JP2019167235A - Sheet processing device, image formation device, image formation system, and sheet processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable sheet processing by proper adjustment of adhesive temperature.SOLUTION: A sheet processing device for processing a sheet bundle comprised of a plurality of sheets performs the following processes; thermally melting adhesive; applying the thermally-melted adhesive on one side of the sheet bundle; detecting the temperature of the adhesive during processing of the sheet bundle; controlling heating of the adhesive based on the detected adhesive temperature.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus, an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and a sheet processing method, and in particular, for example, an adhesive is applied to the back of a sheet bundle that has been aligned and stacked, and case binding or sheet binding is performed. The present invention relates to sheet processing for controlling the temperature of an adhesive applied to a bundle.

  As a conventional bookbinding device, the heat melt adhesive application position and the cover bookbinding binding position are sequentially arranged in the processing path in the downstream direction, and the adhesive is applied to the sheet bundle moving along this path, and the cover binding process An apparatus for executing the above is known from Patent Document 1.

  Such an apparatus is provided with a paste container that heats and melts an adhesive, and a heater, melts the heat-meltable adhesive by heating, applies the adhesive to the back end surface of the sheet bundle, and removes the cover sheet. Bind them together.

JP, 2006-078408, A

  In a device like the above conventional example, as a protection mechanism in the event of excessive thermal runaway or software failure, a configuration in which a thermostat is used in the adhesive melting part or a relay is turned off using a thermistor is adopted. There is.

  In an apparatus adopting such a configuration, when used for a long time or when a hot-melt adhesive is melted for a long time, the vaporized adhesive is solidified and stuck in the bookbinding machine. . It is known that when the vaporized adhesive sticks to and adheres to a thermostat, which is a safety device inside a bookbinding apparatus such as a glue container, the heat dissipation of the thermostat decreases and the temperature inside the thermostat increases.

  In this state, when the bookbinding apparatus performs glue temperature adjustment control, the temperature of the thermostat becomes higher than usual when the heater is heated, and the phenomenon that the apparatus operation is turned off by the protection function of the thermostat may occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional example, and is a sheet processing apparatus capable of performing sheet processing by adjusting the temperature of an appropriate adhesive, an image forming apparatus using the apparatus, an image forming system, and sheet processing. It aims to provide a method.

  In order to achieve the above object, the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration.

  That is, a sheet processing apparatus for processing a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets, heating means for heating and melting the adhesive, and applying the adhesive melted by the heating means on one side of the sheet bundle, A processing unit that processes the sheet bundle, a first detection unit that detects the temperature of the adhesive, and a first unit that detects the amount of adhesion of the adhesive vaporized by heating of the heating unit to the first detection unit. And a control means for controlling the heating means based on the detection result of the first detection means and the detection result of the second detection means.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the image processing apparatus includes the sheet processing apparatus having the above-described configuration and an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet processed by the sheet processing apparatus.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the image processing apparatus includes the sheet processing apparatus having the above-described configuration and an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet processed by the sheet processing apparatus. With a forming system.

  Still another aspect of the present invention is a sheet processing method in a sheet processing apparatus for processing a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets, including a heating step of heating and melting an adhesive, and one of the sheet bundles. Applying the adhesive melted in the heating step on the side surface, processing the sheet bundle, a first detection step of detecting the temperature of the adhesive by a sensor, and adhesion evaporated by heating in the heating step The heating in the heating step is controlled based on the second detection step for detecting the amount of the agent adhering to the sensor, the detection result in the first detection step, and the detection result in the second detection step. A sheet processing method including a control step.

  According to the present invention, the adhesive can be controlled to an appropriate temperature even when the adhesive is heated and melted to perform sheet processing. Thereby, for example, it is possible to detect the temperature of the adhesive, for example, to detect adhesion of the adhesive to a thermostat, and to prevent malfunction of the thermostat. This also contributes to the extension of the device life.

1 is a side sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system including a bookbinding apparatus (sheet processing apparatus) according to a typical embodiment of the present invention. It is a sectional side view which expands and shows the internal structure of a bookbinding apparatus. It is a sectional side view which expands and shows the internal structure of a cover binding part and its peripheral part in detail. It is a sectional side view which expands and shows the internal structure of a bundle attitude | position deflection | deviation mechanism and its peripheral part in detail. It is a perspective view which shows a mode that a sheet | seat bundle is cut. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure in an image forming system. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of each part related to the temperature adjustment of a paste container. It is a sectional side view which shows the structure of a paste container, and the structure of the periphery part. It is a figure which shows the data table which shows the setting specific example of cooling conditions. , It is a flowchart which shows the process of bookbinding cutting operation. It is a flowchart which shows the cooling control of the cutting blade by the cooling mechanism according to the modification 1 of an Example. It is a flowchart which shows the cooling control of the cutting blade by the cooling mechanism according to the modification 2 of an Example. It is a flowchart which shows the cooling control of the cutting blade by the cooling mechanism according to the modification 3 of an Example. It is a flowchart which shows the temperature adjustment control at the time of power activation. It is a figure which shows the time change of the temperature of the thermostat of an adhesive container at the time of carrying out PWM drive of the heater for temperature adjustment at the time of power activation, and the surface temperature of an adhesive agent. It is a figure which shows the time change of the temperature of a thermostat when an adhesive agent adheres and when there is no adhesion. It is a figure which shows the time change of the thermostat temperature in the heating and melting process of an adhesive agent, and the surface temperature of an adhesive agent.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described more specifically and in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the examples described below, and there may be changes and additions within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.

  In this specification, “recording” (sometimes referred to as “printing”) is not limited to the case of forming significant information such as characters and graphics, but may be significant. Furthermore, it also represents a case where an image, a pattern, a pattern, or the like is widely formed on a recording medium or a medium is processed regardless of whether or not it is manifested so that a human can perceive it visually.

  The “recording medium (sheet)” is not only a recording paper used in a general image forming apparatus, but also a wide range of materials such as cloth, plastic film (OHP), metal plate, glass, ceramics, wood, leather, etc. It also includes media that can be transported.

<Configuration of image forming system>
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system provided with a bookbinding apparatus (sheet processing apparatus) according to a typical embodiment of the present invention. The image forming system shown in FIG. 1 includes an image forming apparatus A that sequentially prints sheets, a bookbinding apparatus (sheet processing apparatus) B that is attached downstream of the image forming apparatus A in the sheet conveyance direction, and a bookbinding apparatus B. And a post-processing device C disposed downstream of the first processing unit. Then, the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus A is bound by the bookbinding apparatus B, and is cut and finished by a cutting apparatus incorporated therein. Further, the sheets that are not bound by the bookbinding process are configured to pass through the bookbinding apparatus B and be post-processed by the post-processing apparatus C.

