JP2899211B2 - Sheet post-processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for recording image information on a sheet, for example, a sheet post-processing apparatus for performing post-processing such as stapling and punching on a sheet of a recording word in a copying machine, a printer or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, in a copying machine, an automatic document feeder (ADF) and a circulating original sheet handling system are used to automate copying work and post-processing work such as stapling work and punching work for sheets after copying. The apparatus (RDH) and the post-processing apparatus are used in combination.
The above ADF and RDH are provided on the platen of the copier,
For example, a plurality of originals are sequentially conveyed onto an original platen of a copying machine. The post-processing device is capable of performing processing such as stapling or punching for each copy composed of a predetermined number of sheets on a sheet that has been copied from a document and discharged from the copier. It is.

As the above-mentioned sheet post-processing apparatus, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, a conveyance path R for conveying a sheet conveyed from a copying machine main body, and a sheet conveyed from this conveyance path R are not post-processed as they are. A discharge path for non-processing that is discharged through the conveyance roller 3 and a processing discharge path that discharges the processed sheet by the roller 6 after performing a predetermined process on the sheet conveyed from the conveyance path R. Some are provided separately.

In such a sheet post-processing apparatus, if the non-staple mode is selected as the non-processing mode, the sheet conveyed from the copying machine main body is conveyed to the conveyance path R and is conveyed by the conveyance rollers 2 in advance. Transported to the non-processing transport path via the deflector 5 rotated in the Y direction,
The sheet is discharged from the non-processed sheet discharge port to the discharge tray 1 by the discharge roller 3.

On the other hand, if, for example, the staple mode is selected as the processing mode, the sheet carried out of the copying machine main body is carried into the conveying path R, and is conveyed by the conveying roller 2.
The sheet is conveyed to the processing discharge path via the deflector 5 rotated in the X direction in advance, is placed on the staple tray 8, is subjected to stapling processing, and is discharged from the processing sheet discharge port by the pushing device 7. It is discharged to Tray 1.

The processing tray 8 is provided so as to be inclined such that the processing sheet discharge port side is at an upper position and the rear end organizing plate 9 side is at a lower position. Accordingly, in the staple mode, the sheet conveyed from the conveyance path R to the processing conveyance path is once discharged from the processing sheet discharge port onto the discharge tray 1 and the entire sheet is discharged from the conveyance path R. After that, the sheet falls from the rear end of the sheet to the rear end arrangement plate 9 provided on the staple tray 8 by its own weight. At this time, the falling of the sheet to the rear end organizing plate 9 is assisted by the rotation of the paddle 10 in the Z direction.

In the example shown in FIG. 16, the sheet is similarly conveyed by the conveying rollers 2 and 3. In the staple mode, the movable paper guide is at 4 and the mode switching gate 5 is waiting at the position shown in FIG. 16, so that the fixed and discharged sheet passes through the conveying roller 3 and loses its conveying force. It falls on the staple tray 8. At this time, the wing-shaped paddle 10 is used for the purpose of accelerating the falling of the sheet and aligning the sheet with the trailing edge plate 9.
Is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow. Thereafter, the sheets are aligned in the horizontal direction by an alignment plate (not shown), a predetermined number of sheets are stapled by a stapler, and then discharged onto the tray 1 through the gate 5 by the pusher 7. In the non-staple mode (normal paper output), the movable paper guide is switched to 4, and the mode switching gate 5 is switched to the position shown in FIG. 17 to move and convey the sheet between the discharge rollers 6a and 6b. As described above, the sheet was discharged onto the tray 1.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a copying apparatus,
Depending on the type of sheet and environmental conditions, for heat fixing,
Various curls occurred, which caused various problems. For example, if the curl is downward in the non-staple mode, as shown in FIG. 18, the amount of sheets on the stacking tray increases, and when the height of the entire sheet increases, the sheets are discharged from the rollers 6a and 6b. Then, the next sheet is caught, which causes a problem that the leading end of the sheet jumps out.

