JP2024003754A - Medium processing device and image forming system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique which adjusts an amount of liquid with a simple and inexpensive configuration, in a medium processing device which performs crimp binding after liquid application to a medium.SOLUTION: A medium processing device comprises: a liquid-applying part equipped with a liquid-applying member which applies liquid to a portion of at least one sheet of media; a post-processing part which binds a media bundle including at least one sheet of media to which the liquid is applied in the liquid-applying part; and a control part which changes at least one of a moving amount of the liquid-applying member with respect to the medium, and the contact time of the liquid-applying member with respect to the medium, according to a binding condition by the post-processing part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 18

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".

Pressure binding has the problem that the more sheets of paper that make up a paper stack, the more difficult it is for the binding teeth to dig into the paper stack, making it difficult to maintain the binding condition properly, such as when the bound paper peels off. be. Therefore, in order to increase the binding strength, media processing devices that perform pressure binding are equipped with a liquid application unit that applies liquid in advance to the position on the paper where the binding teeth contact, making it easier for the binding teeth to bite into the stack of sheets. For example, see Patent Document 1.

Additionally, Patent Document 1 describes adjusting the amount of liquid applied to paper (hereinafter referred to as "liquid application amount") in order to maintain appropriate binding strength. However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose a specific method for adjusting the amount of liquid applied to paper.

The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and provides a technique for adjusting the amount of liquid applied with a simple and inexpensive configuration in a media processing device that applies liquid to a medium and then performs compression binding. The purpose is to

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention includes a liquid applying section including a liquid applying member that applies liquid to a part of at least one medium, and at least one medium to which liquid is applied in the liquid applying section. A post-processing unit that binds a medium bundle including one sheet of the medium, and a movement amount of the liquid applying member relative to the medium and a contact time of the liquid applying member against the medium according to binding conditions by the post-processing unit. and a control unit that changes at least one of the following.

According to the present invention, the amount of liquid applied can be adjusted with a simple and inexpensive configuration in a medium processing device that applies liquid to a medium and then performs pressure binding.

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 application section side in the main scanning direction. The figure which shows the arrangement and structure of the second liquid storage part in a post-processing device. The figure which shows the attachment and detachment structure of the 2nd liquid storage part in a post-processing device. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a crimping section of an edge binding processing section. The figure which shows the modification of an edge stitching process part. The figure which shows the liquid application pressure bonding part based on the modification of an edge binding processing part. 10 is a diagram showing a liquid application operation and a pressure binding operation by the liquid application pressure bonding section of FIG. 9. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the staple binding processing section viewed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a modified example 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. 2 is a flowchart of binding processing performed by an edge binding processing unit. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the positions of a liquid applying section and a pressure bonding section during binding processing by an end stitching processing section. An example of a table (A) of parameters T corresponding to paper thickness and a table (B) of parameters N corresponding to the number of bound sheets. Flowchart of liquid application amount setting process. Flowchart of contact time and movement amount setting processing. Flowchart of liquid volume control processing. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the shape of a liquid applying member according to Modification 1. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the shape of a liquid applying member according to modification 2. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the shape of a liquid applying member according to modification 3. 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. 7 is a schematic diagram of the crimping section according to the second embodiment viewed from the downstream side in the conveyance direction. FIG. 7 is a view of the liquid application unit according to the second embodiment as viewed from the thickness direction of the paper. FIG. 27 is a sectional view taken along line XXV-XXV in FIG. 26; FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view taken along XXVI-XXVI in FIG. 26; 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) according to the present invention.

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 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]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the post-processing device 3 (media processing device) according to the first embodiment. 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 processes according to the present embodiment is a binding process as a "pressure binding process" in which a bundle of sheets P (sheet bundle) on which images are formed is bound without using staples. Another post-processing according to the present embodiment is a binding process called "needle binding process" in which a bundle of multiple sheets of paper P on which images are formed (sheet bundle) is bound using staples. be. Hereinafter, a bundle of a plurality of sheets P (medium bundle) will be referred to as a "paper bundle Pb."

In addition, "press binding processing" according to the present 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 binding 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 through the internal tray 22 (placing section). 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 (indicated by ▲ in FIG. 2) that detect the position of the paper P on each of the transport paths Ph1, Ph2, and Ph3.

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 section 25, and the staple stitching processing section 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 edge-stitching processing 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 saddle stitching section 28, a paper folding blade 29, and a third discharge tray 30. The end fence 27, the saddle stitching processing unit 28, and the paper 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 the saddle stitching process 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 paper bundle Pb faces the saddle stitching 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.

Further, the post-processing device 3 includes a first liquid storage tank 43 (a first liquid storage section) and a first liquid supply section 45 (a part of a liquid application section) in the edge stitching processing section 25. 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.

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

The liquid application unit 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".

In more detail, the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 for "liquid application" is mainly composed of a liquid state of a compound of hydrogen and oxygen represented 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.

Both the liquid application section 31 and the pressure bonding section 32 are configured to be movable in the main scanning direction by transmission of the driving force of the end stitching section movement motor 50. At a position (liquid application position or liquid application area) where the liquid application unit 31 applies liquid to the paper P or the paper bundle Pb, the pressure binding unit 32 is scheduled to perform pressure binding on the paper bundle Pb. It corresponds to the position (crimp binding position or pressure binding area). Therefore, in the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the liquid application position (or liquid application area) and the pressure binding position (or pressure binding area).

[Configuration of liquid applying section]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the liquid applying section 31 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction together with the crimping section 32 by transmission of the driving force of the end stitching section movement motor 50. The liquid applying section 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, a liquid applying section moving mechanism 35, and a liquid applying mechanism 36. The components of the liquid applying section 31 (lower press plate 33, upper press plate 34, liquid applying section moving mechanism 35, liquid applying mechanism 36) 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 part) 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 application unit moving mechanism 35 according to the present embodiment moves the upper pressing plate 34, the base plate 40, the first liquid storage tank 43, the liquid application member 44, and the first liquid supply unit 45 by a single liquid application unit movement motor 37. , 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 application frame 31a of the liquid application unit 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. 13).

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 mechanism 36 applies liquid to the paper P or the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. More specifically, the liquid application unit 31 applies the liquid to at least one sheet of paper P constituting the paper bundle Pb by bringing the liquid application member 44 into contact with the paper P or the paper bundle Pb.

The liquid application mechanism 36 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.

The liquid application member 44 applies the liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 to the paper P or the paper bundle Pb. 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 holding part 46 is a long cylindrical body (for example, a tube) that is inserted into the first liquid supply part 45 . This can prevent the liquid absorbed by the first liquid supply section 45 from leaking or evaporating.

The first liquid supply section 45 has one end in close contact with the liquid applying 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 or fiber), 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, the liquid is transferred to the first liquid supply section 45 and the liquid application member 44. Fill it.

The distal end surface of the liquid applying member 44 according to this embodiment is a flat surface. Further, the liquid applying member 44 according to the present embodiment is supported by the base plate 40 so that its leading end surface is parallel to the paper P or the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22.

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

[Configuration of second storage part]
As shown in FIG. 4, in order to supply liquid to the first liquid storage tank 43, the post-processing device 3 has a second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 (a part of the second liquid storage part) and a second liquid storage tank 43. It further includes a liquid tank 53 (a part of the second liquid storage section), a second liquid supply section 54, and a liquid supply pump. However, the specific method of supplying the liquid to the first liquid storage tank 43 is not limited to the following example, and a configuration in which the user directly supplies the liquid to the first liquid storage tank 43 may be used.

Next, the arrangement and configuration of the second liquid storage tank 53 will be explained using FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 shows an example of the arrangement and configuration of the second liquid storage tank 53 as the main tank. FIG. 5(A) illustrates a state in which the cover (front door 71) of the post-processing device 3 is open. FIG. 5(B) is a sectional view of the post-processing device 3 viewed from the side, and illustrates a state in which the cover (front door 71) of the post-processing device 3 is closed. As shown in FIG. 5, the second liquid storage tank 53 is installed at a position that can be accessed by opening the front door 71 of the post-processing device 3. Further, a main body side plate 72 of the post-processing device 3 is provided between the arrangement position of the second liquid storage tank 53 and the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 and the arrangement position of the first liquid storage tank 43, etc. . A liquid drain plug 611 is provided in the second liquid storage tank fixing portion 52 . After the liquid remaining in the first liquid storage tank 43 and the second liquid supply part 54 is sent back to the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52, by opening the liquid drain plug 611, the second liquid storage tank fixing part The liquid accumulated in 52 can be discharged from inside the post-processing device 3. This makes it possible to prevent the liquid from freezing during maintenance of the post-processing device 3.

FIG. 6 illustrates how the second liquid storage tank 53 is detachably attached to the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 and how the second liquid storage tank 53 is refilled with liquid. As shown in FIG. 5, the second liquid storage tank 53 is configured to be detachable from the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 in order to be able to replenish the liquid. The second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 is provided with a set detection sensor 532 that detects that the second liquid storage tank 53 is set in the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52. When the second liquid storage tank 53 is not set in the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 (unset state), the outlet is closed by the liquid supply valve 531 so that liquid does not leak. When the second liquid storage tank 53 is set in the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52, the liquid supply valve 531 is pushed up, and the liquid stored in the second liquid storage tank 53 flows to the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52. , the liquid can be stored in the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52.

The second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 stores liquid to be supplied to the first liquid storage tank 43. Further, the second liquid storage tank fixing section 52 is attached to the main body side plate 72 of the post-processing device 3 outside the movement range of the edge stitching processing section 25 (liquid applying section 31) in the main scanning direction. 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 second liquid storage tank 53 (liquid bottle) stores liquid to be supplied to the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52. Further, the second liquid storage tank 53 is configured to be detachable from the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52. Then, when the second liquid storage tank 53 is attached to the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52, the second liquid storage tank The liquid moves from 53 to the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52. On the other hand, when the amount of liquid in the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 reaches the second upper limit value, the movement of the liquid from the second liquid storage tank 53 to the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 is stopped.

The second liquid supply section 54 connects the second liquid storage tank fixing section 52 and the first liquid storage tank 43. Then, the second liquid supply section 54 supplies the liquid stored in the second liquid storage tank fixing section 52 to the first liquid storage tank 43. The second liquid supply section 54 is composed of, for example, piping, a hose, or a combination thereof. The diameter (inner diameter dimension) of the second liquid supply part 54 is, for example, the supply rate (second supply (speed) is set to be faster than the supply speed (first supply speed) of the liquid supplied from the first liquid storage tank 43 to the liquid applying member 44 through the first liquid supply section 45 (first supply speed).