1. Image Forming Apparatus Various structures such as a copying machine, a printer, and a printing machine can be adopted as the image forming apparatus A. Here, the image forming apparatus A that forms an image according to an electrophotographic method is used. In the image forming apparatus A, a sheet feeding unit 2, a recording unit 3, and a control unit 4 are built in a casing 1. A plurality of cassettes 5 corresponding to the sheet size are prepared in the sheet feeding unit 2, and a sheet having a size designated by the control unit 4 is fed out to the sheet feeding path 6. A registration roller 7 is provided in the sheet feeding path 6, and after the sheets are aligned at the leading edge, the sheet is fed to the recording unit 3 on the downstream side at a predetermined timing.

  A photosensitive drum 10 is provided in the recording unit 3, and a semiconductor laser 9 including a polygon mirror and the like, a developing device 11, a transfer charger 12, and the like are disposed around the photosensitive drum 10. Then, the laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser 9 is scanned on the photosensitive drum 10 through a rotating polygon mirror to form an electrostatic latent image, and this latent image is visualized with toner by the developing unit 11, The toner image is transferred to the sheet by the transfer charger 12. This toner image is fixed by the fixing device 13, and the sheet is carried out to the paper discharge path 17. A paper discharge port 14 and a paper discharge roller 15 formed in the casing 1 are disposed in the paper discharge path 17.

  When performing double-sided printing, the sheet with the image formed on the front surface is reversed from the paper discharge path 17 by the switchback path, and then conveyed to the circulation path 16 and sent to the registration roller 7 again. An image is formed on the back side of the sheet. Thus, the sheet on which the image is formed on one side or both sides is carried out from the paper discharge port 14 by the paper discharge roller 15.

  A scanner unit 20 that optically reads an image of a document on which an image is to be formed using the semiconductor laser 9 is provided on the upper portion of the image forming apparatus A. As is generally known, the structure includes a platen 23 on which an original is placed and set, a carriage 21 that scans an image of the original along the platen 23, and an optical unit that photoelectrically converts an optical image from the carriage 21. (For example, CCD) 22. Further, the platen 23 is provided with an automatic document feeder (ADF) 25 that automatically feeds the document to the platen 23. In the image forming apparatus A, various image forming conditions are set by the control unit 4, and at the same time, the control unit 4 controls the bookbinding apparatus B and the post-processing apparatus C.

  Next, the bookbinding apparatus B connected to the image forming apparatus A will be described.

2. Bookbinding Device FIG. 2 is an enlarged side sectional view showing the internal configuration of the bookbinding device B.

  The bookbinding apparatus B is provided with a stacking unit 40 for stacking sheets in a bundle in the casing 30, an adhesive application unit 55 for applying adhesive glue to the sheet bundle from the stacking unit 40, and an adhesive. A cover binding unit 60 that binds the cover sheet to the sheet bundle is configured.

[Configuration of transport route]
The conveyance path of each sheet 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, and the intermediate-sheet carrying path 32 and the cover-sheet carrying path 34 are connected via the flapper 36 from the carry-in path 31. ing. A bookbinding path (bundle transport path) 33 is connected to the intermediate paper transport path 32 via the stacking unit 40, and a post-processing path 38 of the post-processing apparatus C is connected to the cover sheet transport path 34. The bookbinding path 33 is arranged in a direction that cuts the apparatus in a substantially vertical direction, and the cover transport path 34 is arranged in a direction that crosses the apparatus in a substantially horizontal direction.

  The bookbinding path 33 and the cover transport path 34 intersect (orthogonal) with each other, and a cover binding portion 60 is disposed at the intersecting portion.

  The carry-in path 31 configured as described above is connected to the paper discharge port 14 of the image forming apparatus A and receives a sheet from the image forming apparatus A. In this case, the image forming apparatus A carries out a sheet (saddle-stitched sheet) on which an image is printed based on image data and a sheet (cover sheet) on which a title or the like used as a cover cover is printed. In this way, the carry-in path 31 is branched into the intermediate sheet conveyance path 32 and the cover sheet conveyance path 34, and the sheets are distributed and conveyed to the respective paths via the flapper 36.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, an inserter device 26 is connected to the carry-in path 31, and cover sheets that are not subjected to printing processing by the image forming apparatus A are separated one by one from the paper feed tray 26 a and supplied to the carry-in path 31. It is configured to do. The inserter device 26 includes one or a plurality of stages of paper feed trays 26a. A feeding mechanism that separates and feeds stacked sheets one by one at the front end of the tray, and a feeding direction of the feeding mechanism. A paper feed path 27 is provided on the downstream side. The paper feed path 27 is connected to the carry-in path 31 via a path switching piece 28.

  In addition, the conveyance roller 31a is provided in the carry-in route 31, the conveyance roller 32a is provided in the intermediate paper conveyance route 32, and the grip conveyance mechanism (sheet bundle conveyance mechanism) 47, the bundle posture deflection mechanism 64, and the paper discharge roller 66 are provided in the bookbinding route 33. Is arranged. Further, a transport roller 34a is disposed in the cover transport path 34, and a transport roller 38a is disposed in the post-processing path 38, and each is coupled to a drive motor. Further, in these paths, sheet sensors Se1 to Se6 are respectively arranged at the positions shown in FIG. 2, and detect at least one of the leading edge and the trailing edge of the sheet.

[Configuration of stacking unit]
A sheet stacking unit (stacking tray) 41 disposed at the sheet discharge port 32x of the intermediate sheet conveyance path 32 stacks and stores sheets from the sheet discharge port 32x in a bundle. As shown in FIG. 2, the stacking tray 41 is composed of a stacking tray member arranged in a substantially horizontal posture, and a forward / reverse roller 42a and a carry-in guide 42b are provided above the stacking tray member. Then, the sheet from the paper discharge port 32x is guided onto the stacking tray 41 by the carry-in guide 42b and stored by the forward / reverse roller 42a.

  The forward / reverse roller 42a forwards the 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 disposed at the rear end of the stacking tray (FIGS. Restrict the butting. Further, the stacking tray 41 is provided with a sheet-side alignment member (not shown), and both side edges of the sheets stored on the stacking tray 41 are aligned to the reference position. With such a configuration, the sheets from the intermediate paper conveyance path 32 are sequentially stacked on the stacking tray 41 and are aligned in a bundle.

[Configuration of sheet bundle transport mechanism]
A sheet bundle conveyance mechanism is disposed in the bookbinding path 33, and the sheet bundle conveyance mechanism includes a grip conveyance mechanism 47, a folding roller 63, and a paper discharge roller 66. Then, the sheet bundle is conveyed from the stacking tray 41 by these conveyance mechanisms 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 mechanism 47 is configured by a pair of nip members and grips the sheet bundle stacked on the stacking tray 41. The grip transport mechanism 47 swings so as to turn the sheet bundle 90 degrees to deflect the posture of the sheet bundle. It is provided in a free unit frame (not shown). 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 set at the adhesive application position E along the bookbinding path 33 arranged in the substantially vertical direction. Therefore, the stacking tray 41 moves from the stacking position (solid line in FIG. 2) to the transfer position (broken line in FIG. 2), and transfers the sheet bundle to the grip transport mechanism 47 prepared at the transfer position.

