JP2015086068A - Paper post-process device and image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a high adhesive strength for suppressing peeling of paper, regardless of humidity of the paper after an adhesive toner image is formed.SOLUTION: In a paper post-process device 200, paper P on which a toner image and an adhesive toner image 218 are formed based on image data is sequentially stacked on a pre-stack 208 which acts as a stacking means, and by pressurizing while heating the adhesive toner image that is formed on a part of the paper P, papers are bonded together. It includes a water supply device 217 which acts as a liquid supply means that supplies liquid to a point of the paper P where the adhesive toner image 218 is formed.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus that binds and binds sheets after image formation with an adhesive, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet post-processing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art A sheet post-processing apparatus that aligns sheets formed with an image by an image forming apparatus in a bundle and applies an adhesive to the binding margin portion to bind the sheets is known.

  Patent Document 1 describes a paper post-processing device that binds and binds sheets using an adhesive toner image formed as an adhesive on a portion that becomes a binding margin portion of sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus. Yes. Specifically, in the main body of the image forming apparatus, a toner image based on image data is transferred and fixed on a sheet, and an adhesive toner image is transferred and fixed on a binding margin of the sheet. The sheet post-processing apparatus sequentially receives the sheets and stacks the sheets on the stacking unit. By applying pressure while heating the portion of the binding margin on which the adhesive toner image is formed, the softened toner image functions as an adhesive to bond the stacked sheets.

  However, in the paper post-processing apparatus of Patent Document 1, the paper received from the image forming apparatus main body is deprived of moisture contained in the paper due to heating during fixing, the humidity of the paper is lowered, and the paper becomes hard. It is difficult to deform. As a result, the opening for the concave portion of the uneven portion on the surface of the paper does not widen, and it is difficult for the adhesive toner formed on the paper to be bonded to enter the concave portion. For this reason, the adhesive toner image cannot function as an adhesive in the concave portion where the adhesive toner cannot enter. As a result, depending on the area of the concave portion where the adhesive toner could not enter at the binding margin portion of the paper, compared to the case where the adhesive toner image can function as an adhesive in all the concave and convex portions, The adhesive strength of is weakened. Therefore, there is a problem that the adhesive force at the time of bonding is insufficient, and the paper after bonding is easily peeled off.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to obtain a high adhesive force regardless of the humidity of the paper after the adhesive toner image is formed, and to peel off the paper after the adhesion. It is an object to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus that can be suppressed.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that the adhesive formed on a part of the paper in which the paper on which the toner image based on the image data and the adhesive toner image are formed is sequentially stacked on the stacking means. A paper post-processing apparatus for bonding paper sheets by applying pressure while heating the toner image for heating, comprising liquid supply means for supplying a liquid to a portion of the paper on which the adhesive toner image is formed It is.

  According to the present invention, a high adhesive force can be obtained regardless of the humidity of the paper after the adhesive toner image is formed, and a specific effect that the peeling of the paper after the adhesion can be suppressed can be obtained.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system 1 including an image forming apparatus 100 and a sheet post-processing apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing explaining the structure of the paper post-processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the structure of the prestack in the paper post-processing apparatus of this embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the structure of the adhesion | attachment apparatus in the paper post-processing apparatus of this embodiment. (A) is a cross-sectional view of an adhesive surface when a sheet on which an adhesive toner image is formed and water is not supplied with water, and (b) is an adhesive toner image formed when water is supplied. It is sectional drawing of the adhesion surface when adhering the paper and white paper which were made. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a bonding apparatus in the paper post-processing apparatus of Embodiment 1. (A) is a schematic sectional drawing of the adhesion | attachment apparatus in the paper post-processing apparatus of Example 2, (b) is the top view seen from the cradle side of the heating means. It is a characteristic view showing the measurement result of the adhesive force when 12 sheets are bonded with respect to three conditions with different water supply amounts in the configuration of three sheets. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a prestack in a sheet post-processing apparatus according to a third embodiment. It is a characteristic view showing the relationship between the heater temperature and the adhesive force with respect to humidity when three sheets of paper are bonded. It is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the humidity of a paper and the supply amount of water. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the adhesive force when two types of surfactants are applied to the toner image side and the white paper side of the adhesive surface when two sheets of paper on which an adhesive toner image is formed and a white paper are bonded. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a prestack in a sheet post-processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a bonding apparatus in a paper post-processing apparatus of Example 4. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating another configuration of the bonding apparatus in the paper post-processing apparatus of Embodiment 4. FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram showing a relationship between environmental relative humidity and paper moisture content. It is a flowchart which shows the supply amount setting process of high humidity air. It is a figure explaining the modification 1 of a high humidity air production | generation apparatus. It is a figure explaining the modification 2 of a high humidity air production | generation apparatus.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an image forming system including a sheet post-processing apparatus 200 and an image forming apparatus 100 to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, this embodiment is only an example and this invention is not limited to the structure demonstrated below. For example, the present invention can be applied to a single sheet post-processing apparatus. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system 1 including an image forming apparatus 100 and a sheet post-processing apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 1 includes an image forming apparatus 100 and a paper post-processing apparatus 200. The image forming apparatus 100 and the sheet post-processing apparatus 200 are connected to be able to communicate with each other. In the image forming system 1, the image forming apparatus 100 forms an image on the paper P, the paper post-processing apparatus 200 receives the paper P from the image forming apparatus 100, and performs binding processing as post-processing on the received paper P. In the paper post-processing apparatus 200, for example, a half-folding process is performed as post-processing other than binding processing.

  In the sheet post-processing apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment, in the binding process, the sheet bundle Pb formed by stacking a plurality of sheets P is bound using an adhesive toner image. Further, the sheet post-processing apparatus 200 that performs various post-processing as described above may have a non-staple mode, a stapling mode, and a middle folding mode as operation modes. Further, a known configuration can be applied as the image forming apparatus 100, and in this embodiment, an electrophotographic color copier is provided. The image forming apparatus 100 includes, for example, a control unit, an image forming unit, an optical writing unit, a paper feeding unit, a paper feeding conveyance path, an image reading unit, an intermediate transfer unit, a fixing unit, a paper discharge conveyance path, a double-side conveyance path, and the like ( Both of them are not shown), and images are formed on both sides or one side of the paper P.

  An image forming apparatus 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes four image forming units 102 a, 102 b, 102 c, and 102 d arranged along the traveling direction of the transfer belt 109. The image forming unit 102a includes a photosensitive drum 103a as an image carrier, a drum charger 104a, an exposure device 105a, a developing device 106a, a transfer device 107a, a cleaning device 108a, and the like. The image forming units 102b to 102d are configured similarly to the 102a. The image forming units 102a to 102d form images of different colors, for example, 102a is yellow, 102b is magenta, 102c is cyan, and 102d is black.

