JP2023174594A - Medium processing device and image formation system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a medium processing device for imparting a liquid to media and then crimp binding the media which levels a liquid imparting amount in a binding region.SOLUTION: A medium processing device includes liquid imparting means for bringing a liquid imparting member containing a liquid into contact with a liquid imparting region of media, and imparting the liquid thereto, and crimping means for pressurizing and deforming a binding region to which the liquid is imparted by the liquid imparting means and that overlaps the liquid imparting regions of the plurality of media, and crimping the crimping region, wherein when the liquid imparting means separates the liquid imparting member from the media, time during which the liquid imparting member is brought into contact with a non-binding region that does not overlap the binding region is longer than time during which the liquid imparting member is brought into contact with the binding region in the liquid imparting region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

The present invention relates to a media processing device and an image forming system.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, media processing apparatuses have been known that perform a process of binding sheet-like media on which images have been formed by an image forming apparatus into bundles. Note that since paper is widely known as an example of a sheet-like medium, in this specification, a "sheet bundle" in which a plurality of papers are stacked will be used as an example of a bundle of sheet-like media. In addition, from the perspective of saving resources and reducing environmental impact, the media processing device uses so-called "crimping" technology, which clamps and pressurizes a bundle of sheets with uneven binding teeth instead of using metal staples. Some are equipped with a crimping processing section that allows for "binding".

For example, there is a sheet binding device that includes a pair of pressure teeth that compress and bind sheets, a water adding member that adds water to the binding position where the sheets are bound by the pressure teeth, and a pressure tooth support portion that supports the pressure teeth. In the sheet binding device having the above configuration, in order to reduce the deterioration of the quality of the sheets when crimping the sheets, the pressure tooth support section crimps the sheets together with the pressure teeth, and the area where the pressure teeth contact the sheets is There is also a technique for crimping a wider area than the range to which water is applied by the water application member (see Patent Document 1).

When the water application member is separated from the sheet, a liquid pool is generated in a part of the sheet due to surface tension. However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, since the binding area by the pressure teeth is wider than the water application area by the water application member, there is a problem that the amount of water applied is uneven due to liquid pooling within the binding area.

The present invention has been made in order to solve such problems, and provides a technique for leveling the amount of liquid applied in the binding area in a media processing device that applies liquid to the medium and then performs pressure binding. With the goal.

In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention includes a liquid applying means that applies a liquid by bringing a liquid applying member containing liquid into contact with a liquid applying area of a medium, and a liquid applying means that applies a liquid by the liquid applying means. The liquid applying member is further provided with a pressure bonding unit that pressurizes and deforms a binding area that overlaps with the liquid applying area of the plurality of media for binding, and when the liquid applying unit separates the liquid applying member from the medium, the liquid applying member The time during which the liquid application member is in contact with a non-binding area that does not overlap with the binding area is longer than the time during which the liquid application member is in contact with the binding area of the liquid application area.

According to the present invention, in a medium processing device that applies liquid to a medium and then performs compression binding, it is possible to equalize the amount of liquid applied within the binding area.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an image forming system. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the post-processing device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the edge stitching processing section viewed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the edge stitching processing section viewed from the liquid applying means side in the main scanning direction. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a crimping means of an edge binding processing section. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the staple binding processing section viewed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a control block that controls the post-processing device according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of a liquid application means. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the state of the pressing portion of the liquid applying member during the process of contacting and separating from the paper. 5 is a flowchart of binding processing performed by an end binding processing unit. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the positions of a liquid applying means and a pressure bonding means during the binding process by the edge binding processing section. The figure which shows the variation of the shape of the press part of the liquid application member based on a modification. Examples of various setting screens displayed on the operation panel. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a post-processing device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram of the internal tray according to the second embodiment as viewed from the paper thickness direction. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a crimping means according to a second embodiment viewed from the downstream side in the conveyance direction. FIG. 7 is a view of a liquid applying means according to a second embodiment as viewed from the thickness direction of the paper. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXV-XXV in FIG. 17. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along XXVI-XXVI in FIG. 17; FIG. 7 is a hardware configuration diagram of a control block of a post-processing device according to a second embodiment. A post-processing flowchart of the post-processing device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a modification of the image forming system.

The image forming system 1 according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an image forming system 1. As shown in FIG. The image forming system 1 has a function of forming an image on paper P (sheet-like medium) and performing post-processing on the paper P on which the image has been formed. As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming system 1 includes an image forming apparatus 2 and a post-processing apparatus 3 (media processing apparatus).

The image forming device 2 forms an image on a sheet of paper P, and discharges the sheet P on which the image is formed to the post-processing device 3. The image forming apparatus 2 mainly includes a tray containing paper P, a transport section that transports the paper P stored in the tray, and an image forming section that forms an image on the paper P transported by the transport section. . The image forming section may be of an inkjet type that forms an image using ink, or of an electrophotographic type that forms an image using toner. Since the configuration of the image forming apparatus 2 is already well known, detailed explanation will be omitted.

[First embodiment of post-processing device 3]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the post-processing device 3. As shown in FIG. The post-processing device 3 performs post-processing on the paper P on which the image has been formed by the image forming device 2 . One of the post-processing according to the first embodiment is a binding process as a "press binding process" in which a bundle of sheets P (sheet bundle) on which images are formed is bound without using staples. Another post-processing process according to the first embodiment is a binding process called "needle binding process" in which a bundle of sheets P (sheet bundle) on which images are formed is bound using staples. It is. Hereinafter, a bundle of a plurality of sheets P (medium bundle) will be referred to as a "paper bundle Pb".

In addition, the "pressure binding processing" according to the first embodiment is, more specifically, applying pressure to a binding position corresponding to a part of the paper bundle Pb to deform the binding position (pressure deformation). This is a process called "press binding". Note that the binding process that can be executed in the post-processing device 3 includes an edge stitching process for binding the ends of the paper bundle Pb, and a saddle stitching process for binding the center part of the paper bundle Pb.

The post-processing device 3 includes transport roller pairs 10 to 19 (transport section) and a switching claw 20. The transport roller pairs 10 to 19 transport the paper P supplied from the image forming apparatus 2 inside the post-processing apparatus 3. More specifically, the transport roller pairs 10 to 13 transport the paper P along the first transport path Ph1. Furthermore, the transport roller pairs 14 to 15 transport the paper P along the second transport path Ph2. Furthermore, the transport roller pairs 16 to 19 transport the paper P along the third transport path Ph3.

The first transport path Ph1 is a path from the supply port of the paper P from the image forming apparatus 2 to the first discharge tray 21. The second conveyance path Ph2 is a path that branches from the first conveyance path Ph1 between the pair of conveyance rollers 11 and 14 in the conveyance direction, and reaches the second discharge tray 26 via the internal tray 22. The third conveyance path Ph3 is a path that branches from the first conveyance path Ph1 between the pair of conveyance rollers 11 and 14 in the conveyance direction and reaches the third discharge tray 30.

The switching claw 20 is arranged at a branch position of the first conveyance path Ph1 and the second conveyance path Ph2. The switching claw 20 has a first position where the paper P is discharged to the first discharge tray 21 through the first transport path Ph1, and a second position where the paper P transported through the first transport path Ph1 is guided to the second transport path Ph2. It is configured so that it can be switched to. Furthermore, at the timing when the rear end of the paper P that has entered the second transport path Ph2 passes the transport roller pair 11, the transport roller pair 14 is reversely rotated, thereby guiding the paper P to the third transport path Ph3. Further, the post-processing device 3 includes a plurality of sensors that detect the position of the paper P on each of the transport paths Ph1, Ph2, and Ph3. Note that the sensor that detects the position of the paper P during transportation is indicated by a black triangle (▲) in FIG.

The post-processing device 3 includes a first discharge tray 21 . The paper P discharged through the first conveyance path Ph1 is placed on the first discharge tray 21. Of the sheets P supplied from the image forming apparatus 2 , sheets P that are not subjected to the binding process are discharged to the first discharge tray 21 .

Further, the post-processing device 3 includes an internal tray 22 as a loading tray, an end fence 23, side fences 24L and 24R, an edge stitching section 25, a staple stitching section 155, and a second discharge tray 26. Equipped with. The internal tray 22, the end fence 23, the side fences 24L and 24R, the edge stitching processing unit 25, and the staple stitching processing unit 155 are configured to attach the paper bundle Pb composed of a plurality of sheets P conveyed through the second conveyance path Ph2. Perform binding processing. Out of the sheets P supplied from the image forming apparatus 2 , a bundle of sheets Pb that has been subjected to the edge-stitching process is discharged to the second discharge tray 26 .

"Edge binding processing" here refers to "parallel binding processing" in which binding is performed along one side of the paper bundle Pb parallel to the main scanning direction, and "diagonal binding processing" in which binding is performed at the corner of the paper bundle Pb. ”, and “vertical binding processing” in which binding processing is performed along one side of the paper bundle Pb parallel to the conveyance direction.

Hereinafter, the direction from the transport roller pair 15 toward the end fence 23 will be defined as the "transport direction" of the paper P. That is, the "conveyance direction" in this specification refers to the paper P discharged from the image forming apparatus 2 being moved in the direction of the second discharge tray 26 by the conveyance roller pair 10 and the like, and then moved to the end by the conveyance roller pair 15. This corresponds to the direction toward the fence 23. Further, the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction and the conveyance direction of the paper P is defined as the "main scanning direction (width direction of the paper P)".

The plurality of sheets P that are sequentially transported via the second transport path Ph2 are temporarily placed on the internal tray 22 as a loading tray. The end fence 23 aligns the sheets P or the sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22 in the transport direction. The side fences 24L and 24R align the positions of the sheets P or the bundle of sheets Pb placed on the internal tray 22 in the main scanning direction. The edge stitching processing section 25 and the staple stitching processing section 155 execute edge stitching processing on the edges of the sheet bundle Pb aligned by the end fence 23 and the side fences 24L and 24R. Then, the conveyance roller pair 15 discharges the edge-stitched paper bundle Pb to the second discharge tray 26.

Further, the post-processing device 3 further includes an end fence 27, a binding processing section 28, a paper folding blade 29, and a third discharge tray 30. The end fence 27, the binding processing unit 28, and the sheet folding blade 29 perform saddle stitching on the sheet bundle Pb made up of a plurality of sheets P conveyed through the third conveyance path Ph3. Of the sheets P supplied from the image forming apparatus 2 , a bundle of sheets Pb that has been subjected to saddle stitching processing is discharged to the third discharge tray 30 .

