JP2023020999A - Sheet processing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

To achieve productivity improvement of a shift discharge process at a low cost.SOLUTION: In the binding discharge process, by the repetition of transporting a transported sheet in the reverse direction on a processing tray 220 by a raking paddle 240A, batting the rear end of the sheet against a rear end regulating member 290, thereafter moving the sheet by an alignment part 270A in the shift direction and positioning it at the binding position, multiple sheets are positioned at the binding position, and the binding process is performed on them. The multiple bound sheets are discharged onto a loading tray 300 by an upper side discharge roller 230A and a bottom side discharge roller 230B. In the switch back-less shift discharge process, the transported sheet is shifted in the shift direction by the alignment part 270A by driving the drive part without performing the transport in the reverse direction by the raking paddle 240A and is discharged by the upper side discharge roller 230A and the bottom side discharge roller 230B to the loading tray 300.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus that performs predetermined processing such as stapling on sheets.

In a sheet processing apparatus, a sheet conveyed in a conveying direction from a conveying path is placed on a processing tray, the sheet on the processing tray is conveyed in a direction opposite to the conveying direction, and the trailing edge of the sheet (downstream edge in the reverse conveying direction) is placed. edge) is abutted against the trailing end regulating member, and the sheets abutted against the trailing end regulating member are bound using a stapler. As such a sheet processing apparatus, there is a case where a shift discharge process is performed in which sheets that are not to be bound are moved in a shift direction that intersects with the conveying direction and then discharged to a stack tray (Patent Document 1).

When the shift discharge process is performed with the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the sheet conveyed from the conveying path is once conveyed in the opposite direction on the processing tray, and the trailing edge of the sheet hits the trailing edge regulating member to regulate the trailing edge. After the sheet abutted against the member is moved in the shift direction by the aligning means, it is discharged.

JP 2015-16970 A

It is desired to improve the productivity of the shift discharge process described above at low cost.

A sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a first conveying section that conveys a sheet in a first conveying direction, and a placing section that temporarily places the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying section. a second conveying portion for conveying the sheet on the stacking portion conveyed by the first conveying portion in a second conveying direction opposite to the first conveying direction; an abutting portion against which a downstream edge in the second conveying direction of the sheet conveyed in the conveying direction abuts; The sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit is moved in the shift direction by moving in the shift direction intersecting the first conveying direction while being in contact with one edge. a first shift section; a first drive section that drives the first shift section to move the first shift section in the shift direction; 2 a processing unit that performs binding processing on a plurality of sheets whose downstream edges in the conveying direction are abutted against the abutting unit and that are moved in the shift direction by the first shift unit and positioned at the binding position; a stacking section arranged downstream of the stacking section in the first conveying direction and stacking the sheets conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying section; a discharge unit for discharging the sheet conveyed in one conveying direction to the stacking unit, wherein after the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit, the sheet is first conveyed by the first conveying unit. The sheet conveyed in the direction is conveyed in the second conveying direction by the second conveying section on the placing section, and the downstream edge of the sheet in the second conveying direction is abutted against the abutment section, and the By driving the first shift section with the first drive section, the sheet abutted against the abutment section by the first shift section is moved in the shift direction and positioned at the binding position repeatedly. a binding discharge process in which the processing section performs the binding process on the plurality of sheets positioned at the binding position, and the discharge section discharges the bound plurality of sheets to the stacking section; After the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying section, the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying section is conveyed in the second conveying direction by the second conveying section. without the first driving unit driving the first By driving the first shift section, the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying section is moved in the shift direction by the first shift section, and the sheet is moved in the shift direction by the first shift section. a switchbackless shift discharge process for discharging the sheet to the stacking section by the discharging section.

According to the present invention, the productivity of shift discharge processing can be improved at low cost.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a schematic configuration of a sheet processing apparatus according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration perspective view showing a sheet processing apparatus according to a first embodiment with an upper cover removed; FIG. 3A and 3B are views of the aligning plates on the processing tray as viewed from the width direction, 3B are views of the aligning plates as viewed from the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction, and 3C are perspective views of the aligning plates according to the first embodiment. 1A and 1B are a perspective view of a periphery of a processing tray and a cross-sectional view of a schematic configuration of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment, at a home position of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment; FIG. (a) the state of the discharge roller, (b) the state of the scraping paddle, and (c) the state of the trailing edge dropping member at the home position of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment, viewed from the width direction. figure. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the engagement relationship between the trailing edge dropping member and the raking paddle according to the first embodiment; 1A and 1B are a perspective view of a periphery of a processing tray and a cross-sectional view of a schematic configuration of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment when discharging sheets; FIG. (a) the state of the discharge roller, (b) the state of the scraping paddle, and (c) the state of the trailing edge dropping member when the sheet is discharged from the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment, from the width direction. figure seen. 1A and 1B are a perspective view of a periphery of a processing tray and a cross-sectional view of a schematic configuration of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment when the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment is raking in sheets; FIG. (a) the state of the discharge roller, (b) the state of the raking paddle, and (c) the state of the trailing edge dropping member at the time of raking the sheet in the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment, respectively, in the width direction. view from. 4 is a table showing the correspondence relationship between each motor and each configuration of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment; 2 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the control flow of the sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment; 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams of main parts of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, and FIG. 8A and 8B are a schematic view of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, and a schematic cross-sectional view of the configuration when receiving sheets in the first shift discharge process according to the first embodiment; FIG. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus as viewed from above when the upper discharge roller is lowered in the first shift discharge process according to the first embodiment; FIG. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, and FIG. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus as viewed from above, and FIG. 3A and 3B are a schematic top view of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus when sheets are shifted by the aligning plate in the first shift discharge process according to the first embodiment; FIG. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, and FIG. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus when the aligning plate is retracted in the first shift discharge process according to the first embodiment; FIG. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, and FIG. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, and FIG. 7A and 7B are a schematic top view of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus in a state where the leading edge of the sheet has passed over the discharge roller in the second shift discharge process according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 8A is a schematic top view of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus in a state where the trailing edge of the sheet has passed through the pre-processing rollers in the second shift discharge process according to the first embodiment; 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, and FIG. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus as viewed from above when the return member is lowered in the second shift discharge process according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 11A is a schematic view of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus when the trailing edge dropping member, the raking paddle, and the returning member are raised in the second shift and discharge process according to the first embodiment, and FIG. Cross section. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, and FIG. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, and FIG. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus when the aligning plate is retracted in the second shift discharge process according to the first embodiment; FIG. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, and FIG. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of the main parts of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to a second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration perspective view of a sheet processing apparatus according to a second embodiment; 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams of a sheet processing apparatus according to a second embodiment as viewed from above; FIG. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams showing (a) a first example, (b) a second example, and (c) a third example of a sheet nip position between a scraping belt and a discharge belt according to a second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the support structure of the scraping belt according to the second embodiment, showing (a) a state in which there are few sheets on the processing tray, and (b) a state in which there are many sheets on the processing tray; figure. The perspective view which shows a part of drive structure which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side view of a first drive configuration of a pre-treatment roller according to a second embodiment, showing (a) a state where nip pressure is applied and (b) a state where nip pressure is released; The perspective view which shows a part of drive structure which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The perspective view which shows the drive structure of the rake-in belt and trailing edge dropping member which concern on 2nd Embodiment. 8A and 8B are perspective views showing the operation of the discharge roller according to the second embodiment, in which (a) the discharge roller is at the retracted position and (b) the discharge roller is at the contact position; FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the operation of the scraping belt and the trailing edge dropping member according to the second embodiment, in which (a) the scraping belt and the trailing edge dropping member are at the first position; 4A and 4B are diagrams each showing a state in which the trailing edge dropping member is at the second position; FIG. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the operation of the scraping belt and the trailing edge dropping member according to the second embodiment, in which (a) the scraping belt and the trailing edge dropping member are in the second position; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the trailing edge dropping member has returned from the second position to the first position; FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining another example of the support structure of the discharge rollers according to the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a table showing a correspondence relationship between each motor and each configuration of the sheet processing apparatus according to the second embodiment; FIG. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of a sheet processing apparatus according to the second embodiment; (a) Schematic view of the sheet processing apparatus as viewed from above, (b) Schematic view of the sheet processing apparatus as viewed from the side, showing a state in which the leading edge of the sheet reaches the pre-processing roller in the straight discharge mode according to the second embodiment. figure. 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams of a sheet processing apparatus as viewed from above, and FIG. Schematic diagram. 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams of a sheet processing apparatus as viewed from above, and FIG. Schematic diagram. 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, and FIG. 12A and 12B are schematic diagrams of the sheet processing apparatus as viewed from above, showing a state in which the leading edge of the sheet has reached the pre-processing rollers in the shift mode (productivity priority) according to the second embodiment, and FIG. Schematic diagram viewed from (a) Schematic diagram of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, showing the state after the leading edge of the sheet has passed the pre-processing rollers in the shift mode (productivity priority) according to the second embodiment, (b) The schematic diagram seen from the side. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams of a sheet processing apparatus as viewed from above, and FIG. figure. 12A and 12B are schematic diagrams of the sheet processing apparatus as viewed from above and FIG. figure. 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams of a sheet processing apparatus as viewed from above, showing a state in which sheets are discharged onto a stacking tray in a shift mode (productivity priority) according to the second embodiment; FIG. Schematic diagram. Schematic diagrams of the sheet processing apparatus according to the second embodiment, showing a state in which the leading edge of the sheet reaches the pre-processing roller in shift mode (alignment priority) for large sheets, as viewed from above; ) Schematic view viewed from the side. (a) A schematic diagram of a sheet processing apparatus viewed from above, showing a state after the trailing edge of the sheet has passed the pre-processing rollers in a shift mode (alignment priority) for large sheets according to the second embodiment. , (b) a schematic diagram viewed from the side; (a) Schematic view of a sheet processing apparatus from above, showing a state in which a sheet is nipped between a scraping belt and an ejection roller and an ejection belt in a shift mode (alignment priority) for large sheets according to the second embodiment. Fig. (b) is a schematic diagram viewed from the side; (a) Schematic view of the sheet processing apparatus according to the second embodiment, as viewed from above, showing a state in which the sheet is abutted against the trailing edge regulating member in the shift mode (alignment priority) for large sheets, (b) ) Schematic view viewed from the side. (a) schematic view from above, (b) side view of a sheet processing apparatus showing a state in which sheets are shifted in a shift mode (alignment priority) for large sheets according to the second embodiment. Saw schematic. (a) schematic view from above, (b) side view of a sheet processing apparatus showing a state in which sheet shifting is completed in a shift mode (alignment priority) for large sheets according to the second embodiment. Saw schematic. (a) Schematic view of a sheet processing apparatus viewed from above, (b) side, showing a state in which sheets are discharged to a stacking tray in a shift mode (alignment priority) for large sheets according to the second embodiment. Schematic diagram seen from the side. (a) Schematic view of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, (b) Schematic view of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from the side, showing a state in which the leading edge of the sheet reaches the pre-processing roller in the stapling mode according to the second embodiment. . (a) Schematic view of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, (b) Schematic view of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from the side, showing a state in which the sheet is abutted against the trailing edge regulating member in the stapling mode according to the second embodiment. . (a) Schematic view from above, (b) view from side of a sheet processing apparatus showing a state in which width direction side edges of sheets are regulated in a stapling mode according to a second embodiment. Pattern diagram. (a) schematic view from above, (b) side view of a sheet processing apparatus, showing a state in which the trailing edge of a sheet can be pressed and the next sheet can be received in the stapling mode according to the second embodiment; Saw schematic. (a) Schematic view of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, (b) Side view, showing a state in which the second sheet is abutted against the trailing edge regulating member in the stapling mode according to the second embodiment. Saw schematic. (a) Schematic view from above, (b) side view of a sheet processing apparatus, showing a state in which width direction side edges of two sheets are regulated in a stapling mode according to a second embodiment. Schematic diagram viewed from (a) Schematic view of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, (b) Schematic view of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from the side, showing a state in which a plurality of sheets are being stapled in a stapling mode according to the second embodiment. . (a) Top view of a sheet processing apparatus showing a state in which a stapled sheet bundle is nipped between a raking belt and a discharge roller and a discharge belt in a stapling mode according to a second embodiment; Schematic diagram, (b) schematic diagram viewed from the side. 12A and 12B are schematic diagrams of the sheet processing apparatus as viewed from above, and FIG. Saw schematic. 12A and 12B are schematic diagrams of the sheet processing apparatus as viewed from above, and FIG. Saw schematic. 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, and FIG. (a) Schematic diagram of the sheet processing apparatus viewed from above, showing a state in which the trailing edge of the sheet is guided downward by the sheet pressing belt in the sheet discharging operation according to the second embodiment, (b) The schematic diagram seen from the side. 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, and FIG. (a) A schematic view of the sheet processing apparatus as seen from above, showing a state in which the trailing edge of the sheets stacked on the stacking tray is pressed by the sheet pressing belt in the sheet discharging operation according to the second embodiment; (b) Schematic diagram seen from the side. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a schematic configuration of a sheet processing apparatus according to a first example of another embodiment; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a schematic configuration of a sheet processing apparatus according to a second example of another embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration cross-sectional view of a sheet processing apparatus according to a third example of another embodiment, (a) a schematic configuration cross-sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus at a home position of first shift discharge processing; FIG. 5C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sheet processing apparatus when the upper discharge roller is lowered; FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a discharge arm and a second trailing edge dropping member according to a third example of another embodiment, showing (a) a state in which the second trailing edge dropping member is in an upper position; is in the lower position.

<First embodiment>
A first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 34. FIG. First, the schematic configuration of the image forming system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[Image forming system]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming system according to this embodiment. The image forming system 1000A has an image forming apparatus 100, a punch unit 150, and a sheet processing apparatus 200A. The image forming apparatus 100 is a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, a multifunction machine having a plurality of these functions, or the like, and forms an image on a sheet such as paper or a plastic sheet. In this embodiment, an electrophotographic printer is used, and a sheet on which a toner image is formed is discharged from the first discharge section 101 or the second discharge section 102 . Note that the image forming apparatus 100 may be an inkjet image forming apparatus.

In the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment, although detailed illustration is omitted, the image forming unit 103 forms a toner image on a sheet. Briefly, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum by charging the surface of the photosensitive drum and exposing the surface. Then, this electrostatic latent image is developed with a developer by a developing device to form a toner image. The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum is transferred to a sheet, and is fixed to the sheet by being heated and pressurized by a fixing device. The sheet on which the toner image is fixed passes through the conveying path 104 and is sent to the first discharge section 101 or the second discharge section 102 .

Further, the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment includes an image forming apparatus main body 110 having an image forming section 103, a conveying path 104, a first discharging section 101 and a second discharging section 102, and a An image reading unit 120 is provided. The image reading unit 120 reads an image on a document and sends the read image signal to the image forming apparatus main body 110 . The image forming apparatus main body 110 includes a first housing portion 111 in which the image forming portion 103 is arranged, and a second housing portion in which a part of the transport path 104, the first discharge portion 101 and the second discharge portion 102 are arranged. 112 , and the second housing portion 112 is provided above the first housing portion 111 . The image reading section 120 is provided above the second housing section 112 . Further, an operation panel (not shown) is provided in the second housing portion, so that the user can input instructions (printing conditions, mode settings, etc.) to the image forming apparatus 100, the punch unit 150, and the sheet processing apparatus 200. It has become.

With this configuration, the present embodiment has a torso space 130 surrounded by the first housing section 111 , the second housing section 112 and the image reading section 120 . Then, the sheet is discharged from the first discharge portion 101 or the second discharge portion 102 into the body interior space 130 . In addition, the punch unit 150, the sheet processing apparatus 200A, and the like can be attached and detached to and from the body space 130. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the image forming system 1000A is configured by mounting the punch unit 150 and the sheet processing apparatus 200A, but either one or another sheet processing apparatus may be mounted.

The punch unit 150 is connected to the first discharge section 101 and can receive the sheet discharged from the first discharge section 101 and punch the sheet. The sheet processing apparatus 200A is connected to the sheet discharge section of the punch unit 150 and receives sheets discharged from the punch unit 150. As shown in FIG. Although the details will be described later, the sheet can be subjected to a predetermined process such as stapling. Note that the sheet can be delivered to the sheet processing apparatus 200A without being punched by the punch unit 150, and the sheet can be discharged without being subjected to predetermined processing in the sheet processing apparatus 200A. The sheet discharged from the second discharge section 102 is discharged onto the sheet mounting surface 160 above the punch unit 150 and the sheet processing apparatus 200A.

Rails 131 are arranged in the body space 130 along the left-right direction in FIG. It is also possible to omit the punch unit 150 and connect the sheet processing apparatus 200</b>A directly to the first discharge section 101 . Further, by making the punch unit 150 and the sheet processing apparatus 200A detachable in this manner, it is possible to perform sheet jam processing.

For example, when the sheet is jammed at the first discharge portion 101, the punch unit 150 and the sheet processing apparatus 200A are pulled out in the direction of the arrow α1 to expose the first discharge portion 101. FIG. Also, when a sheet jam occurs in the punch unit 150, only the sheet processing apparatus 200A is pulled out in the direction of the arrow α1 to expose the punch unit 150. FIG. When the punch unit 150 and the sheet processing apparatus 200A are attached to the image forming apparatus 100, they are pushed in the direction of the arrow α2. As described above, in the present embodiment, since the sheet processing apparatus 200A is arranged in the space 130 inside the body of the image forming apparatus 100, it is required to reduce the size of the sheet processing apparatus 200A.

[Sheet processing device]
The configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 200A of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 11C. First, the overall configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 200A will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG.

[Overall Configuration of Sheet Processing Apparatus]
The sheet processing apparatus 200A includes a conveying path 210A, pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A as a first conveying section, a processing tray 220 as a mounting section, and upper discharge rollers (nip members) as a pair of discharge rotating bodies (discharge section). 230A, a lower discharge roller 230B, a scraping paddle 240A as a second conveying section, a trailing edge drop member 250A as a sheet drop section, an alignment section 270A as a first and second shift section, a return member 280, and an abutment section. a rear end regulating member 290 as a stacking unit, a stacking tray 300 as a stacking unit, and a sheet pressing paddle 320A. A sheet received from the image forming apparatus 100 or the punch unit 150 is conveyed to the conveying path 210A.

Sheets conveyed from the conveying path 210A are discharged directly to the stacking tray 300 or placed on the processing tray 220 depending on the mode of processing the sheets. Direct discharge to the stacking tray 300 means discharging the sheet to the stacking tray 300 without reversely conveying the sheet to a position where stapling can be performed on the processing tray 220 . In other words, the sheet processing apparatus 200A has a mode in which sheets stapled by the stapling unit 400 are discharged to the stacking tray 300, and a mode in which sheets are discharged to the stacking tray 300 without being stapled by the stapling unit 400. have. In this embodiment, the sheets can be aligned by the alignment unit 270A without being placed on the processing tray 220. FIG. Also, the processing tray 220 can also align the sheets, and the sheets placed on the processing tray 220 can be stapled by the stapling unit 400 . Also, the sheet or sheet bundle placed on the processing tray 220 can be discharged to the stacking tray 300 by an upper discharge roller 230A and a lower discharge roller 230B as a pair of discharge rotating bodies. The configuration of each unit will be described in detail below.

[Conveyance path]
The conveying path 210A is a path for conveying sheets in a first conveying direction (predetermined direction), and has an upper guide 2101 that guides the upper surface of the conveyed sheet and a lower guide 2102 that guides the lower surface of the sheet. Pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A and upstream rollers (entrance rollers) 213a and 213b are arranged on the transport path 210A as a first transport section (a pair of transport rotating bodies). A pair of these are arranged so as to be spaced apart in the sheet width direction (direction of arrow γ in FIG. 3) intersecting the direction of conveyance of the sheet (first direction of conveyance, direction of arrow β in FIG. 2 (horizontal direction)). .

The pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A are a first conveying unit that conveys the sheet and a pair of conveying rotators, and at least one of them rotates while nipping the sheet. At least one of the upstream rollers 213a and 213b rotates while nipping the sheet. The upstream rollers 213a and 213b are arranged at the entrance of the sheet processing apparatus 200A, receive the sheet conveyed from the upstream side of the sheet processing apparatus 200A, and convey it to the conveying path 210A. After passing through the conveying path 210A, the sheet reaches pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A.

The pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A form a pre-processing nip portion 211a capable of nipping and conveying the sheet. Then, the sheet is nipped by the pre-processing nip portion 211a, conveyed in the first conveying direction, and discharged from the conveying path 210A. As will be described later, the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A can contact or separate from each other, or change the nip pressure.

[Processing tray]
The processing tray 220 as a mounting unit is arranged downstream of the conveying path 210A in the sheet conveying direction (first conveying direction) and below the conveying path 210 in the vertical direction. In addition, the processing tray 220 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane so that the upstream side in the first transport direction is lower than the downstream side. The processing tray 220 temporarily places the sheet conveyed downstream in the first conveying direction by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A. In addition, the processing tray 220 can stack a plurality of sheets, and on the processing tray 220, the aligning unit 270A aligns the sheets in the width direction and moves the sheets in the width direction (shift of the sheets). At the upstream end of the processing tray 220 in the first transport direction, the upstream edge in the first transport direction of the sheet placed on the processing tray 220 (the downstream edge in the second transport direction opposite to the first transport direction) is provided. A trailing edge regulating member 290 is arranged as an abutting portion against which the edge, trailing edge of the sheet is abutted. A part of the processing tray 220 (for example, the downstream end in the first transport direction) may protrude vertically above the transport path 210A.

A stapling unit 400 as a processing unit is arranged on the upstream side of the processing tray 220 in the first conveying direction. The stapling unit 400 performs stapling processing (binding processing) as a predetermined processing on the sheet bundle that has undergone widthwise alignment and rear end regulation on the processing tray 220 . The stapling unit 400 can change the stapling position with respect to the sheet bundle, and moves according to the stapling position. Note that the predetermined process may be punching or other process other than stapling. The sheet or sheet bundle placed on the processing tray 220 is discharged onto the stacking tray 300 by the upper discharge rollers 230A and the lower discharge rollers 230B, as will be described later.