  Upon receiving an image forming operation start instruction signal from a control unit (not shown) of the image forming apparatus, the photosensitive drum 103a starts rotating in the direction of arrow B and continues rotating until the image forming operation ends. When the photosensitive drum 103a starts rotating, a high voltage is applied to the drum charger 104a, and negative charges are uniformly charged on the surface of the photosensitive drum 103a. Character data or graphic data converted into a dot image is sent to the image forming apparatus 100 from a control unit (not shown) of the image forming apparatus as an on / off signal of the exposure apparatus 105a. Then, on the surface of the photosensitive drum 103a, a portion irradiated with laser light from the exposure device 105a and a portion not irradiated are formed. When the portion where the charge is reduced on the photosensitive drum 103a reaches the position facing the developing unit 106a by the irradiation of the laser beam from the exposure device 105a, the portion where the charge is reduced on the photosensitive drum 103a is negatively charged. The attracted toner is attracted to form a toner image.

  When the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 103a reaches the transfer unit 107a as the primary transfer unit, the toner image is rotated in the direction of arrow A by the action of a high voltage applied to the transfer unit 107a. Transferred onto the belt 109. Note that the toner remaining without being transferred onto the photosensitive drum 103a even after passing through the transfer position (image transfer site) is cleaned by the cleaning device 108a and is prepared for the next image forming operation.

  The image forming operation is similarly performed in the image forming unit 102b following the image forming unit 102a, and the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 103b is transferred onto the transfer belt 109 by the action of a high voltage applied to the transfer unit 107b. Transcribed. At this time, the timing at which the image formed by the image forming unit 102 a and transferred onto the transfer belt 109 reaches the transfer unit 107 b and the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 103 b are transferred to the transfer belt 109. Match the timing. As a result, the toner images formed by the image forming unit 102 a and the image forming unit 102 b overlap on the transfer belt 109. Similarly, a full color image is formed on the transfer belt 109 by superimposing the toner images formed by the image forming units 102 c and 102 d on the transfer belt 109.

  At the same time when the full-color image reaches the paper transfer unit 110 as the secondary transfer unit, the paper P as the recording medium conveyed in the direction of arrow C from the paper feeding unit 111 of the image forming apparatus reaches the paper transfer unit 110. The full color image on the transfer belt 109 is transferred to the upper side of the paper P by the action of the high voltage applied to the paper transfer device 110. The paper P on which a full color image (unfixed toner image) is formed exits the secondary transfer nip and is then sent to the fixing device 114.

  The fixing device 114 includes a fixing roller 114a and a pressure roller 114b that is pressed toward the fixing roller 114a. The fixing roller 114a and the pressure roller 114b are in contact with each other to form a fixing nip, and the paper P is sandwiched therebetween. The fixing roller 114a has a heat source 114c as a heating means inside, and heats the fixing roller 114a by the heat generated by the heat source 114c. The heated fixing roller 114a applies heat to the sheet sandwiched in the fixing nip and heats it. The full color image on the paper is fixed by the influence of the heating and the nip pressure.

  On the other hand, after the full-color image passes through the paper transfer unit 110, toner that is not transferred is adhered onto the transfer belt 109, and the toner is cleaned by the belt cleaning mechanism 113.

  The paper P that has passed the fixing device 114 has a different path for conveyance depending on the discharge mode. In the case of single-sided printing, it is discharged face-up so that the surface with the full-color image fixed becomes the front surface, or discharged so that the surface with the full-color image fixed becomes the front surface. The face is discharged. In the case of face-up discharge, the sheet P that has passed through the fixing device 114 is conveyed from the image forming apparatus 100 to the sheet post-processing apparatus 200 as indicated by an arrow D in FIG. On the other hand, in the case of face-down discharge, after passing through the fixing device 114, it is sent toward the switchback unit 115 as indicated by an arrow E1. Then, the paper P is reversed by the switchback unit 115 and conveyed from the image forming apparatus 100 to the paper post-processing apparatus 200 as indicated by an arrow E2 in FIG.

  In the case of duplex printing, the sheet P after passing through the fixing device 114 is conveyed from the switchback 115 to the duplex conveyance path 116 as indicated by the arrow F and returns to the sheet transfer unit 110 again, and is formed in the same manner as described above. The full-color image is transferred to the paper P and passes through the fixing device 114. As described above, the sheet P that has passed through the fixing device 114 can be discharged face-up and face-down discharged by inverting and discharging the sheet P by the switchback unit 115.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. The paper post-processing apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 2 is provided with a first transport path Pt1 for receiving the paper P discharged from the image forming apparatus 100 and discharging the paper P to the paper discharge tray 215. Further, a second transport path Pt2 is provided for branching from the first transport path Pt1 and performing a binding process or the like on the sheet bundle Pb. Further, a third transport path Pt3 for discharging the paper P to the prestack 208 is provided. And the 1st conveyance path Pt1, the 2nd conveyance path Pt2, and the 2nd conveyance path Pt3 comprise the conveyance part formed by a plurality of conveyance roller pairs 201-207, a guide member (not shown), etc., for example. The first branch claw 209 switches the paper transport direction to the first transport path Pt1 or the second transport path Pt2. Further, the second branching claw 210 switches the paper transport direction to the second transport path Pt2 or the third transport path Pt3.

  In the first conveyance path Pt1, the conveyance roller pair 201, 202, the first branching claw 209, and the conveyance roller pair 203, 204 are arranged in this order on the upstream side in the paper conveyance direction of the first conveyance path Pt1 (hereinafter simply referred to as the upstream side). To the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction (hereinafter simply referred to as the downstream side). The rollers of the conveyance roller pair 201 and 202 and the conveyance roller pair 203 and 204 are rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) to convey the paper P. A conveyance sensor (not shown) is disposed on the upstream side of the conveyance roller pair 201, and the conveyance sensor detects that the sheet P has been carried into the sheet post-processing apparatus 200.

  A first branch claw 209 is disposed on the downstream side of the conveying roller pair 202. The first branching claw 209 rotates and switches its posture, so that the sheet P conveyed from the upstream side can be separated from the downstream portion of the first branching claw 209 in the first conveyance path Pt1 and the second part. It selectively guides to either one of the conveyance paths Pt2. The first branch claw 209 is driven by, for example, a motor or a solenoid.

