JP2020196587A - Sheet folding device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a sheet folding device capable of matching a downstream end with a predetermined fold of a sheet easily and accurately, by providing aligning means for abutting and aligning the downstream end and the predetermined fold of the sheet on a downstream side of a pair of folding rollers.SOLUTION: A sheet folding device includes a pair of folding rollers 11 for forming a fold at a predetermined position of a sheet S, and for overlapping the fold at a predetermined position on a downstream end Sa side of the sheet S and conveying it. The sheet folding device includes aligning means having an abutting member 54 for bringing the downstream end Sa of the sheet S fed by the pair of folding rollers 11 into contact with a first fold F1 at a predetermined position on the downstream side of the pair of folding rollers 11, on the downstream side of the pair of folding rollers 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12B

Description

The present invention relates to a sheet folding device that performs a predetermined folding process on a sheet material conveyed from an image forming device or the like.

Conventionally, in image forming devices such as copiers and printers, it is common to eject the sheet on which the image is formed as it is, but the ejected sheet is filed or stored compactly. At that time, it may be folded in three (Z-fold) or the like. A sheet folding device that automatically performs such a folding process is known.

In Patent Document 1, a loop is formed by feeding the upstream side of the sheet with the downstream end of the sheet nipped into the folding roller pair, and the loop is pierced at a predetermined position by a veneer to the nip position of the folding roller pair. A sheet folding device that pushes toward a sheet and rotates a pair of folding rollers to overlap a predetermined portion of a loop on the tip of the sheet to perform Z folding is disclosed.

JP-A-2002-68583

In the sheet folding device of Patent Document 1, the sheet is fed so as to push a predetermined portion of the looped portion from the position deviated from the nip position of the folding roller pair toward the nip position. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16 (a), a misalignment (tab) Lx is likely to occur between the downstream end of the sheet and the first crease F1, and as shown in FIG. 16 (b), the first There is a problem that the crease F1 and the downstream end Sa of the sheet S cannot be neatly folded in a state of being aligned with each other.

In order to reduce the tab Lx as much as possible, it is necessary to position the downstream end of the sheet at the nip position of the folding roller pair and perform loop folding with the sheet nipped. However, in order for the sensor that triggers the stop of the folding roller pair to detect the downstream end of the seat and then stop at the nip position of the folding roller pair, the seat must be located away from the folding roller pair. There was a problem that the stop position of the fold roller was uneven and the timing of the nip due to the folding roller pair was shifted. On the other hand, if the sensor is placed close to the folding roller pair and the downstream end of the seat is stopped near the nip position, a large load is applied to the motor that drives the folding roller pair, and the motor may step out. .. Such a problem can be improved by feeding the sheet at a low speed at which the sheet can be stopped at a distance from the sensor to the nip position, but the folding processing speed of the sheet is reduced and the productivity is significantly reduced.

Therefore, in the present invention, the downstream end of the sheet and the predetermined crease are easily and accurately matched by providing a matching means for abutting and aligning the downstream end of the sheet with the predetermined crease on the downstream side of the folding roller pair. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet folding device capable of performing the same.

In order to solve the above problems, the sheet folding device of the present invention includes a pair of folding rollers that form creases at predetermined positions of the sheet and superimpose and convey the creases at predetermined positions on the downstream end side of the sheet. In the sheet folding device, a matching means for aligning the downstream end of the sheet with the crease is provided on the downstream side of the folding roller pair.

According to the sheet folding device of the present invention, since the matching means for aligning the downstream end of the sheet with the crease is provided on the downstream side of the folding roller pair, the sheet conveyed while being folded by the folding roller pair. The downstream end and the predetermined crease can be easily and accurately aligned.

