JP2015218042A - Sheet post-processor and image forming system comprising the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet post-processor which can suppress the number of detections of tray position sensor means and the number of energizations of a staple device as much as possible and expect an elongation in service lifetime and a reduction in power consumption by making a binding processing device work upon jam processing of sheets or staples to prevent the occurence of an accident, and limit a detection range where the tray position sensor means detects, in a device configuration for temporarily accumulating sheets fed from a sheet ejection path above a stack tray to bind them.SOLUTION: A subtray 18 that accumulates sheets fed from a sheet ejection port of a sheet ejection path is disposed between the sheet ejection port and a sheet mount face of a stack tray 15 and configured so as to be movable between a plurality of actuation positions above the sheet mount face and a retreat position outside the sheet mount face. The staple device is actuated or prohibited from actuating by means of signals from this subtray position sensor where an actuation position of this subtray is so set as to be detected at a predetermined actuation position.

Description

  The present invention relates to an improvement in the safety of a mechanism relating to a sheet post-processing apparatus that performs sheet-binding processing by stacking sheets fed from an image forming apparatus.

  In general, this type of sheet post-processing apparatus is widely known as a finishing apparatus that is connected to a paper discharge port of an image forming apparatus, collects and stacks image-formed sheets on a processing tray, and performs binding processing with a stapler apparatus or the like. Yes.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a post-processing in which a sheet sent from an image forming apparatus is guided to a sheet discharge port of a sheet discharge path, and the sheets are aligned and stacked on a processing tray arranged with a step formed downstream thereof. An apparatus is disclosed. The binding processing apparatus strikes the staple needle loaded in the head portion with a drive cam connected to a drive motor, inserts the staple into the sheet bundle, and folds the needle tip with an anvil to bind the staples.

  In such an apparatus, if a finger or a foreign object enters the head of the stapling apparatus, an unexpected accident may occur. In particular, a sheet jam occurs on the processing tray, and an accident may occur when the jammed sheet is removed or a foreign object enters with the sheet on the processing tray.

  Therefore, in the apparatus of Document 1, a sensor means for detecting the entry of foreign matter from the outside is disposed at the carry-in entrance for carrying the sheet from the paper discharge path to the processing tray, and the staple operation is prohibited when the conveyance mechanism is opened by the foreign matter by this sensor. A detection mechanism and a control device for the same are disclosed.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-26883 discloses an apparatus that provides a support member that temporarily holds a sheet between a sheet discharge port and a stack tray, and stacks the sheets sent from the sheet discharge port on the support member to perform binding processing. It is disclosed. The stapling apparatus of the same document includes a unit moving mechanism that retracts to the inside of the apparatus when not operating (non-staple mode) and moves to the processing position of the support member above the stack tray when operating (staple mode). .

JP 2000-169036 A Japanese Patent No. 4901082

  As described above, a detection mechanism and a control mechanism for detecting a state where foreign matter has entered the processing tray and prohibiting a stapling operation are already known. However, in the conventional apparatus, when a sheet on the processing tray is jammed, a state in which the tray is released for the jam processing or the like is detected by a sensor, and the drive motor of the stapling apparatus is stopped by the detection signal.

  Thus, conventionally, when the space above the sheets stacked on the tray for binding processing is detected and a space for foreign matter to enter is formed, power supply to the stapling apparatus is prohibited, It is impossible to detect when a small space is formed above the stacked sheets. This is because a space corresponding to the maximum load capacity must be formed above the tray.

  Therefore, the present inventor arranges a sub-tray that temporarily supports the sheet on the downstream side of the paper discharge port so that the sub-tray can be advanced and retracted above the stack tray, and when the sheet jam or staple jam occurs, the sub-tray is retracted to process the sub-tray. Based on the knowledge that a space is formed, the inventor has come up with the idea of detecting the opening / closing operation of the sub-tray and prohibiting the operation of the stapling apparatus.

  According to the present invention, in a device configuration in which sheets fed from a paper discharge path are temporarily stacked above the stack tray and bound, the binding processing device operates during jam processing of sheets, staples, and the like, causing an accident. By limiting the range in which the tray position detection sensor means functions, the number of detection times of the tray position detection sensor means and the number of energizations to the stapling device are suppressed as much as possible, extending the life of the tray position detection sensor means and power consumption The problem is to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus that can be expected to reduce the number of sheets.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a sub-tray for stacking sheets fed from the paper discharge port between the paper discharge port of the paper discharge path and the paper mounting surface of the stack tray. It is configured to be movable by the tray shift means between the upper first and second operating positions and the standby position retracted from now, and is further positioned at the first operating position in the staple mode and at the second operating position in the jog sorting mode. The position is set to be. In this way, the sub-tray operating position is set to a different position in the stapling mode and the jog sorting mode. When the sub-tray is not positioned at the first operating position by the tray shifting means or the manual operation, a signal from the sub-tray position detecting sensor means is used. The operation of the stapling apparatus is prohibited.

  Further, the configuration will be described in detail. A sheet discharge path having a sheet discharge outlet, a stack tray disposed downstream of the sheet discharge outlet to store sheets fed from the sheet discharge path, and between the sheet discharge outlet and the stack tray. Between the first and second operating positions above the stack tray and the stand-by position outside the tray, the sub-tray disposed temporarily in the stacking tray, the stapling device binding the sheets stacked on the sub-tray, And a tray shift means that reciprocates, and a control means for controlling the stapling apparatus and the tray shift means. The control means switches whether or not to supply power to the stapling apparatus by a detection signal from a tray position detection sensor means for detecting whether or not the sub-tray is positioned at the first operating position.

  According to the present invention, a sub-tray that temporarily supports a sheet between a paper discharge port and a stack tray is manually or tray-shifted between the first and second operation positions inside the stack tray and the outside retracted position. Since the apparatus is configured to be movable and is configured to switch whether or not power is supplied to the stapling device disposed on the sub-tray by a detection signal from the tray position detection sensor, the following effects are obtained.

  Since the sub-tray can be moved back and forth between the paper discharge port and the stack tray, the sub-tray can be retracted manually or using a tray shift means when a jam or a malfunction occurs in the sub-tray sheet or staple. Therefore, it is possible to secure a processing space, and it is not necessary to secure a working space above the processing tray, and foreign matter can be prevented from being mixed.

  In the present invention, the driving power of the stapling apparatus is turned on and off by detecting the operation position of the sub-tray on which sheets to be post-processed are stacked. Therefore, a work space is formed above the conventional processing tray to allow foreign matter to enter. Compared to the case of detection, the number of detection times of the tray position detection sensor means and the number of times of energization to the stapling apparatus are suppressed as much as possible in the mode not using the stapling device, and the life of the tray position detection sensor means and the effect of reducing power consumption It is possible to provide a safe aftertreatment device.

1 is an explanatory diagram of an overall configuration of an image forming system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram (perspective view) of the overall configuration of a post-processing apparatus in the image forming system of FIG. 1. It is explanatory drawing of the cross-sectional structure in the post-processing apparatus of FIG. 2, (b) is explanatory drawing of operation | movement of a rear-end support member. It is explanatory drawing of the plane structure in the post-processing apparatus of FIG. 2, (b) is explanatory drawing of a paddle paper discharge mechanism. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the paper discharge mechanism in FIG. 4 is omitted. FIG. 3 is a layout diagram of staple units arranged on a sub-tray. FIG. 4A shows the overall configuration of position control in the paper discharge operation of the rear end support member and the side end support member, FIG. 5B shows the tray position detection means of the rear end support member, and FIG. The tray position detection means of a member is shown. Embodiment of a friction carrier in the apparatus of FIG. The operation state of the conveyance body traveling means 28 is shown, (a) is a home position, and (b) is a state where the traveling motor is rotated counterclockwise (about 90 degrees in the drawing). (C) shows the state of engagement (contact) with the uppermost sheet, and (d) shows the state of further rotating the traveling motor counterclockwise (about 0 degrees). Show. The operation state of the conveyance body traveling means is shown, and (e) and (f) show the state of being retracted from the sheet. It is explanatory drawing which shows the effect | action of a friction conveyance body, (a) shows the case where a sheet | seat is conveyed in the direction ((theta) = 45 degree | times) crossing the discharge direction arrow X, (b) is a direction different from (a). Shows a case where the sheet is conveyed. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a regulation state of a sheet side edge when a sheet is directly carried out from a sheet discharge port to a stack tray (first and third sheet discharge modes), and FIG. The state when carrying out a sheet, (b) is an explanatory view of a state where sheets are stacked in a stacked manner on a paper mounting surface. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a control configuration in the image forming system of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory diagram (flow chart) of a first paper discharge mode of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a staple binding mode (second paper discharge mode) of the post-processing device of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a jog sorting mode (third paper discharge mode) of the post-processing apparatus of FIG. 2.

