JP2016166056A - Sheet processing device and image formation device including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet processing device which reduces a situation that a folded sheet is opened after accumulation to reduce an accumulation amount and prevents a sheet end part from being caught between front and rear pressing rollers and causing jamming when the folded loop pressing roller pair is arranged as a row.SOLUTION: A sheet processing device includes: pressing rollers 70 which press a folded loop BL of a folded sheet from a thickness direction; and a support unit 56 which moves the pressing rollers along the folded loop with the pressing rollers facing each other and is formed by arranging the pressing rollers into multiple lines so that a distance between the pressing rollers gradually narrows from a downstream side to an upstream side in a travel direction. In the support unit, a guide plate 201 (a guide member) having a guide part which guides the folded loop is disposed between front and rear pressing rollers in the travel direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention is an apparatus that folds sheets that are sequentially transported from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, and collects and bundles the sheets. More specifically, the folded sheet bundle is pressed and discharged. The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus that performs processing that prevents a folded sheet from being opened later.

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a processing apparatus that aligns sheets conveyed from an image forming apparatus and folds them into a staple or booklet is widely known. Some of these processing apparatuses are saddle-stitched with a staple or an adhesive in the middle of a sheet and folded into a booklet shape. In such an apparatus, a sheet bundle of about 2 or 3 to 30 sheets is folded in two, but the folded loop portion that has been subjected to the folding process opens after discharge, and the amount of folded sheet bundles is increased. It was running out.
For this reason, a process is widely known in which a sheet bundle is pressed again from the front and back of a loop of a folded sheet that has been folded once.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus that moves along a folding loop of a double-folded sheet while pressing with a pressing roller from above and below the folding loop. Further, in this apparatus, the flat roller that presses the rear position slightly from the front side of the folding loop position also moves with the pressure between the upper and lower press rollers. In other words, this apparatus unitizes the pressing roller for pressing from above and below the sheet folding loop and the flat roller for pressing from the front position of the folding loop so as to move along the sheet folding loop. The place can be flattened, and the crease and tear of the folding loop due to the difference in gripping force can be reduced.

  In addition, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the same document discloses a pair of press rollers that sandwich and press the front and rear of a flat roller that is pressed from the front of the fold loop, as shown in FIGS. Also shown is a unit in which two rows are moved along a folding loop of a sheet bundle. In this state, with the pressing rollers in each row being clamped, the sheet bundle moves from the outer side to the inner side in the width direction and passes through the other end to flatten the back fold. Yes.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an apparatus including a pair of press rollers that press a folding loop of a folded sheet bundle from the sheet thickness direction, and a moving unit that reciprocates the pair of press rollers in the sheet width direction. . This device is further configured to move the pair of presser rollers to a position where they are separated from each other and a position where they are pressed against each other, and when the sheet is additionally folded, the pair of presser rollers are separated from the end of the sheet. Move inward and press inside to press the crease (loop part) of the sheet. Then, after releasing one end of the sheet, the pressure is released and separated, and when moving again, the sheet is passed through the end in a separated state, then pressed from the inside, and then released to the other end. A processing unit is shown. In other words, pressing of the folding loop of the sheet bundle starts from the inner side in the sheet width direction and passes through the sheet end.

Japanese Patent No. 4217640 JP 2014-76903 A

  The above-described apparatuses that perform additional folding on a folded sheet bundle carried out from an image forming apparatus or the like have the following problems.

  First, in Patent Document 1, a pair of rollers that are in pressure contact with each other are moved along a folding loop in a pressure contact state, but the pressing of the folding loop due to the movement reciprocates along a plurality of diffraction loops. However, the pair of rollers presses the same position, and the folding positions only overlap on a straight line. For this reason, after pressing, the sheet bundle opens and spreads, and the stackability of the folded sheet bundle cannot be improved so much. Further, in the case where a pair of rollers is arranged in two rows in the moving direction, the end of the folded loop is caught in the gap between the pair of rollers, and the loop pressing is not smooth, and sheet jam is induced.

On the other hand, as shown in Patent Document 2, the pair of press rollers are separated from each other at a standby position outside the sheet width, and in this separated state, the rollers are positioned after the folding loop of the sheet bundle is located inside. The additional folding is started by pressing, but the pressing of the pressing roller against the folding loop repeats the pressing of the folding loop exclusively at the same position, so this additional folding only overlaps in a straight line, and the sheet bundle is pressed after pressing. It spreads open and it is difficult to improve the stackability of the folded sheet bundle. In addition, since the rollers to be pressed are in a single row, no particular consideration has been given to the rollers.

    The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is arranged so as to be narrowed stepwise in the moving direction to reduce the fact that folding sheets open after stacking and the amount of stacking decreases, The main problem is to reduce the occurrence of the end of the sheet being caught between the front and rear press rollers when arranging the pair of press rollers of the folded loop as a row.

The present invention adopts the following configuration in order to solve the above problems.
The pressing roller that presses the folding loop of the folded sheet from the thickness direction, and the pressing roller is moved along the folding loop so as to face each other, and the distance between the pressing rollers from the downstream to the upstream in the moving direction is stepped. The support unit is arranged in a plurality of rows as pairs so as to be narrow, and this support unit is a sheet processing apparatus in which a guide plate having a guide portion for guiding a folding loop is arranged between press rollers before and after the moving direction.

The present invention provides the following effects by having the above-described solving means.
According to this, when the folded sheets are opened after stacking and the amount of stacking is reduced, and when the pair of press rollers that press the folded loop are arranged in a row, the sheets are placed between the front and rear press rollers. It can reduce that an edge part is caught.

It is explanatory drawing which showed the whole structure which comprised the image forming apparatus and the stage folding unit concerning this invention inside, and combined with the sheet processing apparatus. 1 is an overall explanatory view of a sheet processing apparatus equipped with a stage folding unit according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of folding processing of a folding roller in the sheet processing apparatus. It is the perspective view which looked at the moving mechanism of the support unit which supports a pressing roller from the bundle discharge port side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the stage folding unit as viewed from the folding roller side with the stage folding unit in FIG. It is a perspective view from the folding roller side of the support unit which supports the press roller unit which moves the inside of the stage folding unit of FIG. It is a front view from the folding roller side of the state which removed the front upper base board of the support unit of FIG. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a pressing roller and a guide plate in FIG. 7. 6 is a view for explaining the presser roller unit supported by the support unit shown in FIG. 7 and a guide plate attached to the support roller unit. FIG. 9A shows the position of the guide plate on the second upper presser roller unit. FIG. FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional explanatory view of this perspective view. Another embodiment showing the positioning of the presser roller unit and the guide plate is shown, and FIG. 10A is a support view for positioning the guide plate from the first upper presser roller unit. FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional explanatory view of this perspective view. It is a front view of the state which exists in the initial position of the support unit which supports the press roller shown in FIGS. It is a front view of the state which has moved in the middle of the width direction of the support unit shown in FIGS. FIG. 11 is a front view of an end state in a width direction of the presser roller unit shown in FIGS. 4 to 10. FIG. 14A is an explanatory view of a sheet folded booklet that is folded in stages according to FIGS. 11 to 13 to form a plurality of fold lines, and FIG. 14A is a diagram showing a state where the sheet is pressed by a first upper pressing roller and a first lower pressing roller. It is. FIG. 14B is a diagram showing a state in which the second upper presser roller and the second lower presser roller are pressed. FIG. 14C is a diagram showing a state where the final third upper presser roller and the third lower presser roller are pressed. FIG. 14 (d) is a diagram showing a booklet that has undergone these stepwise folds. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a control configuration of the sheet processing apparatus of FIG. 2.

  The present invention will be described in detail below based on the illustrated embodiment. The image forming system shown in FIG. 1 includes an image forming apparatus A and a sheet processing apparatus B, and a stage folding unit 50 is incorporated in the sheet processing apparatus B.

[Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
The image forming apparatus A shown in FIG. 1 sends a sheet from the paper feeding unit 1 to the image forming unit 2, prints the sheet on the image forming unit 2, and then carries the sheet out from the main body discharge port 3. The sheet feeding unit 1 stores sheets of a plurality of sizes in sheet feeding cassettes 1 a and 1 b, and separates designated sheets one by one and feeds them to the image forming unit 2. The image forming unit 2 includes, for example, an electrostatic drum 4, a print head (laser light emitting device) 5 and a developing device 6 arranged around the electrostatic drum 4, a transfer charger 7, and a fixing device 8. An electrostatic latent image is formed by the light emitting device 5, toner is adhered to the developing device 6, an image is transferred onto the sheet by the transfer charger 7, and heat fixing is performed by the fixing device 8. The sheets on which images are formed in this way are sequentially carried out from the main body discharge port 3. 9 is a circulation path, and the sheet printed on the front side from the fixing device 8 is turned upside down through the main body switchback path 10 and then fed again to the image forming unit 2 to print on the back side of the sheet. This is the path for duplex printing. The sheet printed on both sides in this way is turned upside down by the main body switchback path 10 and then carried out from the main body discharge port 3.

  11 is an image reading apparatus, which scans an original sheet set on a platen 12 with a scan unit 13 and electrically reads it with a photoelectric conversion element 14 through a reflection mirror and a condenser lens. This image data is digitally processed by the image processing unit, for example, and then transferred to the data storage unit 17 to send an image signal to the laser emitter 5. 15 is a document feeder, which is a feeder device that feeds a document sheet stored in the document stacker 16 to the platen 12.

  The image forming apparatus A having the above configuration is provided with a control unit (controller), and image forming conditions such as sheet size designation, color / monochrome printing designation, number of copies designation, single-sided / double-sided printing designation, enlargement / reduction from the control panel 18. Printout conditions such as print designation are set. On the other hand, image data read by the scan unit 13 or image data transferred from an external network is stored in the data storage unit 17 in the image forming apparatus A, and the image data is transferred from the data storage unit to the buffer memory. Data signals are sequentially transferred from the buffer memory 19 to the laser emitter 5.

[Configuration of sheet processing apparatus]
A sheet processing apparatus B connected to the image forming apparatus A includes a first discharge tray 21 and a second discharge tray 22 in a casing 20 as shown in FIG. A sheet carry-in path P1 having 23 is provided.
The sheet carry-in path P <b> 1 is configured by a substantially horizontal straight path in the casing 20. A first switchback conveyance path SP1 and a second switchback conveyance path SP2 that branch from the sheet carry-in path P1 and transfer the sheet in the reverse direction are arranged. The first switchback conveying path SP1 is branched from the sheet downstream path and the second switchback conveying path SP2 is branched from the sheet carry-in path P1 on the upstream side, and the both conveying paths are spaced apart from each other.

  In such a path configuration, the carry-in roller 24 and the paper discharge roller 25 are arranged in the sheet carry-in path P1. The paper discharge roller 25 can be rotated forward and backward. Further, a path switching piece (not shown) for guiding the sheet to the second switchback transport path SP2 is disposed in the sheet carry-in path P1, and is connected to an operating means such as a solenoid. In the sheet carry-in path P <b> 1, a single-sheet punching unit 28 for punching sheets one by one, for example, one by one is provided on the downstream side of the carry-in roller 24.

[Configuration of the first switchback transport path SP1]
As shown in FIG. 2, the first switchback transport path SP1 is configured as follows. A sheet discharge roller 25 is provided at the exit end of the sheet carry-in path P1, and a processing tray 29 for stacking and supporting the sheets of the sheet discharge roller 25 is provided. Above the processing tray 29, a forward / reverse roller 30 is disposed so as to be movable up and down between a position in contact with the sheet on the tray and a separated standby position. When the forward / reverse roller 30 is connected and a sheet enters the processing tray 29, the sheet rotates in the clockwise direction in the figure, and after the trailing edge of the sheet is discharged from the discharge roller 25 and enters the tray, the sheet rotates counterclockwise. Controlled to rotate. Accordingly, the first switchback transport path SP1 is formed on the processing tray 29. At the rear end of the processing tray 29 in the paper discharge direction, an end face binding stapling device 33 is disposed. The stapling device 33 staples at one or a plurality of positions on the trailing edge of the sheet bundle stacked on the processing tray 29. The bound sheet bundle is discharged from the first discharge tray 21.

[Configuration of second switchback transport path]
The configuration of the second switchback conveyance path SP2 branched from the sheet carry-in path P1 will be described. The second switchback conveyance path SP2 is a conveyance path that guides the sheet that is reversely switched from the normal rotation to the switchback conveyance in a state where the sheet is nipped by the paper discharge roller 25 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, this conveyance path is arranged substantially vertically in the casing 20, and a conveyance roller 36 is arranged at the path entrance, and an outlet conveyance roller 37 is arranged at the path exit. Further, a stacker unit 35 constituting a second processing tray for aligning and temporarily collecting sheets fed from the transport path is provided on the downstream side of the second switchback transport path SP2. The illustrated stacker unit 35 is constituted by a conveyance guide for transferring a sheet. A saddle stitch stapler 40 and a folding roller 45 are arranged in the stacker portion 35. Hereinafter, these configurations will be sequentially described.

[Stacker configuration]
The stacker unit 35 is formed of a guide member that guides sheet conveyance, and is configured to stack and store sheets on the guide. The illustrated stacker unit 35 is connected to the second switchback transport path SP <b> 2 and is disposed substantially vertically in the center of the casing 20. As a result, the apparatus is made compact and compact. The stacker portion 35 is formed in a length shape that accommodates the maximum size sheet therein, and in particular, the illustrated stacker is curved so as to protrude toward the side where the saddle stitching stapler 40 and the folding rollers 45 (45a, 45b) described later are disposed. Or it is comprised in the bent shape.

  On the rear end side in the transport direction of the stacker unit 35, a switchback entry path 35a that overlaps the outlet end of the second switchback transport path SP2 is connected. This is performed by overlapping the leading edge of the loaded (successive) sheet sent from the exit conveying roller 37 of the second switchback conveying path SP2 and the trailing edge of the stacked (preceding) sheet supported by the stacker unit 35. This is to secure the page order of the sheets to be processed. Further, the stacker unit 35 is provided with a leading end regulating member (hereinafter referred to as a stopper 38) as a stopper unit for regulating the leading end of the sheet in the carrying-in direction on the downstream side of the guide, and the stopper 38 moves along the stacker unit 35. It is supported by a guide rail or the like, and is configured to move to a position where the sheet is carried into the stacker unit 35 by a shift means (not shown), a position where the sheet is bound in the middle of the stacking direction, and a position where the folding roller 45 folds. Further, an alignment member 39 for aligning sheets is provided in the middle of the transport direction of the stacker unit 35, and alignment is performed by pressing the side edge every time a sheet is loaded.

[Description of saddle stitching stapler]
Next, the saddle stitching stapler 40 positioned above the stacker unit 35 includes a driver unit 41 that drives the staple needle into the sheet bundle and a clincher unit 42 that bends the leg portions of the staple needle that are driven in a direction facing each other. Each unit is configured to be opposed to each other with the stacker portion 35 interposed therebetween, and binds the sheet at a binding position shown in the figure X, which is usually a half of the sheet length.
In addition, the saddle stitching stapler 40 may use a metal needle as a staple needle for binding a bundle of sheets, or may be bound by putting a paper-made needle made of paper or a crimp or cut not using the needle into the sheet.

[Description of folding roller]
Next, the configuration of the folding roller 45 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, a folding roller 45 that folds the sheet bundle and a folding blade 46 that inserts the sheet bundle at the nip position of the folding roller 45 are disposed at the folding position Y arranged on the downstream side of the saddle stitching stapler 40 described above. Is provided. Referring to FIG. 3, the folding roller 45 includes an upper pressure roller 45a and a lower pressure roller 45b that are in pressure contact with each other. The upper pressure roller 45a and the lower pressure roller 45b are formed to be slightly longer than the maximum sheet width. . The folding rollers 45 are urged toward each other by a compression spring (not shown). The pair of folding rollers 45 are formed of a material having a relatively large friction coefficient such as a rubber roller.

A folding blade 46 that intrudes toward the pressing position of the folding roller 45 is disposed so as to advance and retreat. The folding blade 46 moves so as to push the binding position into the folding roller 45 after the sheet bundle is saddle-stitched by the saddle stitching stapler 40, and the folding roller 45 is pressed and rotated in conjunction with this operation. Fold the binding sheet into two. In the middle of this, the folding blade 46 returns to the original position to prepare for the next sheet bundle. The moving position of the folding blade 46 is shown in FIG. 2 as the folding position Y, and this position coincides with the position X where the sheets are bound by the binding needle.

