JP3372573B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, a printer, a printing machine, and more particularly to a recording apparatus having a bookbinding machine capable of saddle stitching.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a sheet on which recording has been completed by a recording apparatus is subjected to various processing as so-called post-processing thereafter. For example, there are various methods such as punching, stapling with staples (referred to as staples or stitches), attaching a cover, attaching glue, attaching back tape (also referred to as marble attachment), folding, stamping, and the like. These have been processed by manual machines or off-line automatic machines for a long time, but they have been gradually connected directly to a recording device and can be processed efficiently.

By the way, as shown in FIG.
For the bookbinding by stapling, so-called flat stitching in which one or a plurality of places near the edges or side edges of the sheets are bound, and FIG.
24B, generally, a plurality of places in the central portion of the sheet are bound (saddle stitch), and as shown in FIG.
There is so-called saddle-stitching that is folded from the center to make it look like a weekly paper. This saddle-stitching fold is frequently used because it is easy to bind a relatively small number of recording sheets and has a high quality as a book, but there are few cases in which it is directly connected to a recording device. This is because the order of recorded pages is complicated, the type of finishing with saddle-stitching is not enough, the size may be larger than the recording device, and the degree of freedom in space usage is low. However, due to the digitization of recording (because data can be written out from a multi-page memory), it has become possible to easily control the order of recording pages.

As a recording apparatus of this type, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-2
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 62772 (hereinafter, referred to as the first publication) discloses that after recording, the sheets are folded, then again developed and stacked to form a saddle shape, and then saddle stitching is performed.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-52154 (hereinafter referred to as "second publication") discloses a document copy order for saddle-stitching and display of document placement on a platen. Has been done.

Further, Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-12513 (hereinafter referred to as the third publication) discloses that the paper after recording is selected to be folded or not folded depending on the size.

Further, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 1-117174 (hereinafter referred to as "fourth publication") discloses that the folding stopper is moved in response to the input of size data of irregularly shaped paper.

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64-32271 (hereinafter referred to as "Fifth Publication") discloses that after the folding is performed, the sheet size is measured, the folding position is detected, and the stopper is used based on the data. A device that automatically adjusts the position has been proposed. The fifth publication discloses that the folding length is measured in the time from when the rear end passes through the first pass sensor to when the front end reaches the second pass sensor.

[0009]

By the way, various conventional apparatus for folding a recorded sheet have been proposed and realized since long ago. The most important characteristic of this folding device is the dimensional accuracy of the finished product. That is, it is necessary to fold it at an accurate position, but this position varies depending on the characteristics of the paper.

For example, when the fed sheet hits the stopper, it buckles from the middle portion of the sheet, is gripped by the pair of folding rollers from that portion, and is conveyed to the upper right in the figure, and the folding is completed. By the way, the distance from the leading edge of the sheet to the folding position varies depending on the stiffness of the sheet. The sheet undergoes some deformation (elasticity) between the stopper and the folding roller until the leading edge of the sheet comes into contact with the stopper and is further fed into the folding roller by the force thereof. This deformation differs depending on the paper, and the way the buckling of the folding portion progresses also differs depending on the paper. As a result, the folding position differs depending on the paper even at the same stopper position. Therefore, conventionally, a highly skilled operator has repeatedly fine-tuned, for example, the stopper position while repeatedly performing trial folding, but this poses a problem in terms of time, personnel, and cost efficiency. In addition, it was difficult to use both side-to-side binding and it was necessary to fold it again when stacking, resulting in low efficiency. Further, when folding a large number of sheets, the sensor detects the inner sheet at the rear edge and the outer sheet at the leading edge, which causes a problem in measurement accuracy such as a difference in measured value depending on the number of sheets. It was

Further, since the saddle-stitching and folding binding machine has a binding function, it is desirable to also use this for the side binding (edge binding) which has been generally performed conventionally.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a first object thereof is to save space and reduce cost by using a stapler and a saddle stitcher, which are most frequently used, in one device and a stapler. , Stable operation with good operability, and stacking at the side stitching and saddle stitching joint position, and side stitching at that position, saddle stitching by moving a predetermined amount of paper in the above positional relationship and binding both sides, Stable stack for binding,
It is to provide a recording apparatus that realizes stapling.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a paper clamp on a stack reference member to be moved when moving the paper, and clamp the paper to move the paper, thereby causing the paper to be dispersed and misaligned due to the movement. It is to provide a recording device that prevents the above.

A third object of the present invention is to define the first to fourth sheet conveying paths so that the sheet can be discharged without post-processing, side-stitched or not, and saddle-stitched or not. An object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus that is compact and can be realized at low cost.

A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a post-processed sheet by providing a pressing member as a tray different from the other stacks, at least after stacking the paper stacks among several kinds of post-processed papers. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus having a plurality of paper discharge trays having a stacking performance suitable for each characteristic of the above.

A fifth object of the present invention is to stack folded finishes and non-folded finishes on a common tray, and provide a pressing member that works only on the folded sheets, so that optimal and stable sheet discharge stacking characteristics are provided for each. It is to provide a low-cost, space-saving recording device.

A sixth object of the present invention is to provide a compact and low-cost flat panel by using most of the stacking tray for binding as a sheet discharging path and providing a folding device that works on the tray during the sheet discharging operation. An object of the present invention is to provide a recording device having a binding and saddle stitching binding function.

A seventh object of the present invention is to provide the above-mentioned paper discharge path with a belt along the binding tray, and by providing a roller for pressing the folding roller together with the belt on the back surface of the belt, on the binding tray. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording device that improves the folding performance.

An eighth object of the present invention is to make it possible to arrange or move stoppers for folding at a plurality of positions so that sheets of different sizes can be side-stitched or saddle-stitched and can also be folded. An object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus that realizes highly accurate folding by controlling the position of the folding stopper based on a signal.

A ninth object of the present invention is to provide a guide plate facing a binding tray or a paper discharge path (tray) between a folding roller and a stopper so that the tray or the tray can be folded or folded at the time of folding as compared with the ejection or stacking at the time of flat binding. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus that can reduce the amount of buckling of a sheet at the time of folding by narrowing the gap between the discharge path surface and a stable function under both conditions.

A tenth object of the present invention is to realize highly accurate folding by controlling the position of the folding stopper based on the characteristic signal of the sheet, and to perform highly accurate folding regardless of the number of folded sheets. In addition, when performing folding of different sizes, there is a difference in the distance between the stopper and the folding roller, so a recording device that achieves high-precision folding regardless of size even with the same paper quality and the same number of sheets. To provide.

An eleventh object of the present invention is to relate the movements of the binding reference member and the folding stopper to
An object of the present invention is to provide a recording device that realizes bookbinding in which the binding and folding positions are accurately matched.

A twelfth object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus which realizes bookbinding in which the positions of the two are accurately matched even depending on the conditions of the paper.

A thirteenth object of the present invention is to set the recording page order and the stack surface orientation in both the side stitching mode and the saddle stitching mode in the combination of the recording mode and the binding mode of the recording apparatus in which the binding and binding machine is connected online. By prescribing
An object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus that contributes to cost reduction, speedup, and space saving by enabling a stapler and a staple tray of a type that inserts staples from the upper side of the stack to be commonly used in both binding modes.

A fourteenth object of the present invention is to specify the order of recording pages in both the side-stitching and saddle-stitching modes, and the upper and lower directions of recording surfaces when recording sheets are stacked, so that the recording sheets can be printed from the bottom side of the stack. A stapler type stapler and a staple tray can be commonly used in both binding modes, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus that contributes to low cost and space saving.