  The present invention will be described in detail below based on the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of an image forming system according to the present invention. An image forming apparatus A that forms an image on a sheet, and post-processing such as binding processing and jog sorting processing of sheets formed with the image forming apparatus. It is composed of a post-processing apparatus B that is applied and stored in the downstream stack tray. The post-processing device B includes a sheet storage device.

  The image forming apparatus A can employ various image forming mechanisms such as an inkjet printing mechanism and an offset printing mechanism in addition to an electrostatic printing mechanism described later. The post-processing apparatus B can employ a staple processing mechanism, which will be described later, and a combined processing mechanism in which this is combined with a paper folding mechanism, a magazine folding mechanism, a punch punching mechanism, a stamp printing mechanism, and the like.

[Image forming apparatus]
An image forming apparatus A shown in FIG. 1 is connected to an image handling apparatus such as a computer or a network scanner (not shown), forms an image on a specified sheet based on image data transferred from these apparatuses, and performs predetermined discharge. Unload from the paper slot 6. A post-processing device B is installed as an optional device in the paper discharge port 6. In addition to such a network configuration, the image forming apparatus A is configured as a multifunction machine such as a copying machine or a facsimile machine, and is configured to copy and form an image on a sheet based on data read by an original scanning unit. .

  In the image forming apparatus A, a plurality of paper feed cassettes 2 are prepared in the housing 1, and a sheet of a selected size is fed from the cassette to the paper feed path 3 on the downstream side. An image forming mechanism (image forming unit) 4 is provided in the paper feed path 3. As the image forming mechanism 4, an ink jet printing mechanism, an electrostatic printing mechanism, an offset printing mechanism, a silk screen printing mechanism, a ribbon transfer printing mechanism, and the like are known. The present invention can employ any printing mechanism.

  A paper discharge path 5 is provided on the downstream side of the image forming mechanism 4, and a sheet is carried out from a paper discharge port 6 (hereinafter referred to as a main body paper discharge port) disposed in the housing 1. Note that, depending on the printing mechanism, a fixing unit 4 a is built in the paper discharge path 5. In this way, the sheet of the size selected from the paper feed cassette 2 is sent to the image forming unit 4, and after the image is formed, it is carried out from the paper discharge path 5 to the main body paper discharge port 6. In addition, a duplex path (not shown) may be arranged in the housing 1, and after the image is formed on the surface of the sheet by the image forming unit 4, the sheet is turned upside down and circulated and fed to the image forming unit 4 again. Is possible.

  A post-processing device B, which will be described later, is connected to the main body discharge port 6. The housing 1 incorporates a scanner unit 7 and a document feeding unit 8 for feeding a document sheet to the scanner unit. In this case, the scanner unit 7 scans the original sheet placed on the platen or fed from the feeder mechanism, reads the image, and transfers the read data to the image forming apparatus A. The document feeding unit 8 includes a feeder mechanism that feeds a document sheet to the platen of the scanner unit 7.

[Post-processing equipment]
The post-processing device B in the image forming system of FIG. 1 is built in the paper discharge area 9 of the image forming device A as an optional device. That is, the post-processing apparatus B shows an inner finisher structure in which the post-processing apparatus B is built as a unit in a paper discharge portion of the apparatus housing constituting the image forming apparatus A. The post-processing apparatus B may be connected to the main body discharge port 6 of the image forming apparatus A without being limited to such an inner finisher structure.

  FIG. 2 shows a perspective configuration of the post-processing apparatus B having an inner finisher configuration. The housing 10 constituting the unit is configured to have a size and shape built in the paper discharge area 9 of the image forming apparatus A. FIG. 3 shows the cross-sectional configuration of the post-processing apparatus B. The post-processing apparatus B includes a sheet carry-in path 11 for carrying in sheets from the image forming apparatus A, and a stack tray 15 disposed on the downstream side of the path. A step difference of height difference h is formed between the path sheet discharge port 13 (hereinafter simply referred to as “sheet discharge port”) of the sheet carry-in path 11 and the sheet placement surface 15 a of the stack tray 15. This step h is set to the maximum allowable storage amount.

  The illustrated stack tray 15 employs a stack structure that is fixed at a predetermined level without moving up and down in the stacking direction according to the stacking amount of sheets. This is because the apparatus configuration is made compact and accommodated in the paper discharge area 9 in a limited space. Therefore, when the apparatus cost and the storage space are allowed, an elevating tray structure for elevating the stack tray 15 in the sheet stacking direction may be employed.

  The sheet carry-in path 11 is disposed in the housing 10 in a substantially horizontal direction, and conveys the sheet from the carry-in port 12 to the paper discharge port 13. For this reason, the sheet carry-in path 11 is provided with a plurality of carry rollers 14a arranged at a predetermined interval from the sheet carry guide, and a carry-in sensor Se1 and a paper discharge sensor Se2 for detecting the leading and trailing edges of the sheet. The transport roller 14a is connected to the transport motor M1. 14b in the drawing is a paper discharge roller disposed at the exit end of the path, and is connected to the same transport motor M1 as the transport roller 14a.

[Stack tray]
The configuration of the stack tray 15 will be described with reference to FIG. The stack tray 15 is fixed to the apparatus frame 10 (housing; hereinafter the same), and has a paper loading surface 15a on which sheets fed from the paper discharge port 13 are stacked and stored. The illustrated apparatus is fixed to the apparatus frame 10 in a tray shape on which a sheet is placed by molding a synthetic resin (cantilever support structure). A step having a height difference h is formed between the paper discharge port 13 and the paper loading surface 15a, and a rear end regulating surface (sheet rear edge regulating surface) is formed between the paper discharge port 13 and the paper loading surface 15a. 16 and the side edge regulation surface 17 are provided by the wall surface structure. In each of the regulating surfaces, the trailing edge regulating surface 16 regulates the trailing edge surface of the sheet stacked on the paper placing surface, and the side edge regulating surface 17 regulates the side edge surface.

  Note that the paper loading surface 15a of the stack tray 15 has a fixed tray structure having a height difference h with respect to the paper discharge port 13 as shown in FIG. At this time, the height difference h is set to a height that matches the maximum load capacity that can be accommodated. In addition, the stack tray 15 is configured to be movable up and down in the sheet stacking direction on the apparatus frame 10, and is moved up and down to adjust the height position of the paper loading surface 15 a according to the stacking amount of the sheets carried out from the sheet discharge outlet 13. A tray structure may be adopted.

[Sub tray]
As shown in FIG. 3A, a sub-tray 18 is disposed between the paper discharge port 13 and the paper placement surface 15a. The sub-tray 18 temporarily stores and supports the sheet falling from the paper discharge outlet 13 on the paper placement surface 15a at an intermediate position, and stores the sheet on the paper placement surface 15a. The configuration of this post-processing will be described later. FIG. 4 is a model diagram showing a planar configuration of the sheet discharge outlet 13 and the stack tray 15 and omitting a conveyance guide constituting the sheet carry-in path 11. A sheet carry-in path (not shown) is arranged from the right side to the left side of the figure, and the sheet that has entered from the carry-in port 12 is transferred to the paper discharge port 13 by the transport roller 14a and the paper discharge roller 14b. The sheets sent to the paper discharge outlet 13 are stacked on the paper loading surface 15a of the stack tray 15, and the sheet end surfaces are regulated by the trailing edge regulating surface 16 and stacked.