  As will be described later, the folding roller 63 is composed of a pair of rollers so that the sheet bundle is conveyed from the bookbinding binding position F to the downstream cutting position G, and at the same time, the back folded sheet bundle is folded. 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 mechanism 64 is provided between the folding roller 63 and the cutting position G, and the bundle posture deflection mechanism 64 also constitutes a part of the sheet bundle conveyance mechanism, which will be described in detail later.

[Configuration of bundle thickness detector]
The stacking tray 41 or the grip transport mechanism 47 is provided with a bundle thickness detection unit Th (not shown) that detects the thickness of the sheet bundle. This is for detecting the thickness of the sheet bundle stacked on the stacking tray 41, and any one of the following configurations is adopted for detection.

First Configuration The number of sheets conveyed by the sheet sensor (paper ejection sensor) Se3 disposed at the paper ejection port 32x of the middle paper conveyance path 32 is counted, and the bundle thickness is calculated from the average sheet thickness. For example, a counter is provided in a CPU, which will be described later, and a paper discharge signal from the paper discharge sensor Se3 is counted between a paper discharge instruction signal from the image forming apparatus A and a job end signal. Multiply. This configuration has the advantage of being simple, but the accuracy of the bundle thickness obtained from the calculation is not so high,
Second Configuration A level sensor that contacts the uppermost sheet is provided on the stacking tray 41, and the bundle thickness is detected by detecting the position of the level sensor. For example, a lever member in contact with the uppermost sheet is disposed on the stacking tray 41 so as to be movable in the stacking direction, and the position of this lever member is detected by, for example, a slidac sensor.

Third configuration The grip transport mechanism 47 is composed of a fixed gripper and a movable gripper, and the position at which the movable gripper contacts the sheet surface is detected by a slidac sensor.

  The bundle thickness of the sheet bundle detected using any one of the above configurations is used for subsequent control. For example, when the adhesive is applied to the sheet bundle by the adhesive application unit 55 described later, the application amount of the adhesive is adjusted according to the detected bundle thickness. Moreover, it uses as information which sets the total cooling time which cools and solidifies the adhesive agent apply | coated by the 1st cooling stage Fs and the 2nd cooling stage Gs which are mentioned later. Moreover, it uses as information which sets the cooling time at the time of cooling a cutting blade, and the wind pressure of a cooling mechanism. Details thereof will be described later.

[Configuration of adhesive application part]
An adhesive application portion 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 glue container 56 that stores a hot-melt adhesive, an application roller 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 a temperature sensor for the adhesive, and at the same time as detecting the temperature of the liquefied adhesive in the glue container 56, detects the remaining amount of the adhesive by the temperature difference of the part immersed in the adhesive.

  Further, a heater 104 (described later) for electrically heating the paste is embedded in the paste container 56. The glue sensor 56S and the heater 104 are connected to a CPU, which will be described later, and adjust the temperature of the adhesive in the glue container 56 to a predetermined melting temperature. The application roller 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 roller 57 in the glue container 56 in the process of the reciprocation.

[Composition of cover binding part]
A cover binding unit 60 is arranged at the bookbinding binding position F of the bookbinding path 33.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged side sectional view showing the internal configuration of the cover binding portion 60 and its peripheral portion in detail.

  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 roller 63. Further, a cover sheet conveyance path 34 is arranged at the bookbinding position F, and a cover sheet is fed from the image forming apparatus A or the inserter apparatus 26.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged side sectional view showing the internal configuration of the bundle posture deflection mechanism 64 and its peripheral portion in detail.

[Configuration of back plate]
The back plate 61 is composed of a plate-like member that backs up the cover sheet. When the cover sheet sent from the cover transport path 34 and the intermediate sheet (bundle) sent from the bookbinding path 33 are joined in an inverted T shape. Back up the cover sheet. Further, the back support plate 61 has a function of cooling the back binding portion of the sheet bundle that is bound in a booklet shape.

  The back support 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 support plate 61 is provided with a forced cooling mechanism such as a cooling element (Peltier element) and a cooling fan on a metal plate. Such a forced cooling mechanism is provided according to the property (particularly solidification temperature) of the adhesive to be used and the environmental temperature of the apparatus to be used.

  The back support plate 61 is disposed so as to be movable forward and backward with respect to the bookbinding path 33, and transports the bound sheet bundle to a cutting position G on the downstream side. For this reason, the back plate 61 is connected to a motor (not shown) via a rack gear (not shown) formed integrally therewith and a pinion (not shown) connected to the drive shaft of the motor. Accordingly, the back plate 61 can be moved between the operating position inside the bookbinding path 33 and the standby position outside the path by the rotation of the motor.

  The back folding plate 62 is disposed on the upstream side of the back plate 61 and folds the cover sheet supported by the back plate 61. For this reason, a pair of back folding plates 62 (62a and 62b) are arranged on the left and right sides of the bookbinding path 33, and are configured to be able to approach and separate from each other. The left and right back folding plates 62a and 62b are connected to an operating motor 62M by 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. Further, 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 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 transported from the bookbinding path 33 by the grip transport mechanism 47 is above it. Is abutted in an inverted T shape. After this joining, the back folding plate 62 is moved closer to the separating position (from the state shown in FIG. 3). Then, the cover sheet is folded over the middle sheet bundle to form a spine cover. A folding roller 63 is arranged on the downstream side of the back plate 61. The folding roller 63 is composed of a pair of rollers that are in pressure contact with each other. Although not shown, one of the rollers is shifted in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction according to the thickness of the sheet bundle.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a first cooling stage Fs (bookbinding binding position) and a second cooling stage Gs (cutting position) are arranged between the bookbinding binding position F and the cutting position G. Yes. The control configuration will be described later.

[Configuration of Bundle Posture Deflection Mechanism 64]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, on the downstream side of the folding direction of the sheet bundle of the folding roller 63, a bundle posture deflection mechanism 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. Is placed. Here, the configuration will be described sequentially.

  The bundle posture deflection mechanism 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 of the sheet bundle sent from the binding position F is repeated in the order of the top portion, the ground portion, and the fore edge portion (when trimming in three directions). Further, at the time of unidirectional trimming, the sheet bundle having the back binding portion fed downward 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.

  3 to 4, the bundle posture deflection mechanism 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 movable rotary table 64b is moved closer by the grip motor Mg.

  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 Se4 detects the trailing end of the sheet bundle that has passed through the folding roller 63.

  Accordingly, the sheet bundle guided into the bookbinding path 33 is gripped by the pair of left and right rotary tables 64a and 64b, and the posture direction of the sheet bundle is deflected by the turning motors Mt1 and Mt2. For example, the sheet bundle having the back portion carried downward is turned 180 degrees and the small edge portion is conveyed downward to the downstream discharge roller 66. Further, it is possible to perform trimming cut by rotating the sheet bundle by 90 degrees sequentially and deflecting the top portion, the ground portion, and the fore edge portion to the downstream cutting position G, respectively, and cutting the peripheral edge 3 direction of the sheet bundle. . 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. After this detection, the rotary table 64a is detected. , 64b is configured to be pivotally driven.