The liquid supply pump 55 is attached to the main body side plate 72 of the post-processing device 3 together with the second liquid storage tank fixing portion 52 . The liquid supply pump 55 supplies (pressure feeds) the liquid stored in the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 to the first liquid storage tank 43 through the second liquid supply part 54 .

[Composition of crimp part]
As shown in FIG. 3, the crimping unit 32 (post-processing means) applies the liquid to at least a portion of the paper bundle Pb to which the liquid is applied by the liquid applying unit 31 (i.e., the liquid applying position) to the uneven upper crimping teeth 32a. The bundle of sheets Pb is bound by being held and pressed by the lower pressure bonding teeth 32b and deformed. Hereinafter, the process and operation of deforming and binding at least a portion of the paper bundle Pb by pinching and applying pressure between the upper crimp teeth 32a and the lower crimp teeth 32b will be referred to as "press binding". That is, the pressure bonding section 32 can bind the bundle of sheets Pb without using a binding member such as a binding needle. The components of the crimp section 32 (upper crimp teeth 32a and lower crimp teeth 32b) are provided on a crimp frame 32c.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the crimp section 32. As shown in FIG. 7, the crimp section 32 includes a pair of binding teeth (an upper crimp tooth 32a and a lower crimp tooth 32b). The upper crimp teeth 32a and the lower crimp teeth 32b are arranged to face each other in the thickness direction of the bundle of sheets Pb so that they can sandwich the bundle of sheets Pb placed on the internal tray 22. 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. 13).

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. 7(A). Then, when all the sheets P constituting the sheet bundle Pb are placed on the internal tray 22, the upper crimp tooth 32a and the lower crimp tooth 32b engage with each other, as shown in FIG. 7(B), and the sheet bundle Pb is 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 part 32 is not limited to the structure of the operating mechanism as exemplified in this 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. . 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, the crimp frame 32c that holds the components of the crimp section 32 has a crimp section rotating shaft 561 fixed to the bottom surface thereof, which is provided with a drive transmission gear 54a. The crimp portion rotating shaft 561 and the drive transmission gear 54a 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 54a meshes with an output gear 56a of the crimp section rotation motor 56. The crimp portion 32 rotates on the base member 48 by transmitting the driving force of the crimp rotation motor 56 to the crimp rotation shaft 561 via the output gear 56a and the drive transmission gear 54a. It is configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions about a shaft 561.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the edge stitching processing unit 25 includes an edge stitching processing unit moving mechanism 47. The edge-stitching unit moving mechanism 47 moves the edge-stitching unit 25 (that is, the liquid application unit 31 and the pressure bonding unit 32) along the downstream end of the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 in the conveying direction. Move in the main scanning direction. The end-stitching processing section moving mechanism 47 includes, for example, a base member 48, a guide shaft 49, an end-stitching processing section movement motor 50, a driving force transmission mechanism 551, and a standby position sensor 51 (see FIG. 13).

The liquid application section 31 and the pressure bonding section 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 section 31 and the pressure bonding section 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 section 31 and the pressure bonding section 32 can be determined, for example, by an encoder sensor 541 (see FIG. 13) attached to the output shaft of the end-stitching section movement motor 50. Further, the standby position sensor 51 (see FIG. 13) detects that the edge stitching processing section 25 has reached the standby position HP1 (see FIGS. 15(A) and 15(D)).

As shown in FIGS. 15(A) and 15(D), the standby position HP1 is a position offset in the width direction from the paper P or the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. Further, as shown in FIGS. 15(B) to 15(C), the liquid application unit 31 and the pressure bonding unit 32 are arranged at the binding position B (the liquid It can be moved along the guide shaft 49 to a position where it can face the application position B).

[Configuration of modified example of edge stitching processing section]
Next, with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10, an edge stitching processing section 25' as a post-processing means, which is a modification of the edge stitching processing section 25 included in the post-processing device 3, will be described. The difference from the edge binding processing section 25 already described is that the liquid applying section 31 and the crimping section 32 are integrally constructed. In addition, the same reference numerals are given to the same component as the edge stitching processing part 25 already demonstrated, and a detailed description may be abbreviate|omitted.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the edge stitching processing section 25' viewed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction. FIG. 9(A) is a perspective view of the liquid application crimp section 310. FIG. 9(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 9(A). FIG. 9(C) is a plan view of the upper crimp tooth 32a of FIG. 9(A) viewed from the direction of the lower crimp tooth 32b. FIGS. 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating the liquid application operation and the compression binding operation by the liquid application pressure bonding unit 310, and are schematic views seen from the downstream side in the conveyance direction.

As shown in FIG. 8, the edge stitching processing section 25' includes a liquid application pressure bonding section 310 that integrally constitutes the liquid application section 31 and the pressure bonding section 32 of the edge stitching processing section 25 according to the first embodiment. The liquid application pressure bonding section 310 is arranged downstream of the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction.

The liquid application pressure bonding unit 310 applies the liquid LQ stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 to the paper P or the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. The liquid application pressure bonding unit 310 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction by transmitting the driving force of the end stitching unit moving motor 50 to the base member 48 by a driving force transmission mechanism 551. The liquid applying crimp section 310 includes an upper pressing plate 34, upper crimp teeth 32a, lower crimp teeth 32b, a liquid applying crimp section moving mechanism 350, and a liquid supply mechanism 360. Each component of the liquid application crimp section 310 is held by the liquid application frame 31a and the base member 48. Further, the liquid application frame 31a has a liquid application pressure bonding part rotating shaft 54' fixed to the bottom surface thereof, which is provided with a drive transmission gear 54a'. The liquid application crimp unit rotating shaft 54' and the drive transmission gear 54a' are held rotatably in forward and reverse directions by the base member 48 on which the liquid application frame 31a is provided. Further, the drive transmission gear 54a' meshes with an output gear 56a' of the liquid applying crimp section rotation motor 56'. The liquid application crimping unit 310 is operated by transmitting the driving force of the liquid application crimping unit rotation motor 56' to the liquid application crimping unit rotating shaft 54' via the output gear 56a' and the drive transmission gear 54a'. , on the base member 48, is configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions about a rotation axis 54' of the liquid applying pressure bonding section.

The liquid application pressure bonding unit moving mechanism 350 uses an electric cylinder 370 to move the upper pressing plate 34, the base plate 40, and the upper pressure bonding teeth 32a in conjunction with each other in the thickness direction of the paper P or the paper bundle Pb. The base plate 40 holds the upper crimp tooth holding member 32a1 and the upper crimp tooth 32a via the holding portion 46. Further, the base plate 40 movably holds the upper pressing plate 34 via columnar members 41a and 41b. The base plate 40 is attached to the tip of the rod 371 of the electric cylinder 370 via the connecting member 401.

The columnar members 41a and 41b hold the upper pressing plate 34 at their lower ends. Further, the coil springs 42a and 42b are fitted onto the columnar members 41a and 41b between the base plate 40 and the upper pressing plate 34. The coil springs 42a and 42b bias the upper pressing plate 34 and the columnar members 41a and 41b in a direction away from the base plate 40.

The liquid supply mechanism 360 includes a first liquid storage tank 43, a liquid supply pump 431, and a first liquid supply section 45. The liquid supply pump 431 supplies the liquid LQ via the first liquid supply section 45 to the liquid reservoir section 320 provided in the upper crimp tooth holding member 32a1, as shown in FIG. 9(A). The first liquid supply section 45 has a proximal end connected to the liquid supply pump 431, a distal end connected to the liquid reservoir section 320, and is made of an elongated and stretchable member.

The upper crimp tooth 32a is integrally provided with the upper crimp tooth holding member 32a1, as shown in FIG. 9(B). The upper crimp tooth holding member 32a1 includes a liquid reservoir 320 and a liquid supply path 321 that supplies the liquid LQ stored in the liquid reservoir 320 to the upper crimp tooth 32a. Further, the surface of the upper crimp tooth 32a is subjected to hydrophilic treatment, so that the liquid LQ supplied from the liquid supply path 321 is uniformly distributed over the surface of the upper crimp tooth 32a. On the other hand, the portion of the upper crimp tooth holding member 32a1 other than the upper crimp tooth 32a is subjected to hydrophobic treatment, so that the liquid LQ can efficiently spread over the surface of the upper crimp tooth 32a.

As shown in FIG. 8, the lower crimp tooth 32b is integrally provided with a lower crimp tooth holding member 32b1 that is a part of the liquid application frame 31a, and is connected to the base member 48 via the lower crimp tooth retaining member 32b1. mounted on top.

Next, a liquid application operation and a pressure binding operation by the liquid application pressure bonding section 310 will be described using FIG. 10. In the process of supplying the paper P to the internal tray 22, the upper crimp teeth 32a and the lower crimp teeth 32b are separated from each other, as shown in FIG. 10(A). Then, when the paper P is placed on the internal tray 22, the electric cylinder 370 is contracted to move the upper pressure bonding teeth 32a and the upper pressing plate 34 toward the paper P. Then, as shown in FIG. 10(B), the upper pressing plate 34 first contacts the paper P, and then the upper pressing teeth 32a pass through the through holes 34a of the upper pressing plate 34 and contact the paper P. At this time, since the liquid LQ is spread over the surface of the upper pressure bonding tooth 32a, by bringing the upper pressure bonding tooth 32a into contact with the paper P, the liquid is applied to the liquid application position of the paper P. When the liquid application to the liquid application position is completed, the electric cylinder 370 is extended to separate the upper pressure bonding teeth 32a and the upper pressing plate 34 from the paper P. Since the above-described operations of the upper pressure bonding teeth 32a and the upper pressing plate 34 toward and away from the paper P correspond to the liquid application operation, this liquid application operation is repeatedly performed on the sheets P constituting the paper bundle Pb.

Thereafter, when the paper bundle Pb made up of a specified number of sheets P is placed on the internal tray 22, the electric cylinder 370 is further contracted to move the upper crimp tooth 32a toward the lower crimp tooth 32b. Then, as shown in FIG. 10(C), the upper crimp tooth 32a further moves toward the lower crimp tooth 32b with the paper bundle Pb being sandwiched between the upper crimp tooth 32a and the lower crimp tooth 32b. Therefore, the paper bundle Pb is pressurized and deformed by the upper pressure tooth 32a and the lower pressure tooth 32b, thereby pressure binding the paper bundle Pb (press binding operation).

