JP2018103523A - Bookbinding device and method of cooling glued area of bundle of sheets - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bookbinding device that can cool a glued area of a bundle of sheets well.SOLUTION: A bookbinding device that glues and binds a bundle of sheets including multiple sheets includes: determination means that determines a heat capacity of the bundle of sheets; and cooling means that cools a glued area of the bundle of sheets according to a result of determination by the judging means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

  The present invention relates to a bookbinding apparatus that binds and binds an adhesive on the back of a sheet bundle, and more particularly to a method for cooling a glued region of a sheet bundle.

  For bookbinding of a sheet bundle, a bookbinding apparatus is known in which an adhesive is applied to the back end face of the aligned sheet bundle and bound in this state or bound to a cover sheet. Patent Document 1 discloses a bookbinding apparatus that applies an adhesive to a sheet bundle that moves along a processing path, binds the book, and then cuts the book. In such a bookbinding apparatus, it is necessary to cool and solidify the adhesive of the sheet bundle when transferring from the bookbinding binding position to the cutting position. Then, the peripheral edge of the sheet bundle that has been cooled and solidified to such an extent that there is no hindrance to trimming is trimmed and the end faces are aligned. In Patent Document 1, a cooling plate made of metal or the like is provided at the binding position, and the cooling plate is kept waiting for a predetermined time while the adhesive surface of the sheet bundle is abutted against the cooling plate, and then trimming is cut at the downstream cutting position. .

  In such a configuration, it is necessary to set the cooling time for waiting the sheet bundle in accordance with the bookbinding process of the maximum allowable thickness with the maximum size sheet. Further, it is necessary to wait for the subsequent sheet not to be carried into the processing path upstream of the bookbinding position. For this reason, Patent Document 2 provides a conveyor-like circulation conveyance path between a first stage for applying an adhesive to a sheet bundle and binding the cover sheet to a cover sheet, and a second stage for perforating the sheet bundle. The configuration is disclosed. In Patent Document 2, the length of the circulation conveyance path is adjusted in accordance with the drying time of the adhesive so that the adhesive dries while the sheet bundle circulates in the circulation conveyance path.

JP 2005-305822 A JP 07-257809 A

  As described above, it is necessary to provide a predetermined cooling time for the sheet bundle until it is sent from the binding position to the cutting position. However, the toner images are fixed on the sheets constituting the sheet bundle by printing, and the heat capacity increases if the amount of the fixed toner is large, that is, if the printing rate is high. In such a case, the temperature of the sheet bundle becomes higher than that in the case where the printing rate is low, and the adhesive is not sufficiently hardened in the predetermined cooling time, and the product or cutting waste This sticks to the transport path, causing paper jams and the quality of the product to deteriorate.

  The present invention provides a bookbinding apparatus capable of satisfactorily cooling a glued area of a sheet bundle and a method for cooling a glued area of a sheet bundle.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, a bookbinding apparatus for gluing and binding a sheet bundle including a plurality of sheets includes: a determination unit that determines a heat capacity of the sheet bundle; and a determination unit that determines a glued area of the sheet bundle. And cooling means for cooling according to the result.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to satisfactorily cool the glued region of the sheet bundle.

1 is a configuration diagram of an image forming system according to an embodiment. FIG. The block diagram of the bookbinding apparatus by one Embodiment. The enlarged view from the cover binding part of the bookbinding apparatus by one Embodiment to a storage stacker. The enlarged view near the cutting part of the bookbinding apparatus by one Embodiment. 1 is a diagram illustrating a control configuration of an image forming system according to an embodiment. FIG. The flowchart of the bookbinding process by one Embodiment. The flowchart of the bookbinding process by one Embodiment. The flowchart of the bookbinding process by one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing of the determination method of the cooling time by one Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the following embodiment is an illustration and does not limit this invention to the content of embodiment. In the following drawings, components that are not necessary for the description of the embodiments are omitted from the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an image forming system according to the present embodiment. The image forming system includes an image forming apparatus A that sequentially prints sheets, a bookbinding apparatus B that is disposed on the downstream side of the image forming apparatus A, and a post-processing apparatus C that is disposed on the downstream side of the bookbinding apparatus B. It is equipped with. The bookbinding apparatus B performs a bookbinding process on the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus A, and further performs trimming. Further, a sheet that is not subjected to bookbinding is passed through the bookbinding apparatus B, and the sheet is post-processed by the post-processing apparatus C.