[Configuration of Cutting Unit 65]
As indicated by a one-dot chain line 33 in FIG. 4, a cutting unit 65 is disposed on the downstream side in the sheet bundle conveyance direction of the bundle posture deflection mechanism 64.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 4, the cutting unit 65 includes a cutting edge press 65 b that presses the cutting edge of the sheet bundle against the backup member 58 and a cutting blade unit 65 a. The cutting edge press 65b includes a pressure member 65y that presses the sheet bundle and a biasing portion (not shown) that applies pressure to the pressure member 65y. The cutting blade unit 65a includes a flat blade-shaped cutting blade 65x and a cutter motor 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.

  The second cooling stage Gs is set at the cutting position G, and the back binding portion (adhesive glue) of the sheet bundle that has been bound by the cutting blade 65x is cooled at this position. For this reason, the cutting blade 65x and the holder member 65v for mounting the cutting blade 65x are each made of a metal material and a material having high thermal conductivity.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the bundle conveyance path (bookbinding path 33 shown in the figure) from the bookbinding and binding position F to the cutting position G, the first cooling stage Fs is located upstream and the second cooling stage Gs is located downstream. Several are arranged. 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 mechanism 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. Yes. Therefore, 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.

  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. Accordingly, the sheet bundle can be swung for posture deflection at the downstream side of the bookbinding binding position F, and the binding operation of the subsequent sheet bundle can be performed in parallel at the bookbinding binding position F.

  Under such a configuration, the sheet bundle that has been bound and bound is cooled by the second cooling stage Gs in accordance with the operation time of the cutting process of the preceding sheet at the cutting position G, and the subsequent sheet bundle is bound at the binding position F. Are controlled to be executed in parallel. For this reason, a “cutting finish setting processing unit” and a “cooling condition setting processing unit” are provided in a CPU 75 (described later) that controls the grip transport mechanism 47 and the cutting unit 65. Its configuration will be described later.

  In this embodiment, the cutting blade 65x is cooled by the cooling mechanism 80 before or during the cutting of the sheet bundle at the cutting position G. In this case, since the cooling mechanism 80 is disposed at a position where the sheet bundle can be cooled at the same time, the cooling mechanism 80 and the sheet bundle can be cooled simultaneously.

  A paper discharge roller 66 and a storage stacker 67 are disposed on the downstream side of the cutting position G. As shown in FIG. 3, the storage stacker 67 stores the sheet bundle in an inverted posture. The storage stacker 67 is arranged in a drawer shape on the casing 30 as shown in FIG. 1, and is configured to be able to be drawn out to the front side of the apparatus (front side in FIG. 1). The user pulls out the sheet bundle from the upper side of FIG. 2 while being pulled out to the front side of the apparatus. The full detection sensor 67Sf detects the full state of the sheet bundle stored in the storage stacker 67 and warns the user of the removal.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state of cutting a sheet bundle.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the sheet bundle having the width L is cut by pressing the cutting blade 65 x having the width L <b> 1 (> L) against the backup member 58. The backup member 58 is divided into a sheet center receiving surface 68a, a blade receiving surface 68b, and a cutting edge receiving surface 68c from above to below, and the cutting blade 65x is pressed against the blade receiving surface 68b. The cutting waste generated by this cutting falls through the plurality of recessed grooves 58y. As can be seen from the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the cutting waste accumulates in the lower waste storage box 68.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, since the cooling mechanism 80 is disposed at a position for cooling both the cutting blade 65x and the sheet bundle, the cooling mechanism 80 can cool not only the cutting blade 65x but also the sheet bundle at the same time. . The cooling mechanism 80 of this embodiment employs an air cooling system, and air taken in by the sirocco fan 81 built in the fan case 83 rotating to a motor (not shown) blows out from the exhaust port 82 and cuts. Both the blade 65x and the sheet bundle are cooled.

  Further, the temperature of the cutting unit 65 or the temperature of the cutting blade 65x is detected by the sensor Se7.

[Configuration of waste storage box]
Further, on the downstream side of the cutting position G, a paper discharge roller 66 for carrying out the sheet bundle to the storage stacker 67 is provided, and the paper discharge roller 66 is composed of a pair of rollers 66a and 66b. The roller 66b is configured to be movable in the sheet width direction, and is configured to change the nip position according to the thickness of the sheet bundle.

  Further, 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, and the sweeper 69 is swung in the left-right direction in FIG. 2 by a drive motor (not shown), and is positioned immediately below the cutting position G when cutting a sheet bundle. Then, the cut piece is guided to the waste storage box 68. Further, after cutting, the sheet bundle is retracted from the cutting position G so that the sheet bundle can be stored in the storage stacker 67. The waste storage box 68 is provided with a full detection sensor (full detection sensor) 68Sf for detecting the storage amount of the cut paper pieces stored inside.

[Configuration of post-processing equipment]
A post-processing apparatus C is disposed downstream of the bookbinding apparatus B in the sheet conveying direction as shown in FIG. The post-processing apparatus C is provided with a post-processing path 38 that is continuous with the cover sheet transport path 34, and post-processing devices such as a staple unit, a punch unit, and a stamp unit are arranged in the post-processing path 38. Then, the sheet from the image forming apparatus A is received via the cover sheet conveyance path 34, subjected to a staple process, a punch process, and a stamp process, and is carried out to a sheet discharge tray 37. A sheet from the image forming apparatus A that does not need to be subjected to such post-processing is also stored in the paper discharge tray 37.

[Control configuration (FIGS. 6 to 9)]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control configuration in the image forming system.

  In the image forming system in which the image forming apparatus A and the bookbinding apparatus B are connected as shown in FIG. 1, for example, the control panel 71 and the CPU 70 provided in the image forming apparatus A are provided. The CPU 70 is provided with a mode setting processing unit 72. The bookbinding apparatus B is provided with a CPU 75, and the CPU 75 calls a bookbinding process execution program from the ROM 76 and executes each process in the bookbinding path 33. The CPU 75 has a function of adjusting the temperature of the paste container.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of each part related to the temperature adjustment of the glue container (adhesive).

  As shown in FIG. 7, a CPU 75, a relay circuit 154, a relay circuit 156, a heater driver 150, and a coating roller motor driver 108 are mounted on the control board 200 for temperature adjustment control. On the other hand, the glue container 56 that contains the adhesive includes an application roller 57, a heater 104 that heats the glue container 56, a thermostat 103 that controls heating on / off of the heater 104, and a glue adhesion detection sensor 102. The thermostat 103 is provided with a thermistor 152 that measures the temperature of the adhesive. As can be seen from this configuration, in this embodiment, the temperature of the adhesive is not directly measured by impregnating the thermistor 152 with the adhesive, but the temperature of the adhesive is determined from the temperature of the glue container 56 measured by the thermistor 152. Presumed.

  With the above configuration, the application roller motor driver 108 is driven by the CPU 75 to rotate the application roller 57, and the drive of the heater 104 is controlled by the CPU 75 via the heater driver 150. Further, the temperature information of the adhesive detected by the thermistor 152 is fed back to the CPU 75 via the relay circuit 154. The state of the glue adhesion detection sensor 102 is also input to the CPU 75.