In the staple mode, if the rear end of the sheet is curled upward, a predetermined number of sheets cannot enter the rear end regulating plate 9 as shown in FIG. 19, or the stapler as shown in FIG. There is a problem that the predetermined number of sheets cannot be accommodated in the punch portion of the unit 11 and stapling processing cannot be performed properly. Further, when the number of sheets is small, as shown in FIG. 21, there is a problem that the trailing edge of the sheet escapes upward because the trailing edge of the sheet is curled upward when the pusher 7 is pushed out after the stapling process.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to prevent a printed sheet from jumping out due to a problem on the stacking tray in the non-staple mode, and to perform post-processing in the staple mode in order to perform post-processing. The purpose is to perform sheet alignment.

[0011]

A sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present invention is provided with means for curling a sheet in an arbitrary direction on a conveyance path shared by a staple mode or a non-staple mode for a recorded sheet, In this case, the curled sheet is switched to a stapling process as a first transport path and a non-staple mode process as a second transport path by a paper guide, and the sheet is discharged to each tray.

[0012]

According to the apparatus of the present invention having the above-described configuration, a sheet conveyed to the sheet post-processing apparatus can be moved in an arbitrary direction while being conveyed on a convey path shared by the staple mode and the non-staple mode. A curl is formed on the surface. In the staple mode, for example, a downward curl is formed at the rear end of the sheet along the paper guide that is movable by mode switching, and the sheet is carried out to the staple tray that is the first conveyance path. Therefore, at the time of sheet alignment, the rear end of the sheet does not escape upward, and the alignment at the rear end regulating plate is improved. Also, in the non-staple mode, for example, an upward curl is formed at the leading end of the sheet and discharged to the stacking tray which is the second transport path. At this time, since the leading end is curled upward, good stacking performance can be obtained without being caught by the sheet discharged to the stacking tray.

[0013]

1 is a block diagram of a sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a copier body and a post-processing apparatus.
The sheet post-processing device 41 according to the present invention is provided in the copying machine main body 1 as a main body device. This copier body 1
Is a type of automatic document feeder for transporting the document M onto the document table 3 of the copying machine body 1 (RDH-Recir
culating Document Handler: Circulating document handler)
Is provided.

The copying machine body 1 is provided with the platen glass 37 at the upper end thereof.
An optical system 38 including a light source lamp, a mirror, and a lens, and a photosensitive drum 39 are disposed below the light source lamp. The optical system 38 optically scans the original M delivered to the original platen glass 37 by the RDH 31 with the light emitted from the light source lamp, and reflects the reflected light via the respective mirrors and lenses to the photosensitive drum 39. By irradiating an exposure point on the surface, the original M is placed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 39 uniformly charged by the main charger 40.
The electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image is developed as a toner image by the developing device 41, and this toner image is
0 is transferred to the sheet S, and the sheet S is peeled off from the photosensitive drum 10 by the peeling charger.

A sheet conveying path 42 for conveying the sheet S to the photosensitive drum 39 is provided above the photosensitive drum 39. An upstream side of the sheet conveying path 42
A supply table for supplying the sheet S, a sheet cassette, and a sheet deck are provided. On the other hand, on the downstream side of the sheet conveyance path 42, a conveyance belt 43 for conveying the sheet S to which the toner image has been transferred, and a fixing device 44 for fixing the toner image onto the sheet S are provided.

Further, on the downstream side of the fixing device 44,
A deflector 47 is provided to switch the transport direction of the sheet S between the direction of the sheet post-processing device 45 and the re-transport path 46. The re-conveyance path serves as a circulation path for conveying the sheet S, on which the toner image has been transferred by the photosensitive drum 39, to the photosensitive drum 39 again.
Are provided to enable double-sided transfer to the sheet S.

The RDH has a document tray 50 at the top.
A paper feed belt 49 on one side of the document tray 50;
A paper feed belt 34 is provided on the platen glass 3, and these are connected by a platen conveyance path 35 to form a circulation path. The RDH is the document tray 5
The original M stacked on the original M is sent out onto the original table glass 37 by the feed belt 49, and the original M
1, the document is positioned at a predetermined position on the document table glass 37, and is returned to the document tray 50 after the document scanning by the optical system 38 is completed.