[Configuration of staple binding processing section]
Next, details of the staple binding processing section 155 having the function of executing staple binding processing will be described. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the staple binding 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 unit drive motor 62d (see FIG. 13) that drives the staple binding unit 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. 11, 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. That is, the staple binding processing section 155 uses the guide shaft 49 to move between the standby position HP2 shown in FIGS. 15(A) to 15(C) and the position facing the binding position B shown in FIG. 15(D). It is configured to move in the main scanning 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 each independently move the edge stitching processing section 25 and the needle stitching processing section 155.

[Configuration of modified example of staple binding processing section]
FIG. 12 shows a staple binding processing section 155' as a modified example of the staple binding processing section 155, and is a schematic diagram of the staple binding processing section 155' viewed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction. The staple binding processing section 155' differs from the staple binding processing section 155 in that it includes not only the staple binding means 62 but also a second liquid applying section 612. As shown in FIG. 12, the stapling processing section 155' includes a second liquid applying section 612 and a stapling means 62. The second liquid applying section 612 and the staple binding means 62 are arranged adjacent to each other in the main scanning direction on the downstream side of the internal tray 22 in the conveying direction.

The second liquid application unit 612 executes “liquid application” in which the liquid stored in the second liquid storage tank 73 is applied to the paper P or the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. A predetermined area including a position where liquid is applied to the sheets P or the bundle of sheets Pb by the second liquid applying unit 612 corresponds to a binding position where staple binding is planned. As shown in FIG. 12, the second liquid applying section 612 includes a second lower pressing plate 63, a second upper pressing plate 64, a second liquid applying section moving mechanism 65, and a second liquid applying mechanism 66. . The second liquid applicator moving mechanism 65 includes, for example, a second liquid applicator moving motor 67, a second trapezoidal screw 68, a second nut 69, a second base plate 70, and a second columnar member 711 (711a, 711b). ) and a second coil spring 721 (721a, 721b). The second liquid application mechanism 66 includes a second liquid storage tank 73 , a second liquid application member 74 , a third liquid supply section 75 , and a second joint 76 . The configuration of the second liquid applying mechanism 66 is the same as that of the liquid applying mechanism 36, so a repeated explanation will be omitted. Further, the configuration of the staple binding means 62 is the same as that shown in FIG. 11, so a detailed explanation will be omitted. Further, the rotation mechanism of the second liquid application section 612 is the same as the rotation mechanism of the liquid application section 31 shown in FIG. 3, so a repeated explanation will be omitted.

Like the needle binding processing unit 155' shown in FIG. 12, even in the needle binding process, by applying liquid to the paper P, the binding position can be loosened and softened, making it easier for the staple to penetrate. . As a result, the number of sheets to be bound per bundle of paper bundles Pb can be increased compared to the case where staple binding processing is performed without applying liquid.

[Configuration of control block of post-processing device]
FIG. 13 is a hardware configuration diagram of the post-processing device 3. As shown in FIG. 13, the post-processing device 3 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 102, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 103, 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 (control unit) 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 part rotation motor 56, liquid application part movement motor 37, and liquid application part rotation. Motor 563, end stapling 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, first liquid amount detection sensor 43a, the second liquid level detection sensor 52a, the standby position sensor 51, the encoder sensor 541, and the operation panel 110 are connected 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 part rotating motor 56, the liquid applying part moving motor 37, and the liquid applying part moving motor 37. The operations of the applying section rotation motor 563, the end stitching section movement motor 50, the staple stitching section drive motor 62d, the staple stitching section rotation motor 82, the staple stitching section movement motor 80, and the liquid supply pump 55 are controlled. 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. 13 shows components related to the edge stitching processing section 25 that performs edge stitching processing and the staple stitching processing section 155, the components related to the saddle stitching processing section 28 that performs 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.

[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. 14 is a flowchart of the binding process. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the positions of the liquid application section 31 and the pressure bonding section 32 during the binding process. Note that, in FIG. 15, illustrations of changes in the postures of the liquid applying section 31 and the crimping section 32 are omitted. The controller 100 starts the binding process shown in FIG. 14, for example, at the timing when an instruction to execute the binding process (hereinafter referred to as a "binding process instruction") is obtained from the image forming apparatus 2.

The binding process instruction includes the conditions for the pressure binding process by the pressure bonding section 32 (hereinafter referred to as "binding conditions"), such as the type of paper P (information that affects the spread of liquid, such as material and thickness), paper type, etc. The number of sheets P constituting the bundle Pb (hereinafter referred to as "predetermined number of sheets"), the number of sheets Pb to be bound (hereinafter referred to as "required number of copies"), and the binding position B It includes the position of (liquid application position B) in the main scanning direction, the binding posture of the edge binding processing section 25, and the operation mode selected through the operation panel 110. Further, it is assumed that the liquid application section 31 and the pressure bonding section 32 are in the parallel binding posture and are located at the standby position HP1 (see FIG. 15(A)) at the start of the binding process. As shown in FIG. 15(A), the standby position HP1 is a position offset from the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 in the width direction.

First, as shown in FIG. 14, the controller 100 executes a liquid application amount setting process and a contact time & movement amount setting process (S901). The liquid application amount setting process is a process for setting the amount of liquid (hereinafter referred to as "liquid application amount") to be applied to the liquid application position B (see FIG. 15(B)). The contact time & movement amount setting process determines the time during which the tip of the liquid applying member 44 is in contact with the liquid applying position B of the paper P (hereinafter referred to as "contact time") and the time during which the liquid applying member 44 is in contact with the liquid applying position B of the paper P. This is a process of setting the amount by which the paper is further moved toward the paper P or the paper bundle Pb from the state in which it is in contact with the paper P or the paper bundle Pb (hereinafter referred to as the "movement amount"). If the liquid applying member 44 is an elastic member, this "movement amount" can also be understood as the amount of deformation of the liquid applying member 44. Note that details of the liquid application amount setting process will be described later with reference to FIG. 17, and details of the contact time & movement amount setting process will be described later with reference to FIG.

Next, when the orientation specified in the binding processing instruction is the “diagonal binding orientation”, the controller 100 drives the crimping unit rotation motor 56 to The crimp section 32 is rotated to an oblique binding position. In addition, in the case of the "diagonal binding position", only the pressure bonding part 32 may be rotated to the diagonal binding position, and the liquid applying part 31 may not be rotated. As a result, the drive mechanism can be simplified compared to the case where the liquid applying section 31 and the crimping section 32 are rotated together, resulting in the effects of reducing costs, downsizing the device, and reducing equipment failure.

On the other hand, if the orientation specified in the binding processing instruction is the "parallel binding orientation", the operation of rotating the liquid application section 31 and the pressure bonding section 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 application section 31 faces the liquid application position B1 specified by the stitching processing instruction. Move it (S902). Note that the controller 100 executes the process of step S902 before the first paper 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 (S903). Further, the controller 100 aligns the positions of the sheets P placed on the internal tray 22 in the main scanning direction by moving the side fences 24L and 24R (so-called jogging) (S903).

Next, the controller 100 causes the liquid application unit 31 located at the liquid application position B1 to perform liquid application processing on the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 in the previous step S903 (S904). That is, the controller 100 drives the liquid applying unit moving motor 37 to bring the liquid applying member 44 into contact with the liquid applying position B of the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 (FIG. 15(B)).

More specifically, the controller 100 moves the liquid applying member 44 from the paper P after the liquid applying member 44 contacts the paper P so that the contact time β set in the contact time & movement amount setting process is reached. Adjust the time until separation starts. Further, the controller 100 adjusts the amount of movement of the liquid applying member 44 toward the paper P so that the amount of movement γ is set in the contact time and amount of movement setting process. As a result, the liquid of the liquid application amount α set in the liquid application amount setting process is applied to the paper P.

Here, the longer the contact time β, the greater the amount of liquid applied to the paper P from the liquid applying member 44. Further, as the movement amount γ increases, the amount of elastic deformation (the amount of squishing) of the liquid applying member 44 increases, so the amount of liquid applied to the paper P per unit time increases. That is, the longer the contact time β is, the larger the amount of liquid applied α is, and the larger the amount of movement γ is, the larger the amount of liquid applied α is. Note that the movement amount γ refers to the contact area or pressing force of the liquid applying member 44 with respect to the paper P. The amount of movement γ can be controlled by the amount of movement of the liquid applying member 44 (in other words, the base plate 40) toward the paper P. That is, the larger the amount of movement of the liquid application member 44 toward the paper P, the larger the amount of movement γ becomes, and the smaller the amount of movement of the liquid application member 44 toward the paper P, the smaller the amount of movement γ becomes.

Next, the controller 100 determines whether the number of sheets stored in the internal tray 22 has reached a predetermined number instructed by the binding processing instruction (S905). Then, when the controller 100 determines that the number of sheets P accommodated in the internal tray 22 has not reached the predetermined number (S905: No), the controller 100 executes the processes of steps S903 to S904 again. That is, the controller 100 executes the processes of steps S903 to S904 every time the paper P is transported to the internal tray 22 by the transport roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15. Note that the liquid applying process by the liquid applying unit 31 does not need to be performed on all of the plurality of sheets P that constitute the sheet bundle Pb. As another example, the controller 100 may perform the liquid application process by the liquid application unit 31 on the paper P at intervals of every n sheets.

Then, when the controller 100 determines that the number of sheets P accommodated in the internal tray 22 has reached the predetermined number (S905: Yes), the controller 100 moves the end stitching processing section movement motor as shown in FIG. 15(C). 50 to move the edge binding processing section 25 in the main scanning direction so that the crimping section 32 faces the binding position B (S906).

Next, the controller 100 performs a pressure binding process using the pressure bonding section 32 on the paper bundle Pb accommodated in the internal tray 22 (S907). Then, the controller 100 uses the transport roller pair 15 to eject the paper bundle Pb that has been pressure bound by the pressure bonding section 32 onto the second discharge tray 26 (S908). That is, the controller 100 drives the approaching/separating motor 32d to cause the binding position B of the sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22 to be held 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 paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22, the crimping binding area held between the upper crimping teeth 32a and the lower crimping teeth 32b in step S907 is covered with the liquid that the tip of the liquid applying member 44 came into contact with in step S904. Overlaps the granted area. In other words, the compression section 32 compresses and binds the area of the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22 to which the liquid has been applied by the liquid application section 31 . Note that the crimping binding 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, it is sufficient. It is possible to obtain strong binding strength.