[0026]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The first object is to provide a stack tray which is inclined and stacks recorded sheets, and stacks the sheets so that the stack tray moves in the upward direction. A paper discharging device for conveying and discharging,
The first position, which is the uppermost position near the lower part of the sheet discharging device, and the second position, which moves downward along the stack tray surface,
A sheet stack reference member capable of taking a position, a driving section for driving the binding staple on one side into the sheet by sandwiching the stack tray surface provided adjacent to the first position, and a driving section for driving the sheet on the other side. First means having a stapler constituted by a bending portion for bending the staples separated so that the paper can move between them, and an ejecting device for conveying and ejecting the paper on the stack tray above the stack tray. Achieved by The first purpose is to provide a stack tray that is inclined and stacks recorded sheets, and a sheet discharging device that conveys and discharges sheets so that the stack tray moves in the upward direction. Adjacent to the first position, a paper stack reference member that can take a first position, which is the uppermost position near the lower part of the paper discharging device, and a second position that moves downward along the stack tray surface. The stacking tray is provided between the stacking tray surface and the stapled portion on one side for driving the stapled sheet into the sheet, and the bending section for bending the stapled sheet on the other side are separated so that the sheet can be moved between them. And a first mode in which the above-mentioned sheet stack reference member is set to a first position to stack recording sheets and then staple at that position. Serial After the paper stack reference member was a stack of recording paper is set to the first position, the second to perform stapling after the move the reference member to a second position to displace the sheet
This is achieved by a second means which has a control device which controls the mode and.

The above-mentioned second object is, in the second means,
This is achieved by a third means which has a clamp section for clamping the stacked sheets of the sheet stack reference member, and moves the sheet while the sheets are clamped by the clamp section.

The third purpose is to provide a first conveying path for guiding and conveying the sheet discharged from the recording apparatus directly to the sheet discharging section in the recording apparatus capable of side-stitching and saddle-stitching recorded sheets by a stapler. A second transport path for guiding and transporting the paper discharged from the recording device to the binding position by the stapler; a paper position regulating device for performing saddle stitching or side stitching by controlling the relative position of the stapler and the paper; A third transport path for guiding and transporting the paper from the binding position to the paper discharge unit, a folding device provided on the third transport path and capable of performing a select operation for folding the paper into at least two, and the folding device. And a fourth transport path for guiding and transporting the paper to the paper discharge unit.

The above-mentioned fourth object is, in the fourth means,
This is achieved by a fifth means in which the discharge section is composed of a plurality of trays, and the discharge tray corresponding to the fourth transport path has a pressing member for pressing the sheets stacked on the tray from above. To be done.

A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus having a first recording mode for ejecting a recorded sheet by folding it at least and a second recording mode for ejecting the sheet at least without post-processing. A discharge tray for stacking sheets discharged in the mode, a pressing device capable of pressing the stacked sheets on the discharge tray, and the pressing device operate in the first recording mode, and the second recording And a control device for controlling so that the mode does not operate or the pressure is light.

A sixth object of the present invention is, in a recording apparatus capable of saddle stitching a recorded sheet by a stapler, having a substantially flat shape, and changing the relative position of the stapler and the sheet in accordance with the saddle stitching, so that the sheet can be changed. Staple tray for stacking sheets, a first discharging device arranged along the staple tray where the sheets on the staple tray are conveyed to a discharging part, and a discharging path facing the discharging path of the first discharging device A pair of folding rollers, a stopper that can be selectively positioned inside or outside the first discharge path and that cooperates with the folding roller to fold the sheet, and the discharging roller from the folding roller. This is achieved by a seventh means including a second discharging device that conveys the paper to the paper unit.

The seventh object is, in the seventh means,
The first discharging device includes a belt device along the staple tray, and further has an eighth means having a pressing roller which can be selectively pressed from the back surface of the belt to one of the pair of folding rollers together with the belt. To be achieved.

The eighth object is a recording apparatus capable of binding recorded sheets with a stapler, which is substantially flat, and the relative positions of the stapler and the sheets can be changed according to the binding, and the sheets are stacked. A staple tray, a first discharge device arranged along the staple tray where the paper on the staple tray is conveyed to the discharge part, and a discharge path formed by the first discharge device. A pair of folding rollers, a stopper that can be selectively positioned in the first discharge path or outside the first discharge path and cooperates with the folding rollers to fold a sheet, and from the folding rollers to the paper discharge unit. The stopper is achieved by a ninth means which comprises a second discharging device for conveying the paper to and which can take a plurality of positions along the discharging path.

A ninth object is a recording apparatus capable of saddle-stitching a recorded sheet by a stapler, which is substantially flat, and the relative position of the stapler and the sheet can be changed in accordance with the saddle stitching. Staple tray for stacking sheets, a first discharging device arranged along the staple tray where the sheets on the staple tray are conveyed to a discharging part, and a discharging path facing the discharging path of the first discharging device A pair of folding rollers, a stopper that can be selectively positioned inside or outside the first discharge path and that cooperates with the folding roller to fold the sheet, and the discharging roller from the folding roller. The first discharging device includes a belt device along the staple tray, and the second discharging device conveys the paper to the paper unit. A pressure roller that can be selectively pressed against one of the pair of folding rollers is provided, and a guide plate that faces the belt is provided. This is achieved by the tenth means which can take a second position with a small distance.

The tenth purpose is a tray for stacking recorded sheets, a conveying device for conveying a plurality of sheets stacked on the tray while overlapping each other, and a stopper for preventing the progress of the recorded sheets. A folding device that folds a sheet in cooperation with the stopper, a stopper drive device that displaces the stopper in the forward and backward directions of the sheet, and a signal relating to the number of sheets and / or characteristics such as paper quality and size. This is achieved by an eleventh means having a signal generator for generation and a controller for controlling the stopper drive device based on a signal from the signal generator.

The eleventh purpose is to define a tray for stacking recorded sheets, a stapler for binding the sheets stacked on the tray, and a relative relationship between the stapler and the sheets on the tray to regulate the sheet size. A sheet binding reference member that allows the center to be bound, a first driving member that displaces the reference member along the tray surface, a transport device that transports the bound sheets, and a stopper that blocks the progress of the sheets. , A folding device that cooperates with the stopper to fold the paper into at least two, a second driving device that displaces the stopper in the front-back direction of the paper, and an instruction to operate the first or second driving device. And a control device for controlling the second or first drive device which is the reverse of the above in relation to the command signal.

The twelfth purpose is to define a tray for stacking recorded sheets, a stapler for binding the sheets stacked on the tray, a relative relationship between the stapler and the sheets on the tray, and to control the sheets. A sheet binding reference member that allows the center to be bound, a first driving member that displaces the reference member along the tray surface, a transport device that transports the bound sheets, and a stopper that blocks the progress of the sheets. , A folding device that cooperates with the stopper to fold the paper into at least two, a second drive device that displaces the stopper in the front-back direction of the paper, and a command to operate the first or second drive device A first signal generator device, a controller for controlling the second or first drive device, which is the opposite of the above in relation to the command signal, and a second signal relating to the number of sheets and / or characteristics. And a generator, is achieved by the second the second on the basis of a signal of the signal generator or the first, thirteenth means adapted to change the control value to the drive unit.