  Although details will be described later, when the temperature of the thermostat 103 rises excessively, the situation is input to the relay circuit 156, and the heating of the heater 104 is forcibly turned off by the relay circuit 156.

  FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the glue container and the configuration of its periphery.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a heater 104 is provided on the bottom surface of the glue container 56 to heat the adhesive through the heating of the glue container. The glue container 56 rotates on the one side of the sheet bundle while rotating. A coating roller 57 for coating A thermostat 103 is provided on the outer side surface of the glue container 56. When the heated adhesive adheres to the thermostat 103, the state is detected by the glue adhesion detection sensor 102, thereby detecting adhesion to the peripheral portion of the glue container 56.

  In addition, in order to detect the adhesion of the glue to the peripheral part of the glue container 56, it is not configured to detect the adhesion to the thermostat 103, and an optical sensor is used as the glue adhesion detection sensor 102, and another part, for example, a peripheral The structure which detects adhesion to a mirror or a sheet-metal part as an analog value may be sufficient. Moreover, you may make it estimate adhesion of an adhesive agent from environmental temperature or operation time.

  When the bookbinding apparatus B is continuously used, the meltable adhesive is vaporized, and the vaporized adhesive is fixed around the glue container 56. Therefore, in this embodiment, the thermostat 103 is provided on the outer side surface of the glue container 56, the adhesion of the adhesive thereto is detected, and the detection result is fed back to the temperature control of the glue container (adhesive). The feedback control will be described later.

  Returning to FIG. 6 and continuing the description, the CPU 70 sets image forming conditions from the control panel 71, and the CPU 70 controls the recording unit 3 and the sheet feeding unit 2 of the image forming apparatus A according to the setting conditions. At the same time, the control mode of the post-processing operation in the bookbinding apparatus B is set from the control panel 71 to the mode setting processing unit 72 of the CPU 70. This control mode is configured to select “bookbinding mode”, “bookbinding cutting mode”, “printout mode”, “post-processing mode”, and the like.

  For example, in the “bookbinding mode”, sheets on which images are formed are aligned in a bundle and bound into a cover (can be bound without a cover), and stored in the storage stacker 67 without trimming in this binding state. . In the “bookbinding cutting mode”, a bundle of intermediate paper sheets coated with an adhesive is bound or bound with a cover sheet at the binding position F, and the periphery is trimmed and stored in the storage stacker 67. In the “print-out mode”, the sheet fed to the carry-in path 31 is stored in the paper output 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. It is carried out to the paper discharge tray 37.

-Trimming finishing setting processing section When the “bookbinding trimming mode” is selected, the bound sheet bundle is trimmed by one of the following methods. This trimming finishing condition is one of the following. That is,
(1) Tri-directional trimming (tri-directional trimming) for trimming the top, ground, and fore edge of a bound sheet bundle
(2) One-way cutting to cut the fore edge (edge trimming),
(3) Any one of two-way cutting (two-way trimming) such as top / bottom / top / edge / ground / edge.

  “Cutting finishing setting” for setting the trimming finishing condition is executed by a mode setting processing unit 72 input from the control panel 71 of the image forming apparatus A as shown in the figure. Alternatively, the bookbinding apparatus B may be provided with a control panel and input from this panel or may be set from a controller connected to the bookbinding apparatus B. As described above, the “cutting finish setting” may be provided in an external apparatus connected to the upstream side of the bookbinding apparatus B or may be disposed in the bookbinding apparatus B itself.

  Hereinafter, a case where the cutting finish setting is performed by the image forming apparatus A will be described.

  A post-processing mode instruction signal, job end signal, sheet size information, image data, and number of copies information are transmitted from the CPU 70 to the CPU 75. When the “bookbinding cutting mode” is selected as the post-processing mode instruction signal, trimming finishing information and trimming cut amount information are transmitted together with the mode command signal. Further, the CPU 75 is wired so that detection signals of sheet sensors arranged in the carry-in path 31, the bookbinding path 33, and the cover transport path 34 are transmitted. These sheet sensors are the sheet sensors Se1 to Se6 shown in FIG.

  The CPU 75 includes an accumulation controller 75a, an adhesive application controller 75b, a cover binding controller 75c, a cutting controller 75d, a stack controller 75e, and an adhesive temperature controller 75f. The cutting control unit 75d is provided with a cooling condition setting unit 78.

Configuration of Cooling Condition Setting Unit The cooling condition setting unit 78 sets (1) the total cooling time TA of the sheet bundle that has been bound at the bookbinding binding position F, and (2) sets the total cooling time TA to the first cooling stage Fs. Is assigned to the cooling time Ft for cooling in step S2 and the cooling time Gt for cooling in the second cooling stage Gs.

  First, the total cooling time TA is stored in advance in the RAM 77 as a design value according to the properties of the adhesive to be used. In this case, the illustrated one is configured such that the total cooling time TA is set in accordance with the amount of adhesive applied at the application position E. For this reason, the grip conveyance mechanism 47 is provided with a bundle thickness detecting portion Th, and the amount of adhesive applied is proportional to the sheet bundle thickness. Therefore, the total cooling time TA is preset and stored in the RAM 77 in accordance with the sheet bundle thickness and the recording data amount.

  Therefore, the cooling condition setting unit 78 reads the total cooling time TA corresponding to the detected value from the RAM 77 based on the detection value of the bundle thickness detection unit Th and the image data.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a data table showing a specific example of setting cooling conditions.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in the RAM 77, for example, when the recording rate (Duty) is 40% ≦ Duty ≦ 70% and the bundle thickness is 0 to 10 mm, TA = 30 sec, and when the bundle thickness is 11 to 20 mm, TA = 40 sec. When the bundle thickness is 21 to 30 mm, TA is set to 50 sec. Thereby, the total cooling time TA is set.

  Next, the cooling condition setting unit 78 sets the cooling time Ft of the first cooling stage Fs and the cooling time Gt of the second cooling stage G based on the total cooling time TA. The allocation of the cooling time is set according to at least one of the trimming cut side and the number of sides of the preceding sheet bundle at the cutting position G.

  As shown in FIG. 9, for example, when the preceding sheet bundle is set for three-way trimming by the mode setting processing unit 72, Ft = 100% and Gt = 0% are set. Further, Ft = 65% and Gt = 35% are set when the two-way trimming is set, and Ft = 35% and Gt = 65% are set when the fore edge trimming is set.

  As described above, the cooling condition setting unit 78 sets the cooling time Ft of the first cooling stage Fs to be large when the number of cut sides is large, and sets the cooling time Gt of the second cooling stage Gs to be small. This is because the cooling time Ft of the first cooling stage Fs is set to be large while the preceding sheet is being cut at the cutting position G so as not to interfere with the processing operation.

  Further, the cooling condition setting unit 78 sets the total cooling time TA smaller than the total cooling time at the time of two-way and three-way trimming at the time of trimming the fore edge. For example, when the total cooling time TA for the two-way and three-way trimmings is 30 sec, the total cooling time TA is set to 20 sec for the edge 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.

<Description of bookbinding cutting operation (FIGS. 10 to 14)>
Here, a bookbinding operation performed by the CPU 75 will be described.