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 (S909). When the controller 100 determines that the required number of copies has not been reached (S909: No), the controller 100 executes the processing from step S903 onwards again. That is, the controller 100 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S903 to S908 until the number of paper bundles Pb ejected to the second ejection tray 26 reaches the required number of copies (S909: 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 (S909: Yes), the controller 100 drives the edge stitching processing section movement motor 50. As shown in FIG. 15(D), the edge stitching processing unit 25 is moved to the standby position HP1 (S910). Further, when the orientation specified in the binding processing instruction is the "diagonal binding orientation", the controller 100 drives the crimp section rotation motor 56 to rotate the liquid application section 31 and the crimp section 32 to the parallel binding orientation. (S910). On the other hand, if the orientation instructed by the binding processing instruction is the "parallel binding orientation", the rotation operation of the liquid applying section 31 and the pressure bonding section 32 to the parallel binding orientation is omitted. As a result, the liquid application section 31 and the pressure bonding section 32 return to the standby position HP1 in FIG. 15(D). Note that in steps S902 and S910, the order in which the liquid applying section 31 and the pressure bonding section 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.

[Parameters to set the amount of liquid applied]
FIG. 16 is an example of a table (A) of parameters T corresponding to paper thickness and a table (B) of parameters N corresponding to the number of bound sheets. More specifically, the table shown in FIG. 16(A) holds the correspondence between "grammage (g/m2)" representing the thickness of paper P and parameter T. Further, the table shown in FIG. 16(B) holds the correspondence between the "number of bound sheets" representing the number of sheets P constituting the sheet bundle and the parameter N. The tables shown in FIGS. 16(A) and 16(B) are stored in the HDD 104.

The parameters T and N are parameters for setting the liquid application amount α in the liquid application amount setting process described later. As shown in FIG. 16(A), the thicker the paper P is (in other words, the larger the basis weight), the larger the parameter T becomes. That is, there is a positive correlation between the thickness of the paper P and the parameter T. Further, as shown in FIG. 16(B), the parameter N becomes larger as the number of bound sheets increases. That is, there is a positive correlation between the number of bound sheets and the parameter N. However, the specific values of the parameters T and N are not limited to the examples shown in FIGS. 16(A) and 16(B).

Further, the post-processing device 3 is configured to be able to change its operation mode through the operation panel 110. The operation modes of the post-processing device 3 include, for example, a productivity priority mode and a binding strength priority mode. Before executing the binding process described in FIG. 14, the controller 100 receives a user's operation to select one of the productivity priority mode and the binding mode priority mode through the operation panel 110.

The productivity priority mode is an operation mode that prioritizes the productivity of the post-processing device 3 (that is, the speed at which the sheet bundle Pb is created) over the binding strength of the crimp binding performed by the crimp unit 32. The binding strength priority mode is an operation mode in which the binding strength of the sheet bundle Pb performed by the compression binding process by the compression bonding unit 32 is prioritized over the productivity of the post-processing device 3. In this embodiment, by shortening the time during which the liquid applicator 31 applies liquid to the paper P in the productivity priority mode, the productivity of the post-processing device 3 is improved compared to the binding strength priority mode. However, the specific method for improving the productivity of the post-processing device 3 is not limited to the above-mentioned example.

[Explanation of liquid application amount setting process]
FIG. 17 is a flowchart of the liquid application amount setting process. The liquid application amount setting process is a process for setting the amount of liquid to be applied to the paper P in step S904 of FIG. First, the controller 100 obtains the parameter T corresponding to the paper thickness specified in the binding processing instruction from the table shown in FIG. 16(A) (S1101). Further, the controller 100 obtains a parameter N corresponding to the number of sheets to be bound specified by the binding process instruction from the table shown in FIG. 16(B) (S1102). Next, the controller 100 compares the product of the acquired parameters T and N (=T×N) with a predetermined threshold TH (S1103).

Then, if the product of the parameters T and N is equal to or greater than the threshold TH (S1103: Yes), the controller 100 sets the liquid application amount to α1 (S1104). On the other hand, if the product of the parameters T and N is less than the threshold TH (S1103: No), the controller 100 sets the liquid application amount to α2 (S1105). Note that α1 is a larger value than α2 (α1>α2). In this way, the controller 100 increases the liquid application amount α as the product of the parameters T and N increases. More specifically, the controller 100 increases the liquid application amount α as the paper thickness increases or as the number of bound sheets increases. That is, the controller 100 changes the liquid application amount α according to the binding conditions.

[Explanation of contact time & movement amount setting process]
FIG. 18 is a flowchart of the contact time and movement amount setting process. The contact time & movement amount setting process determines the liquid application amount α1, α2 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "liquid application amount α") set in the liquid application amount setting process according to the operation mode of the post-processing device 3. ) is a process of setting a combination of contact time β and movement amount γ. First, the controller 100 determines the operation mode instructed by the binding processing instruction (S1201).

Then, if the productivity priority mode is set (S1201: Yes), the controller 100 sets the contact time to β1 (S1202). Further, the controller 100 sets the movement amount to γ1 based on the liquid application amount α set in the liquid application amount setting process and the contact time β1 set in step S1202 (S1203).

On the other hand, if the binding strength priority mode is set (S1201: No), the controller 100 sets the contact time to β2 (S1204). Further, the controller 100 sets the movement amount to γ2 based on the liquid application amount α set in the liquid application amount setting process and the contact time β2 set in step S1204 (S1205).

Here, β1 is a value smaller than β2 (β1<β2). That is, the contact time β is shorter when the productivity priority mode is selected than when the binding strength priority mode is selected. Further, if the contact time β is fixed, the movement amount γ increases as the liquid application amount α increases. In other words, the movement amount γ increases as the thickness of the paper P increases, and as the number of bound sheets increases, the movement amount γ increases. Further, the movement amount γ is inversely proportional to the contact time β. That is, if the liquid application amount α is fixed, the movement amount γ becomes smaller as the contact time β becomes longer, and becomes larger as the contact time β becomes shorter (ie, γ1>γ2).

[Explanation of liquid volume control process]
FIG. 19 is a flowchart of the liquid amount control process. The liquid amount control process is a process for controlling the amount of liquid stored in the first liquid storage tank 43. The controller 100 executes the liquid volume control process shown in FIG. 19 at any timing, such as during the initial process when the power of the post-processing device 3 is turned on, or when the binding process shown in FIG. 14 starts.

First, the controller 100 determines whether the amount of liquid in the first liquid storage tank 43 detected by the first liquid amount detection sensor 43a has fallen below the first lower limit (S1301). The first lower limit value is set, for example, to a value corresponding to the maximum amount of liquid applied in one binding process. Then, in response to determining that the amount of liquid in the first liquid storage tank 43 is equal to or greater than the first lower limit value (S1301: No), the controller 100 does not execute the process from step S1302 onwards. Control processing ends.

On the other hand, in response to determining that the amount of liquid in the first liquid storage tank 43 has fallen below the first lower limit (S1301: Yes), the controller 100 controls the amount of liquid detected by the second liquid amount detection sensor 52a. It is determined whether the amount of liquid in the liquid storage tank fixing part 52 has fallen below the second lower limit (S1302). The second lower limit value is set, for example, to a value corresponding to the amount of liquid supplied to the first liquid storage tank 43 in step S1304, which will be described later.

Next, in response to determining that the amount of liquid in the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 has fallen below the second lower limit (S1302: Yes), the controller 100 attaches the liquid to the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52. If the second liquid storage tank 53 is not removable, it is notified through the operation panel 110 that the second liquid storage tank 53 needs to be replaced, or that the second liquid storage tank 53 needs to be replenished with liquid ( S1303). The notification method in step S1303 is not particularly limited, but for example, a message may be displayed on a display, or a corresponding LED lamp may be lit (flashing). Moreover, the controller 100 continues the notification in step S1303 until the second liquid storage tank 53 is replaced and the amount of liquid in the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 becomes equal to or greater than the second lower limit value.

Then, in response to determining that the amount of liquid in the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 is greater than or equal to the second lower limit value (S1302: No), the controller 100 drives the liquid supply pump to generate a predetermined amount of liquid. The amount of liquid thus determined is supplied from the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 to the first liquid storage tank 43 (S1304). The amount of liquid supplied to the first liquid storage tank 43 in step S1304 is set to a value such that the amount of liquid in the first liquid storage tank 43 does not exceed the first upper limit value.

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

According to the embodiment described above, at least one of the contact time β and the movement amount γ is changed so as to realize the liquid application amount α set according to the binding conditions. Since the contact time β and the movement amount γ can be adjusted only by controlling the liquid application unit movement motor 37, the liquid application amount α can be adjusted with a simple and inexpensive configuration. As a result, it is possible to obtain binding strength appropriate to the binding conditions.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the thickness of the paper P and the number of sheets to be bound (the number of sheets P forming the paper bundle Pb) are used as the binding conditions for determining the liquid application amount α. The thicker the paper P is, the larger the liquid application amount α is, and the larger the number of bound sheets is, the larger the liquid application amount α is. Thereby, stable binding strength can be obtained. However, specific examples of binding conditions are not limited to the above-mentioned examples, and include the number of binding positions B (liquid application positions B) of the paper bundle Pb, or the area of binding positions B (liquid application positions B) (liquid application area, pressure bonding (binding area) etc. may be used as the binding condition.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, when the post-processing device 3 is in the productivity priority mode, the contact time β is made shorter than when it is in the binding strength priority mode, so that the liquid applying unit 31 applies liquid to the paper P. It can save time. As a result, the time required for the post-processing device 3 to create the paper bundle Pb can be shortened. Further, according to the embodiment described above, since the movement amount γ is increased in conjunction with shortening the contact time β, it is possible to maintain the productivity of the paper bundle Pb by the post-processing device 3 and to properly control the paper bundle Pb. It is possible to maintain the binding strength at the same time.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, by supplying the liquid to the first liquid storage tank 43 from the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 fixed outside the moving range of the liquid applying part 31, the first liquid storage tank The capacity of 43 can be reduced. As a result, the liquid application section 31 can be made smaller, and the output of the edge binding processing section movement motor 50 that moves the liquid application section 31 can also be reduced.