  The sub-tray 18 partially supports the sheet sent from the paper discharge port 13 and holds the sheet at that position. The illustrated sub-tray 18 includes a rear end support member 19 that supports the rear end of the sheet in the paper discharge direction, and a side end support member 20 that supports one side edge of the sheet (the left edge in the paper discharge direction is illustrated). It is configured. In FIG. 5, the rear end support member 19 projects from the rear end regulating surface 16 of the stack tray 15 by Dx inside the tray, and the side end support member 20 projects from the side edge regulating surface 17 by Dy inside the tray. The protrusion amount Dx (protrusion amount of the first support member) and Dy (protrusion amount of the second support member) can both support a sheet having a maximum size to a minimum size placed on both support members. It is formed in the possible area.

  The rear end support member 19 and the side end support member 20 are retracted to the outside of the stack tray 15 from the operating position Ap (Ap1 or Ap2) protruding into the stack tray 15 (the rear end regulating surface 16 and the side edge). A position that does not protrude from any of the restricting surfaces 17) is configured to be movable to the retracted position Wp. That is, the rear end support member 19 reciprocates between the operating position Ap protruding inside the stack tray 15 and the retracted position Wp retracted to the outside of the stack tray 15 (inside the sheet rear end regulating surface 16; right side in FIG. 4). Move.

  Similarly, the side end support member 20 is retracted from the operating position Ap (illustrated position) protruding into the stack tray 15 to the outside of the stack tray 15 (inside the sheet side edge regulating surface 17; front side in FIG. 4). Reciprocates with Wp. This slide structure can employ various mechanisms, but the illustrated one is a plate-shaped rear end support member 19 and side end support member 20, and a guide rail (not shown) formed on the apparatus frame 10 with a slide roller or the like. It is slidably fitted.

[Shift mechanism]
As described above, the rear end support member 19 and the side end support member 20 are supported by the apparatus frame 10 so as to be able to reciprocate between the operating position Ap and the retracted position Wp with a predetermined stroke. The rear end support member 19 is equipped with first tray shift means 21, and the side end support member 20 is equipped with second tray shift means 22. In the illustrated apparatus, one of the first tray shift means 21 and the second tray shift means 22 will be described because they employ the same structure.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the relationship between the rear end support member 19 and the side end support member 20 and the shift means 21 and 22. According to the same figure, the rear end support member 19 includes a rack 21r as a part thereof. Is integrally formed and meshes with a pinion 21p that is axially supported by the apparatus frame 10. The first shift motor SM1 is connected to the pinion 21p, and the rear end support member 19 is reciprocated between the retracted position Wp and the operating position Ap by forward and reverse rotation of the motor. 21f in the figure is a sensor flag disposed on the rear end support member 19, and a position sensor Ps1 disposed on the apparatus frame 10 detects the position of the rear end support member 19 (for example, a home position; a retreat position described later).

  The shift motor SM1 is composed of a stepping motor capable of forward and reverse rotation. For example, the rear end support member 19 can be controlled to move in a predetermined direction by a predetermined amount by PMW control. The side end support member 20 has the same configuration, and the side end support member 20 is moved from the operating position Ap to the retracted position Wp. Therefore, the side end support member 20 is provided with a second shift motor SM2, a pinion 22p, a rack 22r, a position sensor Ps2, and a sensor flag 22f.

As described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the sub-tray 18 is disposed in the paper discharge outlet 13 between the stack tray 15 and the illustrated sub-tray 18 includes a rear end support member 19 and a side end support member 20. . The support members 19 and 20 are shift motors SM1 and SM2, respectively, and the path (moving path) from the operating position Ap in the path (moving path) with respect to the moving path (falling path) of the sheet from the sheet discharge outlet 13 to the stack tray 15. Move to a retreat position Wp outside the locus).
Reference numeral 23 denotes a post-processing unit, which is a stapling unit that binds and bundles a bundle of sheets that are aligned and stacked on the rear end support member 19 and the side end support member 20.

  Since this staple unit 23 (post-processing means; hereinafter the same) has various structures, its description is omitted, but the blank needle housed in the cartridge is folded into a U-shape and inserted into a sheet bundle. Bend the needle tip with an anvil. Instead of this staple unit, a punch unit or a stamp unit for punching punch holes in a sheet bundle aligned with this unit can be provided as a post-processing device.

[Regulation stopper]
The sub-tray 18 (support members 19 and 20) is provided with restricting stoppers 24 and 25 for restricting the position of the edge of the sheet placed and supported. The rear end support member 19 is provided with a rear end restriction stopper 24 for restricting the rear end of the sheet, and the side end support member 20 is provided with a side edge restriction stopper 25 for restricting the sheet side edge. Each of the illustrated restriction stoppers 24 and 25 includes a plurality of idle rollers 24 a and 24 b and idle rollers 25 a and 25 b that are spaced apart from each other, and are rotatably supported on the apparatus frame 10.

  Each floating roller (regulation stopper) 24 (25) engages with the edge of the sheet and rotates in the moving direction when the sheet moves. In this case, the sheets can be aligned more accurately and quickly by forcibly rotating the plurality of rollers in a predetermined direction. For example, the idle rollers 24a and 24b are interlocked with a belt, and a drive motor (not shown) is connected to the belt. With this configuration, the sheet is moved in the alignment direction in cooperation with the aligning and conveying means 26 described later, and aligned at a more accurate position. In addition, the restriction stoppers 24 and 25 may be formed of stepped surfaces, for example, various structures such as forming stepped portions and protrusions integrally on the support members 19 and 20 and using the end surfaces as restriction surfaces. Is possible.

  In the second paper discharge mode, which will be described later, the regulating stoppers 24 and 25 regulate the sheet trailing edge to the trailing edge stopper 24 and the sheet side edge to the side edge stopper 25 to regulate the sheet at the binding processing position. . In a third paper discharge mode, which will be described later, the sheet side edge is abutted against the side edge stopper 25 to restrict the sheet to the jog offset position. In the third embodiment, in the illustrated embodiment, the trailing edge of the sheet is abutted against the trailing edge stopper 24 at the same time as the sheet side edge, but this is not a necessary configuration (that is, the third discharging mode). In this case, the rear end regulating stopper 24 may be retracted from the rear end support member 19).

[Configuration of aligning and conveying means]
As shown in FIG. 4, the aligning and conveying means 26 for transferring the sheet placed and supported on the rear end support member 19 and the side end support member 20 toward the rear end restriction stopper 24 and the side edge restriction stopper 25 is an apparatus. Arranged on the frame 10. When the rear end of the sheet is separated from the roller peripheral surface, the sheet conveyed to the discharge port 13 by the discharge roller 14b falls onto the rear end support member 19 and the side end support member 20 and is placed in a free state. The An aligning / conveying means 26 for conveying the sheet back toward the trailing edge regulating stopper 24 and the side edge regulating stopper 25 is disposed at a corner portion (right end in FIG. 4) of the trailing edge support member 19 and the side edge support member 20. .

  In the illustrated apparatus, the aligning / conveying means 26 is arranged on the side end support member 20, and the sheets placed on the rear end support member 19 and the side end support member 20 are moved in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIG. 4 (sheet corner direction). It is arranged so as to carry back. Although this aligning conveyance means 26 may be arrange | positioned on the rear end support member 19, the case where it arrange | positions on the side end support member 20 of illustration is demonstrated.

  The aligning and conveying means 26 includes a friction conveying body 27 that engages with the upper surface of the sheet supported by the rear end support member 19 and the side end support member 20, and discharges the friction conveying body in an angular direction that intersects the paper discharge direction. Conveying body traveling means 28 is configured to travel in the opposite direction of the paper.

  The frictional conveyance body 27 engages with the upper surface of the sheet supported by the side end support member 20 and moves the sheet in the traveling direction of the conveyance body by a frictional force acting between the two. For this reason, the friction carrier is formed of a high friction material such as a rubber material or a resin material, and the shape thereof is formed in a pad shape (rectangular shape), a roll shape, a semi-circular roll shape (half moon shape), a spherical shape, or the like. . The embodiment of FIG. 8 shows the case where it is configured as an idle roller (roll shape). The friction carrier is mounted and supported by a holder member (the following carrier running means 28; the same applies hereinafter).

  9 and 10, the friction transport body 27 is retracted from the sheet on the side support member 20, the engagement position Ad is engaged with the sheet upper surface, and the state is engaged with the sheet upper surface. A conveying body traveling means 28 that moves in the transfer direction (X direction) and drags and conveys a sheet is illustrated. The carrier traveling means 28 shown in FIG. 1 is composed of a manipulator installed on the apparatus frame 10.