[Scraping paddle]
The scraping paddle 240A serving as a second conveying unit conveys the sheet on the processing tray 220 in a second conveying direction opposite to the first conveying direction (switchback conveying). The raking paddle 240A has a paddle portion 2401 as a rotating member, a paddle arm 2402 as a support portion that supports the paddle portion 2401, and a swing fulcrum 2403 that swingably supports the paddle arm 2402. That is, the paddle arm 2402 is vertically swingable around the swing fulcrum 2403, and the paddle portion 2401 is rotatably provided at the tip of the paddle arm 2402. As shown in FIG.

Such a raking paddle 240A has a return position where the paddle portion 2401 contacts the upper surface of the sheet on the processing tray 220 to convey the sheet in the second conveying direction, and a position where the paddle portion 2401 is above the return position. It can swing around the swing fulcrum 2403 to the retracted upper retracted position. The swing fulcrum 2403 is arranged upstream in the first conveying direction from the pre-processing nip portion 211a, which is the nip position where the sheet is nipped between the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A, and vertically above the pre-processing nip portion 211a. It is The paddle arm 2402 extends from the swing fulcrum 2403 to the downstream side in the first conveying direction, and the paddle portion 2401 is provided at the tip of the paddle arm 2402 . Also, as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of the scraping paddles 240A are arranged on both sides in the width direction of the upper discharge roller 230A, which will be described later.

[Rear end dropping member]
A pair of trailing edge dropping members 250A as a sheet dropping portion are provided on both sides of the pair of scraping paddles 240A. That is, the pair of trailing edge dropping members 250A are arranged on both sides of the scraping paddle 240A in the width direction, and move vertically in conjunction with the scraping paddle 240A as will be described later. , and drops the upstream end (rear end) of the sheet toward the processing tray 220 . Note that the trailing edge dropping member 250A may be driven separately from the raking paddle 240A.

Such a trailing edge dropping member 250A has a rotation shaft 2501 as a rotation center on the downstream side in the first transport direction from the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A as a pair of transport rollers. Extending from the rotating shaft 2501 to the upstream side in the first conveying direction, from an upper position above the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A centering on the rotating shaft 2501, to a position below the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A. It is rotatable between up to a lower position. By rotating from the upper position to the lower position, the trailing edge dropping member 250A contacts the sheet conveyed by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A from above and drops the sheet onto the processing tray 220 below.

[Return member]
The return member 280 further conveys the sheet conveyed toward the trailing edge regulating member 290 by the rake paddle 240A as described above toward the trailing edge regulating member 290, and the trailing edge of the sheet is conveyed to the trailing edge regulating member 290. It contacts to restrict the position of the trailing edge of the sheet. Such a return member 280 is composed of a knurled belt 281. By rotating the knurled belt 281, the sheet conveyed upstream in the first conveying direction by the raking paddle 240A is further rake-in, and the trailing edge is are brought into contact with the rear end regulating member 290 . The return member 280 can move between a contact position where it can contact the sheet and a retracted position retracted upward from the contact position. In addition, when the sheets on the processing tray 220 are conveyed toward the stacking tray 300, they move to the retreat position.

[Eject roller]
The upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B constitute a pair of discharge rotating bodies and a discharge unit, and discharge the sheet conveyed downstream in the first conveying direction by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A from the processing tray 220. are also conveyed downstream in the first conveying direction and discharged. The upper discharge roller 230A can move between a nipping position (contact position) at which the sheet is nipped between itself and the lower discharge roller 230B, and a retracted position retracted upward from the nipping position. 230B to sandwich the sheet. That is, the upper discharge roller 230A functions as a nip member that nips the sheet with the lower discharge roller 230B at the nipping position. Two upper discharge rollers 230A and two lower discharge rollers 230B are arranged apart from each other in the width direction of the sheet. In this embodiment, it is arranged inside the pair of raking paddles 240A in the width direction.

The upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B pinch the sheet or the sheet bundle at the pinching position, and for example, rotate the lower discharge roller 230B to convey the pinched sheet or the sheet bundle. Although the upper discharge roller 230A is a driven roller that rotates following the rotation of the lower discharge roller 230B, it may be driven. That is, in the present embodiment, the upper discharge roller 230A is a driven rotating body, and the lower discharge roller 230B is a driving rotation. Further, the upper discharge roller 230A functions as a nip member capable of nipping the sheet between itself and the lower discharge roller 230B at the nipping position. Alternatively, it may be a contact member that contacts the sheet without rotating like a lever member. Also, the lower discharge roller 230B may be a rotating body such as a belt instead of a roller.

The upper discharge roller 230A is rotatable about a rotation shaft 2301 between the nipping position and the retracted position. In other words, the upper discharge roller 230A can move up and down between the nipping position and the retracted position. The upper discharge roller 230A is provided at the tip of a discharge arm 2302 as a support. The rotation shaft 2301 is provided coaxially with the swinging fulcrum 2403 described above, and is positioned upstream in the first conveying direction from the pre-processing nip portion 211a where the sheet is nipped by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A, and at the pre-processing nip. It is arranged above the portion 211a in the vertical direction. The ejection arm 2302 extends from the rotary shaft 2301 to the downstream side in the first conveying direction, and has an upper ejection roller 230A at its tip. The rotating shaft 2301 may not be arranged coaxially with the swing fulcrum 2403, but in this embodiment, the rotating shafts of the upper discharge roller 230A and the raking paddle 240A are coaxial.

The rotation shaft 2301 is arranged upstream in the first conveying direction from the discharge nip portion where the upper discharge roller 230A nips the sheet with the lower discharge roller 230B at the nipping position. At the retracted position, the upper discharge roller 230A is positioned vertically above the pre-processing nip portion 211a that nips the sheet with the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A. It is positioned vertically above the center of 230A.

Since the positional relationship between the upper discharge roller 230A and the rotation shaft 2301 and the pre-processing nip portion 211a is defined as described above, in the retracted position, the sheet that has passed through the pre-processing nip portion 211a is placed on the stacking tray. Allow to go to 300. On the other hand, the upper discharge roller 230A rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 2 around the rotation shaft 2301, thereby moving downward from the retracted position to the nipping position. By moving the upper discharge roller 230A to the nipping position, the sheet can be nipped between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B.

[Matching section]
The matching section 270A as a shift section will be described with reference to FIGS. 4(a) to 4(c) in addition to FIGS. The aligning unit 270A moves in a shift direction (width direction) to move the sheet in the shift direction. Such an alignment section 270A has a pair of alignment plates 271A as a first shift section and a second shift section arranged to face each other in the shift direction.

The pair of aligning plates 271A is arranged further downstream than the downstream end of the conveying path 210A in the first conveying direction, and moves in the width direction to come into contact with the edges of the sheet in the width direction. Align. In this embodiment, they are arranged on both sides in the width direction of the sheet placed on the processing tray 220 and are movable in the width direction. Also, the pair of aligning plates 271A extends from the upstream side to the downstream side in the first conveying direction with respect to the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B. The configuration of the pair of alignment plates 271A is the same. The pair of aligning plates 271A are shifted by driving a front side (F side) aligning plate moving motor MT16 and a rear side (R side) aligning plate moving motor MT17 (see FIG. 12) as first and second driving portions. move in the direction In the first shift ejection process (switchbackless shift ejection process) and the second shift ejection process (switchback shift ejection process), which will be described later, the pair of alignment plates 271A serves as the alignment plate on the upstream side in the shift direction as the first shift portion. The aligning plate on the downstream side in the shift direction is referred to as a second shift portion. Also, the motor that drives the first shift section is referred to as a first drive section, and the motor that drives the second shift section is referred to as a second drive section.

The aligning plate 271A is formed so that the width in the vertical direction becomes wider on the downstream side in the first conveying direction. That is, the alignment plate 271A includes a first plate portion 2701 on the downstream side in the first conveying direction and a second plate portion 2702 formed so as to be continuous with the first plate portion 2701 on the upstream side in the first conveying direction. have. The first plate portion 2701 has a larger area in the vertical direction than the second plate portion 2702 so that it can come into contact with the conveyed sheet even if the leading edge of the sheet is curled upward or downward. On the other hand, the second plate portion 2702 has a vertical height lower than that of the first plate portion 2701 so as not to interfere with the trailing edge dropping member 250A even when the trailing edge dropping member 250A is positioned at the lower position. is formed in Also, the upper edge of the second plate portion 2702 is inclined so as to become lower toward the upstream side in the first conveying direction.

Further, the first plate portion 2701 is formed so as to straddle the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B from the upstream side to the downstream side in the first conveying direction. This allows at least the first plate portion 2701 to come into contact with the sheet even when the sheet is discharged by the first shift discharge process, which will be described later. Also, the second plate portion 2702 is positioned on the processing tray 220 and formed continuously with the first plate portion 2701 in the first transport direction. As a result, at least the second plate portion 2702 can come into contact with the sheet placed on the processing tray 220 by the second shift discharge process, which will be described later.

In addition, the first plate portion 2701 has a curl holding portion 2703 and a support portion 2704 as shown in FIGS. 4(a) to 4(c). The curl pressing portion 2703 is downstream in the first conveying direction from the discharge nip portion 230a (see FIG. 8B described later), which is a nip position where the sheet is nipped between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B. Further, it is provided above the discharge nip portion 230a in the vertical direction, and presses the leading edge of the sheet curled upward. In the present embodiment, the curl holding portion 2703 is a protruding portion that protrudes inward in the width direction (the side contacting the sheet, the right side in FIG. 4B) from the upper end portion of the first plate portion 2701. The leading end of the sheet is pressed by the contact of the widthwise edges. In addition, an uneven portion 2705 is provided below the curl pressing portion 2703, and depending on the state of curling, the edges in the width direction of the sheet are caught by this uneven portion 2705, thereby holding down the leading edge of the curled sheet. It is possible.

The support portion 2704 is downstream in the first conveying direction from the discharge nip portion 230a, which is a nip position where the sheet is nipped between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B, and vertically below the discharge nip portion 230a. provided to support the seat from below. In this embodiment, the support portion 2704 is a protruding portion that protrudes from the lower end portion of the first plate portion 2701 inward in the width direction (the side contacting the sheet, the right side in FIG. 4B). Further, as shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(c), an inclined portion 2704a which is inclined downward toward the downstream is formed at the downstream end portion of the support portion 2704 in the first conveying direction. there is Accordingly, the sheet supported by the support portion 2704 can be smoothly guided to the stacking tray 300 . In addition, since the sheet on the downstream side of the discharge nip portion 230a in the first conveying direction is supported by the support portion 2704, the area of the pair of aligning plates 271A in contact with the side edge of the sheet can be increased as compared to the case where the support portion 2704 does not support the sheet. can.

[Load tray]
Sheets discharged by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B are stacked on the stacking tray 300 as a stacking unit, as described above. The stacking tray 300 is provided on the downstream side of the processing tray 220 in the first transport direction and can be vertically lowered. Further, the stacking tray 300 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane so that the upstream side in the first transport direction is lower than the downstream side. Such a stacking tray 300 is, for example, supported so as to be vertically movable along rails arranged in the vertical direction, and is moved up and down by driving a stacking tray lifting motor MT20 (FIG. 12) as a lifting means.

At the upstream end of the stacking tray 300 in the first conveying direction, an upright surface 310a as stacking side regulating means for regulating the upstream end (rear end) of the sheets or sheet bundles stacked on the stacking tray 300 in a predetermined direction; A trailing edge presser 310b is provided to press the trailing edge of the sheet in contact with 310a. The trailing edge presser 310b is inclined toward the downstream side in the first conveying direction as it goes upward. there is A sheet pressing paddle 320A is provided coaxially with the rotating shaft of the lower discharge roller 230B.

The stacking tray 300 can be moved up and down from a first stacking position to a second stacking position below the first stacking position by a stacking tray lifting motor MT20. The second stacking position is a position where the operation of the stacking tray 300 that has been lowered when discharging the sheets onto the stacking tray 300 is switched to ascending. When the sheet is discharged, the stacking tray 300 is lifted and the sheet pressing paddle 320A rotates, and the sheet or sheet bundle on the stacking tray 300 is pressed by the sheet pressing paddle 320A.

[Driving configuration of each part]
Next, the drive configuration of the upper discharge roller 230A, the scraping paddle 240A, and the trailing edge dropping member 250A will be described with reference to FIGS. 5(a) to 11(c). In this embodiment, the upper discharge roller 230A, the scraping paddle 240A, and the trailing edge dropping member 250A are configured to interlock with each other. As shown in FIG. 5(a), these driving structures 600 have a processing motor 610 (MT12, FIG. 12) as a drive source, a drive transmission mechanism 611, a rotating shaft 612, and a cam mechanism 613. As shown in FIG. The processing motor 610 can rotate forward and backward, and the drive of the processing motor 610 is transmitted to the rotating shaft 612 via the drive transmission mechanism 611 . In this embodiment, the drive transmission mechanism 611 is configured by a gear train, but other drive transmission configurations such as a configuration in which drive is transmitted by a belt may be used.

The rotating shaft 612 is arranged over the width direction above the upper discharge roller 230A, the scraping paddle 240A and the trailing edge dropping member 250A. The rotation of the rotary shaft 612 causes the cam mechanism 613 to operate. The cam mechanism 613 has a first cam member 620 and a second cam member 630 that rotate together with the rotating shaft 612 . The first cam member 620 is arranged between the pair of upper ejection rollers 230A and operates the upper ejection rollers 230A. The second cam member 630 is provided adjacent to each of the pair of raking paddles 240A, and operates the raking paddles 240A and the trailing edge dropping member 250A.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the first cam member 620 is formed with a groove 621 into which the projection 2303 provided on the discharge arm 2302 of the upper discharge roller 230A can enter. The groove portion 621 has an outer peripheral surface, that is, an inner peripheral surface of the first cam member 620 as an inner cam surface 622 . The inner cam surface 622 is a cam surface whose distance from the rotation center of the rotation shaft 612 varies depending on the phase in the rotation direction. Further, the first cam member 620 has an outer cam surface 623 as an outer peripheral surface. The outer cam surface 623 is also a cam surface whose distance from the rotation center of the rotation shaft 612 varies depending on the phase in the rotation direction.

The discharge arm 2302 of the upper discharge roller 230A has a contact portion 2304 capable of contacting the outer cam surface 623 of the first cam member 620 in addition to the protrusion 2303 described above. The first cam member 620 rotates together with the rotary shaft 612 to change the contact position (phase) between the inner cam surface 622 and the protrusion 2303 or separate them, thereby allowing the outer cam surface 623 and the contact portion 2304 to move apart. By changing the contact position (phase) with or separating them, the upper discharge roller 230A is rotated about the rotation shaft 2301 between the nipping position and the retracted position, as will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 6B, the second cam member 630 is formed with a groove 631 into which the first projection 2404 provided on the paddle arm 2402 of the raking paddle 240A can enter. The groove portion 631 has an outer peripheral surface, that is, an inner peripheral surface of the second cam member 630 as an inner cam surface 632 . The inner cam surface 632 is a cam surface whose distance from the rotation center of the rotation shaft 612 varies depending on the phase in the rotation direction. The second cam member 630 rotates together with the rotary shaft 612 to change the contact position (phase) between the inner cam surface 632 and the first protrusion 2404, thereby moving the raking paddle 240A into It is rotated about the swing fulcrum 2403 from the return position to the upper retracted position.

A support portion 2406 that swings around a swing fulcrum 2403 together with the paddle arm 2402 of the paddle portion 240A and supports the end portion of the rotating shaft 2401a of the paddle portion 2401 has a structure shown in FIGS. As shown, a second protrusion 2405 is provided that can enter into an engagement recess 2502 formed in the trailing edge drop member 250A. The engagement concave portion 2502 contacts or separates from the second projection portion 2405, and when the raking paddle 240A rotates, the engaging recess portion 2502 rotates the trailing edge dropping member 250A around the rotation shaft 2501. Rotate between the upper position and the lower position. The driving of the upper discharge roller 230A, the scraping paddle 240A, and the trailing edge dropping member 250A will be specifically described below.

[home position]
First, FIGS. 5(a) to 6(c) show the home position (HP) positions of the upper discharge roller 230A, the raking paddle 240A and the trailing edge dropping member 250A. At the home position, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the upper discharge roller 230A is at the retracted position, the scraping paddle 240A is at the upper retracted position, and the trailing edge dropping member 250A is at the upper position.

In this state, as shown in FIG. 6A, the projection 2303 of the upper discharge roller 230A abuts on the inner cam surface 622 of the first cam member 620 at a position close to the center of the rotation shaft 612. , the upper discharge roller 230A is supported by the first cam member 620. As shown in FIG.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, the first projection 2404 of the raking paddle 240A abuts on the inner cam surface 632 of the second cam member 630 at a position close to the center of the rotation shaft 612. , the raking paddle 240 A is supported by the second cam member 630 .

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6(c), the engaging recess 2502 of the trailing edge dropping member 250A abuts against the second protrusion 2405 of the raking paddle 240A, so that the trailing edge dropping member 250A is pushed to the second protrusion 2405. is supported by the raking paddle 240A via the

[Descent of upper discharge roller]
Next, the operation of moving the upper discharge roller 230A from the home position (retracted position) to the nipping position will be described with reference to FIGS. 8(a) to 9(c). When the processing motor 610 is driven to rotate the rotating shaft 612 in the first direction (counterclockwise in FIGS. 9A and 9B) in order to lower the upper discharge roller 230A from the home position, the first cam member 620 also rotates in the same direction, and projection 2303 moves along inner cam surface 622 . The inner cam surface 622 is formed so that the distance from the center of the rotating shaft 612 increases when it rotates counterclockwise from the home position. Therefore, the upper discharge roller 230A is lowered by this operation.

Next, when the upper ejection roller 230A moves to the nipping position and comes into contact with the lower ejection roller 230B, the inner cam surface 622 of the first cam member 620 and the protrusion 2303 are separated from each other as shown in FIG. 9(a). , the outer cam surface 623 contacts the contact portion 2304 . By bringing the outer cam surface 623 into contact with the contact portion 2304 in this manner, the upper discharge roller 230A is pressed toward the lower discharge roller 230B, and a predetermined nip pressure is applied between these rollers. I'm trying

At this time, the second cam member 630 also rotates together with the rotating shaft 612, but as shown in FIG. is almost the same as the distance at the home position. Therefore, even if the second cam member 630 rotates, the raking paddle 240A is maintained at the home position. Since the raking paddle 240A is maintained at the home position, the trailing edge dropping member 250A is also maintained at the home position as shown in FIG. 9(c). That is, in this state, as shown in FIG. 8B, the upper discharge roller 230A moves to the nipping position, but the scraping paddle 240A and trailing edge drop member 250A are maintained at their home positions.

When the upper discharge roller 230A is raised, the processing motor 610 is driven to rotate the rotating shaft 612 in the second direction opposite to the first direction (counterclockwise in FIGS. 9A and 9B). Then, the first cam member 620 rotates in the same direction together with the rotating shaft 612, the protrusion 2303 moves along the inner cam surface 622, and the upper discharge roller 230A rises. Then, it returns to the home position shown in FIG. 6(a).

Here, when the raking paddle 240A and the trailing edge dropping member 250A return from the states shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C to the states shown in FIGS. The inner cam member 630 is moved along the inner cam surface 632 of the second cam member 630, but the inner cam member 630 is arranged so that the distance from the center of the rotation shaft 612 at the position where the inner cam surface 632 abuts on the first protrusion 2404 does not change. A face 632 is formed. Therefore, the rake paddle 240A remains maintained at the home position. Since the raking paddle 240A is maintained at the home position, the trailing edge dropping member 250A is also maintained at the home position.

[Descent of the raking paddle and the trailing edge dropping member]
Next, referring to FIGS. 10(a) to 11(c), the operation of moving the raking paddle 240A and the trailing edge dropping member 250A from the home position (upper retraction position, upper position) to the return position and the lower position. explain. In order to lower the raking paddle 240A and the trailing edge dropping member 250A from the home position, the processing motor 610 is driven to rotate the rotating shaft 612 in the second direction opposite to the first direction (FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b)). clockwise), the first cam member 620 also rotates in the same direction, and the protrusion 2303 moves along the inner cam surface 622 . The inner cam surface 622 is formed so that the distance from the center of the rotating shaft 612 does not substantially change even if it rotates clockwise from the home position. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11(a), the upper discharge roller 230A is maintained at the home position.

On the other hand, the second cam member 630 also rotates in the same direction together with the rotating shaft 612 , and the first protrusion 2404 moves along the inner cam surface 632 . The inner cam surface 632 is formed such that the distance from the center of the rotating shaft 612 increases when it rotates clockwise from the home position. Therefore, this operation causes the raking paddle 240A to descend and move to the return position.

At this time, the trailing edge dropping member 250A also descends together with the raking paddle 240A. In this embodiment, the trailing edge dropping member 250A has a positioning portion 2503 that is positioned at the lower position by engaging with the upper guide 2101 of the conveying path 210A when rotated from the upper position to the lower position. The positioning portion 2503 is provided at the upper end portion of a protruding portion 2504 provided to protrude upward from the leading end (upstream end in the first conveying direction) of the trailing edge dropping member 250A. The projecting portion 2504 regulates the leading edge of the sheet conveyed toward the pre-processing nip portion 211a on the upstream side of the pre-processing nip portion 211a in the first conveying direction in a state where the trailing edge drop member 250A is at the lower position. It also has a role to play.