  The image forming apparatus A includes a paper feeding unit 2, an image forming unit 3, and an image forming control unit 4 in a casing 1. The sheet feeding unit 2 includes a plurality of cassettes 5 corresponding to the sheet size, and a sheet having a size designated by the image forming control unit 4 is sent out to the sheet feeding path 6. A registration roller 7 is provided in the sheet feeding path 6, and after the leading edges of the sheets are aligned, the sheet is fed to the image forming unit 3 at a predetermined timing. The image forming unit 3 includes an electrostatic drum 10. A print head 9, a developing device 11, a transfer charger 12, and the like are disposed around the electrostatic drum 10. The print head 9 has, for example, a laser emitter and forms an electrostatic latent image on the electrostatic drum 10. The developing device 11 forms a toner image on the electrostatic drum 10 by attaching toner to the electrostatic latent image. The transfer charger 12 transfers the toner image on the electrostatic drum 10 to a sheet. Thereafter, the sheet on which the toner image is formed is conveyed to the fixing device 13. The fixing device 13 heats and pressurizes the sheet to thermally fix the toner image on the sheet. After fixing the toner image, the sheet is carried out to the paper discharge path 17. In the paper discharge path 17, a paper discharge roller 15 is provided. When an image is formed on only one side of the sheet, the sheet is discharged from the paper discharge port 14 to the bookbinding apparatus B. On the other hand, when images are formed on both sides of the sheet, the sheet is sent to the circulation path 16 by the reverse rotation of the paper discharge roller 15 and then discharged to the bookbinding apparatus B.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus A includes a reading unit 20. The reading unit 20 includes a platen 23 on which an original sheet is placed, a carriage 21 that scans an image of the original with light along the platen 23, an optical reading unit 22 that photoelectrically converts an optical image from the carriage 21, and It has. The document feeder 25 sequentially feeds the placed document sheets to the platen 23. The image formation control unit 4 controls the image forming apparatus A, the bookbinding apparatus B, and the post-processing apparatus C.

  First, the conveyance path of each sheet in the bookbinding apparatus B will be described. In the casing 30, a carry-in path 31 having a carry-in port 29 connected to the paper discharge port 14 of the image forming apparatus A is provided. An intermediate sheet conveyance path 32 and a cover sheet conveyance path 34 are connected to the carry-in path 31 via a path switching flapper 36. A bookbinding path 33 is coupled to the intermediate sheet conveyance path 32 via the stacking unit 40, and a post-processing path 38 of the post-processing apparatus C is coupled to the cover sheet conveyance path 34. The bookbinding path 33 is arranged to cut the apparatus in the vertical direction, and the cover sheet conveyance path 34 is arranged to cross the apparatus in the horizontal direction.

  The bookbinding path 33 and the cover transport path 34 intersect (orthogonal) each other, and a cover binding section 60 is disposed at the intersection. The carry-in path 31 receives a print sheet from the image forming apparatus A. The print sheets are classified into those printed with content information (hereinafter referred to as saddle stitch sheets) and those printed with titles used as cover covers (hereinafter referred to as cover sheets). The carry-in path 31 is branched into a middle sheet conveyance path 32 and a cover sheet conveyance path 34, and each print sheet is distributed and conveyed to each path via a path switching flapper 36.

  An inserter device 26 is also connected to the carry-in path 31. The inserter device 26 separates the sheets stacked on the paper feed tray 26 a one by one and sends them to the paper feed path 27. The paper feed path 27 is connected to the carry-in path 31 via a path switching piece 28. Therefore, the bookbinding apparatus B can perform bookbinding processing of not only the sheet printed by the image forming apparatus A but also other sheets.

  In addition, a transport roller 31 a is disposed in the carry-in path 31, and a transport roller 32 a is disposed in the intermediate paper transport path 32. Further, a grip transport unit 47, a bundle posture deflection unit 64, and a paper discharge roller 66 are arranged in the bookbinding path 33. Further, a transport roller 34 a is disposed on the cover sheet transport path 34, and a transport roller 38 a is disposed on the post-processing path 38. Further, sheet sensors Se1 to Se6 for detecting the leading edge and / or the trailing edge of the sheet are arranged at the positions shown in FIG.

  The stacking tray 41 disposed at the paper discharge port 32x of the intermediate paper conveyance path 32 stacks and stores sheets from the paper discharge port 32x in a bundle. As shown in FIG. 2, the stacking tray 41 is constituted by members arranged in a horizontal posture, and a forward / reverse roller 42a and a carry-in guide 42b are provided above the tray. The print sheet from the paper discharge port 32x is guided onto the stacking tray 41 by the carry-in guide 42b, and is stored in the stacking tray 41 by the forward / reverse rotation roller 42a.

  This forward / reverse roller 42a transfers the print sheet to the front end side of the stacking tray 41 by forward rotation, and reversely rotates the sheet rear end to the rear end abutting member 43 arranged at the rear end of the stacking tray (right end in FIG. 1). Restrict the butting. Further, the stacking tray 41 is provided with a side aligning section (not shown), and both side edges of the print sheets stored in the stacking tray 41 are aligned to the reference position. With such a configuration, the print sheets from the intermediate paper conveyance path 32 are sequentially stacked on the stacking tray 41 and are aligned in a bundle.