[Modification 1 of liquid applying member]
FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the shape of a liquid applying member 44A according to Modification 1. Note that a detailed explanation of the common points with the above embodiments will be omitted, and the explanation will focus on the differences. The distal end surface of the liquid applying member 44A according to Modification 1 is inclined so that the downstream side in the conveying direction is further away from the paper P placed on the internal tray 22, and the distal end surface is parallel to the paper P. This is different from the liquid applying member 44.

As shown in FIG. 20(A), when the liquid applying member 44A is separated from the paper P, the distance between the distal end surface of the liquid applying member 44A and the paper P becomes smaller toward the upstream side in the transport direction, and It becomes larger downstream. Then, when the liquid applying member 44A is moved in the thickness direction of the paper P from the state shown in FIG. 20(A), the distal end surface of the liquid applying member 44A is brought into contact with the paper P sequentially from the upstream side in the transport direction. Further, when the liquid applying member 44A is moved in the thickness direction of the paper P from the state shown in FIG. 20(B), the tip surface of the liquid applying member 44A is separated from the paper P in order from the downstream side in the transport direction.

That is, in the liquid applying member 44A according to the first modification, the contact time β with respect to the paper P becomes longer and the amount of movement γ with respect to the paper P becomes larger as the liquid application member 44A approaches the upstream side in the transport direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 20(B), the amount α of liquid application increases as the upstream side of the liquid application area A in the transport direction increases, and decreases as the downstream side of the liquid application area A in the transport direction. However, the liquid applied to the liquid application area B moves downstream in the transport direction due to gravity. As a result, as shown in FIG. 20(C), after the liquid application member 44A is separated from the paper P, the amount α of liquid application within the liquid application area A is equalized.

[Modification 2 of liquid applying member]
FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the shape of a liquid applying member 44B according to modification 2. Note that a detailed explanation of the common points with the above embodiments will be omitted, and the explanation will focus on the differences. The distal end surface of the liquid applying member 44B according to Modification 2 is composed of a first abutting surface 58 and a second abutting surface 59 that is farther away from the paper P than the first abutting surface 58. This is different from the liquid applying member 44 which has a flat surface.

As shown in FIG. 21(A), when the liquid applying member 44B is separated from the paper P, the first contact surface 58 is located upstream of the second contact surface 59 in the transport direction and It is arranged at a position closer to the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 than the contact surface 59 . Further, the second abutting surface 59 is disposed downstream of the first abutting surface 58 in the transport direction and at a position farther from the first abutting surface 58 from the paper P placed on the internal tray 22. There is.

Then, when the liquid applying member 44B is moved in the thickness direction of the paper P from the state shown in FIG. 21(A), only the first contact surface 58 comes into contact with the paper P, as shown in FIG. The second contact surface 59 is separated from the paper P. Further, when the liquid applying member 44B is further moved in the thickness direction of the paper P from the state shown in FIG. 21(B), the liquid applying member 44B is crushed (deformed) as shown in FIG. 21(C). The second contact surface 59 also contacts the paper P.

That is, the controller 100 brings the liquid applying member 44B into contact with the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 by the first movement amount γb1, thereby causing the liquid applying member 44B to contact the paper P placed on the internal tray 22, as shown in FIG. 21(B). Of the first contact surface 58 and the second contact surface 59, only the first contact surface 58 is brought into contact with the paper P. At this time, the area of the liquid application region B1 (i.e., the contact area of only the first contact surface 58 of the liquid application member 44B with respect to the paper P) is the area of the liquid application region B2 (i.e., the area of the liquid application member 44B with respect to the paper P). (the contact area of both the first contact surface 58 and the second contact surface 59).

On the other hand, the controller 100 brings the liquid applying member 44B into contact with the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 by a second movement amount γb2, thereby causing the liquid applying member 44B to contact the paper P placed on the internal tray 22. Both the first contact surface 58 and the second contact surface 59 contact the paper P. The second movement amount γb2 is a value larger than the first movement amount γb1. The area of the liquid applying region B2 at this time is larger than the area of the liquid applying region B1 when only the first contact surface 58 of the liquid applying member 44B is in contact with the paper P.

According to the second modification, the area of the liquid applying region B can be adjusted by changing the movement amount γ. For example, if the pressure binding process is performed in only one row in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, the area of the liquid applying region B1 may be reduced as shown in FIG. 21(B). On the other hand, if the pressure binding process is performed in multiple rows in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, the area of the liquid applying region B2 may be increased, as shown in FIG. 21(C).

[Modification 3 of liquid applying member]
FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the shape of a liquid applying member 44C according to modification 3. Note that a detailed explanation of the common points with the above embodiments will be omitted, and the explanation will focus on the differences. The distal end surface of the liquid applying member 44C according to Modification 3 is different from the liquid applying member 44, which has a flat distal end surface, in that the distal end surface is a convex curved surface.

As shown in FIG. 22(A), when the liquid applying member 44C is separated from the paper P, the front end surface of the liquid applying member 44C has a central part in the transport direction protruding and both ends in the transport direction extending from the paper P. It is a convex curved surface that moves away from the surface. Then, when the liquid applying member 44C is moved in the thickness direction of the paper P (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 22(B)) from the state shown in FIG. 22(A), the central portion of the convex curved surface is comes into contact with the paper P, and both ends of the convex curved surface are separated from the paper P. Further, when the liquid applying member 44C is further moved in the thickness direction of the paper P from the state shown in FIG. 22(B), the central part of the liquid applying member 44C is crushed and becomes a convex curved surface, as shown in FIG. 22(C). Both ends of the paper P are also in contact with the paper P.

That is, the controller 100 brings the liquid applying member 44C into contact with the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 by the first movement amount γb3, thereby applying the liquid to the central portion of the convex curved surface, as shown in FIG. 22(B). Only a part of the paper P is brought into contact with the paper P. The area of the liquid application area B3 at this time is smaller than the area of the liquid application area B4 when the entire convex curved surface is brought into contact with the paper P.

On the other hand, the controller 100 brings the liquid applying member 44B into contact with the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 by a second movement amount γb4, so that the entire convex curved surface is It comes into contact with the paper P. The second movement amount γb4 is a larger value than the first movement amount γb3. The area of the liquid application area A4 at this time is larger than the area of the liquid application area B3 when only part of the convex curved surface is brought into contact with the paper P.

In this way, according to the third modification as well, the area of the liquid applying region B can be adjusted by changing the movement amount γ. Furthermore, according to the third modification, compared to the second modification, the area of the liquid application area B can be easily finely adjusted, so that the optimal liquid application process and pressure bonding can be performed according to the binding conditions of the paper P. Binding processing becomes possible.

[Second embodiment of post-processing device]
Next, a post-processing device 3A according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 23 to 31. In addition, the same reference number may be attached|subjected to the same component as the post-processing apparatus 3 based on 1st embodiment, and detailed description may be abbreviate|omitted.

The end stitching processing section 251 of the post-processing device 3A according to the second embodiment is different from the end stitching processing section 25 of the post-processing device 3 according to the first embodiment in which the liquid application section 31 and the crimping section 32 are provided together. It includes only the crimping part 32', and the liquid applying part 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 crimping section 32' of the end stapling processing section 251 provided on the downstream side, so that the binding process at the crimping section 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 stack Pb. . Therefore, in the following description, the liquid application position and the binding position are given the same reference numerals.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a post-processing device 3A according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 24, the edge stitching processing section 251 includes only a crimping section 32'. As shown in FIG. 23, the crimping section 32' and the stapling processing section 156 are arranged on the downstream side of the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction. Furthermore, the crimping section 32' and the stapling 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 sheet bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22 in the conveying direction. ing. Further, the crimping section 32' and the staple binding processing section 156 rotate in forward and reverse directions around the crimping section rotating shaft 340 and the staple binding means rotating 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 crimping unit 32' and the stapling processing unit 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 crimp section 32' binds the bundle of sheets Pb by pressurizing and deforming the bundle of sheets Pb with the uneven upper crimp teeth 32a and lower crimp 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. 24 is a schematic diagram of the internal tray 22 viewed from the thickness direction of the paper bundle Pb. FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram of the crimp section 32' viewed from the downstream side in the conveyance direction. As shown in FIG. 24, the crimping section 32' and the stapling processing section 156 are arranged on the downstream side of the internal tray 22 in the conveyance direction. The crimping section 32' is movable in the main scanning direction along the surface of the paper bundle 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 configurations of the stapling processing section 156 are the same as the stapling processing section 155 (see FIG. 11) of the post-processing device 3 according to the first embodiment, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 25, the crimp section 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 to transfer the driving force of the crimping unit moving motor 238 by a drive transmission mechanism 240 including pulleys 240a, 240b and a timing belt 240c, so that the surface of the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22 is (In other words, it moves along the guide rail 337) in the main scanning direction. Furthermore, a crimp frame 32c that holds the components of the crimp section 32' has a crimp section rotating shaft 340 fixed to its bottom surface, which is provided with a drive transmission gear 340a. The crimping portion 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 crimp section rotation motor 239. The crimping part 32' is placed on the internal tray 22 by transmitting the driving force of the crimping part rotation motor 239 to the crimping part rotating shaft 340 via the output gear 239a and the drive transmission gear 340a. The crimping unit rotates in forward and reverse directions on the base member 48 around a crimping unit rotating shaft 340 that extends in the thickness direction of the paper P. The guide rail 337, the crimp section moving motor 238, the crimp section rotation motor 239, the crimp section rotating shaft 340, and the drive transmission mechanism 240 constitute an example of a drive mechanism for the crimp section 32'.