The thirteenth object is a first recording mode in which recording is performed on one side or both sides of the recording sheet, and a second recording mode in which two pages are recorded on each side of the recording sheet.
The sheets recorded in the first recording mode are stacked on the staple tray and the side edges of the sheets are stapled with a stapler of a type that inserts staples from the top of the stack. The first binding mode and the second mode are used. There is a second and binding mode in which sheets are stacked on the staple tray and the center member of the sheets is bound by the stapler. In the first recording mode, recording is performed from the last page of the total recording pages or the last minus one page. Then, when the last page is stacked on the staple tray in order so that the last page is at the bottom, and there is a blank page for recording in the second recording mode, the total number of pages including that page is recorded. Recording is performed from the (2N) th and (2N + 1) th page or the (2N-1) th and (2N + 2) th page as a sheet, and ) And the second (2N + 1) th page are recorded on the staple tray in order so that the surface on which the second (2N + 1) th page is recorded becomes the bottom, and after repeating these over all the recording pages, a control device for controlling to bind in each binding mode is provided. This is achieved by the fourteenth means having.

The fourteenth object is the first recording mode in which recording is performed on one side or both sides of the recording sheet, and the second recording mode in which two pages are recorded on each side of the recording sheet.
A first binding mode in which sheets recorded in the first recording mode are stacked on a staple tray and a side edge of the sheets is bound by a stapler of a type in which a staple is inserted from the lower side of the stack;
There is a second binding mode in which the sheets recorded in the second mode are stacked on the staple tray and the central portion of the sheets is bound by the stapler. In the first recording mode, the first of the total recording pages is recorded. Alternatively, recording is performed from the second page, and the sheets are sequentially stacked on the staple tray so that the first page is at the bottom, and in the second recording mode, if there is a blank page for recording, the total recording including that page is included. First, assuming that the number of sheets for recording the number of pages is N
Then, recording is performed from the (4N) th page or the second and (4N-1) th pages, and the sheets are sequentially stacked on the staple tray so that the side on which the 1st and (4N) th page is recorded becomes the bottom. This is achieved by the fifteenth means having a control device for controlling the binding to be performed in each binding mode after repeating these operations on all pages of recording.

[0040]

With the first means, the reference member which is displaced by the binding motor is provided below the sheet discharging position to the staple tray which is inclined, and the side binding or the saddle stitching is performed and the discharge is set to the upper side. Both binding and saddle stitching modes can be realized with stable performance, space saving, and low cost, and the ability to take out paper from the paper discharge tray is excellent. By the second means, both side-stitching and saddle-stitching are stacked at a fixed position, and the saddle-stitching device is moved after stacking to perform binding, so that stable stacking and stapling performance can be obtained for both types of binding.

By means of the third means, when the sheets are moved for saddle stitching after stacking, they are clamped by the clamper provided on the reference member, so that there is no irregularity of the sheets during movement.

Since the first to fourth sheet conveying paths are defined by the fourth means, the sheet is discharged without post-processing, side-stitched or unfolded, and saddle-stitched. It is possible to realize the five discharge modes of unfolding with or without folding in a compact and low cost.

By the fifth means, at least the folded paper among the several kinds of post-processed paper is discharged to a tray different from the paper which is not post-processed, and the tray is pressed by the pressing member. Since the sheet is provided, it is possible to obtain good stacking performance that matches the respective characteristics of the discharged sheets.

By the sixth means, both sheets are stacked on the same tray, and a pressing member that acts on at least folded sheets is provided on the tray, so that the stacking condition suitable for the sheets in each discharge mode is set to one tray. Can be achieved with
Paper operability can be shared.

By the seventh means, most of the staple tray is also used as a sheet discharge path, and a folding device that operates on the staple tray during the sheet discharge operation is provided, so that the saddle stitch folding is compact and at low cost. can do.

By the eighth means, the paper discharge path is constituted by the belt along the staple tray, and the pressure roller for pressing the belt against the folding roller from the back side of the belt at the time of folding is provided. In addition, the folding device has a stable folding dimension, and a strong sheet propelling force at the time of folding can be obtained by the pressure contact conveyance force of the roller and the belt at the time of folding.

Since the folding stopper can be arranged or moved at a plurality of positions by the ninth means, even sheets of different sizes can be flat-stitched and saddle-stitched, and the stopper can be moved. The stopper can be evacuated from the tray surface discharge path by using, and simple and low cost can be selected from direct binding and saddle stitching.

By the tenth means, since the guide plate whose distance can be changed is provided between the stopper and the folding roller, stacking onto the staple tray and side-stitching discharge are not a hindrance, and paper is not required during folding. It can be folded with high accuracy without buckling.

Since the position of the folding stopper is controlled by the eleventh means based on the characteristic signal of the sheet, it is possible to perform the folding with high accuracy regardless of the type of the sheet. Further, since the position of the folding stopper is controlled on the basis of the number-of-folded-sheets signal, it is possible to fold with high accuracy whether the number of sheets is one or many. Further, since the folding stopper can be set to a plurality of positions depending on the paper size, it is possible to accurately fold paper of various sizes. Further, since the amount of fine adjustment of the folding stopper position depending on the type and number of sheets is made different depending on the sheet size, it is possible to fold any size sheet with higher accuracy.

In the case where saddle-stitching folding is performed by the twelfth means, if the position of either folding or binding is corrected,
Since the other is corrected following it, saddle-stitching can be performed in which folding and binding accurately match.

By the thirteenth means, the relationship between the mutual positional correction amounts of binding and folding is changed according to the characteristics and number of sheets of paper, so that the binding and folding match regardless of the number and type of sheets. The saddle-stitched folding can be performed.

By means of the fourteenth means, the order of recording pages and the direction of the stack surface in both the side stitching mode and the saddle stitching mode are defined, so that the stapler and staple tray of the type in which the staple is inserted from the upper side of the stack is set in the double binding mode. It becomes possible to contribute to low cost and space saving.

The fifteenth means regulates the order of recording pages in both the side-stitching and saddle-stitching modes, and the upper and lower directions of the recording surface when stacking the recorded sheets, so that the staples are inserted from the lower side of the stack. A staple type stapler and a staple tray can be commonly used in both binding modes, which can contribute to low cost and space saving.

[0054]

1 to 6 and 23 show a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a recording apparatus (copier) according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Is an explanatory view showing the whole of the bookbinding apparatus of the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the control device of the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is of the first embodiment of the present invention. Flow chart, FIG. 5 shows the first of the present invention.
6 is an explanatory view showing a main part of the staple tray of the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 23 is an explanatory view showing a modified example of the recording apparatus of the first embodiment of the present invention. is there.

In FIG. 1, the main body of the copying machine includes a photosensitive drum 8, a charging CG 9, a conveyor belt 11 and a cleaning unit 1.
2, fixing unit 13, trays 16A to 16D, double-sided tray 18,
A scanner and the like are provided. 30 is a paper feeding unit,
The trays 31 to 34 are provided.

The original document D set on the circulation type original document conveying device 20 is sent out from the first lower sheet, placed on the platen glass, read by the reading scanner, and then resent on the original document D. To be stacked. The read image of the original is stored in a memory, and written in a desired order by a writing optical device (consisting of a laser diode, a polygon mirror, an Fθ lens, etc.) on a photoconductor. The toner image created through charging, exposure (writing), and development is the tray 16
A to D, 31 to 34 (tray that can be added as an option)
It is transferred to the sheet P sent from the above, and is fixed by the fixing unit 13.

When making a double-sided copy, the paper P is a branch claw A.
Then, the sheet is guided and stacked on the double-sided tray 18, re-fed, transferred to the back side of the image, fixed, and then discharged.

The bookbinding device 4 is connected to the paper discharge port of the main body of the recording device (copying machine). The bookbinding device 4 is provided with a branching claw C, and when the post-processing is unnecessary, the sheet P discharged from the sheet discharge port of the copying machine is guided upward by the branching claw C to the discharge tray 41. Directly discharged.