The positioning portion 2503 is an engaging portion provided at the upper end of the protruding portion 2504 so as to be able to engage with the upper guide 2101. By coming into contact with the upper surface of the upper guide 2101, the rear end dropping member 250A is further lowered. regulated to do. The engagement recess 2502 is formed so as to be separated from the second protrusion 2405 in this state. Therefore, the trailing edge dropping member 250A is in a state of being disengaged from the raking paddle 240A and positioned at the lower position by the positioning portion 2503 .

As a result, even when the raking paddle 240A reaches the return position, the trailing edge dropping member 250A is positioned at the lower position without further descending due to the engagement between the positioning portion 2503 and the upper guide 2101 . In this state, as shown in FIG. 10(b), the scraping paddle 240A and the trailing edge dropping member 250A are moved to the return position and the lower position, and the upper discharge roller 230A is positioned at the home position.

The projection 2504 and the positioning portion 2053 shown in FIG. 11(c) are omitted from FIGS. 1 to 10(b). Such projecting portion 2504 and positioning portion 2053 may be omitted, and in this case, another positioning mechanism may be provided to position the trailing edge dropping member 250A to the lower position. For example, positioning may be performed by engaging the engaging recess 2502 and the second protrusion 2405 at the lower position.

When the raking paddle 240A and the trailing edge dropping member 250A are raised, the motor 610 is driven to rotate the rotating shaft 612 in the first direction (counterclockwise in FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b)). Then, the second cam member 630 rotates in the same direction together with the rotating shaft 612, the first protrusion 2404 moves along the inner cam surface 632, and the raking paddle 240A rises. At this time, the second protrusion 2405 engages with the engagement recess 2052 again, and this engagement also raises the trailing edge dropping member 250A. Then, the raking paddle 240A and the trailing edge dropping member 250A return to the home positions shown in FIGS. 5(a) to 6(c).

Here, when the upper discharge roller 230A returns from the state shown in FIG. 11A to the state shown in FIG. In this case, the inner cam surface 622 is formed so that the distance from the center of the rotating shaft 612 to the position where the inner cam surface 622 abuts on the protrusion 2303 does not change. Therefore, the upper discharge roller 230A remains at the home position.

In this embodiment, when the rotary shaft 612 is rotated counterclockwise in FIGS. 6(a) to 6(c) from the home position, the upper discharge roller 230A descends, and the scraping paddle 240A and the trailing edge dropper 240A are lowered. Member 250A is maintained in the home position. On the other hand, when the rotating shaft 612 is rotated clockwise in FIGS. 6(a) to 6(c) from the home position, the upper discharge roller 230A is maintained at the home position, and the scraping paddle 240A and the trailing edge dropping member 250A are lowered. do.

9(a) and rotating shaft 612 in the clockwise direction in FIGS. 9(a) to 9(c), upper ejection roller 230A is lifted. , the raking paddle 240A and the trailing edge dropping member 250A are maintained at the home position. On the other hand, with the raking paddle 240A and the trailing edge dropping member 250A at the return position and the lower position, rotating the rotary shaft 612 counterclockwise in FIGS. is maintained at the home position, and the raking paddle 240A and the trailing edge dropping member 250A are raised.

FIG. 12 shows the relationship between each motor and each configuration. The columns shown in FIG. 12 indicate, from the left, the number, the name of the motor, the driving parts, the operation, the operating direction during forward rotation, and the operating direction during reverse rotation. In FIG. 12, the processing motor MT12 is the processing motor 610 described above. As is clear from FIG. 12, the conveying motor MT11 includes one of the upstream rollers (entrance rollers) 213a and 213b, one of the pre-treatment rollers 211A and 212A, the scraping paddle 240A, and the return member 280. doing the driving.

Further, the processing motor MT12 moves up and down the scraping paddle 240A, the trailing edge dropping member 250A, and the upper discharge roller (nip member) 230A. In this embodiment, in addition to the above, a return elevation motor MT13 for raising and lowering the return member 280, a discharge roller motor MT14 for driving the upper discharge roller 230A, and a motor for driving the sheet pressing (bundle pressing) paddle 320A are provided. A sheet pressing motor MT15, an F-side alignment plate moving motor MT16 for moving (laterally) the front alignment plate 271A in the width direction, and an R-side motor MT16 for moving (laterally) the rear alignment plate 271A in the width direction. An aligning plate moving motor MT17, an STP moving motor MT18 for moving a stapling unit (STP) 400 to change the stapling position, an STP motor MT19 for driving the stapling unit 400 and stapling the sheet bundle, and raising and lowering the stacking tray 300. A loading tray lifting motor MT20 is provided.

[Control Configuration of Sheet Processing Apparatus]
A control configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 200A will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing motors and sensors of the sheet processing apparatus 200A. Signals from these sensors are input to a control section 203 as control means, and each motor is controlled by the control section 203 . A control unit 203 is communicably connected to a control unit of the image forming apparatus 100, and controls the entire sheet processing apparatus 200A.

Such a control unit 203 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The CPU controls each part while reading a program corresponding to the control procedure stored in the ROM. The RAM stores work data and input data, and the CPU performs control by referring to the data stored in the RAM based on the above-described programs and the like.

Each motor shown in FIG. 13 is as described above. On the other hand, each sensor will be described with reference to FIG. First, the inlet sensor SN11 is provided on the conveying path 210A and detects the leading edge of the sheet conveyed on the conveying path 210A. For processing, the HP sensor SN12 detects the home positions of the scraping paddle 240A, trailing edge dropping member 250A, and upper discharge roller (nip member) 230A. The return elevation HP sensor SN13 detects the home position of the return member 280 (the position retracted from the processing tray 220). A processing tray sheet detection sensor SN14 detects the presence or absence of a sheet on the processing tray 220 . A sheet pressing HP sensor SN15 detects the home position of the sheet pressing paddle 320A.

The F-side aligning plate HP sensor SN16 and the R-side aligning plate HP sensor SN17 are located at positions (home position). Stapler movement HP sensor SN18 detects that staple unit 400 is at the home position. A sheet detection sensor SN19 detects the uppermost sheet placed on the stacking tray 300 . The stacking tray encoder sensor SN20 detects the position of the stacking tray 300 in the vertical direction. A stacking tray lower limit position detection sensor SN21 detects the lower limit position of the stacking tray 300 . Based on the signals from these sensors, the control unit 203 performs various controls, which will be described later.

Next, with reference to FIG. 14, the flow of control in each mode of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, a straight discharge mode in which the sheets sent to the sheet processing apparatus 200A are discharged to the stacking tray 300 as they are without being subjected to a predetermined process, and a straight discharge mode in which the sheets discharged to the stacking tray 300 are sorted. A shift mode in which the sheets sent to the sheet processing apparatus 200A are moved in the width direction (shift operation) and discharged to the stacking tray 300, and a stapling as a predetermined process for the sheets sent to the sheet processing apparatus 200A. There is also a stapling mode in which the paper is ejected onto the stacking tray 300 by going there. Each of these modes is selected by the user through the operation panel of the image forming apparatus 100 or a PC connected via a network or the like.

In this embodiment, manual mode setting by the user and automatic mode setting according to paper type (sheet length) are possible. Whether or not to select can be appropriately set according to the deliverable desired by the user.

In the stapling mode as the binding discharge process, the sheet conveyed downstream in the first conveying direction by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A is conveyed in the second conveying direction by the scraping paddle 240A on the processing tray 220, and the sheet is The downstream edge (rear end) of the sheet in the second conveying direction abuts against the rear end regulating member 290, that is, the rear end of the sheet is regulated. By driving the aligning portion 270A (a pair of aligning plates 271A) with the F-side aligning plate moving motor MT16 and the R-side aligning plate moving motor MT17, the sheet abutted against the trailing end regulating member 290 is moved by the aligning portion 270A. It is moved in the sheet width direction (the same direction as the shift direction) and positioned at the binding position. That is, matching processing is performed. In this embodiment, center alignment is performed by striking the sheet from both sides in the sheet width direction using a pair of alignment plates 271A. A sheet bundle is formed on the processing tray 220 by repeating the operation of regulating the trailing edge of the sheets and the aligning process. After that, the sheet bundle positioned at the binding position is stapled, and the stapled sheet bundle is discharged onto the stacking tray 300 by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B. In the following shift modes, the sheets that are not subjected to the binding process using the pair of aligning plates 271A, the F-side aligning plate moving motor MT16, and the R-side aligning plate moving motor MT17 used in the aligning process when forming the sheet bundle in the staple mode are used. perform the shift operation of

In the shift mode, a shift operation is performed on a sheet (first sheet, small size sheet) having a first length in the sheet conveying direction (first conveying direction). In some cases, a shift operation is performed on a sheet whose length in the direction is a second length longer than the first length (second sheet, large size sheet). A small size sheet is, for example, a sheet whose length in the first conveying direction is less than or equal to a predetermined length, and a large size sheet is, for example, a sheet whose length in the first conveying direction is longer than the predetermined length. The predetermined length is, for example, a so-called A4 vertical size that feeds an A4 size sheet in the vertical direction (the direction in which the longitudinal direction is the conveying direction). Further, in the shift mode, it is possible to select and execute a productivity priority mode in which productivity is prioritized and an alignment priority mode in which alignment of sheets is prioritized. Also, in any shift mode, the seat can be shifted in both the direction from the rear side to the front side and the direction from the front side to the rear side (the shift direction is in both directions).

In the productivity priority mode as the switchbackless shift discharge process and the first shift discharge process, the sheet conveyed downstream in the first conveying direction by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A is moved to the second conveying direction by the raking paddle 240A. By driving the F-side aligning plate moving motor MT16 and the R-side aligning plate moving motor MT17, the sheet is shifted in the shift direction by the aligning section 270A (a pair of aligning plates 271A), and the upper discharge roller 230A and In this mode, sheets are discharged onto the stacking tray 300 by the lower discharge rollers 230B.

In the alignment priority mode as the switchback shift discharge process and the second shift discharge process, the sheet conveyed downstream in the first conveying direction by the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A is placed on the processing tray 220 by the raking paddle 240A. After the sheet is conveyed in the second conveying direction and the downstream edge of the sheet in the second conveying direction abuts (is regulated) against the trailing edge regulating member 290, the sheet is not stapled by the stapling unit 400, and the F-side aligning plate is not stapled. By driving the moving motor MT16 and the R-side aligning plate moving motor MT17, the aligning portion 270A (a pair of aligning plates 271A) shifts in the shift direction, and the upper ejection roller 230A and the lower ejection roller 230B eject to the stacking tray 300. mode. A detailed description of this point will be given later.

When control is started, the control unit 203 determines which of the straight discharge mode, the shift mode, and the staple mode is selected as the discharge mode (S1). When the straight discharge mode is selected, the sheets sent to the sheet processing apparatus 200A are discharged one by one to the stacking tray 300 as they are without being subjected to a predetermined process (S2).

If the shift mode is selected in S1, it is determined whether the sheet size is large or small (S3). If the size is small, it is determined whether productivity is given priority (S4). If productivity is prioritized, the sheet discharged from the conveying path 210A is not conveyed in the second conveying direction by the processing tray 220, but is shifted by the aligning unit 270A and discharged to the stacking tray 300 (S5). If productivity is not prioritized in S4, the sheet discharged from the conveying path 210A is swept into the processing tray 220, shifted by the aligning unit 270A on the processing tray 220, and discharged onto the stacking tray 300 (S6). Also when it is large size in S3, it progresses to S6.

In S1, when the staple mode is selected, the sheet discharged from the conveying path 210A is conveyed on the processing tray 220 by the scraping paddle 240A in the second conveying direction, and the sheet is conveyed downstream in the second conveying direction. The end edge is abutted against the rear end regulating member 290 . That is, the trailing edge of the sheet is regulated. Then, after the trailing edge of the sheet is regulated, the F-side aligning plate moving motor MT16 and the R-side aligning plate moving motor MT17 are driven to position (align) the sheet at the binding position by the aligning portion 270A (a pair of aligning plates 271A). . By repeating the operation of regulating and aligning the trailing edge of the sheets, a sheet bundle is formed on the processing tray 220 (S7). Then, the sheet bundle is stapled (S8). After that, the stapled sheet bundle is discharged onto the stacking tray 300 (S9).

The operation of the sheet processing apparatus 200A in the first shift discharge process and the second shift discharge process in the shift mode described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 15(a) to 34(b).

[First shift discharge process (productivity priority mode)]
First, of the shift modes, the first shift discharge process (productivity priority mode) will be described with reference to FIGS. 15(a) to 24(b). As shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, when the sheet S has not yet been conveyed to the conveying path 210A, the upper discharge roller 230A, the scraping paddle 240A, and the trailing edge dropping member 250A are at their home positions. positioned. Also, the pair of aligning plates 271A are located at the home position, which is the position that is the most distant from each other.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, in a state where the sheet S is conveyed to the entrance of the conveying path 210A, the pair of alignment plates 271A move closer to each other from the home position to convey the sheet. Stand by at the receiving position to receive. Further, even in this state, the upper discharge roller 230A, the raking paddle 240A, and the trailing edge dropping member 250A are all positioned at their home positions.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, the downstream end (leading edge) of the sheet S in the first conveying direction passes through the pre-processing nip portion 211a of the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A, and the sheet When the tip of S passes the lower discharge roller 230B, the upper discharge roller 230A starts to descend. For example, when the leading edge of the sheet S reaches a position 10 mm downstream from the nip position where the sheet is nipped between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B, the gap between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B is increased. The upper discharge roller 230A is lowered so as to be 2 mm. That is, the upper discharge roller 230A is positioned closer to the lower discharge roller 230B than the retracted position, and the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B are positioned at the separated position. At this time, the raking paddle 240A and the trailing edge dropping member 250A remain positioned at the home position.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, when the upstream end (rear end) of the sheet S in the first conveying direction passes through the pre-processing nip portion 211a of the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A, the upper discharge roller 230A is lowered to the nipping position, and the sheet is nipped between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B. Also, the rotation of the lower discharge roller 230B is stopped. For example, when the trailing edge of the sheet S reaches a position 10 mm downstream from the pre-processing nip portion 211a, the upper discharge roller 230A is positioned at the nipping position. As a result, the sheet S is nipped between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B, and the conveyance is stopped.

In this state, as shown in FIGS. 19A and 19B, the upper discharge roller 230A is raised to the spaced position, and the pair of alignment plates 271A are moved to positions in the width direction that match the size of the sheet S. . As a result, the sheet S is sandwiched from both sides in the width direction (both sides in the shift direction). Since the sheet S is sandwiched between the pair of aligning plates 271A, the sheet S is prevented from being shifted in the first conveying direction or the second conveying direction even when the upper discharge roller 230A is raised to the separated position.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B, the sheet S is moved in the shift direction while being held between the pair of alignment plates 271A. That is, a shift operation is performed. After the shift operation is completed, as shown in FIGS. 21A and 21B, the upper discharge roller 230A is lowered to the nipping position, and the sheet S is again nipped between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B. . After the sheet S is nipped between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B, the pair of aligning plates 271A is retracted from the sheet S as shown in FIGS. 22(a) and 22(b). In this example, since the shift direction is from the rear side to the front side, of the pair of alignment plates 271A, the rear side alignment plate is the first shift portion, and the front side alignment plate is the second shift portion. do. Also, the rear side alignment plate moving motor MT17 is a first driving section, and the front side alignment plate moving motor MT16 is a second driving section. Conversely, when the shift direction is from the front side to the rear side, the front side alignment plate of the pair of alignment plates 271A is the first shift portion, and the rear side alignment plate is the second shift portion. Also, the front side alignment plate moving motor MT16 is defined as a first driving section, and the rear side alignment plate moving motor MT17 is defined as a second driving section.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 23A and 23B, the lower discharge roller 230B is rotated to discharge the sheet S nipped between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B onto the stacking tray 300. do. After the sheet S is discharged onto the stacking tray 300, as shown in FIGS. 24A and 24B, the trailing edge of the sheet S is pressed by the sheet pressing paddle 320A. At this time, the pair of aligning plates 271A move to the receiving position to receive the next sheet.

In the case of the productivity priority mode, since there is no operation (switchback conveyance) to convey the sheet S in the second conveying direction on the processing tray 220, the shift operation of the sheet S is performed on the processing tray 220. can be done quickly. Note that the productivity priority mode is preferably applicable to small-sized sheets, but may be executed to large-sized sheets. In other words, it may be performed for all sheets to be shifted and discharged without stapling.

[Second shift discharge processing (alignment priority mode)]
Next, the second shift discharge process (alignment priority mode) of the shift modes will be described with reference to FIGS. 25(a) to 34(b). Although the alignment priority mode may be performed for small-size sheets, the case of performing it for large-size sheets will be described here. The state in which the sheet S has not yet been conveyed to the conveying path 210A and the state in which the sheet S has been conveyed to the entrance of the conveying path 210A are shown in FIGS. is the same as

In the second shift discharge process, as shown in FIGS. 25A and 25B, the downstream end (leading edge) of the sheet S in the first conveying direction passes through the pre-processing nip portion 211a of the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A. Also, even if the leading edge of the sheet S passes the lower discharge roller 230B, the upper discharge roller 230A does not descend. That is, in this state, the upper discharge roller 230A, the raking paddle 240A, and the trailing edge dropping member 250A remain at their home positions.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 26A and 26B, when the upstream end (rear end) of the sheet S in the first conveying direction passes through the pre-processing nip portion 211a of the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A, the raking paddle Start the 240A descent. Then, as shown in FIGS. 27A and 27B, the scraping paddle 240A is moved to the return position and the trailing edge dropping member 250A is moved to the lowered position to drop the sheet S onto the processing tray 220 and scrape it. The sheet S is transported in the second transport direction by the paddle 240A.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 28A and 28B, the returning member 280 (knurled belt 281) is also lowered, and the sheet S is conveyed in the second conveying direction by the scraping paddle 240A and the returning member 280. is brought into contact with the rear end regulating member 290 . Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 29(a) and 29(b), the raking paddle 240A, the trailing end dropping member 250A and the returning member 280 are raised. In this state, as shown in FIGS. 30(a) and 30(b), only the aligning plate 271A (first shift portion) on the upstream side in the shift direction (upper side in FIG. 30(a)) of the pair of aligning plates 271A is is moved toward the sheet S, and the sheet S is moved in the shift direction by the aligning plate 271A. That is, in the second shift discharge process, the shift operation of the sheet S is performed by moving the aligning plate 271A on the upstream side in the shift direction without nipping the sheet between the pair of aligning plates 271A. The aligning plate 271A on the downstream side (lower side in FIG. 30(a)) waits at the receiving position when the shift operation starts, and moves from this receiving position in the shift direction according to the shift amount of the sheet S. FIG. It should be noted that the knurled belt 281 may be brought into contact with the upper surface of the sheet while being rotated during the shift operation by the aligning plate 271A. As a result, the shift operation is performed while the trailing edge of the sheet abuts against the trailing edge regulating member 290, thereby stabilizing the behavior of the sheet.

The reason why the downstream aligning plate 271A is not moved from the receiving position to the sheet S side is that in the second shift discharge process, the shift operation can be performed with a plurality of sheets placed on the processing tray 220. It's for. That is, when shifting the second and subsequent sheets, when the downstream aligning plate 271A is moved from the receiving position to the sheet side, the first sheet is also pushed by the downstream aligning plate 271A. This is because there is a possibility that the alignment of the first sheet will be disturbed.

When the shift operation of the sheet S is completed, as shown in FIGS. 31A and 31B, the upper discharge roller 230A is lowered to the nipping position, and the sheet S is nipped between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B. do. After the sheet S is nipped between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B, the pair of aligning plates 271A is retracted from the sheet S as shown in FIGS. 32(a) and 32(b). In this example, a case where the second shift ejection process is performed for one sheet S will be described. The discharge roller 230A is lifted, and the second and subsequent sheets are shifted in the same manner as the sheet S described above.

33A and 33B with the upper discharge roller 230A positioned at the nipping position, that is, in the state shown in FIGS. ), the lower discharge roller 230B is rotated to discharge the sheet S nipped between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B onto the stacking tray 300. As shown in FIG. After the sheet S is discharged onto the stacking tray 300, the trailing edge of the sheet S is pressed by the sheet pressing paddle 320A as shown in FIGS. 34(a) and 34(b). At this time, the pair of aligning plates 271A move to the receiving position to receive the next sheet.

As described above, in the alignment priority mode, since the sheets S are aligned and shifted on the processing tray 220, the alignment of the sheets S can be made better than in the productivity priority mode. However, in the alignment priority mode, since there is an operation to once place the sheets on the processing tray 220, processing takes longer than in the productivity priority mode. However, in the case of a large size sheet, even processing in the image forming apparatus 100 takes time. Therefore, when the alignment priority mode is executed for large size sheets, the shift operation can be performed with productivity suitable for the productivity of the image forming apparatus 100, and the alignment of the sheets can be improved. Note that the productivity priority mode as described above may be executed even for large size sheets.

In the case of this embodiment, when the staple mode, the first shift ejection process, and the second shift ejection process are performed, the front side alignment plate moving motor MT16 and the rear side alignment plate moving motor MT17, which are common drive sources, are used. , are performed by a common matching plate 271A. Therefore, the cost can be reduced as compared with a configuration that requires separate alignment plates and drive sources for each process.

In the above example, the upper ejection roller 230A is separated from the lower ejection roller 230B when performing the shift operation in the first shift ejection process and the second shift ejection process. However, the shift operation may be performed while the nip pressure between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B is reduced. That is, in the example described above, the drive structure 600 for moving the upper ejection roller 230A functions as an ejection rotating body moving member for moving the upper ejection roller 230A between the nipping position, the separated position, and the retracted position. However, the drive configuration 600 is a discharge rotary body nip that switches the nip pressure for nipping the sheet between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B to a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure weaker than the first nip pressure. It may be made to function as a pressure switching mechanism. Then, the shift operation may be performed with the nip pressure set to the second nip pressure. The first nip pressure is the nip pressure when the sheet is discharged between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B.