  The manipulator (conveying body traveling means) 28 includes a first arm 28a, a second arm 28b pivotally supported by the first arm, and a third arm 28c pivotally supported at the tip of the second arm. And an operating arm 28d pivotally supported at the tip of the third arm. In other words, it is composed of a four-axis arm connection body (link connection), and the first arm 28a is pivotally supported on the apparatus frame 10, the drive arm 29 is connected to the second arm 28b, and the movement of the third arm 28c is controlled. A friction conveying body 27 is fixed to the tip of an operating arm 28d that is regulated by a guide groove 30 of the apparatus frame 10 and is pivotally supported on the third arm 28c.

  In FIG. 8, p1 is a rotation pin that pivotally supports the first arm 28a on the apparatus frame 10 so as to be swingable, and p2 is a rotation pin that pivotally supports the proximal end portion of the second arm 28b at the tip of the first arm. It is. p3 is a rotation pin that pivotally connects the tip of the drive arm 29 to the second arm 28b so that the travel arm M3 is connected to the drive arm 29. p4 is a drive shaft that pivotally supports the drive arm 29 on the apparatus frame 10 in a rotatable manner. A travel motor M3 is connected to the drive shaft p4 via a speed reduction mechanism. Accordingly, when the driving arm 29 is rotated counterclockwise by the traveling motor M3 about the driving shaft p4, the frictional carrier 27 mounted on the operating arm 28d rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG.

  Further, p5 is a rotation pin that pivotally supports the third arm 28c at the distal end of the second arm, and p6 is a rotation pin that pivotally supports the base end of the operating arm at the distal end of the third arm. . Further, p6 also serves as a guide pin that fits into a guide groove 30 provided in the apparatus frame 10. The guide groove 30 of the apparatus frame 10 is configured to guide the operating arm 28d so as to make the inch warm motion.

  Further, an urging spring 31 is laid between the third arm 28c and the actuating arm 28d to urge the friction carrier 27 mounted at the tip of the actuating arm toward the side end support member 20 side. This is because the friction conveying body 27 is always engaged with the sheet surface with a pressing force close to a constant regardless of the thickness (bundle thickness) of the sheets stacked on the support member 20. The friction transport body 27 is configured by a roll-shaped idler roller 27r, and is supported on an operating arm 28d so as to be rotatable in a travel orthogonal direction by a roll support shaft 28x in a sheet travel direction (see FIG. 8) described later.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 8, there is no technical necessity to strictly set the angle of the idle roller 27r constituting the friction carrier 27 as long as it is in a direction substantially orthogonal to the traveling direction. That is, it may be approximately 90 degrees with respect to the traveling direction of the friction carrier. The rotational axis angle of the idler roller 27r is set within a range in which the former has a large frictional drag acting between the traveling direction of the friction carrier and the sheet surface in the orthogonal direction, and the latter is small. The frictional drag here refers to a resistance force caused by friction acting on the object when it moves at a predetermined speed (similar to the frictional drag in hydrodynamics). When the frictional drag is small, the object is free in that direction. Moving.

  The travel motor M3 is configured by a motor capable of angle control such as a stepping motor or a DC motor having an angle control mechanism such as an encoder. An angle is set to the home position by detecting a flag arranged on the motor rotation shaft with a sensor (not shown).

  8 to 11 show the operating state of the transport body traveling means 28. FIG. 9A shows the home position, and the friction carrier 27 is located in a state of being retracted above the uppermost sheet of the side end support member 20. At this time, the drive arm 29 is positioned at about 120 degrees in the illustrated state. The angle of the drive arm is not related to the movement of the transport body traveling means 28 in the technical sense, but is shown for explaining the link movement. FIG. 4B shows a state in which the traveling motor M3 is rotated counterclockwise (about 90 degrees in the drawing). At this time, the friction carrier 27 is the most in the paper discharge direction (above the sheet on the side support member 20). It is located far from the right end of the figure. In other words, it is located in the most extended link connection state of inch warm motion.

FIG. 10 (c) shows a state in which the friction carrier 27 is engaged (contacted) with the uppermost sheet of the side support member 20. At this time, the drive arm 29 rotates counterclockwise to an angular position of about 15 degrees. positioned. In this state, the urging spring 31 between the operating arm 28d and the third arm 28c applies a force for pressing the upper surface of the sheet to the friction conveyance body 27.
A substantially uniform pressing force is applied to the frictional conveying body 27 regardless of the thickness of the sheets laminated on the side end support member 20.

  FIG. 10D shows the case where the traveling motor M3 is further rotated counterclockwise (about 0 degree), and the frictional conveying body 27 moves while dragging the sheet in the direction of the arrow in the figure. At this time, the second arm 28b and the third arm 28c are in the most tightly linked state. By such an operation, the frictional conveyance body 27 contacts the uppermost sheet surface in the state of FIG. 10C, travels along the support surface to the position of FIG. 10D, and drags and conveys the sheet. In other words, the frictional force in the traveling direction of the frictional conveying body 27 is set to a friction coefficient that provides a sufficiently larger friction than the frictional force between the sheets.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the friction carrier 27. (A) shows a case where the sheet is conveyed in a direction (θ = 45 degrees) intersecting with the paper discharge direction arrow X. When the sheet is moved from the broken line state to the solid line state, the sheet rear end edge is in contact with the rear end restriction stopper 24 first. A conveying force F acts on the sheet in the traveling direction, and its X-direction component force (Fcosθ) acts on the trailing edge regulating stopper 24 and the Y-direction component force (Fsinθ) acts on the side edge regulating stopper 25 side.

  At this time, when the rear end of the sheet hits the rear end regulating stopper 24 as shown in the drawing, the reaction force of the X direction component force (Fcos θ) acts on the sheet. This reaction force causes the sheet to buckle and distort, but the frictional carrier 27 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. This rotation prevents buckling and distortion of the seat due to reaction forces. In addition, since the force in the direction in which the sheet moves toward the regulation stopper 25 acts on the sheet by the rotation of the friction conveyance body 27, the friction conveyance body 27 is applied after the sheet side edge is abutted against the regulation stopper 24. The sheet side edge abuts against the regulation stopper 25 by moving in the traveling direction while rotating.

  Next, FIG. 4B shows a case where the sheet is conveyed in a direction different from the previous direction. When the sheet is dragged and conveyed in the direction intersecting with the illustrated paper discharge direction (arrow X), the sheet side edge first strikes the side edge regulating stopper 25. The sheet strikes the sheet side edge with the X direction component force and the Y direction component force (Fsinθ) as before, and the reaction force is transmitted to the sheet. Therefore, the frictional conveying body 27 rotates counterclockwise as shown in the drawing to correct the posture of the sheet so as to prevent the sheet from buckling and distortion. In addition, since the force in the direction in which the sheet moves toward the restriction stopper 24 acts on the sheet by rotating the friction conveyance body 27, the friction conveyance body 27 is applied after the sheet side edge is abutted against the restriction stopper 25. The rear end of the sheet abuts against the restriction stopper 24 by moving in the traveling direction while rotating. In particular, when the sheet size increases, the distance that the friction carrier 27 moves after the sheet side edge is abutted against the restriction stopper 25 is long. Therefore, if the sheet size is large, the amount of rotation of the frictional conveyance body 27 increases, and a large force for moving the sheet toward the regulating stopper 24 can be obtained.

[Sheet alignment mechanism in the rear end support member]
The rear end support member 19 includes a support surface for placing and supporting the rear end portion of the sheet sent from the paper discharge port 13, a paddle mechanism 35 for pressing and holding the rear end portion of the sheet, and an integrated sheet bundle. A push-out mechanism that pushes out toward the tray is provided. Each configuration will be described below.