The crimp portion 32' is configured to be movable between a standby position HP3 shown in FIG. 24(A) and a position facing the binding position B5 shown in FIGS. 24(B) and 24(C). The standby position HP3 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 B5 is a position on the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. However, the specific position of the binding position B5 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 24, 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 posture of the crimp portion 32' changes between the parallel binding posture shown in FIG. 24(B) and the diagonal binding posture shown in FIG. 24(C). In other words, the crimp section 32' is configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions about the crimp section rotating shaft 340. Here, the parallel binding posture is a posture of the crimp portion 32' in which the longitudinal direction of the upper crimp tooth 32a and the lower crimp tooth 32b (in other words, the rectangular crimp binding mark) faces the main scanning direction. Further, the diagonal binding posture is a posture of the crimp section 32' in which the longitudinal direction of the upper crimp tooth 32a and the lower crimp tooth 32b (in other words, the rectangular crimp binding mark) 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 section 131 and a punch hole forming means 132 (processing section). The liquid applying section 131 and the punch hole forming means 132 are arranged on the upstream side of the internal tray 22 in the reverse transport direction. In addition, the liquid application section 131 and the punch hole forming means 132 are disposed 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 reverse conveyance direction. The liquid applying section 131 and the punch hole forming means 132 according to this embodiment are arranged between the pair of transport rollers 10 and 11. However, the arrangement of the liquid applying section 131 and the punch hole forming means 132 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 23. For example, if the inserter 6 is disposed between the image forming apparatus 2 and the post-processing device 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. 26(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 B5 of the paper P to which liquid has been applied by the liquid application head 146 of the liquid application unit 131. has been done. This is to prevent the amount of liquid at the liquid application position B5 from decreasing due to a plurality of roller pairs contacting the liquid application position B5 when the transport roller pair 11 transports the paper P. As a result, when the paper P reaches the pressure bonding section 32' provided on the downstream side of the liquid application section 131 in the reverse conveyance direction, the amount of liquid at the liquid application position B5 is determined to be sufficient to maintain the binding strength. Since a sufficient amount of liquid can be secured, it is possible to prevent the binding strength of the sheet bundle Pb from decreasing due to a decrease in the amount of liquid at the liquid application position B5 (corresponding to the binding position B5) 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 B5 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.

Note that 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 with the liquid application position B5 of the paper P in the main scanning direction. is preferred.

The liquid application unit 131 applies liquid to the paper P transported by the pair of transport 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 section provided close to the liquid application section 131 is not limited to the punching means 132, but may also include a skew correction section that corrects the inclination (skew) of the sheet P conveyed by the pair of conveyance rollers 10 and 11. But that's fine.

FIG. 26 is a diagram of the liquid applying section 131 according to the second embodiment viewed from the thickness direction of the paper P. FIG. 27 is a sectional view taken along line XXV-XXV in FIG. 26. FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view taken along XXVI-XXVI in FIG. 26. As shown in FIGS. 26 to 28, the liquid applying section 131 includes a pair of guide shafts 133a, 133b, a pair of pulleys 134a, 134b, endless annular belts 135, 136, a liquid applying section moving motor 137, and a standby It includes a position sensor 138 (see FIG. 29) 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 the liquid applicator moving motor 137. The liquid application unit movement motor 137 generates a driving force for moving the liquid application unit 140 in the main scanning direction.

As the liquid applicator 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 unit 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. 29) 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. 27, 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. 26 to 28, 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. 29), and a standby angle sensor 152 (see FIG. 29).

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 attached to the lower surface of the base member 141 so as to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions around a rotation axis extending in the thickness direction of the paper P. Further, the rotation bracket 142 rotates in forward and reverse directions relative to the base member 141 by transmitting the driving force of the application head rotation motor 150. Furthermore, the rotation bracket 142 holds 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. 29) 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. 26(A) shows a state when the crimp section 32' downstream of the liquid application section 131 performs parallel binding. Further, the rotating bracket 142 shown in FIG. 26(B) shows a state when the crimp section 32' downstream of the liquid applying section 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 attached to the liquid storage tank 143 so as to be movable (e.g., 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 (in this embodiment, downward). 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 press plate 148 in the direction away from the holding member 145.

As shown in FIGS. 27(A) and 28(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 B5 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 B5 is a position (that is, the binding position B5) where the edge binding processing section 251 (that is, the crimping section 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 are compressed. 146, and the columnar members 147a and 147b further descend. Then, as shown in FIGS. 27(B) and 28(B), the lower surface of the liquid application 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. 27(C) and 28(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 application unit 131 can adjust the amount of liquid application by changing the pressing force of the liquid application head 146 against the paper P.

On the other hand, by rotating the application head moving motor 151 in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the moving means 144, the holding member 145, the liquid application head 146, the columnar members 147a and 147b, the pressing plate 148, and Coil springs 149a and 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. 27(A) and 28(A). That is, the liquid application section 131 includes a liquid application head 146 that can be separated from the paper P.

FIG. 29 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. 29, 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) 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 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 conveyance roller pairs 10, 11, 14, 15, switching claws 20, side fences 24L, 24R, crimping section movement motor 238, crimping section rotation motor 239, approach/separation motor 32d, and liquid applying section 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 part moving motor 238, the crimping part rotating motor 239, the contact/separation motor 32d, and the liquid application through the I/F 105. The operations of the section 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. 29 mainly shows the components of the edge stitching processing section 251 (crimping section 32') that executes the edge stitching process and the liquid applying section 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. 30 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. 24.

The controller 100 executes the post-processing shown in FIG. 30, 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 B5 (corresponding to the liquid application position B5), the angle of the binding position B5 (corresponding to the angle of the liquid application position B5), and the type of binding process (parallel binding process, diagonal binding process). , and a process (in this embodiment, punching holes) that is executed in parallel with the liquid application process. Note that at the start of post-processing, the liquid applying unit 140 is located at the standby position HP3 (a position corresponding to the standby position HP3 in FIG. 24), and the rotating bracket 142 is held at a standby angle (corresponding to the "parallel binding posture"). It is assumed that

First, the controller 100 drives the liquid applying unit moving motor 137 to move the liquid applying unit 140 (corresponding to the liquid applying unit) in the main scanning direction, thereby moving the liquid applying head 146 from the standby position HP3 to apply the liquid. It is moved to a position where it can face position B5 (a position corresponding to binding position B5 in FIG. 24). Further, when the type of binding process instructed by the post-processing instruction is "diagonal binding process", the controller 100 drives the application head rotation motor 150 and rotates the rotation bracket 142 to rotate the liquid application head. 146 is rotated from the standby angle to the liquid application angle corresponding to the "diagonal binding position" (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 B5 can be determined by pulse signals output from the rotary encoders of the liquid application unit moving motor 137 and the application head rotation motor 150. Note that if the type of binding process instructed by the post-processing instruction is "parallel binding process", the controller 100 omits the operation of rotating the rotation bracket 142 described above. That is, the liquid application unit 140 moves in the main scanning direction while holding the rotation bracket 142 at the standby angle.

Further, the controller 100 moves the crimping part 32' from the standby position HP3 to a position facing the binding position B5 by driving the crimping part moving motor 238, as shown in FIGS. 24(A) and 24(B). (S801). Further, when the type of binding process instructed by the post-processing instruction is "diagonal binding process", the controller 100 moves the crimp part 32' from the standby angle to "diagonal binding process" by driving the crimp part rotation motor 239. The paper is rotated to a crimp binding angle corresponding to the "binding posture" (S801). The fact that the crimp section 32' has reached the position where it can face the binding position B5 and the crimp binding angle can be determined by the pulse signals output from the rotary encoders of the crimp section moving motor 238 and the crimp section rotation motor 239. Note that if the type of binding process instructed by the post-processing instruction is "parallel binding process", the controller 100 omits the operation of rotating the crimping section 32' described above. That is, the crimp section 32' moves in the main scanning direction while maintaining the standby angle.

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 B5 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 B5 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 B5 of the paper P faces the liquid application head 146 can be recognized 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 B5 of the paper P using the liquid applying unit 140 (S805). More specifically, the controller 100 causes the liquid application head 146 to contact the liquid application position B5 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). 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) (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 applies liquid to the pressure bonding section 32' by the liquid applying unit 140. The binding position B5 (corresponding to the liquid application position B5) of the paper bundle Pb to which the liquid has been applied is press-bound (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 section movement motor 137 to move the liquid application unit 140 to the standby position HP3, and drives the crimping section movement motor 238 to move the crimping section 32' to the standby position HP3.

Furthermore, 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 from the second ejection tray 26, as in step S909 in FIG. It is determined whether the number of bundles Pb has reached the required number of copies. If the controller 100 determines that the number of paper bundles Pb ejected to the second ejection tray 26 has not reached the required number of copies, it 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 from the second discharge tray 26 has reached the required number of copies, the controller 100 moves the liquid applying unit 140 and the pressure bonding section 32' to the standby position as described above. Move to HP3.

Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to the binding processing section 25 that performs end-stitching processing, but also to the binding processing section 28 that performs 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 of the 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> After binding a medium bundle including a liquid application unit including a liquid application member that applies liquid to a part of at least one medium, and at least one medium to which liquid has been applied in the liquid application unit. a processing section;
The method further includes a control unit that changes at least one of the amount of movement of the liquid applying member relative to the medium and the contact time of the liquid applying member against the medium in accordance with the binding conditions by the post-processing unit. It is a media processing device that
<2> The media processing device according to <1>, wherein the binding condition is the number of media constituting the media bundle or the thickness of the media.
<3> The controller increases the amount of movement or lengthens the contact time as the number of media constituting the medium bundle increases or as the thickness of the media increases. The media processing device according to <1> or <2> above.
<4> An operation unit that accepts an operation to select one of a productivity priority mode that prioritizes the productivity of the post-processing unit and a binding strength priority mode that prioritizes the binding strength of the post-processing unit,
The control unit is configured to shorten the contact time when the productivity priority mode is selected through the operation unit than when the binding strength priority mode is selected. The media processing device according to any one of <3>.
<5> The medium processing device according to any one of <1> to <4>, wherein the control unit increases the movement amount as the contact time is shorter.
<6> The binding condition is the number of liquid application areas on the medium to which liquid is applied by the liquid application unit or the area of the liquid application areas, <1> to <5> above. The media processing device according to any one of the above.
<7> Includes a placing section on which the medium is placed,
The mounting portion is inclined downward toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the medium,
The distal end surface of the liquid applying member that comes into contact with the medium placed on the placement section is inclined such that the further downstream in the conveyance direction, the further away from the medium placed on the placement section. The medium processing device according to any one of items <1> to <6> above.
<8> A mounting section for mounting the medium,
The distal end surface of the liquid applying member that comes into contact with the medium placed on the placement section has a first contact surface and a second contact surface that is further away from the medium than the first contact surface. It consists of a contact surface and
The control unit controls the medium placed on the placement unit,
By contacting the liquid applying member with a first movement amount, only the first contact surface of the first contact surface and the second contact surface is brought into contact with the medium;
The << characterized by the above-mentioned <1> to <6> above.
<9> Includes a placing section on which the medium is placed,
The distal end surface of the liquid applying member that comes into contact with the medium placed on the placement part is a convex curved surface with respect to the medium,
The control unit changes the contact area of the liquid applying member with respect to the medium by changing the amount of movement of the liquid applying member with respect to the medium placed on the placing unit. 1> to <6> above.
<10> A placing section on which the medium is placed;
a moving mechanism that moves the liquid application section and the post-processing section along the surface of the medium placed on the placement section in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the medium;
a first liquid storage section that is provided in the liquid application section and stores a liquid to be supplied to the liquid application member;
a second liquid storage part that stores the liquid to be supplied to the first liquid storage part;
a first liquid detection means for detecting the amount of liquid stored in the first liquid storage section,
The control unit is configured to supply liquid from the second liquid storage unit to the first liquid storage unit in response to the amount of liquid detected by the first liquid detection means falling below a lower limit value. The medium processing device according to any one of items <1> to <9> above.
<11> The medium processing device according to any one of <1> to <10>, wherein the liquid applying member is made of an elastically deformable material.
<12> 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 <11>, which binds a plurality of media on which images have been formed by the image forming device. .