Further, in the above example, in the first shift discharge process, the shift operation was performed after the sheet passed through the pre-processing nip portion 211a of the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A. The shift operation may be performed in this state. Either one of the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A is movable between a nipping position where the sheet is nipped and a spaced position where the sheet is spaced apart from each other, and the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A are moved to the spaced position during the shift operation in the first shift discharge process. You may make it move. Further, the nip pressure of the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A can be switched between the first nip pressure and the second nip pressure weaker than the first nip pressure, and the second nip pressure can be used during the shift operation in the first shift discharge process. good. A mechanism for switching the nip pressure of the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A and moving between the nipping position and the separated position may be the same as in the second embodiment. Further, after the trailing edge of the small size sheet passes through the pre-processing nip portion 211a, the shift operation is performed by the pair of aligning plates 271A. The shift operation by the pair of alignment plates 271A may be performed before the trailing edge of the sheet passes through the pre-processing nip portion 211a. As a result, the portion of the large-size sheet that the pair of alignment plates 271A abut on is close to the center of gravity of the sheet, and the force that rotates the sheet during the shift operation can be reduced.

In the above example, when the first shift ejection process is executed, the sheet S is positioned between the upper ejection roller 230A and the lower ejection roller 230B and the upper ejection roller 230A is positioned at the separated position (or The sheet S is shifted by moving the pair of aligning plates 271A in the shift direction in the state of the second nip pressure). Similarly, when the second shift ejection process is executed, the sheet S is positioned between the upper ejection roller 230A and the lower ejection roller 230B and the upper ejection roller 230A is positioned at the spaced position (or the second nip pressure). ), the sheet S is shifted by moving the pair of alignment plates 271A in the shift direction. Furthermore, in the case of executing the staple mode, when aligning the sheets S on the processing tray 220 in the sheet width direction, the sheets S are similarly positioned between the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B and between the upper discharge roller 230B. The pair of aligning plates 271A are moved in the shift direction to perform alignment in the sheet width direction while the sheet 230A is positioned at the separated position (or in the state of the second nip pressure).

That is, when the sheet S is shifted using the pair of aligning plates 271A in the first shift discharge process, it is necessary to release the nipping of the member nipping the sheet S (or change the nip pressure to the second nip pressure). However, the nip release mechanism (mechanism for moving the upper discharge roller 230A between the nipping position and the separated position) is not provided exclusively for the first shift discharge process, and is also used for the second shift discharge process and the staple mode. there is Therefore, in the first embodiment described above, the nip release mechanism is shared in comparison with the second embodiment described later, and the stapling mode, the first shift discharge process and the second shift discharge process can be performed at a correspondingly lower cost. It can be carried out.

<Second embodiment>
A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 35 to 79. FIG. An image forming system 1000 of this embodiment has a schematic configuration similar to that of the image forming system 1000A of the first embodiment. That is, as shown in FIG. 35, the image forming system 1000 of this embodiment has an image forming apparatus 100, a punch unit 150, and a sheet processing apparatus 200. As shown in FIG. The configurations of the image forming apparatus 100 and the punch unit 150 are the same as those of the first embodiment. However, the sheet processing apparatus 200 differs from the sheet processing apparatus 200A of the first embodiment as follows. Since other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment described above, the sheet processing apparatus 200 of this embodiment will be described below.

[Sheet processing device]
The configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 200 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 36 to 49. FIG. First, the overall configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. 36 and 37(a) and (b).

[Overall Configuration of Sheet Processing Apparatus]
The sheet processing apparatus 200 includes a conveying path 210, a processing tray 220 as a mounting section, a discharge roller (nip member) 230, a scraping section 240 as a second conveying section, a trailing edge dropping member 250 as a sheet dropping member, and a discharge. It has a belt (bundling belt) 260, an alignment section 270 as a shift section, a return member 280, a trailing edge regulation member 290, a stacking tray 300, a standing surface 310, a sheet pressing belt 320, and the like. Note that the discharge roller 230 and the discharge belt 260 correspond to the discharge section and the pair of discharge rotating bodies. A sheet received from the image forming apparatus 100 or the punch unit 150 is conveyed to the conveying path 210 .

Sheets conveyed from the conveying path 210 are discharged directly to the stacking tray 300 or placed on the processing tray 220 depending on the sheet processing mode. Direct discharge to the stacking tray 300 means discharging the sheet to the stacking tray 300 without reversely conveying the sheet to a position where stapling can be performed on the processing tray 220 . In other words, the sheet processing apparatus 200 has a mode in which sheets stapled by the stapling unit 400 are discharged onto the stacking tray 300 and a mode in which sheets are discharged onto the stacking tray 300 without being stapled by the stapling unit 400 . have. In this embodiment, the sheets can be aligned by the alignment section 270 without being placed on the processing tray 220 . Also, the processing tray 220 can also align the sheets, and the sheets placed on the processing tray 220 can be stapled by the stapling unit 400 . Also, the sheet or sheet bundle placed on the processing tray 220 can be discharged to the stacking tray 300 by the discharge belt 260 or the like. The configuration of each part will be described in detail below.

[Conveyance path]
A conveying path 210 is a route for conveying a sheet in a predetermined direction (first conveying direction). An upstream roller 213 and a knurled belt 214 are arranged as three rotating bodies. These are spaced apart in the width direction of the sheet (direction of arrow γ in FIG. 37A (vertical direction)) intersecting the conveying direction of the sheet (predetermined direction, direction of arrow β in FIG. 37A (horizontal direction)). are arranged in pairs so that

The conveying belt 212 is an endless belt arranged along the entire predetermined direction of the conveying path 210 so as to support the lower surface of the sheet received by the sheet processing apparatus 200 . The conveying belt 212 is stretched over a pair of rollers 212a and 212b, and is rotated by driving one of the rollers 212a. An upstream roller 213 is arranged at the upstream end of the conveying belt 212 in a predetermined direction. transport.

A pre-processing roller 211 is arranged at the downstream end of the conveying belt 212 in a predetermined direction, and the pre-processing roller 211 and the conveying belt 212 form a pre-processing nip portion 211a in which a sheet can be nipped and conveyed. Also, the pre-processing roller 211 and the conveying belt 212 correspond to the first conveying section and the pair of conveying rotating bodies. Then, the sheet is nipped by the pre-processing nip portion 211 a and conveyed in a predetermined direction, and the sheet is discharged from the conveying path 210 . In this embodiment, the pre-treatment roller 211 and the conveying belt 212 constitute a pair of conveying rotators and conveying means. As will be described later, the pre-processing roller 211 can change the contact pressure (nip pressure) with respect to the conveying belt 212 .

The pre-processing roller 211 is rotationally driven in the same manner as the conveying belt 212, but since the conveying belt 212 is rotationally driven, the pre-processing roller 211 may be configured to be driven and rotated by the conveying belt 212 without being rotationally driven. Further, in the present embodiment, the conveying path 210 is composed of a plurality of rollers and a conveying belt, but the conveying path may be configured by arranging a plurality of spherical bodies rotatably in any direction above the conveying belt. . In this configuration, as will be described later in detail, it is possible to shift the sheet even when there is a sheet in the conveying path without adjusting the nip pressure such as reducing the nip pressure of the pre-processing roller 211 . Become.

The knurled belt 214 is coaxial with the downstream roller 212a on which the conveying belt 212 is stretched, and is rotatable together with the roller 212a. Such a knurled belt 214 is provided so as to protrude further downstream than the downstream end of the conveying belt 212 in a predetermined direction. This makes it difficult for the end (the upstream end in the predetermined direction) to remain in the pre-processing nip portion 211a.

[Processing tray]
The processing tray 220 is arranged downstream of the conveying path 210 in the sheet conveying direction and below the conveying path 210 in the vertical direction. Further, the processing tray 220 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane so that the upstream side in a predetermined direction is lower than the downstream side. The processing tray 220 is capable of placing sheets conveyed from the conveying path 210 and stacking a plurality of sheets. movement (sheet shift) is performed. Further, at the upstream end of the processing tray 220 in a predetermined direction, a rear end regulating member 290 is arranged as a regulating means and processing side regulating means for regulating the upstream end (rear end) of the sheet placed on the processing tray 220 in a predetermined direction. It is

A stapling unit 400 as a processing section is arranged upstream of the processing tray 220 in a predetermined direction. The stapling unit 400 performs stapling as a predetermined process on the sheet bundle that has undergone widthwise alignment and rear end regulation on the processing tray 220 . The stapling unit 400 can change the stapling position with respect to the sheet bundle, and moves according to the stapling position. Note that the predetermined process may be punching or other process other than stapling. The sheet or sheet bundle placed on the processing tray 220 is discharged onto the stacking tray 300 by the discharge roller 230, the scraping portion 240, and the discharge belt 260, as will be described later.

[Ejection belt]
The discharge belt 260 and the discharge roller 230 form a pair of discharge rotating bodies that sandwich and convey the sheet, and a discharge section. The discharge belt 260 is stretched by at least two tension rollers 261 and 262 . That is, in the present embodiment, the discharge belt 260 is stretched by two tension rollers 261 and 262, but the number of tension rollers that stretch the discharge belt 260 may be three or more. Further, in this embodiment, three ejection belts 260 are arranged at positions spaced apart in the width direction of the sheet. Of these three discharge belts 260, the center discharge belt 260 is positioned so that it can pinch the sheet with a scraping portion 240, which will be described later. are arranged at positions where they can be held.

The discharge belt 260 is arranged along a predetermined direction, rotates when the tension roller 261 is rotationally driven, and conveys the sheet or sheet bundle on the processing tray 220 toward the stacking tray 300 . That is, the tension roller 261 is a drive roller that drives the discharge belt 260 . As long as the sheet or sheet bundle on the processing tray 220 can be conveyed toward the stacking tray 300, the discharge belt may be replaced with another rotating member such as a discharge roller.

[Scraping part]
The transporting means, the processing-side transporting means, and the raking portion 240 serving as the dropping member transport the sheet placed on the processing tray 220 toward the trailing end regulating member 290 . The scraping portion 240 contacts the upper surface of the sheet placed on the processing tray 220 from a first position positioned vertically above the pre-processing nip portion 211 a where the sheet is nipped between the pre-processing roller 211 and the conveying belt 212 . It is possible to move between up to a second position where the sheet can be transported toward the trailing end regulating member 290 in contact therewith.

The raking portion 240 pinches the sheet placed on the processing tray 220 between itself and the discharge belt 260 at the second position. The position where the sheet is nipped by the raking portion 240 and the discharge belt 260 is upstream in a predetermined direction from the position where the sheet is nipped between the discharge roller 230 and the discharge belt 260, which will be described later. That is, the raking portion 240 is located at the second position between the pre-processing roller 211 and a position (discharge nip portion) at which the sheet is nipped by the discharge roller 230 and the discharge belt 260, which will be described later.

Such a raking portion 240 is driven to rotate in both forward and reverse directions, and can convey the sheet on the processing tray 220 toward the trailing edge regulating member 290, that is, upstream in a predetermined direction, as described above. Together with the discharge belt 260, the sheet placed on the processing tray 220 can be conveyed downstream in a predetermined direction. That is, the scraping unit 240 includes a scraping belt 240a as described later, and the scraping belt 240a can be rotated in both forward and reverse directions. At the second position, the sheet is brought into contact with the sheet on the processing tray 220 , and the sheet is conveyed toward the trailing edge regulating member 290 by rotating the scraping belt 240 a in the forward direction. On the other hand, the sheet or sheet bundle on the processing tray 220 is conveyed toward the stacking tray 300 by rotating the scraping belt 240a in the opposite direction.

A sheet or a sheet bundle placed on the processing tray 220 is nipped by a discharge roller 230 and a discharge belt 260, which will be described later, and discharged to the stacking tray 300. There is a possibility that the bundle cannot be ejected reliably. Conventionally, the trailing edge regulating member 290 is moved to the sheet stack ejection side to assist the ejection of the sheet bundle. 290 does not move in the direction of discharging the sheet bundle. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the sheet bundle placed on the processing tray 220 is conveyed toward the stacking tray 300 by the raking unit 240 in order to assist in discharging the sheet bundle.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the raking portion 240 is located between the pre-processing roller 211 and the discharge nip portion in the predetermined direction at the second position, so that the sheet on the processing tray 220 is more driven. easy to do That is, the downstream side of the sheet on the processing tray 220 hangs down from the processing tray 220 toward the stacking tray 300 . Therefore, when the sheet is nipped at the discharge nip portion, the downstream side in the predetermined direction hangs down from the discharge nip portion, and the upstream side floats. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the portion of the sheet on the processing tray 220 that floats on the upstream side of the discharge nip portion is pressed against the scraping portion 240, thereby efficiently transmitting the drive of the scraping portion 240 to the sheet. Assistance for sheet ejection can be performed efficiently.

Further, the raking portion 240 sandwiches the sheet or the sheet bundle placed on the processing tray 220 between itself and the discharge belt 260 at the second position. That is, the upper surface of the sheet is pressed by the raking portion 240 at a position facing the discharge belt 260 with the sheet or sheet bundle sandwiched therebetween. Therefore, the force for conveying the sheet or sheet bundle by the discharge belt 260 can be increased. Furthermore, if the raking portion 240 is brought into contact with the sheet at a position as close to the discharge nip as possible, the assisting by the raking portion 240 can be performed for a longer time.

The scraping section 240 has a scraping belt 240a as a transfer belt and at least two rollers 240b and 240c on which the scraping belt 240a is stretched. That is, in the present embodiment, the scraping belt 240a is stretched by two rollers 240b and 240c, but the number of rollers that stretch the scraping belt 240a may be three or more. The scraping portion 240 can contact the sheet placed on the processing tray 220 with the stretched surface of the scraping belt 240a stretched by the two rollers 240b and 240c at the second position. That is, the raking portion 240 can contact the sheet on the processing tray 220 with a large contact area, thereby facilitating transmission of the drive in the conveying direction to the sheet. In other words, by increasing and stabilizing the surface in contact with the sheet, the conveying efficiency is improved, so the contact pressure can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of damage during sheet conveyance.

Here, in the present embodiment, the contact position relationship between the scraping belt 240a and the discharge belt 260 is as shown in FIG. 38(a). That is, at the second position, the scraping belt 240a sandwiches the portion where the discharge belt 260 is stretched between the two stretching rollers 261 and 262 and the sheet. However, the contact position relationship between the scraping belt 240a and the discharge belt 260 may be as shown in FIGS. 38(b) and 38(c).

That is, as shown in FIG. 38(b), at the second position, the scraping belt 240a is moved between the two tension rollers 261 and 262, the tension roller 262 on the upstream side in a predetermined direction, and the discharge belt 260. The sheet may be sandwiched between the two. Further, as shown in FIG. 38(c), the scraping belt 240a is stretched between the two rollers 240b and 240c at the second position. , 262 on the upstream side in a predetermined direction, and a discharge belt 260 to sandwich the sheet.

Note that the raking unit 240 may be a roller or another rotating body other than the belt. For example, in the case of rollers, the rollers may sandwich the portion where the discharge belt 260 is stretched and the sheet between two tension rollers 261 and 262 , or the rollers may be two tension rollers 261 and 262 . The sheet may be sandwiched between the tension roller 262 on the upstream side in the predetermined direction and the discharge belt 260 . However, in order to secure a contact area with the sheets on the processing tray 220, the scraping section 240 is preferably configured with a belt as in the present embodiment.

Such a raking portion 240 rotates a rotating shaft 242 as a first rotating shaft between a first position and a second position by a raking rotating mechanism 241 as moving means and first rotating means. rotated to the center. In other words, the raking portion 240 can move up and down between the first position and the second position. The rake-in rotating mechanism 241 includes a rake-in arm 243 as a first support member that supports the rake-in portion 240, and a rotary shaft 242 that rotatably supports the rake-in arm 243. The raking portion 240 supported at the tip of 243 is rotatable around the rotating shaft 242 .

Here, the scraping portion 240 preferably moves along the vertical direction, and it is conceivable that the mechanism for moving the scraping portion 240 between the first position and the second position is a linear motion mechanism. However, when a direct-acting mechanism is employed, for example, there is a risk that the apparatus will become large in the vertical direction due to, for example, arranging a motor or a direct-acting shaft in the vertical direction. As described above, since the sheet processing apparatus 200 of the present embodiment is arranged in the internal space 130 of the image forming apparatus 100, it is not preferable for the vertical dimension to be large. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the rake-in rotation mechanism 241 that rotates the rake-in portion 240 about the rotation shaft 242 is employed. Note that a linear motion mechanism may be employed as a mechanism for raising and lowering the raking unit 240 as long as the sheet processing apparatus can ensure a vertical dimension. Further, by increasing the distance between the rotating shaft 242 and the scraping portion 240 as much as possible and increasing the radius of rotation, the scraping portion 240 can be moved in the vertical direction as much as possible.

The rotating shaft 242 is arranged downstream in a predetermined direction from the discharge nip portion where the discharge roller 230 nips the sheet between the discharge belt 260 and the discharge roller 230 at the contact position. As a result, the turning trajectory (turning radius) of the raking portion 240 can be increased, and a motion close to a linear motion becomes possible. At the first position, the raking portion 240 is positioned vertically above the pre-processing nip portion 211a where the sheet is nipped between the pre-processing roller 211 and the conveying belt 212, and the rotary shaft 242 is located at the first position. It is positioned vertically above the raking portion 240 in .

As will be described later, the rotation shaft 232 of the discharge roller 230 is arranged upstream of the discharge nip portion in a predetermined direction, and the rotation direction depends on the relationship with the sheet conveyed from the pre-processing nip portion 211a. The counterclockwise direction of 37(b) is preferred. On the other hand, the rotation shaft 242 of the raking portion 240 is required to have a large rotation radius as described above, and the second position is preferably upstream of the discharge nip portion in a predetermined direction. From this point of view, in the present embodiment, the rotation shaft 242 is arranged downstream of the discharge nip portion in a predetermined direction, and the rotation direction of the scraping portion 240 is opposite to the rotation direction of the discharge roller 230, that is, , in the direction of arrow R1 (clockwise) in FIG. 37(b). And he is trying for each other's rotation locus|trajectory to overlap, seeing from the width direction.

That is, the raking locus of the raking arm 243 that supports the raking portion 240 is closer to the turning shaft 232 of the discharge roller 230 than the turning shaft 242 (the second turning shaft side). On the other hand, the rotation trajectory of a discharge arm 233 that supports the discharge roller 230 (to be described later) is closer to the rotation shaft 242 (first rotation shaft side) of the raking portion 240 than the rotation shaft 232 is. The rotation locus of the scraping arm 243 partially overlaps the rotation locus of the discharge arm 233 when viewed from the width direction of the sheet that intersects the sheet conveying direction. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the discharge roller 230 and the scraping portion 240 are arranged at positions shifted in the width direction. Specifically, two discharge rollers 230 are arranged on both sides in the width direction, and one raking portion 240 is arranged between the two discharge rollers 230 . With this configuration, the radius of rotation of the raking portion 240 can be increased, and the raking portion 240 can come into contact with the sheets on the processing tray 220 upstream of the discharge nip portion in a predetermined direction.

In this embodiment, as described above, the rotation shaft 242 is arranged above the discharge port 201 of the sheet processing apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 35 in order to increase the rotation radius of the raking portion 240 . A discharge port 201 of the sheet processing apparatus 200 is provided with a canopy portion 202 to prevent fingers from entering the stapling unit 400 . In particular, in this embodiment, since the length of the processing tray 220 is shortened for cost reduction, the stapling unit 400 can be easily reached by a finger or the like. and the like do not reach the stapling unit 400 . If such a canopy portion 202 were not provided, it would be necessary to provide a safety switch or the like to automatically stop the operation of the stapling unit 400 upon detection of entry of a finger or the like, which would increase costs.

For this reason, the eaves portion 202 is provided above the discharge port 201 . It is possible to provide it in the vicinity. As a result, the rotating shaft 242 can be separated from the scraping portion 240 that moves above the processing tray 220, and the radius of rotation of the scraping portion 240 is increased so that the moving direction of the scraping portion 240 is as straight as possible. The direction is along the

The reason why the scraping portion 240 is moved in the direction along the straight line as much as possible is that the change in the angle of the stretched surface of the scraping belt 240a is minimized while the scraping portion 240 is in the first position and the second position. It is for That is, at the second position, the stretched surface of the scraping belt 240a is aligned with the sheet placement surface of the processing tray 220 or the upper surface of the sheet on the processing tray 220 in order to secure a contact area between the scraping belt 240a and the sheet. They are configured to be substantially parallel. Here, “substantially parallel” means, for example, that the angle of the tension surface with respect to the upper surface of the seat is within ±5°. If the turning radius of the scraping portion 240 is small, when the scraping portion 240 is moved to the first position, the stretched surface of the scraping belt 240a rises, and the scraping portion 240 is in the first position. The vertical dimension of the In this case, the size of the device is increased in order to secure a space of this dimension. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the turning radius of the raking portion 240 is increased.

Note that as the number of sheets placed on the processing tray 220 increases, the position at which the scraping belt 240a comes into contact with the sheets rises. Therefore, in the case of a mechanism in which the angle of the stretched surface of the scraping belt 240a is not changed, the contact area between the scraping belt 240a and the sheet changes depending on the amount of loaded sheets. Therefore, a mechanism capable of changing the angle of the raking belt 240a may be added. For example, as shown in FIGS. 39(a) and 39(b), the rollers 240b and 240c on which the scraping belt 240a is stretched are connected by an arm 240d, and the roller 240c on the upstream side in a predetermined direction is provided with a rotating shaft 240e. Thus, the scraping belt 240a can be rotated with respect to the scraping arm 243 about the rotary shaft 240e. By providing a compression spring or a torsion spring so that the roller 240b on the downstream side in a predetermined direction is urged toward the sheet, the angle of the stretched surface of the scraping belt 240a changes to follow the surface of the sheet. make it As a result, regardless of the amount of sheets stacked on the processing tray 220, the stretched surface of the scraping belt 240a can contact the upper surface of the sheet with a wide contact area.