  The bookbinding path 33 is provided with a grip conveyance unit 47, a folding roll 63, and a paper discharge roller 66 as conveyance units for conveying the sheet bundle. By this transport unit, the sheet bundle is transported from the stacking tray 41 in the order of the adhesive application position E, the bookbinding and binding position F, and the cutting position G shown in FIG.

  The grip transport unit 47 is configured by a pair of nip members, and grips the sheet bundle stacked on the stacking tray 41 and deflects the posture of the sheet bundle by turning the sheet bundle 90 degrees in the gripped state. Then, the sheet bundle accumulated on the accumulation tray 41 is deflected from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture, and the sheet bundle is conveyed to the adhesive application position E along the bookbinding path 33. For this reason, the stacking tray 41 is moved from the stacking position (solid line in FIG. 2) to the transfer position (broken line in FIG. 2), and the sheet bundle is transferred to the grip transport unit 47 prepared at the transfer position. .

  The folding roll 63 is configured by a pair of rollers so as to fold the back-folded sheet bundle at the same time as the sheet bundle is conveyed from the bookbinding binding position F to the downstream cutting position G. The paper discharge roller 66 is composed of a pair of rollers that carry the sheet bundle to the storage stacker 67 on the downstream side. A bundle posture deflection unit 64 is provided between the folding roll 63 and the cutting position G, and the bundle posture deflection unit 64 also conveys the sheet bundle.

  Note that the stacking tray 41 or the grip transport unit 47 is provided with a bundle thickness detection unit (not shown). The bundle thickness detection unit detects the thickness of the sheet bundle accumulated on the accumulation tray 41. For example, the number of sheets carried out by the sheet sensor Se3 disposed at the paper discharge port 32x can be counted, and the thickness of the sheet bundle can be calculated from the average thickness of the sheets. In addition, a level sensor that contacts the uppermost sheet of the stacking tray 41 is provided, and the thickness of the sheet bundle can be detected by detecting the position of the level sensor. Further, the grip conveying section 47 is configured by a fixed gripper and a movable gripper, and the thickness of the sheet bundle can be detected by detecting a position where the movable gripper contacts the paper surface with a slidac sensor.

  The thickness of the sheet bundle detected by the bundle thickness detection unit can be used for adjusting the coating amount when the adhesive application unit 55 applies the adhesive to the sheet bundle. In the first cooling stage Fs and the second cooling stage Gs, which will be described later, the thickness of the sheet bundle can be used as information for setting the total cooling time for cooling and solidifying the applied adhesive.

  An adhesive application part 55 is disposed at the adhesive application position E in the bookbinding path 33. As shown in FIG. 2, the adhesive application unit 55 includes a paste container 56 that stores a hot-melt adhesive, an application roll 57, and a roll rotation motor MR. The glue container 56 is provided with a glue sensor 56S for detecting the remaining amount of adhesive. The glue sensor 56S also serves as an adhesive temperature sensor, and detects the temperature of the liquefied adhesive in the glue container 56, and at the same time, detects the remaining amount of adhesive based on the temperature difference of the part immersed in the adhesive. .

  The glue container 56 is embedded with a heating unit (not shown) such as an electric heater. The glue sensor 56S and the heating unit are connected to a CPU 75 described later, and adjust the temperature of the adhesive in the glue container 56 to a predetermined melting temperature. The coating roll 57 is made of a heat-resistant porous material, and is configured so as to impregnate the glue and swell the glue layer around the roll. Then, the glue container 56 reciprocates with a predetermined stroke from the home position along the sheet bundle, and an adhesive is applied to the edge of the sheet bundle by the application roll 57 in the glue container 56 in the process of the reciprocation.

  A cover binding portion 60 is arranged at the bookbinding binding position F of the bookbinding path 33. As shown in FIG. 3, the cover binding portion 60 includes a back plate 61, back folding plates 62 (62 a and 62 b), and a folding roll 63. Further, the cover sheet is transported from the cover transport path 34 to the bookbinding binding position F. The back plate 61 is composed of a plate-like member that backs up the cover sheet, and joins the cover sheet sent from the cover transport path 34 and the intermediate sheet (bundle) sent from the bookbinding path 33 in an inverted T shape. Back up the cover sheet. Further, the back plate 61 functions as a cooling unit that cools the back binding portion of the sheet bundle that is bound in a booklet shape. That is, in the present embodiment, the first cooling stage Fs is provided at the binding position F. The back plate 61 is made of a material having excellent thermal conductivity such as metal, and cools the back binding portion (adhesion portion) of the sheet bundle to solidify the adhesive. The back plate 61 may be configured to use a cooling element (Peltier element) for the metal plate.

  The back support plate 61 is disposed in the bookbinding path 33 so as to freely advance and retreat, and transfers the bound sheet bundle to the cutting position G on the downstream side. Therefore, the back plate 61 is configured to be movable between an operating position inside the bookbinding path 33 and a standby position outside the bookbinding path 33 by rotation of a motor (not shown).