It is a schematic block diagram of the whole image forming apparatus system provided with the sheet folding apparatus of this invention. It is sectional drawing and block diagram which shows the main structure of the sheet folding apparatus. It is an external view of a folding machine. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation of a folding machine. It is a front view (a) and a side view (b) of a folding machine. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation of the abutting member accompanying the operation of a folding machine. It is explanatory drawing which shows the decompression mechanism of a pair of folding rollers. It is a basic flow chart of a sheet folding apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation of Z folding. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation of Z folding. It is a timing chart of a sheet folding device. It is an overall flow chart of a folding process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation of the matching process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation of the matching process. It is a flow chart of the folding process for the first fold. It is a flow chart of the folding process for the second fold. It is a flow chart of a matching process. It is sectional drawing of the sheet folded in three.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet folding device (folding machine) C of the present invention is arranged between the image forming device A and the post-processing device (binding machine) B, and the sheet is conveyed from the image forming device A. After performing various folding processes, it is sent to the binding machine B. In the present embodiment, a copying machine is used as the image forming apparatus A, a folding machine C is connected to the paper ejection port of the copying machine, and a binding machine B is connected to the downstream side thereof.

The image forming apparatus A reads the document sent by the document feeding unit 5 by the image reading unit 4, and forms an image on the sheet sent from the paper feeding unit 3 by the image forming unit 2. A relay transfer unit 6 is attached to the inside of the cave of the image forming apparatus A. When the sheet is not folded or bound, it is conveyed from the first relay path P20 to the output tray 7. On the other hand, when the sheet is to be folded or bound, it is sent from the discharge roller pair 8 to the folding machine C via the second relay path P21.

The binding machine B discharges the sheet from the first pass P1 to the third pass P3 to the binding processing tray 9a, staples the sheet on the binding processing tray 9a at two corners or one side with a stapler 9. It is discharged to the second paper discharge tray 12b. When the needle binding process is not performed, the sheet sent from the folding machine C is discharged as it is to the first paper ejection tray 12a via the first pass P1 and the second pass P2.

FIG. 2 shows the main configuration of the folding machine C. The folding machine C is provided on the feed roller pair 10 that receives the sheet discharged from the discharge roller pair 8 of the image forming apparatus A shown in FIG. 1 and sends it to the downstream side, and the sheet on the downstream side of the feed roller pair 10. The folding roller pair 11 to be folded, the loop forming space portion 20 provided between the feed roller pair 10 and the folding roller pair 11, and the predetermined crease provided on the sheet are formed into the nip portion 11c of the folding roller pair 11. It is provided with a thrust plate 15 for guiding the sheet toward and a transport path 18 for guiding the sheet from the feed roller pair 10 toward the folding roller pair 11. The sheet folding operation is stopped in a state where the downstream end side of the sheet in the sheet transport direction is first niped by the nip portion 11c of the folding roller pair 11. By feeding the sheet from the feed roller pair 10 in this state, a loop portion having a predetermined length is formed in the loop formation space portion 20. Then, a predetermined portion of the loop portion set in the first first fold is guided to the nip portion 11c by the veneer 15, and the folding roller pair 11 is rotated in the transport direction. As a result, a tri-fold (Z-fold) process having the first fold and the second fold formed on the upstream side of the first fold is performed.

The folding machine C is provided with a plurality of sensors, and the position of the seat is detected by the plurality of sensors. The plurality of sensors are an inlet sensor S1 that detects the downstream end of the sheet on the upstream side of the feed roller pair 10, and a folding sensor that is arranged on the upstream side of the folding roller pair 11 and detects the downstream end of the sheet to be folded. It is composed of S2 and a thrust sensor S3 that detects the moving position of the veneer 15. These sensors are controlled by the control unit 100. The control unit 100 receives information such as a sheet type and a folding mode set on the operation panel provided in the image forming apparatus A via the binding machine B. Then, the drive of each motor MT1, MT2, MT3, MT4 is controlled based on various information from the image forming apparatus A and the detection result of the sheet by each sensor S1, S2, S3, and the sheet is conveyed and folded. Will be executed. Further, the control unit 100 has a function of transmitting information such as a sheet transfer status to the image forming apparatus A via the binding machine B and notifying the user of a transfer defect or the like by the folding machine C.