  In the non-staple mode, the paper P carried into the first transport path Pt 1 from the image forming apparatus 100 is transported by the transport roller pairs 201, 202, 203, 204 and discharged to the paper discharge tray 215. Further, in the staple mode and the middle folding mode, the paper P carried into the first transport path Pt1 is transported to the second transport path Pt2 with the traveling direction changed by the first branching claw 209. In the second conveyance path Pt2, conveyance roller pairs 20, 206, and 207, a staple tray 211, and an adhesion device 212 that adheres sheets with an adhesive toner image are arranged. Each roller of the conveyance roller pair 205, 206, and 207 is driven by a motor (not shown) to convey the paper P.

  In the staple mode, the sheets P received from the image forming apparatus 100 are sequentially stacked on the staple tray 211. As a result, the designated number (plurality) of sheets P are stacked to form a sheet bundle Pb. At this time, the rear end of each sheet P abuts on a first movable reference fence (not shown) provided on the staple tray 211, the positions in the sheet conveyance direction are aligned, and the width of the sheet P is adjusted by the second movable reference fence (not shown). The direction position is aligned. The first movable reference fence is driven by a motor. Here, the staple tray 211, the first movable reference fence, and the second movable reference fence constitute a bundling unit that stacks a plurality of sheets P to form a sheet bundle Pb. The bundling unit includes a motor that drives the first movable reference fence and a motor that drives the second movable reference fence, and the bundled sheet bundle Pb is conveyed to the bonding apparatus 212 by the first movable reference fence. In the bonding device 212, the sheet bundle Pb is bound by heating while applying pressure to the binding margin portion of the sheet on which the adhesive toner image is formed.

  The bound sheet bundle Pb is returned to the first transport path Pt1 by the second movable reference fence, transported by the transport roller pair 203, 204, and discharged to the paper discharge tray 215.

  On the other hand, in the middle folding mode, the paper P transported to the second transport path Pt2 is transported to the staple tray 211. The center folding blade 213 facing the center portion in the sheet transport direction of the sheet bundle Pb transported to the center folding position moves from right to left in FIG. 1 while bending the center portion in the sheet transport direction of the sheet bundle Pb. Push between the pair of pressing rollers 214. At this time, the folding blade 213 is driven by a motor (not shown).

  The folded sheet bundle Pb is pressed from above and below by the pressing roller pair 214. Here, the rollers of the pressure roller pair 214 are driven by a motor (not shown). The sheet bundle Pb folded in this way is discharged onto the discharge tray 215 by the pressing roller pair 214.

  In addition, the sheet post-processing apparatus 200 includes a control unit (not shown) that controls the operation of each unit. The control unit is a computer having a CPU, a storage unit, a communication interface, and the like. A conveyance sensor or the like is connected to the control unit. The control unit (CPU) drives and controls each unit of the sheet post-processing apparatus 200 in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit. Further, as described above, the control unit is connected to a control unit (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 100 so that data communication is possible.

Next, the configuration of the prestack in the sheet post-processing apparatus of the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the prestack in the sheet post-processing apparatus of the present embodiment. In the pre-stack 208 shown in FIG. 3, water is supplied to the binding margin portion of each sheet P of the sheet bundle Pb to increase the humidity of the sheet. FIG. 3 shows a case where the sheet bundle Pb is three sheets P. The pre-stack 208 is for stocking the paper P conveyed while the paper P is adhered by the adhesive device 212 of FIG. 2, and is provided upstream of the adhesive device 212. The pre-stack 208 is provided with a water tank 208a, a water supply pipe 208b, and a water supply nozzle 208c as elements constituting a water supply device 217 that supplies water 216 to the binding margin of the paper P. When the paper P is conveyed to the prestack 208, the water 216 is supplied from the water supply device 217 to the binding margin portion of the paper P on which the adhesive toner image 218 is formed. The water 216 is jetted from the water tank 208a through the water supply pipe 208b to the paper P from the water supply nozzle 208c. The water supply nozzle 208c has a large number of holes (not shown) on its surface, and is configured to spray water 216 in a fine mist shape and spray it on the binding margin, like a spray spray. It is preferable that the amount of water supplied by one jet is smaller than the amount that can be absorbed by the paper fibers. The water supply ends before the next sheet is fed into the prestack 208. In this way, the water 216 is supplied to the binding margin portion of the three sheets of paper P. By supplying the water 216, the sheet bundle Pb having increased humidity can be conveyed to the bonding apparatus 212 to bond the sheets together, and the adhesive force can be increased even in a low humidity sheet. The paper P stacked in the pre-stack 208 is in a stationary state, and is more accurate for the binding margin of the paper P than in a configuration in which water is supplied in a part of the transport path through which the paper P is transported. Water can be supplied. Therefore, the amount of water to be supplied can be minimized.

  In addition, supplying water to the portion of the paper binding margin by the pre-stack 208 has an effect of improving productivity. In order to bond the paper using the adhesive toner image, the adhesive force is stabilized by heating 0.5 [s] per sheet. When the bonding is repeated for each sheet, it is possible to bond the image forming apparatus with the output capacity of 30 sheets at 0.5 [s] / 1 sheet without reducing the productivity. In an apparatus with higher productivity than that, it is necessary to lower the productivity in order to secure the heating time necessary for bonding. In the paper post-processing apparatus provided with the pre-stack, when the number of pre-stacks is increased, the interval of conveyance to the bonding apparatus becomes longer, and the heatable time is extended by one bonding operation. If the image forming apparatus has a 30-sheet output capability, the time required for heating can be ensured by using a pre-stack without reducing productivity. Although the case where the number of sheets to be prestacked is three has been described, the present invention is not limited to this.

Next, the configuration of the bonding apparatus in the sheet post-processing apparatus of this embodiment will be described.
FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the bonding apparatus in the paper post-processing apparatus of this embodiment. A bonding apparatus 300 shown in FIG. 4 includes a cradle 301 and a heating unit 302. The cradle 301 includes a silicon rubber 301a that generates an elastic force in response to pressing when a sheet bundle Pb in which a plurality of sheets P are bundled is pressed. This silicon rubber 301a is provided on aluminum 301b as a base. The heating unit 302 includes a heater 302a, and a surface of the heater 302a that is in contact with the paper P is provided with a high thermal conductivity aluminum 302b and a Teflon (registered trademark) coat 302c for preventing adhesion of the adhesive toner. The set temperature of the heater 302a is in the range of 160 [° C.] to 260 [° C.], and the details can be adjusted according to the type of paper P to be described later and the number of paper P in the paper bundle Pb. The heating means 302 is provided to face the paper setting surface of the cradle 301 and is in contact with and separated from the paper setting surface of the cradle 301. The sheet bundle Pb conveyed from the pre-stack 208 is heated while the binding margin portion is pressurized by the bonding apparatus 300. As a result, the adhesive toner image formed at the binding margin portion of the paper is dissolved, and the papers are bonded to each other. Since the heating temperature is 100 [° C.] or higher, the water supplied in the prestack 208 is evaporated by heating and no moisture remains on the paper P of the paper bundle Pb bound. By supplying water before bonding, it is possible to bond the paper with the humidity increased, so that it is stable even in a low humidity environment or in a low humidity environment due to heating to fix the image toner image. High adhesive strength. In addition, even if water is supplied at the time of bonding instead of before bonding, the same adhesive force improvement effect as that of water supply before bonding can be expected.