  10 to 11 are flowcharts showing the bookbinding cutting process.

  An image forming condition and a post-processing mode are set from the control panel 71 to the mode setting processing unit 72 of the image forming apparatus A (step S1). As described above, the post-processing mode is set to “bookbinding mode”, “bookbinding cutting mode”, or the like.

  Therefore, when the “bookbinding cutting mode” is selected as the post-processing mode, the image forming apparatus A executes an image forming operation and carries out the image-formed sheet to the paper discharge port 14 (step S2). At this time, the amount of image data is determined. In the bookbinding apparatus B, the sheet is received in the carry-in path 31. At this time, the CPU 75 positions the route switching flapper 36 in the state shown in FIG. This sheet is sent to the paper discharge port 32x by the transport roller 32a, and is sequentially stacked and stored on the stacking tray 41 (step S3).

  Therefore, when a job end signal (step S4) is received from the image forming apparatus A, the CPU 75 unloads the sheet bundle on the stacking tray 41 by the grip conveyance mechanism 47 and deflects the posture by 90 degrees. At this time, the CPU 75 detects the thickness of the sheet bundle with a detection signal from the bundle thickness detection unit Th. This detected value is stored in the RAM 77. Next, the sheet bundle aligned on the stacking tray 41 is deflected from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture, and is transferred to the adhesive application position E on the downstream side through the bookbinding path 33 (step S5).

  Before and after feeding the sheet bundle to the adhesive application position E, the CPU 75 feeds the cover sheet from the cover transport path 34. This cover sheet may be supplied after being formed with an image from the image forming apparatus A or supplied from the inserter apparatus 26. When supplying from the inserter device 26, the CPU 75 operates a feeding mechanism (not shown) to separate the cover sheets one by one from the sheet feeding tray 26a and feed them to the sheet feeding path 27.

  The cover sheet sent to the paper feed path 27 is conveyed to the carry-in path 31 by the conveyance roller 27a. At this time, the CPU 75 positions the path switching piece 28 in the state shown in FIG. 1 and guides it to the cover sheet transport path 34. The cover conveyance path 34 is provided with a registration mechanism 34b that corrects the posture of the sheet, and a sheet aligned by the registration mechanism 34b reaches a bookbinding binding position F by being conveyed a predetermined amount from this position, and is set stationary. (Step S6). Following the feeding and setting of the cover sheet, the CPU 75 drives the adhesive application unit 55 to apply the adhesive to the sheet bundle set at the adhesive application position E (step S7). The glue container 56 provided with the application roller 57 moves along the lower edge of the sheet bundle, and applies the adhesive impregnated on the roll surface to the sheet bundle.

  After completion of the adhesive application operation, the CPU 75 transfers the sheet bundle to the downstream binding position F by the grip conveyance mechanism 47. Since a cover sheet is set at this position, the cover sheet is backed up by the back plate 61 and the sheet bundle is joined in an inverted T shape. Next, in this state, the back folding plate 62 press-forms the back portion of the cover sheet and mounts the sheet bundle (step S8).

  Next, the CPU 75 sets a total cooling time TA (step S9). The total cooling time TA is set according to, for example, the recording rate for the sheet and the sheet bundle thickness Th. For example, when the recording rate (Duty) is 40% ≦ Duty ≦ 70%, the bundle thickness Th = 0 to 10 mm is 30 sec, Th = 11 to 20 mm is 40 sec, and Th = 21 to 30 mm. If Th> 30 at 50 sec, set Th = 60 sec. The total cooling time TA is set in accordance with the bundle thickness of the sheet bundle to be read and bound in accordance with the property of the adhesive and the amount of image data for the sheet bundle.

  Next, the CPU 75 checks the cutting process conditions for the preceding sheet (step S10). Then, cooling times Ft and Gt in the first and second cooling stages are assigned according to the cutting processing conditions. As described above, when the preceding sheet is trimmed in three directions, Ft = 100% and Gt = 0% are set (step S10a). When the preceding sheet is trimmed in two directions, Ft = 65% and Gt = 35% are set (step S10b). When the preceding sheet is trimmed in one direction, Ft = 35% and Gt = 65% are set (step S10c). When the preceding sheet is not trimmed, Ft = 0% and Gt = 100% are set (step S10d).

  The cooling time Ft in the first cooling stage and the cooling time Gt in the second cooling stage are set by setting in any of steps S10a to S10d.

  Next, the CPU 75 detects the end signal of the cover binding operation by the position sensors of the back folding plates 62a and 62b. Then, the CPU 75 waits for the elapse of the set time Ft (cooling time) from the operation completion signal indicating that the back folding plates 62a and 62b have returned to the standby positions separated from each other (step S11). After the set time Ft has elapsed, the CPU 75 retracts the back plate 61 from the bookbinding path 33 and simultaneously releases the grip of the grip transport mechanism 47. Then, the sheet bundle falls downward from the bookbinding position F and is nipped by the folding roller 63. Therefore, the CPU 75 rotates the folding roller 63 in the paper discharge direction and sends the sheet bundle to the downstream side (step S12). When the cooling time Ft in the first cooling stage F is set to zero, the CPU 75 drops and feeds the sheet bundle to the folding roller 63 without delay by an operation completion signal of the back folding plate.

  Simultaneously with the rotation control of the folding roller 63, the CPU 75 positions the cutting blade 65x at the cutting position Cp (state shown in FIG. 3) (step S13). Then, the sheet bundle falls on the cutting blade 65x (step S14). Therefore, the CPU 75 starts a timer at the timing when the sheet bundle reaches the cutting position G (a signal from a sheet leading edge detection sensor (not shown)) and waits for the set cooling time Gt to elapse (step S15).

  Next, before or after the elapse of the cooling time Gt, the CPU 75 determines whether or not trimming trimming is set (step S16). This setting is determined based on the information from the mode setting processing unit 72 described above. Here, when it is determined that trimming cutting has been set, the CPU 75 holds the sheet bundle in the nip position by the bundle posture deflection mechanism 64 (step S17). Then, the CPU 75 turns the sheet bundle in a predetermined direction by the bundle posture deflecting mechanism 64 so that the top portion, the ground portion, and the fore edge portion of the sheet face the cutting position G (step S18).

  Next, the CPU 75 rotationally drives the lifting motor MS to overrun the lower end portion of the sheet bundle from a predetermined amount (cutting amount) cutting position. This cutting amount is set based on a signal from a lower end detection sensor (not shown). Thereafter, the sheet bundle is pressed and held by the cutting edge press 65b (step S19).

  The temperature in the cutting unit 65 or the temperature of the cutting blade 65x is detected by the sensor Se7, and it is checked whether or not the detected temperature (T) is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (Tth) (step S20). Here, when it is determined that the temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (T ≧ Tth), the cutting blade 65x is cooled by the cooling mechanism 80 for a predetermined time (step S21). At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, since the cooling mechanism 80 is disposed at a position for cooling both the cutting blade 65x and the sheet bundle, not only the cutting blade 65x but also the sheet bundle can be simultaneously cooled. Thereafter, the temperature of the cutting unit 65 or the temperature of the cutting blade 65x is detected again by the sensor Se7 (step S22). If the detected temperature (T) is lower than the predetermined temperature (T <Tth), the operation of the cooling mechanism 80 is stopped (step S23). If the detected temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature (T ≧ Tth), the sheet bundle is removed from the sheet. The cooling mechanism 80 continues to cool during the bundle cutting operation.