The feed roller pair 10 is composed of a feed roller 10a that is rotated by driving a motor and a feed roller 10b that rotates in accordance with the rotation of the feed roller 10a. As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9A and 9B, the feed roller pair 10 is in a stopped state until the sheet S arrives, and in this state, the downstream end Sa of the sheet S sent from the upstream is a nip. It hits part 10c. As a result, the sheets S are aligned, and the feed roller pair 10 rotates in this state, so that the sheet S is conveyed toward the folding roller pair 11.

The transport path 18 includes a first transport path 18a extending horizontally from the nip portion 10c of the feed roller pair 10, a second transport path 18b extending downward from the downstream side of the first transport path 18a, and a second transport path. It is composed of a third transport path 18c extending horizontally from the downstream side of the path 18b to the folding roller pair 11. The first transport path 18a and the second transport path 18b include a feed-up guide 13, a feed-down guide 14, and a veneer 15. The third transport path 18c is formed by a folding up guide 16 and a folding down guide 17. Further, the folded-down guide 17 is formed by a horizontal guide portion 17a extending in the horizontal direction, an inclined inclined guide portion 17b, and a vertical guide portion 17c extending in the vertical direction.

The folding roller pair 11 is composed of a folding roller 11a and a folding roller 11b, and is arranged below an extension line extending in the horizontal direction from the nip portion 10c of the feed roller pair 10. That is, the folding roller pair 11 and the feed roller pair 10 are arranged in a slightly displaced state in the vertical direction. As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the folding roller pair 11 stops in a state where the downstream end Sa of the sheet S conveyed from the feed roller pair 10 is nipped, and has a predetermined length on the upstream side of the nipped position. The loop portion Sb of the above is formed. Then, the sheet S is Z-folded by niping the predetermined portion of the loop portion Sb so that the first crease F1 pierced by the veneer 15 and the downstream side overlap each other.

The veneer 15 is a plate-shaped member extending in the sheet width direction, and is arranged below the feed-down guide 14. As shown in FIG. 9B (e), the tip portion 15a of the veneer 15 enters between the folding up guide 16 and the folding down guide 17, and the first crease F1 of the sheet S is folded by the folding roller pair 11. To form a part of the third transport path 18c so as to face the thrust position Pa that guides toward the nip portion 11c and the downstream side of the feed-up guide 13 as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9A. As shown in FIGS. 9A (c) and 9B (d), the guide position Pb is slid and moved between the guide position Pb and the retracted position Pc that retracts upstream from the thrust position Pa and releases the loop forming space 20. It is configured as follows.

A folding means (folding machine) 50 is arranged on the downstream side of the folding roller pair 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the folding machine 50 includes a folding unit 51 having a plurality of rollers 52 rotatably provided in the width direction of the sheet orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction, and the folding unit 51. It is composed of a moving mechanism 53 that moves in the vertical direction and the width direction of the seat, and a folding motor MT4 that operates the moving mechanism 53. The moving mechanism 53 is provided on the operating pin 71 provided on the main body of the folding machine C and the folding unit 51, and engages with the operating pin 71 to guide the folding unit 51 in the vertical direction and the width direction of the seat. It includes a cam 70, a home position flag HPF for detecting the home position on the cam 70, and a home position sensor HPS.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the cam 70 has a first distance cam surface 70a that separates the plurality of rollers 52 from the seat S and positions the extension unit 51 at a position where the abutting member 54 releases the transport path. The pressurizing cam surface 70b that folds the folds of the seat by positioning and moving the folding unit 51 at a position where the plurality of rollers 52 pressurize the seat, and the plurality of rollers 52 are separated from the seat and collide with each other. An intermediate cam surface 70c that positions the folding unit 51 at a position where the member 54 blocks the transport path, and a plurality of rollers 52 are separated from the seat as in the case of the first separation cam surface 70a, and the abutting member 54 is the transport path. It has a second distance cam surface 70d for positioning the extension unit 51 at a position where the folding unit 51 is released.