Next, an operation for binding the sheets of paper by heating the adhesive toner image and bonding the sheets together will be described.
In the sheet post-processing apparatus 200 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 100 can form a bonding toner image at a binding margin and heat it to bond it as a sheet bundle. When a print job involving toner stapling is input, the temperature of the heat source 114c of the fixing device 114 in FIG. 1 is raised to a predetermined temperature, and at the same time, the heating means (not shown) of the bonding device 212 is raised. When the temperature of the heating means reaches a predetermined temperature, a print job is started, and the toner image based on the image data and the adhesive toner image are transferred and fixed on the first sheet. The fixed sheet is conveyed to the prestack 208 of the sheet post-processing apparatus 200. The prestack 208 is provided with a water supply device for supplying water to the paper P, and water can be supplied to the binding margin portion of the paper P. For example, when three sheets P are collected in the prestack 208, the three sheets P are collectively conveyed to the bonding device 212. When the sheet bundle Pb of the three sheets P enters the bonding device 212, the binding margin of the sheet on which the adhesive toner image is formed is heated by the heat source, and the additional three sheets are bonded to the already bonded sheet bundle Pb. To do. In addition, since the supplied water evaporates by heating, the paper after bonding is in a dry state. In this way, a bundle of sheets can be bound by supplying water to the sheet conveyed to the prestack and repeating the bonding.

  Here, in this embodiment, moisture is supplied to the vicinity of the bonded portion. The principle of increasing the adhesive force by supplying water will be described. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the bonding surface when the paper on which the adhesive toner image is formed and the white paper are bonded. FIG. 5A shows a case where water is not supplied, and FIG. 5B shows a case where water is supplied. There are fine irregularities due to fibers on the surface of normally used paper P. When bonded, only the convex portion of the paper P comes into contact with the adhesive toner image 401, and only a small part of the paper P contributes to the bonding as in the area surrounded by the dotted line. As a result, particularly in recycled paper with large irregularities, the adhesive strength is remarkably insufficient, and it may be easily peeled off. This phenomenon appears remarkably when moisture is not supplied to the paper P as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5B, when moisture is supplied to the paper P, the paper P becomes soft as a whole because the fibers of the paper P contain water and easily move. It can be seen that the adhesiveness with the bonding toner image 401 which is a partner to be bonded increases as the sheet P becomes soft. As a result, the contact area between the paper P and the adhesive toner increases, so that the adhesive force is improved. At the same time, the contact area between the heater, which is a heating source, and the paper also increases, so that there is an effect of improving heat conduction.

Example 1
Next, an example of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the above embodiment (hereinafter, this example is referred to as “Example 1”) will be described.
FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the bonding apparatus in the paper post-processing apparatus of the first embodiment. Example 1 shown in FIG. 6 is an example in the case of supplying water from the cradle of the bonding apparatus. In the silicon rubber 301b of the cradle 301 in the bonding apparatus 300 according to the first embodiment, silica gel 301c as a temperature adjustment mechanism is spread on the surface facing the heating unit 302. Silica gel is a substance that absorbs ambient moisture and releases the absorbed moisture at high temperatures. When the bonding is not performed, the silica gel 301c absorbs the surrounding moisture, and the heated silica gel 301c is heated by the heating of the heater 302a during the stapling operation, and the accumulated moisture is released. The released moisture is absorbed by the paper, thereby increasing the humidity of the paper and improving the adhesion. In addition, by providing the silica gel 301c supplied as in the first embodiment on the surface of the silicon rubber 301b, a water supply driving source is not required, thereby saving energy.

(Example 2)
Next, another example of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the above embodiment (hereinafter, this example is referred to as “Example 2”) will be described.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the bonding apparatus in the paper post-processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7A is a schematic cross-sectional view, and FIG. 7B is a plan view seen from the cradle side of the heating means 302. Example 2 shown in FIG. 7 is another example in the case of supplying water from the cradle of the bonding apparatus. The Teflon coat 302c of the heating means 302 has a steam supply hole 302d that is a through hole penetrating in the thickness direction, and a hole 302e that communicates with the steam supply hole 302d is formed in the aluminum 302b. As shown in FIG. 6B, a plurality of steam supply holes 302d are formed. Each steam supply hole 302d is connected to a water supply pipe 304 for feeding water from the water tank 303. Water can be supplied to the paper from these steam supply holes 302d. Water is supplied from the steam supply hole 302d to the paper when the heating means 302 contacts the paper (not shown), and the supply of water stops when the heating means 302 moves away from the paper. Since the water to be supplied is warmed by the heater 302a, it becomes high-temperature steam. When water is supplied by the pre-stack 208 in FIG. 2, moisture may be released to the surroundings while being transported to the bonding apparatus 212, but in this embodiment, water is supplied simultaneously with heating. Sufficient moisture can be supplied.

  Next, a method for adjusting the amount of water supplied will be described. By adjusting the amount of water supplied according to the printing conditions, the adhesive force can be further stabilized. The supply amount of water is adjusted by single-sided printing or double-sided printing as the printing condition 1. Double-sided printing has lower adhesive strength than single-sided printing. This is because the paper humidity differs between double-sided printing and single-sided printing, and the paper humidity decreases compared to single-sided printing because it passes through the fixing device twice during double-sided printing. Therefore, in double-sided printing, adjustment is made so as to supply twice as much water as in single-sided printing. As a result, a stable adhesive force can be obtained regardless of the printing conditions for double-sided printing and single-sided printing.