The end fence 27 aligns the positions of the plurality of sheets P sequentially transported through the third transport path Ph3 in the transport direction. Furthermore, the end fence 27 is configured to be movable between a binding position where the center of the sheet stack faces the binding processing unit 28 and a folding position where the center faces the paper folding blade 29. The saddle stitching processing unit 28 stitches the center of the sheet bundle Pb aligned by the end fence 27 at the stitching position. The paper folding blade 29 folds the paper bundle Pb placed on the end fence 27 at the folding position in half, and causes the transport roller pair 18 to sandwich the folded paper bundle Pb. The pair of transport rollers 18 and 19 discharge the sheet bundle Pb, which has been subjected to the saddle stitching process, to the third discharge tray 30.

[Detailed explanation of edge stitching processing unit 25]
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the edge binding processing section 25 that performs liquid application and pressure binding processing, viewed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the edge stitching processing section 25 viewed from the liquid applying means 31 side in the main scanning direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the edge binding processing section 25 includes a liquid application means 31 that performs a processing operation related to liquid application, and a pressure bonding means 32 that is an example of a post-processing means and performs pressure binding processing. The liquid application means 31 and the pressure bonding means 32 are arranged adjacent to each other in the main scanning direction on the downstream side of the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the post-processing device 3 includes a first liquid storage tank 43 (first liquid storage section) and a first liquid supply section 45 (part of the liquid applying means) in the end stitching processing section 25. Equipped with. Note that the first liquid storage tank 43 and the first liquid supply section 45 are not shown in FIG. 2. The post-processing device 3 includes a second liquid supply section 54 (part of the liquid supply means) and a liquid supply pump 55 (liquid supply means) as a configuration for replenishing the first liquid storage tank 43 with liquid. ), a second liquid storage tank 53 (part of the second liquid storage part), and a second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 (part of the second liquid storage part). The liquid stored in the second liquid storage tank 53 is supplied to the first liquid storage tank 43 via the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52, the liquid supply pump 55, and the second liquid supply part 54. Further, the amount of liquid stored in the second liquid storage tank fixing portion 52 is detected by a second liquid amount detection sensor 52a (second liquid detection means).

The liquid applying means 31 applies the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 to the paper P or the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. Hereinafter, applying liquid to the paper P or the paper bundle Pb will be referred to as "liquid application", and the process for applying liquid will be referred to as "liquid application processing".

More specifically, the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 for "liquid application" is a liquid whose main component is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen expressed by the chemical formula "H2O". It is something. As long as it is in a liquid state, its temperature state does not matter, and it may be so-called hot water or hot water. Further, the water is not limited to pure water, and may contain ionized salts as well as purified water. The metal ion content is also independent of hardness, from so-called soft water to super hard water.

Additionally, additives may be added in addition to the main ingredients. It may contain residual chlorine used as tap water, and it is also desirable that coloring agents, penetrants, pH adjusters, preservatives such as phenoxyethanol, desiccation preventive agents such as glycerin, etc., be added. Furthermore, since the ink used in inkjet printing devices and the ink used in water-based pens also use water as a component, this may be used as "liquid application".

Not limited to those specifically mentioned here, "water" in a broader sense such as hypochlorous acid water or diluted ethanol aqueous solution for disinfection can also function, but it also has the effect of increasing binding strength after binding processing. If the purpose is just for water, tap water can be used because it is easy to obtain and manage. Furthermore, using a liquid mainly composed of water as exemplified above can improve the binding strength of the paper bundle Pb more than using a liquid not mainly composed of water.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the liquid applying means 31 includes a lower pressing plate 33 as a mounting table for the paper P or the bundle of sheets Pb, an upper pressing plate 34, and a liquid applying unit moving mechanism 35. The components of the liquid applying means 31 (lower press plate 33, upper press plate 34, liquid applying section moving motor 37) are held by the liquid applying frame 31a and the base member 48.

The lower pressing plate 33 and the upper pressing plate 34 are arranged on the downstream side of the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction. The paper P or the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22 is also placed on the lower pressing plate 33. The lower pressing plate 33 is provided on the lower pressing plate holder 331. The upper pressing plate 34 is configured to be movable in the thickness direction of the paper P or the paper bundle Pb at a position facing the paper P or the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22 . That is, the lower pressing plate 33 and the upper pressing plate 34 sandwich the paper P or paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22 in the thickness direction (hereinafter simply referred to as "thickness direction") of the paper P or paper bundle Pb. ). Further, the upper pressing plate 34 has a through hole extending in the thickness direction at a position facing the tip of the liquid applying member 44 (a part of the liquid applying means) held via the holding part 46 attached to the base plate 40. A mouth 34a is formed.

The liquid applying unit moving mechanism 35 moves the upper pressing plate 34, the base plate 40, the holding unit 46, the liquid applying member 44, the first liquid supply unit 45, and the first liquid storage tank 43 in the thickness direction of the paper P or the paper bundle Pb. move it. The liquid applying unit moving mechanism 35 according to the first embodiment moves the upper pressing plate 34, the base plate 40, the first liquid storage tank 43, the liquid applying member 44, and the first liquid supply unit by a single liquid applying unit moving motor 37. 45 and the holding portion 46 are moved in conjunction with each other (integrated). The liquid applicator moving mechanism 35 includes, for example, a liquid applicator moving motor 37, a trapezoidal screw 38, a nut 39, a base plate 40, columnar members 41a and 41b, and coil springs 42a and 42b.

The liquid applying unit moving motor 37 generates a driving force to move the upper pressing plate 34 , the base plate 40 , the holding unit 46 , the liquid applying member 44 , the first liquid supply unit 45 , and the first liquid storage tank 43 . The trapezoidal screw 38 extends in the thickness direction of the paper P or the paper bundle Pb, and is supported by the liquid applying frame 31a of the liquid applying means 31 so as to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions. Further, the trapezoidal screw 38 is connected to the output shaft of the liquid applying unit moving motor 37 via a pulley, a belt, or the like. The nut 39 is screwed onto the trapezoidal screw 38. Then, the driving force of the liquid applicator moving motor 37 is transmitted and the trapezoidal screw 38 rotates in forward and reverse directions, so that the nut 39 reciprocates on the trapezoidal screw 38.

Further, the base plate 40 is arranged at a position spaced apart from the upper pressing plate 34. Further, the base plate 40 holds the liquid applying member 44 with the tip of the liquid applying member 44 protruding from the base plate 40 toward the upper pressing plate 34 . Further, the base plate 40 is connected to the trapezoidal screw 38 via a nut 39, and is configured to be able to reciprocate along the trapezoidal screw 38 by rotating the trapezoidal screw 38 in forward and reverse directions. The position of the base plate 40 in the thickness direction of the paper P or the paper bundle Pb is detected by a position detection sensor 40a (see FIG. 7).

The columnar members 41a and 41b protrude from the base plate 40 toward the upper pressing plate 34 around the tip of the liquid applying member 44. Further, the columnar members 41a and 41b are configured to be movable relative to the base plate 40 in the thickness direction. Furthermore, the columnar members 41a and 41b hold the upper pressing plate 34 at their tips on the lower pressing plate 33 side. Further, a stopper is provided at the tip of the columnar members 41a, 41b on the opposite side from the lower pressing plate 33 to prevent the columnar members 41a, 41b from coming off from the base plate 40. The coil springs 42a, 42b are fitted onto the columnar members 41a, 41b between the base plate 40 and the upper pressing plate 34. The coil springs 42a and 42b urge the upper pressing plate 34 and the columnar members 41a and 41b toward the lower pressing plate 33 with respect to the base plate 40.

The liquid application unit 31 applies liquid to the paper P or the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. More specifically, the liquid applying unit 31 applies the liquid to at least one sheet P constituting the sheet bundle Pb by bringing the liquid applying member 44 into contact with the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb.

The liquid application means 31 includes a first liquid amount detection sensor 43a (first liquid detection means), a first liquid storage tank 43, a liquid application member 44, a first liquid supply section 45, and a holding section 46. . The first liquid storage tank 43 stores liquid for applying liquid to the paper P or the paper bundle Pb. The amount of liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 is detected by a first liquid amount detection sensor 43a. The first liquid storage tank 43 is connected to the base plate 40 via a holding part 46.

Both the liquid application member 44 and the first liquid supply section 45 installed in close contact with the liquid application member 44 are held by a holding section 46 . Further, the holding portion 46 is held by the base plate 40. The first liquid supply section 45 has one end connected to the liquid supply member 44 and the other end immersed in the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 . That is, the other end of the first liquid supply section 45 corresponds to a liquid immersion section that sucks up the liquid and supplies it to the liquid application member 44 . The liquid application member 44 and the first liquid supply section 45 are made of a material with high liquid absorption rate (for example, sponge, fiber, porous member, etc.), such as an elastic resin made of open cells. Therefore, when the other end of the first liquid supply section 45 is immersed in the stored liquid, the liquid is sucked up by capillary action, and as a result, to the first liquid supply section 45 and the liquid application member 44, Fill with liquid.

Further, the liquid applying member 44 and the first liquid supply section 45 may be configured as separate bodies. Thereby, the liquid applying member 44 can be configured to be attachable to the first liquid supply section 45. As a result, for example, if the liquid applying member 44 is deformed due to repeated liquid applying operations and becomes unable to apply an appropriate amount of liquid to the paper P or the paper bundle Pb, only the liquid applying member 44 can be replaced. Therefore, it is possible to contribute to reducing running costs for the user.

In the above description, the liquid applying member 44 and the first liquid supply section 45 are configured as separate bodies, but the liquid applying member 44 and the first liquid supply section 45 may be formed integrally. There is no problem even if you have done so. By integrally forming the liquid applying member 44 and the first liquid supply section 45 in this way, manufacturing costs can be reduced, and the liquid in the first liquid storage tank 43 can be transferred to the liquid applying member 44 and the first liquid supplying section 45 by capillary action. One liquid supply section 45 can efficiently fill the liquid.

Further, the liquid applying frame 31a that holds the components of the liquid applying means 31 has a liquid applying means rotation shaft 562 fixed to the bottom surface thereof, which is provided with a drive transmission gear 562a. The liquid applying means rotating shaft 562 and the drive transmission gear 562a are held rotatably in forward and reverse directions by the base member 48 on which the liquid applying frame 31a is provided. Further, the drive transmission gear 562a meshes with an output gear 563a of the liquid application means rotation motor 563. The liquid application means 31 can be mounted on the base member 48 by transmitting the driving force of the liquid application means rotation motor 563 to the liquid application means rotating shaft 562 via the output gear 563a and the drive transmission gear 562a. The liquid applying means is configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions about a rotating shaft 562.