Here, a folding process procedure of stacked or bundled sheet bundles will be described with reference to FIG. The sheet is locked by the stopper 38 to form a bundle, and the stopper 38 is raised and the saddle stitching stapler 40 performs a binding process at a middle position in the sheet conveyance direction. After the binding process, this time the bound sheet bundle is lowered and the stopper 38 is stopped so that the sheet binding position becomes the folding position. This state is shown in FIG. This position is stopped so as to coincide with the pressure contact positions of the upper pressure contact roller 45a and the lower pressure contact roller 45b of the folding roller 45. Thereafter, the upper pressure roller 45a and the lower pressure roller are rotated in the same direction by a drive motor (not shown), and the folding blade 46 moves so as to be pushed into the pressure position. This state is shown in FIG.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3C, the upper pressing roller 45a and the lower pressing roller 45b continue to rotate in the same direction, and the folding blade 46 temporarily stops before the pressing position. This time, the folding blade 46 moves and retracts in the original return direction. Thereafter, when the upper pressure roller 45a and the lower pressure roller 45b continue to rotate in the same direction, the folded sheet bundle BS is folded in a fixed loop BL as shown in FIG. The sheet bundle includes a folding loop tip BL1 that becomes a fold projected by the folding blade 46, an upper loop BL2 that swells upward around this, a lower loop BL3 that swells downward, and a loop that presses the sheet so as to maintain the loop. A base end BL4 is formed, and temporarily stops in this state.

By the way, the reason why the loop is generated at the fold is that the sheet bundle itself exerts a force to open outward at the fold position. Therefore, as the number of folded sheet bundles BS increases, the force of opening and spreading increases, and if the sheets are discharged as they are, the sheet bundle will be opened. Are step-folded by pressing and folding again step by step.

[Description of support unit]
From here, the stage folding unit 50 which becomes a part of the sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention for preventing the folded sheet bundle BS subjected to the above-described folding processing from being opened will be described. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of this unit as seen from the discharge side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view seen from the side of the folding roller 45 shown as arrow d in FIG. Further, the support unit 56 that moves along the folding loop in the folding sheet width direction in the step folding unit 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 6 which is a perspective view from the folding roller 45 side and FIG. 7 which is a front view. . Thereafter, the relationship between the guide plate 201 and the press roller 70 located between the press rollers 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10, and the step folding operation will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, referring back to FIG. 2, the stage folding unit 50 is disposed so as to cross the folded sheet conveyance path BP on the downstream side of the folding roller 45. More specifically, in the stage folding unit 50, the folding roller 45 folds the folded sheet bundle BS and presses the folded sheet bundle with the pressing rollers 70 serving as pressing rollers having different intervals to perform the folding process. The stage folding unit 50 faces the fold of the folded sheet bundle BS having a crease in the sheet width direction and a fixed loop.

2 detects the discharge from the sheet bundle detection sensor (SEN3) 129 and the bundle discharge roller 49 that detect the back and front edge of the folded sheet that is folded and conveyed by the folding roller 45 before and after the stage folding unit 50 in FIG. A bundle discharge sensor (SEN4) 131 is disposed.
2 is installed between the folding roller 45 and a bundle discharging roller 49 as a discharging member for discharging outside the apparatus. However, if the folding unit 50 crosses the folded sheet conveying path BP, the step folding unit 50 shown in FIG. It can also be installed downstream of the discharge roller 49.

As shown in FIG. 4, the stage folding unit 50 comprises a frame of the entire apparatus by a right side plate 53 disposed on one side of the apparatus, a left side plate 54 opposed to the right side plate 54, and a connecting angle 55 for connecting them. doing. Between the right side plate 53 and the left side plate 54, a support unit 56, which is a unit that supports and moves a plurality of press rollers moving back and forth between the side plates, is disposed. The reciprocating movement between the side plates of the support unit 56 is slid by the upper guide rail 57 and the lower guide rail 58 positioned between the right side plate 53 and the left side plate 54. That is, the upper slide block 60 attached above the support unit 56 slides on the upper guide rail 57 and moves so that the lower slide block 61 attached below the support unit 56 slides on the lower guide rail 58. Supported as possible.

Above the support unit 56, a moving belt 65 is stretched between the right side plate 53 and the left side plate 54 of the apparatus. In this moving belt, a right pulley 63 for winding the moving belt 65 is positioned on the right side plate 53 side shown in FIG. 4, and a left pulley 64 for winding the moving belt 65 is positioned on the left side plate 54 side. One end of the moving belt 65 is fixed to the upper end of the support unit 56 by a belt fixing portion 65b. Therefore, when the moving belt 65 is moved and the belt fixing portion 65b is moved from the front side (left side) to the back side (right side), the support unit 56 is also moved along the upper guide rail 57 and the lower guide rail 58 in FIG. It moves from the front (left side) to the back side (right side). When the moving belt 65 is moved in the reverse direction, the belt fixing portion 65b is also moved in the reverse direction, and the support unit 56 is also moved in the reverse direction.
In the present invention, the plurality of rows of presser rollers 70, which will be described later, move in the direction of narrowing from the wider side and move in the direction of pressing the fold loop stepwise, moving the downstream side to the downstream side. The upstream side is the upstream side. In other words, the left to right in FIG. 4 is the moving direction (arrow UB direction), the right side is the downstream side, and the left side is the upstream side.

By the way, the left pulley 64 around which the moving belt 65 is wound is attached to a motor gear unit 68 provided on the left side plate 54 of a unit drive motor 69 capable of forward and reverse rotation. The rotational drive of the unit drive motor 69 is connected to the left pulley 64 of the moving belt 65 via a transmission gear 66 provided from the motor output gear 67 to the motor gear unit 68.
Therefore, by selecting the driving rotation direction of the unit drive motor 69, the support unit 56 also presses the folding loop from the front side (left side) to the back side (right side), and conversely from the back side (right side) to the front side (left side). ) To move selectively. As shown in FIG. 5, a unit flag 107 is provided in the vicinity of the upper end of the support unit 56 on the left side plate 54 side to indicate that the home unit is located near the left side plate 54. When this unit flag 107 is detected by the home position sensor 108, the support unit 56 is located at the home position. The unit is moved from this position to the white arrow UB in FIG. 5 to press the folding loop step by step.

When the support unit 56 moves from the home position in the direction of the arrow UB, the position is determined by a pulse generator (not shown) built in the unit drive motor 69 and is located at the folding position near the right side plate 53. Is determined. At this turn-back position, the unit drive motor 69 is reversely rotated, and this time, the support unit 56 is controlled to move toward the home position. Accordingly, the support unit 56 is a unit moving member that is moved by the moving belt 65 or the like.

[Description of support unit]
Next, the support unit 56 that moves to the left and right in the drawing will be described. FIG. 5 is a view from the side of the folding roller 45, but the support unit 56 includes a unit base plate 62a (FIG. 4) constituting the back side of the unit, a front upper base plate 62b and a front lower base divided into upper and lower parts. The plate 62c, the side thereof is surrounded by a preceding unit side plate 95 and a succeeding unit side plate 96, and the upper and lower sides thereof are surrounded by a unit top plate 59a and a unit bottom plate 59b.

As shown in FIG. 6, the preceding unit side plate 95 is provided with a leading side plate opening 97 that is relatively large and the trailing unit side plate is provided with a trailing side plate opening 98 that is set narrower than the leading side plate opening 97. . These openings are provided in order for the support unit 56 to move between the folds of the sheet, and the pressing of the fold loop BL is started from the preceding side plate opening 97 side.

Although the inside of the support unit 56 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 8, the front upper base plate 62b is omitted for the sake of explanation.
First, there are provided a plurality of rows of pressing rollers (generally indicated by reference numeral 70) consisting of three rows in this embodiment from the preceding unit side plate 95 side to the following unit side plate. ing. The intervals between the pair of rollers (folded loop thickness direction) of these presser rollers 70 are different for each row. That is, the first lower presser roller 72 is disposed at a position spaced apart from the first upper presser roller 71 at a substantially equal position with the sheet crease position at the center in the first row of rollers. As will be described later, these presser rollers 70 are configured as a presser roller unit 81, and the presser roller unit supports the presser roller 70.