  The back fold plate 62 is disposed on the upstream side of the back plate 61 and folds the cover sheet supported by the back plate 61 back. For this reason, the back folding plate 62 includes back folding plates 62 a and 62 b arranged on the left and right sides of the bookbinding path 33. The back folding plates 62a and 62b are configured to be able to approach and separate from each other. The back folding plates 62a and 62b are connected to the operating motor 62M via a rack gear 62r and a transmission pinion 62p, respectively. Accordingly, when the left and right actuation motors 62M are rotated by the same amount, the pressure surfaces of the back folding plates 62a and 62b bend the back binding portion of the cover sheet to form a back cover. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper guide 34g forming the cover transport path 34 is configured to swing up and down together with the transport roller 34a to open the bookbinding path 33.

  The cover sheet fed and set to the cover transport path 34 by the back support plate 61 and the back folding plate 62 is backed up and supported by the back support plate 61, and the bundle of intermediate paper sheets sent from the bookbinding path 33 by the grip transport section 47 is used. It is abutted in an inverted T shape. After the joining, by bringing the back folding plates 62a and 62b closer to each other in the joining direction, the cover sheet is folded across the middle sheet bundle to form a spine cover. The folding roll 63 disposed on the downstream side of the back plate 61 includes a pair of rollers that are in pressure contact with each other, and one of the rollers is configured to move in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction according to the thickness of the sheet bundle. Has been.

  On the downstream side of the folding roll 63, a bundle posture deflecting unit 64 that deflects the top and bottom direction of the sheet bundle and a cutting unit 65 that trims and cuts the periphery of the sheet bundle are disposed. The bundle posture deflection unit 64 deflects the sheet bundle mounted from the bookbinding binding position F in a predetermined direction (posture) and feeds the sheet bundle to the cutting position G on the downstream side. That is, the deflection and cutting of the bundle posture is repeated in the order of the top portion, the ground portion, and the fore edge portion (when trimming in three directions) for the sheet bundle sent from the bookbinding position F. Further, at the time of unidirectional trimming, the sheet bundle fed with the back binding portion on the lower side is turned 180 degrees and the fore edge portion is fed and set to the cutting position G. Similarly, in the case of two-way trimming, the sheet bundle is turned and fed to the cutting position G. After the cutting, the sheet bundle is turned again and set to the cutting position G.

  Therefore, the bundle posture deflecting unit 64 includes a pair of left and right rotary tables 64a and 64b. The rotary tables 64a and 64b are rotatably attached to the unit frame 64x, and are connected to the turning motors Mt1 and Mt2, respectively. Further, one of the rotary tables 64a and 64b is attached so as to be movable in the sheet bundle thickness direction, and the grip motor Mg moves the movable rotary table 64b in the width direction.

  The unit frame 64x configured as described above is supported by the apparatus frame so as to be movable up and down along the bookbinding path 33. Then, the sheet bundle is fed and set to the cutting position G by the lifting motor MS and the lifting belt 53, and the trimming cut amount is set at this time. The sheet sensor Se <b> 4 detects the rear end of the sheet bundle that has passed through the folding roll 63.

  Accordingly, the sheet bundle guided into the bookbinding path 33 is gripped and gripped by the pair of left and right rotary tables 64a and 64b, and the posture direction is deflected by the turning motors Mt1 and Mt2. For example, the sheet bundle loaded with the back portion on the lower side is rotated by 180 degrees, and the fore edge portion is sent to the downstream discharge roller 66 on the lower side. Further, it is possible to perform a trimming cut in which the sheet bundle is sequentially rotated by 90 degrees, and the top portion, the ground portion, and the fore edge portion are deflected downward at the cutting position G on the downstream side to cut the three peripheral directions of the sheet bundle. Note that a grip sensor (not shown) is provided on the movable rotary table 64b, and detects that the sheet bundle is securely gripped between the left and right rotary tables 64a and 64b. And after detection, it is comprised so that rotation table 64a, 64b may be rotationally driven.

  A cutting unit 65 is disposed on the downstream side of the bundle posture deflection unit 64. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cutting unit 65 includes a cutting edge press unit 65b that presses the cutting edge of the sheet bundle against the backup member 58, and a cutting blade unit 65a. The cutting edge press portion 65b includes a pressing member 65y that presses the sheet bundle and an urging portion (not shown) that applies pressure to the pressing member 65y. The cutting blade unit 65a includes a flat blade-shaped cutting blade 65x and a cutter motor (driving means) Mc that reciprocates the cutting blade 65x. By the cutting unit 65 having such a configuration, a predetermined amount of the periphery of the sheet bundle that has been bound into a booklet is cut and aligned.

  In the present embodiment, the second cooling stage Gs is set at the cutting position G, and the back binding portion (adhesive glue) of the sheet bundle that is bound by the cutting blade 65x is cooled at this position. For this reason, the cutting blade 65x and the holder member 65v on which the cutting blade 65x is mounted are each made of a metal material having a high thermal conductivity and function as a cooling unit. In the present embodiment, a cooling fan 80 is further provided near the cutting position G. The cooling fan 80 cools not only the cutting blade 65x that functions as a cooling unit, but also the back binding portion.