1: Image forming system 2: Image forming device 3: Post-processing device (media processing device)
10 to 19: Conveyance roller pair (conveyance section)
20: Switching claw 21: First ejection tray 26: Second ejection tray 30: Third ejection tray 22: Internal trays 23, 27: End fences 24L, 24R: Side fences 25, 28: Stitching section 29: Paper folding blade 31: Liquid applying section 32: Crimping section 32a: Upper pressing tooth 32b: Lower pressing tooth 32c: Contact/separation motor 33: Lower pressing plate 34: Upper pressing plate 34a: Through hole 35: Liquid applying section moving mechanism 36: Liquid applying mechanism 37: Liquid applying unit moving motor 38: Trapezoidal screw 39: Nut 40: Base plate 40a: Position detection sensor 41a, 41b: Column members 42a, 42b: Coil spring 43: First liquid storage tank (first liquid storage part)
43a: First liquid level detection sensor (first liquid detection means)
44, 44A, 44B, 44C: Liquid application member 45: First liquid supply section 46: Holding section 47: Edge stitching section moving mechanism 48: Base member 49: Guide shaft 50: Edge stitching section movement motor 51: Standby position Sensor 52: Second liquid storage tank fixing part 52a: Second liquid amount detection sensor 53: Second liquid storage tank (second liquid storage part)
54: Second liquid supply section 55: Liquid supply pump 61: First contact surface 62: Second contact surface 62a: Stitching section 80: Stitching processing section movement motor 100: Controller 101: CPU
102: RAM
103: ROM
104:HDD
105: I/F
109: Common bus 110: Operation panel 155: Stitching processing section

JP2014-201432A

Both the liquid application section 31 and the pressure bonding section 32 are configured to be movable in the main scanning direction by transmission of the driving force of the end stitching section movement motor 50. At a position (liquid application position or liquid application area) where the liquid application unit 31 applies liquid to the paper P or the paper bundle Pb, the pressure binding unit 32 is scheduled to perform pressure binding on the paper bundle Pb. It corresponds to the position (binding position or binding area). Therefore, in the following description, the liquid application position (or liquid application area) and the binding position ( or binding area) are given the same reference numerals.

[Configuration of second liquid storage section]
As shown in FIG. 4, in order to supply liquid to the first liquid storage tank 43, the post-processing device 3 has a second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 (a part of the second liquid storage part) and a second liquid storage tank 43. It further includes a liquid tank 53 (a part of the second liquid storage section), a second liquid supply section 54, and a liquid supply pump 55 . However, the specific method of supplying the liquid to the first liquid storage tank 43 is not limited to the following example, and a configuration in which the user directly supplies the liquid to the first liquid storage tank 43 may be used.

FIG. 6 illustrates how the second liquid storage tank 53 is detachably attached to the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 and how the second liquid storage tank 53 is refilled with liquid. As shown in FIG. 6 , the second liquid storage tank 53 is configured to be detachable from the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 in order to be able to replenish the liquid. The second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 is provided with a set detection sensor 532 that detects that the second liquid storage tank 53 is set in the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52. When the second liquid storage tank 53 is not set in the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 (unset state), the outlet is closed by the liquid supply valve 531 so that liquid does not leak. When the second liquid storage tank 53 is set in the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52, the liquid supply valve 531 is pushed up, and the liquid stored in the second liquid storage tank 53 flows to the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52. , the liquid can be stored in the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52.

The liquid supply pump 55 is attached to the main body side plate 72 of the post-processing device 3 together with the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 . The liquid supply pump 55 supplies (pressure feeds) the liquid stored in the second liquid storage tank fixing part 52 to the first liquid storage tank 43 through the second liquid supply part 54 .

Further, the crimp frame 32c that holds the components of the crimp section 32 has a crimp section rotating shaft 561 fixed to the bottom surface thereof, which is provided with a drive transmission gear 561a . The crimp portion rotating shaft 561 and the drive transmission gear 561a are held rotatably in 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 crimp section rotation motor 56. The crimp portion 32 rotates on the base member 48 by transmitting the driving force of the crimp rotation motor 56 to the crimp rotation 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.

The liquid application pressure bonding unit 310 applies the liquid LQ stored in the first liquid storage tank 43 to the paper P or the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. The liquid application pressure bonding unit 310 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction by transmitting the driving force of the end stitching unit moving motor 50 to the base member 48 by a driving force transmission mechanism 551. The liquid applying crimp section 310 includes an upper pressing plate 34, upper crimp teeth 32a, lower crimp teeth 32b, a liquid applying crimp section moving mechanism 350, and a liquid supply mechanism 360. Each component of the liquid application crimp section 310 is held by the liquid application frame 31a and the base member 48. Further, the liquid application frame 31a has a liquid application pressure bonding part rotating shaft 561 ' fixed to the bottom surface thereof, which is provided with a drive transmission gear 561a' . The liquid application crimp unit 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 liquid application frame 31a is provided. Further, the drive transmission gear 561a ' meshes with the output gear 56a' of the liquid application crimp section rotation motor 56'. The liquid applying crimp section 310 is operated by transmitting the driving force of the liquid applying crimp section rotating motor 56' to the liquid applying crimp section rotating shaft 561' via the output gear 56a' and the drive transmission gear 561a' . , on the base member 48, is configured to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions about a rotation axis 561' of the liquid applying pressure bonding section.

The second liquid application unit 612 executes “liquid application” in which the liquid stored in the second liquid storage tank 73 is applied to the paper P or the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22. A predetermined area including a position where liquid is applied to the sheets P or the bundle of sheets Pb by the second liquid applying unit 612 corresponds to a binding position where staple binding is planned. As shown in FIG. 12, the second liquid applying section 612 includes a second lower pressing plate 63, a second upper pressing plate 64 having a through hole 64a , a second liquid applying section moving mechanism 65, and a second liquid applying section 612. The application mechanism 66 is provided. The second liquid applicator moving mechanism 65 includes, for example, a second liquid applicator moving motor 67, a second trapezoidal screw 68, a second nut 69, a second base plate 70, and a second columnar member 711 (711a, 711b). ) and a second coil spring 721 (721a, 721b). The second liquid application mechanism 66 includes a second liquid storage tank 73, a second liquid application member 74, a third liquid supply section 75 into which a protection member 75a is inserted , and a second joint 76. The configuration of the second liquid applying mechanism 66 is the same as that of the liquid applying mechanism 36, so a repeated explanation will be omitted. Further, the configuration of the staple binding means 62 is the same as that shown in FIG. 11, so a detailed explanation will be omitted. Further, the rotation mechanism of the second liquid application section 612 is the same as the rotation mechanism of the liquid application section 31 shown in FIG. 3, so a repeated explanation will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 2 includes an operation panel 110. 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. 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.

The binding process instruction includes the conditions for the pressure binding process by the pressure bonding section 32 (hereinafter referred to as "binding conditions"), such as the type of paper P (information that affects the spread of liquid, such as material and thickness), paper type, etc. The number of sheets P constituting the bundle Pb (hereinafter referred to as "predetermined number of sheets N "), the number of sheets Pb to be bound (hereinafter referred to as "required number of copies M "), and the binding It includes the position of position B (liquid application position B) in the main scanning direction, the binding posture of the edge binding processing section 25, and the operation mode selected through the operation panel 110. Further, it is assumed that the liquid application section 31 and the pressure bonding section 32 are in the parallel binding posture and are located at the standby position HP1 (see FIG. 15(A)) at the start of the binding process. As shown in FIG. 15(A), the standby position HP1 is a position offset from the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 in the width direction.

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 (S903). Further, the controller 100 moves the side fences 24L and 24R in opposite directions to align the ends of the sheets P placed on the internal tray 22 in the main scanning direction (so-called jogging process ) (S903 ).

Next, the controller 100 determines whether the number of sheets stored in the internal tray 22 has reached the predetermined number N specified by the binding processing instruction (S905). Then, if the controller 100 determines that the number of sheets P accommodated in the internal tray 22 has not reached the predetermined number N (S905: No), it executes the processes of steps S903 to S904 again. That is, the controller 100 executes the processes of steps S903 to S904 every time the paper P is transported to the internal tray 22 by the transport roller pairs 10, 11, 14, and 15. Note that the liquid applying process by the liquid applying unit 31 does not need to be performed on all of the plurality of sheets P that constitute the sheet bundle Pb. As another example, the controller 100 may cause the liquid applying unit 31 to perform the liquid applying process on the paper P at intervals of one every n sheets.

Then, when the controller 100 determines that the number of sheets P accommodated in the internal tray 22 has reached the predetermined number N (S905: 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 section 32 faces the binding position B (S906).