[Configuration of crimping means 32]
The crimping unit 32 (post-processing unit) deforms a portion of the paper bundle Pb by applying pressure with an uneven upper crimping tooth 32a and a lower crimping tooth 32b, and crimps this portion of the sheets P to each other. Bind the bundle Pb. In other words, the pressure bonding means 32 can bind the bundle of sheets Pb without using staples. The components of the crimping means 32 (upper crimping teeth 32a, lower crimping teeth 32b) are provided on a crimping frame 32c. Hereinafter, binding by pressurizing and deforming a predetermined position of the sheet bundle Pb by the pressing means 32 will be simply referred to as "press binding".

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the crimping means 32. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the crimping means 32 includes upper crimping teeth 32a and lower crimping teeth 32b. The upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b are arranged to face each other in the thickness direction of the paper bundle Pb, with the paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22 in between. The mutually opposing surfaces of the upper crimp teeth 32a and the lower crimp teeth 32b are formed into an uneven shape in which concave portions and convex portions are alternately formed. Further, the upper crimp teeth 32a and the lower crimp teeth 32b are formed with their recesses and protrusions shifted so that they mesh with each other. Then, the upper crimp tooth 32a and the lower crimp tooth 32b are brought into contact and separated by the driving force of the contact and separation motor 32d (see FIG. 7).

In the process of supplying the plurality of sheets P constituting the sheet bundle Pb to the internal tray 22, the upper crimp teeth 32a and the lower crimp teeth 32b are spaced apart from each other, as shown in FIG. 5(A). Then, when all the sheets P constituting the sheet bundle Pb are placed on the internal tray 22, as shown in FIG. Pressure deforms from the thickness direction. As a result, the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22 is bound by pressure bonding. Further, the press-stitched paper bundle Pb is discharged to the second discharge tray 26 by the conveyance roller pair 15.

Note that the configuration of the crimping means 32 is not limited to the structure of the operating mechanism as exemplified in the first embodiment, since it is sufficient that the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b that constitute the crimping mechanism are engaged with each other. do not have. For example, a link mechanism-type crimping mechanism that performs crimping and separating operations of the upper crimping tooth 32a and the lower crimping tooth 32b using a drive source that rotates only in the normal direction or a link mechanism that rotates in the forward and reverse directions (for example, a crimping mechanism disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 6057167) Alternatively, the crimping and separating operations of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b may be linearly performed using a screw mechanism that converts the forward and reverse rotational motion of the drive source into linear reciprocating motion. A linear-acting crimping mechanism may also be used.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the edge stitching processing unit 25 includes an edge stitching processing unit moving mechanism 47. The edge-stitching section moving mechanism 47 moves the edge-stitching section 25 (that is, the liquid application means 31 and the pressure bonding means 32) along the downstream end of the sheet P placed on the internal tray 22 in the conveying direction. Move in the main scanning direction. The end-stitching section moving mechanism 47 includes, for example, a base member 48, a guide shaft 49, an end-stitching section moving motor 50, a driving force transmission mechanism 551, and a standby position sensor 51 (see FIG. 7).

The liquid application means 31 and the pressure bonding means 32 are attached to the base member 48 so as to be adjacent to each other in the main scanning direction. The guide shaft 49 extends in the main scanning direction on the downstream side of the internal tray 22 in the transport direction. Further, the guide shaft 49 supports the base member 48 so as to be movable in the main scanning direction. The edge stitching processing unit movement motor 50 generates a driving force for moving the edge stitching processing unit 25. The edge stitching processing unit movement motor 50 generates a driving force for moving the edge stitching processing unit 25. The driving force transmission mechanism 551 transmits the driving force of the end stitching section moving motor 50 to the base member 48 via pulleys 551a, 551b and a timing belt 551c.

As a result, the liquid application means 31 and the pressure bonding means 32, which are integrated by the base member 48, move in the main scanning direction along the guide shaft 49. The positions of the liquid application means 31 and the pressure bonding means 32 can be grasped, for example, by an encoder sensor 541 (see FIG. 7) attached to the output shaft of the end-stitching section movement motor 50. Further, the standby position sensor 51 (see FIG. 7) detects that the edge stitching processing section 25 has reached the standby position HP (see FIG. 11(A)).

Further, the crimp frame 32c that holds the components of the crimp means 32 has a crimp means rotation shaft 561 fixed to its bottom surface, which is provided with a drive transmission gear 561a. The crimp means rotating shaft 561 and the drive transmission gear 561a are rotatably held in the forward and reverse directions by the base member 48 on which the crimp frame 32c is provided. Further, the drive transmission gear 561a meshes with the output gear 56a of the crimping means rotation motor 56. The crimping means 32 rotates on the base member 48 by transmitting the driving force of the crimping means rotation motor 56 to the crimping means rotating shaft 561 via the output gear 56a and the drive transmission gear 561a. It is configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions about a shaft 561.

[Description of staple binding processing unit 155]
Next, details of the staple binding processing section 155 having the function of executing staple binding processing will be described. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the stapling processing section 155 viewed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction. The staple binding processing unit 155 includes a staple binding unit 62 that binds the paper bundle Pb using staples. The staple stapling means 62 is disposed downstream of the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction and is spaced apart from the end stapling processing section 25 in the main scanning direction.

The staple binding unit 62 as a post-processing unit is configured to perform so-called “staple binding processing” in which the sheet bundle Pb is bound using staples. More specifically, the staple binding unit 62 includes a staple binding part drive motor 62d (see FIG. 7) that drives the staple binding part 62a. Then, the staple binding unit 62a binds the paper bundle Pb by passing the binding staple loaded in the staple binding unit 62a through the paper bundle Pb using the driving force of the staple binding unit drive motor 62d. Since the configuration of the staple binding means 62 is already well known, detailed explanation will be omitted.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the staple binding processing section 155 includes a staple binding processing section moving mechanism 77. The stapling processing unit moving mechanism 77 moves the stapling processing unit 155 in the main scanning direction along the downstream end of the paper P or the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22 in the conveying direction. The staple binding processing unit moving mechanism 77 includes, for example, a base member 78, a guide shaft 49, a staple binding processing unit moving motor 80, and a driving force transmission mechanism 81. The driving force transmission mechanism 81 transmits the driving force of the staple binding processing section movement motor 80 to the base member 78 via pulleys 81a, 81b and a timing belt 81c. Further, on the bottom surface of the staple binding frame 62b that holds the components of the staple binding unit 62, a staple binding unit rotating shaft 83 including a drive transmission gear 83a is fixed. The staple binding means rotating shaft 83 and the drive transmission gear 83a are held rotatably in forward and reverse directions by a base member 78 on which the staple binding frame 62b is provided. Further, the drive transmission gear 83a meshes with the output gear 82a of the staple binding means rotation motor 82. Then, the needle binding means 62 is mounted on the base member 78 by transmitting the driving force of the needle binding means rotation motor 82 to the needle binding means rotating shaft 83 via the output gear 82a and the drive transmission gear 83a. The needle binding means is configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions about a rotating shaft 83.

Note that the edge stitching processing section 25 and the staple stitching processing section 155 are supported by a common guide shaft 49. That is, the edge stitching processing section moving mechanism 47 and the staple stitching processing section moving mechanism 77 move the edge stitching processing section 25 and the needle stitching processing section 155 in the main scanning direction along the common guide shaft 49. Further, the edge stitching processing section moving mechanism 47 and the staple stitching processing section moving mechanism 77 can independently move the edge stitching processing section 25 and the needle stitching processing section 155.

[Control block of post-processing device 3]
FIG. 7 is a hardware configuration diagram of a control block that controls the post-processing device 3. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the post-processing device 3 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 102, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 103, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 104. , and I/F105 It has a configuration in which it is connected via a common bus 109.

The CPU 101 is a calculation means and controls the operation of the post-processing device 3 as a whole. The RAM 102 is a volatile storage medium in which information can be read and written at high speed, and is used as a work area when the CPU 101 processes information. The ROM 103 is a read-only nonvolatile storage medium, and stores programs such as firmware. The HDD 104 is a nonvolatile storage medium that allows information to be read and written and has a large storage capacity, and stores an OS (Operating System), various control programs, application programs, and the like.

The post-processing device 3 processes a control program stored in the ROM 103, an information processing program (application program) loaded into the RAM 102 from a storage medium such as the HDD 104, and the like using an arithmetic function included in the CPU 101. Through this processing, a software control unit including various functional modules of the post-processing device 3 is configured. The combination of the software control unit configured in this way and the hardware resources installed in the post-processing device 3 constitutes a functional block that realizes the functions of the post-processing device 3. That is, the CPU 101, RAM 102, ROM 103, and HDD 104 constitute a controller 100 that controls the operation of the post-processing device 3.

The I/F 105 includes conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, 15, switching claws 20, side fences 24L, 24R, approach/separation motor 32d, crimping means rotation motor 56, liquid application unit movement motor 37, and liquid application means rotation. Motor 563, rotation motor 451, end stitching processing unit movement motor 50, staple binding unit drive motor 62d, staple binding means rotation motor 82, staple binding processing unit movement motor 80, liquid supply pump 55, position detection sensor 40a, This is an interface that connects the first liquid amount detection sensor 43a, the second liquid amount detection sensor 52a, the standby position sensor 51, the encoder sensor 541, and the operation panel 110 to the common bus 109. The controller 100 controls, through the I/F 105, the transport roller pairs 10, 11, 14, 15, the switching claw 20, the side fences 24L, 24R, the approaching/separating motor 32d, the crimping means rotation motor 56, the liquid application part movement motor 37, and the liquid Operation of the applying means rotation motor 563, the rotation motor 451, the edge stitching processing section movement motor 50, the staple stitching section drive motor 62d, the staple stitching means rotation motor 82, the staple stitching section movement motor 80, and the liquid supply pump 55 control. The controller 100 also acquires the detection results of the position detection sensor 40a, the first liquid volume detection sensor 43a, the second liquid volume detection sensor 52a, the standby position sensor 51, and the encoder sensor 541. Although FIG. 7 shows the components related to the edge stitching processing section 25 that executes edge stitching processing and the staple stitching processing section 155, the components related to the saddle stitching processing section 28 that executes saddle stitching processing are also similar. is controlled by the controller 100.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 2 includes an operation panel 110. The operation panel 110 includes an input section that receives input from the user, and a display (notification section) that notifies the user of information. The input unit includes, for example, hard keys, a touch panel superimposed on the display, and the like. The operation panel 110 obtains information from an operator through an input unit, and provides information to the operator through a display. Note that a specific example of the notification section is not limited to a display, but may also be an LED lamp, a speaker, or the like. Further, the post-processing device 3 may be provided with an operation panel 110 similar to the above.