In the illustrated example, a first upper presser roller shaft 78a, which is the shaft of the first upper presser roller 71, is attached to a first upper presser roller support arm 91a that supports the shaft, and the first upper presser roller support arm 91a is a mold. It is unitized by being attached to a first upper presser roller frame 86a made of a member and bent into a hollow shape with a sheet metal.
Further, between the first upper presser roller 71 and the top plate of the first upper presser roller frame 86a, the first upper presser roller 71 is always attached in the direction in which the folding loop is pressed (downward direction in FIG. 8). A first upper presser roller pressing spring 147a is arranged. The first upper presser roller support arm 91a is provided with a support arm elongated hole 94.
Accordingly, the first upper presser roller shaft 78a can move within this range, and when the first upper presser roller 71 is attached to the support unit 56, the support arm slot 94 restricts the movement of the first upper presser roller 71. Become.

The first lower presser roller shaft 78b, which is the shaft of the first lower presser roller 72, also supports the first lower presser roller shaft 72 positioned opposite to the folded loop BL of the folded sheet. The lower presser roller support arm 91b is attached. The first lower presser roller support arm 91b is also formed as a unit by being attached to a first lower presser roller frame 86b made of a mold member and bent into a hollow shape with a sheet metal.
Similarly, between the first lower presser roller 72 and the top plate of the first lower presser roller frame 86b, the first presser roller 72 is always pressed in the folding loop (upward direction in FIG. 8). A first lower presser roller pressing spring 147b to be biased is disposed.
Further, the first lower presser roller support arm 91b is provided with a support arm elongated hole 94. Accordingly, the first lower presser roller shaft 78b can move within this range. When the first lower presser roller shaft 78 is attached to the support unit 56, the support arm slot 94 restricts the upward movement of the first lower presser roller 72. To do.

The second upper presser roller unit 83a for supporting the second upper presser roller 73 in the second row, the second lower presser roller unit 83b for supporting the second lower presser roller 74, and the third upper presser in the third row. The third upper presser roller unit 84a that supports the roller 75 and the third lower presser roller unit 84b that supports the third lower presser roller 76 are configured to face each other as in the first row.
Accordingly, each presser roller 70 is supported by the presser roller support arm 90 and is assembled in advance as a presser roller unit 81 together with the presser roller pressing spring 146 to be unitized, and the presser roller unit 81 can be easily incorporated into the support unit 56. Can be done. The unit configuration of the pressing roller 70 will be described again with reference to FIG.

[Relationship of each presser roller in the support unit]
Next, the relationship between the press rollers 70 in the support unit will be described. As well shown in FIG. 7, the distance L1 between the first upper presser roller 71 and the first lower presser roller 72 is always kept constant. In this embodiment, L1 is set to about 14 millimeters. Further, the first upper presser roller pressing spring 147a and the first lower presser roller pressing spring 147b shown in FIG. 8 are set so that a load of approximately 4.0 kilograms is applied in a state where both rollers are in contact with each other.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the distance L2 between the rollers of the second upper presser roller 73 and the second lower presser roller 74 is always kept constant. In this embodiment, L2 is set to about 7 millimeters. Further, the second upper presser roller pressing spring 148a and the second lower presser roller pressing spring 148b shown in FIG. 8 are set so that a load of approximately 4.0 kilograms is applied when both rollers are in contact with each other.

As described above, the first upper presser roller 71 and the first lower presser roller 72 in the first row have predetermined intervals L1 (approximately 14 millimeters in this embodiment) as shown in FIG. Similarly, the upper presser roller 73 and the second lower presser roller 74 are spaced apart by a predetermined distance L2 (approximately 7 millimeters in this embodiment). This is because the range of movement of the presser roller support arm 90 that supports each presser roller 70 is restricted by the support arm slot and the position where the presser roller unit 81 in the first row and the second row is attached to the support unit is set. Yes.
Accordingly, the positions of the first and second presser rollers 70 are regulated so as not to be narrower than a predetermined width.

However, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the third upper presser roller 75 and the third lower presser roller 76 in the third row as the last row in this embodiment are elastically biased so that they can be always pressed against each other. Has been. This defines the position of the press roller unit 81 in the third row so that the roller interval L3 = 0. In this embodiment, the third upper presser roller pressing spring 149a and the third lower presser roller pressing spring 149b of FIG. 8 are also set so that a load of approximately 4.0 kilograms is applied at the roller contact position. ing. As a result, the folding loop of the folded sheet bundle BS (the crease BL1 at the tip of the loop) is subjected to stepwise folding while a load exceeding 4 kilograms is applied to both sides. Accordingly, each presser roller 70 is biased in the direction in which the sheet is pressed. This stage folding operation will be described later with reference to FIGS.

[Description of guide plate]
Here, the guide plate that is disposed between the press rollers 70 and guides the folding loop will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in the figure, a first upper guide plate 201a is disposed between the first upper presser roller 71 in the first row and the second upper presser roller 72 in the second row, and the second upper presser roller 72 and the third row in the third row. A second upper guide plate 202a is disposed between the third upper presser roller 75 and the third upper presser roller 75. A first lower guide plate 201b is arranged between the first lower presser roller 72 in the first row and the second lower presser roller 74 in the second row, which are opposed to each other with the folding loop interposed therebetween. A second lower guide plate 202b is disposed between the second lower presser roller 74 and the third lower presser roller 76 in the third row.

  Each guide plate 201 has a guide portion 203 having a distal end extending on the peripheral surface of each presser roller 70, and a proximal end portion is attached to a presser roller unit 81. The structure of this attachment will be described with reference to FIG. 9, but this guide portion 203 is moved when the presser roller 70 is moved by the movement of the support unit 56 (moving in the direction of arrow UB in FIG. 8). 70 is positioned in accordance with the opposing distance of 70, and the end portion of the fold loop is formed by forming the funnel cross section (isosceles triangle with the third row roller as the apex) with the press roller 70 and the guide portion 203 of the guide plate 201. It is energized to be caught between the presser rollers 70.

Next, the positional relationship between the pressing roller 70 and the guide portion 203 formed on the front end side of the guide plate 201 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in the figure, four guide plates 201 are arranged in two sets of upper and lower, and among these, the first upper guide plate 201a disposed between the first upper presser roller 71 and the second upper presser roller 73 is shown. explain. The tip of the first upper guide plate 201a bulges out and bulges from the first upper presser roller 71, the second upper presser roller 73, and the first upper guide protrusion (projection) 211a located between the rollers. A protruding first upper guide portion 203a is formed. The first upper guide portion 203a is a first upper guide inclined downward in the figure from the first upper guide downstream portion 209a on the first upper presser roller 71 (downstream) side toward the second upper presser roller 73 (upstream) side. An inclined portion 205a is provided. This extension and inclination are provided to prevent the end portion of the folding loop BL from being caught between the first upper presser roller 71 and the second upper presser roller 73 or from being caught.

  The relationship between the first upper presser roller 71, the second upper presser roller 73, and the first upper guide portion is the movement direction of the support unit 56 of the first upper presser roller 71 on the downstream side with respect to the first upper guide inclined portion 205a. The perpendicular n passing through the first upper presser roller shaft 78a, which is the central axis of the downstream first upper presser roller 71, in a substantially orthogonal direction forms a substantially right angle with the peripheral surface of the downstream first upper presser roller 71. The tangent line T is disposed so as to intersect the first guide inclined portion 205a (the relationship in which the arrow T contacts). Note that the tangent line T in this case only needs to be within a range for guiding the end of the folded loop BL.

Further, the relationship between the first upper guide inclined portion 205a and the second upper presser roller 73 located on the upstream side thereof passes through the second upper presser roller shaft 79a which is the central axis of the second upper presser roller 73. The first upper guide roller 73 in the range of the peripheral surface of the second upper presser roller 73 upstream of the first upper guide inclined portion 205a surrounded by a straight line m along the moving direction of the support unit 56 and a perpendicular line n that is substantially perpendicular to the straight line m. The upper guide upstream portion 207a is disposed in a corresponding relationship (a relationship in which the PT arrow abuts and a relationship that is substantially located in a range of the circumferential surface of the lower left quarter of FIG. 8 of the second upper presser roller 73). It is.
With this relationship, this guide portion 203 extends in the moving direction of the support unit 56 so as to expose the front and rear pressing roller 70 circumferential surfaces, and has a funnel cross-sectional shape as a whole (the downstream side is the bottom side). The folding loop is guided in a substantially isosceles triangle shape with the upstream side as the apex, and the stepwise folding can be performed relatively smoothly.

[Attaching the guide plate to the presser roller unit]
In this embodiment, since the guide portion of the guide plate 201 is set in the above-described relationship with each press roller 70, it is necessary to accurately position each other.
Therefore, it has a mounting structure as shown in FIG. FIG. 9A is a perspective view in which the guide plate is positioned on the second upper presser roller unit. FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional explanatory view of this perspective view. FIG. 10 shows a modification of the mounting structure of FIG. This will be described below.