[Paddle mechanism]
The rear end support member 19 is disposed so as to form a step with the paper discharge roller 14b, and a sheet separated from the roller is supported on the side end support member 20 in a free state. Therefore, when the succeeding sheet is fed out from the sheet discharge roller 14b, the sheet on which the leading end of the sheet is preceded may be displaced. For this reason, means for pressing and holding the rear end portion of the sheet placed on the rear end support member 19 is required. In the illustrated example, a paddle member 35 is disposed above the rear end support member 19 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in the figure, a plurality of paddle members 35 are attached to the rotating shaft 36 at left and right sides in the sheet width direction with a gap therebetween. The paddle member 35 is formed of an elastic member having a length that presses and holds the rear end portion of the sheet on the rear end support member 19, and pivots about the rotation shaft 36. A paddle motor M4 is connected to the rotation shaft 36, a flag for angle detection (not shown) is provided on any of the transmission rotation shafts, and a position sensor Ps4 is disposed on the apparatus frame side. Note that an encoder and an encode sensor may be used instead of the flag.

  Then, the control means 50 described later, after the sheet preceding the alignment operation for abutting the trailing edge of the sheet carried out from the sheet discharge outlet 13 against the trailing edge regulating stopper 24 by the aligning / conveying means 26 (before execution). The paddle member 35 in a state of pressing the end portion is swung to be retracted from the rear end portion of the sheet. The paddle motor M4 is stopped at the timing when the paddle member 35 presses the upper surface of the sheet after the aligning operation in which the aligning conveying unit 26 abuts the sheet against the trailing edge regulating stopper 24 is completed.

[Push-out mechanism]
The rear end support member 19 is provided with the rear end restricting stopper 24 for positioning the sheet at a predetermined processing position and the aligning conveying means 26 for transferring the sheet toward the stopper. Then, the sheets stacked in a bundle on the support members 19 and 20 are processed later, such as a binding processing device, and then carried out toward the stack tray 15. Therefore, pusher means 37 for pushing the post-processed sheet bundle toward the stack tray 15 is arranged on the rear end support member 19.

  FIG. 5 shows the pusher means 37. The pusher means 37 is composed of a sheet extruding member 38 slidably supported by the rear end support member 19 and a bent piece 38a provided at the front end of the sheet extruding member 38. A paper pressure surface 38s that engages with the rear end of the sheet shown on the side end support member is formed.

  The illustrated sheet pushing member 38 is configured to be fitted in a guide groove 40 formed in the rear end support member 19 so that the paper pressure surface moves back and forth by a predetermined distance in the paper discharge direction. A rack 38r and a pinion 38p that engages with the rack 38r are attached to the apparatus frame 10 at the base end of the sheet pushing member 38, and a pusher motor M5 is connected to the pinion 38p.

  Then, when the sheet sent from the sheet discharge outlet 13 is placed and supported on the rear end support member 19, the control means 50 described later causes the paper pressure surface 38 s to stand by at a position retracted from the rear end restriction stopper 24. Then, the pusher motor M5 is activated by a post-processing job end signal. Then, the sheet pushing member 38 moves from the retracted position toward the stack tray 15 in the sheet discharge direction. At this time, the paper pressure surface 38s engages with the rear end of the sheet bundle and pushes it toward the stack tray 15. The rack 38r, the pinion 38p, and the pusher motor M5 constitute a pusher shift means 39.

  When the paper pressure surface 38s moves to a predetermined position, the control unit 50 stops the pusher motor M5, and then retracts the rear end support member 19 from the operating position Ap above the stack tray 15 to the outside of the stack tray 15. Move to Wp. With this operation, the sheet bundle is dropped and stored on the paper loading surface 15 a of the stack tray 15.

  The illustrated apparatus uses the trailing edge support member 19 as assist means for carrying out the sheet from the paper discharge port 13 to the paper loading surface 15a in cooperation with the paper discharge roller 14b in the first paper discharge mode to be described later. ing. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 3B, the rear end support member 19 is formed with a sheet engaging surface 19s that engages with the lower surface of the sheet from the paper discharge port 13 toward the paper loading surface 15a.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the plate-shaped rear end support member 19 is provided with a sheet engaging surface 19s at the front end portion (a portion protruding from the paper mounting surface 15a). The support member itself such as metal constitutes the sheet engaging surface 19s. In addition, the sheet engaging surface 19s may be embedded with a relatively high friction and soft pad such as resin, rubber material, cork, etc. on the surface of the support member. It is preferable to have a coefficient of friction for moving the sheet and a softness that does not damage the lower surface of the sheet.

  By the way, the step between the paper pressure surface 38s and the trailing edge regulating surface 16 at the operation position of the sheet pushing member 38 can be set at different distance positions according to the sheet properties such as the material, size, basis weight and the like of the sheet S. Therefore, the control means 50 can vary the amount of rotation of the pusher motor M5 constituting the pusher shift means 39 in accordance with the properties of the sheet sent from the paper discharge port 13.

  Further, the control unit 50 normally uses a sheet sent from the sheet discharge outlet 13 as a reference based on input information from an input unit (such as a touch panel type liquid crystal screen provided in the image forming apparatus A) for manually inputting sheet properties. Set the operating position to a distance where a large step is formed when the paper is thin or has a low waist and is flexible (the flexible sheet has a large step in the paper ejection direction and a small step for the stiff sheet). Is desirable.

  Further, the step between the paper pressure surface 38s and the trailing edge regulating surface 16 at the operating position of the sheet pushing member 38 can be set at a different distance position according to the stacking amount of the sheets stacked on the paper mounting surface 15a. Yes. At this time, the control means 50 constitutes the pusher shift means 39 by a signal from a stack amount identifying means (number counter, weight sensor, height sensor, etc.) for identifying the stack amount of the sheets S stacked on the paper loading surface 15a. The amount of rotation of the pusher motor M5 is changed.

[Support member position and position detection sensor]
FIG. 7 shows the position control of the rear end support member 19 and the side end support member 20. The rear end support member 19 is set in the paper discharge direction at three points (which may be four or more) of the first operation position Xp1, the second operation position Xp2, and the standby position Xp3. The first operating position Xp1 supports the sheet fed from the paper discharge outlet 13 at the maximum area above the paper mounting surface 15a at the position (maximum protruding position) that protrudes from the trailing edge regulating surface 16 to the inside of the tray in the paper discharge direction. To do. In this first operating position Xp1, the rear end support member is set to a position for executing a staple processing mode (second discharge mode) described later.

  The second operating position Xp2 places and supports the sheet sent from the sheet discharge outlet 13 at a position protruding from the trailing edge regulating surface 16 to the center of the tray by a predetermined amount above the tray paper placing surface 15a. At this time, the seat support area is smaller than the first operating position Xp1. In the second operation position Xp2, the rear end support member is set to a position for executing a jog sorting mode (third discharge mode) described later.

  The standby position Xp3 is set at a position retracted from the trailing edge regulating surface 16 to the outside of the tray, and is used to store the sheets post-processed at the first and second operating positions Xp1 and Xp2 on the tray paper mounting surface 15a. The rear end support member 19 positioned above is retracted from the upper side of the paper loading surface.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the side end support member 20 is supported so as to be movable between the first operating position Yp1, the second operating position Yp2, and the standby position Yp3, and the second shift motor SM2 and the position sensor Ps2 ( The position is controlled by the home position sensor. The first operating position Yp1 supports the sheet sent from the paper discharge outlet 13 at the position that protrudes inward from the side edge regulating surface 17 in the direction orthogonal to the paper discharge (maximum protrusion position) above the tray paper placement surface 15a. To do. At the first operation position Yp1, the side end support member 20 is set to a position for executing a staple processing mode (second paper discharge mode), which will be described later, and supports the sheet in the maximum area compared to the second operation position Yp2.

  The second operation position Yp2 places and supports the sheet sent from the paper discharge outlet 13 at a position protruding from the side edge regulating surface 17 to the center of the tray by a predetermined amount above the tray paper placement surface 15a. At this time, the seat support area is smaller than the first operation position Yp1. At the second operation position Yp2, the side end support member 20 is set to a position for executing a jog sorting mode (third discharge mode) described later.

  The standby position Yp3 is set at a position retracted from the side edge regulating surface 17 to the outside of the tray, in order to drop and store the post-processed sheets at the first and second operation positions Yp1 and Yp2 on the tray paper mounting surface 15a. The rear end support member 19 located above the paper placement surface is set to a position where it is retracted from above the paper placement surface.