As described above, the post-processing device 3 uses the hardware resources included in the controller 100 to realize the function of controlling operations related to liquid application by the software (control program) executed by the CPU 101.

[Configuration of liquid applying means 31]
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of the liquid applying means 31. As shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the pressing portion 44b (contact portion) of the liquid applying member 44 in the process of moving toward and away from the paper P or the paper bundle Pb. As shown in FIG. 9, on the paper P or paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22, an area to which liquid is applied by the liquid applying means 31 at the processing position B1 (see FIG. 11) is referred to as "liquid application area A1". '', and the area that is pressurized and deformed by the crimping means 32 at the processing position B1 is defined as the ``binding area A2''. In the first embodiment, the liquid application area A1 and the binding area A2 are rectangular (rectangular) areas, but the shapes of the liquid application area A1 and the binding area A2 are not limited to this.

Further, the binding area A2 is an area located inside the liquid application area A1. More specifically, the binding area A2 is a part of the liquid application area A1, and is an area smaller in area than the liquid application area A1. Furthermore, an area outside the binding area A2 in the liquid application area A1 is defined as a "non-binding area A3." That is, the liquid application area A1 is a combined area of the binding area A2 and the non-binding area A3.

The liquid application unit 31 presses the liquid application member 44 containing liquid onto the liquid application area A1 of the paper P placed on the internal tray 22. As a result, the liquid is applied to the liquid application area A1 of the paper P. As shown in FIG. 8, the liquid application means 31 includes a first liquid storage tank 43 (liquid storage section), a liquid application member 44, a support plate 431, a rotation shaft 441, and a rotation motor 451 (FIG. (see). The components (43 to 451) constituting the liquid applying means 31 are unitized and configured to be movable in the main scanning direction along the guide shaft 49 as a unit.

The first liquid storage tank 43 is a tank that stores liquid to be applied to the paper P. The liquid applied to the paper P has already been explained in detail, so the explanation here will be omitted.

The liquid applying member 44 applies the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 to the paper P. The liquid applying member 44 is connected to a first liquid supply section 45 . Further, the liquid applying member 44 includes a pressing portion 44b that approaches and separates from the paper P or the paper bundle Pb. The first liquid supply section 45 is an elongated portion that supplies the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 to the liquid application member 44 . One end of the first liquid supply section 45 is immersed in the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43. A liquid applying member 44 is attached to the other end of the first liquid supply section 45 . The pressing portion 44b is a portion that comes into contact with the paper P or the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. In the first embodiment, the lower surface of the pressing portion 44b (hereinafter referred to as "pressing surface 44c") that faces the paper P or paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22 is a flat surface.

The support plate 431 is a flat member that is perpendicular to the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 . Further, the support plate 431 holds the liquid applying member 44 and the first liquid supply section 45. Further, the support plate 431 includes a rotation shaft 441 rotatably provided on the holding portion 46 . The pressing surface 44c of the pressing portion 44b is located below the support plate 431 (at a position close to the paper P placed on the internal tray 22).

The rotation shaft 441 extends in a direction parallel to the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 with respect to the support plate 431 (in other words, in a direction perpendicular to the support plate 431). Then, the rotation shaft 441 rotates by transmitting the rotational driving force of the rotation motor 451. As a result, the support plate 431 attached to the rotation shaft 441 rotates around the rotation shaft 441 together with the liquid applying member 44 and the first liquid supply section 45 . The rotation motor 451 is an actuator that generates rotational driving force for rotating the rotation shaft 441. The rotation motor 451 is, for example, a stepping motor, a servo motor, or the like.

In the first embodiment, the liquid applying member 44, the center of gravity G of the support plate 431, and the rotation axis 441 are arranged at different positions in the conveyance direction or the main scanning direction. More specifically, the center of gravity G of the support plate 431 is located between the liquid applying member 44 and the rotation shaft 441 in the transport direction or the main scanning direction. In other words, the liquid applying member 44 and the rotation shaft 441 are located on opposite sides of the center of gravity G of the support plate 431 in the transport direction or the main scanning direction.

As shown in FIGS. 8(A) and 9(A), when the liquid applying member 44 is separated from the paper P or the paper bundle Pb, the liquid applying member 44 is moved so that the pressing surface 44c is held horizontally. , attached to the support plate 431. Thereby, the liquid supplied from the first liquid storage tank 43 through the first liquid supply section 45 is uniformly dispersed on the pressing section 44b (pressing surface 44c).

Furthermore, when the rotation motor 451 is rotated in the first direction, as shown in FIG. The pressing portion 44b is rotated so as to be located below the end of the pressing portion 44b. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9(B), the pressing part 44b is first applied to the non-binding area A3 (that is, the diagonally hatched area in FIG. 9(B)) which is farther from the rotation axis 441 than the binding area A2. come into contact with. Further, the portion of the pressing portion 44b that is pressed by the paper P or the paper bundle Pb is elastically deformed and comes into close contact with the paper P or the paper bundle Pb. As a result, the liquid is applied to the portion of the paper P or the paper bundle Pb that is in contact with the pressing portion 44b.

Further, when the rotation motor 451 is further rotated in the first direction, the entire pressing part 44b is elastically deformed and pressed against the paper P or the paper bundle Pb, so that the liquid application area is Liquid is applied to the entire area of A1. On the other hand, when the rotation motor 451 is rotated in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the pressing portion 44b in FIG. 9(C) returns to the state in FIG. 9(A) via the state in FIG. 9(B). . That is, the portion of the pressing portion 44b that faces the non-stitching region A3 on the side farther from the rotation shaft 441 than the binding region A2 of the pressing portion 44b is the last to separate from the paper P or the paper bundle Pb. In other words, in the process of separating from the sheet P or the sheet bundle Pb, the pressing portion 44b comes into contact with the non-binding area A3 on the side farther from the rotation shaft 441 than the binding area A2 until the end. Further, the pressing portion 44b separated from the paper P or the paper bundle Pb elastically returns to its original shape. In this way, the portion of the pressing surface 44c of the pressing portion 44b that faces the non-binding area A3 is in contact for a longer period of time than the portion that faces the binding area A2.

A second liquid storage tank fixing section 52 is connected to the liquid applying means 31 through a second liquid supply section 54 . The second liquid storage tank fixing section 52 is fixed to the frame of the post-processing device 3 independently of the end stitching section 25 (liquid applying means 31). Further, a second liquid storage tank 53 (liquid bottle) is detachably attached to the second liquid storage tank fixing portion 52 . The second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 stores the liquid supplied from the second liquid storage tank 53. Furthermore, the liquid stored in the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 is supplied to the first liquid storage tank 43 through the second liquid supply part 54 by the liquid supply pump 55. However, the configuration for supplying liquid to the first liquid storage tank 43 is not limited to the above-mentioned example.

The first liquid storage tank 43 and the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 are provided with a first liquid amount detection sensor 43a and a second liquid amount detection sensor 52a. The first liquid amount detection sensor 43a and the second liquid amount detection sensor 52a detect the amount (remaining amount) of the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 and the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52, and send the detection results. The detection signal shown is output to a controller 100 (see FIG. 7), which will be described later. Then, when the remaining amount detected by the first liquid amount detection sensor 43a becomes less than the first threshold value, the controller 100 drives the liquid supply pump 55 to transfer the liquid from the second storage tank fixing part 52 to the first storage. The liquid is supplied to the liquid tank 43. Further, when the remaining amount detected by the second liquid amount detection sensor 52a becomes less than a second threshold value, the controller 100 causes the second liquid storage tank 53 to be replaced through the operation panel 110 (see FIG. 7), which will be described later. inform.

[Explanation of binding process]
Next, the flow of the binding process executed in the edge binding processing section 25 included in the post-processing device 3 will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the binding process. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the positions of the liquid application means 31 and the pressure bonding means 32 during the binding process. Note that in FIG. 11, illustrations of changes in the postures of the liquid application means 31 and the pressure bonding means 32 are omitted. The controller 100 starts the binding process shown in FIG. 10, for example, at the timing of acquiring a binding process execution instruction (hereinafter referred to as a "binding process instruction") from the image forming apparatus 2.

The binding process instruction includes, for example, the type of paper P (information that affects the spread of liquid, such as material and thickness), the number of papers P that constitute the paper bundle Pb (hereinafter referred to as "predetermined number N"), and the like. , the number of paper bundles Pb to be bound (hereinafter referred to as "required number of copies"), the position in the main scanning direction of the binding position (processing position B1 in FIG. 11) of the paper bundle Pb, and the binding position. This includes the number, the binding posture of the edge binding processing section 25, and the like. Further, it is assumed that the liquid application means 31 and the pressure bonding means 32 are in the parallel binding posture and are located at the standby position HP (FIG. 11(A)) at the start of the binding process. As shown in FIG. 11A, the standby position HP is a position offset from the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 in the width direction.

First, when the orientation specified in the binding processing instruction is the "diagonal binding orientation", the controller 100 drives the crimping means rotation motor 56 to control the liquid application means 31 and the crimping The means 32 is rotated to an oblique binding position. In addition, in the case of the "diagonal binding position", only the pressure bonding means 32 may be rotated to the diagonal binding position, and the liquid application means 31 may not be rotated. As a result, the driving mechanism can be simplified compared to the case where the liquid application means 31 and the pressure bonding means 32 are rotated together, so that the effects of cost reduction, miniaturization of the device, and reduction in equipment failure can be achieved.

On the other hand, if the orientation specified by the binding processing instruction is the "parallel binding orientation", the operation of rotating the liquid applying means 31 and the pressure bonding means 32 that constitute the edge binding processing section 25 to the diagonal binding orientation is omitted. Ru. The controller 100 also drives the edge stitching processing section movement motor 50 to move the edge stitching section 25 in the main scanning direction so that the liquid applying means 31 faces the processing position B1 specified by the stitching processing instruction. (S1001). Note that the controller 100 executes the process of step S1001 before the first sheet P is transported to the internal tray 22 by the transport roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15.

Next, the controller 100 rotates the transport roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15 to accommodate the paper P on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 2 in the internal tray 22 (S1002). Further, the controller 100 aligns the positions of the sheets P or the bundle of sheets Pb placed on the internal tray 22 in the main scanning direction by moving the side fences 24L and 24R (so-called jogging) (S1002).

Next, the controller 100 causes the liquid applying unit 31 located at the processing position B1 to perform liquid applying processing on the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 in the previous step S1002 (S1003). That is, the controller 100 drives the liquid applying unit moving motor 37 to move the liquid applying member 44 to the sheet P at a position facing the processing position B1 (liquid applying area A1) of the sheet P placed on the internal tray 22. (state in FIG. 9(A)). Then, the controller 100 causes the pressing portion 44b of the liquid applying member 44 to come into contact with the liquid applying area A1 of the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 by rotating the rotation motor 451 in the first direction (see FIG. 9(B) to contact operation in FIG. 9(C)). Thereafter, the controller 100 separates the pressing part 44b of the liquid applying member 44 from the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 by rotating the rotation motor 451 in the second direction (FIGS. 9C to 9C). 9(A) separation operation).