FIG. 4 shows a series of operations of the folding machine 50 along the cam 70. By rotationally driving the folding motor MT4 shown in FIG. 3 in the forward direction or the reverse direction, it moves along the cam 70 supported by the operating pin 71. FIG. 4A shows a state in which the home position is used when performing the folding process, and the plurality of rollers 52 are moved to the first separated cam surface 70a which stands by at a position separated from the seat. FIG. 4B shows a state in which a plurality of rollers 52 abut on the sheet and move to the pressure cam surface 70b that pressurizes the crease by rotating the folding motor MT4 in the forward direction from the home position. It is a thing. FIG. 4C shows a state in which the first distance cam surface 70a and the pressure cam surface 70b are located between each other and the plurality of rollers 52 are moved to the intermediate cam surface 70c which is separated from the seat. .. On the intermediate cam surface 70c, the abutting member 54 is in a position of blocking the transport path of the sheet S (see FIG. 6C). FIG. 4D shows a state in which the first folding process is completed and the plurality of rollers 52 are moved to the second distance cam surface 70d that separates the plurality of rollers 52 from the seat in the same manner as the first distance cam surface 70a. is there. In this way, the sheet S can be conveyed and the folding process can be performed while the folding machine 50 moves to the positions shown in FIGS. 4A to 4D.

FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the matching means 60 provided in the folding machine 50. The matching means 60 has a role of matching the downstream end Sa of the sheet S, which is conveyed onto the pressurizing table 59 by the folding roller pair 11, with the first crease F1. The matching means 60 is provided on a bumping member 54 that is swingably attached along the downstream side surface of the folding unit 51 extending in the width direction of the seat and a pressurizing table 59 that pressurizes the seat. It is composed of a groove 58 with which the lower end of the member 54 is engaged. The abutting member 54 is supported by fitting the slits 56a to 56d provided at four places into the support pins 55a to 55d provided at four places on the side surface of the folding unit 51, and is supported by the rear. It is possible to swing in the vertical direction by the urging force of the springs 57a and 57b that are spread over the side and the front side in the vertical direction.

One of the support pins 55a and 55c is arranged above and below the rear side of the downstream side surface of the folding unit 51, and the other support pins 55b and 55d are arranged above and below the front side. The abutting member 54 is formed of a plate-shaped member extending along the longitudinal direction of the downstream side surface of the folding unit 51, and the lower end in the longitudinal direction thereof is arranged so as to slightly project from the lower surface of the plurality of rollers 52. There is. When the downstream end of the sheet abuts on this protruding side surface, the position of the crease is aligned. The slits 56a to 56d into which the support pins 55a to 55d are fitted are formed by elongated holes having a length that allows the abutting member 54 to swing in the vertical direction. The springs 57a and 57b are hung on the side surface of the folding unit 51 so as to be able to expand and contract in the vertical direction on both ends in the longitudinal direction of the abutting member 54. Due to the urging force of the springs 57a and 57b, the abutting member 54 is always urged to the lower side (transport path side) in the drawing with respect to the folding unit 51, and abuts on the upper end edges of the slits 56a to 56d. It is in a regulated state.