Further, in the case of the present embodiment, the raking portion 240 also functions as a dropping member that drops the trailing end (the upstream end in the predetermined direction) of the sheet conveyed from the pre-processing rollers 211 toward the processing tray 220 . That is, the raking rotation mechanism 241 positions the raking section 240 at the first position while the pre-processing roller 211 and the conveying belt 212 are conveying the sheet. On the other hand, the raking mechanism 241 moves the raking part 240 from the first position to the second position after the upstream end (rear end) of the sheet in the predetermined direction passes through the pre-processing roller 211 and the pre-processing nip 211a of the conveying belt 212 . 2 position to drop the sheet toward the processing tray 220 . This prevents the trailing edge of the sheet from remaining in the pre-processing nip portion 211a. The start timing of the movement of the raking portion 240 from the first position to the second position may be before the upstream end in the sheet conveying direction passes the pre-processing nip portion 211a. It is sufficient that the sheet can be dropped onto the processing tray 220 by completing the movement to the second position after passing through. The same applies to the movement timing of the trailing edge dropping member 250, which will be described later.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the scraping portion 240 is positioned at the first position when the sheet is being conveyed by the pre-processing roller 211 and the conveying belt 212 . That is, the raking section 240 is on standby above the pre-processing nip section 211a. Therefore, it is easy to bring the scraping portion 240 into contact with the upper surface of the trailing edge portion of the sheet that has passed through the pre-processing nip portion 211a and further push the sheet downward, thereby dropping the trailing edge of the sheet onto the processing tray 220 more reliably. be able to. The scraping portion 240 that functions even if the trailing edge of the sheet is dropped has the scraping belt 240a stretched by the two rollers 240b and 240c as described above. Further, in this embodiment, when dropping the trailing edge of the sheet, the stretched surface of the raking belt 240a is brought into contact with the upper surface of the sheet. Therefore, for example, the contact area with the sheet can be secured more than when the raking portion is a roller, and the trailing edge of the sheet can be removed more reliably.

[Rear end dropping member]
The scraping portion 240 described above is positioned at the center in the width direction of the sheet, and there is a possibility that the trailing edge of the sheet cannot be sufficiently removed only by this scraping portion 240 . For this reason, the present embodiment further includes a trailing edge dropping member 250 as an upstream edge dropping member. A pair of trailing edge dropping members 250 are provided on both sides of the raking portion 240 . That is, the pair of trailing edge dropping members 250 are arranged on both sides of the scraping portion 240 in the width direction of the sheet intersecting the sheet conveying direction, and move vertically in conjunction with the scraping portion 240 to remove the sheet. After passing through the pre-processing nip portion 211a, the upstream end (rear end) of the sheet comes into contact with the upper surface of the sheet on the upstream side in the predetermined direction (upstream side in the sheet conveying direction), and moves the upstream end (rear end) of the sheet to the processing tray. 220 to drop.

Each of the pair of trailing end dropping members 250 is a plate-like member, and is rotatably supported by the rotating shaft 242 in the same manner as the raking portion 240 . Then, it rotates in the vertical direction together with the scraping portion 240 by the scraping rotation mechanism 241 . When the raking portion 240 is at the first position, the leading ends of the pair of trailing edge dropping members 250 are located above the pre-processing nip portion 211a, similarly to the raking portion 240 . Further, when the raking portion 240 is at the second position, the surfaces of the pair of trailing edge dropping members 250 that contact the sheet (lower surfaces of the leading end portions) are positioned above the surface of the raking portion 240 that abuts the sheet. do. When the sheets placed on the processing tray 220 are curled, the lower surface of the leading end portion of the trailing edge dropping member 250 is positioned on the upper surface of the curled portion when the sheet bundle is discharged. When the rear end of the is lifted, it abuts on the upper surface of the lifted portion. Note that when the trailing edge dropping member 250 is arranged at the second position so as to face the discharge belt 260 with the sheet or sheet bundle sandwiched therebetween, the sheet is placed on the processing tray 220 in the same manner as the scraping unit 240 . It may be made to abut on the upper surface of the placed sheet or sheet bundle. In this way, when the trailing edge dropping member 250 is positioned to sandwich the sheet between itself and the discharge belt 260, at the second position, the trailing edge dropping member 250 separates the sheet or sheets on both sides in the width direction of the raking portion 240. Since the upper surface of the bundle is pressed, the sheet or sheet bundle can be more reliably pressed toward the discharge belt 260, and the sheet or sheet bundle can be conveyed more reliably. Note that the leading end portions of the pair of trailing edge dropping members 250 are bent portions 251 that are bent so as to be substantially parallel to the upper surface of the sheet on the processing tray 220 at the second position. The rotation trajectory of the pair of trailing end dropping members 250 is the same as that of the raking portion 240 and the raking arm 243 .

[Return member]
The return member 280 further conveys the sheet conveyed toward the trailing edge regulating member 290 by the raking portion 240 toward the trailing edge regulating member 290 as described above, and the trailing edge of the sheet is conveyed to the trailing edge regulating member 290. It contacts to restrict the position of the trailing edge of the sheet. Such a return member 280 is composed of a knurled belt 281. By rotating the knurled belt 281, the sheet conveyed upstream in a predetermined direction by the raking unit 240 is further ragged, and the trailing edge of the sheet is turned to the trailing edge. It is brought into contact with the regulating member 290 . The return member 280 can move between a contact position where it can contact the sheet and a retracted position retracted upward from the contact position. When conveying the sheet on the processing tray 220 toward the stacking tray 300 , it moves to the retracted position.

[Eject roller]
The discharge roller 230 constitutes a discharge rotor pair and a discharge section together with the discharge belt 260 . The discharge roller 230 as an upper discharge rotating body can move between a contact position where it contacts the upper surface of the sheet placed on the processing tray 220 and a retreat position where it retreats upward from the contact position. 260 to sandwich the sheet. That is, the discharge roller 230 functions as a nip member that nips the sheet with the discharge belt 260 at the contact position. The two discharge rollers 230 are spaced apart in the width direction of the sheet, and as described above, each discharge roller 230 can pinch the sheet with the corresponding discharge belt 260 at the contact position. .

Further, in the case of the present embodiment, two discharge rollers 230 are arranged spaced apart in the width direction. That is, of the pair of trailing edge dropping members 250, the discharge roller 230 is positioned between the trailing edge dropping member 250 on one side and the scraping portion 240 and between the trailing edge dropping member 250 and the scraping portion 240 on the other side. One is placed in each of the spaces. These two discharge rollers 230 sandwich the sheet or the sheet bundle with the discharge belts 260 on both sides in the width direction at the contact position. As the discharge belt 260 rotates, the sheet or sheet bundle sandwiched between the discharge roller 230 and the discharge belt 260 is conveyed. If the sheet or sheet bundle is nipped and conveyed by the discharge roller 230 and the discharge belt 260 at positions spaced apart in the width direction in this manner, skew is less likely to occur when the sheet or sheet bundle is conveyed. Further, at this time, the sheet or sheet bundle is sandwiched between the discharge belt 260 at the center in the width direction and the scraping portion 240 to assist the discharge of the sheet or the sheet bundle. , the conveying force can be transmitted to the sheet at three points, and the sheet or sheet bundle can be ejected more reliably while suppressing the skew.

The discharge roller 230 is a driven roller that rotates following the rotation of the discharge belt 260, but may be driven. That is, in the present embodiment, the discharge roller 230 is a driven rotating body, and the discharge belt 260 is a driven rotation. Also, the discharge roller 230 functions as a nip member capable of nipping the sheet with the discharge belt 260 at the contact position, but the nip member may be another rotating member such as a belt instead of the roller. Alternatively, it may be a contact member that contacts the sheet without rotating like a lever member.

The discharge roller 230 is arranged at the contact position so as to face the downstream tension roller 261 of the tension rollers 261 and 252 that stretch the discharge belt 260 with the discharge belt 260 interposed therebetween. Thus, at the contact position, the sheet can be nipped between the ejection roller 230 and the tension roller 261 via the ejection belt 260, so that the sheet can be reliably nipped and conveyed.

The ejection roller 230 is rotatable between the contact position and the retracted position about a rotation shaft 232 as a second rotation shaft by an ejection roller rotation mechanism 231 as a second rotation means. . In other words, the discharge roller 230 can move up and down between the contact position and the retracted position. The ejection roller rotation mechanism 231 includes an ejection arm 233 as a second support member that supports the ejection roller 230 and a rotation shaft 232 that rotatably supports the ejection arm 233 . Further, the discharge roller 230 supported at the tip of the discharge arm 233 can be rotated around the rotation shaft 232 . A detailed configuration of the discharge roller rotating mechanism 231 will be described later.

The rotary shaft 232 is arranged upstream in a predetermined direction from the discharge nip portion where the discharge roller 230 nips the sheet between the discharge belt 260 and the discharge roller 230 at the contact position. At the retracted position, the discharge roller 230 is positioned vertically above the pre-processing nip portion 211a where the sheet is nipped between the pre-processing roller 211 and the conveying belt 212. It is positioned above 230 in the vertical direction.

Since the discharge roller 230 defines the positional relationship between the rotating shaft 232 and the pre-processing nip portion 211a as described above, the sheet that has passed through the pre-processing nip portion 211a reaches the stacking tray 300 in the retracted position. allow to go to On the other hand, the ejection roller 230 rotates about the rotation shaft 232 in the direction of arrow R2 (counterclockwise direction) in FIG. At this time, the discharge arm 233 enters the path along which the sheet that has passed through the pre-treatment nip portion 211a passes, and also serves to guide the sheet downward. Specifically, when the discharge arm 233 guides the sheet that has passed through the pre-processing nip portion 211a, the discharge roller 230 stops at the guide position between the contact position and the retracted position in the vertical direction. . Then, the sheet can be nipped between the discharge roller 230 and the discharge belt 260 by moving the discharge roller 230 further downward from the guide position to the contact position.

[Matching part]
An alignment section 270 as alignment means and a shift section has a pair of alignment plates 271 as a first shift section and a second shift section. The pair of aligning plates 271 are arranged further downstream than the downstream end of the conveying path 210 in the sheet conveying direction (the downstream end in a predetermined direction), and move in the width direction of the sheet intersecting the sheet conveying direction to adjust the width of the sheet. The sheets are aligned in the width direction by contacting the directional edges. In this embodiment, they are arranged on both sides in the width direction of the sheet placed on the processing tray 220 and are movable in the width direction. Also, the configuration of the pair of alignment plates 271 is the same. The pair of aligning plates 271 are shifted by being driven by a front side (F side) aligning plate moving motor MT5 and a rear side (R side) aligning plate moving motor MT6 (see FIG. 49) as first and second driving portions. move in the direction

Also, the pair of alignment plates 271 has a first contact portion 272 and a second contact portion 273 . The first contact portion 272 is further downstream than the downstream end of the conveying path 210 in the sheet conveying direction, and can contact the width direction edge of the sheet hanging from the conveying path 210 toward the processing tray 220 . That is, the first contact portion 272 is in a state where the leading edge (downstream edge in the predetermined direction) of the sheet conveyed on the conveying path 210 passes through the pre-processing nip portion 211a, and the trailing edge does not pass through the pre-processing nip portion 211a. , and is provided at a position where it can come into contact with the width direction edge of the sheet while hanging down from the conveying path 210 to the pre-processing nip portion 211a. In this embodiment, the first contact portion 272 is arranged further downstream than the downstream end portion of the conveying path 210 in the sheet conveying direction. not only on the downstream side of the downstream end in the sheet conveying direction, but also on the upstream side of the pre-processing nip portion 211a in the sheet conveying direction, and the edge in the sheet width direction straddles the pre-processing nip portion 211a. You may make it contact|abut on.

The second contact portion 273 is arranged from below the first contact portion 272 to the downstream side of the first contact portion 272 in the sheet conveying direction. The end can contact the edge in the width direction of the sheet while protruding toward the stacking tray 300 (stacking tray side) from the downstream end of the processing tray 220 in the sheet conveying direction. That is, the second contact portion 273 is provided at a position where it can contact the width direction edge of the sheet placed on the processing tray 220 . The processing tray 220 is generally shorter than the sheets to be placed, and even if the sheet is placed on the processing tray 220 and the trailing edge of the sheet is regulated as described above, the leading edge of the sheet hangs down toward the stacking tray 300 side. state. The second contact portion 273 is formed at a position capable of contacting the width direction edge of the sheet in such a state.

Further, the second contact portion 273 , which will be described later in detail, can also contact the width direction edge of the sheet hanging from the conveying path 210 toward the processing tray 220 along with the first contact portion 272 . As described above, the discharge roller 230 rotates from the retracted position to the guide position. As will be described later in detail, the discharge roller 230 and the discharge arm 233 start rotating toward the guide position in synchronization with the timing of the sheet being discharged from the conveying path 210, and move the leading edge of the sheet in the middle of being discharged from the conveying path 210. It also serves as guide means for guiding the sheet downward by coming into contact with the upper surface. As the sheet is guided downward by the discharge roller 230 and the discharge arm 233 in this manner, the width direction edge of the sheet comes into contact with the first contact portion 272 and the second contact portion 273 .

Here, the first contact portion 272 is positioned vertically above the second contact portion 273 . Also, the pair of alignment plates 271 has cutouts 274 that are cut so as not to interfere with the trailing edge dropping member 250 described above. That is, the pair of alignment plates 271 includes a second contact portion 273 elongated in a predetermined direction and a first contact portion formed to extend upward from the upstream portion of the second contact portion 273 in the predetermined direction. 272 and a notch 274 formed above a downstream portion of the second contact portion 273 in a predetermined direction. As described above, the trailing edge dropping member 250 rotates about the rotating shaft 242 located downstream in the predetermined direction from the discharge nip portion. Interference with the trailing edge dropping member 250 is prevented.

On the other hand, as described above, the first contact portion 272 is provided above the upstream portion of the second contact portion 273 in the predetermined direction so as to be able to contact the width direction edge of the sheet hanging down from the conveying path 210 . ing. Further, the second contact portion 273 is also formed below the notch portion 274 so that the width direction edge of the sheet hanging down from the conveying path 210 can contact the second contact portion 273 . ing.

As will be described later in detail, when the width direction edge of the sheet hanging down from the conveying path 210 is brought into contact with the sheet, the nip pressure of the pre-processing roller 211 is set to approximately 0 and the sheet is kept on the conveying path 210. Alignment plate 271 enables alignment of sheets or movement (shift) of sheets in the width direction. Further, the second contact portion 273 contacts the width direction edge of the sheet hanging down from the conveying path 210 as described above together with the first contact portion 272, thereby aligning the sheet or moving the sheet in the width direction. It is possible. Further, the second contact portion 273 is movable in the width direction along the sheet placement surface of the processing tray 220 so as to be able to contact the width direction edge of the sheet placed on the processing tray 220 . In addition, it is formed longer than the first contact portion 272 in a predetermined direction so that the contact area with the width direction edge of the sheet on the processing tray 220 is increased.

[Load tray]
Sheets discharged by the discharge roller 230 and the discharge belt 260 are stacked on the stacking tray 300 as described above. The stacking tray 300 is provided on the downstream side of the processing tray 220 in a predetermined direction and can be vertically lowered. Further, the stacking tray 300 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane so that the upstream side in a predetermined direction is lower than the downstream side. Such a stacking tray 300 is, for example, supported so as to be vertically movable along rails arranged in the vertical direction, and is moved up and down by driving an elevating motor MT9 (FIG. 48) as elevating means.

At the upstream end of the stacking tray 300 in a predetermined direction, an upright surface 310 is provided as stacking side regulating means for regulating the upstream end (rear end) of the sheets or sheet bundles stacked on the stacking tray 300 in a predetermined direction. Further, at least a part of the processing tray 220 is provided at the downstream end in the predetermined direction so as to protrude downstream in the predetermined direction from the standing surface 310 and downward from the sheet loading surface of the processing tray 220 . A sheet pressing belt 320 is provided as an endless belt. The sheet holding belt 320 is a knurled belt similar to the return member 280 described above.

The stacking tray 300 can be moved up and down from a first stacking position to a second stacking position below the first stacking position by an elevating motor MT9. The first stacking position is a position where the sheets on the stacking tray can come into contact with the sheet pressing belt 320 . Further, the second stacking position is a position where the operation of the stacking tray 300 that has been lowered when discharging the sheets to the stacking tray 300 switches to ascending.

Although details will be described later, the stacking tray 300 moves up and down when a sheet or a sheet bundle is discharged, and the upper surface of the sheet or the sheet bundle on the stacking tray 300 on the trailing end side comes into contact with the sheet pressing belt 320 . As a result, even if the trailing edge of the sheet or the sheet bundle on the stacking tray 300 is pressed by the sheet pressing belt 320 and the sheet or the sheet bundle is ejected after that, the sheet or the sheet bundle already stacked on the stacking tray 300 is still held. displacement can be suppressed.

In addition to the function of pressing the trailing edge of the sheet or sheet bundle on the stacking tray 300 , the sheet pressing belt 320 rotates to direct the sheet or sheet bundle on the stacking tray 300 toward the standing surface 310 . The trailing edge of the sheet or the sheet bundle is aligned by conveying and abutting the trailing edge of the sheet or the sheet bundle against the standing surface 310 . Such a sheet pressing belt 320 is arranged coaxially with a tension roller 261 that drives a discharge belt 260 as a drive rotating body. That is, a roller for driving the sheet pressing belt 320 is also provided on the drive shaft 261a of the tension roller 261, and the discharge belt 260 and the sheet pressing belt 320 rotate synchronously.

[Driving Configuration of Sheet Processing Apparatus]
Next, a driving configuration 500 of each part of the sheet processing apparatus 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. 40 to 48. FIG. FIG. 40 shows a configuration for varying the nip pressure of the pre-processing roller 211, driving the conveying belt 212, etc., and raising and lowering the discharge roller 230 in the drive configuration 500. FIG. The transport motor MT<b>1 transmits drive to the drive shaft 502 of the roller 212 a that drives the transport belt 212 via the transmission belt 501 . Since a roller for driving the knurled belt 214 is also provided on the drive shaft 502, the knurled belt 214 is also rotationally driven by the conveying motor MT1.

Further, the drive of the transport motor MT1 is transmitted to the pre-processing roller 211 and the return member 280 via a transmission mechanism (not shown). Therefore, the pre-processing roller 211, the conveying belt 212, the knurled belt 214, and the return member 280 are synchronously driven to rotate by the conveying motor MT1.

The lifting motor MT3 is connected to the rotating shaft 232 of the discharge roller 230, and the discharge roller 230 moves up and down between the contact position and the retracted position as described above by driving the lifting motor MT3. Further, in the case of this embodiment, the nip pressure of the pre-treatment roller 211 can be changed by driving the lifting motor MT3. That is, the elevator motor MT3 is a nip pressure adjusting means (conveyance rotator nip pressure switching mechanism) capable of adjusting the nip pressure at which the sheet is nipped between the pre-processing roller 211 as the first rotator and the conveying belt 212 as the second rotator. ) works. The pre-processing roller 211 and the conveying belt 212 correspond to a first conveying unit and a pair of conveying rotators that convey the sheet in the first conveying direction (predetermined direction).

This configuration is shown in FIGS. 41(a) and 41(b). The pre-processing roller 211 is held by a roller holding portion 511, and the roller holding portion 511 is movable in the vertical direction, that is, in the direction of moving toward and away from the portion of the conveying belt 212 that is stretched over the rollers 212a. is. The roller holding portion 511 is biased in a direction to press the pre-processing roller 211 against the conveying belt 212 by a torsion spring 512 as biasing means. Also, the torsion spring 512 is supported by the rotation shaft 232 of the discharge roller 230 and rotates together with the rotation shaft 232 .

Specifically, one end of the torsion spring 512 is in contact with the roller holding portion 511 , and a portion of the other end of the torsion spring 512 sandwiching the rotation shaft 232 is provided on the ejection arm 233 that supports the ejection roller 230 . It abuts on the protruding portion 233a which is formed. As a result, the torsion spring 512 is elastically stretched between the roller holding portion 511 and the projecting portion 233a. When the ejection arm 233 rotates together with the rotating shaft 232, the position of the part of the other end of the torsion spring 512 that is in contact with the projecting portion 233a changes, and the torsion spring 512 rotates around the rotating shaft 232. 232. As a result, the force that biases the roller holding portion 511 by the torsion spring 512 changes, and the nip pressure of the pre-processing roller 211 can be changed.

FIG. 41(a) shows a state in which the discharge roller 230 is positioned at the retracted position. In this state, the roller holding portion 511 is biased by the torsion spring 512, and the pre-processing roller 211 contacts the conveying belt 212 with a predetermined nip pressure (first pressure). On the other hand, FIG. 41(b) shows a state in which the discharge roller 230 is lowered toward the contact position. When the rotation shaft 232 rotates in the direction of lowering the discharge roller 230 toward the contact position by driving the lifting motor MT3, the torsion spring 512 also rotates accordingly. Then, the bias of the torsion spring 512 against the roller holding portion 511 is released, and the nip pressure of the pre-treatment roller 211 against the conveyor belt 212 becomes almost 0 (second pressure smaller than the first pressure). In other words, the pre-processing roller 211 comes into contact with the conveying belt 212 due to its own weight.

As described above, in this embodiment, the nip pressure of the pre-processing roller 211 to the conveying belt 212 can be changed by driving the lifting motor MT3 to move the discharge roller 230 up and down. Therefore, as will be described later, when the aligning unit 270 performs the aligning operation with a part of the sheet remaining on the conveying path 210, the nip pressure of the pre-processing roller 211 is reduced to approximately 0 by lowering the discharge roller 230. can be If the nip pressure of the pre-processing roller 211 is approximately 0, even if the sheet is nipped between the pre-processing roller 211 and the conveying belt 212, the sheet can be moved in the width direction.