Next, an example in which the humidification condition is changed only on the outermost surface of the prestack will be described.
FIG. 8 is a graph showing the measurement results of adhesive strength when 12 sheets are bonded under three conditions with different water supply amounts in the configuration of three prestacks. The heating temperature by heater heating is 160 [° C.], the heating time is 3 [s], and the interval time is 3 [s]. The adhesive strength when the same amount of water is supplied to all three sheets to be prestacked is higher than that when water is not supplied, but the adhesive strength is lower every third sheet. Only the uppermost one of the three sheets to be prestacked is in direct contact with the heater when heated by the bonding apparatus, and the humidity of the portion in direct contact with the heater is significantly reduced. As a result, the adhesive force of the surface that the heater contacts is weaker than that of other adhesive surfaces, and unevenness of the adhesive force occurs. When the water is supplied to the binding margin portion of the paper with the pre-stack as in the first embodiment, the water supply amount can be adjusted one by one. Therefore, the amount of water supplied to the paper that is in direct contact with the heater is increased. For example, in the case of a three-sheet prestack, more water is supplied to the third sheet than the first and second sheets to be prestacked. According to the adhesive strength measurement result when the amount of water supplied to the third sheet is adjusted to be twice that of the first sheet and the second sheet in the case of a three-sheet pre-stack, the first and second sheets Compared with the case where the same amount of water is supplied to the third and third sheets, the unevenness of the adhesive force is small. By increasing the amount of water supplied to the top surface of the prestacked sheets in this way, it is possible to reduce unevenness in the adhesive force that occurs in the cycle of the number of sheets to be prestacked. In a high-humidity environment, water may be supplied only to paper that is in direct contact with the heater, rather than supplying water to all the pre-stacked paper. This is because a sheet other than the paper that is in direct contact with the heater has a sufficient humidity, so that a sufficient adhesive force can be obtained without supplying water. Specifically, water is not supplied to the first two sheets transported to the pre-stack, but when the third sheet is transported, water is supplied to the binding area of the sheet, and the bonding apparatus Transport to. As a result, the amount of water used can be reduced as compared with the case where water is supplied to all sheets. Accordingly, the capacity of the water tank can be reduced.

Next, a case where the amount of water supply is adjusted according to the type of paper will be described.
Since the amount of water that can be absorbed by the fibers varies depending on the type of paper, it is preferable to adjust the amount of water supplied according to the type of paper to be bonded. This is because if the amount of water supplied is too large, water will overflow from the paper. When the user instructs adhesion when printing or copying, a screen for setting the paper type is displayed. The types of paper that can be set are, for example, thin paper, plain paper, and thick paper. When the user sets thin paper, the supply amount of water is decreased, and when thick paper is set, the supply amount of water is increased. By adjusting in such a manner, a stable adhesive force according to the type of paper can be obtained.

(Example 3)
Next, still another example of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the above embodiment (hereinafter, this example is referred to as “Example 3”) will be described.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the prestack in the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, a humidity sensor 501 for detecting the humidity of the paper is provided at a position facing the paper stacked on the prestack 208, and the amount of water to be supplied can be adjusted according to the detected humidity. did. FIG. 10 is a graph showing the adhesive strength with respect to the heater temperature and humidity when three sheets are bonded. As shown in FIGS. 10 (a) to 10 (c), in FIG. 10, the humidity of the paper is 30 [%] for each heater temperature and for each ambient temperature of 10 [° C.], 23 [° C.], 32 [° C.]. , 50 [%], and 80 [%], the results of measuring the adhesive strength with respect to the humidity of the paper are shown. As shown in FIGS. 10A to 10C, since the adhesive strength increases when the humidity of the paper reaches 80% or higher, the humidity of the paper becomes 80% after supplying water. Adjust the water supply. It was found that the adhesive strength increased when the humidity of the paper reached 80 [%]. When water is supplied so that the humidity of the paper is 80% or higher, a high adhesive force can always be obtained. If the humidity of the paper is high and exceeds 80%, water is not supplied because sufficient adhesive force can be obtained without supplying water. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, the supply amount of water is adjusted according to the humidity of the paper. Since the optimum amount of water is supplied by detecting the humidity of the paper, the water can be used without excess or deficiency, so the amount of water required can be reduced compared to the case without adjusting the water supply amount. . In addition, a stable adhesive force can be obtained even when the type of paper changes during the process, or when the paper runs out and switches to a new paper bundle.

  In the first to third embodiments, the case where the liquid to be supplied is water is described. However, the liquid to be supplied may not be water. For example, even if a polar solvent, specifically, a surfactant or water mixed therewith is supplied, the effect of increasing the adhesive force can be expected. FIG. 12 shows the adhesive strength when two types of surfactants are applied to the toner image side and the white paper side of the adhesive surface in the case of bonding two sheets of paper on which the adhesive toner image is formed and the white paper. FIG. Surfactant A is a surfactant made of silicon oil or mineral oil, and surfactant B is made of liquid paraffin, limonene, or a natural surfactant. When these surfactants are applied, the surface energy of the applied portion changes, and the adhesive force is improved as compared with the case where nothing is applied.

Example 4
Next, still another example of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the above embodiment (hereinafter, this example will be referred to as “Example 4”) will be described.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the prestack in the paper post-processing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, in the fourth embodiment, high humidity air is blown onto the paper P stacked on the prestack 600 at a position facing the binding margin where the adhesive toner image 602 is formed. A moisture imparting member 601 for imparting moisture is provided. By using this moisture applying member 601, high humidity air is liquefied on the surface of the paper by spraying high humidity air on the binding margin of the paper in the prestack 600. As a result, the liquid can be supplied to the binding margin portion of the sheet. The moisture applying member 601 is provided with a plurality of nozzle holes 601b on the nozzle surface 601a facing the binding margin surface of the paper P. A tubular channel 601c such as a tube is provided so as to communicate with the nozzle hole 601b, and conveys high-humidity air by a conveyance pump (not shown). The high-humidity air that is conveyed passes through the nozzle hole 601b and is blown to the location of the binding margin of the paper. Specifically, every time the paper P is stacked on the prestack 600, a certain amount of high-humidity air is blown from the nozzle hole 601b by the transport pump to humidify all the binding margins of the paper bundle Pb. The moisture-imparting member 601 has a structure like a shower in which a small number of small holes are opened at the end of a cylindrical structure, for example. The surface to be humidified on the paper P by the moisture applying member 601 is preferably the opposite surface to the surface on which the adhesive toner image 602 is present.

  The sheet bundle Pb in which the binding margin of the sheet P is humidified by the pre-stack 600 is conveyed to the bonding apparatus 610 having a configuration as shown in FIG. The bonding apparatus 610 includes a heating member 611 that pressurizes and heats the binding margin of the sheet bundle Pb, and a base 612 that is provided at a position facing the heating member 611 and presses the sheet bundle Pb in cooperation with the heating member 611. It has. In the cam 613, the contact position between the heating member 611 and the cam surface is displaced by rotating the shaft by a drive motor (not shown). Thereby, the heating member 611 contacts and separates in both directions of the arrow A in FIG. The contact / separation may be performed by rotating the cam 613 in one direction or rotating the shaft in the forward and reverse directions. When the sheet bundle Pb is bound using the adhesive toner image 602, the contact position of the cam 613 with the heating member 611 is rotated by the shaft rotation of the cam 613 as shown in FIG. Displace in the direction of arrow B. As a result, the binding margin portion of the sheet bundle Pb is pressurized and heated with the base 612. Thus, a bundle of sheets can be bound by supplying water to the sheet conveyed to the prestack and repeating the bonding. The pressing / heating operation with the heating member 611 coming into contact with and separating from the sheet bundle Pb may be performed using a solenoid (not shown) instead of the cam 613 as described above.