As a result, liquid is applied to the entire binding area A2. In step S1003, the pressing part 44b first contacts the non-binding area A3 (the diagonally hatched area in FIG. 9(B)) which is farther from the rotation axis 441 than the binding area A2, and finally the pressing part 44b Separate. As a result, a liquid pool is generated due to surface tension in the non-stitching area A3 which is located outside the binding area A2. Thereby, the amount of liquid applied within the binding area A2 can be leveled, and the binding strength of the paper bundle Pb can be leveled.

Next, the controller 100 determines whether the number of sheets P accommodated in the internal tray 22 has reached a predetermined number N instructed by the binding processing instruction (S1004). Then, when the controller 100 determines that the number of sheets P accommodated in the internal tray 22 has not reached the predetermined number N (S1004: No), the controller 100 executes the processing of steps S1002 to S1003 again. That is, the controller 100 executes the processes of steps S1002 to S1003 every time the paper P is transported to the internal tray 22 by the transport roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15.

However, the controller 100 does not need to apply liquid to all the sheets P that make up the sheet bundle Pb. That is, the controller 100 only has to cause the liquid applying unit 31 to apply liquid to at least one sheet of the N sheets P to be pressure bound. The controller 100 may cause the liquid applying unit 31 to apply liquid to the paper P at intervals of, for example, every n sheets (n<N).

Then, when the controller 100 determines that the number of sheets P accommodated in the internal tray 22 has reached the predetermined number N (S1004: Yes), as shown in FIG. The motor 50 is driven to move the edge binding processing section 25 in the main scanning direction so that the crimping means 32 faces the processing position B1 (S1005).

Next, the controller 100 performs a pressure binding process using the pressure bonding unit 32 on the sheet bundle Pb accommodated in the internal tray 22 (S1006). Then, the controller 100 uses the transport roller pair 15 to eject the sheet bundle Pb that has been pressure bound by the pressure bonding means 32 onto the second discharge tray 26 (S1007). That is, the controller 100 drives the approaching/separating motor 32d to sandwich the binding area A2 of the paper bundle Pb stored in the internal tray 22 between the upper crimp teeth 32a and the lower crimp teeth 32b. As a result, the paper bundle Pb is deformed under pressure between the upper crimp tooth 32a and the lower crimp tooth 32b, and the crimp binding process is performed. Thereafter, the controller 100 rotates the pair of conveyance rollers 15 to discharge the press-stitched paper bundle Pb to the second discharge tray 26 .

Note that on the sheet bundle Pb stored in the internal tray 22, the crimping area (binding area A2) held between the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b in step S1006 is contacted by the tip of the liquid applying member 44 in step S1003. It overlaps with the liquid application area (liquid application area A1). In other words, the pressure bonding means 32 pressure-binds the area of the paper bundle Pb supported by the internal tray 22 to which the liquid has been applied by the liquid application means 31. Note that the crimping area held between the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b does not need to completely overlap the liquid applying area that the tip of the liquid applying member 44 has contacted, and even if it partially overlaps, there is no need to completely overlap the liquid applying area. Binding strength can be obtained.

Next, the controller 100 determines whether the number of ejected paper bundles Pb has reached the required number of copies indicated in the binding processing instruction (S1008). When the controller 100 determines that the required number of copies has not been reached (S1008: No), the controller 100 executes the processing from step S1002 onwards again. That is, the controller 100 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S1002 to S1007 until the number of paper bundles Pb ejected to the second ejection tray 26 reaches the required number of copies (S1008: No).

Then, when the controller 100 determines that the number of paper bundles Pb discharged to the second discharge tray 26 has reached the required number of copies (S1008: Yes), the controller 100 drives the edge stitching processing unit movement motor 50. As shown in FIG. 11(A), the edge stitching processing unit 25 is moved to the standby position HP (S1009). Further, when the orientation specified in the binding process instruction is the "diagonal binding orientation", the controller 100 drives the crimping means rotation motor 56 to rotate the liquid application means 31 and the crimping means 32 to the parallel binding orientation. (S1009). On the other hand, when the orientation instructed by the binding processing instruction is the "parallel binding orientation", the rotation operation of the liquid applying means 31 and the pressure bonding means 32 to the parallel binding orientation is omitted. As a result, the liquid application means 31 and the pressure bonding means 32 return to the standby position HP shown in FIG. 11(A). Note that in steps S1001 and S1009, the order in which the liquid application means 31 and the pressure bonding means 32 are moved in the main scanning direction and rotated in the forward and reverse directions is not limited to the above-mentioned order, and may be in the reverse order.

According to the first embodiment, for example, the following effects are achieved.

According to the first embodiment, in step S1003 of FIG. 10, as shown in FIG. spaced apart. Thereby, a liquid pool due to surface tension is formed in the non-binding area A3 outside the binding area A2, so that the amount of liquid applied within the binding area A2 can be leveled. As a result, the strength of the compression binding of the paper bundle Pb by the compression bonding means 32 is leveled.

According to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, by rotating the pressing part 44b of the liquid applying member 44 around the rotation axis 441, an area different from the binding area A2 (see FIG. 9(B) It is possible to simply realize a configuration in which the pressing portion 44b is in contact with the diagonally hatched portion for the longest time.

Further, according to the first embodiment, in particular, by forming the first liquid supply section 45 with a porous member, the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 can be transferred to the liquid supplying member without using a pump or the like. 44 can be supplied. This reduces the number of parts, so the cost of the post-processing device 3 is reduced.

Further, according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9A, by holding the pressing surface 44c of the liquid applying member 44 spaced apart from the paper P horizontally, the first The liquid supplied from the liquid storage tank 43 can be uniformly distributed on the pressing surface 44c of the liquid applying member 44. Thereby, the amount of liquid applied to the binding area A2 by the liquid applying member 44 can be further leveled.

Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, by making the liquid applying member 44 removable from the first liquid supply section 45, only the liquid applying member 44 is replaced, compared to the case where the entire liquid applying member 44 is replaced. can be easily replaced. As a result, by changing the liquid applying member 44 to a different material (a material with a different liquid holding amount), it is possible to change the amount of liquid applied depending on the type of paper P, etc. When the pressing surface 44c of the liquid applying member 44 becomes dirty with ink or toner, the work of replacing the liquid applying member 44 is simplified.

[Modification of liquid applying member 44]
Note that the shape of the pressing portion 44b is not limited to the examples shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing variations in the shape of the pressing portions 71 to 76 of the liquid applying member 44 according to a modification. Note that a detailed explanation of the common points with the first embodiment will be omitted, and the explanation will focus on the differences.

As shown in FIGS. 12(A) to 12(C), the portions of the pressing portions 71 to 73 of the liquid applying member 44 that contact the binding area A2 may be recessed than the portions that contact the non-binding area A3. . More specifically, the cross section perpendicular to the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 may have an arc shape, as in the pressing portion 71 shown in FIG. 12(A). Further, the surface facing the paper P may be conically recessed like the pressing portion 72 shown in FIG. 12(B). Furthermore, like the pressing part 73 shown in FIG. 12(C), the position facing the binding area A3 may be recessed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12(D), the portion of the pressing portion 74 that contacts the non-binding area A3 is made to protrude toward the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 from the portion that contacts the binding area A2. It's okay. More specifically, a protrusion may be provided in the portion of the pressing portion 74 facing the non-binding area A3 that first contacts the paper P and leaves the sheet P last.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 12E, the surface of the pressing part 75 that contacts the paper P is the part that contacts the non-binding area A3 (in other words, the part that first contacts the paper P and leaves the paper P last). ) may be inclined so that it approaches the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 from the part that contacts the binding area A2.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12(F), on the surface of the pressing portion 76 that contacts the paper P, a portion that contacts the non-binding area A3 (in other words, a portion that first contacts the paper P and leaves the paper P last) is added. ) may be provided with a plurality of steps so that the portion that contacts the binding area A2 is closer to the paper P placed on the internal tray 22.

According to the modification shown in FIG. 12, in step S1003 in FIG. 10, the area where the pressing part 44b of the liquid applying member 44 first contacts and lastly separates from the binding area A2 is moved to the non-binding area A3. Therefore, the amount of liquid applied within the binding area A2 can be equalized. Further, according to the modification shown in FIG. 12, the liquid applying member 44 is not limited to rotating as in the first embodiment, but the pressing parts 71 to 76 are moved linearly with respect to the paper P or the paper bundle Pb. By simply moving the liquid pool to the outside of the binding area A2, the position of the liquid pool can be moved to the outside of the binding area A2.

Further, in step S1003 in FIG. 10, the controller 100 changes the speed at which the liquid application member 44 is separated from the paper P or the paper bundle Pb (that is, the rotational speed of the rotary motor 451) according to various conditions. Good too. FIG. 13 is an example of a screen displayed on the operation panel 110.

As an example, the controller 100 causes the operation panel 110 to display a speed setting screen shown in FIG. 13(A). Then, the controller 100 may separate the liquid applying member 44 from the paper P at a speed (for example, low speed, medium speed, or high speed) specified by the user through the operation panel 110.

As another example, the controller 100 causes the operation panel 110 to display a paper type setting screen shown in FIG. 13(B). Then, the controller 100 determines the speed at which the liquid applying member 44 is separated from the paper P or the paper bundle Pb according to the thickness of the paper P (thin paper, plain paper, thick paper) specified by the user through the operation panel 110. good. More specifically, the controller 100 may decrease the rotation speed of the rotary motor 451 as the paper P becomes thicker. As a result, the amount of liquid applied to the paper P by the liquid application member 44 can be increased, and the strength of pressure binding can be obtained in accordance with the thickness of the paper P. Here, since a liquid pool is formed in the non-binding area A3 outside the binding area A2, even if the separation speed of the liquid applying member 44 is slowed, the amount of liquid applied to the binding area A2 is leveled.

[Second embodiment of post-processing device]
Next, a post-processing device 3A according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 22. Note that components common to those in the second embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations may be omitted.

The edge stitching processing unit 251 of the post-processing device 3A according to the second embodiment is different from the edge stitching processing unit 25 of the post-processing device 3 according to the second embodiment in which the liquid applying means 31 and the pressure bonding means 32 are provided together. Only the pressure bonding means 32' is provided, and the liquid applying means 131 is provided on the upstream side of the conveyance path. As a result, a predetermined number of sheets of paper P can be pre-stacked after the liquid application process and transported to the pressure bonding means 32' of the end stapling processing section 251 provided on the downstream side, so that the binding process by the pressure bonding means 32' can be carried out. It becomes possible to improve productivity.