As shown in FIG. 40, a flag 513 is provided at the end of the rotating shaft 232, and the flag 513 can be detected by the nip member HP position detection sensor SN2. The nip member HP position detection sensor SN2 is a photointerrupter having a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion. , to detect the position at the home position.

As shown in FIG. 42, the lifting motor MT3 is connected to the rotary shafts 242 of the raking portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 via the transmission belt 514 and the electromagnetic clutch CL1. That is, a transmission belt 514 is stretched between a pulley 515 provided on the rotation shaft 232 of the discharge roller 230 and a pulley 516 drivingly connected to the electromagnetic clutch CL1 by a gear or the like. Electromagnetic clutch CL1 is connected to rotating shaft 242 . As shown in FIGS. 43 and 44(a), the connection between the electromagnetic clutch CL1 and the rotating shaft 242 is established by a lifting lever 517 provided on the electromagnetic clutch CL1 and a protrusion protruding from the rotating shaft 242. 518.

That is, the lifting lever 517 is fixed to the output shaft of the electromagnetic clutch CL1, and swings about the rotation center of the rotating shaft 242 as the output shaft rotates. A projecting portion 518 is provided below the lifting lever 517 at a position where it can be engaged with the lifting lever 517 . Therefore, when the lift lever 517 swings, it engages with the protrusion 518, and the rotating shaft 242 provided with the protrusion 518 rotates. In this embodiment, as will be described later, the scraping arm 243 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 are urged upward by the tension spring 252, so that the projection 518 is also attached so as to abut against the lift lever 517 positioned above. are being forced. Therefore, when the electromagnetic clutch CL1 is ON and the lift motor MT3 is driven in the forward direction, the engagement of the lift lever 517 and the protrusion 518 moves the scraping portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 downward. do. On the other hand, when the lift motor MT3 is driven in the reverse direction, the lift lever 517 swings upward, and the extension spring 252 causes the protrusion 518 to follow the lift lever 517 and move upward. That is, by driving the lifting motor MT3 in the opposite direction, the raking portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 can be moved upward.

In summary, when the electromagnetic clutch CL1 is ON, the drive from the pulley 516 is connected to the rotating shaft 242 side. And the trailing edge dropping member 250 moves up and down. On the other hand, when the electromagnetic clutch CL1 is OFF, the drive transmission between the pulley 516 and the rotating shaft 242 is cut off. , only the discharge roller 230 moves up and down.

A tension spring 252 is provided on the trailing end dropping member 250 . The tension spring 252 has one end connected to the tip side of the trailing edge dropping member 250 and the other end connected to a frame on the upper surface of the apparatus (not shown). energized. Therefore, the trailing edge dropping member 250 is biased upward.

Here, as shown in FIG. 43, the rotating shaft 242 is arranged around a driving shaft 244 for driving a raking belt 240a, which will be described later, so as to be relatively rotatable with respect to the driving shaft 244. As shown in FIG. The drive shaft 244 is not connected to the electromagnetic clutch CL1, and the rotary shaft 242 is rotatable separately from the drive shaft 244. In addition, the rotating shaft 242 is the base end portion (supported portion) of the rear end dropping member 250. It is not necessarily the end portion of the member, and protrudes from the supported portion to the side opposite to the tip end side of the member. ) and the base end portion (supported portion) of the raking arm 243 of the raking portion 240. The supported portion does not necessarily have to be the end portion of the member. There may be a portion protruding on the side opposite to the tip side of the member.) is fixed, and the first portion 242a and the second portion 242b are connected to each other. They are rotatable together. Therefore, when the trailing edge dropping member 250 moves upward due to the biasing force of the tension spring 252, the scraping arm 243 moves upward together with the trailing edge dropping member 250. FIG.

For example, if the electromagnetic clutch CL1 is turned off after the raking portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 are moved to the second position, the trailing edge dropping member 250 and the raking portion 240 are quickly moved to the first position by the tension spring 252. rise towards That is, the raking portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 can be moved upward simply by turning off the electromagnetic clutch CL1 without driving the lifting motor MT3. For example, to receive the next sheet, turning off the electromagnetic clutch CL1 and moving upward by the biasing force of the tension spring 252 is faster than moving by driving the lift motor MT3. Therefore, in the case of this embodiment, the next sheet can be quickly received on the processing tray 220, and productivity can be improved.

44(a) to 46(b), the vertical movement of the discharge roller 230, the scraping portion 240, and the trailing edge dropping member 250 will be described. First, FIGS. 44A and 45A show a state in which the discharge roller 230 is at the retracted position, and the scraping portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 are at the first position. When the lift motor MT3 is driven with the electromagnetic clutch CL1 turned off from the state of FIG. 44(a), as shown in FIG. 44(b), only the discharge roller 230 descends from the retracted position toward the contact position.

On the other hand, when the electromagnetic clutch CL1 is turned ON and the lifting motor MT3 is driven from the state of FIG. 45(a), as shown in FIG. The portion 240 and trailing edge dropping member 250 are also lowered toward the second position. Next, when the electromagnetic clutch CL1 is turned off from the state shown in FIG. 46(a), in which the discharge roller 230 is at the contact position and the scraping portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 are at the second position, the state shown in FIG. As shown, while the discharge roller 230 remains at the contact position, the tension spring 252 causes the raking portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 to move upward. As described above, in the present embodiment, by controlling the ON and OFF timings of the electromagnetic clutch CL1, the lifting timings of the discharge roller 230, the scraping portion 240, and the trailing edge dropping member 250 can be shifted.

As shown in FIG. 47, a rotation shaft 233B is provided in the middle of the ejection arm 233A of the ejection roller 230 so that the tip side of the rotation shaft 233B can be rotated, and the tip side is moved downward by a spring. You may make it energize|bias toward. In this case, even if the scraping portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 descend after the discharge roller 230 , the scraping portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 can contact the sheet on the processing tray 220 .

That is, when the electromagnetic clutch CL1 is turned ON while the discharge roller 230 is at the contact position, and the lift motor MT3 is driven, the discharge roller 230 moves downward from the contact position. With the configuration shown in FIG. 47, when the ejection roller 230 attempts to move further downward, the distal end of the ejection arm 233A rotates around the rotation shaft 233B, thereby allowing the ejection roller 230 to move. can do. Therefore, even if the scraping portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 descend after the discharge roller 230, the scraping portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 can descend to a position where they can contact the sheet on the processing tray 220. Become.

As shown in FIG. 42, the conveying motor MT2 can transmit driving force to a driving shaft 244 for driving the scraping belt 240a via a transmission belt 520. As shown in FIG. A pulley 521 is provided at a position between the drive shaft 244 and the rake arm 243. A drive belt is provided between the pulley 521 and a roller 240c (FIG. 43) on which the rake belt 240a is stretched. 522 is hung. When the transport motor MT2 is driven, the drive shaft 244 rotates via the transmission belt 520, and the roller 240c rotates via the pulley 521 and the drive belt 522 provided on the drive shaft 244. FIG. Then, the scraping belt 240a stretched by the rollers 240c is rotationally driven. As described above, since the drive shaft 244 is rotatable relative to the rotation shaft 242, the drive shaft 244 idles with respect to the rotation shaft 242 when the transport motor MT2 is driven.

The drive shaft 244 and the tension roller 261 that rotates the discharge belt 260 are connected by a drive transmission section 523 . The drive transmission portion 523 rotates integrally with a pulley 523a provided on the drive shaft 244, a first intermediate pulley 523b, a first transmission belt 523c stretched between the pulley 523a and the first intermediate pulley 523b, and a first intermediate pulley 523b. a second intermediate pulley 523d, an electromagnetic clutch CL2, a pulley 523e drivingly connected to the electromagnetic clutch CL2 by a gear or the like, a second transmission belt 523f stretched between the second intermediate pulley 523d and the pulley 523e, and drivingly connected to the electromagnetic clutch CL2. and a driven shaft 523g. A tension roller 261 is provided on the drive shaft 523g.

Therefore, when the transport motor MT2 is driven, the first transmission belt 523c and the second transmission belt 523f rotate. When the electromagnetic clutch CL2 is ON, the drive of the transport motor MT2 is transmitted to the drive shaft 523g, the tension roller 261 is rotated, and the discharge belt 260 is driven to rotate. On the other hand, when the electromagnetic clutch CL2 is OFF, the drive is not transmitted to the drive shaft 523g even if the conveying motor MT2 is driven, and the discharge belt 260 does not rotate.

Further, in this embodiment, the drive shaft 523g is also connected to the roller 321 that drives the sheet pressing belt 320 . That is, the roller 321 is provided on the drive shaft 523g, and rotates together with the tension roller 261 as the drive shaft 523g rotates. Therefore, when the electromagnetic clutch CL2 is turned on and the conveying motor MT2 is driven, the roller 321 is rotated, and the sheet pressing belt 320 is also driven to rotate. On the other hand, when the electromagnetic clutch CL2 is OFF, the sheet pressing belt 320 does not rotate even if the conveying motor MT2 is driven.

FIG. 48 shows the relationship between each motor and each configuration. The columns shown in FIG. 48 are, from the left, the number, the name of the motor, the presence/absence of a clutch between the driving part driven by the motor, the driving part, the operation, the state and direction of operation of the clutch during forward rotation, and the position of the clutch during reverse rotation. Indicates the state, direction of movement, and remarks. In FIG. 48, the conveying motors MT1 and MT2 and the lifting motor MT3 are as described above. As is clear from FIG. 48, the transport motor MT1 drives a roller (transport roller) 212a that drives the transport belt 212, the pre-processing roller 211, and the return member 280. As shown in FIG. That is, in this embodiment, the same driving source is used for the conveying belt 212, the pre-processing roller 211, and the return member 280. FIG.

The conveying motor MT2 also drives a drive shaft 244 for driving the scraping belt 240a, a tension roller 261 for driving the discharge belt 260, and a drive shaft 523g for driving the sheet pressing belt 320. FIG. That is, in this embodiment, the driving source for the raking belt 240a, the discharge belt 260, and the sheet pressing belt 320 is the same. Further, the lift motor MT3 lifts and lowers the discharge roller (nip member) 230, changes the nip pressure of the pre-processing roller 211, and raises and lowers the scraping portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250. FIG. That is, in this embodiment, the same drive source is used to raise and lower the discharge roller 230, raise and lower the scraping portion 240 and trailing edge drop member 250, and change the nip pressure of the pre-processing roller 211. FIG.

In this embodiment, in addition to this, an elevating motor MT4 for raising and lowering the return member 280, an aligning plate moving motor MT5 for moving the front aligning plate 271 in the width direction, and a rear aligning plate 271 are moved in the width direction. Alignment plate moving motor MT6 for moving the sheet stack to the aligning plate moving motor MT6, STP moving motor MT7 for moving the stapling unit 400 to change the stapling position, STP clinch motor MT8 for driving the stapling unit 400 and stapling the sheet bundle, and the stacking tray 300 is provided with an elevating motor MT9 for elevating the .

[Control Configuration of Sheet Processing Apparatus]
A control configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 49 and FIG. 14 described above. FIG. 49 is a block diagram showing the driving configuration of each motor, clutch, etc., and each sensor included in the sheet processing apparatus 200. As shown in FIG. Signals from these sensors are input to a control section 203 as control means, and each driving configuration is controlled by the control section 203 . A control unit 203 is communicably connected to a control unit of the image forming apparatus 100 and controls the entire sheet processing apparatus 200 .

Such a control unit 203 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The CPU controls each part while reading a program corresponding to the control procedure stored in the ROM. The RAM stores work data and input data, and the CPU performs control by referring to the data stored in the RAM based on the above-described programs and the like.

Each motor, clutch, etc. shown in FIG. 49 are as described above. On the other hand, each sensor will be described with reference to FIG. 37(b). First, the inlet sensor SN1 is provided on the conveying path 210 and detects the leading edge of the sheet conveyed on the conveying path 210 . The nip member HP position detection sensor SN2 is provided around the rotation shaft 232 as described above, and detects that the discharge roller (nip member) 230 is at the retracted position (home position). The raking portion HP position detection sensor SN3 is provided around the rotary shaft 242 and detects that the raking portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 are at the first position (home position). The knurled belt HP position detection sensor SN4 detects the position (home position) at which the return member 280 has retreated from the processing tray 220 .

The front aligning plate HP position detection sensor SN5 and the rear aligning plate HP position detection sensor SN6 are located at positions where the front side aligning plate 271 and the rear side aligning plate 271 are separated from the sheet placed on the processing tray 220 in the width direction. (home position). A stapler HP position detection sensor SN7 detects that the staple unit 400 is at the home position. A stacking tray HP position detection sensor SN8 detects the home position of the stacking tray 300 . A stacking tray lower limit position detection sensor SN9 detects the lower limit position of the stacking tray 300 . A processing tray sheet presence/absence detection sensor SN10 detects the presence/absence of a sheet on the processing tray 220 . Based on the signals from these sensors, the control unit 203 performs various controls, which will be described later.

Next, the flow of control in each mode of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 14 described above. In this embodiment, there is a straight discharge mode in which a sheet sent to the sheet processing apparatus 200 is discharged to the stacking tray 300 as it is without being subjected to a predetermined process, and a sheet transport mode in which the sheet sent to the sheet processing apparatus 200 is moved in the width direction ( There is a shift mode in which the sheets are discharged to the stacking tray 300 after a shift operation, and a staple mode in which the sheets sent to the sheet processing apparatus 200 are stapled as a predetermined process and discharged to the stacking tray 300 . Each of these modes is selected by the user.

Further, the shift mode includes a case where a large size sheet whose length in the conveying direction (predetermined direction) is longer than the predetermined length is shifted, and a case where the length of the sheet in the predetermined direction is less than or equal to the predetermined length of the large size sheet. In some cases, the shift operation is performed on a sheet of a small size. The predetermined length is, for example, a so-called A4 vertical size that feeds an A4 size sheet in the vertical direction (the direction in which the longitudinal direction is the transport direction). Further, in the shift mode, it is possible to select and execute a productivity priority mode in which productivity is prioritized and an alignment priority mode in which alignment of sheets is prioritized.

The productivity priority mode as the first mode (first shift discharge process) is a mode in which the aligning unit 270 aligns the sheet in the width direction while the sheet hangs down from the conveying path 210 toward the processing tray. In the alignment priority mode as the second mode (second shift discharge process), the sheets placed on the processing tray 220 are not stapled by the stapling unit 400 . This is the mode for direction matching. A detailed description of this point will be given later.

When control is started, the control unit 203 determines which of the straight discharge mode, the shift mode, and the staple mode is selected as the discharge mode (S1). When the straight discharge mode is selected, the sheets sent to the sheet processing apparatus 200 are discharged one by one to the stacking tray 300 as they are without being subjected to a predetermined process (S2).

If the shift mode is selected in S1, it is determined whether the sheet size is large or small (S3). If the size is small, it is determined whether productivity is given priority (S4). If priority is given to productivity, the sheets discharged from the conveying path 210 are not shifted by the processing tray 220, but are discharged to the stacking tray 300 by performing the shifting operation while part of the conveying path 210 remains ( S5). If productivity is not prioritized in S4, the sheet discharged from the conveying path 210 is scraped into the processing tray 220, shifted on the processing tray 220, and discharged onto the stacking tray 300 (S6). Also when it is large size in S3, it progresses to S6.

In S1, when the staple mode is selected, the sheets discharged from the conveying path 210 are swept into the processing tray 220 and aligned to form a sheet bundle on the processing tray 220 (S7). Then, the sheet bundle is stapled (S8). After that, the sheet bundle is discharged onto the stacking tray 300 (S9).

Operations of the sheet processing apparatus 200 in each mode described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 50 to 74. FIG.

[Straight discharge mode]
The straight discharge mode will be described with reference to FIGS. 50 to 53. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 50A and 50B, when the sheet S is conveyed along the conveying path 210, the discharge roller 230 is at the retracted position, and the scraping portion 240 and trailing edge drop member 250 are at the first position. located respectively. Next, as shown in FIGS. 51A and 51B, the sheet S is discharged in a predetermined direction from the pre-processing roller 211 positioned at the downstream end of the conveying path 210 in the predetermined direction and the pre-processing nip portion 211a between the conveying belt 212. be done. Even in this state, the discharge roller 230 is positioned at the retracted position, and the scraping portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 are positioned at the first position.

When the sheet S is conveyed by a predetermined amount from the pre-processing nip portion 211a, as shown in FIGS. to sandwich the sheet S. At this time, the trailing edge of the sheet S does not pass through the pre-processing nip portion 211a. Therefore, the sheet S is nipped between the discharge nip portion 230a between the discharge roller 230 and the discharge belt 260 and the pre-processing nip portion 211a. However, as described above, when the discharge roller 230 descends to the contact position, the nip pressure of the pre-treatment roller 211 becomes almost zero. Therefore, the sheet S is mainly nipped and conveyed by the discharge roller 230 and the discharge belt 260, and as shown in FIGS. Ejected.

[Shift mode (productivity priority)]
Among the shift modes, the productivity priority mode will be described with reference to FIGS. 54 to 58. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 54A and 54B, when the sheet S is conveyed along the conveying path 210, the discharge roller 230 is at the retracted position, and the scraping portion 240 and trailing edge drop member 250 are at the first position. located respectively. Next, as shown in FIGS. 55A and 55B, the downstream end (leading edge) of the sheet S in the sheet conveying direction passes through the pre-processing nip portion 211a between the pre-processing roller 211 and the conveying belt 212, and After the upstream end (rear end) of the sheet S in the sheet conveying direction passes through the nip portion between the upstream roller 213 as the third rotating body and the conveying belt 212, the nip pressure of the pre-processing roller 211 is reduced to the first pressure ( first nip pressure) to a second pressure (second nip pressure). That is, the nip pressure is set to approximately zero. Note that the change start timing from the first pressure to the second pressure may be before the upstream end in the sheet conveying direction passes through the nip portion between the upstream roller 213 and the conveying belt 212, or the upstream end in the sheet conveying direction may be before the upstream roller 213 and the conveying belt 212, the change to the second pressure may be completed.

In this embodiment, when the trailing edge of the sheet S passes through the inlet sensor SN1 on the conveying path 210, the ejection roller 230 starts to descend and moves toward the guide position. As a result, the nip pressure of the pre-treatment roller 211 becomes almost zero. Further, when the trailing edge of the sheet S passes through the inlet sensor SN1 on the conveying path 210, the front and rear aligning plates 271 start moving toward the edges of the sheet S in the width direction. In this state, the sheet S hangs down from the conveying path 210 toward the processing tray 220, and the widthwise edge of the hanging portion comes into contact with the first contact portion 272 of the alignment plate 271, thereby aligning the widthwise direction. is done. At this time, since the nip pressure of the pre-processing roller 211 is almost zero, the sheets are smoothly aligned by the alignment plate 271 . That is, when the aligning section 270 aligns the sheet hanging down from the conveying path 210 in the width direction, the nip pressure of the pre-processing rollers 211 is adjusted to approximately zero.

Next, when the sheet S is further conveyed, as shown in FIGS. 56A and 56B, the leading edge of the sheet S is directed downward to the discharge arm 233 of the discharge roller 230 which has moved (in motion) to the guide position. be guided towards. Then, the upper surface of the sheet S is pushed by the discharge roller 230 at the timing when the leading edge of the sheet S passes the downstream end of the discharge belt 260 in the predetermined direction. At this time, the sheet S is conveyed by the conveying belt 212 because the nip pressure of the pre-processing roller 211 is almost zero. The sheet S is placed on the conveying belt 212 by its own weight, and the contact area between the sheet S and the conveying belt 212 is secured to some extent.

As shown in FIGS. 56A and 56B, the leading edge of the sheet S in the width direction is pushed downward by the ejection roller 230 so that the edge of the leading edge of the sheet S in the width direction becomes the second contact of the aligning plate 271. As shown in FIGS. It faces the contact portion 273 . Further, the trailing edge of the sheet S does not pass through the pre-processing nip portion 211a. In the productivity priority mode, in this state, the first contact portion 272 and the second contact portion 273 of the pair of alignment plates 271 are brought into contact with the width direction edge of the sheet to shift the sheet S in a desired direction. . That is, in the productivity priority mode of the present embodiment, the sheet S is suspended from the conveying path 210 without being placed on the processing tray 220, and the pair of alignment plates 271 are in contact with each other at two points spaced apart in a predetermined direction. The first contact portion 272 and the second contact portion 273 are brought into contact with the edges of the sheet S in the width direction. At this time, the first contact portion 272 contacts the curved portion of the sheet SL that hangs down from the conveying path 210, and the second contact portion 273 contacts the leading end side of the sheet SL. By moving the pair of alignment plates 271 in a desired direction, the sheet S is moved in the width direction (shift direction).

When the movement (shift operation) of the sheet S in the width direction is completed, the discharge roller 230 is lowered from the guide position to the contact position as shown in FIGS. It is sandwiched between the discharge belt 260 and the discharge belt 260 . Then, the sheet S is conveyed mainly by the discharge roller 230 and the discharge belt 260, and the sheet S is discharged onto the stacking tray 300 as shown in FIGS.

In such a productivity priority mode, since there is no operation of placing the sheets S on the processing tray 220 , the shift operation of the sheets S can be performed faster than when performing the shift operation on the processing tray 220 . In addition, since the aligning plate 271 is brought into contact with the sheet S in a state in which the sheet S hangs down and is curved during the shift operation, the sheet alignment and the shift operation can be performed in a state in which the sheet S has a higher rigidity, and the sheet is less likely to be bent. Align and shift operations can be performed on the state.

Further, in this embodiment, by moving the discharge roller 230 to the guide position, the leading end of the sheet S is pushed down, so that the second contact portion 273 of the aligning plate 271 can be contacted more reliably. Since the aligning plate 271 abuts on two width direction edges of the sheet S spaced apart in a predetermined direction, the shift operation of the sheet S can be performed in a more stable state. That is, the sheet can be moved in the width direction while suppressing skewing of the sheet during the shift operation.