Here, although a little touched earlier, a description of the second upper presser roller unit 83a will be added first. As shown in FIG. 9A, the second upper presser roller unit 83a includes a rotatable second upper presser roller 73 that presses the folding loop BL and a second upper presser roller that supports the second upper presser roller 73. A second upper presser roller frame 87a (frame) is slidably held on the inner wall of the roller bracket 142a.
Between the second upper presser roller frame 87a and the second upper presser roller bracket 142a, a second upper presser roller pressing spring 148a (elastic spring) that biases the second upper presser roller 73 in the sheet pressing direction as shown in the figure. ) Are attached to the left and right via a second upper presser roller spring receiver 162a.

Further, on the left and right surfaces of the illustrated second upper presser roller frame 87a, a second upper presser shaft for movably supporting the second upper presser roller shaft 79a of the second upper presser roller 73 by the support arm long hole 94 is provided. A roller support arm 92a is attached. The second upper presser roller support arm 92a is attached to an opening provided in a side portion of the second upper presser roller frame 87a by an arm hook 92af fitted therein. On the other hand, in the support arm slot 94 of the second upper presser roller support arm 92a, a roller bracket shaft 157 provided in the second upper presser roller bracket is also movably attached by an E ring 158. Thus, the second upper presser roller unit 83a is configured as a unit.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9 (a), the second upper presser roller support arm 92a is unitized by being locked by the arm hook 92af. In this state, the second upper presser roller support arm 92a is assembled to the support unit 56 with screws 89. Easy to install. This configuration is the same for all the pressing roller units 81 shown in FIGS.

Further, a second upper presser roller unit adjusting screw 182a is attached to the top of the second upper presser roller unit 83a so that the position of the second upper presser roller unit 83a can be adjusted with respect to the support unit 56.
As described above, since the second upper presser roller unit 83a in which the second upper presser roller 73 and the second upper presser roller pressing spring 148a for biasing the second upper presser roller 73 are unitized can be attached to the support unit 56, the assembly is easy. Become. Further, the second upper presser roller unit 83 a is provided with a second upper presser roller unit adjustment screw 182 that can be adjusted up and down with respect to the support unit 56. Thereby, the most suitable pressing position with respect to the folding loop BL can be set.

Next, the mounting configuration of the first upper guide plate 201a located on the downstream side in the movement direction of the support unit 56 with respect to the second upper pressing roller unit 83a will be described.
As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 9 (a), a frame cut out with a part of the frame cut out as shown in the outer wall on the upstream side of the second upper presser roller frame 87a of the second upper presser roller unit 83a. A notch right 145a and a frame notch left 145b are provided. With respect to this incision, the second upper presser roller unit 83a side surface (downstream side surface / back surface) of the first upper guide plate 201a has a second upper presser roller unit on the mounting portion side above the first upper guide portion 203a. A first upper guide protrusion (protrusion) 211a protruding toward 83a is formed. 9B, the upper end portion of the second upper presser roller unit 83a is disposed at the upper end portion of the first upper guide plate 201a opposite to the first upper guide portion 203a. A guide locking portion 213a is provided to be fitted to.

This first upper guide protrusion (projection) 211a has a frame notch right 145a, a frame notch left 145b, and a top end of the second upper presser roller unit 83a. The positional relationship between the second upper pressing roller 73 and the first upper guide plate 201a can be set at the time of unit assembly by fitting the guide locking portions 213a fitted to the respective portions. According to this, the positional relationship between the first upper guide portion 203a of the upper guide plate 201a and the second upper presser roller 73 can be set systematically.

In the illustrated example, the upper guide plate 201a is attached with this unevenness, and is sandwiched between the second upper presser roller unit 83a and the first upper presser roller unit 82a, and there is no particular mounting screw. Both can be easily installed.
According to the above configuration, the first guide portion 203a of the first upper guide plate 201a and the second upper pressing roller 73 can be aligned with each other.

In these configurations, the other guide plates 201 and the pressing roller unit 81 on the upstream side of the guide plates 201 are configured in the same manner.
Thereby, when arranging the pair of press rollers 70 of the folded loop in a row, the guide plate 201 that prevents the sheet end from being caught between the front and rear press rollers 70 can be easily and It can be attached while maintaining the positional accuracy.

Next, a modification of FIG. 9 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 9, the first upper guide plate 201a is attached to the second upper presser roller unit 83a located on the upstream side. However, the one shown in FIG. 10 is the first upper presser roller located on the downstream side. The unit 82a is positioned and attached.
In this modified example, the first upper presser roller support arm 91a that holds the first upper presser roller 71 is unitized by an arm hook 91af that engages with the side notch of the first upper presser roller frame 86a. The configuration is the same as that of FIG.

The first upper presser roller frame 86a of the first upper presser roller unit 82a shown in FIG. 10 is provided with an upstream cutout 302 that is cut out in a rectangular shape on the frame upstream side surface 300. A downstream protrusion (convex portion) 306 provided on the downstream side surface of the first upper presser roller unit 82a is fitted to the upstream cutout 302. According to this, the positional relationship between the first upper guide portion 203a of the upper guide plate 201a and the first upper presser roller 71 can be set systematically.

[Explanation of support unit operation]
From here, FIG. 11 to FIG. 13 will describe the carrying-in of the support unit 56 in the step-folding unit 50 to the folded sheet bundle BS and the step-by-step pressing operation. 11 to 13 show the support unit 56 viewed from the bundle discharge port side, and the unit base plate 62a of the support unit 56 is omitted for convenience of explanation. FIG. 11 shows a state where the support unit 56 is located at the home position and is waiting for the folded sheet bundle BS to be carried in. FIG. 12 shows a state in which the support unit 56 moves to the middle in the width direction of the folded sheet bundle BS and performs the fold loop BL by the three rows of rollers in a stepwise manner. FIG. 13 shows a state where the stepwise folding by the three rows of rollers is completed and the support unit 56 is located at the folding position. Hereinafter, each state will be described.

    First, in FIG. 11, the unit flag 107 of the support unit 56 having three rows of press rollers is detected by the home position sensor 108 attached to the right side plate 53, and the support unit 56 is located at the home position. At this position, when a “stage folding mode” to be described later is set, the folding roller 45 performs the folding process and waits for the folded sheet bundle BS conveyed through the folded sheet conveyance path BP.

  By the way, the support unit 56 located at the home position has an interval narrowed in order from the moving direction, and a pressing roller 70 is provided in pressure contact with the last row. As already described, in the present embodiment, the first upper presser roller 71 and the first lower presser roller 72 in the first row are arranged with an interval of approximately 14 millimeters. Further, the second upper presser roller 73 and the second lower presser roller 74 in the second row have an interval of approximately 7 mm. Further, the third upper presser roller 75 and the third lower presser roller 76 in the third row are in pressure contact with each other in the region R1. Further, the centers of the separation and press-contact of these rollers are arranged so as to substantially coincide with the folding loop tip (fold) BL1 of the folded sheet which is the center of the folded sheet bundle BS.

  When the folding loop of the folded sheet bundle BS has a predetermined size (in this embodiment, the vertical direction of the loop is 22 mm, for example), the folding roller 45 is stopped and the support unit 56 is moved to the right side of FIG. It is moved by driving the drive motor 69. When this movement starts, the first upper pressing roller 71 and the first lower pressing roller 72 in the first row pass over the left side (one side) end (sheet end) of the folded sheet bundle, and slightly above the folded sheet leading end loop BL1. Move to the left with a crease in the position. As described above, the size of the loop in this embodiment is about 22 millimeters, and the distance between the first upper presser roller 71 and the first lower presser roller 72 is about 14 millimeters. The overlap is slightly less than 4 millimeters, which gives the first fold line 100 shown in FIG.

Moreover, since the space | interval of the 1st upper pressing roller 71 and the 1st lower pressing roller 72 is open, these rollers get over without damaging the edge part of folded sheet bundle BS so much. The presser roller 70 including the first upper presser roller 71 and the first lower presser roller 72 is pivotally supported in the same direction as the sheet conveying direction and is rotatably supported on this shaft. This rotation also facilitates overcoming the folded sheet bundle end.