In the copying machine described above, the copied sheet is received and post-processed (for example, stapling).
The configuration of the sheet post-processing for performing the operation will be briefly described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 1 denotes a stacking tray for stacking sheets discharged from the main body of the copying machine after performing a predetermined post-processing in the non-staple mode and in the staple mode. Reference numeral 4 denotes a movable paper guide, which has a role of guiding a sheet conveyed from the copying machine main body in a target direction. Reference numeral 5 denotes a gate, which is interlocked with the movable paper guide 4. In the non-staple mode, the gate 5 opens, and the sheet passes between the rollers 6. In the staple mode, the gate 5 is closed, the space between the rollers 6 is shielded, and the sheet passes over the gate.
Reference numeral 22 denotes a pressure correction cushion roller, and reference numeral 23 denotes a curl correction conveyance roller. In the non-staple mode, the cushion roller 22 and the conveyance roller 23 are in pressure contact with each other to curl the passing sheet downward. Reference numeral 20 denotes a curl correcting belt according to the present invention, and 21 denotes a curl correcting pressure roller.
With the belt 20 and the pressure roll 21 having elastic force,
Apply an upward curl to the sheet. Reference numeral 8 denotes a staple processing tray on which sheets guided by a paper guide are stacked in the staple mode. The sheet pusher 7 on the staple processing tray 8 moves the staple-processed sheet in the staple mode, and the pusher 7 moves upward on the staple processing tray.
By pushing up, the sheet passes over the gate 5 and is discharged to the stacking tray 1. Reference numeral 10 denotes a paddle, which assists alignment of the trailing edge of the sheet on the stapling tray with the restraining plate 9. The flow of the sheet post-processing according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. First, in the staple mode, the movable paper guide 4 and the gate 5 are positioned in the state shown in FIG. 1 by the rotation of the motor 29 in order to guide the sheet carried out from the copying machine main body to the staple tray 8. ing. Therefore, the transport roller 23 and the cushion roller 22 are in pressure contact with each other.

A transport path R is formed facing a carry-in port for receiving a sheet subjected to copy processing discharged from the copying machine main body, and a transport mechanism constituting the curl forming means of the present invention in the transport path R. Q is provided. This transport mechanism Q
Is composed of an endless belt 20 stretched between rollers to convey a sheet, and a pressure roller 21 pressed against the upper part of the belt to form an upward curl. As the sheet passes through the conveyance mechanism, as shown in FIG. 3, the surface portion is conveyed by being pressed from above by the pressing roller 21, so that the sheet acts to deform upward. . Therefore, an upward curl is formed on the sheet.

A transport roller 23 for forming a downward curl according to the present invention is provided on the downstream side (leftward in the figure) of the transport mechanism Q where the sheet is transported. The transport roller 23 is configured to press the cushion roller 22 with an appropriate pressing force when a downward curl is generated. At the time of pressure contact, the periphery of the cushion roller 22 is deformed along the transport roller 23,
It is formed of an elastic member such as a sponge so as to bite. Thus, as the sheet passes between the rollers, the sheet curls downward and is conveyed, as shown in FIG. The transport roller 23, the cushion roller 22, and the transport mechanism Q constitute a sheet transport unit, and also constitute a curl forming unit for forming a sheet in an arbitrary direction of curl.

On the other hand, on the downstream side of the transport roller 23,
A post-process is performed on the conveyed sheet, for example, a first conveyance path for conveying to a staple tray 8 for stapling, or a second conveyance path for conveying the conveyed sheet to a stacking tray 1 for sequentially stacking the conveyed sheets. A movable paper guide 4 for switching to a transport path is provided rotatably about a shaft 14. A discharge roller 6 for feeding the conveyed sheet as it is to the stacking tray 1 is provided corresponding to the leading end of the movable paper guide 4. In order to restrict the conveyance of the sheet to the discharge roller 6, a movable gate 5 is provided which is mounted on the same axis as the roller 6.

The movable paper guide 4 is movable in conjunction with the gate 5, and guides the sheet between the discharge rollers 6 when the sheet is directly transported to the stacking tray 1 in the non-staple mode. For this purpose, the gate 5 guides the sheet guided through the movable paper guide 4 to the discharge roller 6 without blocking between the discharge rollers 6, and discharges the sheet to the stacking tray 1. In the staple mode, the movable paper guide 4 is moved to the position shown in FIG. 5 in order to guide the sheet conveyed to the staple tray 8, and the gate 5 is moved in conjunction with the position shown in FIG.
Move to the position shown in. Thereby, the discharge roller 6
The gap between a and 6b is closed by the gate 5, the sheet guided by the movable paper guide 4 is guided to the staple tray 8, and the rear end of the sheet is carried out, so that the rear end of the sheet is lowered by its own weight. Fall in the direction.