  After cooling the cutting blade 65x in this manner, the CPU 75 drives the cutter motor Mc to move the cutting blade 65x from the standby position to the cutting position. By this movement, the sheet bundle is cut by a predetermined amount at the lower end (step S24). Then, the CPU 75 checks whether or not all the cuttings have been completed (step S25). Here, when it is determined that all the cuttings have not been completed, the CPU 75 turns the sheet bundle at a predetermined angle, for example, 180 degrees by the bundle posture deflection mechanism 64 to position the ground portion on the lower end side. A predetermined amount is cut (steps S18 to S24). Thereafter, the sheet bundle is further rotated by 90 degrees, and the fore edge portion is positioned at the lower end and cut in the same manner (steps S18 to S24). If the cooling mechanism 80 continues to be driven even during the trimming operation of the sheet bundle, the operation of the cooling mechanism 80 is stopped if the temperature detected by the sensor Se7 is lower than a predetermined temperature.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that all the trimmings have been completed, the operation is stopped even if the cooling mechanism 80 is operating at this time (step S26). Then, when the CPU 75 releases the grip of the sheet bundle by the bundle posture deflection mechanism 64, the sheet bundle falls on the paper discharge roller 66 (step S27). When the paper discharge roller 66 is driven (step S28), the sheet bundle is stored in the storage stacker 67 (step S29).

  If it is determined that trimming is not performed, only the release of gripping of the sheet bundle, dropping of the sheet bundle, driving of the paper discharge roller 66, and accommodation of the sheet bundle in the storage stacker 67 are executed (steps S27 to S27). S29).

  Through the processing described above, the sheet bundle on which the image is formed by the image forming apparatus A is appropriately trimmed and bound.

  The cooling control of the cutting blade 65x by the cooling mechanism 80 includes several control methods in addition to the processing shown in FIG. 11, and will be described below with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

  FIGS. 12-14 is a flowchart which shows the cooling control of the cutting blade by the cooling mechanism according to each of the modifications 1-3. 12 to 14, the same processing steps as those already described in FIG. 11 are denoted by the same step reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

・ Modification 1 (FIG. 12)
According to FIG. 12, the temperature in the cutting unit 65 or the temperature of the cutting blade 65x is detected by the sensor Se7, and it is checked whether or not the detected temperature (T) is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (step S20). Here, when the detected temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature (T ≧ Tth), the cooling time (CT) of the cooling mechanism 80 is set longer (CT ← CT1) (step S20A). On the other hand, when the detected temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature (T <Tth), the cooling time (CT) of the cooling mechanism 80 is set shorter (CT ← CT2 <CT1) (step S20B).

・ Modification 2 (FIG. 13)
According to FIG. 13, the temperature in the cutting part 65 or the temperature of the cutting blade 65x is detected by the sensor Se7, and it is checked whether or not the detected temperature (T) is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (step S20). Here, when the detected temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature (T ≧ Tth), the wind pressure (P) of the cooling mechanism 80 is set strongly (P ← P1) (step S20C). On the other hand, when the detected temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature (T <Tth), the wind pressure (P) of the cooling mechanism 80 is set to be weak (P ← P2 <P1) (step S20D).

・ Modification 3 (FIG. 14)
According to FIG. 14, it is checked whether the sheet bundle thickness (Th) or the number of sheets (NS) is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (step S20 ′). Here, when it is determined that the sheet bundle thickness (Th) is equal to or greater than a predetermined thickness (Th ≧ TH) or the number of sheets (NS) is equal to or greater than the predetermined number (NS ≧ N1), the cooling mechanism 80 The cooling time (CT) is set longer or the wind pressure (P) is set stronger (step S20E). On the other hand, if it is determined that the sheet bundle thickness is less than the predetermined thickness (Th <TH) or the number of sheets (NS) is less than the predetermined number (NS <N1), the cooling of the cooling mechanism 80 is performed. The time (CT) is set short, or the wind pressure (P) is set weak (step S20F).

<Temperature adjustment control at power-on (FIGS. 15 to 18)>
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing temperature adjustment control at power-on.

  After the bookbinding apparatus B is turned on, the temperature adjustment control of the glue container starts (step S41), and the CPU 75 checks whether or not the temperature (VT) of the glue container 56 is already 100 ° C. or more (step S42). Here, when VT ≧ 100 ° C., the heater 104 is driven by PWM control to adjust the temperature (VT) of the paste container 56 to 140 ° C., and the adhesive is heated and melted (step S44). Note that 140 ° C. is also the target temperature of the adhesive itself.

  The temperature adjustment for melting the adhesive is controlled by the CPU 75 by feeding back the temperature of the thermistor 152. There is a possibility that the software executed by the CPU 75 has a fault or a bug, and a malfunction occurs in the control. For this reason, the heater driver 150 that drives the heater 104 of the paste container 56 is configured to turn off these relay circuits by a relay circuit 156 that uses the temperature of the thermostat 103 and a relay circuit 154 that uses the temperature of the thermistor 152. .

  Further, as can be seen from the configuration shown in FIG. 8, when the application roller 57 is rotated in a state where the sheet bundle is not in contact with the application roller 57, the adhesive contained in the glue container 56 is agitated. In this case, the application roller 57 operates as an adhesive stirring roller.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram showing temporal changes in the temperature of the thermostat of the glue container and the surface temperature of the adhesive when the heater is PWM-driven for temperature adjustment when the power is turned on. This figure shows the temperature change when adjusting the temperature of the adhesive to 140 ° C.

  If VT <100 ° C., the CPU 75 checks whether there is adhesion of the adhesive to the thermostat 103 from the output of the adhesive adhesion detection sensor 102 (step S43). Here, when it is determined that there is adhesion of the adhesive, the heater 104 is driven by PWM control to adjust the temperature (VT) of the glue container 56 to 170 ° C., and the adhesive is heated and melted (step S45). If it is determined that there is no adhesion of the adhesive, the heater 104 is driven by PWM control to adjust the temperature (VT) of the glue container 56 to 180 ° C., and the adhesive is warmed and melted (step S46).

  At this time, the adhesion amount of the adhesive may be estimated from the output of the adhesive adhesion detection sensor 102, and a notification prompting the replacement of the thermostat 103 according to the adhesion amount may be displayed on the control panel 71.

  Thus, when the temperature (VT) of the glue container 56 is less than 100 ° C., the temperature of the glue container for melting the adhesive is higher than the target temperature (140 ° C.) of the adhesive itself (170 ° C. to 180 ° C.), the temperature of the glue container is adjusted, and the adhesive is rapidly melted. This is because a meltable adhesive usually has a high viscosity, a low thermal conductivity, and it is difficult for heat to be transmitted.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the time change of the temperature of the thermostat when the adhesive is adhered and when the adhesive is not adhered.