Further, a first upper guide plate 201a and a second upper guide plate 202a are disposed between the movement directions of the first upper presser roller 71, the second upper presser roller 73, and the third upper presser roller 75. On the other hand, the first lower guide plate 201b and the second lower guide are disposed between the movement directions of the first lower presser roller 72, the second lower presser roller 74, and the third lower presser roller 76 that are opposed to the folding loop BL. A plate 202b is disposed. Accordingly, the folding loop BL of the folded sheet bundle BS is smoothly guided between the upstream presser rollers 70 without entering between the rollers.

When the support unit 56 continues to move, the loop pressed at the distance between the first upper presser roller 71 and the first lower presser roller 72 further increases slightly between the second upper presser roller 73 and the second lower presser roller 74. The second fold is made by pressing the loop of the folded sheet bundle BS at a narrowed interval. In this embodiment, the distance between the second upper presser roller 73 and the second lower presser roller 74 is set to approximately 7 millimeters, which is higher than the distance between the first upper presser roller 71 and the first lower presser roller 72. Are overlapped by about 3.5 millimeters, and this gives the second folding line 101 shown in FIG.
Subsequently, the fold BL1 is gradually folded by the third upper presser roller 75 and the third lower presser roller 76 which are the third row rollers. That is, since the third upper presser roller 75 and the third lower presser roller 76 are in a substantially pressure contact state with the interval being zero, the sheets in the thickness direction of the folds are separated from the third upper presser roller pressing spring 149a. While being pressed by the third lower presser roller pressing spring 149b, it is folded in stages, which gives the final folding line 102 shown in FIG. 14 (c).

  FIG. 12 shows a state in which the folded sheet bundle BS is pressed stepwise within one unit with the above contents and the support unit 56 is positioned at the approximate center of the folded sheet bundle BS in the sheet width direction. From this state, the support unit 56 further moves toward the right side of the drawing while giving a fold line to the sheet stepwise by the pressing roller 70 whose distance from the sheet crease thickness direction becomes narrower. By this movement, the third upper presser roller 75 and the third lower presser roller 76 in the third row pass through the right and left (one) end (sheet end) in the figure of the folded sheet bundle to perform stepwise folding.

After this passage, the support unit 56 reaches the folding position on the left side plate 54 side shown in the figure. This state is shown in FIG. When the turn-back position is reached, the drive of the unit drive motor 69 is stopped. Thereafter, the process waits for the folded sheet bundle BS that has undergone stepwise folding (completely pressed by the pressing roller 70) to be discharged by the rotation of the folding roller 45 and the bundle discharge roller 49 in the discharge direction. When the completion of discharging the folded folded sheet bundle BS is detected by the bundle discharge sensor (SEN4) 131 shown in FIG. 2, the support unit 56 is returned from the return position to the home position, and at the position shown in FIG. In preparation for carrying in the folded sheet bundle BS.

  In the above description, the folded sheet BS folded in stages in FIG. 13 is once discharged and the support unit 56 is returned to the home position. However, the support unit 56 is again shown without discharging the folded sheet bundle BS. 13 is moved from the right side to the left side, and the third upper presser roller 75 and the third lower presser roller 76 press the folds of the folded sheet bundle BS again and return to the home position. Can be made more reliable.

As described above, in this embodiment, the folded unit sheet BS is folded in three stages by the support unit 56. The folded sheet bundle BS discharged by performing this folding operation will be described with reference to FIG.
As described above, the first upper presser roller 71 and the first lower presser roller 72 as the sheet bundle pressing members of the present invention are used in the fold thickness direction of the folded sheet bundle BS (the folded sheet bundle BS is conveyed in the fold line). (The vertical direction intersecting with the fold), a portion where the fold is made by the folding roller 45 and the fold loop BL is generated is moved in the crease direction to make a plurality of creases. As already described, the interval between the first upper presser roller 71 and the first lower presser roller 72 in the first stage is slightly narrower than the folding loop (in this embodiment, it is substantially the same as the loop height of 22 mm). 14 mm), and moves along the crease made by the fold roller 45 to make the first crease. This is the first fold line 100 indicated by the solid line arrow in FIG. 14A, and in FIG. 14D, a thin line appears in the fold sheet bundle BS as the first fold line 100. This is because the portion pressed by the first upper presser roller 71 and the first lower presser roller 72 receives a concentrated load in the looped portion as shown in FIG. This is because the first fold line 100 appears due to the movement of the upper presser roller 71 and the first lower presser roller 72 in the width direction.

Next, in the second stage, the distance between the second upper presser roller 73 and the second lower presser roller 74 as a sheet bundle pressing member is slightly narrower than the loop formed by pressing in the first stage (in this embodiment, And is moved along the crease formed by the folding roller 45 to make a second stage crease. This is the second fold line 101 indicated by the solid line arrow located behind the first fold line 100 shown in FIG. 11B, and in FIG. 12, the second fold line is a thin line in the folded sheet bundle BS. Appears as 101. Also, as shown in FIG. 14B, the portions pressed by the second upper presser roller 73 and the second lower presser roller 74 are subjected to a concentrated load and buckled into the sheet bundle, resulting in a second loop. This is because the first fold line 101 appears due to the movement of the upper presser roller 73 and the second lower presser roller 74 in the width direction.

As the final stage, the third upper presser roller 75 and the third lower presser roller 76 as the sheet bundle pressing members are pressed by the elastic force of the third upper presser roller pressing spring 149a and the third lower presser roller pressing spring 149b. ing. In the last row, the third upper presser roller 75 and the third lower presser roller 76 are not spaced apart from each other as in the first stage and the second stage. (The regulation interval in this embodiment is 0 mm).
Therefore, the pressing at the last row moves in the crease direction while pressing the position of the pressed thickness of the folded sheet bundle BS with the third upper pressing roller 75 and the third lower pressing roller 76. The folds of the press rollers 70 in the final row are the folded sheet bundle BS, and the final folding line 102 indicated by the solid line arrow in FIG. 14C. In FIG. It appears as a fold line 102.
Note that an end fold 103 is formed at the end in the width direction of the folded sheet bundle BS when the folding roller 45 and the pressing roller 70 are pressed onto the sheet. The portion pressed by the third upper presser roller 75 and the third lower presser roller 76 in the substantially press-contact state appears as a final fold line 102 in which the fold is strengthened.

  As described above, the press rollers 70 are buckled at different intervals so that folds are formed, whereby the first fold line 100 that is the first stage thin line and the first fold line that is the second stage thin line. The folding direction of the folded sheet bundle BS (conveyance passing through the fold line) at each line position of the second folding line 101 and the final folding line 102, which is a relatively dark line generated according to the thickness of the folded sheet bundle BS on the final row. When the folding direction toward the (direction line) side is directed, it is possible to prevent the folded sheet bundle BS from being opened even after being discharged, and to reduce the alignment and stackability.

[Description of control configuration]
The control configuration of the sheet processing apparatus B including the above-described stage folding unit 50 and the image forming apparatus A including the sheet processing apparatus B will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. An image forming apparatus control unit 110 including an image forming unit inputs a desired process from an input unit 111 provided on the control panel 18. This input is controlled by the sheet processing apparatus control unit 115 of the sheet processing apparatus B by mode setting means.

The processing mode of the sheet processing apparatus B of the present embodiment has the following modes.
That is, (1) “print-out mode” in which a sheet on which an image has been formed is stored in the first paper discharge tray 21. (2) “Staple binding mode” in which the sheets from the main body discharge port 3 are aligned in a bundle and are stored in the first discharge tray 21 after being bound by the end face binding stapler 33. (3) From the main body discharge port 3. The sheets are aligned in a bundle by the stacker unit 35, which is the second processing tray, the middle of the sheet bundle is bound by the saddle stitch stapler 40, folded into a booklet, and stored in the second sheet discharge tray 22. "Bundling and binding bundle folding mode". (4) A “step folding mode” in which a fold loop of a sheet bundle that has been saddle-stitched and folded into a booklet is stepwise folded and stored in the second paper discharge tray 22. These modes can be specified.

  The sheet processing apparatus B includes a sheet processing apparatus control unit 115 that can be operated in the designated mode, a ROM 113 that stores an operation program, and a RAM 114 that stores control data. The sheet processing apparatus control unit 115 includes a sheet conveyance control unit 116 that controls sheet conveyance in the apparatus, and a single sheet punching control unit 117 that performs a pressing process on each sheet by the single sheet punching unit 28. A processing tray control unit 118 that performs sheet stacking control on the processing tray 29 and an end surface binding control unit 119 that binds the end surface side of the sheets stacked as a sheet bundle on the processing tray 29 and discharges them after binding.