Further, the direction in which the paper P is transported by the transport roller pairs 10, 11, and 14 is defined as a "reverse transport direction" because it is opposite to the "transport direction" defined above. Further, the direction perpendicular to the reverse conveyance direction and the thickness direction of the paper P is defined as the "main scanning direction (width direction of the paper P)". Further, the position where liquid is applied to the paper P or the paper bundle Pb by the liquid application unit 131 (liquid application position) corresponds to the binding position where the pressure bonding unit 32' is scheduled to perform pressure binding on the paper bundle Pb. . Therefore, in the following description, the liquid application position and the binding position are given the same reference numerals.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a post-processing device 3A according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, the edge stitching processing section 251 includes only a pressure bonding means 32'. As shown in FIG. 14, the pressure bonding means 32' and the stapling processing section 156 are arranged on the downstream side of the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction. Further, the pressure bonding means 32' and the staple binding processing section 156 are configured to be movable in the main scanning direction at a position where they can face the downstream end of the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction. ing. Further, the crimping means 32' and the stapling processing section 156 rotate in forward and reverse directions about the crimping means rotation shaft 340 and the stapling means rotation shaft 84, which extend in the thickness direction of the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. configured to be possible. That is, the pressure bonding means 32' and the stapling processing section 156 perform arbitrary binding in the main scanning direction of the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22, such as corner diagonal binding, parallel one-place binding, parallel two-place binding, etc. You can bind at any angle.

Further, the crimping means 32' binds the paper bundle Pb by pressurizing and deforming the paper bundle Pb with the uneven upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b (hereinafter referred to as "press binding"). . On the other hand, the staple binding processing unit 156 can staple the bundle of sheets Pb placed on the internal tray 22 by passing a staple through the binding position of the bundle of sheets Pb.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of the internal tray 22 viewed from the thickness direction of the paper bundle Pb. FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of the crimping means 32' viewed from the downstream side in the conveyance direction. As shown in FIG. 15, the crimping means 32' and the stapling processing section 156 are arranged on the downstream side of the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction. The pressure bonding means 32' is movable in the main scanning direction along the surface of the paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22, and extends in the thickness direction of the paper stack Pb placed on the internal tray 22. It is configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions about a shaft 340. Similarly, the stapling processing section 156 is movable in the main scanning direction of the paper bundle Pb and rotatable in forward and reverse directions about the stapling means rotating shaft 84 extending in the thickness direction of the paper bundle Pb. It is configured. Note that the other configuration of the stapling processing section 156 is the same as that of the stapling processing section 155 (see FIG. 6) of the post-processing device 3 according to the first embodiment, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 16, the pressure bonding means 32' has a guide rail 337 extending in the main scanning direction on the downstream side of the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction. The crimping unit 32' is configured such that the driving force of the crimping unit moving motor 238 is transmitted by a drive transmission mechanism 240 including pulleys 240a, 240b and a timing belt 240c, so that the surface of the sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22 is fixed. (In other words, it moves along the guide rail 337) in the main scanning direction. Further, a crimp frame 32c that holds the components of the crimp means 32' has a crimp means rotating shaft 340 fixed to its bottom surface, which is provided with a drive transmission gear 340a. The crimping means rotating shaft 340 and the drive transmission gear 340a are held rotatably in forward and reverse directions by a base member 48 on which the crimping frame 32c is provided. Further, the drive transmission gear 340a meshes with the output gear 239a of the crimping means rotation motor 239. The crimping means 32' rotates the internal tray 22 on the base member 48 by transmitting the driving force of the crimping means rotation motor 239 to the crimping means rotating shaft 340 via the output gear 239a and the drive transmission gear 340a. The pressure bonding means rotates in forward and reverse directions around a rotating shaft 340 extending in the thickness direction of the sheet P placed on the sheet P. The guide rail 337, the crimping means moving motor 238, the crimping means rotation motor 239, the crimping means rotating shaft 340, and the drive transmission mechanism 240 constitute an example of a drive mechanism for the crimping means 32'.

The crimping means 32' is configured to be movable between a standby position HP shown in FIG. 15(A) and a position facing the binding position B1 shown in FIGS. 15(B) and 15(C). The standby position HP is a position away from the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22 to one side in the main scanning direction. The binding position B1 is a position on the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. However, the specific position of the binding position B1 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 15, and may be any position in the main scanning direction at the downstream end of the sheet P in the conveyance direction, and may be a plurality of positions.

Further, the pressure bonding means 32' changes its posture between the parallel binding posture shown in FIG. 15(B) and the diagonal binding posture shown in FIG. 15(C). That is, the crimping means 32' is configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions about the crimping means rotating shaft 340. Here, the parallel binding posture is a posture of the crimping means 32' in which the longitudinal direction of the upper crimping tooth 32a and the lower crimping tooth 32b (in other words, the rectangular crimping binding mark) faces the main scanning direction. Further, the diagonal binding posture is a posture of the crimping means 32' in which the longitudinal direction of the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b (in other words, the rectangular crimping binding marks) is inclined with respect to the main scanning direction.

Note that the rotation angle in the diagonal binding posture (the angle of the upper crimp tooth 32a and the lower crimp tooth 32b with respect to the main scanning direction) is not limited to the example shown in FIG. Any angle may be used as long as the upper crimp teeth 32a and the lower crimp teeth 32b face each other.

The post-processing device 3A includes a liquid applying means 131 and a punch hole forming means 132 (processing section). The liquid applying means 131 and the punch hole forming means 132 are arranged upstream of the internal tray 22 in the reverse transport direction. Furthermore, the liquid applying means 131 and the punch hole forming means 132 are arranged at positions where they can simultaneously face one sheet of paper P conveyed by the conveyance roller pairs 10 to 19, and are shifted in the opposite conveyance direction. A liquid applying means 131 and a punch hole forming means 132 according to the second embodiment are arranged between the pair of transport rollers 10 and 11. However, the arrangement of the liquid applying means 131 and the punch hole forming means 132 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 14. For example, when the inserter 6 is disposed between the image forming apparatus 2 and the post-processing apparatus 3A as shown in FIG. It can also be provided in The inserter 6 feeds the preprint medium to be transported to the post-processing device 3A together with the paper P transported from the image forming device 2 as a cover sheet, an insert sheet, or a partition sheet without passing through the image forming device 2. An example is a device that can do this.

Further, as shown in FIG. 17(A), the transport roller pair 11 is arranged at a position that does not overlap in the main scanning direction with the liquid application position B1 of the paper P to which the liquid is applied by the liquid application head 146 of the liquid application means 131. has been done. This is to prevent the amount of liquid at the liquid application position B1 from decreasing due to the plurality of roller pairs pressing the liquid application position B1 when the transport roller pair 11 transports the paper P. As a result, when the paper P reaches the pressure bonding means 32' provided on the downstream side of the liquid applying means 131 in the reverse conveyance direction, the amount of liquid at the liquid applying position B1 is determined to be enough to maintain the binding strength. Since a sufficient amount of liquid can be secured, it is possible to prevent the binding strength of the paper bundle Pb from decreasing due to a decrease in the amount of liquid at the liquid application position B1 during the conveyance process.

Furthermore, by arranging the plurality of roller pairs constituting the transport roller pair 11 at positions that do not overlap the liquid application position B1 of the paper P in the main scanning direction, the liquid adheres to the plurality of roller pairs and the paper P is transported. It is possible to prevent conveyance jams caused by deterioration in performance or conveyability.

Although only the transport roller pair 11 has been described above, the plurality of roller pairs constituting the transport roller pairs 14 to 15 should similarly be arranged at positions that do not overlap the liquid application position B1 of the paper P in the main scanning direction. is preferred.

The liquid application unit 131 applies liquid (for example, water) to the paper P conveyed by the pair of conveyance rollers 10 and 11 (hereinafter referred to as "liquid application"). The punch hole punching means 132 punches holes penetrating the paper P conveyed by the pair of conveyance rollers 10 and 11 in the thickness direction. Note that the processing unit provided close to the liquid applying unit 131 is not limited to the punching unit 132, but may also include a skew correction unit that corrects the inclination (skew) of the paper P conveyed by the pair of conveyance rollers 10 and 11. But that's fine.

FIG. 17 is a diagram of the liquid applying means 131 according to the second embodiment viewed from the thickness direction of the paper P. FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along line XXV-XXV in FIG. 17. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along XXVI-XXVI in FIG. 17. As shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, the liquid applying means 131 includes a pair of guide shafts 133a, 133b, a pair of pulleys 134a, 134b, endless annular belts 135, 136, a liquid applying means moving motor 137, and a standby It includes a position sensor 138 (see FIG. 20) and a liquid application unit 140.

The pair of guide shafts 133a and 133b are each extended in the main scanning direction at positions spaced apart in the reverse transport direction. Further, the pair of guide shafts 133a and 133b are supported by the pair of side plates 4a and 4b of the post-processing device 3A. The pair of guide shafts 133a and 133b support the liquid applying unit 140 so as to be movable in the main scanning direction.

The pair of pulleys 134a and 134b are arranged between the pair of guide shafts 133a and 133b in the reverse conveyance direction. Further, the pair of pulleys 134a and 134b are arranged apart from each other in the main scanning direction. Further, the pair of pulleys 134a and 134b are supported by the frame of the post-processing device 3A so as to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions about a rotation axis extending in the thickness direction of the paper P.

The endless annular belt 135 is stretched around a pair of pulleys 134a and 134b. Further, the endless annular belt 135 is connected to a liquid applying unit 140 through a connecting portion 35a. The endless annular belt 136 is stretched around a pulley 134a and a drive pulley 137a fixed to the output shaft of a liquid applying means moving motor 137. The liquid applying means movement motor 137 generates a driving force for moving the liquid applying unit 140 in the main scanning direction.

As the liquid application means moving motor 137 rotates, the endless annular belt 136 rotates between the pulley 134a and the drive pulley 137a, causing the pulley 134a to rotate. Further, as the pulley 134a rotates, the endless annular belt 135 revolves between the pair of pulleys 134a and 134b. Thereby, the liquid applying unit 140 moves in the main scanning direction along the pair of guide shafts 133a and 133b. Further, by switching the rotation direction of the liquid applying means moving motor 137, the liquid applying unit 140 reciprocates in the main scanning direction.