  In the bookbinding path 33 from the bookbinding binding position F to the cutting position G, the first cooling stage Fs is disposed on the upstream side, and the second cooling stage Gs is disposed on the downstream side. In the present embodiment, the first cooling stage Fs is set at the binding position F, and the second cooling stage Gs is set at the cutting position G. This is because the cooling unit arranged in each stage is also used as the bookbinding processing unit. That is, the back binding portion of the sheet bundle is forcibly cooled by the back plate 61 provided in the first cooling stage Fs, and the back binding portion of the sheet bundle is forcibly cooled by the cutting blade 65x provided in the second cooling stage Gs. ing. Note that the first and second cooling stages Fs and Gs may be arranged at positions different from the bookbinding binding position F and the cutting position G. In that case, each cooling stage is provided with a cooling unit including a metal member for cooling, and cools the back binding portion of the sheet bundle.

  Further, the interval L0 between the first cooling stage Fs and the second cooling stage Gs is set to be longer than the length Ls in the conveying direction of the maximum size sheet. That is, the path length is set to a dimension in which the rear end of the sheet bundle whose leading end has reached the cutting position G is located downstream of the bookbinding binding position F. Thus, the sheet bundle can be swung for posture deflection downstream of the bookbinding binding position F, and the binding operation of the subsequent sheet bundle can be executed in parallel at the bookbinding binding position F. With such a configuration, it is possible to control to execute the binding operation of the subsequent sheet bundle at the bookbinding binding position F in accordance with the operation time of the cutting process of the preceding sheet bundle at the cutting position G.

  A paper discharge roller 66 and a storage stacker 67 are disposed on the downstream side of the cutting position G. The paper discharge roller 66 is composed of a pair of rollers 66a and 66b. The storage stacker 67 stores the sheet bundle in an inverted posture as shown in FIG. Further, the storage stacker 67 is arranged in a drawer shape on the casing 30 and is configured to be able to be pulled out to the front side of the apparatus (the front side in FIG. 1). The user can take out from the upper side of FIG. The full detection sensor 67Sf detects the full state of the sheet bundle stored in the storage stacker 67 and warns the operator of the removal.

  Below the cutting position G, a waste storage box 68 is provided in parallel with the storage stacker 67, and stores a piece of paper cut by the cutting blade 65x. Therefore, a sweeper 69 is provided immediately below the cutting position G. The sweeper 69 swings left and right in FIG. 2 by a drive motor (not shown), and when cutting a sheet bundle, the sweeper 69 is positioned immediately below the cutting position G and guides the cut piece to the waste storage box 68. After cutting, the sweeper 69 cuts the sheet bundle. The sheet bundle is retracted from the position G and can be stored in the storage stacker 67. The waste storage box 68 is provided with a full detection sensor 68Sf for detecting the storage amount of the cut paper pieces stored inside.

  The bookbinding apparatus B is provided with a post-processing apparatus C, and the post-processing apparatus C is provided with a post-processing path 38 connected to the cover sheet transport path 34. Post-processing devices such as a staple unit, a punch unit, and a stamp unit are arranged in the post-processing path 38. The post-processing apparatus C receives the print sheet from the image forming apparatus A via the cover sheet conveyance path 34, performs a staple process, a punch process, a seal process, and the like on the print sheet, and conveys the print sheet to the discharge tray 37. Further, the sheet from the image forming apparatus A that is not subjected to such post-processing is stored in the paper discharge tray 37.

  Next, the control configuration of the image forming system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In a system in which an image forming apparatus A and a bookbinding apparatus B are connected as shown in FIG. 1, for example, a control panel 71 is connected to a CPU 70 included in an image forming control unit 4 that is a control unit of the image forming apparatus A. Further, the CPU 70 functions as the mode setting unit 72 by executing a control program. A CPU 75 is provided in the controller of the bookbinding apparatus B. The CPU 75 reads the bookbinding processing execution program from the ROM 76 and executes it to control the bookbinding apparatus B under the control of the CPU 70. The CPU 75 stores data necessary for control of the control device B, temporary data, and the like in the RAM 77.

  When image forming conditions are set from the control panel 71, the CPU 70 controls the image forming unit 3 and the paper feeding unit 2 in the image forming apparatus A according to the setting conditions. At the same time, a mode setting unit 72 is configured in the CPU 70, and a control mode for post-processing operations in the bookbinding apparatus B is set from the control panel 71. As the control mode, there are “bookbinding mode”, “bookbinding cutting mode”, “printout mode”, “post-processing mode”, and the like.