FIGS. 5, 6, 7, and 8 show an example of an interlocking mechanism of the movable paper guide 4, the associated cushion roller 22, and the gate 5 that moves in conjunction with each other.
It will be described according to. The movable paper guide 4 has a shaft 14 rotatably supported between frames (not shown) arranged on both sides for constituting a sheet post-processing apparatus. The gate 5 is connected to a rotation shaft 15 of the discharge roller 6.
Are provided so as to be rotatable with respect to. The rotation shaft 15 is also rotatably supported between the frames.

In order to make the movable paper guide 4 and the gate 5 interlock, a switching arm 24 formed in a U shape is fixed to a shaft 29 rotatably supported by the frame. . A stepping motor 29 capable of rotating in the forward and reverse directions is directly connected to the shaft 29, and rotates the switching arm 24 in either direction. One end 24a of the switching arm 24 is in contact with a part of the movable paper guide 4 as shown in the figure, and the other end 24b is engaged with a pin 5x protruding from the gate 5 and provided. Recess 24c is formed.
In particular, the gate 5 has a pin 5x whose switching arm 2
In order to maintain the coupling relationship with the recess 24c of FIG. 4, the spring is biased in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. Switching arm 2
A sensor detection plate 25 for detecting the position of the interlocking portion 24 is fixed to the shaft 29 of the fourth member 4.
2 which constitutes the detecting means facing the free end of the sensor 2
6 are arranged.

In the above-described interlocking mechanism, the motor and the shaft 29 are controlled based on a detection signal from the sensor 26, and the gate 5 and the movable paper guide 4 are moved to the positions shown in FIG. 5 to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. When the sensor detection plate 25 blocks the optical path of the sensor 26, the rotation of the motor 29 is stopped based on the signal, and stops at the position shown in FIG. Further, when the non-staple mode is set from this position, as shown in FIG. 6, the motor 29 rotates clockwise, which is opposite to the above, so that the switching arm 24 also rotates clockwise.
Thereby, the gate 5 is rotated upward by a spring (not shown), and the movable paper guide 4 is lowered by its own weight. Therefore, when there is no support of the switching arm 24, the movable paper guide 4 is designed to set a fulcrum so that the left portion in the figure descends by its own weight, or to design the left portion to be heavy. The sensor detection plate 25 is a sensor 26
When the motor 29 is stopped at a position shown in FIG. 6 after a lapse of a predetermined time from the point when the sheet passes through the optical path, the conveyed sheet is guided between the discharge rollers 6.

The movable paper guide 4 is provided with a cushion roller 22 which is brought into pressure contact with the transport roller 23. Therefore, by the above operation in the staple mode,
When the left part of the movable paper guide in the figure rises, the cushion roller 22 installed on the right part of the movable paper guide in the figure is pressed against the conveying roller 23,
The sheet shown in FIG. 4 is curled downward. In the non-staple mode, since the cushion roller 22 and the transport roller 23 are separated from each other, the above-described downward curling process is not performed.

On the other hand, on the staple tray 8, a rear end regulating plate 9 for regulating the rear end of the sheet falling by its own weight and aligning the rear end is disposed on the staple tray surface. A paddle 10 serving as a support unit for aligning the trailing edge of the falling sheet with the regulating plate 9 is disposed so as to face the regulating plate 9. The Padra 10
Is rotatably supported with its rotation axis between the frames,
The sheet is fed in the direction of the regulating plate 9 by a drive motor (not shown), and its rear end is aligned with the regulating plate 9. As shown in FIG. 8, an assembly regulating plate 13 that regulates one side of the sheet is fixed on the staple tray 8 in a direction perpendicular to the sheet alignment direction by the regulating plate 9. The side edges of the sheet are aligned with the movable regulating plate that moves on the staple tray 8 (not shown) so as to face the assembly regulating plate 13.