  As described above, the rear end support member 19 reciprocates between the first and second operation positions Xp1, Xp2 and the standby position Xp3 above the paper placement surface 15a, and the side end support member 20 is located above the paper placement surface. Are set to reciprocate between the first and second operating positions Yp1, Yp2 and the standby position Yp3. In the staple processing mode (second operation mode), which will be described later, the position is set to the first operation position, and in the jog sorting mode (third operation mode), the position is set to the second operation position. The reason why the sheet support positions of the rear end support member 19 and the side end support member 20 are set to different positions in the staple processing mode and the jog sorting mode is as follows.

  The first reason is that the sheet supporting area (distance from the regulating surface) is set to be large in the staple processing mode and small in the jog sorting mode, so that the sheet bundle is reliably supported in a stable posture during the stapling operation. In the jog sorting mode, since the distance from the regulation surface is set short, the support member can be quickly moved at the time of jog timing (partial division). The second reason is that the rear end and / or side end support members are set at different positions according to the post-processing mode, and therefore, for example, the number of times the tray position detection sensor means detects in the mode not using the stapling device. A structure in which the number of energizations to the stapling device is suppressed as much as possible, the tray position detection sensor means has a long life and power consumption is reduced, and a safety mechanism at the time of stapling described later can be adopted.

  The stapling device 23 (post-processing means; the same applies hereinafter) is attached to the apparatus frame 10 as a device for binding sheets bundles stacked on the sub-tray 18. Since this stapling apparatus 23 is already known in various structures, a general configuration will be described although not shown. The stapling device 23 includes a head portion and an anvil portion. A head portion is disposed above and a anvil portion is disposed below the sheet bundle, and the head portion is attached to the unit frame so as to be able to approach and separate from the anvil portion. .

  That is, the head portion is pivotally supported by the unit frame so that the head portion includes a homa for bending the supplied staple needle (blank) into a U-shape and a driver member for pushing the needle into the sheet bundle. The driver member is configured to bend the blank needle and insert it into the sheet bundle by the swinging motion of the head portion, and bend the needle tip with the anvil member. For this reason, a driver motor, a drive cam, and a head lever are arranged on the unit frame, and the rotation of this motor is transmitted to the drive cam via a speed reduction mechanism. Charge.

  When the accumulation force of the accumulation spring is released by the rotation of the drive cam, the guide lever vigorously moves the head portion from the upper standby position to the lower operation position. With this striking force, the head member inserts the needle into the sheet bundle and bends it with the anvil member. Further, a needle cartridge for supplying staple needles to the head portion is mounted on the unit frame, and roll-shaped and sheet-shaped belt-shaped blank needles are accommodated in the cartridge.

  In such an apparatus, it is necessary for the operator to remove the staple jam when the staple jam occurs at the head portion of the staple unit or when the sheet jam occurs. When such a trouble occurs, safety measures are taken to prevent the stapling operation from being inadvertently performed, for example, by turning off the drive power of the staple motor.

[Safety mechanism of staple unit]
The present invention relates to the safety mechanism in the above-described apparatus, and prevents the user from being injured by the stapling operation of the staple unit 23 disposed on the sub-tray 18. As shown in FIG. 6, a stack tray 15 is disposed below the sub-tray 18, and a sheet storage area is formed above the paper loading surface 15a. A user takes out the stored sheet from the area to the outside of the apparatus. .

  The space between the apparatus housing 10 and the sub-tray 18 (Δa in the figure) is set to an interval at which the user's fingers cannot easily reach the staple processing unit (staple unit 23). That is, a sufficient interval for stacking sheets is formed above the sub-tray 18, and at the same time, this interval is set to prevent the user's fingers from easily entering the binding processing unit. However, when the sub-tray 18 is retracted from the upper side of the stack tray to the outside of the tray, the user's fingers may reach the binding processing unit from the storage area of the stack tray 15. This is because when a staple jam sheet jam or the like occurs, it is necessary for the user to perform a jam process by causing a finger to enter the binding processing unit.

  The present invention covers the sub-tray 18 from the upper side of the sub-tray 18 (the rear-end support member 19 and the side-end support member 20) so that the user's fingers do not easily reach the post-processing section. There is a possibility that the user's fingers reach the binding processing unit in the state of being retracted manually or using the tray shift means, and the user's fingers may reach the post-processing unit by detecting the position of the tray. In some cases, the stapling operation is prohibited. The configuration will be described below.

  As described above, the rear end support member 19 reciprocates between the first operation position Xp1, the second operation position Xp2, and the standby position Xp3. Similarly, the side end support member 20 has the first operation position Yp1 and the second operation position. It reciprocates between position Yp2 and standby position Yp3. The first operation position is an operation position in the staple binding processing mode, and the second operation position is set to an operation position in the jog sorting mode. When the support members 19 and 20 are located at the first operation position, the staple operation is permitted, and when the support members 19 and 20 are located at the second operation position, the staple operation is prohibited. For this reason, the following configuration is adopted.

(Tray position detection mechanism)
The above-described sub-tray 18 is provided with a tray position detecting means 41, and this means is constituted by a sensor for detecting whether or not the sub-tray 18 is located at the operating position (first operating position in the illustrated embodiment). . The tray position detection mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4A is a plan view showing the operating positions of the rear end support member 19 and the side end support member 20, and FIG. 4B shows the position detection sensor Ts1 of the rear end support member 19. FIG. These are explanatory drawing of position detection sensor Ts2 of the side end support member 20. FIG.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the operating position is set to either the first or the second according to the post-processing mode. A first sensor flag 19f and a first sensor Ts1 for detecting whether or not the support member is positioned at the first operation position Xp1 (staple processing position) are provided. The first sensor flag 19s is formed integrally with the rear end support member 19, and the first sensor Ts1 is attached to the apparatus frame 10.

  At this time, when the rear end support member 19 is positioned at the first operating position Xp1, the first sensor flag 19s sets the first sensor Ts1 to the “ON state”, and when positioned at the second operating position Xp2 and the standby position Xp3, the first sensor. They are arranged in a positional relationship in which Ts1 is in the “off state”.

  Similarly, the side end support member 20 is provided with a second sensor flag 20f and a second sensor Ts2 for detecting whether or not the support member is positioned at the first operation position (staple processing position) Yp1. The second sensor flag 20 f is formed integrally with the side end support member 20, and the second sensor Ts 2 is attached to the device frame 10. The second sensor flag 20f turns on the second sensor Ts2 when the side end support member 20 is located at the first operation position Yp1, and turns off the second sensor Ts2 when located at the second operation position Yp2 and the standby position Yp3. It is arranged in a positional relationship to be in a state.

[Description of control configuration]
The control configuration of the above-described image forming system will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The image forming system shown in FIG. 1 includes a control unit 45 (hereinafter referred to as “main body control unit”) of the image forming apparatus A and a control unit 50 (hereinafter referred to as “post-processing control unit”) of the sheet post-processing apparatus B. . The main body control unit 45 includes a print control unit 46, a paper feed control unit 47, and an input unit 48 (control panel).

  Then, an “image forming mode” and a “post-processing mode” are set from the input unit 48 (control panel). In the image forming mode, mode settings such as empty / monochrome printing, double-sided / single-sided printing, and image forming conditions such as sheet size, sheet paper quality, number of printouts, and enlarged / reduced printing are set. The “post-processing mode” is set to, for example, “print-out mode”, “staple binding processing mode”, “jog sorting mode”, or the like.

  The main body control unit 45 also transfers the post-processing mode, the number of sheets, the number of copies information, the paper thickness information of the sheet on which the image is formed, and the like to the post-processing control unit 50. At the same time, the main body control unit 45 transfers a job end signal to the post-processing control unit 50 every time image formation is completed.

  The post-processing mode described above will be described. In the “print-out mode (first paper discharge mode)”, the sheet from the paper discharge port 13 is stored in the stack tray 15 without post-processing. In this case, the sheet is directly carried out from the paper discharge port 13 to the stack tray 15 without being stacked on the sub-tray 18 (the rear end support member 19 and the side end support member 20). In the “staple binding processing mode (second paper discharge mode)”, the sheets from the paper discharge outlet 13 are stacked on the sub-tray 18 and aligned, and the sheet bundle is bound and stored in the stack tray 15. In this case, the sheet to be imaged is in principle designated by the operator to a sheet of the same paper thickness and the same size.