FIG. 6 shows a series of movements of the abutting member 54. FIG. 6A shows the state of the folding machine 50 in FIGS. 4A and 4D. At this time, the abutting member 54 is in a position where the transport path is released without being blocked, and the sheet can be passed through.
FIG. 6 (b) shows the state of the folding machine 50 in FIG. 4 (b). At this time, the abutting member 54 pressurizes the first crease F1 by the plurality of rollers 52 in a state where the tip thereof has entered the groove 58 of the lower guide.
FIG. 6 (c) shows the state of the folding machine 50 in FIG. 4 (c). At this time, while the plurality of rollers 52 are separated from the seat, they enter the groove 58 of the lower guide of the abutting member 54 to block the transport path, and the tip of the seat and the first crease F1 are brought by the folding roller pair 11. It is abutted against the abutting member 54.
FIG. 6D shows a state in which the folding machine 50 executes additional folding at the second fold in FIG. 4B. At this time, the tip of the abutting member 54 comes into contact with the seat, and its downward movement is restricted, and the abutting member 54 moves upward with respect to the folding unit 51 against the urging force of the springs 57a and 57b. Moving.

FIG. 7 shows the drive transmission mechanism of the folding roller pair 11. The folding motor MT2 that drives the folding roller pair 11 is driven and connected to the gear Z1, and the rotation of the gear Z1 is driven and transmitted to the folding roller 11b via the gear Z2 attached to the shaft of the folding roller 11b. To. Further, the rotation of the gear Z1 is driven and transmitted from the gear Z3 to the folding roller 11a via the gear Z4 attached to the shaft of the folding roller 11a.

The folding roller pair 11 is for adjusting the nip pressure in order to smoothly perform the operation when the downstream end of the sheet and the first crease are abutted against the abutting member 54 of the folding machine 50 and aligned. An adjustment mechanism is provided. According to this adjustment mechanism, when aligning the downstream end of the sheet with the first crease, the nip pressure of the folding roller pair 11 is reduced, so that the alignment operation can be performed smoothly and reliably.

The nip pressure adjusting mechanism includes an arm 61 rotatably attached to the shaft Z3a of the gear Z3, one end of which is connected to the shaft 11d of the folding roller 11a, and a solenoid SOL as an actuator for rotating the arm 61. Consists of. Then, by sucking the plunger of the solenoid SOL, the arm 61 rotates slightly upward with the shaft Z3a as a fulcrum. By this rotational operation, the tip 63 of the arm 61 moves the shaft 11d of the folding roller 11a slightly upward against the pressing force of the pressing spring 63. Thereby, the nip pressure between the folding roller 11a and the folding roller 11b can be reduced.

FIG. 8 shows the main control flow of the folding machine C. The folding machine C of the present embodiment includes a "folding" mode in which the sheet is Z-folded and a "non-folding" mode in which the sheet is not folded. First, triggered by the fact that the inlet sensor S1 detects the downstream end of the sheet, sheet information such as sheet size, material, and paper thickness and post-processing information such as folding mode are transmitted from the image forming apparatus A to the binding machine B via the binding machine B. (ST01, ST02). If the acquired information includes information indicating "folding" (ST03), the folding operation setting process (ST05) for setting various values such as the folding loop counter value for folding the sheet is executed, and the resist processing (ST05) is executed. Align the downstream edges of the sheet with ST06) and correct the sheet skew. Then, a loop portion is formed on the sheet by the folding loop forming process (ST07), and the loop portion is pierced by the veneer 15 and niped into the folding roller pair 11 by the folding process (ST08). The sheet folded in this way is further pressed against the folds of the sheet by the additional folding process described later, and is carried out to the binding machine B on the downstream side in a state where the swelling of the folds is flattened (ST09).

On the other hand, if there is no information to specify "folding" in the acquired information (ST03), normal processing (non-folding processing) is executed (ST04). In this normal process, the feed roller pair 10 and the folding roller pair are moved in a state where the veneer 15 is moved to the guide position Pb (see FIGS. 9A and 9A and 9A) forming a part of the third transport path 13c. 11 is driven, and the sheet received by the folding machine C is carried out to the binding machine B without being folded (ST09).