The bookbinding apparatus 4 is provided with a staple (binding) tray 50 inclined so that the left side in FIG. When the sheet P discharged from the sheet discharge port of the copying machine is guided downward by the branch claw C,
The sheets are stacked on the staple tray 50. The sheet P discharged onto the staple tray 50 is moved by the brush roller 51 by the force of gravity to move the sheet P downward and hit the reference member 52 to stand still. The brush roller 51 may not be provided. At the time of stacking, a plurality of sheets P are stacked at a constant lateral position by a lateral jogger (not shown). The reference member 52 is movable downward along the staple tray 50, and when saddle stitching is performed, the reference member 52 is moved to a position that matches the size.

The stapler 53 holds the staple 70 so that the stack position of the sheets P can be changed, and the side where the staple P is driven into the sheet P is substantially separated from the bending side where the tip of the staple 70 driven into the sheet P is bent. Is configured.

The sheet P is stapled at the upper position during the side binding and at the lower position as described above during the saddle stitching. The stapled paper P is conveyed upward along the staple tray 50 and is ejected to the paper ejection tray 41.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a driving device for the reference member 52.

In FIG. 2, M1 is a motor, and the reference member 52 is the staple tray 50 when the motor M1 rotates forward and backward.
Move up and down along. The amount of movement from the side-to-side binding position to the saddle-stitching position is [(l / 2) -S] when the length of the sheet P in the feeding direction is "l" and the side-stitching margin is S ((l / 2) -S]. L is a small letter of L).

The stapler 53 is provided with a staple needle cartridge 71 in which linear needles 70 are lined up and weakly adhered and stacked in a sheet shape. The staple 70 pushed out from the staple needle cartridge 71 is pressed by a pressure cam. 72
The sheet is bent one by one by the rotation of and is driven into the paper P (a type in which a bent needle is driven may be used).
A bending member 73 that bends the tip of the staple 70 is provided at the facing portion of the staple cartridge 71. This bending member 73
May be provided with a U-shaped groove that guides the tip of the needle 70 and bends by utilizing the above-mentioned pressure driving force, or may bend the needle 70 by using another power after driving. good. If the stapler 53 is displaceable in a direction orthogonal to the paper P traveling direction, it is bound at two positions on the edge binding side,
The binding position can be adjusted. Reference numeral 79 is a slide portion provided with the reference member 52, 80 is a pressing member (claw) that presses the sheet P that has abutted against the reference member 52, 81 is a claw opening member that opens the pressing member 80, and 92 is a cam for pressing the stapler 53. 7
A coil spring biasing in two directions, 93 is an arm that is operated by the rotation of the pressure cam 72 and pushes out the needle 70, 94, 9
Reference numeral 5 is a pulley, 96 is a belt around which pulleys 94 and 95 are fixed and a slide portion 79 is fixed, and 97 is a guide shaft which guides the slide portion 79.

When the paper P is moved by driving the reference member 52, the moving force of the paper P (gravity or thrust by the brush roller 51) may be insufficient and the alignment of the paper P may be disturbed. It is convenient to press the paper P during movement by the pressing member 80 provided on the reference member 52. Presser member (claw)
80 has a spring force applied in the pressing direction, and at the stacking position, a pawl opening arm 81 is attached to a fixing member (not shown).
Is pressed so that the sheets P can be stacked, and when the reference member 52 starts moving, it is no longer pressed.
Holds the paper P. The pressing method may be a solenoid, a motor, or any other suitable method.

When the recorded sheets P are stacked, the reference member 52 may be moved to the corresponding position for the side stitching and the saddle stitching, and the sheets P may be conveyed and stacked one by one there. good. However, in the case of the lower side reference, depending on the size in the saddle-stitching mode, a problem that the next stacked sheet P hits the preceding stacked sheet P is likely to occur, and an additional transport device may be required from the discharge position to the stack position. A plurality of discharge positions may be provided according to the size.

In this embodiment, the side-stitching stack reference position and the side-stitching staple position are substantially fixed with respect to the discharging position, and when saddle-stitching, the entire sheet P is moved to the saddle-stitching position after being stacked at one side-stitching position. As a result, stable stacks can be made in both modes at low cost.

FIG. 3 shows the control circuit of the first embodiment. In FIG. 3, 120 is a controller for the bookbinding apparatus, 53 is a stapler, 122 is a reference member driving device, 123 is a discharging device, and 124 is a discharging device. 56 is a folding device, 126 is a pressing device, 127 is a control device for the recording device, 128 is an operating unit,
Reference numeral 129 is a display unit and 130 is a recording unit. The stapler 53, the reference member driving device 122, the ejecting device 123, the ejecting device 124, the folding device 56, and the pressing device 126 are controlled by the control device 120 of the bookbinding device, and the operation unit 128, display is performed by the control device 127 of the recording device. The unit 129 and the recording unit 130 are controlled, and the control device 120 of the bookbinding device and the control device 127 of the recording device are connected.

Next, the control operation of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

When binding the paper P (Y in S401)
S), the paper P is guided downward by the branching claws, recording is performed, the sheets are stacked on the staple tray (S402), and when some recording is completed (YES in S403), in the case of flat stitching (YES in S404). Is stapled and ejected at that position (S405, S406), and is performed until all recording is completed (YES in S407). If not side-stitching (saddle stitching) (NO in S404), the paper P is moved and stapled (S408), and the paper P is folded and ejected (S409).
If not all are completed (N in S410)
O), the reference member 52 is returned (S411), and the S402
~ S404 is repeated. On the other hand, when the sheets P are not bound (NO in S401), the sheets P are guided upward by the branching claws C, and the recording and discharging are performed until the entire number is completed (S41).
2, S413, S414).

Incidentally, it is desirable that the saddle-stitched paper P is automatically folded in two at the binding portion and discharged, but the folding device 56 is selected in the path from the staple tray 50 to the paper discharge tray 41. By providing it so that it can operate,
Folding without binding, folding with saddle stitching, folding with flat binding, folding without saddle stitching, folding with flat binding, etc. Can be composed of spaces. That is, the above-described binding or folding conditions (execution or non-execution) are achieved by setting the sheet conveyance path of the bookbinding machine as shown in FIG. That is, the first transport path 55a for discharging the sheet P without binding processing, the second transport path 55b for transporting the paper P to the staple tray 50, the third transport path 55c for discharging the paper P from the staple tray 50, and the third transport path. The fourth conveyance path 55d extends from the folding device 56 provided in 55c to the sheet discharge tray 41. Staple tray 50
After stacking, the sheet is passed through the fourth transport path 55d without being bound, so that only folding can be finished (post-processing).

A confluent channel 64 is formed near the discharge ports of the first, third, and fourth transport paths (all discharge paths) 55a, 55c, 55d.
Since the sheet P discharged in each mode can be received by a single sheet discharge tray, the cost can be reduced, and the operation for taking out the sheet can be common to each mode, which is convenient. However, the folded paper P
The sheet still has a residual force of opening from the folded portion, and it is easy to cause a trouble that the sheet is opened after being stacked on the sheet discharge tray 41 and interferes with the succeeding sheet P. Therefore, it is conceivable to press the folded sheets P stacked on the sheet discharge tray 41 with the pressing member 37. However, for example, the above-mentioned pressing load is large for the paper P discharged one by one without post-processing, and the paper P is likely to be bent during the paper discharge to cause a stack defect. Therefore, the pressing operation is performed on at least the folded paper P, and the pressing is stopped or lightly pressed on at least the paper P that is not subjected to post-processing, so that it is optimal in any recording paper P processing mode. Stack conditions (see FIG. 5 for the control flow). The pressing member 37 may be in the form of a roller or a trailing blade. Further, in the case of a roller, it may be a type that rolls around the paper P or a roller that rotates at a predetermined speed. The paper output tray 41 may be provided with a movable stopper 65, and the position may be manually switched depending on the post-processing mode or the size of the paper P, or may be automatically displaced by a driving device (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 23, a paper discharge tray 41 for discharging at least the folded paper P and a paper discharge tray 42 for discharging at least the paper P that is not subjected to post-processing are provided independently, and on the paper discharge tray 41. If the pressing member 37 is provided, it is not necessary to switch the pressing depending on the mode.