The standby position sensor 138 detects that the liquid application unit 140 has reached the standby position in the main scanning direction, and outputs a standby position signal indicating the detection result to the controller 100 (see FIG. 20) as a control unit, which will be described later. The standby position sensor 138 is, for example, an optical sensor including a light emitting section and a light receiving section. The liquid applying unit 140 at the standby position then blocks the optical path between the light emitting section and the light receiving section. The standby position sensor 138 outputs a standby position signal in response to the fact that the light output from the light emitting section is not received by the light receiving section. However, the specific configuration of the standby position sensor 138 is not limited to the above example.

As shown in FIG. 18, the conveyance path within the post-processing device 3A is defined by an upper guide plate 5a and a lower guide plate 5b that are spaced apart from each other in the thickness direction of the paper P. The liquid application unit 140 is arranged at a position facing the opening provided in the upper guide plate 5a. In other words, the liquid application unit 140 is arranged to face the conveyance path (that is, a position where it can face the paper P) through the opening of the upper guide plate 5a.

As shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, the liquid application unit 140 includes a base member 141, a rotating bracket 142, a liquid storage tank 143, a moving means 144, a holding member 145, a liquid application head 146, and a columnar member. 147a, 147b, a pressing plate 148, coil springs 149a, 149b, an application head rotation motor 150, an application head movement motor 151 (see FIG. 20), and a standby angle sensor 152 (see FIG. 20).

The base member 141 is slidably supported by a pair of guide shafts 133a and 133b in the main scanning direction. Further, the base member 141 is connected to the endless annular belt 135 by a connecting portion 35a. Further, the base member 141 supports the components (142 to 152) of the liquid application unit 140.

The rotation bracket 142 is rotatably supported on the lower surface of the base member 141 around a rotation axis extending in the thickness direction of the paper P. Further, the rotation bracket 142 rotates with respect to the base member 141 by the driving force of the application head rotation motor 150 being transmitted. Further, the rotation bracket 142 supports a liquid storage tank 143, a moving means 144, a holding member 145, a liquid applying head 146, columnar members 147a and 147b, a pressing plate 148, and coil springs 149a and 149b.

The standby angle sensor 152 (see FIG. 20) detects that the rotating bracket 142 has reached the standby angle, and outputs a standby angle signal indicating the detection result to the controller 100. The standby angle is, for example, an angle when performing parallel binding. The standby angle sensor 152 is, for example, an optical sensor including a light emitting section and a light receiving section. The rotating bracket 142 at the standby angle blocks the optical path between the light emitting part and the light receiving part. The standby angle sensor 152 outputs a standby angle signal in response to the fact that the light output from the light emitting section is not received by the light receiving section. However, the specific configuration of the standby angle sensor 152 is not limited to the above example.

Note that the rotating bracket 142 shown in FIG. 17A shows a state when the pressure bonding means 32' downstream of the liquid applying means 131 performs parallel binding. Further, the rotating bracket 142 shown in FIG. 17(B) shows a state when the pressure bonding means 32' on the downstream side of the liquid applying means 131 performs diagonal binding (corner binding).

The liquid storage tank 143 stores liquid to be applied to the paper P. The moving means 144 is supported by the liquid storage tank 143 so as to be movable (for example, up and down) in the thickness direction of the paper P. Further, the moving means 144 is moved relative to the liquid storage tank 143 by the driving force of the application head moving motor 151 being transmitted. The holding member 145 is attached to the lower end of the moving means 144. The liquid application head 146 protrudes from the holding member 145 toward the conveyance path (downward in the second embodiment). Further, the liquid applying head 146 is supplied with the liquid stored in the liquid storage tank 143. Further, the liquid application head 146 is made of a material with high liquid absorption rate (eg, sponge, fiber).

The columnar members 147a and 147b protrude downward from the holding member 145 around the liquid application head 146. Further, the columnar members 147a and 147b are configured to be movable relative to the holding member 145 in the thickness direction. Furthermore, the columnar members 147a and 147b hold a press plate 148 at their lower ends. A through hole 148a is formed in the press plate 148 at a position facing the liquid application head 146. The coil springs 149a, 149b are fitted onto the columnar members 147a, 147b between the holding member 145 and the pressing plate 148. The coil springs 149a and 149b bias the columnar members 147a and 147b and the pressing plate 148 downward with respect to the holding member 145.

As shown in FIGS. 18(A) and 19(A), before the paper P is conveyed to the position facing the opening of the upper guide plate 5a, the pressing plate 148 is moved to the position of the opening or above the opening. positioned. Next, when the liquid application position B1 of the paper P transported by the transport roller pair 10 and 11 stops at a position facing the opening, the application head moving motor 151 is rotated in the first direction. As a result, the moving means 144, the holding member 145, the liquid application head 146, the columnar members 147a and 147b, the pressing plate 148, and the coil springs 149a and 149b move down together, and the pressing plate 148 comes into contact with the paper P. Note that the liquid application position B1 is a position (that is, the binding position B1) where the edge binding processing section 251 (that is, the crimping means 32') is scheduled to perform compression binding.

Then, by rotating the applying head moving motor 151 in the first direction even after the pressing plate 148 contacts the paper P, the coil springs 149a and 149b are compressed, and the moving means 144, the holding member 145, and the liquid applying head 146 are compressed. , and the columnar members 147a, 147b further descend. Then, as shown in FIGS. 18(B) and 19(B), the lower surface of the liquid applying head 146 contacts the paper P through the through hole 148a. As a result, the liquid contained in the liquid applying head 146 is applied to the paper P.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 18(C) and 19(C), by further rotating the applying head moving motor 151 in the first direction, the liquid applying head 146 can be pressed even more strongly against the paper P. As a result, the amount of liquid applied to the paper P increases. That is, the liquid applying unit 131 can adjust the amount of liquid applied by changing the pressing force of the liquid applying head 146 against the paper P.

On the other hand, by rotating the applying head moving motor 151 in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the moving means 144, the holding member 145, the liquid applying head 146, the columnar members 147a and 147b, the pressing plate 148, and the coil spring 149a , 149b rise together. As a result, the liquid applying head 146 and the pressing plate 148 are separated from the paper P, as shown in FIGS. 18(A) and 19(A). That is, the liquid applying means 131 includes a liquid applying head 146 that can be separated from the paper P.

FIG. 20 is a hardware configuration diagram of a control block that controls the operation of the post-processing device 3A according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 20, the post-processing device 3A includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 102, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 103, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 1. 04, and I/F105 It has a configuration in which it is connected via a common bus 109.

The CPU 101 is a calculation means and controls the operation of the entire post-processing device 3A. The RAM 102 is a volatile storage medium in which information can be read and written at high speed, and is used as a work area when the CPU 101 processes information. The ROM 103 is a read-only nonvolatile storage medium, and stores programs such as firmware. The HDD 104 is a nonvolatile storage medium that allows information to be read and written and has a large storage capacity, and stores an OS (Operating System), various control programs, application programs, and the like.

The post-processing device 3A processes a control program stored in the ROM 103, an information processing program (application program) loaded into the RAM 102 from a storage medium such as the HDD 104, and the like using an arithmetic function included in the CPU 101. Through this processing, a software control unit including various functional modules of the post-processing device 3A is configured. A functional block that realizes the functions of the post-processing device 3A is configured by a combination of the software control unit configured in this way and the hardware resources installed in the post-processing device 3A. That is, the CPU 101, RAM 102, ROM 103, and HDD 104 constitute a controller 100 that controls the operation of the post-processing device 3A.

The I/F 105 includes conveyor roller pairs 10, 11, 14, 15, switching claws 20, side fences 24L, 24R, crimping means movement motor 238, crimping means rotation motor 239, contact/separation motor 32d, liquid applying means movement motor 137 , the application head rotation motor 150 , the application head movement motor 151 , the standby position sensor 138 , the standby angle sensor 152 , the punching means 132 , and the operation panel 110 are connected to the common bus 109 . The controller 100 controls the transport roller pairs 10, 11, 14, 15, the switching claw 20, the side fences 24L, 24R, the crimping means moving motor 238, the crimping means rotating motor 239, the contact/separation motor 32d, and the liquid application through the I/F 105. The operations of the means moving motor 137, the applying head rotation motor 150, the applying head moving motor 151, and the punching means 132 are controlled.

The controller 100 also acquires detection results from the standby position sensor 138 and the standby angle sensor 152 through the I/F 105. Note that although FIG. 20 mainly shows the components of the edge stitching processing section 251 (crimping means 32') that executes the edge stitching process and the liquid application means 131, the saddle stitching processing section that executes the saddle stitching process 28 components are similarly controlled by controller 100.

The operation panel 110 includes an operation section that accepts input operations from the user, and a display (notification section) that notifies the user of information. The operation unit includes, for example, hard keys, a touch panel superimposed on the display, and the like. The operation panel 110 obtains information from the user through the operation unit and provides information to the user through the display.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart of the post-processing of the post-processing device 3A according to the second embodiment. Specifically, it is a flowchart when executing the one-place binding shown in FIG. 15.

The controller 100 executes the post-processing shown in FIG. 21, for example, in response to acquiring a post-processing execution instruction (hereinafter referred to as "post-processing instruction") from the image forming apparatus 2. The post-processing instructions include, for example, the number of sheets P that make up the sheet bundle Pb (hereinafter referred to as "predetermined number N") and the number of sheets Pb to be bound (hereinafter referred to as "required number of copies"). ), the binding position B1 (corresponding to the liquid applying position B1), the binding angle (corresponding to the liquid applying angle), and the process executed in parallel with the liquid applying process (in the second embodiment, the punch hole (drilling). It is assumed that at the start of post-processing, the liquid application unit 140 is located at the standby position HP (a position corresponding to the standby position HP in FIG. 15), and the rotation bracket 142 is held at a standby angle.

First, the controller 100 moves the liquid applying unit 140 in the main scanning direction by driving the liquid applying means moving motor 137, thereby moving the liquid applying head 146 from the standby position HP to the liquid applying position B1 (the binding position in FIG. 15). (a position corresponding to position B1). Further, the controller 100 drives the application head rotation motor 150 and rotates the rotation bracket 142, thereby rotating the liquid application head 146 from the standby angle to the liquid application angle (S801). The fact that the liquid application head 146 has reached the position and liquid application angle where it can face the liquid application position B1 can be determined by pulse signals output from the rotary encoders of the liquid application means moving motor 137 and the application head rotation motor 150.

In addition, the controller 100 moves the crimping means 32' from the standby position HP to a position facing the binding position B1 by driving the crimping means moving motor 238, as shown in FIGS. 15(A) and 15(B). (S801). Further, the controller 100 rotates the crimping unit 32' from the standby angle to the crimping binding angle by driving the crimping unit rotating motor 239 (S801). The fact that the crimping means 32' has reached the position where it can face the binding position B1 and the crimping binding angle can be determined by pulse signals output from the rotary encoders of the crimping means moving motor 238 and the crimping means rotating motor 239.