9A and 9B show a series of movements of the sheet S for forming a Z-fold.
(A): The downstream end Sa of the sheet S discharged through the discharge roller pair 8 of the image forming apparatus A is niped so that it can be conveyed by the feed roller pair 10 by being detected by the inlet sensor S1. To.
(B): The sheet S conveyed to the downstream side by the feed roller pair 10 is guided by the folding up guide 16, the folding down guide 17, and the veneer 15. Then, when the downstream end Sa of the sheet S is detected by the folding sensor S2, the folding roller pair 11 is rotated and sent out to the downstream side by a predetermined amount, and then the rotation of the folding roller pair 11 is temporarily stopped.
(C): By stopping the folding roller pair 11, the downstream end Sa side of the sheet S is held by the nip of the folding roller pair 11, and then the veneer 15 is moved to the retracted position Pc on the upstream side. By the movement of the veneer 15, the loop forming space portion 20 is formed on the lower side between the folding up guide 16 and the folding down guide 17. During this time, the loop portion Sb is formed on the sheet S by continuing to rotate the feed roller pair 10.
(D): A loop portion Sb having a predetermined length is formed by rotating the feed roller pair 10.
(E): The veneer 15 is moved to the veneer position Pa on the downstream side and stopped before the folding roller pair 11.

Next, the details of the folding operation (folding process) shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. 10 and the flowchart of FIG. 11. As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9A, the loop counter value (Px-UP) for counting the time during which the loop portion Sb is formed is counted up while the sheet feed is continued by the feed roller pair 10. Then, the thrusting process is started. Although not described in the main control flow of FIG. 8, the thrusting process for moving the veneer 15 to the thrusting position Pa and the retracting process for moving the veneer 15 to the retracting position Pc include a folding loop forming process and a folding process. It is executed at the same time. In the thrusting process, the veneer 15 is moved in the sheet feeding direction. The moving speed of the veneer 15 at this time is controlled to be the same as the moving speed of the sheet fed by the feed roller pair 10. In the folding process, when the feed motor MT1 reaches the fifth set amount (K5), the feed motor MT1 is decelerated from the high speed first speed Va to the low speed second speed Vb (ST08-1 to ST08). -2)). At the same time, the thrust motor MT3 is decelerated in the thrust process. As a result, the moving speeds of the seat and the veneer 15 are simultaneously reduced from high speed to low speed.

Next, in the folding process, when the feed motor MT1 is driven and then the second set amount (K2) is driven, the folding motor MT2 is started to be driven at the second speed (ST08-3 to ST08-4). .. At this time, the thrust motor MT3 is driven and stopped by a fourth set amount (K4) from the start of driving, the veneer 15 moves to the thrust position Pa, and the predetermined position of the sheet is the nip portion of the folding roller pair 11. It is positioned at a position facing 11c (FIG. 9B (e)). Then, by starting the driving of the folding motor MT2 at the second speed, the folding roller pair 11 rotates. At this time, a predetermined portion of the sheet positioned by the veneer 15 at a position facing the nip portion 11c of the folding roller pair 11 is nipped into the folding roller pair 11. As a result, the first crease F1 is formed. Further, when the sheet is folded by the folding roller pair 11, the first crease F1 is overlapped with the portion nipped by the folding roller pair 11 on the downstream end side of the sheet. The veneer motor MT3 is driven in reverse rotation after the eighth set time (K8) has elapsed from the time when the veneer 15 reaches the veneer position Pa, and the veneer 15 is moved upstream in the sheet transport direction, and the veneer sensor S3 The veneer 15 is moved to the standby position Pc by stopping when it is detected.

Further, in the folding process, the feed motor MT1 and the folding motor MT2 are accelerated to the first speed from the time when the folding motor MT2 is driven to the time when the sixth set amount (K6) is driven (ST08-5 to ST08-). 6). After that, when the folding motor MT2 drives the ninth set amount (K9) from the start of driving, the feed motor MT1 and the folding motor MT2 are stopped (ST08-7 to ST08-8). As a result, the first fold of the sheet is sent to the additional fold position Ph, the feed roller pair 10 and the fold roller pair 11 are stopped, and the first fold is positioned at the additional fold position Ph.