Note that the productivity priority mode is preferably applicable to small-sized sheets, but may be executed to large-sized sheets. Further, for example, when the length of the sheet in the predetermined direction is short, the shift operation may be performed by bringing only the first contact portion 272 into contact with the edge of the sheet in the width direction.

In the above-described example, in the first shift discharge process, the shift operation is performed while the nip pressure of the pre-process roller 211 is set to the second nip pressure, which is weaker than the first nip pressure. However, the shift operation may be performed while the pre-processing roller 211 is separated from the conveying belt 212 . For example, the configuration in which the pre-processing roller 211 is moved by the lifting motor MT3 described above is changed from the nipping position where the pre-processing roller 211 and the conveying belt 212 sandwich the sheet to the separating position where the pre-processing roller 211 and the conveying belt 212 are separated from each other. It may be made to function as a conveying rotating body moving member that moves between positions. Then, the shift operation may be performed with the pre-processing roller 211 at the separated position.

[Shift mode (alignment priority)]
Of the shift modes, the alignment priority mode will be described with reference to FIGS. 59 to 65. FIG. Although the alignment priority mode may be performed for small-size sheets, the case of performing it for large-size sheets will be described here. As shown in FIGS. 59A and 59B, when the sheet SL is conveyed on the conveying path 210, the discharge roller 230 is at the retracted position, and the scraping portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 are at the first position. located respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 60A and 60B, when the trailing edge of the sheet SL passes through the pre-processing nip portion 211a, the discharge roller 230, the scraping portion 240, and the trailing edge dropping member 250 start descending. The discharge roller 230, the scraping portion 240, and the trailing edge dropping member 250 may start descending before the trailing edge of the sheet SL passes through the pre-processing nip portion 211a. In any case, when the trailing edge of the sheet SL is dropped toward the processing tray 220 by the scraping portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250, if the timing is such that the trailing edge of the sheet SL passes through the pre-processing nip portion 211a, good.

As shown in FIGS. 61(a) and 61(b), the discharge roller 230 is lowered to the contact position, and the scraping portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 are lowered to the second position. As a result, the sheet SL ejected from the conveying path 210 is nipped between the ejection roller 230 and the ejection belt 260 , and the trailing edge of the sheet SL is directed toward the processing tray 220 by the scraping portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 . It is dropped and placed on the processing tray 220 . At this time, the sheet SL is also pinched between the scraping belt 240 a of the scraping portion 240 and the discharge belt 260 .

Next, as shown in FIGS. 62A and 62B, the scraping belt 240a and the discharge belt 260 are rotated in opposite directions to remove the sheet SL placed on the processing tray 220 from the trailing edge regulating member. Transport to 290. At this time, the return member 280 descends, and the knurled belt 281 of the return member 280 contacts the upper surface of the sheet SL on the trailing end side. By rotating the knurled belt 281 , the sheet SL is further conveyed, and the trailing edge of the sheet SL abuts against the trailing edge regulating member 290 . As a result, the sheet SL is aligned in a predetermined direction.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 63A and 63B, the discharge roller 230 is raised to the retracted position, the scraping portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 are raised to the first position, and the return member 280 is raised. to retract these members from the upper surface of the sheet SL. In this state, the front and rear aligning plates 271 are moved in the width direction (shift direction) to align and shift the sheet SL in the width direction. At this time, since the sheet SL is placed on the processing tray 220 , it contacts the second contact portion 273 of the alignment plate 271 . The second contact portion 273 is arranged from below the first contact portion 272 to the downstream side of the first contact portion 272 in a predetermined direction, and covers the width of the sheet SL in a relatively wide range in the predetermined direction. It abuts the direction edge. In addition, the second contact portion 273 is configured such that the leading edge of the sheet SL placed on the processing tray 220 protrudes toward the stacking tray 300 from the downstream end of the processing tray 220 in the predetermined direction, and the width direction edge of the sheet SL is moved. abut the edge.

When the shift operation of the sheet SL is completed, as shown in FIGS. 64A and 64B, the discharge roller 230 is lowered to the contact position, and the sheet SL is nipped between the discharge roller 230 and the discharge belt 260. . By rotating the discharge belt 260 in the normal direction, the sheet SL is discharged from the processing tray 220 to the stacking tray 300 as shown in FIGS.

As described above, in the alignment priority mode, the sheets SL are aligned and shifted on the processing tray 220, so the alignment of the sheets SL can be made better than in the productivity priority mode. In particular, in the alignment priority mode, the sheet SL is placed on the processing tray 220, the trailing edge of the sheet SL abuts against the trailing edge regulating member 290, and the second contact portion 273 moves over the entire predetermined direction of the sheet SL. The shift operation is performed by contacting the edges in the width direction. The length of the entire predetermined direction of the second contact portion 273 is longer than the sum of the length of the first contact portion 272 and part of the second contact portion that contact the sheets in the productivity priority mode. In the mode, the aligning plate 271 can be brought into contact with the edges of the sheet in the width direction over a wide range.

Further, in the productivity priority mode, the shift operation is performed while the sheet hangs down from the conveying path 210 , whereas in the alignment priority mode, the shift operation is performed while the sheet is placed on the processing tray 220 . Therefore, the sheet shift operation can be performed in a stable state. Furthermore, since the leading edge of the sheet SL protrudes further toward the stacking tray 300 than the processing tray 220 , the leading edge of the sheet SL hangs down on the stacking tray 300 and is curved. Therefore, the shift operation of the seat SL can be performed in a state in which the rigidity of the seat SL is higher than in a state in which the seat SL is not curved. For this reason, in the alignment priority mode, the alignment of the sheets SL can be made better than in the productivity priority mode.

However, in the alignment priority mode, since there is an operation to once place the sheets on the processing tray 220, processing takes longer than in the productivity priority mode. However, in the case of a large size sheet, even processing in the image forming apparatus 100 takes time. Therefore, when the alignment priority mode is executed for large size sheets, the shift operation can be performed with productivity suitable for the productivity of the image forming apparatus 100, and the alignment of the sheets can be improved. Note that the productivity priority mode as described above may be executed even for large size sheets.

[Staple Mode]
The staple mode will be described with reference to FIGS. 66 to 74. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 66A and 66B, when the first sheet S1 is conveyed to the conveying path 210, the discharge roller 230 is at the retracted position, and the scraping portion 240 and the trailing edge drop member 250 are at the retracted position. Each is located at the first position. When the trailing edge of the sheet S1 passes through the pre-processing nip portion 211a, the ejection roller 230, the raking portion 240, and the trailing edge dropping member 250 start to descend as in FIG. The roller 230 is lowered to the contact position, and the raking portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 are lowered to the second position. That is, the sheet S1 discharged from the conveying path 210 is placed on the processing tray 220, and the sheet S1 is nipped between the discharge roller 230 and the discharge belt 260. 260 is also sandwiched. The discharge roller 230, the scraping portion 240, and the trailing edge dropping member 250 may start descending before the trailing edge of the sheet S1 passes through the pre-processing nip portion 211a.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 67A and 67B, the scraping belt 240a and the discharge belt 260 are rotated in opposite directions to remove the sheet S1 placed on the processing tray 220 from the trailing edge regulating member. Transport to 290. At this time, the return member 280 descends, and the knurled belt 281 of the return member 280 contacts the upper surface of the sheet S1 on the trailing edge side. By rotating the knurled belt 281 , the sheet S<b>1 is further conveyed, and the trailing edge of the sheet S<b>1 hits the trailing edge regulating member 290 . As a result, the sheet S1 is aligned in a predetermined direction.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 68A and 68B, the discharge roller 230 is raised to the retracted position, the scraping portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 are raised to the first position, and the return member 280 is raised. to retract these members from the upper surface of the sheet S1. In this state, the front and rear aligning plates 271 are moved in the width direction to align the sheet S1 in the width direction. At this time, since the sheet S<b>1 is placed on the processing tray 220 , it contacts the second contact portion 273 of the alignment plate 271 . The process up to this point is the same as in alignment priority mode.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 69A and 69B, the return member 280 is lowered to prepare for the second sheet, and the trailing edge of the sheet S1 is moved between the knurled belt 281 and the processing tray 220. As shown in FIGS. sandwiched. As a result, even if the second sheet is conveyed onto the processing tray 220, it is possible to prevent the first sheet S1 from shifting. In this state, as in the case where the first sheet S1 is placed on the processing tray 220, the second sheet S2 discharged from the conveying path 210 is placed on the sheet S1 placed on the processing tray 220. be placed on.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 70A and 70B, the scraping belt 240a and the discharge belt 260 are rotated in opposite directions to remove the first sheet S2 placed on the processing tray 220. It is conveyed toward the trailing edge regulating member 290 . At this time, the return member 280 is once raised and then lowered at the timing when the trailing edge of the sheet S2 reaches the return member 280 . Then, the knurled belt 281 of the return member 280 contacts the upper surface of the sheet S2 on the trailing edge side. By rotating the knurled belt 281 , the sheet S<b>2 is further conveyed, and the trailing edge of the sheet S<b>2 hits the trailing edge regulating member 290 . As a result, the sheet S2 is aligned in a predetermined direction. When the number of sheets to be placed on the processing tray 220 is the second one or more, the scraping belt 240a alone is rotated in the opposite direction without rotating the discharge belt 260, and the sheet is removed in the same manner as the first sheet. The rear end abuts against the rear end regulating member 290 . Even when the trailing edge of the first sheet hits the trailing edge regulating member 290, only the scraping belt 240a may be rotated in the opposite direction without rotating the discharge belt 260. FIG.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 71A and 71B, the discharge roller 230 is raised to the retracted position, the scraping portion 240 and the trailing edge dropping member 250 are raised to the first position, and the return member 280 is raised. to retract these members from the upper surface of the sheet S2. In this state, the front and rear aligning plates 271 are moved in the width direction to align the sheet S2 in the width direction. The operation of placing the sheets on the processing tray 220 and aligning the sheets on the processing tray 220 is performed for the number of sheets based on the input job information, and the sheet bundle ST is formed on the processing tray 220 .

After forming the sheet bundle ST, as shown in FIGS. 72A and 72B, the stapling unit 400 is driven to staple the sheet bundle ST. After stapling, as shown in FIGS. 73A and 73B, the front and rear aligning plates 271 are retracted from the widthwise edges of the sheet bundle ST, and the discharge roller 230 is moved to the contact position to move the raking portion. 240 are each lowered to the second position. As a result, the sheet bundle ST is sandwiched between the discharge roller 230 and the scraping belt 240 a and the discharge belt 260 . By driving the discharge belt 260 and the scraping belt 240a, the sheet bundle ST is discharged from the processing tray 220 to the stacking tray 300 as shown in FIGS.

As described above, in this embodiment, the sheet bundle ST is discharged by driving the scraping belt 240 a in addition to the conveyance by the discharge roller 230 and the discharge belt 260 . In particular, the scraping belt 240a has a stretched surface that contacts the upper surface of the sheet bundle ST, so that the conveying force of the sheet bundle ST is high. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably discharge the sheet bundle ST from the processing tray 220 .

Here, in order to increase the sheet conveying force, it is conceivable to increase the contact pressure (nip pressure) of the discharge roller 230 against the discharge belt 260 . However, in this case, it is necessary to secure the strength of the structure that supports the discharge roller 230, which increases the size of the apparatus. Also, if the discharge roller 230 is brought into strong contact with the sheet, show-through may occur. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a scraping belt 240a is brought into contact with the sheet separately from the discharge roller 230 so that the scraping belt 240a assists the sheet discharge.

Therefore, the nip pressure of the discharge roller 230 does not need to be increased more than necessary, so that the size of the apparatus can be suppressed, and the occurrence of show-through can be suppressed. Further, the scraping belt 240a has a function of conveying the sheet on the processing tray 220 toward the trailing end regulating member 290. The direction of rotation of the scraping belt 240a is simply switched from time to time. Therefore, the size of the device can be reduced as compared with the case where each function is provided separately.

[Sheet discharge operation]
An operation of discharging sheets to the stacking tray 300 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 75 to 79. FIG. First, as shown in FIGS. 75A and 75B, the sheet S is nipped and conveyed between the discharge roller 230 and the discharge belt 260 to be discharged onto the stacking tray 300 . At this time, the stacking tray 300 is at the first stacking position. The first stacking position is the home position when no sheets are stacked on the stacking tray 300, and is a position determined according to the stacking amount when sheets are stacked.

Next, in the stacking tray 300 , the downstream end (leading end) of the sheet S discharged by the discharge roller 230 and the discharge belt 260 is placed on the sheet stacking surface 301 of the stacking tray 300 or the sheet stacking surface 301 . After contacting the sheet, the stacking tray 300 descends from the first stacking position to the second stacking position so as to reach the second stacking position. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 76A and 76B, when the trailing edge of the sheet S passes through the discharge nip portion 230a between the discharge roller 230 and the discharge belt 260, the stacking tray 300 is moved to the first position. Start descending from the loading position toward the second loading position. The sheet pressing belt 320 is stretched over rollers 321 in a bent state. Therefore, when the stacking tray 300 is at the first stacking position, the sheet pressing belt 320 is slightly pushed up by the sheets placed on the stacking tray 300 . Even if the stacking tray 300 is lowered from the first stacking position to the second stacking position from this state, the sheet pressing belt 320 does not contact the sheets on the stacking tray 300 until the bending of the sheet pressing belt 320 is eliminated. Therefore, the sheet pressing effect of the sheet pressing belt 320 continues for a predetermined interval after the stacking tray 300 starts to descend.

When the sheet S is discharged from the discharge nip portion 230a, as shown in FIGS. 77(a) and 77(b), the sheet pressing belt 320 moves the sheet S discharged by the discharge roller 230 and the discharge belt 260 in a predetermined direction. The rear end of the sheet S is guided toward the stacking tray 300 by rotating and contacting the upstream end (rear end).

As described above, the sheet pressing belt 320 is a knurled belt, and a roller for driving the sheet pressing belt 320 is also provided on the drive shaft 261 a of the tension roller 261 that drives the discharge belt 260 . Therefore, the sheet pressing belt 320 rotates in synchronization with the ejection belt 260 . At least a part of the sheet pressing belt 320 is provided so as to protrude downstream from the standing surface 310 in a predetermined direction and below the sheet loading surface of the processing tray 220 . Therefore, by rotating the sheet pressing belt 320 , the trailing edge of the sheet S that has passed through the discharge nip portion 230 a is guided to the stacking tray 300 so as to be scraped off by the sheet pressing belt 320 . That is, the trailing edge of the sheet S is scraped off by the sheet pressing belt 320 like the locus of the sheet indicated by the dotted line and broken line in FIG. 77(b). This makes it difficult for the trailing edge of the sheet S to remain in the discharge nip portion 230a.

Next, after the upstream end of the sheet S in a predetermined direction is discharged onto the sheet stacking surface 301 or the sheets placed on the sheet stacking surface 301, the stacking tray 300 is stacked so as to reach the first stacking position. The tray 300 rises from the second stacking position to the first stacking position. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 78A and 78B, after the trailing edge of the sheet S is discharged onto the stacking tray 300, the stacking tray 300 moves from the second stacking position toward the first stacking position. Start rising. As the stacking tray 300 is thus lifted from the second stacking position to the first stacking position, the sheet pressing belt 320 presses the upper surface of the trailing edge of the sheet S discharged onto the stacking tray 300 .

Next, as shown in FIGS. 79A and 79B, the sheet pressing belt 320 lifts the sheet S on the stacking tray 300 from the second stacking position to the first stacking position. Convey toward surface 310 . That is, by rotating the sheet pressing belt 320 , the sheet S on the stacking tray 300 is picked up and the trailing edge of the sheet S abuts against the standing surface 310 . At this time, the sheet pressing belt 320 may contact the upper surface of the sheet S while rotating, or may rotate after contacting the upper surface of the sheet S. FIG. That is, when the stacking tray 300 is raised from the second stacking position to the first stacking position, the rotation of the sheet pressing belt 320 may be started at least before the stacking tray 300 reaches the first stacking position. The rotation of the sheet pressing belt 320 may be started after the tray 300 reaches the first stacking position. In any case, the rotation of the sheet pressing belt 320 is stopped at the timing after the trailing edge of the sheet S hits the standing surface 310 .

In this embodiment, the upper surface of the sheet S discharged onto the stacking tray 300 is pressed by the sheet pressing belt 320 . For this reason, the stacking tray 300 can be moved up and down between the first stacking position and the second stacking position, and can be lowered from the first stacking position and raised from the second stacking position as described above in accordance with the discharge of the sheets. controlling the timing. A sheet pressing belt 320 provided at the downstream end of the processing tray 220 in a predetermined direction presses the upper surface of the trailing edge of the sheet discharged onto the stacking tray 300 .

Accordingly, even if the next sheet is discharged onto the sheet S placed on the stacking tray 300, the sheet S can be prevented from being shifted. Depending on the angle of the stacking tray 300, the trailing edge of the previously discharged sheet S may be held down by the sheet pressing belt 320 after the leading edge of the next sheet contacts. That is, when the sheet loading surface 301 of the stacking tray 300 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane so that the downstream side in a predetermined direction faces upward, and if this angle is large, the leading edge of the next sheet has already been loaded. Even if it contacts the upper surface of the sheet, the sheet does not slip easily. Therefore, in such a case, the next sheet is discharged so that the leading edge of the next sheet comes into contact with the sheet S before the stacking tray 300 on which the sheet S is placed reaches the first stacking position. Also good.

In any case, in this embodiment, the sheet pressing belt 320 has a function of pressing the trailing edge of the sheet S discharged onto the stacking tray 300 and a function of scraping off the trailing edge of the sheet S so that it does not remain in the discharge nip portion 230a. have Therefore, in the case of this embodiment, the cost can be reduced as compared with the case where mechanisms having these functions are provided separately.

Also in the case of this embodiment, when performing the staple mode, the first shift ejection process, and the second shift ejection process, the front side alignment plate moving motor MT5 and the rear side alignment plate moving motor MT6, which are common drive sources, are used. , a common alignment plate 271 is used for each process. Therefore, the cost can be reduced compared to a configuration that requires separate aligning plates and drive sources for each process, and the first shift discharge process can improve the productivity of predetermined sheets. . As in the first embodiment, it is also possible to apply the first shift discharge process to all sheets to be shifted and discharged without performing the binding process.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is also applicable to the configurations shown in FIGS. 80, 81 and 82(a) to 83(b). Note that members similar to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

The sheet processing apparatus shown in FIG. 80 has the configuration of the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B removed from the mechanical configuration of the first embodiment, and instead adds a pushing member 291 as a discharge section. This sheet processing apparatus scrapes the sheet S placed on the processing tray 220 after being transported in the first transport direction (direction from right to left in the drawing) by pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A (first transport unit). The loading paddle 240A and the knurled belt 281 of the returning member 280 (together, the second conveying portion) convey the sheet S in the second conveying direction (the direction from left to right in the drawing), and the trailing edge of the sheet S is the abutting portion. It abuts against the end regulating member 290 . Thereafter, the pair of alignment plates 271A align the sheets S in the width direction, the next sheet S is received, and the above operation is repeated to form a sheet bundle, and the staple unit 400 staples the sheet bundle. After that, the push-out member 291 engages with the trailing end of the sheet bundle (the upstream end in the first conveying direction) and moves in the first conveying direction to discharge the sheet bundle onto the stacking tray 300 .

When performing the first shift discharge process in such a sheet processing apparatus, the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A transport the sheet S in the first transport direction, and the trailing edge of the sheet S reaches the pre-processing nip portion 211a of the pre-processing rollers. , the sheet S is shifted in the shift direction by the pair of aligning plates 271A (at this time, the scraping paddle 240A may be lowered slightly so that the rear end side of the sheet S contacts the pair of aligning plates 271A). , and then the sheet S is ejected onto the stacking tray 300 by the pushing member 291 .

When performing the second shift discharge process, the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A convey the sheet S in the first conveying direction, and the trailing edge of the sheet S passes through the pre-processing nip portion 211a of the pre-processing rollers to After being placed on the S processing tray 220, the sheet S is conveyed in the second conveying direction by the scraping paddle 240A and the knurled belt 281, and the trailing edge of the sheet S hits the trailing edge regulating member 290, which is the abutting portion. After that, the sheet S is shifted in the shift direction by the pair of aligning plates 271 A, and then the sheet S is ejected onto the stacking tray 300 by the pushing member 291 .

The sheet processing apparatus shown in FIG. 81 has a push-out member 291 added to the mechanical configuration of the first embodiment. This sheet processing apparatus picks up the sheet S that is conveyed in the first conveying direction (direction from right to left in the drawing) and placed on the processing tray 220 by pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A (first conveying portion). The paddle 240A and the knurled belt 281 of the return member 280 (together, the second conveying portion) are conveyed in the second conveying direction (the direction from left to right in the drawing), and the trailing edge of the sheet S is the abutting portion. It abuts against the regulation member 290 . Thereafter, the pair of alignment plates 271A align the sheets S in the width direction, the next sheet S is received, and the above operation is repeated to form a sheet bundle, and the staple unit 400 staples the sheet bundle. After that, the push-out member 291 engages with the trailing end of the sheet bundle (upstream end in the first conveying direction) and moves in the first conveying direction to push it out. The sheet bundle is discharged to the stacking tray 300 by moving to the nipping position and rotating at least one of the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B.

When performing the first shift discharge process in such a sheet processing apparatus, the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A convey the sheet S in the first conveying direction, and the sheet S is transferred to the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B. After the trailing edge of the sheet S passes through the pre-processing nip portion 211a of the pre-processing rollers, the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B are moved to the separated position, and the sheet S is shifted in the shift direction by the pair of aligning plates 271A. After that, the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B move to the nipping position and rotate to discharge the sheet S onto the stacking tray 300 .