In the past, when stapling (binding) and then folding, the paper P is generally carried out from the staple tray 50 and guided to a folding station where it is folded and then discharged. It was In this example, apart from the staple tray 50, a space for folding is required in the sheet P conveyance direction, which leads to an increase in size of the apparatus and a cost increase. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
Most of the discharge path (at the time of side-stitching) is also used as the staple tray 50 itself, and when stacked, the size is reduced,
Cost reduction is possible.

In FIG. 6, 23 is a conveying roller, 57 is a belt, 58 is a folding roller, 59 is a pressure roller, 60 is a sheet folding stopper, 61 is a guide plate, 63 is a screw shaft, 64 is a confluent passage, 67 is a shaft, 68 is a lever, 69 is a solenoid, 76 is a coil spring, 77 is a coil spring, 78
Is a hooking portion, 79 is a sliding portion, 83 is a shaft, 85 is a fixing pin, 86 is a coil spring, 87 is a torsion spring, 89 is a pulley, 90 is a discharging roller, 91 is a second discharging device, and 98 is a first discharging device. An ejector, 101 is an arm, and 102 is a solenoid.

The screw shaft 63 of the stopper 60 is rotated by the motor H3 and is moved along the stack tray (sheet discharge path) 50 so that the stopper 60 can be accommodated in each size and retracted. That is, the sheet folding stopper 60 is displaceable along the surface of the staple tray 50 from the maximum sheet P position when the staple tray 50 is stacked to a position slightly outside and to a position suitable for folding small size sheets. When the stopper 60 is further moved to the outside, the stopper 60 falls down by the fixing pin 85 and retracts from the tray surface, so that it does not become a hindrance to straight ejection when the folding is not performed. The stopper 60 may be retracted near the small-sized folding roller 58.
You may evacuate by other methods.

After the sheets P stacked on the staple tray 50 or after stapling, the upper sheet discharge tray 41
The movement starts toward the belt 57. In the case of the maximum size, the leading end abuts against the stopper 60 to prevent the advance, the part facing the pair of folding rollers 58, 58 is folded and gripped, and goes toward the second discharging device 91. Then, with the folded portion as the head, the sheet advances on the fourth transport path 55d and is discharged to the discharge tray 41. By the way, when stacking the paper P on the staple tray 50, it is desirable that the stack surface be flat, but when folding,
The direction of buckling when the sheet P contacts the stopper 60 is not stable, and the folding accuracy is likely to decrease. Therefore, the entire width or a part of the staple tray 50 is configured by the belt 57, and a pressure roller 59 that presses the belt 57 against the opposite folding roller 58 at the time of folding is provided to stabilize the buckling direction. In addition, it is possible to obtain a strong sheet driving force for folding.

When the sheet P hits the stopper 60 and the path between the stopper 60 and the folding roller 58 is free, the sheet P buckles here and the dimensional accuracy is deteriorated. Therefore, in this embodiment, a guide plate 61 is provided at least in this area between the staple tray 50 and the surface. Further, it is preferable that the guide plate 61 is closer to the staple tray 50 when stacking the paper P or when straightly ejecting the paper when folding, and the cam 62 by the motor M4.
Rotates to adjust the spacing.

By correcting the correction amount according to the characteristics of the paper P, the number of sheets, and the like, more accurate binding and matching of folding positions can be obtained. After folding, the "edge" on the side opposite to the binding may be cut and aligned.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a control flow for realizing each of these modes.

In FIG. 5, when the post-processing of the paper P is performed (S
If YES in 501), the recording is performed and the sheets are stacked on the staple tray 50 (S502). Then, when a part of the recording is completed (YES in S503) and the side stitching is performed (Y in S504).
If ES and S505 are YES, stapling is performed at that position (S506), and for center folding (YES in S507), the paper P is folded to eject and press the paper (S508).
If only folding is performed without binding (N in S504,
O), fold the paper P to eject and press the paper (S50)
8). If the side stitching is not performed (saddle stitching) (NO in S505), the sheet is moved and stapled (S511), the reference member 52 is returned to the original state (S512), and the process proceeds to S507. On the other hand, if the side-stitched document is not folded (S507
If NO, the paper P is discharged as it is (S513). If the post-processing is not performed (NO in S501), the paper P is discharged after the recording is performed (Y in S509 and S510).
S). Then, the above-described operation is repeated until all recording is completed (YES in S514), and when completed, the end is determined (YES in S514).

According to the first embodiment constructed as described above, the reference member 52 which is displaced by the binding motor is provided below the sheet P discharging position on the staple tray 50 which is inclined, and the side binding or the side binding is performed. Since the saddle stitching is performed and the discharge is set to the upper side, the flat stitching and the saddle stitching modes can be realized with stable performance, space saving and low cost, and the sheet take-out property from the sheet discharge tray is excellent.

Further, according to the first embodiment, the positional relationship between the paper P and the stapler 53 at the time of side stitching and saddle stitching is specifically defined by the relationship with the sheet P positioning reference member 52.
That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the reference member 52 is located at the uppermost first position and the sheet length is l (lowercase letters) and is located at a position (l / 2-s) from the first position along the surface of the stack tray 50. Since the stapler is installed so as to take a second position which is separated downward by a distance and binds a distance s above the tray surface from the reference surface of the paper stack at the first position, each of the staplers is efficiently space-efficient. The member can be arranged.

Further, according to the first embodiment, both the side stitching and the saddle stitching are stacked at a fixed position, and the saddle stitching is moved by the stapling after the stacking. Performance is obtained.

Further, according to the first embodiment, when the sheet P is moved for saddle stitching after stacking, the reference member 5 is used.
Since it is clamped by the clamper (holding member) provided in 2, there is no occurrence of misalignment of the paper P during movement.

According to the first embodiment, first to
Since the fourth sheet conveyance paths 55a to 55d are defined, it is possible to discharge the sheet P without post-processing, discharge with side-stitching without folding or with folding, and discharge with saddle stitching without folding or with folding. Five discharge modes can be realized compactly and at low cost.

Further, according to the first embodiment, since the paper P in each discharge mode is discharged to one tray, it is possible to realize a low-cost bookbinding machine having a common paper take-out operation.

Further, according to the first embodiment, at least the folded sheet P is discharged to a tray different from the sheet P not subjected to the post-treatment, and the pressing member 37 is provided on the tray. The sheets P after being folded can be favorably stacked.

Further, according to the first embodiment, both sheets P are stacked in the same tray, and the pressing member 37 that acts on at least the folded sheet P is provided in the tray, so that the sheets P in each discharge mode are provided. It is possible to achieve the stacking condition suitable for a single tray, and the operability of taking out paper is also common.

Further, according to the first embodiment, most of the staple tray 50 is also used as the paper discharge path, and the folding device 56 that operates on the staple tray 50 during the paper discharge operation is provided, which is compact. Thus, the bookbinding machine can be used as both low-cost, side-stitching and saddle-stitching.

Further, according to the first embodiment, the discharge path is constituted by the belt 57 along the staple tray 50, and the pressure roller that presses the belt 57 against the folding roller 58 from the back surface of the belt 57 at the time of folding. Since 59 is provided, a folding device in which the buckling direction and the folding dimension of the sheet P are stable, and a strong sheet propelling force at the time of folding can be obtained by the pressure contact conveyance force of the roller and the belt 57 at the time of folding.