  In addition, although the location where the moisture applying member 601 as the humidifying means of this embodiment is provided is in the prestack 600, it is on the paper transport path from the paper entrance of the paper post-processing device to the adhesive device 610. Arbitrary positions may be used. In order to further increase the humidification performance, the position where the temperature of the paper P decreases, that is, within the bonding apparatus 610 or immediately before the bonding apparatus 610 is preferable. For example, when humidifying means is provided in the bonding apparatus 610, there is a configuration example as shown in FIG. A nozzle hole 614 and a flow path 615 communicating with the nozzle hole 614 are formed in the heating member 611 of the bonding apparatus 610. The flow path 615 is connected to a pump 616 that supplies high-humidity air. In the bonding apparatus 610 having such a configuration, when the sheet bundle Pb is conveyed to the bonding apparatus 610, the heating member 611 is pressed and heated by driving a cam or a solenoid (not shown) as shown in FIG. Work with. Then, a certain amount of high-humidity air is supplied into the flow path 615 of the heating member 611 by the pump 616. The high-humidity air is blown from the nozzle hole 614 to the binding margin portion of the sheet bundle Pb. Thereby, as described above, high-humidity air liquefies and humidifies the sheet bundle Pb, and simultaneously pressurizes and heats to bind the sheet bundle with the adhesive toner image. Note that the pump 616 may supply water into the channel 615, and the water is heated in the channel 615 to evaporate. The water vapor is sprayed onto the binding margin portion of the sheet bundle Pb, and the sheet bundle Pb can be humidified. Further, the heating temperature of the heating member 611 is adjusted so that the temperature of the high humidity air becomes equal to or higher than the temperature of the paper surface. As a result, it becomes easy for condensation to occur on the paper due to this temperature difference, so that moisture can be effectively absorbed by the paper.

Next, the relationship between the environmental relative humidity and the moisture content of the paper will be described.
FIG. 16 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between environmental relative humidity and paper moisture content. In the standard environment test, Ricoh My Recycle Paper (basis weight: 69 [g / m ² ]) paper was used. As described above, at an environmental relative humidity of 80 [% RH] where a high adhesive force works, it was found that the water content of the sheet was about 11 [%] as shown in FIG. At a relative humidity of 30 [% RH] at a low humidity set value in the standard environmental test, the water content of the paper is about 5 [%]. In this low humidity environment, the difference from about 11 [%] at which high adhesive force works. It is necessary to replenish about 6% of the water. In a paper having a basis weight of 69 [g / m ² ], humidification of about 4.14 [g / m ² ] is required to increase the moisture content by 6 [%]. Assuming that the size of the binding margin is 10 [mm] × 30 [mm], about 1.4 [mg] is a guide for the amount of water supply per one time.

  The actual high-humidity air supply amount setting is a function of the temperature and humidity of the paper and the temperature and humidity of the high-humidity air. However, since the temperature and humidity of the paper are difficult to measure, the temperature and humidity outside the apparatus are used instead. For example, the setting is performed according to the procedure shown in FIG. In FIG. 17, the environmental temperature and humidity outside the apparatus are measured (step S101). It is determined whether or not the measured environmental temperature and humidity are within a predetermined allowable range (step S102). As a result of the determination, if the environmental temperature and humidity are within a predetermined allowable range (step S102: YES), the paper temperature and the paper with respect to the environmental temperature and humidity obtained by measuring in advance based on the environmental temperature and humidity of the measurement result The paper temperature and the paper content water rate are estimated with reference to the look-up table storing the water content rate (step S103). Based on the estimated paper temperature and paper content water rate, refer to the look-up table that stores the temperature and humidity of the high humidity air with respect to the paper temperature and paper content water rate obtained in advance. Humidity is estimated (step S104). Furthermore, based on the estimated temperature and humidity of the high-humidity air, refer to the lookup table that stores the supply amount of the high-humidity air with respect to the temperature and humidity of the high-humidity air obtained in advance, and supply the high-humidity air The amount is determined (step S105). If the result of determination in step S102 is that the environmental temperature and humidity are not within a predetermined allowable range (step S102: NO), an abnormal process is performed in which it is impossible to approximate the temperature and humidity of the paper (step S106). .

(Modification 1)
Next, a modified example of the high humidity air generating device in the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the above embodiment (hereinafter, this modified example is referred to as “modified example 1”) will be described.
FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a first modification of the high humidity air generation device. As shown in FIG. 18A, in the high-humidity air generation device 700, the ultrasonic humidification head 711 generates water droplets 712a in the tank 712 in a mist state to generate mist droplets 712b, and the mist droplets 712b are generated by a fan 720. For example, it conveys to the moisture provision member 601 of FIG. According to the first modification, since a heater that consumes high power is not used, energy is saved. As shown in FIG. 18B, a heater 730 may be provided on the downstream side of the fan 720 to heat the air. The air heated by the heater 730 is conveyed by the fan 720 toward the generation area of the mist 712b. The fog 712b is warmed with the warmed air. In FIG. 18B, the heater 730 is provided immediately downstream of the fan 720. However, since the mist droplet 712b only needs to be heated, the mist droplet 712b is transported, that is, the region where the mist droplet 712b is generated. You may provide in the further downstream.

(Modification 2)
Next, another modified example of the high-humidity air generating device in the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the embodiment (hereinafter, this modified example is referred to as “modified example 2”) will be described.
FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a second modification of the high humidity air generation device. In an actual usage mode, the sheet post-processing apparatus is mounted on the image forming apparatus, or the sheet post-processing apparatus is provided as one device of an image forming system configured with the image forming apparatus. As shown in FIG. 19, high-humidity air (exhaust gas) generated by evaporation of moisture contained in the paper P when the paper P is heated by the fixing device 900 of the image forming apparatus is sucked from the suction pipe 801 through a suction pump. Aspirate (not shown). The sucked high-humidity air is conveyed to, for example, the moisture applying member 601 in FIG. The sheet P is sandwiched between the fixing nips of the fixing roller 900a heated by the heat source 900c and the pressure roller 900b that presses the fixing roller 900a, and heats the sheet P. By this heating, the moisture contained in the paper P evaporates. The water vapor is sucked through the intake pipe 801 and conveyed. Since the humidity of the high-humidity air obtained in this way changes according to the amount of water contained in the paper, the temperature and humidity become unstable. For this reason, you may adjust humidity further. According to the second modification, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated heater or the like for warming the air, the cost is reduced, and power consumption for heating becomes unnecessary, leading to energy saving.