Note that on the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22, the binding area held between the upper crimp teeth 32a and the lower crimp teeth 32b in step S907 is the area that the tip of the liquid applying member 44 came into contact with in step S904. Overlaps the liquid application area. In other words, the pressure bonding section 32 pressure-binds the area of the paper bundle Pb placed on the internal tray 22 to which the liquid has been applied by the liquid application section 31 . Note that the binding 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. Sufficient 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 M indicated in the binding processing instruction (S909). When the controller 100 determines that the required number of copies M has not been reached (S909: No), the controller 100 executes the processing from step S903 onwards again. That is, the controller 100 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S903 to S908 until the number of paper bundles Pb ejected to the second ejection tray 26 reaches the required number of copies M (S909: 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 M (S909: Yes), the controller 100 drives the edge stitching processing section movement motor 50. , the edge stitching processing unit 25 is moved to the standby position HP1 as shown in FIG. 15(D) (S910). Further, when the orientation specified in the binding processing instruction is the "diagonal binding orientation", the controller 100 drives the crimp section rotation motor 56 to rotate the liquid application section 31 and the crimp section 32 to the parallel binding orientation. (S910). On the other hand, if the orientation instructed by the binding processing instruction is the "parallel binding orientation", the rotation operation of the liquid applying section 31 and the pressure bonding section 32 to the parallel binding orientation is omitted. As a result, the liquid application section 31 and the pressure bonding section 32 return to the standby position HP1 in FIG. 15(D). Note that in steps S902 and S910, the order in which the liquid applying section 31 and the pressure bonding section 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.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the thickness of the paper P and the number of sheets to be bound (the number of sheets P forming the paper bundle Pb) are used as the binding conditions for determining the liquid application amount α. The thicker the paper P is, the larger the liquid application amount α is, and the larger the number of bound sheets is, the larger the liquid application amount α is. Thereby, stable binding strength can be obtained. However, specific examples of binding conditions are not limited to the above-mentioned examples, and may include the number of binding positions B (liquid application positions B) of the paper bundle Pb, or the area of binding positions B (liquid application positions B) (liquid application area , binding (same area) etc. may be used as the binding condition.

That is, in the liquid applying member 44A according to the first modification, the contact time β with respect to the paper P becomes longer and the amount of movement γ with respect to the paper P becomes larger as the liquid application member 44A approaches the upstream side in the transport direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 20(B), the liquid application amount α increases as the upstream side of the liquid application area B in the transport direction increases, and decreases as the downstream side of the liquid application area B in the transport direction. However, the liquid applied to the liquid application area B moves downstream in the transport direction due to gravity. As a result, as shown in FIG. 20(C), after the liquid application member 44A is separated from the paper P, the amount α of liquid application in the liquid application area B is equalized.

According to the second modification, the area of the liquid applying region B can be adjusted by changing the movement amount γ. For example, if the pressure binding process is performed in only one row in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, the area of the liquid application area B may be made small, such as the liquid application area B1 shown in FIG. 21(B). On the other hand, if the pressure binding process is performed in multiple rows in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, the area of the liquid application area B may be increased, such as the liquid application area B2 shown in FIG. 21(C).

On the other hand, the controller 100 brings the liquid applying member 44B into contact with the paper P placed on the internal tray 22 by a second movement amount γb4, so that the entire convex curved surface is It comes into contact with the paper P. The second movement amount γb4 is a larger value than the first movement amount γb3. The area of the liquid application area B4 at this time is larger than the area of the liquid application area B3 when only a part of the convex curved surface is brought into contact with the paper P.

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

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 135a . Further, the base member 141 supports the components 142 to 152 of the liquid application unit 140.

The controller 100 executes the post-processing shown in FIG. 30, 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 constituting the sheet bundle Pb (hereinafter referred to as "predetermined number of sheets N") and the number of sheets Pb to be bound (hereinafter referred to as "required number of copies M "). ), the binding position B5 (corresponding to the liquid application position B5), the angle of the binding position B5 (corresponding to the angle of the liquid application position B5), and the type of binding process (parallel binding process, diagonal binding process) and a process (in this embodiment, punching holes) that is executed in parallel with the liquid application process. Note that at the start of post-processing, the liquid applying unit 140 is located at the standby position HP3 (a position corresponding to the standby position HP3 in FIG. 24), and the rotating bracket 142 is held at a standby angle (corresponding to the "parallel binding posture"). It is assumed that

Further, the controller 100 moves the crimping part 32' from the standby position HP3 to a position facing the binding position B5 by driving the crimping part moving motor 238, as shown in FIGS. 24(A) and 24(B). (S801). Further, when the type of binding process instructed by the post-processing instruction is "diagonal binding process", the controller 100 moves the crimp part 32' from the standby angle to "diagonal binding process" by driving the crimp part rotation motor 239. The binding angle is rotated to correspond to the "binding posture" (S801). The fact that the crimping part 32' has reached the position where it can face the binding position B5 and the binding angle can be determined by pulse signals output from the rotary encoders of the crimping part moving motor 238 and the crimping part rotating motor 239. . Note that if the type of binding process instructed by the post-processing instruction is "parallel binding process", the controller 100 omits the operation of rotating the crimping section 32' described above. That is, the crimp section 32' moves in the main scanning direction while maintaining the standby angle.

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). Further, the controller 100 moves the side fences 24L and 24R in opposite directions to align the ends of the sheets P or the bundle of sheets Pb placed on the internal tray 22 in the main scanning direction (so-called jogging). processing ) (S806).

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 M ), the controller 100 controls the number of sheets ejected from the second ejection tray 26, as in step S909 in FIG. It is determined whether the number of paper bundles Pb has reached the required number M of copies. If the controller 100 determines that the number of paper bundles Pb ejected to the second ejection tray 26 has not reached the required number M , it 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 from the second discharge tray 26 has reached the required number M , the controller 100 causes the liquid application unit 140 and the pressure bonding section 32' to standby as described above. Move to position HP3.

1: Image forming system 2: Image forming device 3: Post-processing device (media processing device)
10 to 19: Conveyance roller pair (conveyance section)
20 : Switching claw 21 : First discharge tray 26 : Second discharge tray 30 : Third discharge tray 22 : Internal trays 23, 27 : End fences 24L, 24R : Side fences
25: Edge binding processing section
28: Saddle stitching processing section
29 : Paper folding blade 31 : Liquid application part 32 : Crimping part 32a : Upper crimp tooth 32b : Lower crimp tooth 32c : Contact/separation motor 33 : Lower pressing plate 34 : Upper pressing plate 34a : Through hole 35 : Liquid applying part moving mechanism 36: Liquid applying mechanism 37: Liquid applying unit moving motor 38: Trapezoidal screw 39: Nut 40: Base plate 40a: Position detection sensors 41a, 41b: Column members 42a, 42b: Coil spring 43: First liquid storage tank (first liquid storage tank) Department)
43a: First liquid level detection sensor (first liquid detection means)
44, 44A, 44B, 44C: Liquid application member 45: First liquid supply section 46: Holding section 47: Edge stitching section moving mechanism 48: Base member 49: Guide shaft 50: Edge stitching section movement motor 51: Standby position Sensor 52: Second liquid storage tank fixing part 52a: Second liquid amount detection sensor 53: Second liquid storage tank (second liquid storage part)
54: Second liquid supply section 55: Liquid supply pump
58 : First contact surface
59 : Second contact surface 62a: Needle stitching section 80: Needle stitching processing section movement motor 100: Controller 101: CPU
102: RAM
103: ROM
104: HDD
105: I/F
109: Common bus 110: Operation panel 155: Stitching processing section

Claims (12)

a liquid application unit including a liquid application member that applies liquid to a portion of at least one medium;
a post-processing unit that binds a medium bundle including at least one medium to which liquid has been applied in the liquid application unit;
The method further includes a control unit that changes at least one of the amount of movement of the liquid applying member relative to the medium and the contact time of the liquid applying member against the medium in accordance with the binding conditions by the post-processing unit. media processing equipment. 2. The media processing device according to claim 1, wherein the binding condition is the number of media constituting the media bundle or the thickness of the media. A claim characterized in that the control unit increases the amount of movement or lengthens the contact time as the number of media constituting the medium bundle increases or as the thickness of the media increases. Item 1. The media processing device according to item 1. comprising an operation unit that accepts an operation to select one of a productivity priority mode that prioritizes the productivity of the post-processing unit and a binding strength priority mode that prioritizes the binding strength of the post-processing unit,
The control unit is configured to shorten the contact time when the productivity priority mode is selected through the operation unit than when the binding strength priority mode is selected. Media processing device. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit increases the movement amount as the contact time becomes shorter. The medium processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the binding condition is the number of liquid application areas on the medium to which liquid is applied by the liquid application unit or the area of the liquid application areas. comprising a placing section on which the medium is placed;
The mounting portion is inclined downward toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the medium,
The distal end surface of the liquid applying member that comes into contact with the medium placed on the placement section is inclined such that the further downstream in the conveyance direction, the further away from the medium placed on the placement section. The media processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: comprising a placing section on which the medium is placed;
The distal end surface of the liquid applying member that comes into contact with the medium placed on the placement section has a first contact surface and a second contact surface that is further away from the medium than the first contact surface. It consists of a contact surface and
The control unit controls the medium placed on the placement unit,
By contacting the liquid applying member with a first movement amount, only the first contact surface of the first contact surface and the second contact surface is brought into contact with the medium;
Claim characterized in that both the first contact surface and the second contact surface are brought into contact with the medium by contacting the liquid applying member with a second movement amount that is larger than the first movement amount. 1. The media processing device according to 1. comprising a placing section on which the medium is placed;
The distal end surface of the liquid applying member that comes into contact with the medium placed on the placement part is a convex curved surface with respect to the medium,
The control unit changes the contact area of the liquid applying member with respect to the medium by changing the amount of movement of the liquid applying member with respect to the medium placed on the placing unit. 1. The media processing device according to 1. a placing section on which the medium is placed;
a moving mechanism that moves the liquid application section and the post-processing section along the surface of the medium placed on the placement section in a main scanning direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the medium;
a first liquid storage section that is provided in the liquid application section and stores a liquid to be supplied to the liquid application member;
a second liquid storage part that stores the liquid to be supplied to the first liquid storage part;
a first liquid detection means for detecting the amount of liquid stored in the first liquid storage section,
The control unit is configured to supply liquid from the second liquid storage unit to the first liquid storage unit in response to the amount of liquid detected by the first liquid detection means falling below a lower limit value. The media processing device according to claim 1. The medium processing device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid applying member is made of a material that can be elastically deformed. an image forming device that forms an image on the medium;
An image forming system comprising: a medium processing device according to claim 1, which binds a plurality of the media on which images have been formed by the image forming device.