When the first fold F1 of the sheet S is positioned at the fold extension position Ph, the fold increase process and the matching means (matching process) are executed. 12A and 12B are state diagrams showing the operation of the folding process and the matching process, FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the first folding process, FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the second folding process, and FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the matching process. Hereinafter, the details of the folding increase processing and the matching processing will be described with reference to FIGS. 12A and 12B, the flow of FIGS. 13 to 15, and FIG. In the first folding process of additionally folding the first fold F1, when the first fold F1 reaches the expansion position Ph and the folding roller pair 11 is stopped, as shown in FIG. 12A (a). The folding unit 51 is in a state of waiting at a home position where the plurality of rollers 52 are separated from the seat S (see FIG. 4A). From this state, as shown in FIG. 12A (b), the folding motor MT4 is driven in the forward rotation by a set amount (T1) (ST08-9-1 to ST08-9-3). As a result, the folding unit 51 is moved to the pressure cam surface 70b, and the first fold F1 is pressed by the plurality of rollers 52 (see FIG. 4B). After that, the folding unit 51 is moved from the pressure cam surface 70b to the intermediate cam surface 70c to separate the plurality of rollers 52 from the sheet S (see FIG. 4C). When the first folding process is completed, the matching process is executed. In the matching process shown in FIG. 15, the solenoid SOL connected to the folding roller pair 11 is turned ON (ST08-10-1). As a result, the folding roller 11a of the folding roller pair 11 moves slightly in the direction away from the folding roller 11b, and the nip pressure of the folding roller pair 11 with respect to the sheet is reduced from the normal nip pressure. Then, the drive pulse corresponding to the distance Lb from the additional fold center position Pha to the abutting position Phb where the first crease F1 abuts on the abutting surface 54a of the abutting member 54 and the distance obtained by adding a predetermined amount α to this distance Lb. The folding motor MT2 is driven by the number (Lb + α) (FIGS. 12A (c), (ST08-10-2 to ST08-10-4)). As a result, the downstream end Sa of the sheet S abuts on the abutting member 54, and the movement of the sheet S to the downstream side is prevented. In this state, only the first crease F1 portion of the sheet in contact with the folding roller 11a moves to the downstream side. Then, when the first crease F1 abuts on the abutting member 54, the downstream end Sa of the sheet S and the first crease F1 are aligned (FIG. 12B (d)). After that, by turning off the solenoid SOL (ST08-10-5), the folding roller pair 11 is returned to the nip pressure at the time of normal transportation. Then, the folding motor MT4 is driven in a forward rotation by a set amount (T2) to move the folding unit 51 from the intermediate cam surface 70c to the second separated cam surface 70d (ST08-10-6 to ST08-10-8). .. As a result, the abutting member 54 moves from the position where the transfer path of the sheet S is blocked to the position where it is released (FIG. 12B (e)).

After that, in the folding process shown in FIG. 11, after matching the downstream end Sa of the sheet S and the first crease F1 so as to coincide with each other by the matching process, the feed motor MT1 and the folding motor MT2 are subjected to the first speed ( Drive at high speed). As a result, the downstream end Sa of the sheet S and the first crease F1 are conveyed by the folding roller pair 11 in a state of being coincidently overlapped. Then, when the folding motor MT2 is driven by the tenth set amount (K10), the feed motor MT1 and the folding motor MT2 are stopped (FIGS. 11 (ST08-11 to ST08-13)). As a result, the second fold F2 is fed to the additional fold position Ph by the feed roller 10 and the folding roller pair 11, and the second additional folding process is executed from the stopped and positioned state.