What has been described above is merely an example, and the present invention has a specific effect for each of the following modes.
(Aspect 1)
The adhesive toner image formed on a part of the paper P in which the paper P on which the toner image based on the image data and the adhesive toner image 218 are formed is sequentially stacked on the pre-stack 208 as a stacking unit is heated and applied. The paper post-processing apparatus 200 that presses and bonds the sheets together includes a water supply unit 217 as a liquid supply unit that supplies a liquid to a portion of the sheet P on which the adhesive toner image 218 is formed.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, even when the humidity of the paper P after the adhesive toner image is formed is low, the portion of the paper P on which the adhesive toner image 218 is formed by the water supply device 217. The humidity of the paper P can be increased by supplying water as a liquid. As the humidity of the paper P increases, the amount of moisture contained in the paper P increases and the paper P becomes soft. As a result, since the paper P is easily deformed, the opening portion of the concave and convex portions on the surface of the paper P is easily widened, and the adhesive toner image is easily formed on the concave portion. Increases the adhesion area between the adhesive toner image 218 formed on the convex and concave portions of the paper P and the surface of the paper on the other side of the paper facing the adhesive toner image 218 compared to when no liquid is supplied. Can be made. As a result, the adhesive force between the sheets can be increased. Therefore, regardless of the humidity of the paper after the adhesive toner image is formed, a high adhesive force can be obtained and the paper can be prevented from peeling off.
(Aspect 2)
In (Aspect 1), the water supply device 217 as the liquid supply unit is installed on the downstream side in the paper transport direction from the bonding device 212 as the bonding unit. According to this, as described in the above embodiment, the water supply device 217 having the water tank 208a, the water supply pipe 208b, and the water supply nozzle 208c is installed downstream of the bonding device 212 in the paper conveyance direction. Install in pre-stack 208. Therefore, water as a liquid can be sufficiently permeated into the paper P, and a target humidity can be obtained.
(Aspect 3)
In (Aspect 1) or (Aspect 2), the water supply device 217 as the liquid supply means supplies liquid to the paper P loaded on the prestack 208 as the loading means. According to this, as described in the above embodiment, the paper P stacked on the pre-stack 208 as the stacking means is in a stationary state, and the water as the liquid is reliably supplied to the binding margin portion of the paper P. Can supply.
(Aspect 4)
In any one of (Aspect 1) to (Aspect 3), the water supply device 217 serving as the liquid supply unit is different from the uppermost sheet P among the sheets P stacked on the prestack 208 serving as the stacking unit. Supply more water than P as a liquid. According to this, as described in the above embodiment, the uppermost sheet P of the sheets P stacked on the prestack 208 is directly heated by the heater, so that the amount of moisture is deprived more than other sheets P. Become. Therefore, the humidity is increased by increasing the amount of water supplied to the uppermost paper P compared to the other paper P. Thereby, the humidity of the uppermost sheet P can be set to the target humidity.
(Aspect 5)
In (Aspect 1), the water supply device 217 as the liquid supply unit is provided in the bonding device 212 as the bonding unit. According to this, as described in Example 2 of the above embodiment, when water is supplied to the paper P in the prestack 208, the paper P is transferred from the prestack 208 to the bonding device 212 while the paper P is conveyed. There is a risk of moisture evaporating. By supplying water as a liquid to the paper P immediately before heating in the bonding apparatus 212, moisture can be reliably supplied to the binding margin portion of the paper P.
(Aspect 6)
In (Aspect 5), the adhering device 212 as the adhering means heats the receiving base 301 on which the paper P on which the adhesive toner image 218 is formed and the paper P placed on the receiving base 31 while applying pressure thereto. 302, and a liquid supply means is provided at least on the cradle 301 or the heating means 302. According to this, as described in Example 2 of the above-described embodiment, by supplying water as liquid to the paper P immediately before heating in the bonding apparatus 212, moisture is surely secured at the binding margin portion of the paper P. Can be supplied to.
(Aspect 7)
In (Aspect 6), the cradle 301 is formed of silica gel 301c made of a material capable of absorbing and releasing water. According to this, as described in Example 1 of the above embodiment, the silica gel 301c absorbs the surrounding water and releases the water by heating during bonding. This saves energy because no drive source is required to supply water.
(Aspect 8)
In any one of (Aspect 1) to (Aspect 7), the water supply device 217 as a liquid supply unit increases the supply amount of water as a liquid to the double-sided printing paper P more than the supply amount of water to the single-sided printing paper. . According to this, as described in the above embodiment, in the case of double-sided printing, since the paper passes through the fixing device twice, the humidity of the paper P is lower than that of single-sided printing. For this reason, the humidity of the paper P can be set to the target humidity by increasing the supply amount of water as a liquid to the paper P for double-sided printing. Therefore, a stable adhesive force can be obtained.
(Aspect 9)
In any one of (Aspect 1) to (Aspect 8), a humidity sensor 501 as a humidity detection unit that detects the humidity of the paper P is provided, and a water supply device 217 as a liquid supply unit based on the detection result of the humidity sensor 501. The supply amount of water as a liquid to be supplied by is adjusted. According to this, as explained in Example 3 of the above embodiment, it was found from experimental results that a high adhesive force can always be obtained when the humidity of the paper P is 80 [%]. The humidity sensor 501 detects the humidity of the paper P, and supplies water as a liquid so that the humidity of the paper P becomes 80%. Thereby, the humidity of the paper P before bonding can always be set to 80 [%], and a high adhesive force can always be obtained.
(Aspect 10)
In any one of (Aspect 1) to (Aspect 9), the liquid is a polar solvent. According to this, as described in the above embodiment, the adhesive strength of the paper P coated with the polar solvent is improved as compared to the case where the surface energy of the paper P is changed and is not applied. Therefore, a high adhesive force can be obtained by supplying the polar solvent to the paper P.
(Aspect 11)
In any one of (Aspect 1) to (Aspect 10), the liquid is water. According to this, as described in the above embodiment, water is easily absorbed by the fibers of the paper P, and the handling is safe.
(Aspect 12)
In (Aspect 11), the supply amount of water supplied by the water supply device 217 as the liquid supply means is adjusted so that the humidity of the paper P becomes 80%. According to this, as described in the above embodiment, the humidity of the paper P can be set to 80 [%], and a high adhesive force can always be obtained.
(Aspect 13)
In (Aspect 1), high-humidity air is blown onto the portion of the paper P on which the adhesive toner image 218 is formed. According to this, as described in Example 4 of the above-described embodiment, high-humidity air is blown onto the portion of the paper P on which the adhesive toner image 218 is formed, and the high-humidity air is liquefied by the paper P. Thus, moisture is applied to the paper P, and the humidity of the paper P can be increased. As a result, the amount of moisture contained in the paper P increases and the paper P becomes soft. The paper P is easily deformed, the opening of the concave portion of the uneven portion on the surface of the paper P is easily spread, and the adhesive toner image 218 is easily formed in the concave portion. The adhesive area between the adhesive toner image 218 formed on the convex and concave portions of the paper P and the surface of the paper P of the adhesive partner facing the adhesive toner image 218 is greater than when moisture is not applied. Can be increased. As a result, the adhesive force between the sheets can be increased. Therefore, regardless of the humidity of the paper after the adhesive toner image is formed, a high adhesive force can be obtained and the paper can be prevented from peeling off.
(Aspect 14)
In (Aspect 13), the temperature of the high humidity air is equal to or higher than the temperature of the paper surface. According to this, as described in Example 4 of the above embodiment, it is easy for condensation to occur on the paper P due to the temperature difference between the high humidity air and the surface of the paper, and moisture can be effectively absorbed by the paper P. .
(Aspect 15)
In an image forming apparatus comprising an image forming means for forming an image on a recording paper and a recording paper processing means for performing a predetermined process on the recording paper on which an image has been formed by the image forming means, the recording paper processing means ( The sheet post-processing apparatus according to any one of Aspect 1) to (Aspect 14) is used. According to this, as described in the above embodiment, by using the paper stacking apparatus of the present invention as the paper stacking means, the post-processed paper P is discharged while reducing costs and saving space. Paper can be properly discharged onto the tray.
(Aspect 16)
In (Aspect 15), exhaust air from a fixing unit in the image forming apparatus is used as the high humidity air. According to this, as described in the second modification of the above embodiment, an apparatus for generating high-humidity air becomes unnecessary, and cost reduction and space saving can be achieved.
(Aspect 17)
In (Aspect 16), a humidifying means for humidifying the exhaust is provided. According to this, as described in the second modification of the above-described embodiment, when the humidity of exhaust air from the fixing device is deficient below 80% of the desired value due to environmental humidity or the like, the shortage is compensated for. The humidity of P can be set to a desired value, and a high adhesive force can always be obtained.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming system 100 Image forming apparatus 200 Paper post-processing apparatus 201-207 Conveying roller pair 208 Prestack 208a Water tank 208b Water supply pipe 208c Water supply nozzle 209 First branch claw 210 Second branch claw 211 Staple tray 212 Bonding apparatus 213 Middle folding blade 214 Press roller pair 215 Discharge tray 216 Water 217 Water supply device 218 Adhesive toner image 300 Adhesion device 301 Receptacle 301a Silicon rubber 301b Aluminum 301c Silica gel 302 Heating means 302a Heater 302b Aluminum 302c Teflon coat 302d Steam supply hole 302e Hole 303 Water tank 303a Water 304 Water supply pipe 401 Adhesive toner image 501 Humidity sensor 600 Prestack 601 Moisture applying member 601a Nozzle surface 601b Nozzle 601c Flow path 602 Adhesive toner image 610 Adhesion device 611 Heating member 612 Base 613 Cam 614 Nozzle hole 615 Flow path 616 Pump 700 High-humidity air generation device 711 Ultrasonic humidification head 712 Tank 712a Water 712b Mist droplet 720 Fan 730 Heater 801 Intake Tube 900 Fixing device 900a Fixing roller 900b Pressure roller 900c Heat source