When performing the second shift discharge process, the pre-processing rollers 211A and 212A convey the sheet S in the first conveying direction, and the trailing edge of the sheet S passes through the pre-processing nip portion 211a of the pre-processing rollers to After being placed on the S processing tray 220, the sheet S is conveyed in the second conveying direction by the scraping paddle 240A and the knurled belt 281, and the trailing edge of the sheet S hits the trailing edge regulating member 290, which is the abutting portion. After that, the sheet S is shifted in the shift direction by the pair of alignment plates 271A while the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B are at the separated position, and then the sheet S is discharged to the stacking tray 300 by the pushing member 291. At this time, the sheet S may be discharged onto the stacking tray 300 only by the pushing member 291, or the sheet S may be pushed halfway by the pushing member 291, and then stacked halfway by the upper discharge roller 230A and the lower discharge roller 230B. You may make it discharge|eject to the tray 300. FIG.

Thus, in the sheet processing apparatus shown in FIGS. 80 and 81 as well, alignment of stapling, first shift discharge processing, and second shift discharge processing can be realized at low cost by using the common alignment plate 271A.

In the sheet processing apparatus shown in FIGS. 82(a) to 83(b), the second trailing edge dropping member 234, which moves in conjunction with the movement of the upper discharge roller 230A, is added to the mechanical structure of the first embodiment. It was added. The second trailing edge dropping member 234 is rotatably provided on the rotating shaft 2301 of the upper discharge roller 230A. As shown in FIG. 82(a), the tip of the second trailing edge dropping member 234 (the upstream end in the first conveying direction) is positioned above the lower surface of the ejection arm 2302 when the upper ejection roller 230A is at the retracted position. Positioned vertically upwards. Then, as shown in FIG. 82(b), the tip of the second trailing edge dropping member 234 rotates in a direction away from the ejection arm 2302, that is, in a direction approaching the processing tray 220 as the upper ejection roller 230A moves to the nipping position. move.

The second trailing edge dropping member 234 thus operates in conjunction with the rotation of the upper discharge roller 230A. This mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. 83(a) and 83(b). 83A and 83B are schematic diagrams showing the relationship between the ejection arm 2302 that supports the upper ejection roller 230A and the second trailing edge dropping member 234. FIG. The rotation shaft 234a of the second trailing edge dropping member 234 is provided coaxially with the rotation shaft 230A1 of the upper discharge roller 230A, and is rotatable relative to the rotation shaft 230A1. Therefore, even if the upper discharge roller 230A rotates, the rotating shaft 234a does not rotate. A pulley 234b is fixed to the rotating shaft 234a. When the pulley 234b rotates, the rotating shaft 234a also rotates. The second trailing edge dropping member 234 to which the downstream end in the first conveying direction is fixed may also be rotated. do.

On the other hand, a pulley 234c is fixed coaxially with the rotation shaft 2301 on the upstream side of the ejection arm 2302 in the first transport direction. The pulley 234c is rotatable relative to the rotating shaft 2301 and does not rotate even when the rotating shaft 2301 rotates. An endless belt 234d is stretched between the pulleys 234b and 234c. When the discharge arm 2302 rotates around the rotation shaft 2301, the relative position of the pulley 234b with respect to the pulley 234c changes and the belt 234d rotates, and the belt 234d rotates the pulley 234b. As the rotation shaft 234a rotates together with the pulley 234b, the second rear end drop member 234 swings vertically.

FIG. 83(a) shows a state in which the upper ejection roller 230A is located at the home position. This position is defined as the upper position of the second trailing edge dropping member 234 . When the discharge arm 2302 is rotated downward about the rotation shaft 2301 to move the upper discharge roller 230A from this position to the nipping position, the belt 234d moves in the direction of the arrow P as shown in FIG. 83(b). , and the pulley 234b and the rear end dropping member 234 rotate in the direction of the arrow Q about the rotating shaft 234a. That is, the tip of the trailing edge dropping member 234 moves from the upper position shown in FIG. 83(a) to the lower position shown in FIG. 83(b). In this manner, the second trailing edge dropping member 234 is interlocked with the rotation of the discharge arm 2302 to move to the upper position when the upper discharge roller 230A is at the home position, and to move the upper discharge roller 230A to the nipping position. Then move to the lower position.

The second trailing edge dropping member 234 that operates in this manner presses the trailing edge of the sheet S from above when performing the first shift ejection process, thereby pushing the side edge of the trailing edge of the sheet S into the pair of aligning plates 271A. It can be placed in a position where it is easy to hit. In addition, since the sheet S is curved on the sheet trailing end side of the discharge nip portion 230a, and the pair of alignment plates 271A contact the curved portion to shift the sheet S, the shift operation is performed in a state where the rigidity of the sheet S is higher. It can be performed.

FIG. 82(a) shows a state in which the upper discharge roller 230A receives the sheet at the retracted position. In this state, the tip of the second trailing edge dropping member 234 is positioned vertically above the lower surface of the ejection arm 2032 , so the leading edge of the sheet S is positioned between the ejection arm 2302 and the second trailing edge dropping member 234 . I never go in and jam. After the leading edge of the sheet S has passed between the upper ejection roller 230A and the lower ejection roller 230B, as shown in FIG. The sheet is conveyed until it passes through the front nip portion 211a. At this time, the second trailing edge dropping member 234 moves from the upper position to the lower position in conjunction with the movement of the upper discharge roller 230A, thereby dropping the trailing edge of the sheet S from above. As described above, in the first shift discharge process, the trailing edge dropping member 250A is not operated. It can be reliably dropped onto the tray 220. - 特許庁Then, the aligning plates 271A can be reliably brought into contact with the sheets S when the sheets S are shifted by the pair of aligning plates 271A, which will be described later.

After the sheet S is dropped onto the processing tray 220 by the second trailing edge dropping member 234, as shown in FIG. move in the direction In FIG. 82(c), the second trailing edge dropping member 234 is not in contact with the upper surface of the sheet S when the upper discharge roller 230A is at the separated position. The upper surface of the sheet may be pressed by the second trailing edge dropping member 234 to the extent that the sheet is not pulled.

In the above-described first embodiment, the trailing edge dropping member 250A cannot move to the lower position when the upper discharge roller 230A descends to the nipping position or the separating position. By providing the dropping member 234, the first shift discharging process can be performed more stably. can be Further, if the second trailing edge dropping member 234 is driven separately from the rotation of the upper discharge roller 230A, the trailing edge dropping member 250A may be omitted.

Further, although the second trailing edge dropping member 234 is rotatably provided on the rotating shaft 2301 of the upper discharge roller 230A, it may be provided on another member or may be configured to be independently movable. In other words, when the pair of aligning plates 271A shifts the sheet, it is sufficient that the trailing edge of the sheet can be lowered to a position where the side edge of the sheet can abut against the pair of aligning plates 271A.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, an example was shown in which the pair of alignment plates 271A (271) move in the shift direction while holding both edges in the sheet width direction in the first shift discharge process. Applicable. (1) to (5) below describe the operation of the pair of alignment plates in a state in which the sheet is transported in the first transport direction by the pre-processing rollers 211A and the shift operation can be started by the pair of alignment plates 271A. . As described above, the aligning plate on the upstream side in the shift direction is called the first shift portion, and the aligning plate on the downstream side in the shift direction is called the second shift portion.

(1) The first shift section and the second shift section are moved toward each other to first pinch both edges of the sheet in the sheet width direction, and then the first shift section and the second shift section are simultaneously shifted in the shift direction. to shift the sheet. (2) While the second shift section is stopped, the first shift section is moved in the shift direction to hit the sheet against the second shift section. Thereafter, the first shift portion and the second shift portion are simultaneously moved in the shift direction to shift the sheet. (3) The moving speed of the first shift portion is faster than the moving speed of the second shift portion, and both the first shift portion and the second shift portion are moved in the shift direction. Before the shift operation is completed, the sheet is sandwiched between the first shift section and the second shift section, and the shift of the sheet is completed in that state. (4) With the first shift portion stopped, the second shift portion is moved toward the first shift portion to abut against the edge of the sheet on the second shift portion side. After that, the first shift portion is moved in the shift direction to sandwich both edges of the sheet, and in this state, the first shift portion and the second shift portion are moved in the shift direction. to shift the seat. (5) While the first shift section is stopped, the second shift section is moved toward the first shift section to hit the sheet against the first shift section. After that, the sheet is shifted by moving the first shift portion and the second shift portion in the shift direction.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the shift direction is both the direction from the rear side to the front side and the direction from the front side to the rear side, and the pair of alignment plates 271A (271) both move in the shift direction. Although the mode is shown, one of the alignment plates 271A may be fixedly arranged and the other may be moved toward the fixedly arranged alignment plate. In that case, the moving aligning plate becomes the first shift section, and the drive motor for moving the first shift section becomes the first drive section. In this case, in the stapling process, the width of the sheet is aligned by moving the sheet toward the fixedly arranged alignment plate using the movable alignment plate, which is the first shift section, and the sheet is positioned in this manner. The position is the binding position. Also, in the first and second shift discharge processes, the sheets are shifted to one side by moving the sheets toward the fixedly arranged aligning plates using the movable aligning plates that are the first shift unit. discharge to By combining the sheets discharged by shifting to one side and the sheets discharged straight, the sheets discharged to the stacking tray 300 can be sorted.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the sheet processing apparatus 200 is arranged in the internal space 130 of the image forming apparatus 100. However, the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention may be mounted on the side surface of the image forming apparatus, for example. A configuration may be used. Also, the sheet processing apparatus may be configured to be controlled by a control section provided in the image forming apparatus.

Further, the disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configurations.
(Configuration 1)
a first conveying unit that conveys the sheet in a first conveying direction;
a placing unit that temporarily places the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit;
a second conveying unit that conveys the sheet on the stacking unit conveyed by the first conveying unit in a second conveying direction opposite to the first conveying direction;
an abutting portion against which a downstream edge in the second conveying direction of the sheet conveyed in the second conveying direction by the second conveying portion abuts;
By moving in a shift direction intersecting the first conveying direction while in contact with one edge along the first conveying direction of the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit, a first shift unit that moves in the shift direction the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit;
a first drive section for driving the first shift section to move the first shift section in the shift direction;
The sheet is conveyed in the second conveying direction by the second conveying section, the downstream edge in the second conveying direction is abutted against the abutment section, and the sheet is moved in the shift direction by the first shift section to a binding position. a processing unit that performs binding processing on the positioned plurality of sheets;
a stacking unit arranged downstream of the stacking unit in the first conveying direction and stacking the sheets conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit;
a discharge unit that discharges the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit to the stacking unit;
with
After the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit, the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit is conveyed on the placing unit by the second conveying unit in the second conveying direction. The sheet is conveyed in the conveying direction, the downstream edge of the sheet in the second conveying direction is abutted against the abutment portion, and the first shift portion is driven by the first drive portion to drive the first shift portion. By repeatedly moving the sheets abutted against the abutting portion in the shift direction and positioning them at the binding position, the binding processing is performed by the processing portion on the plurality of sheets positioned at the binding position. and a binding discharge process for discharging the plurality of bound sheets to the stacking section by the discharge section;
After the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying section, the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying section is conveyed in the second conveying direction by the second conveying section. without moving the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit by the first shift unit by driving the first shift unit by the first driving unit, and moving the sheet in the shift direction. and a switchbackless shift discharge process for discharging the sheet moved in the shift direction by the first shift section to the stacking section by the discharge section.
(Configuration 2)
Further, after the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit, the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit is conveyed on the stacking unit by the second conveying unit. The sheet is conveyed in the second conveying direction, the downstream edge of the sheet in the second conveying direction is abutted against the abutting portion, and the first shift portion is driven by the first driving portion to drive the first shifting portion. moves in the shift direction the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit by and moved in the shift direction by the first shift unit without performing the binding process by the processing unit. The sheet processing apparatus according to configuration 1, capable of executing switchback shift ejection processing for ejecting the sheet to the stacking portion by the ejection portion.
(Composition 3)
The discharge unit is a pair of discharge rotators at least one of which rotates while sandwiching the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit,
At least one of the pair of discharge rotating bodies rotates from a nipping position where the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit is held between the pair of discharging rotators and the pair of discharging rotators. further comprising a discharge rotating body moving member for moving the bodies to a separated position where the bodies are separated from each other;
In the switchbackless shift discharge process and the switchback shift discharge process, the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit is in a state between the pair of discharge rotators, and the discharge The sheet processing apparatus according to configuration 2, wherein the sheet is moved in the shift direction by the first shifter while the pair of discharge rotators are moved to the separated position by the rotator moving member.
(Composition 4)
The discharge unit is a pair of discharge rotators at least one of which rotates while sandwiching the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit,
Switching between a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure weaker than the first nip pressure a nip pressure for nipping the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying section between the pair of discharge rotary bodies. Further equipped with a rotating body nip pressure switching mechanism,
In the switchbackless shift discharge process and the switchback shift discharge process, the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit is in a state between the pair of discharge rotators, and the discharge The sheet processing according to configuration 2, wherein the sheet is moved in the shift direction by the first shift portion while the nip pressure of the pair of discharge rotators is set to the second nip pressure by a rotator nip pressure switching mechanism. Device.
(Composition 5)
The first conveying unit is a pair of conveying rotators, at least one of which rotates while nipping the sheet,
A conveying rotation that moves at least one of the pair of conveying rotators between a nipping position where the pair of conveying rotators pinches a sheet to a separated position where the pair of conveying rotators are separated from each other. further comprising a body movement member,
In the switchbackless shift discharge process, in a state in which the sheet is between the pair of conveying rotators and in a state in which the pair of conveying rotators are moved to a separated position by the conveying rotator moving member, the first 5. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, wherein the shift section moves the sheet in the shift direction.
(Composition 6)
The first conveying unit is a pair of conveying rotators, at least one of which rotates while nipping the sheet,
further comprising a conveying rotor nip pressure switching mechanism for switching a nip pressure for nipping the sheet between the pair of conveying rotors between a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure weaker than the first nip pressure;
In the switchbackless shift discharge process, the nip pressure of the pair of conveying rotors is changed to the second nip pressure by the conveying rotor nip pressure switching mechanism while the sheet is between the pair of conveying rotors. 5. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, wherein the sheet is moved in the shift direction by the first shift unit in the state of
(Composition 7)
When the sheets conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit are shifted in the shift direction without being subjected to the binding process and discharged, the length in the first conveying direction is the first For the first sheet having a length of 1, the switchbackless shift discharge process is executed, and the length in the first conveying direction is a second length longer than the first length. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of configurations 2 to 4, wherein the switchback shift discharge process is executed for two sheets.
(Composition 8)
The sheet processing apparatus according to configuration 3 or 4, wherein the first shift section extends from the upstream side to the downstream side in the first conveying direction with respect to the pair of discharge rotating bodies.
(Composition 9)
The first shift section is provided downstream in the first conveying direction from a nip position where the sheet is nipped by the pair of discharge rotating bodies, and vertically above the nip position. The sheet processing apparatus according to Configuration 8, further comprising a curling presser that presses the leading edge of the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit.
(Configuration 10)
The first shift section is provided downstream in the first conveying direction from a nip position where the sheet is sandwiched between the pair of discharge rotating bodies and vertically below the nip position. 10. The sheet processing apparatus according to Configuration 8 or 9, further comprising a supporting portion that supports from below the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by.
(Composition 11)
a second shift section capable of moving in the shift direction while being in contact with the other edge along the first conveyance direction of the sheet conveyed in the first conveyance direction by the first conveyance section;
a second drive unit that drives the second shift unit to move the second shift unit in the shift direction;
In the switchbackless shift discharge process, the first shift section and the second shift section sandwich the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying section from both sides in the shift direction. 11. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 10 that moves in a shift direction.

200, 200A Sheet processing apparatus 210, 210A Conveyance path 211, 211A, 212A Pre-processing roller 212 Conveyor belt 220 Processing tray 230 Discharge roller 230A Upper discharge roller 230B Lower discharge roller 240 Scraping portion 240a Scraping belt 240A Scraping paddles 250, 250A Rear end dropping member 260 Discharge belt 270, 270A Alignment portion 271, 271A Alignment plate 280 Returning member 290 Rear end regulating member 300 Stacking tray 310 Standing surface 320 Sheet pressing belt 400 Stapling unit 600 Driving structure 2703 Curl pressing unit 2704 Supporting unit MT3 Lifting motor MT16 F-side alignment plate moving motor MT17 R-side alignment plate moving motor

Claims (11)

a first conveying unit that conveys the sheet in a first conveying direction;
a placing unit that temporarily places the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit;
a second conveying unit that conveys the sheet on the stacking unit conveyed by the first conveying unit in a second conveying direction opposite to the first conveying direction;
an abutting portion against which a downstream edge in the second conveying direction of the sheet conveyed in the second conveying direction by the second conveying portion abuts;
By moving in a shift direction intersecting the first conveying direction while in contact with one edge along the first conveying direction of the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit, a first shift unit that moves in the shift direction the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit;
a first drive section for driving the first shift section to move the first shift section in the shift direction;
The sheet is conveyed in the second conveying direction by the second conveying section, the downstream edge in the second conveying direction is abutted against the abutment section, and the sheet is moved in the shift direction by the first shift section to a binding position. a processing unit that performs binding processing on the positioned plurality of sheets;
a stacking unit arranged downstream of the stacking unit in the first conveying direction and stacking the sheets conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit;
a discharge unit that discharges the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit to the stacking unit;
with
After the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit, the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit is conveyed on the placing unit by the second conveying unit in the second conveying direction. The sheet is conveyed in the conveying direction, the downstream edge of the sheet in the second conveying direction is abutted against the abutment portion, and the first shift portion is driven by the first drive portion to drive the first shift portion. By repeatedly moving the sheets abutted against the abutting portion in the shift direction and positioning them at the binding position, the binding processing is performed by the processing portion on the plurality of sheets positioned at the binding position. and a binding discharge process for discharging the plurality of bound sheets to the stacking section by the discharge section;
After the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying section, the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying section is conveyed in the second conveying direction by the second conveying section. without moving the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit by the first shift unit by driving the first shift unit by the first driving unit, and moving the sheet in the shift direction. and a switchbackless shift discharge process for discharging the sheet moved in the shift direction by the first shift section to the stacking section by the discharge section. Further, after the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit, the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit is conveyed on the stacking unit by the second conveying unit. The sheet is conveyed in the second conveying direction, the downstream edge of the sheet in the second conveying direction is abutted against the abutting portion, and the first shift portion is driven by the first driving portion to drive the first shifting portion. moves in the shift direction the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit by and moved in the shift direction by the first shift unit without performing the binding process by the processing unit. 2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a switchback shift discharge process for discharging a sheet to said stacking section by said discharge section can be executed. The discharge unit is a pair of discharge rotators at least one of which rotates while sandwiching the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit,
At least one of the pair of discharge rotating bodies rotates from a nipping position where the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit is held between the pair of discharging rotators and the pair of discharging rotators. further comprising a discharge rotating body moving member for moving the bodies to a separated position where the bodies are separated from each other;
In the switchbackless shift discharge process and the switchback shift discharge process, the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit is in a state between the pair of discharge rotators, and the discharge 3. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sheet is moved in the shift direction by the first shift portion while the pair of discharge rotators are moved to the separated position by the rotator moving member. The discharge unit is a pair of discharge rotators at least one of which rotates while sandwiching the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit,
Switching between a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure weaker than the first nip pressure a nip pressure for nipping the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying section between the pair of discharge rotary bodies. Further equipped with a rotating body nip pressure switching mechanism,
In the switchbackless shift discharge process and the switchback shift discharge process, the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit is in a state between the pair of discharge rotators, and the discharge 3. The seat according to claim 2, wherein the first shift portion moves the seat in the shift direction while the nip pressure of the pair of discharge rotators is set to the second nip pressure by a rotator nip pressure switching mechanism. processing equipment. The first conveying unit is a pair of conveying rotators, at least one of which rotates while nipping the sheet,
A conveying rotation that moves at least one of the pair of conveying rotators between a nipping position where the pair of conveying rotators pinches a sheet to a separated position where the pair of conveying rotators are separated from each other. further comprising a body movement member,
In the switchbackless shift discharge process, in a state in which the sheet is between the pair of conveying rotators and in a state in which the pair of conveying rotators are moved to a separated position by the conveying rotator moving member, the first 2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a shift section moves the sheet in the shift direction. The first conveying unit is a pair of conveying rotators, at least one of which rotates while nipping the sheet,
further comprising a conveying rotor nip pressure switching mechanism for switching a nip pressure for nipping the sheet between the pair of conveying rotors between a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure weaker than the first nip pressure;
In the switchbackless shift discharge process, the nip pressure of the pair of conveying rotors is changed to the second nip pressure by the conveying rotor nip pressure switching mechanism while the sheet is between the pair of conveying rotors. 2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is moved in the shift direction by the first shift unit in the state of being. When the sheets conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying unit are shifted in the shift direction without being subjected to the binding process and discharged, the length in the first conveying direction is the first For the first sheet having a length of 1, the switchbackless shift discharge process is executed, and the length in the first conveying direction is a second length longer than the first length. 3. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the switchback shift discharge process is executed for two sheets. 5. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first shift section extends from the upstream side to the downstream side in the first conveying direction with respect to the pair of discharge rotary bodies. The first shift section is provided downstream in the first conveying direction from a nip position where the sheet is nipped by the pair of discharge rotating bodies, and vertically above the nip position. 9. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a curl holding portion for holding the leading edge of the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying portion. The first shift section is provided downstream in the first conveying direction from a nip position where the sheet is sandwiched between the pair of discharge rotating bodies and vertically below the nip position. 9. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a supporting portion that supports from below the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the support. a second shift section capable of moving in the shift direction while being in contact with the other edge along the first conveyance direction of the sheet conveyed in the first conveyance direction by the first conveyance section;
a second drive unit that drives the second shift unit to move the second shift unit in the shift direction;
In the switchbackless shift discharge process, the first shift section and the second shift section sandwich the sheet conveyed in the first conveying direction by the first conveying section from both sides in the shift direction. 3. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet processing apparatus moves in the shift direction.

Images