Further, according to the first embodiment, since the folding stoppers 60 can be arranged or moved at a plurality of positions, it is possible to perform side stitching and saddle stitch folding on sheets P having different sizes. Further, since the stopper 60 can be retracted from the tray surface discharge path by utilizing the movement of the stopper 60, it is possible to select the direct binding and the saddle stitching folding at the simple and low cost.

Further, according to the first embodiment, since the guide plate 61 whose distance can be changed is provided between the stopper 60 and the folding roller 58, the stacking onto the staple tray 50 and the side stitching ejection are not disturbed. During folding, the sheet P can be folded with high precision without unnecessary buckling.

Although the digital copying machine is shown in the first embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and it can be applied to an analog copying machine which optically projects a document image onto a photoconductor. Alternatively, it may be applied to a facsimile or printer.

7 to 16 show a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of a folding device portion of the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a second embodiment of the present invention. 9 is an explanatory view showing the rigidity of the paper in FIG. 9, FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing the measurement during conveyance of the paper in the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a description of the paper setting section of the second embodiment of the present invention. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a sheet setting unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a control circuit for changing folding conditions according to sheet characteristics of the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the control operation of changing folding conditions according to the sheet characteristics of the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation when folding a plurality of sheets at the same time according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
16 and 16 are flow charts showing saddle stitching and the folding operation at the binding position according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

First, the copying machine described in the first embodiment will be described. In FIG. 1, the copying machine main body is provided with a photosensitive drum 8, a charging CG 9, a conveyor belt 11, a cleaning unit 12, a fixing unit 13, trays 16A to 16D, a double-sided tray 18, a scanner and the like. Reference numeral 30 denotes a paper feeding unit, which includes trays 31 to 34.

The original document D set in the circulation type original document feeder 20 is sent out from the first lower sheet, placed on the platen glass, read by the reading scanner, and then retransmitted and stacked on the original document. To be done. The read image of the original is stored in a memory and written in a desired order on the photosensitive drum 8 by a writing optical device including a laser diode, a polygon mirror, an Fθ lens, and the like. The toner image formed through charging, exposure (writing), and development is transferred to the paper P sent from the trays 16A to 16D, 31 to 34 (a tray that can be optionally added), and the fixing unit 1
It will be fixed at 3.

When making a double-sided copy, the paper P is a branch claw A.
Then, the sheet is guided and stacked on the double-sided tray 18, re-fed, transferred to the back side of the image, fixed, and then discharged.

The bookbinding device 4 is connected to the paper discharge port of the main body of the recording device (copying machine).

When the post-processing is unnecessary, the sheet P is guided upward by the branching claw C of the bookbinding device 4, and the sheet ejection tray 41 is ejected.
Directly discharged to.

On the other hand, when the sheet P is guided downward by the branching claw C, it is stacked on the staple (binding) tray 50 which is inclined so that the left side is upward. The paper P ejected to the staple tray 50 is the brush roller 5
The sheet P is moved downward by 1 to move by gravity to hit the reference member 52 and stand still (the brush roller 51 is not essential). At the time of stacking, a plurality of papers P having a constant lateral position by a lateral jogger (not shown)
Are stacked. The reference member 52 is movable downward along the staple tray 50, and when saddle stitching is performed, the reference member 52 is moved to a position that matches the size.

The stapler 53 holds the staple 70 so that the stack position of the sheets P can be changed, and the side where the staple P is driven into the sheet P is substantially separated from the bending side where the tip of the staple 70 driven into the sheet P is bent. Is configured.

The sheet P is stapled in the upper position during the side binding and in the lower position as described above during the saddle stitching. The stapled paper P is conveyed upward along the staple tray 50 and is ejected to the paper ejection tray 41.

The driving device for the reference member 52 is shown in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment.

In FIG. 2, M1 is a motor, and the reference member 52 is the staple tray 50 when the motor M1 rotates forward and backward.
Move up and down along. The amount of movement from the side-stitching position to the saddle-stitching position is −S, where the length of the sheet P in the feed direction is the length and the binding margin of the side-stitching is S.

The stapler 53 is provided with a staple needle cartridge 71 in which linear needles 70 are arranged side by side and weakly adhered to each other and stacked in a sheet shape. The staple 70 pushed out from the staple needle cartridge 71 is pressed by a pressure cam. 72
The sheet is bent one by one by the rotation of and is driven into the paper P (a type in which a bent needle is driven may be used).
A bending member 73 that bends the tip of the staple 70 is provided at the facing portion of the staple cartridge 71. This bending member 73
May be provided with a U-shaped groove that guides the tip of the needle 70 and bends by utilizing the above-mentioned pressure driving force, or may bend the needle 70 by using another power after driving. good. If the stapler 53 is displaceable in a direction orthogonal to the paper P traveling direction, it is bound at two positions on the edge binding side,
The binding position can be adjusted. Reference numeral 79 is a slide portion provided with the reference member 52, 80 is a pressing member that presses the paper P that has abutted against the reference member 52, 81 is a pawl opening member that opens the pressing member 80, and 92 is the stapler 53 in the direction of the pressure cam 72. Coil spring for urging coil spring, 93 for pressure cam 72
An arm that is operated by the rotation of the needle to push out the needle 70, 9
Reference numerals 4 and 95 are pulleys, 96 is a belt around which pulleys 94 and 95 are fixed to fix a slide portion 79, and 97 is a guide shaft which guides the slide portion 79.

When the paper P is moved by driving the reference member 52, the moving force of the paper P (gravity or thrust by the brush roller 51) may be insufficient and the alignment of the paper P may be disturbed. It is convenient to press the paper P during movement by the pressing member 80 provided on the reference member 52. Presser member (claw)
80 has a spring force applied in the pressing direction, and at the stacking position, a pawl opening arm 81 is attached to a fixing member (not shown).
Is pressed, the sheets P can be stacked, and when the reference member 52 starts moving, the sheets are no longer pressed, so the claw 80 holds the sheets P.

It is desirable that the saddle-stitched paper P be automatically folded in two at the binding portion and discharged. By providing the folding device 56 in the path from the staple tray 50 to the paper ejection tray 41 so as to be selectively operable, folding without binding, folding with saddle stitching, folding with flat binding, folding without saddle stitching, flat binding It is possible to configure a combined bookbinding apparatus that can be freely selected depending on the usage form after recording, such as no folding, at low cost and in a small space.

By the way, the paper P is put on the staple tray 50.
When stacking sheets, the stacking surface is preferably flat, but when folding is performed, the buckling direction when the sheet P contacts the stopper 60 is not stable and the folding accuracy is likely to decrease. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the entire width or a part of the staple tray 50 is formed by a belt 57, and at the time of folding, the belt 57 is separated from the back side of the staple tray 50 to the opposite folding roller 58.
By providing the pressure roller 59 that presses against, it is possible to stabilize the buckling direction and obtain a strong sheet propulsion force for folding.

In the stopper 60, the screw shaft 63 is rotated by the motor M3, and the stack tray (sheet discharge path)
It has been moved along with, and it is possible to respond to each size and evacuate. When the paper P hits the stopper 60,
If the path between the stopper 60 and the folding roller 58 is free, the sheet P will buckle here and the dimensional accuracy of the folding will deteriorate.
Therefore, at least in this area, the staple tray 50
A guide plate 61 is provided between the guide plate 61 and the surface. Further, when folding, it is preferable that the guide plate 61 is closer to the staple tray 50 than when the sheets P are stacked or straightly ejected, and the cam M 62 is rotated by the motor M4 to adjust the interval.