  As can be seen from FIG. 17, when an adhesive having low thermal conductivity adheres to the thermostat 103, the heat radiation from the thermostat 103 is lower than when no adhesive adheres. In other words, heat storage in the thermostat 103 increases, and the temperature of the thermostat becomes higher. As a result, it is recognized that the temperature is higher than the actual temperature of the adhesive, and as a result, it is erroneously determined that an excessive temperature rise of the adhesive has occurred. In addition, since the thermostat is designed to be turned off in a temperature range of 190 to 210 ° C. as shown in FIG. 17, if the temperature of the thermostat rises more than necessary, accurate temperature control cannot be performed.

  For this reason, when the temperature of the adhesive is relatively low (VT <100 ° C.) and there is adhesive on the thermostat 103, the temperature (VT) of the glue container 56 is adjusted to a slightly lower 170 ° C. Set goals to On the other hand, when the temperature of the adhesive is relatively low (VT <100 ° C.) and no adhesive adheres to the thermostat 103, the target is set to be adjusted to a slightly lower 180 ° C.

  Note that when the temperature reaches a temperature range where the thermostat temperature is turned off, a message notifying that may be displayed on the control panel 71.

  Now, any target temperature in steps S44, S45, and S46 is set and the adhesive is heated and melted. In the heating process, as shown in FIG. 15, any one of steps S50, S51, and S52 is performed. The process is executed.

  That is, in step S50, the adhesive is stirred by rotating the stirring roller 200 seconds after the power is turned on. In step S51, the adhesive is stirred by rotating the stirring roller 500 seconds after the power is turned on. In step S52, after the power is turned on, after 300 seconds have elapsed, the stirring roller is rotated to stir the adhesive. In this way, the adhesive is stirred at a timing according to the target temperature for heating and melting the adhesive.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram showing temporal changes in the thermostat temperature and the surface temperature of the adhesive in the process of heating and melting the adhesive. In this figure, the thermostat temperature when the adhesive is adhered and the time change of the surface temperature of the adhesive, and the thermostat temperature when the target temperature for heating and melting the adhesive is changed (for example, steps S45 and S46) The time change of the surface temperature of an adhesive agent is shown.

  According to FIG. 18, when the adhesive adheres, the temperature of the thermostat 103 reaches the thermostat off region unless the target temperature of the adhesive for warming and melting is changed, the thermostat 103 is turned off, and accurate temperature control cannot be performed. . On the other hand, by changing the target temperature for heating and melting the adhesive as in, for example, step S45, the increase in the surface temperature of the adhesive becomes moderate, but the temperature of the thermostat 103 is below the thermostat off region. Can be suppressed. This maintains accurate temperature control, depending on the thermostat.

  Therefore, according to the embodiment described above, the temperature of the adhesive is appropriately adjusted and the sheet is cooled during the cutting operation of the sheet bundle without erroneously determining the excessive temperature rise of the adhesive when the apparatus is turned on. The temperature of the cutting part can be adjusted appropriately by operating the mechanism.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the sheet processing apparatus (bookbinding apparatus) and the image forming apparatus are configured separately. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the sheet processing apparatus is an image forming apparatus. The structure built in may be sufficient.

A image forming apparatus, B bookbinding apparatus, F bookbinding binding position, G cutting position, 31 carry-in route,
32 Medium paper path, 33 Bookbinding path, 34 Cover page path,
40 stacking unit, 41 stacking tray, 47 grip conveying mechanism, 55 adhesive application unit,
56 glue container, 57 application roller, 58 backup member,
58a sheet center receiving surface, 58b blade receiving surface, 58c cutting edge receiving surface, 58y recessed groove,
60 cover binding, 61 back plate, 62 back fold plate, 63 fold roll,
64 bundle posture deflection mechanism, 65 cutting section, 65x cutting blade, 66 paper discharge roller,
67 storage stacker, 68 waste storage box, 70 CPU,
71 control panel, 72 mode setting processing unit, 75 CPU,
78 Cooling condition setting section, 80 cooling mechanism, 81 sirocco fan, 82 exhaust port,
83 fan case, 102 glue adhesion detection sensor, 103 thermostat,
104 heater, Fs first cooling stage, Gs second cooling stage,
TA total cooling time, Ft cooling time (first cooling stage),
Gt cooling time (second cooling stage), Se1-Se7 sensor

Claims (14)

A sheet processing apparatus for processing a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets,
Heating means for heating and melting the adhesive;
Processing means for applying the adhesive melted by the heating means on one side of the sheet bundle, and processing the sheet bundle;
First detection means for detecting the temperature of the adhesive;
A second detection means for detecting the amount of adhesion of the adhesive vaporized by heating of the heating means to the first detection means;
A sheet processing apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls the heating unit based on a detection result of the first detection unit and a detection result of the second detection unit.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the heating unit when power is supplied to the sheet processing apparatus. A container for containing the adhesive;
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first detection unit detects the temperature of the adhesive contained in the container.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a display unit configured to display a notification that prompts replacement of the first detection unit in accordance with a detection result by the second detection unit.   The said display means displays the message which notifies that, when the temperature detected by the said 1st detection means exceeds the predetermined temperature range, The message which notifies that is characterized by the above-mentioned. Sheet processing device. The control means includes
When the temperature of the adhesive detected by the first detection unit is equal to or higher than the first temperature, the second temperature higher than the first temperature is set to the target temperature without performing detection by the second detection unit. Driving the heating means as
When the temperature of the adhesive detected by the first detection unit is lower than the first temperature, a third temperature higher than the second temperature is set as the target based on the detection result by the second detection unit. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the heating unit is driven as a temperature.   The third temperature when it is determined that the adhesive is attached to the first detection means based on the detection result of the second detection means, the adhesive is applied to the first detection means. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is set to be lower than the third temperature when it is determined that the sheet is not attached. A stirring means for stirring the adhesive contained in the container;
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit drives the stirring unit at a timing determined based on the target temperature. The heating means is a heater provided on the bottom surface of the container,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first detection unit is a thermostat including a thermistor provided on an outer side surface of the container.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the temperature of the adhesive is estimated from the temperature of the container measured by the thermistor. Cutting means for trimming the sheet bundle processed by the processing means;
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling unit that cools the cutting unit. A sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet processed by the sheet processing apparatus. A sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
An image forming apparatus including an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet processed by the sheet processing apparatus. A sheet processing method in a sheet processing apparatus for processing a sheet bundle composed of a plurality of sheets,
A heating step of heating and melting the adhesive;
A process of applying the adhesive melted in the heating step to one side of the sheet bundle, and processing the sheet bundle;
A first detection step of detecting the temperature of the adhesive by a sensor;
A second detection step of detecting the amount of adhesion of the adhesive vaporized by heating in the heating step to the sensor;
A sheet processing method comprising: a control step of controlling heating in the heating step based on a detection result in the first detection step and a detection result in the second detection step.

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