  The “bookbinding mode” is a mode in which image-formed sheets are aligned in a bundle and bound into a cover sheet (a top-bound bookbinding without a cover is also possible) and stored in the storage stacker 67 without being trimmed in this binding state. . The “bookbinding cutting mode” is a mode in which an intermediate sheet bundle coated with an adhesive is bound and bound with a cover sheet at the binding position F, and the periphery thereof is trimmed and stored in the storage stacker 67. The “print-out mode” is a mode in which the sheet sent to the carry-in path 31 is stored in the paper discharge tray 37 of the post-processing apparatus C via the cover transport path 34 without performing the bookbinding process. In the “post-processing mode”, the sheet sent to the carry-in path 31 is guided to the post-processing apparatus C via the cover transport path 34 without performing the bookbinding process, and the staple process, the punch process, and the seal process are performed by this apparatus. This is a mode for carrying out to the delivery paper discharge tray 37.

  In the “bookbinding cutting mode”, the bound sheet bundle is trimmed by one of the following methods. The first method is three-way cutting (three-way trimming) for cutting the top portion, the ground portion, and the fore edge portion of the bound sheet bundle. The second method is one-way cutting (one-way trimming) for cutting the fore edge. The third method is a two-way trimming (two-way trimming) of the top / ground / top / edge / edge / edge / edge. This trimming finishing method is also acquired by the mode setting unit 72 from the control panel 71 of the image forming apparatus A, for example. However, the bookbinding apparatus B may be provided with a control panel (not shown) and input from this panel. Further, a configuration in which the setting is made from a controller such as a computer connected to the bookbinding apparatus B may be adopted.

  In the present embodiment, the CPU 75 functions as the cooling condition setting unit 78 by executing the control program. The cooling condition setting unit 78 first determines the heat capacity of the sheet bundle, and determines the total cooling time TA of the sheet bundle based on the determined heat capacity. In the image forming apparatus A, the sheet is heated by the fixing device 13 for fixing the toner image on the sheet. At this time, the greater the amount of toner attached to each sheet of the sheet bundle, the greater the heat capacity of the sheet bundle, and the greater the amount of cooling required to cool the sheet. The printing rate is the ratio of the area where the toner image is attached to the image forming area of the sheet or the area of the entire sheet. Further, as the thickness of the sheet bundle increases, the heat capacity of the sheet bundle increases and the amount of cooling required to cool the sheet increases. Therefore, in this embodiment, the heat capacity is determined by a combination of the printing rate and thickness of the sheet bundle. Specifically, the total cooling time TA for the combination of the sheet bundle printing rate and the sheet bundle thickness is determined in advance and stored in the RAM 77.

  FIG. 9 is a table showing the relationship between the total cooling time TA, the thickness of the sheet bundle, and the printing rate. The printing rate is an average value of the printing rates of the sheets included in the sheet bundle. For example, FIG. 9 shows that the total cooling time TA is 30 seconds when the printing rate is greater than 40% and 70% or less and the thickness of the sheet bundle is 0 to 10 mm. As shown in FIG. 9, the total cooling time TA becomes longer as the printing rate increases, and becomes longer as the thickness of the sheet bundle increases. Instead of determining the heat capacity based on the combination of the sheet bundle printing rate and the sheet bundle thickness, the heat capacity may be determined based on the sheet bundle printing rate or the sheet bundle thickness. The cooling condition setting unit 78 acquires the thickness of the sheet bundle on the stacking tray 41 detected by the bundle thickness detection unit. Further, the cooling condition setting unit 78 acquires the printing rate of each sheet included in the sheet bundle from the CPU 70 of the image forming apparatus A. And the cooling condition setting part 78 determines the total cooling time TA corresponding to this based on the table of FIG.

  The cooling condition setting unit 78 distributes the total cooling time TA into a cooling time Ft at the first cooling stage Fs and a cooling time Gt at the second cooling stage G. This allocation of the cooling time is performed according to the cutting process contents of the preceding sheet bundle at the cutting position G, that is, the location and / or the number of sides of the trimming cut side. Note that the relationship between the number of sides for cutting the preceding sheet bundle and the sorting is determined in advance and stored in the RAM 77 as shown in FIG. For example, in FIG. 9, if the preceding sheet bundle is to be subjected to two-way trimming, the cooling time Ft is set to 85% of the total cooling time TA, and the cooling time Gt is set to 15% of the total cooling time TA. Has been shown to do.

  As described above, the cooling condition setting unit 78 sets the cooling time Ft of the first cooling stage Fs long and sets the cooling time Gt of the second cooling stage Gs short when the number of cut sides of the preceding sheet bundle is large. This is because the cooling process is efficiently performed in the first cooling stage Fs during the cutting process of the preceding sheet bundle.

  Further, the cooling condition setting unit 78 sets the total cooling time TA for one-way trimming to be smaller than the total cooling time for two-way and three-way trimming. For example, when the total cooling time TA in the two-way trimming and the three-way trimming is “30 sec”, the total cooling time TA is set to “20 sec” in the one-way trimming. This is because the adhesive that is being cooled is not cut because the spine portion is not cut when the small edge portion is cut.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the heat capacity of the sheet bundle is determined based on a predetermined standard, and the cooling amount is determined according to the determination result. In the present embodiment, the cooling amount is controlled by the cooling time.

