that interrupts transmission of the driving force when the pair rotates in a direction in which the sheet is conveyed upstream in the conveying direction. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2,
In a state where transmission of the driving force is interrupted by the driving force transmitting member, the first conveying member pair rotates in the direction in which the sheet is pulled out in the downstream direction in the conveying direction and pulled in the upstream direction in the conveying direction. A paper processing apparatus that locks in a pulling direction. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2,
In a state where the driving force is transmitted by the driving force transmitting member, the second conveying member pair conveys the sheet at a conveying speed equal to or higher than the first conveying member pair. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pair of conveying members rotates in a direction in which the sheet is pulled out in the downstream direction of the conveying direction. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The driving force transmission member is
A first driving force transmission element that is coaxially attached to a driving shaft of a conveying member on a driving side of the first conveying member pair and transmits a driving force to the driving shaft only in a preset direction;
A second driving force transmission element fixed coaxially to the drive shaft;
A third driving force transmission element that is in a driving force transmission relationship with the second driving force transmission element and that allows rotation of the second driving force transmission mechanism only in a preset direction;
A sheet processing apparatus comprising: The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein
The first driving force transmission element includes a one-way clutch that transmits a driving force when the sheet is rotated downstream in the conveyance direction and interrupts the driving force when the sheet is rotated upstream in the conveyance direction;
The second driving force transmission element comprises a gear;
The third driving force transmission element meshes with the gear, and allows the drive shaft to rotate when the paper is rotated downstream in the transport direction, and locks and rotates when the paper is rotated upstream in the transport direction. A sheet processing apparatus comprising a one-way clutch for preventing The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein
The first driving force transmission element includes a one-way clutch that transmits a driving force when the sheet is rotated downstream in the conveyance direction and interrupts the driving force when the sheet is rotated upstream in the conveyance direction;
The second driving force transmission element comprises a gear;
The third driving force transmission element meshes with the gear, and allows the drive shaft to rotate when the paper is rotated downstream in the transport direction, and locks and rotates when the paper is rotated upstream in the transport direction. A sheet processing apparatus comprising an electromagnetic clutch for preventing The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein
The first driving force transmission element includes a one-way clutch that transmits a driving force when the sheet is rotated downstream in the conveyance direction and interrupts the driving force when the sheet is rotated upstream in the conveyance direction;
The second driving force transmission element comprises a gear;
The third driving force transmission element meshes with the gear, and allows the gear to rotate when the paper is rotated downstream in the transport direction, and locks to prevent the gear from rotating when the paper is rotated upstream in the transport direction. A sheet processing apparatus comprising a torque limiter that performs the following. The paper processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The sheet processing apparatus, wherein a conveying speed of the second conveying member pair is set faster than a conveying speed of the first conveying member pair. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The sheet processing apparatus, wherein the pair of conveying members includes a pair of conveying rollers. An image forming system comprising the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1. A first conveying member pair for conveying paper;
A second conveying member pair that receives the paper conveyed by the first conveying member pair and conveys the paper to a subsequent stage;
A third conveying member pair that folds the sheet by rotating the second conveying member pair in the opposite direction while holding the sheet by the first conveying member pair and the second conveying member pair;
In the paper folding method of the paper processing apparatus provided with
The first conveying member pair and the second conveying member pair are driven by the same drive source,
The transport source sets the transport speed of the second transport member pair to a transport speed equal to or higher than the transport speed of the first transport member pair, and transports the paper downstream in the transport direction,
When the first conveying member pair rotates in the direction of conveying the paper downstream in the conveying direction, the driving force from the driving source is transmitted to the first conveying member pair, and the first conveying member When the pair rotates in the direction of transporting the paper upstream in the transport direction, the transmission of the driving force is interrupted,
A sheet folding method, wherein the sheet is folded by the third conveying member pair by reversing the driving source.

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