A cutout is formed in the staple tray 8 along the sheet conveying direction. In this cutout, a part of the pusher 7 is disposed so as to protrude above the surface of the staple tray 8. The lower portion of the pusher 7 is located on the lower surface of the staple tray 8, and is connected to a moving mechanism 16 (FIG. 1) for moving the pusher 7 along the cutout. This moving mechanism 16
For example, it is configured as a belt (chain) stretched between pulleys (or gears), and the lower end of the pusher 7 is fixed to a part of the belt. Thereby, the pusher 7 moves along the rotation direction of the pulley via the belt by the rotation of the pulley.

Although not shown, the stapler unit is arranged at an appropriate position on the staple tray 8, and the regulation plate 9 and the pusher 7 are arranged so as not to be located at the portion of the stapler.

In order to supplement the configuration of the sheet post-processing apparatus having the above configuration, its operation will be described below in relation to a copying operation. In FIG. 2, when the original is set on the RDH on the copier, the number of copies is input, and the copy is started, the original is conveyed to the original platen 3 from the bottom of the set original on 32, that is, the original of the last page, and copied. Processing is performed. At this time, if the staple mode is selected, in the sheet post-processing apparatus, in FIG. 1, the paper guide 4 moves in a direction to guide the sheet to the first transport path side of the staple tray 8 and the gate 5 6 in a direction to close the path. When the copied sheet having completed the copy process is sent from the copying machine main body through the sheet carry-in port of the sheet post-processing apparatus, the sheet is conveyed by the conveying means of the sheet post-processing apparatus. At this time,
As shown in FIG. 3, an upward curl is formed by the belt and the roller. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4, a downward curl is formed on the sheet fed between the sponge roller 22 and the transport roller 23. When this sheet is conveyed to a staple tray via a paper guide, and the trailing edge passes through a roller and falls on the tray, the sheet slides down on the staple tray by its own weight to the trailing edge regulating plate, and the paddle 9 With this operation, the rear end of the sheet is aligned with the rear end regulating plate.

The second and subsequent originals are sequentially placed on the original platen 3
The copying operation of these originals is sequentially performed, and the above-described operation is repeated on the copied sheets, so that the sheets are sequentially stacked on the staple tray 8 and the trailing edge is adjusted to the trailing edge regulating plate. 9 aligned. In this case, since the sheet is curled downward, the rear end of the sheet is directed to the staple tray 8 side, so that the sheets are aligned and aligned in a state of being stacked by the rear end regulating plate 9. In particular, by sequentially stacking the sheets from the upper portion, the curl state of the lower sheet is corrected by the sheet's own weight, and the lift due to the curl gradually decreases. Therefore, the rear end of the sheet rises from the rear end regulating plate 9 and faces the staple tray 8 without causing alignment failure, so that the sheet is reliably aligned by the rear end regulating plate 9.

Then, the last page of each set of the originals and the uppermost original at the time of the first setting of the pawl are conveyed, and the copy sheet is discharged to the staple tray 8 of the sheet post-processing apparatus. When the sheets are aligned by the trailing edge regulating plate 9, the stapler operates, stapling of one copy sheet bundle corresponding to the set document bundle is completed, and the stapled copy sheet bundle is placed on the stacking tray. It is discharged to 1 by the operation of the pusher 7.

The above operation is repeated until a predetermined number of copies of the original document are circulated and conveyed, and this operation is repeated until this operation is completed.

Next, the operation of conveying a copied sheet in the state where the non-staple mode is set will be described. When this mode is set, as shown in FIG.
The movable paper guide 4 is moved to a position where the sheet is guided in the direction of the transport roller 6, and is moved to a position where the gate 5 has released the shielding of the transport roller 6. Thus, the sponge roller 22 is separated from the transport roller 23.

In the above state, when the copied sheet is conveyed into the sheet post-processing apparatus, the sheet is curled upward by the transport belt 20 and the pressure roller 21 as shown in FIG. It is guided between the transport rollers 6 along the movable paper guide 4. Then, the sheet is sent to the stacking tray 1 by the sheet conveying action of the conveying roller 6. At this time, since a curl in the upward direction is formed at the leading end of the sheet, the leading end of the sheet collides with the surface of the loading tray 1 and does not curl inward.
It is discharged smoothly along the surface. Therefore, when the trailing end of the sheet passes between the transport rollers 6, the sheet falls on the stacking tray 1 in the lower direction, and enters the lower roller 6b of the transport roller 6 along the rotation direction of the roller. Further, even when a large number of sheets are stacked on the stacking tray 1, it is possible to prevent the leading edge of the sheets from being caught on the stacked sheets, thereby preventing a failure in carrying out.