The characteristics of the sheet P that influence the folding accuracy include the stiffness of the sheet P (stiffness) and the friction coefficient between the folding roller 58 and the like. The rigidity of the paper P is defined by the amount L of inclination at the leading end of the paper that is held by protruding by a predetermined distance H from the holding portion as shown in FIG. The rigidity of the paper P is affected by the thickness, density, fiber orientation, additive material, moisture content, humidity, temperature, etc. of the paper P. For the characteristic signal of the paper P relating to the stiffness, for example, the measured value of FIG. 8 or a class value (rank value) classified into ranks may be input from the operation unit 128 and used, or as shown in FIG. The thickness of the paper P having the highest correlation with the rigidity may be measured during the conveyance and the measured value may be used, or the signal obtained from the thickness may be corrected by measuring the temperature and humidity. In order to improve the accuracy, the friction coefficient may be measured and input from the operation unit 128, or the friction coefficient may be measured in the recording device or the bookbinding device. In FIG. 9, 111 is a roller, 112 is a movable roller, and 1 is a roller.
Reference numeral 13 is a detection lever, 114 is a detection portion, 115 is a pivot shaft of the detection lever 113, and 116 is a coil spring that pulls the detection lever 113.

FIG. 12 is a control block diagram for changing the folding condition (position of the folding stopper 60) according to the sheet characteristic, and FIG. 13 is a control flowchart for changing the folding condition (position of the folding stopper 60) depending on the sheet characteristic.

In FIG. 12, 120 is a controller of the bookbinding apparatus, 53 is a stapler, 122 is a stack reference member driving device, 143 is a folding stopper driving device, 144 is a folding roller / belt pressing device, and 145 is a sheet conveying / driving device. A discharging device, 124 is a paper discharging device, 127 is a control device of the recording apparatus main body, 128 is an operating unit, 129 is a display unit, 150 is a recording unit, 151 is a paper characteristic signal generating device, and 152 is a paper size signal generating device. . The controller 120 of the bookbinding device controls the stapler 53, the reference member driving device 122, the folding stopper driving device 143, the folding roller / belt pressurizing device 144, the paper transporting / discharging device 145, and the paper discharging device 124, and prints. The control unit 127 of the apparatus controls the operation unit 128, the display unit 129, the recording unit 150, the paper characteristic signal generation device 151, and the paper size signal generation device 152, and the binding device control device 120 and the recording device control device 127. And are connected.

Next, the control operation for changing the folding condition (folding stopper 60 position) depending on the sheet characteristics will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 13, the sheet P is folded one by one,
The folding stopper 60 moves to a position corresponding to the size according to the size signal of the paper P (YES in S1301, S
1302, S1303). Note that this may be a method of selecting a plurality of stoppers 60. The recording operation is executed before and after this movement (S1304), and before and after this movement, the position of the stopper 60 is finely adjusted in response to the sheet characteristic signal (S1305, S1306), the folding is executed and the sheet is ejected. Yes (S1307). The movement of the stopper 60 to the size position and the fine position adjustment may be a (continuous) series of movements. Until some recording is completed S1304 to S1308
Repeat S1301 to S13 until all recording is completed
09 is repeated. On the other hand, when the paper is not folded (S1301
If NO, the recording operation discharge is executed (S1310), and S1310 to S1311 are repeated until a part of the recording is completed, and the process proceeds to S1309 described above.

It is convenient that the amount of fine adjustment of the position of the stopper 60 based on the sheet characteristics can be corrected externally (using the operation unit 128 or the like).

By the way, as described above, the amount of elastic deformation in the advancing direction of the paper P differs depending on the size of the paper P even for the same paper type and number of sheets. Therefore, it is desirable to set the fine adjustment amount to a different value depending on the size. . The size signal is shown in Figure 1.
0, as shown in FIG. 11, it may be detected at the positions of the fences 100 and 101 of the paper setting unit 99, it can be determined from the document size and the recording magnification, and also in the type that receives a signal from the recording information file memory. Good. Note that FIG.
0 and FIG. 11, 102a, 102b and 102c are fence 100 and 101 position detection sensors.

FIG. 14 shows a flowchart for folding a plurality of sheets at the same time.

In FIG. 14, when folding the paper (S1401)
If YES, the stopper 60 for folding is moved to the position corresponding to the size according to the size signal of the paper P (S140).
2, S1403). The recording operation is executed before and after this movement, and the sheets are stacked on the stack tray 50 (S140).
4). When at least one copy has been completed (S1405
If YES, the sheet characteristic signal and the sheet number signal are received, and the position of the stopper 60 is finely adjusted (S1406, S).
1407), folding is performed and the sheet is ejected (S1408). Steps S1401 to S1409 are repeated until all recording is completed. On the other hand, when the paper is not folded (NO in S1401),
The recording operation discharge is executed (S1410), and S1410 to S1411 are repeated until a part of the recording is completed, and the process proceeds to S1409 described above. As described above, when at least one copy is completed, the sheet characteristic signal and the number of sheets signal are obtained.
The position is finely adjusted.

15 and 16 show flowcharts of saddle stitching and folding at the binding position.

15 and 16, if the post-processing is to be performed (YES in S1501), a size signal of the paper P is generated (S1502), the recording operation is executed and the sheets are stacked on the stack tray 50 (S1503). At least 1 copy
When the copy is completed (YES in S1504) and saddle stitching is performed (YES in S1505, YES in S1506), the stack reference member is moved to the size position (S1507),
If the binding position is corrected, it is corrected (S1508, S1
520), and the corrected binding is executed (S1509). Then, the stack reference member is moved to the size position (S151
2) If there is a correction in the binding position, it is corrected (S151
3, S1514), the sheet characteristic signal and the sheet number signal are received to finely adjust the position of the stopper 60 (S151).
5, S1516), fold and execute ejection (S151)
7). S1501 to S1523 until all records are completed
Repeat.

If the sheets are not bound in S1505, the flow advances to S1512 to perform the folding operation.

If saddle stitching is not to be performed (NO in step S1506),
That is, when the side binding is performed, the binding is performed (S152
1) proceeds to S1511.

If it is not folded (NO in S1503), the paper P is discharged (S1522), and the process proceeds to S1523.

On the other hand, when the post-processing is not performed (NO in S1501), the recording operation discharge is executed (S1518), S1518 to S1519 are repeated until a part of the recording is completed, and the process proceeds to S1523 described above.

As described above, in the case of performing saddle stitch folding, after the recording and stacking are completed, the stack reference is moved to the position suitable for the size for binding.

When the binding position is corrected to improve the user's preference or accuracy, the relative relationship with the folding position will be displaced. Therefore, when folding, the position of the folding stopper 60 is corrected by an amount corresponding to it. The above deviation can be prevented.

In this example, the binding is performed first, and the position is also corrected first.
The order is relative, so it doesn't matter which one comes first. That is, in order to correct the folding position, the binding may be changed and the binding operation may be performed first, or the folding operation may be performed before the binding.

In order to obtain the accuracy of the basic set value at the time of manufacturing the device, etc., the stack reference member 52 and the folding stopper 6
It is desirable that the position of 0 can be adjusted independently.

The stacking accuracy is not affected by the characteristics of the sheets P and the number of sheets, but the folding accuracy changes depending on these. The above-described stopper 60 position correction amount may be low in accuracy if it has a constant relationship with the correction amount of the reference member 52.
By correcting the correction amount according to the characteristics of the paper P, the number of sheets, and the like, more accurate binding and matching of folding positions can be obtained. After folding, the "edge" on the side opposite to the binding may be cut and aligned.