  The “jog sorting mode (third paper discharge mode)” includes a group for carrying out the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus A from the paper discharge port 13 to the stack tray 15, and the sub-tray 18 (rear end) from the paper discharge port 13. A part of the support member 19 and the side end support member 20) is collected. At this time, when the sheet is aligned with the sub-tray 18, the above-mentioned side edge regulating stopper 25 is arranged at 1 where the sheet side edge is offset by a predetermined amount.

  After the bundles are accumulated on the sub-tray 18, the side end support member 20 is retracted outside the stack tray 15 and dropped and stored on the stack tray 15. As a result, the sheet group carried out on the paper loading surface 15a from the paper discharge outlet 13 with a predetermined reference (center reference or side reference) and the sheet group stacked with a predetermined offset by the sub-tray 18 are different in the width direction. Stored in different positions and sorted by grouping group.

[Post-processing control unit]
The post-processing control unit 50 operates the post-processing apparatus B in accordance with the post-processing mode set by the image formation control unit 45. The illustrated post-processing control unit includes a control CPU 50 (hereinafter simply referred to as control means). A ROM 51 and a RAM 52 are connected to the control CPU 50, and a paper discharge operation described later is executed using a control program stored in the ROM 51 and control data stored in the RAM 52.

  Therefore, the control CPU 50 includes driver circuits (Dr in FIG. 14) for the transport motor M1, the first shift motor SM1, the second shift motor SM2, the travel motor M3, the paddle motor M4, and the pusher motor M5. The command signal is transmitted to Further, the sheet sensor SE and the position sensor Ps are connected to the control CPU 50 so as to receive each detection signal. The sheet sensor SE is a carry-in sensor Se1, a paper discharge sensor Se2, and a full sensor SE that detects fullness on a tray (not shown), and transmits a status signal to the control means 50, respectively.

  The position sensor Ps includes the position sensor Ps1 of the rear end support member 19, the position sensor Ps2 of the side end support member 20, the friction carrier position sensor Ps3, the position sensor Ps4 of the paddle drawing material 35, and the position of the pusher means 37. The sensor Ps5 transfers each state signal to the control means. Note that the driver circuit of each drive motor controls the motor start, motor stop, and speed control by PWM control, encode control, and the like by a command signal from the control means 50.

[Post-processing operation]
FIG. 15 shows the case where the image forming apparatus A is set to the first paper discharge mode (printout paper discharge operation) in the mode setting, and FIG. 16 shows the second paper discharge mode (binding processing paper discharge operation). FIG. 17 shows the case where the third paper discharge mode (jog sorting paper discharge operation) is set.

  The first paper discharge mode will be described. The control means 50 executes the initialization operation when the apparatus power is turned on (St01). This initialization operation sets the post-processing device B to an initial state. The rear end support member 19 is positioned at the standby position Xp3, and this position is detected by the sensor Ps1. Further, the side end support member 20 is positioned at the standby position Yp3, and this position is detected by the sensor Ps2. Note that the first sensor Ts1 and the second sensor Ts2 constituting the tray position detecting means 41 are turned off in the support members at the standby position.

  Next, the control means 50 moves the pusher means 37 to the home position. In the illustrated apparatus, the home position is set to the retracted position, and the paper pressure surface 38s is retracted to the outside of the stack tray 15 (the state shown in FIG. 5). Further, this initialization operation sets the post-processing means 23 (the illustrated staple unit) to an initial state.

[First discharge mode (printout mode)]
Therefore, the paper discharge control unit 50 receives a mode setting signal from the image formation control unit 45. When the first paper discharge mode is designated by this command signal, the control means executes the following operation.

  When the control means 50 receives the paper discharge instruction signal (St02) from the image forming apparatus A, the first sensor Ts1 detects whether or not the rear end support member 19 is positioned at the standby position Xp3 (St03), and then the side end. Whether or not the edge support member 20 is located at the standby position Yp2 is detected by the second sensor Ts2 (St04). In this position detection, when the position sensor Ps1 is ON and the first sensor Ts1 is OFF, the rear end support member 19 is positioned at the standby position Xp3. When the position sensor Ps2 is ON and the second sensor Ts2 is OFF, the side end support member 20 is located at the standby position Yp3.

  When the rear end support member 19 and the side end support member 20 are not located at the standby position, the control means 50 moves them to the standby position. The paper discharge operation is started after positioning both the support members at the standby position. When the control unit 50 receives the paper discharge instruction signal from the image forming apparatus A, the control unit 50 activates the transport motor M1 and rotates the transport roller 14a of the sheet transport path 11 in the paper discharge direction. Then, the leading edge of the sheet sent from the image forming apparatus A is detected by the carry-in sensor Se1, and the leading edge and the trailing edge of the sheet are detected by the paper discharge sensor Se2.

  Thus, when the first paper discharge mode is set, the control unit 50 positions the rear end support member 19 and the side end support member 20 at the standby positions Xp3 and Yp3, and the sheet is conveyed by the conveyance roller 14a of the sheet conveyance path 11. The paper is discharged from the paper discharge port 13 onto the paper loading surface 15 a of the stack tray 15. Then, the sheets are sequentially stacked and stored on the paper loading surface 15a in a stacked manner. In the illustrated embodiment, sheets of different sizes are set to be carried out from the sheet discharge outlet on the basis of the center.

[Second paper discharge mode (binding processing mode)]
Next, the operation when the second paper discharge mode (staple binding processing mode) is selected will be described with reference to FIG. When receiving the command signal for the second paper discharge mode from the image formation control unit 45, the control unit 50 executes the following initial setting operation. The side end support member 19 and the side end support member 20 are moved from the home position (retracted position) to the first operating positions Xp1, Yp1.

  At the same time, the control unit 50 rotates the shift motor SM1 of the first tray shift unit 21 and the shift motor SM2 of the second tray shift unit 22 in a predetermined direction, respectively, and the side end support member 19 and the side end positioned at the home position. The support member 20 is moved to the first operating position Xp1 above the paper placement surface 15a (St06 to St08). At the same time, the control means 50 moves the friction carrier 27 to the retracted position. The travel motor M3 of the friction carrier described above is positioned and rotated to the home position. By this rotation, the friction carrier 27 stands by at the retracted position retracted above the side end support member 19 and the side end support member 20.

  Further, the control means 50 moves the paper pressure surface 38 s provided on the bent piece 38 a of the slide member 39 to the retracted position where it is retracted to the outside of the stack tray 15. In this operation, the pusher motor M5 is operated, and the sensor flag is detected by the position sensor PS5.

  By the above initial operation, the side end support member 19 and the side end support member 20 are located between the paper loading surface 15a of the paper discharge port 13 and protrude from the tray, and are sent from the paper discharge port 13. The rear end portion of the sheet is prepared by the rear end support member 19, and the sheet side end portion is prepared by the side end support member 20.

  Next, when receiving a paper discharge instruction signal from the image formation control unit 45 (St10), the control unit 50 rotates the carry motor M1 and carries in the sheet on which the image is formed from the carry-in port 12 (St11). The sheet passes through the sheet carry-in path 11, is guided to the sheet discharge port 13, and is stacked on the side end support member 19 and the side end support member 20 below from the sheet discharge port.

  The control unit 50 rotates the travel motor M3 by a predetermined angle after a predetermined time has elapsed with reference to a signal (St12) detected by the paper discharge sensor Se2 at the trailing edge of the sheet. By this travel motor, the frictional conveying body 27 moves from the retracted position retracted upward from the upper surface of the sheet to an operating position where the sheet is engaged with the upper surface, and drags and conveys the sheet in the travel direction inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the paper discharge direction ( St13). At this time, the sheet trailing edge is abutted against the trailing edge regulating stopper 24 and the sheet side edge is abutted against the side edge regulating stopper 25 to be positioned.

  The subsequent rotation of the traveling motor M3 causes the frictional conveying body 27 to return to the retracted position away from the sheet, and the motor is stopped. By repeating the operations from Step 10 to Step 13, the sheets continuously fed from the sheet discharge outlet 13 are accumulated on the side end support member 19 and the side end support member 20 and aligned (St14). . Next, when receiving a job end signal from the image formation control unit 45 (St15), the control unit 50 transmits a post-processing operation instruction (command) signal. When receiving the command signal, the post-processing unit 23 performs a post-processing operation (St16), and transmits a processing end signal to the control means 50 after the operation is completed.