As described above, when the copy sheet is discharged to the stacking tray 1 without performing the stapling process or the like, the leading edge of the sheet is not caught and the discharge is not obstructed at the time of the discharge. At the same time as the sheet can be discharged, the trailing edge of the sheet can be accurately aligned with the outer wall of the sheet finishing apparatus.

According to the above embodiment, the sheet can be curled downward in the staple mode in order to avoid the problem of misalignment during stapling. Further, in the non-staple mode, the paper can be discharged with an upward curl in order to prevent a loading failure on the loading tray 1.

As described in the above-described embodiment of the present invention, upward curl in the non-staple mode and downward curl in the staple mode are suitable for the respective specifications. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, when the sheet is not stapled, the rear end of the sheet is flat or curled downward.
Since the roller smoothly enters the aligning roller 6b, the performance is more stable. Further, in the staple mode, in the case of a sheet shorter than the staple processing tray length, if the leading end of the sheet is curled upward, the sheet discharge space becomes narrow as shown in FIG. 10 and a jam may occur. Further, when the sheet is thin paper, if a downward curl occurs, the sheet may be curled on the stacking tray and the staple tray. Therefore, when thin paper is selected for the sheet, the sheet may be output with an upward curl regardless of the mode. From the above, it is considered effective to curl the sheet at the leading end and the trailing end in different directions as shown in FIG.

Therefore, in order to solve the above problem, as shown in FIGS. 12, 13, and 14, the solenoid 31 is used to make the leading and trailing ends of the sheet smaller.
It is possible to set curls in different directions. This will be described with reference to FIGS. The differences from the embodiment of FIG. 1 are as follows. Since the movable paper guide 4 and the cushion roller 22 are installed independently of each other, they are not driven. In other words, the cushion roller 22 has a roller shaft 18 held by the bearing 17 on an upper guide 19 that forms a transport path.
At 3, it is biased downward. One end of a switching lever 30 that rotates about a fulcrum 34 is connected to a lower portion of the shaft 18 of the cushion roller, and a solenoid 31 is connected to the other end. Therefore, the solenoid 31
Is turned on, the switching lever 30 rotates around the shaft 34 in the clockwise direction in FIG. Thereby, the shaft 35 of the cushion roller is lifted upward against the biasing direction of the spring 32, and accordingly the cushion roller 22 moves upward and separates from the transport roller 23. When the solenoid 31 is turned off, the cushion roller 22 is pressed against the conveyance roller 23 by the urging force of the spring 32.

As shown in FIG. 12, the sensor 33 is installed upstream of the cushion roller 22 and the conveying roller 23, that is, on the right side of FIG. 12, and the sensor 34 is installed at the entrance of the sheet post-processing apparatus. These sensors 33, 34
The ON / OFF timing of the solenoid is controlled at the timing from. As shown in FIG. 9, for processing in the non-staple mode with a normal thickness, it is suitable to set the front end of the sheet to curl upward and the rear end to curl downward, and this is taken as an example. When the leading end of the sheet conveyed from the copying machine is detected by the sensor 34, the solenoid 31 is turned on. Thereby, the cushion roller 2
2 is separated from the transport roller. The solenoid 31 is turned off when it is detected that the sheet has passed the conveyance path and the rear end of the sheet has passed the sensor 33. When the solenoid 31 is turned off, the cushion roller 22 comes into pressure contact with the conveyance roller 23, so that a downward curl is formed at the rear end of the sheet. As a result, it is possible to form a sheet in which the leading end portion of the sheet has an upward curl and the trailing end portion has a downward curl. If the staple mode is selected, the movable paper guide 4 is rotated clockwise, whereby the gate 5 is also rotated clockwise, and the curled sheets are stacked on the staple processing tray 8. You.
When the non-staple mode is selected, the movable paper guide 4 and the gate 5 rotate counterclockwise, and the curled sheet passes between the discharge rollers 6 and is discharged onto the stacking tray 1. become.