Next, the controller 100 starts transporting the paper P on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus 2 by driving the transport roller pair 10 and 11 (S802). The controller 100 continues to drive the transport roller pair 10 and 11 until the liquid application position B1 of the paper P faces the liquid application unit 140 (more specifically, the liquid application head 146) (S803: No). Then, in response to the liquid application position B1 of the paper P facing the liquid application head 146 (S803: Yes), the controller 100 stops the pair of transport rollers 10 and 11 (S804). The fact that the liquid application position B1 of the paper P faces the liquid application head 146 can be determined by the pulse signal output from the rotary encoder of the motor that drives the pair of transport rollers 10 and 11.

The controller 100 executes a process of applying liquid to the liquid applying position B1 of the paper P using the liquid applying means 131 (S805). More specifically, the controller 100 causes the liquid application head 146 to contact the liquid application position B1 of the paper P by rotating the application head moving motor 151 in the first direction. Further, the controller 100 changes the pressing force of the liquid application head 146 (that is, the amount of rotation of the application head moving motor 151) according to the amount of liquid applied to the paper P.

The amount of liquid applied to the sheets P may be the same for all sheets P constituting the sheet bundle Pb, or may be different for each sheet P. For example, the controller 100 may reduce the amount of liquid applied to the paper P that is transported later. Further, the amount of rotation of the applying head moving motor 151 can be grasped by a pulse signal output from the rotary encoder of the applying head moving motor 151.

Next, the controller 100 places the paper P on the internal tray 22 by driving the transport roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15 (S806). Furthermore, the controller 100 aligns the positions of the paper bundles Pb placed on the internal tray 22 in the main scanning direction by moving the side fences 24L and 24R (so-called jogging) (S806).

Next, the controller 100 determines whether the number of sheets P placed on the internal tray 22 has reached the predetermined number N specified by the post-processing instruction (S807). Then, in response to determining that the number of sheets P placed on the internal tray 22 has not reached the predetermined number N (S807: No), the controller 100 executes the processes of steps S802 to S806 again.

Then, in response to determining that the number of sheets P placed on the internal tray 22 has reached the predetermined number N (S807: Yes), the controller 100 controls the sheet bundle to which the liquid has been applied by the liquid applying means 131. The binding position B1 (corresponding to the liquid application position B1) of Pb is compressed and bound by the compression bonding means 32' (S808). Furthermore, the controller 100 discharges the pressure-bound paper bundle Pb to the second discharge tray 26 by rotating the pair of transport rollers 15 (S808).

Then, the controller 100 drives the liquid application means moving motor 137 to move the liquid application means 131 to the standby position HP, and drives the crimping means movement motor 238 to move the crimping means 32' to the standby position HP.

Further, if the post-processing instruction includes an instruction to form a plurality of paper bundles Pb (referred to as the required number of copies), the controller 100 controls the number of sheets ejected to the second ejection tray 26, as in step 1008 in FIG. It is determined whether the number of paper bundles Pb has reached the required number of copies. If the controller 100 determines that the number of paper bundles Pb discharged to the second discharge tray 26 has not reached the required number of copies, the controller 100 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S802 to S808. On the other hand, if the controller 100 determines that the number of paper bundles Pb discharged to the second discharge tray 26 has reached the required number of copies, the controller 100 causes the liquid application means 131 and the pressure bonding means 32' to standby as described above. Move to position HP.

Further, the present invention can be applied not only to the edge stitching processing section 25 that executes edge stitching processing, but also to the saddle stitching processing section 28 that executes saddle stitching processing.

Further, the control method described above may be realized by, for example, a program. That is, the control method is a method executed by a computer by causing an arithmetic device, a storage device, an input device, an output device, and a control device to work together based on a program. Further, the program may be written in a storage device or a storage medium and distributed, or distributed through a telecommunications line or the like.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments exemplified above, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the technical gist thereof, and does not fall within the technical idea set forth in the claims. All technical matters described above are subject to the present invention. Although the embodiments described above are preferred examples, those skilled in the art can realize various modifications based on the disclosed contents. Such modifications are also included within the technical scope of the claims.

Aspects of the present invention are, for example, as follows.
<1> A liquid applying means for applying liquid by bringing a liquid applying member containing liquid into contact with the liquid applying area of the medium;
crimping means for pressurizing and deforming the binding regions overlapping the liquid application regions of the plurality of media to which the liquid is applied by the liquid application means, and binding the media;
When the liquid applying means separates the liquid applying member from the medium, the liquid applying member is in contact with a non-binding area that does not overlap with the binding area. The media processing device is characterized in that the duration of the media processing device is longer than the time in which the media is in contact with the binding area.
<2> The contact portion of the liquid applying member that contacts the medium can be elastically deformed;
The liquid applying means rotates the liquid applying member around a rotation axis parallel to the medium, thereby first bringing the contact portion into contact with the non-binding area, and causing the contact portion to contact the non-binding area. The medium processing device according to item <1> is characterized in that the medium processing device is finally separated from the binding area.
<3> The liquid applying means includes a support member that holds the liquid applying member and rotates around the rotation axis,
The medium processing according to <2> above, wherein the center of gravity of the support member is located between the rotating shaft and the contact portion in the direction in which the medium is conveyed to the liquid applying means. It is a device.
<4> The medium processing device according to <2> or <3>, wherein the liquid applying means includes a drive source that rotates the rotation shaft.
<5> The liquid applying member according to any one of <1> to <4>, wherein a portion of the liquid applying member that abuts the binding area is recessed than a portion that abuts the non-binding area. This is a media processing device.
<6> According to any one of <1> to <4>, wherein the portion of the liquid applying member that contacts the non-binding area protrudes from the portion that contacts the binding area. This is a media processing device.
<7> The surface of the liquid applying member that contacts the medium is inclined such that a portion that contacts the non-binding area is closer to the medium than a portion that contacts the binding area. The media processing device according to any one of <1> to <4>.
<8> The surface of the liquid applying member that contacts the medium has a plurality of steps such that a portion that contacts the non-binding area is sequentially closer to the medium than a portion that contacts the binding area. The media processing device according to any one of the above <1> to the above <4>.
<9> The liquid applying means may hold the liquid applying member so that a contact surface of the contact portion that contacts the medium is horizontal in a state where the contact portion is separated from the medium. The medium processing device according to any one of items <2> to <8> above, characterized in that:
<10> The liquid applying means includes a liquid storage section that stores the liquid;
a liquid supply section that supplies the liquid stored in the liquid storage section to the liquid application member,
The medium processing device according to any one of <1> to <9>, wherein the liquid applying member is removably attached to the liquid supply section.
<11> The medium processing device according to any one of <1> to <10>, wherein the liquid applying member is formed of a porous member.
<12> The liquid applying device according to any one of <1> to <11>, wherein the liquid applying means is configured to be able to change the speed at which the liquid applying member is separated from the medium. It is a media processing device.
<13> An image forming apparatus that forms an image on the medium;
An image forming system comprising: the medium processing device according to any one of <1> to <12>.

1 : Image forming system 2 : Image forming device 3 : Post-processing devices 10 to 19 : Conveying roller pair 20 : Switching claw 21 : First discharge tray 26 : Second discharge tray 30 : Third discharge tray 22 : Internal tray 23, 27: End fences 24L, 24R: Side fence 25: End stitching section 28: Saddle stitching section 29: Paper folding blade 31: Liquid applying means 32: Crimping means 32a, 32b: Binding teeth 32d: Contact/separation motor 37: Liquid Applying part moving motor 43: First liquid storage tank 43
43a: First liquid level detection sensor 44: Liquid applying member 45: First liquid supply section 44b, 71-76: Pressing section 44c: Pressing surface 431: Support plate 441: Rotating shaft 451: Rotating motor 49: Guide shaft 52 : Second liquid storage tank fixing part 52a : Second liquid level detection sensor 53 : Second liquid storage tank 54 : Second liquid supply part 55 : Liquid supply pump 100 : Controller 101 : CPU
102: RAM
103: ROM
104: HDD
105: I/F
109: Common bus 110: Operation panel

JP 2019-011174 Publication

Claims (13)

a liquid applying means for applying liquid by bringing a liquid applying member containing liquid into contact with a liquid applying area of the medium;
crimping means for pressurizing and deforming the binding regions overlapping the liquid application regions of the plurality of media to which the liquid is applied by the liquid application means, and binding the media;
When the liquid applying means separates the liquid applying member from the medium, the liquid applying member is in contact with a non-binding area that does not overlap with the binding area. The media processing device is characterized in that the time during which the media processing device is in contact with the binding area is longer. A contact portion of the liquid applying member that contacts the medium is capable of elastic deformation,
The liquid applying means rotates the liquid applying member around a rotation axis parallel to the medium, thereby first bringing the contact portion into contact with the non-binding area, and causing the contact portion to contact the non-binding area. The media processing device according to claim 1, wherein the media processing device is finally separated from the binding area. The liquid applying means includes a support member that holds the liquid applying member and rotates around the rotation axis,
The medium processing device according to claim 2, wherein the center of gravity of the support member is located between the rotating shaft and the contact portion in a direction in which the medium is conveyed to the liquid applying means. . 3. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the liquid applying means includes a drive source that rotates the rotation shaft. 2. The medium processing device according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the liquid applying member that contacts the binding area is more recessed than a portion that contacts the non-binding area. 2. The medium processing device according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the liquid applying member that contacts the non-binding area protrudes from a portion that contacts the binding area. 2. A surface of the liquid applying member that contacts the medium is inclined such that a portion that contacts the non-binding area is closer to the medium than a portion that contacts the binding area. Media processing device as described. A surface of the liquid applying member that contacts the medium has a plurality of steps such that a portion that contacts the non-binding area is closer to the medium sequentially than a portion that contacts the binding area. 1. The media processing device according to 1. The liquid applying means holds the liquid applying member so that a contact surface of the contact portion that contacts the medium is horizontal when the contact portion is separated from the medium. The media processing device according to claim 2. The liquid applying means includes a liquid storage section that stores liquid;
a liquid supply section that supplies the liquid stored in the liquid storage section to the liquid application member,
The medium processing device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid applying member is removably attached to the liquid supply section. The medium processing device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid applying member is formed of a porous member. 2. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid applying means is configured to be able to change a speed at which the liquid applying member is separated from the medium. an image forming device that forms an image on the medium;
An image forming system comprising the medium processing device according to claim 1.