When performing saddle stitching or folding in the vicinity of half of the sheet conveyance direction of the sheet bundle, the stacker unit control unit 120 that stacks the sheet bundle on the sheet stacker unit 35 is controlled. The stacker unit control unit 120 generates a sheet bundle by aligning with a stopper 38 and an alignment member 39 that regulate the leading edge of the sheet that is carried into the stacker unit 35 one by one. Further, the saddle stitch control unit 121 for controlling the saddle stitching stapler so as to drive the staples and the like in the middle of the sheet bundle and the saddle stitched sheet bundle are pushed into the folding roller 45 by the folding blade 46 so as to perform the middle folding. A sheet folding control unit 122 to be controlled is provided. The sheet folding control unit 122 controls a folding motor that drives the folding roller 45 by connecting to a sheet bundle detection sensor (SEN3) 129, which is not particularly shown, but connected to an encoder sensor.

The folded sheet bundle BS is connected to a unit drive motor 69 that moves the support unit 56 that supports the plurality of rows of press rollers 70 in accordance with the “stage folding mode” described so far, and the folded sheet stage folding control that controls this is performed. Part 123 is provided. This sheet folding sheet stage folding control unit 123 is also connected to a home position sensor 108 for confirming that the stage folding unit is at the home position.
Then, the folded sheet bundle BS that has undergone the stepwise folding is controlled by the half-folded sheet discharge control unit 124 that is connected to the bundle discharge roller drive motor that drives the bundle discharge roller 49, and is discharged and accumulated on the second discharge tray. . The middle folded sheet discharge control unit is connected to the bundle discharge sensor (SEN4) 131 and confirms the discharge operation of the folded sheet bundle BS.
The folding sheet stage folding control particularly related to the present invention has been explained in the explanation of each mechanism and the explanation of each operation state from FIG. 11 to FIG. 13, so the explanation here is omitted. The step folding unit 50 is controlled to execute step folding.

As described above, according to the embodiment for carrying out the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.
1. The pressing roller 70 that presses the folding loop BL of the folded sheet from the thickness direction thereof, and the pressing roller is moved along the folding loop so as to oppose each other, and the spacing between the pressing rollers from the downstream to the upstream in the moving direction. The support unit 56 is arranged in a plurality of rows so as to be narrowed in stages, and this support unit is provided with a guide plate 201 (guide member) having a guide portion for guiding a folding loop between press rollers before and after the moving direction. A sheet processing apparatus.
According to this, since folding is performed step by step, it is possible to reduce the fact that folded sheets are opened after stacking and the stacking amount is reduced. In addition, when arranging the presser rollers as a pair for pressing the folding loop as a row, the guide plate is arranged between the front and rear presser rollers, so that the end of the sheet can be reduced.

2. The guide member includes a guide plate 201 having a guide portion 203. The guide portion extends in the moving direction and is disposed as a pair between the press rollers 70 so as to expose the front and rear press roller peripheral surfaces. 2. The sheet processing apparatus according to 1, wherein the fold loop is guided in a throat shape by the press roller and the guide portion.
According to this, since the throat-like pressing path is constituted by the pressing roller pair of each row and the guide portion pair between the rollers, the stepwise folding can be performed relatively smoothly.

3. The guide plate 201 is positioned between the pressing rollers 70 in the front and rear of the moving direction, and is positioned by the pressing rollers on the upstream side or the downstream side in the moving direction (145a, 145b and 211 are fitted together). This is a sheet processing apparatus.
According to this, since the guide plate and the press roller on either side of the guide plate can be positioned as a set, the press roller and the guide portion can be positioned more reliably, and the catching of the sheet can be reduced.

4. The guide portions 203 are provided so as to face each other, and the pair of guide portions are formed such that the downstream side is wide and the upstream side is narrow between the front and rear press rollers in the moving direction and the guides are inclined according to the positions of the front and rear press rollers. 4. The sheet processing apparatus according to 3 above, which forms an inclined portion 205.
According to this, since the guide part is inclined in the moving direction, the movement with respect to the folding loop becomes smoother.

5. The presser roller 70 and the guide inclined portion 205 located on the upstream side in the movement direction of the support unit 56 of the presser roller are arranged on a straight line n passing through the central axis of the presser roller in a direction substantially perpendicular to the support unit movement direction. 5. The sheet processing apparatus according to 4 above, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is disposed so that a tangent line T that is substantially perpendicular to the circumferential surface of the presser roller intersects the guide inclined portion (a relationship in which a T arrow abuts).
According to this, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a jam due to the folding loop pressed by the presser roller 70 that is sequentially moved with the opposing interval being narrowed between the rollers.

6. The guide inclined portion 205 and the pressing roller 70 positioned on the upstream side of the guide inclined portion in the moving direction of the support unit 56 are the straight line m in the unit moving direction passing through the central axis of the pressing roller and the straight line. 5. The above-mentioned 4, wherein the guide upstream portion 207 of the guide inclined portion corresponds to the range of the pressing roller peripheral surface on the guide portion side surrounded by the perpendicular n that forms a right angle (the relationship in which the PT arrow abuts). A sheet processing apparatus.
According to this, since the guide portion is continuously guided by the circumferential surface of the presser roller, the folding loop is less likely to enter the gap between the guide portion and the presser roller, and the occurrence of jam can be reduced.

7. The pressing roller 70 on the downstream side with respect to the guide inclined portion 205 and the guide inclined portion 205 are perpendicular to the vertical line n passing through the central axis of the pressing roller on the downstream side in a direction substantially orthogonal to the moving direction of the support unit 56. A tangent line that forms a substantially right angle on the circumferential surface of the downstream pressing roller intersects with the guide inclined portion (a relationship in which the T arrow abuts), while the guide inclined portion (205) and the guide inclined portion The presser roller 70 located on the upstream side is the upstream presser on the guide inclined portion side surrounded by a straight line m passing through the central axis of the upstream presser roller and a perpendicular line substantially perpendicular to the straight line m. 5. The sheet processing apparatus according to 4, wherein the guide upstream portion of the guide inclined portion corresponds to a range of the roller peripheral surface (a relationship in which the T arrow abuts).
According to this, when the folding loop is moved from the press roller to the guide portion and from the guide portion to the press roller while being pressed, the end of the folded sheet is caught between the press rollers and between the guide portion and the press roller. And the occurrence of jam can be suppressed.

8. A pressing roller 70 that presses the folding loop BL of the folded sheet from the thickness direction, and the pressing roller 70 is moved along the folding loop so as to face each other, and the pressing roller from the downstream to the upstream in the moving direction. And support units 56 arranged in a plurality of rows so that the interval between them is gradually reduced, and a guide plate having a guide inclined portion 205 that guides a folding loop between the pressing rollers before and after the movement direction of the support unit 56. 201, and the pressure roller 70 on the downstream side with respect to the guide inclined portion 205 and the guide inclined portion 205 are in a perpendicular line n passing through the central axis of the pressure roller on the downstream side in a direction substantially orthogonal to the moving direction of the support unit. The tangent line which is substantially perpendicular to the circumferential surface of the presser roller on the downstream side intersects with the guide inclined portion (the relationship where the T arrow abuts), The guide inclined portion 205 and the presser roller 70 positioned on the upstream side of the guide inclined portion are surrounded by a straight line m passing through the central axis of the upstream-side presser roller and a perpendicular line substantially perpendicular to the straight line. In the sheet processing apparatus, the guide upstream portion of the guide inclined portion corresponds to the range of the upstream presser roller peripheral surface on the guide inclined portion side (the relationship in which the PT arrow abuts). is there.
According to this, since folding is performed step by step, the folded sheet is opened after stacking and the amount of stacking is reduced, and the folding loop from the pressing roller to the guide portion and from the guide portion to the pressing roller is moved while pressing. In this case, the folded sheet end portion is less likely to be caught between the pressing rollers and between the guide portion and the pressing roller, and jamming can be suppressed.

9. 9. The sheet processing according to 8 above, wherein among the press rollers 70 arranged in a plurality of rows, at least the press rollers in the last row in the movement direction (the third upper press roller 75 and the third lower press roller 76) are elastically urged to each other. Device.
According to this, since the last row is pressed and biased, even a thin folded sheet with a small number of folded sheets can be reliably folded.

10. An image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, and a sheet processing device that performs a predetermined sheet processing on the sheet from the image forming unit, the sheet processing device according to any one of 1 to 9 above An image forming apparatus including the apparatus.
According to this, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus having the effects described in 1 to 9 above.