In FIG. 11, when the sheet to be used is thin, it is preferable to form an upward curl regardless of the staple mode / non-staple mode.
This is because a thin sheet is weak and often curls downward on the stacking tray and the staple tray. Therefore, if thin paper is selected,
Regardless of the mode, the cushion roller 22 and the transport roller 23 are always separated. That is, the solenoid is always turned on. Then, in the staple / non-staple mode, the sheet is moved and conveyed to the movable paper guide and the gate. Thus, the sheet is conveyed to each tray without curling. When the sheet length is short in the staple mode, as shown in FIG. 10, when the leading end of the sheet stacked on the staple tray is curled upward, the sheet discharged from between the cushion roller 22 and the transport roller 23 is There is a problem that the sheet is caught on a sheet on the staple tray. Therefore, when a short sheet is selected in the staple mode, the entire sheet is curled downward. That is,
Good stack performance can be obtained by performing the processing while the solenoid is always in the OFF state.

As described above, in this embodiment using the solenoid, the optimal curl direction can be set according to various modes and sheet types, and good performance can be obtained.

[0043]

According to the present invention, good stacking performance can be obtained according to various modes and sheet types. Since the curl direction can be set arbitrarily, each mode,
Good stacking performance can be obtained according to the material and size of the sheet. In addition, the curl direction can be switched with a configuration substantially similar to that of the related art, and implementation can be performed simply and at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a copying machine and a sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a means for forming an upward curl.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a means for forming a downward curl.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view near a gate in a staple mode.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view near a gate in a non-staple mode.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a gate in a staple mode.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view near a gate in a non-staple mode.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a problem near a gate in a non-staple mode.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a problem that occurs when a short sheet is used in the staple mode.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an optimal curl state according to the size and thickness of a sheet.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a sheet post-processing apparatus using a solenoid according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view around a solenoid in an embodiment using a solenoid.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view around a solenoid in an embodiment using a solenoid.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a conventional example of a sheet post-processing apparatus that switches a conveyance path by a deflector.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a conventional example of a sheet post-processing apparatus in which a paper guide moves and switches a conveyance path in a non-staple mode.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional example in a staple mode of a sheet post-processing apparatus in which a paper guide moves and switches a conveyance path.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a problem in a non-staple mode in a conventional example.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a problem in a staple mode in a conventional example.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a problem around a staple unit in a staple mode in a conventional example.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a problem around a pusher in a staple mode in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1. Loading tray 2. Transport roller 3. Transport roller 4. Movable paper guide Gate 6. Discharge roller 7. Pusher 8. Staple processing tray 9. Rear end regulating plate 10. Padra 11. Stapler unit 12. Matching plate 13. Matching control plate 14. Paper guide rotation axis 15. Discharge roller rotating shaft 16. Pusher moving mechanism 17. Cushion roller bearing section 18. Cushion roller shaft 19. Guide 20. Belt for curl formation 21. Pressure roller for curl formation 22. Cushion roller 23. Transport roller 24. Switching arm 25. Sensor detection plate 26. Sensor 27. Stepping motor (upper roller) 28. Stepping motor (lower roller) 29. Stepping motor (switching arm) 30. Switching lever 31. Solenoid 32. Pressure spring 33. Sensor 34. Sensor 35. Switching lever rotation axis 36.

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A post-processing apparatus for receiving a recording-processed sheet from an apparatus for recording image information, wherein the post-processing apparatus is provided on a conveying path of a sheet shared in a post-processing mode or a non-post-processing mode for a recorded sheet. A curl forming means for curling the sheet in an arbitrary direction, and guiding the sheet after the curl formation by the curl forming means to a first conveying path in the post-processing mode or a second conveying path in the non-post-processing mode. Path switching means for performing
Alternatively, a sheet post-processing apparatus for discharging a curled sheet in an arbitrary direction to a second transport path. 2. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the curl forming unit forms the curl direction in an optimum direction according to the thickness and length of the sheet to be processed. 3. A post-processing device for receiving a recording-processed sheet from an apparatus for recording image information, a conveying unit for conveying the sheet after recording, and a sheet feeding direction provided in a conveying path of the conveying unit. Switching, a processing tray that performs stapling, or a switching unit that guides the sheet to the stacking tray as it is without performing stapling, a unit that is arranged in the transport path and performs a curl process in any direction on the sheet, A sheet post-processing apparatus including a control unit that controls a sheet curl direction according to a feeding direction by the switching unit.