  Subsequently, the bookbinding process by the CPU 75 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 6 and 7. In S10, when the image forming conditions and the post-processing mode are set in the mode setting unit 72 of the image forming apparatus A from the control panel 71, the CPU 70 starts image formation in S11. Here, it is assumed that “bookbinding cutting mode” is selected as the post-processing mode. The image forming apparatus A carries out the image-formed sheet to the paper discharge port 14, and the bookbinding apparatus B receives the sheet in the carry-in path 31. At this time, the CPU 75 positions the route switching flapper 36 in the state shown in FIG. The sheets are sent to the paper discharge port 32x by the conveyance roller 32a, and are sequentially stacked and stored on the stacking tray 41 in S12. Note that the CPU 70 determines the printing rate and notifies the CPU 75 of the printing rate. When the image formation by the image forming apparatus A is completed in S13, the CPU 75 unloads the sheet bundle on the stacking tray 41 by the grip conveyance unit 47 and deflects the posture by 90 degrees. At this time, the CPU 75 detects the thickness of the sheet bundle based on a signal from the bundle thickness detection unit in S14. This detected value is stored in the RAM 77. The sheet bundle on the stacking tray 41 is deflected from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture and conveyed to the adhesive application position E in S15.

  The CPU 75 feeds the cover sheet from the cover transport path 34 in S16 before and after the feeding set of the sheet bundle to the adhesive application position E. This cover sheet may be supplied after image formation from the image forming apparatus A or supplied from the inserter apparatus 26. When the sheet is supplied from the inserter device 26, the CPU 75 separates the sheets one by one from the sheet feeding tray 26a and feeds them to the sheet feeding path 27. The sheet sent to the paper feed path 27 is transported to the transport path 31 by the transport roller 27a. At this time, the CPU 75 positions the path switching piece 28 in the state shown in FIG. The cover transport path 34 is provided with a registration mechanism 34b that corrects the posture of the sheet, and the sheet aligned by the registration mechanism 34b reaches a bookbinding binding position F by being transported a predetermined amount from this position and is set stationary. The Following this cover sheet feeding set, the CPU 75 drives the adhesive application unit 55 to apply the adhesive to the sheet bundle set at the adhesive application position E in S17.

  After applying the adhesive, the CPU 75 performs a sheet bundle cover process in S18. Specifically, the sheet bundle is transferred to the downstream bookbinding binding position F by the grip conveyance unit 47. A cover sheet is set at this position, the cover sheet is backed up by the back plate 61, and the cover sheet and the sheet bundle are joined in an inverted T shape. In this state, the back folding plate 62 press-molds the back portion of the cover sheet, and the cover processing is completed.

  Next, the CPU 75 sets a total cooling time TA in S19. As described above, the total cooling time TA is determined according to the printing rate and the thickness of the sheet bundle according to FIG. Subsequently, in S20, the CPU 75 obtains cooling times Ft and Gt in each cooling stage from the conditions of the cutting process for the preceding sheet bundle. The proportion of the total cooling time TA allocated to the cooling time Ft and the cooling time Gt is also determined in advance according to the cutting process conditions for the preceding sheet bundle, as shown in FIG. The CPU 75 detects that the cover processing has been completed using the position sensors of the back folding plates 62a and 62b. The CPU 75 waits for the elapse of the cooling time Ft in S21 after the back folding plates 62a and 62b return to the standby positions separated from each other (No in S21). When the cooling time Ft elapses (Yes in S21), the CPU 75 conveys the sheet bundle to the cutting position in S22.