  In the description of the effects in the above-described embodiment, the constituent elements in the claims are indicated in parentheses for each part of the present embodiment, or a reference numeral is attached to clarify the relationship between the two.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the present invention, and all technical matters included in the technical idea described in the claims are described in the present invention. The subject of the invention. The embodiments described so far show preferred examples, but those skilled in the art will realize various alternatives, modifications, variations, and improvements from the contents disclosed in this specification. These are included in the technical scope described in the appended claims.

A Image forming apparatus B Sheet processing apparatus X Binding position Y Folding position BS Folded sheet bundle BL Folding loop BL1 Folding loop tip (crease)
PA sheet bundle moving direction UB support unit moving (pressing) direction 35 stacker unit 40 saddle stitching stapler 45 folding roller 49 bundle discharging roller 50 step folding unit 53 right side plate 54 left side plate 55 connection angle 56 support unit (moving member)
57 Upper guide rail 58 Lower guide rail 60 Upper slide block 61 Lower slide block 62 Step folding base plate 63 Right pulley 64 Left pulley 65 Moving belt 66 Transmission gear 67 Motor output gear 68 Motor gear unit 69 Drive motor 70 Pressing roller (pressing member )
71 First upper presser roller 72 First lower presser roller 73 Second upper presser roller 74 Second lower presser roller 75 Third upper presser roller 76 Third lower presser roller 77 Presser roller shaft 78a First upper presser roller shaft 78b First Lower presser roller shaft 79a Second upper presser roller shaft 79b Second lower presser roller shaft 80a Third upper presser roller shaft 80b Third lower presser roller shaft 81 Presser roller unit 82a First upper presser roller unit 82b First lower presser roller unit 83a Second upper presser roller unit 83b Second lower presser roller unit 84a Third upper presser roller unit 84b Third lower presser roller unit 85 Presser roller frame 86a First upper presser roller frame 86b First lower presser roller frame 87a Second upper Presser roller frame 87b Second lower presser roller frame 88a Third upper presser roller frame 88b Third lower presser roller frame 90 Presser roller support arm 91af Arm hook 91a First upper presser roller support arm 91b First lower presser roller support arm 92a Second upper presser roller support arm 92af Arm hook 92b Second lower presser roller Support arm 93a Third upper presser roller support arm 93b Third lower presser roller support arm 94 Support arm slot 95 Leading unit side plate 96 Trailing unit side plate 97 Leading side plate opening 98 Trailing side plate opening 100 First folding line 101 Second folding Line 102 Final fold line 103 End crease 140 Presser roller bracket 141a First upper presser roller bracket 141b First lower presser roller bracket 142a Second upper presser roller bracket 142b Second lower presser roller bracket 143a Third upper presser roller bracket 143b 3 Lower presser roller bracket 144 Bracket slot 145a Frame notch right 145b Frame notch left 146 Presser roller press spring 147a First upper presser roller press spring 147b First lower presser roller press spring 148a Second upper presser roller press spring 148b Second lower pressing roller pressing spring 149a Third upper pressing roller pressing spring 149b Third lower pressing roller pressing spring 157 Roller bracket shaft 158 E ring 160 Pressing roller spring receiver 161a First upper pressing roller spring receiver 161b First lower pressing roller spring receiver 162a Second upper presser roller spring receiver 162b Second lower presser roller spring receiver 163a Third upper presser roller spring receiver 163b Third lower presser roller spring receiver 180 Unit adjustment screw 181a First upper presser roller unit adjustment screw 181b First lower presser Roller unit adjustment screw 182a Second upper presser roller unit adjustment screw 182b Second lower presser roller unit adjustment screw 183a Third upper presser roller unit adjustment screw 183b Third lower presser roller unit adjustment screw 185 Base plate adjustment hole 186b First lower frame adjustment Hole 187b Second lower frame adjustment hole 188b Third lower frame adjustment hole 201 Guide plate 201a First upper guide plate 201b First lower guide plate 202a Second upper guide plate 202b Second lower guide plate 203 Guide portion 203a First upper guide Portion 203b first lower guide portion 204a second upper guide portion 204b second lower guide portion 205 guide inclined portion 205a first upper guide inclined portion 205b first lower guide inclined portion 206a second upper guide inclined portion 206b second lower guide inclined Part 207 Upstream portion 207a first upper guide upstream portion 207b first lower guide upstream portion 208a second upper guide upstream portion 208b second lower guide upstream portion 209 guide downstream portion 209a first upper guide downstream portion 209b first lower guide downstream portion 210a Second upper guide downstream portion 210b Second lower guide downstream portion 211 Guide protrusion 211a First upper guide protrusion (convex portion)
213 Guide locking portion 213a First upper guide locking portion 300 Frame upstream side surface 302 Upstream notch portion 304 First upper guide plate downstream side surface 306 Downstream side protruding portion (convex portion)

Claims (10)

A presser roller that presses the folding loop of the folded sheet from its thickness direction;
A support unit that supports the plurality of rows so that the press rollers are opposed to each other and moved along the folding loop and the intervals between the press rollers are gradually reduced from the downstream to the upstream in the moving direction,
In this support unit, a sheet processing apparatus is provided in which a guide member for guiding a folding loop is disposed between press rollers in the front and rear of the moving direction. The guide member includes a guide plate having a guide portion, and the guide portion is disposed between the press rollers so as to extend in the moving direction and expose the front and rear press roller peripheral surfaces. The press roller and the guide The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the folding loop is guided in a funnel cross-section with the section. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the guide plate is positioned between press rollers before and after the movement direction, and is positioned by a press roller upstream or downstream in the movement direction.   The guide portions are provided so as to face each other, and the pair of guide portions are formed with a guide inclined portion that is formed so that the downstream side is wide and the upstream side is narrow between the front and rear press rollers in the moving direction and is inclined according to the positions of the front and rear press rollers. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is formed. The guide roller and the guide inclined portion located on the upstream side in the movement direction of the support unit are such that a tangent line that is substantially perpendicular to a straight line passing through the central axis of the press roller in a direction substantially orthogonal to the movement direction of the support unit. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is disposed so as to intersect with the inclined portion. The guide inclined portion and the press roller positioned upstream in the moving direction of the support unit of the guide inclined portion are surrounded by a straight line in the unit moving direction passing through the central axis of the press roller and a perpendicular line substantially perpendicular to the straight line. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the guide upstream portion of the guide inclined portion is arranged in a relationship corresponding to a range of the pressing roller peripheral surface on the guide portion side. The presser roller on the downstream side with respect to the guide inclined part and the guide inclined part are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the support unit and perpendicular to the center axis of the presser roller on the downstream side. The tangent line that is substantially perpendicular to the surface is arranged so as to intersect the guide inclined portion, while the guide inclined portion and the press roller located upstream of the guide inclined portion are the center of the upstream press roller. The guide upstream portion of the guide inclined portion corresponds to the range of the circumferential surface of the press roller on the upstream side of the guide inclined portion surrounded by a straight line in the unit moving direction passing through the axis and a perpendicular line substantially perpendicular to the straight line. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is arranged. A presser roller for pressing the folding loop of the folded sheet from its thickness direction;
A support unit arranged in a plurality of rows such that the press rollers are opposed to each other and moved along the folding loop and the intervals between the press rollers are gradually reduced from the downstream to the upstream in the moving direction,
A guide plate having a guide inclined portion for guiding a folding loop between the pressing rollers before and after the movement direction of the support unit is provided,
The presser roller on the downstream side with respect to the guide inclined part and the guide inclined part are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the support unit and perpendicular to the center axis of the presser roller on the downstream side. The tangent line that is substantially perpendicular to the surface is arranged so as to intersect the guide inclined portion, while the guide inclined portion and the press roller located upstream of the guide inclined portion are the center of the upstream press roller. The guide upstream portion of the guide inclined portion corresponds to the range of the circumferential surface of the press roller on the upstream side of the guide inclined portion surrounded by a straight line in the unit moving direction passing through the axis and a perpendicular line substantially perpendicular to the straight line. A sheet processing apparatus which is arranged. 8. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein among the press rollers arranged in a plurality of rows, at least the press rollers in the last row in the movement direction are elastically urged to each other. An image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet;
A sheet processing apparatus that performs predetermined sheet processing on a sheet from the image forming unit, and the sheet processing apparatus includes the sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9. An image forming apparatus.