In the second folding process, as shown in FIG. 14, the folding motor MT4 is rotated in the reverse direction, and when the home position sensor HPS detects the home position flag HPF, the folding motor MT4 is stopped (ST08-). 14-1 to ST08-14-3). As a result, the folding unit 51 moves from the retracted position along the pressure cam surface 70b, pressurizes the second fold F2 with the plurality of rollers 52, and moves to the home position. When the folding unit 51 moves along the pressurizing cam surface 70b and pressurizes the second fold F2 with the plurality of rollers 52, the tip of the abutting member 54 is regulated by contacting the sheet S. (Fig. 12B (f)). Here, since the additional fold is executed at the second fold while the sheet is held by the abutting member 54, stable and reliable additional fold can be performed.

A Image forming device B Binding machine (post-processing device)
C folding machine (sheet folding device)
F1 1st crease F2 2nd crease HPF Home position flag HPS Home position sensor MT1 Feed motor MT2 Folding motor MT3 Stapler MT4 Folding motor P1 1st pass P2 2nd pass P3 3rd pass P20 1st relay pass P21 1st 2 Relay path Pa Thrust position Pb Guide position Pc Evacuation position Ph Folding position Pha Folding center position Phb Butt position S Seat Sa Downstream end Sb Loop part S1 Entrance sensor S2 Folding sensor S3 Thrust sensor SOL solenoid Z1 to Z4 Gear Z3a 2 Image forming unit 3 Feeding unit 4 Image reading unit 5 Document feeding unit 6 Relay transport unit 7 Paper ejection tray 8 Discharging roller vs. 9 Stapler 9a Binding processing tray 10 Feeding roller vs. 10a Feeding up roller 10b Feeding down roller 10c Nip part 11 Folding roller vs. 11a Folding roller 11b Folding roller 11c Nip part 11d Shaft 12a First paper ejection tray 12b Second paper ejection tray 13 Feeding guide 14 Feeding guide 15 Push plate 15a Tip 16 Folding guide 17 Folding guide 17a Horizontal guide part 17b Inclined guide part 17c Vertical guide part 18 Transport path 18a First transport path 18b Second transport path 18c Third transport path 20 Loop forming space 50 Folding machine (folding means)
51 Folding unit 52 Roller 53 Moving mechanism 54 Abutting member 54a Abutting surface 55a to 55d Support pin 56a to 56d Slit 57a, 57b Spring 58 Groove 59 Pressurizing table 60 Matching means 61 Arm 63 Pressing spring 70 Cam 70a First separation cam Surface 70b Pressurized cam surface 70c Intermediate cam surface 70d Second separation cam surface 71 Acting pin

Claims (6)

In a sheet folding device provided with a pair of folding rollers that form a crease at a predetermined position on the sheet and convey the crease on the downstream end side of the sheet at a predetermined position.
A sheet folding device provided with a matching means for aligning the downstream end of the sheet with the crease on the downstream side of the folding roller pair. The sheet folding device according to claim 1, wherein the matching means has an abutting member that brings the downstream end of the sheet fed by the folding roller pair and the crease into contact with each other at a predetermined position on the downstream side of the folding roller pair. The matching means has a moving means for moving the abutting member between a position where the conveying path of the sheet fed by the folding roller pair is blocked and a position where the sheet is released.
The moving means moves the abutting member to a position that blocks the transport path before the tip of the sheet and the crease reach the matching position, and abuts the downstream end of the sheet and the crease on the abutting member. The sheet folding device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the abutting member is moved to a position where the transport path is released after the movement. It is equipped with an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the nip pressure of the folding roller pair.
The sheet folding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the adjusting mechanism reduces the nip pressure of the folding roller pair before the downstream end of the sheet and the crease come into contact with the abutting member. The sheet folding device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the abutting member is formed of a plate-shaped member extending in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the sheet. A folding means for pressurizing the folds of the sheet nipped by the folding roller pair is provided on the downstream side of the folding roller pair.
The sheet folding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the folding means presses the folds of the sheet, and then the matching means aligns the downstream end of the sheet with the folds.

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