JP 2000-255881 A

Claims (17)

A sheet on which a toner image based on image data and a toner image for adhesion are formed is sequentially stacked on a stacking unit, and the adhesive toner image formed on a part of the sheet is heated and pressed to bond the sheets together. In the paper post-processing device,
A paper post-processing apparatus, comprising: a liquid supply unit that supplies liquid to a portion of the paper on which the adhesive toner image is formed. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The paper post-processing apparatus, wherein the liquid supply unit is installed on the downstream side in the paper transport direction from an adhesive unit that pressurizes the adhesive toner image while heating and adheres the papers together. In the paper post-processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The paper post-processing apparatus, wherein the liquid supply means supplies liquid to the paper stacked on the stacking means. In the paper post-processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The sheet post-processing apparatus, wherein the liquid supply unit supplies the uppermost sheet among the sheets stacked on the stacking unit with an increased liquid supply amount relative to other sheets. In the paper post-processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The paper post-processing apparatus, wherein the liquid supply means is provided in the adhesion means. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein
The adhering means includes a cradle on which a sheet on which the toner image for adhesion is formed is placed, and a heating means that heats the paper placed on the cradle while applying pressure, and the liquid supply means includes at least the cradle. A sheet post-processing apparatus provided on a table or the heating means. The paper post-processing apparatus according to claim 6.
The paper post-processing apparatus, wherein the cradle is formed of a material capable of absorbing and discharging water. In the paper post-processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The paper post-processing apparatus, wherein the liquid supply means increases a liquid supply amount for a double-sided printing paper to a liquid supply amount for a single-sided printing paper. In the paper post-processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A paper post-processing apparatus comprising a humidity detection unit for detecting the humidity of the paper, and adjusting a supply amount of liquid supplied by the liquid supply unit based on a detection result of the humidity detection unit. In the paper post-processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The paper post-processing apparatus, wherein the liquid is a polar solvent. In the paper post-processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The paper post-processing apparatus, wherein the liquid is water. The paper post-processing apparatus according to claim 11.
A paper post-processing apparatus, wherein the amount of water supplied by the liquid supply means is adjusted so that the humidity of the paper is 80 [%]. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1,
A paper post-processing apparatus, wherein high humidity air is blown onto a portion of the paper on which the adhesive toner image is formed. The paper post-processing apparatus according to claim 13.
The paper post-processing apparatus, wherein the temperature of the high-humidity air is equal to or higher than the temperature of the paper surface. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording sheet; and a recording sheet processing unit that performs a predetermined process on the recording sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming unit.
15. An image forming apparatus using the paper post-processing device according to claim 1 as the recording paper processing means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15.
An image forming apparatus using exhaust air from a fixing unit in an image forming apparatus as high humidity air. The image forming apparatus according to claim 16.
An image forming apparatus comprising humidifying means for humidifying the exhaust.

Images