  Note that before the sheet bundle reaches the cutting position, the CPU 75 moves the cutting blade 65x to the cutting position (position shown in FIG. 3). Therefore, the sheet bundle falls on the cutting blade 65x. The CPU 75 detects a timing at which the sheet bundle reaches the cutting position G with a sheet leading edge detection sensor (not shown), and waits until the cooling time Gt elapses from this timing in S23 (No in S23). Before and after the elapse of the cooling time Gt, the CPU 75 determines whether trimming cutting is set. Whether trimming cutting is set or not can be determined based on information from the mode setting unit 72. When trimming cutting is set (Yes in S24), the CPU 75 performs trimming cutting of the sheet bundle in S25 after the elapse of the cooling time Gt (Yes in S23), and cuts all the set directions. In step S26, the sheet bundle is stored in the storage stacker. On the other hand, if trimming cutting is not set (No in S24), after the cooling time Gt has elapsed (Yes in S23), the CPU 75 does not perform trimming cutting of the sheet bundle, and in S26, the sheet bundle is stored in the storage stacker. Store.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart of trimming cutting performed in S25 after cooling by the cooling unit. The CPU 75 detects the temperature of the cutting blade 65x with a temperature detection unit (not shown), and determines whether or not the temperature of the cutting blade 65x is equal to or higher than a predetermined value in S101. If it is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (Yes in S101), the cutting blade 65x is cooled by the cooling fan 80 for a predetermined time in S102. The cooling fan 80 is provided to cool both the cutting blade 65x and the sheet bundle, so that not only the cutting blade 65x but also the sheet bundle is cooled at the same time. In S103, the CPU 75 detects the temperature of the cutting blade 65x again. If the temperature is not equal to or higher than the predetermined value (No in S103), the cooling by the cooling fan 80 is stopped in S104. Thereafter, in step S105, the CPU 75 performs sheet bundle cutting. On the other hand, if it is equal to or greater than the predetermined value in S103 (Yes in S103), the sheet bundle is cut in S105 while performing the cooling operation by the cooling fan 80. If it is not greater than the predetermined value in S101 (No in S101) and the cooling operation is performed, the CPU 75 stops cooling by the cooling fan 80 in S104, and then cuts the sheet bundle in S105. Execute. On the other hand, if the value is not equal to or greater than the predetermined value in S101 (No in S101) and the cooling operation is not performed, the CPU 75 performs the cutting of the sheet bundle without performing the cooling operation by the cooling fan 80 in S105. . In step S106, the CPU 75 determines whether cutting has been performed in all designated directions. If cutting has not been performed in all directions (No in S106), the process is repeated from S101, and cutting in the remaining directions is performed. On the other hand, if cutting is being performed in all directions (Yes in S106), the CPU 75 stops cooling in S107 and ends the process.

  As described above, the heat capacity of the sheet bundle is determined, and the cooling amount of the cooling unit acting to cool and solidify the pasted area of the sheet bundle is controlled according to the determination result. For example, the cooling unit can control the cooling amount according to the cooling operation time. With this configuration, it is possible to cool the glued region with a cooling amount corresponding to the heat capacity of the sheet bundle, and thus it is possible to perform good cooling.

  In the above embodiment, a metal member is used as the cooling member of the cooling unit, and the cooling amount is controlled by controlling the cooling time. However, it is also possible to employ a configuration in which a cooling fan that is air-cooled by blowing is used as the cooling unit. In this case, the cooling fan 80 can be used as a cooling unit in the second stage Gs. Furthermore, in this case, for example, the cooling amount can be controlled by controlling the air flow rate of the cooling fan, that is, the cooling intensity, while keeping the total cooling time TA constant. In the table of FIG. Instead of time, the air volume of the cooling fan, for example, the rotational speed is set. The allocation of the total cooling time TA to the cooling time Ft and the cooling time Gt is the same as in the above embodiment. Further, the cooling amount can be controlled by controlling the cooling intensity and the cooling time.

[Other Embodiments]
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program This process can be realized. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

  61: Back plate 61, 65x: Cutting blade 65x, 78: Cooling condition setting unit, 75: CPU

Claims (11)

A bookbinding apparatus for binding and binding a sheet bundle including a plurality of sheets,
Determining means for determining the heat capacity of the sheet bundle;
Cooling means for cooling the glued area of the sheet bundle according to the determination result of the determination means;
A bookbinding apparatus comprising:   The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cooling means acts to cool and solidify an adhesive used for gluing the sheet bundle.   3. The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheets of the sheet bundle to be glued include a sheet on which a toner image is thermally fixed by an image forming apparatus and conveyed.   The determination unit determines the heat capacity of the sheet bundle based on a printing rate which is a ratio of the area of the sheet included in the sheet bundle or the area where the toner image is formed to the area of the image forming area of the sheet. The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 3.   The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the determination unit determines a heat capacity of the sheet bundle based on an average value of a printing rate of each sheet of the sheet bundle.   The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines a heat capacity of the sheet bundle based on a thickness of the sheet bundle.   7. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling unit increases a cooling amount for the glued region of the sheet bundle as the heat capacity of the sheet bundle determined by the determination unit increases. The bookbinding apparatus described.   The bookbinding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cooling unit controls a cooling operation time according to a determination result of the determination unit. The cooling means has air blowing means for air-cooling the glued region of the sheet bundle,
The bookbinding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein an air volume of the blower unit is controlled according to a determination result of the determination unit. After cooling the glued area of the sheet bundle by the cooling means, further comprising a cutting means for cutting the sheet bundle,
The cooling unit includes a first cooling unit, and a second cooling unit disposed downstream of the first cooling unit in the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle,
The glued region of the sheet bundle is determined by the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit according to the determination result of the determination unit and the cutting processing content by the cutting unit for the sheet bundle preceding the sheet bundle. The bookbinding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein cooling is performed. In a bookbinding apparatus that glues and binds a sheet bundle including a plurality of sheets, a cooling method for cooling the glued region of the sheet bundle,
A determination step of determining a heat capacity of the sheet bundle;
A cooling step for cooling the glued region of the sheet bundle according to a determination result in the determination step;
The cooling method characterized by including.