  Therefore, the control unit 50 activates the pusher motor M5 to move the paper pressure surface 38s of the bent piece 38a of the sheet pushing member 38 from the retracted position to a predetermined position inside the stack tray 15 (St19). Then, the rear end of the sheet bundle supported by the rear end support member 19 is pushed out to a predetermined position above the paper loading surface (St20). Next, the control means 50 starts the backward movement of the rear end support member 19 (St21), and before and after this, starts the backward movement of the side end support member 20. Then, after the rear end support member 19 and the side end support member 20 return to the home position, the control means 50 determines whether or not there is a subsequent sheet (St23), and returns to step 12 if there is a subsequent sheet. Then, the same operations from Step 12 to Step 22 are repeated. If there is no subsequent sheet, the job is terminated and the operation is stopped.

[Third paper discharge mode (jog sorting mode)]
Next, the operation when the third paper discharge mode is selected as the paper discharge mode will be described with reference to FIG. When the third paper discharge mode is selected, the control unit 50 stores the sheet sent to the paper discharge port 13 in the stack tray 15 by the same operation as the first paper discharge mode. When the third paper discharge mode is selected, the control unit 50 stores the sheet sent to the paper discharge port 13 on the paper placement surface 15a of the stack tray 15 by the same operation as that in the first paper discharge mode. When the initial alignment is completed, the control unit 50 stacks the subsequent sheets sent on the sub-tray 18 by the same operation as in the second paper discharge mode. The sheets are stacked in a state where they are positioned on the rear end regulating stopper 24 and the side edge regulating stopper 25.

  Then, the control unit 50 stores the sheet bundle stacked in the sub-tray shape on the paper placement surface of the stack tray in response to the job end signal from the image forming unit. At this time, the control means 50 positions the support members at the first operating positions Xp1 and Yp1 in the second paper discharge mode described above, whereas in this third paper discharge mode, the second operation positions Xp2 and Yp2 are set. Position to. Then, the control unit 50 that receives the job end signal executes a paper discharge operation in the second paper discharge mode.

  Next, when the job end signal is received, the control means 50 executes the first paper discharge mode and repeats this sequentially. With such an operation, sheets are stacked on the stack tray 15 on the basis of the paper discharge standard (center reference or side reference) from the paper discharge outlet 13 in the first paper discharge operation. The fixed amount discharge 1 is stacked on the stack tray 15 in an offset state. With this operation, sheets are jog sorted and stored in the stack tray.

[Staple operation control]
The control means 50 controls the stapling operation to be prohibited and executable by detecting whether or not the positions of the rear end support member 19 and the side end support member 20 are in the stapling operation state as described above.

  The illustrated control means 50 detects the positions of the rear end and side end support members 19 and 20, and when both the support members are in the staple binding state, “permits the binding operation to the stapling apparatus” and both or one of the support members When the first sensor and the second sensor are both ON, power is supplied to the stapling apparatus, and when either one is OFF, so as to “prohibit the processing operation of the stapling apparatus” when it is not in the stapling state. Turn off the power to the stapler.

  Further, the control means 50 detects the position of one of the rear end and side end support members 19 and 20 and, when the one support member is in the staple binding state, “permits the binding operation to the stapling device” and supports it. When the one of the members is not in the staple binding state, the power supply to the stapling apparatus may be cut off so as to “prohibit the processing operation of the stapling apparatus”.

  In the present invention, the case where the stapling operation is prohibited by the switching circuit that cuts off the power supply to the stapling device has been described. This blocks the space that enters the stapling device from the outside of the device housing. A shutter mechanism may be adopted.

A Image forming apparatus B Post-processing apparatus SM1 First shift motor SM2 Second shift motor Ap Operating position (Ap1, Ap2)
Wp evacuation position 10 housing 11 sheet carry-in path 12 carry-in port 13 paper discharge port 14a transport roller 14b paper discharge roller 15 stack tray 15a paper loading surface 16 rear end regulating surface (sheet rear end regulating surface)
17 Side edge regulating surface 18 Subtray 19 Rear end support member 20 Side end support member 21 First tray shift means 21f Sensor flag 21r Rack 21p Pinion 22 Second tray shift means 22r Rack 22p Pinion 22f Sensor flag 23 Staple unit (post-processing means) )
24a, 24b idle roller 24 rear end regulating stopper 25 side edge regulating stopper 25a, 25b idle roller 26 aligning conveyance means 27 friction conveyance body 28 conveyance body traveling means 41 tray position detection means

Claims (10)

A paper discharge path having a paper discharge port;
A stack tray that is disposed on the downstream side of the paper discharge port and stores sheets sent from the paper discharge path;
A sub-tray disposed between the discharge port and the stack tray for temporarily collecting sheets;
A stapling device for binding sheets stacked on the sub-tray;
Tray shift means for reciprocating the sub-tray between a plurality of operating positions above the stack tray and a standby position outside the tray;
Control means for controlling the stapling apparatus and tray shift means;
With
The control means includes
A sheet post-processing apparatus, wherein the stapling apparatus is operated or prohibited by a detection signal from a tray position detecting unit that detects whether or not the sub-tray is positioned at a predetermined operating position. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit prohibits power supply to the stapling apparatus when the sub-tray is not positioned at the predetermined operating position. A binding processing mode in which sheets transported from the paper discharge port are stacked in the sub-tray and then stored in the stack tray after binding processing;
A jog sorting mode in which the sheets conveyed from the paper discharge port are accumulated in the sub-tray after being offset and stored in the stack tray;
Have
The control means includes
The operation position of the support member is set to a different position in the binding processing mode and the jog sorting mode,
3. The sheet post-processing according to claim 1, wherein the tray position detection sensor detects the position of the support member when the binding member is in the binding processing mode, and is not positioned when the jog sorting mode is selected. apparatus. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the stop position in the binding processing mode is a position where the sub-tray protrudes most on the stack tray. The sub-tray is
The rear end support member that supports the rear end portion of the sheet carried out from the discharge port, and the side edge support member that supports one side end portion,
The tray shifting means is
The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the rear end support member and the side edge support member are individually reciprocated between a standby position and a plurality of operating positions. With respect to the paper discharge direction of the sheet carried out from the paper discharge path to the paper discharge port,
The rear end support member is attached to the apparatus frame so as to be movable between a standby position and a plurality of operating positions in the same direction as the sheet discharge direction.
The side edge support member is attached to the apparatus frame so as to be movable between a standby position and a plurality of operating positions in a direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction.
The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sheet post-processing apparatus is provided. The tray position detecting means includes
A first sensor for detecting a position of the rear end support member;
A second sensor for detecting the position of the side edge support member;
Consists of
The control unit prohibits power supply to the stapling apparatus when one of the first sensor and the second sensor does not detect that the sub-tray is in the operating position of the binding processing mode. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 6. The control means includes
A binding processing mode in which sheets transported from the paper discharge port are stacked in the sub-tray and then stored in the stack tray after binding processing;
A jog sorting mode for storing the sheets carried out from the paper discharge port in the stack tray after being offset and accumulated in the sub-tray for each copy; and
Have
The control means includes
The side edge support member is configured to be set at different positions in the paper discharge orthogonal direction in the binding processing mode and the jog sorting mode,
The sheet post-processing apparatus, wherein the tray position detection sensor is disposed at a position where the side edge support member detects the position in the binding processing mode and does not detect the position in the jog sorting mode. The sub-tray is disposed between the paper discharge port of the paper discharge path and the paper tray of the stack tray, and a housing cover is provided on the paper discharge path to cover the top.
9. The housing cover according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the housing cover is formed at a narrow interval between the sheet support surface of the sub-tray located at the operating position and preventing entry of foreign matter. The sheet post-processing apparatus as described. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet;
A system comprising a sheet post-processing apparatus that stacks and stacks sheets sent from the image forming apparatus,
An image forming system comprising: the sheet post-processing apparatus having the configuration according to claim 1.

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