According to the second embodiment thus constructed, the folding stopper 6 is generated based on the characteristic signal of the paper P.
Since the position of 0 is controlled, regardless of the type of paper P,
Highly accurate folding can be performed.

Further, according to the second embodiment, since the position of the folding stopper 60 is controlled on the basis of the signal of the number of sheets P to be folded, the number of sheets P is one and the number of sheets is once. Can be folded with high precision.

Further, according to the second embodiment, since the folding stopper 60 can be further set at a plurality of positions depending on the paper size, the paper P of various sizes can be folded accurately.

According to the second embodiment, the paper P
Since the amount of fine adjustment of the position of the folding stopper 60 depending on the type and the number of sheets is made different depending on the paper size, it is possible to fold paper of any size with higher accuracy.

Further, according to the second embodiment, in the case of saddle stitching and folding, when one of the folding and the binding is corrected in position, the other is corrected in accordance with the position correction. It is possible to perform saddle-stitching and folding in which the binding of and is accurately matched.

Further, according to the second embodiment, the relationship between the mutual positional correction amounts of binding and folding is changed according to the characteristics of the paper P, the number of paper sheets, etc. Instead, saddle-stitching can be performed in which the binding and folding match.

17 to 22 show a third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 18 and 19 are the third embodiment of the present invention. 20 is a flow chart showing the binding operation in the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 20 is an explanatory view showing the mechanism of the recording apparatus of the third embodiment of the present invention,
21 and 22 are flowcharts showing the binding operation in the third embodiment of the present invention.

First, the copying machine described in the first embodiment will be described. In FIG. 1, the copying machine main body is provided with a photosensitive drum 8, a charging CG 9, a conveyor belt 11, a cleaning unit 12, a fixing unit 13, trays 16A to 16D, a double-sided tray 18, a scanner and the like. Reference numeral 30 denotes a paper feeding unit, which includes trays 31 to 34.

The document D set on the circulating type document feeder 20 is sent out from the first sheet below, placed on the platen glass, read by the reading scanner, and then re-stacked on the original document. To be done. The read image of the original is stored in a memory, and written in a desired order by a writing optical device (consisting of a laser diode, a polygon mirror, an Fθ lens, etc.) on a photoconductor. The toner image created through charging, exposure (writing), and development is in tray 16A.
To D, 31 to 34 (tray that can be optionally added) and the like are transferred to the paper P and fixed by the fixing unit 13.

When making a double-sided copy, the paper P is a branch claw A.
Then, the sheet is guided and stacked on the double-sided tray 18, re-fed, transferred to the back side of the image, fixed, and then discharged.

The bookbinding device 4 is connected to the paper discharge port of the main body of the recording device (copying machine).

When the post-processing is unnecessary, the sheet P is guided upward by the branching claw C of the bookbinding device 4, and the sheet ejection tray 41 is ejected.
Directly discharged to.

On the other hand, when the sheets P are guided downward by the branching claws C, they are stacked on the staple (binding) tray 50 which is inclined so that the left side faces upward. The paper P ejected to the staple tray 50 is the brush roller 5
The sheet P is moved downward by 1 to move by gravity to hit the reference member 52 and stand still (the brush roller 51 is not essential). At the time of stacking, a plurality of papers P having a constant lateral position by a lateral jogger (not shown)
Are stacked. The reference member 52 is movable downward along the staple tray 50, and when saddle stitching is performed, the reference member 52 is moved to a position that matches the size.

The stapler 53 is constructed such that the side for holding the staple 70 so as to change the stacking position of the sheets P and driving it into the sheet P and the bending side for bending the tip of the staple 70 driven into the sheet P are substantially separated. Has been done.

The sheet P is stapled in the upper position during the side binding and in the lower position as described above during the saddle stitching. The stapled paper P is conveyed upward along the staple tray 50 and is ejected to the paper ejection tray 41.

The drive unit for the reference member 52 is shown in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment, and the reference member 52 moves up and down along the staple tray 50 by the forward and reverse rotations of the motor M1.

The amount of movement from the side-stitching position to the saddle-stitching position is -S, where the length of the sheet P in the feed direction is S and the binding margin of the side-stitching is S.

The linear needles 70 are arranged side by side and weakly adhered to each other, and the needles 70 pushed out from the staple needle cartridge 71 laminated in the form of a sheet are bent one by one by the rotation of the pressure cam 72 and driven into the paper P ( It may be a type that drives the already bent needle 70). A member 73 that bends the tip of the needle 70 is provided at the facing portion. The bending member 73 may be one having a U-shaped groove that guides the tip of the needle 70 and bends by using the above-mentioned pressure driving force, and after driving, the needle 70 is bent using another power. Anything is fine. If the stapler 53 is displaceable in a direction orthogonal to the sheet advancing direction, it is possible to perform binding at two positions on the edge binding side, binding position adjustment, and the like.

When the recorded sheets P are stacked, the reference member 52 may be moved to the corresponding position in the case of the side stitching and the saddle stitching, and the sheets P may be conveyed and stacked one by one there. However, in the case of the lower side reference, depending on the size in the saddle stitching mode, a problem that the next sheet P hits the preceding stacked sheet P is likely to occur, and an additional transport device from the discharging position to the stacking position may be required. Further, it is possible to provide a plurality of discharge positions according to the size, but it is expensive.

In this embodiment, the side-stitching stack reference position and the side-stitching staple position are substantially fixed with respect to the discharging position, and when saddle-stitching, the entire sheet is moved to the saddle-stitching position after being stacked at a single side-stitching position. Therefore, a stable stack can be made in both modes at low cost.

When the paper P is moved by driving the reference member 52, the moving force of the paper P (gravitational force or thrust by the brush roller) may be insufficient and the alignment of the paper P may be disturbed. Therefore, a pressing member 80 is provided on the reference member 52 to press the paper P during movement. Holding member (claw) 8
In 0, a spring force is applied in the pressing direction, and at the stacking position, the claw opening arm 81 is pressed against a fixing member (not shown) so that the sheets P can be stacked, and when the reference member 52 starts moving, the claw is not pressed. Hold the paper.

By providing the confluent passage 64 near the discharge ports of the first, third, and fourth transport paths (all discharge paths), the paper P discharged in each mode by a single discharge tray. Therefore, it is convenient because the cost is low and the operation for taking out the paper can be common to all modes. However, the folded paper P still has a residual force to open from the folded portion, and it is easy to cause a trouble of interfering with the succeeding paper P after being opened after being stacked on the paper discharge tray 41. . Therefore, it is conceivable to press the folded sheets P stacked on the sheet discharge tray 41 with the pressing member 37. However, for example, the above-mentioned pressing load is large for the paper P discharged one by one without post-processing, and the paper P is likely to be bent during the paper discharge to cause a stack defect. Therefore, at least the folded paper P is pressed, and at least the paper P not subjected to the post-processing is stopped or lightly pressed, so that the optimum stack is achieved in any recording paper processing mode. It can be a condition (see FIG. 5 for the control flow).

The pressing member 37 may be in the form of a roller or in the form of a trailing blade. Further, in the case of a roller, it may be a type that rolls around the paper P or one that rotates at a predetermined speed. Further, a movable stopper 65 may be provided on the paper discharge tray 41, and the position may be manually switched depending on the post-processing mode or each paper size, or the drive device (not shown) may automatically displace the position.

In the past, when stapling (binding) and then folding, the paper P is generally carried out from the staple tray 50, guided to a folding station, folded there, and then discharged. . In this example, a space for folding is required in the sheet conveying direction in addition to the staple tray 50, resulting in an increase in size and cost of the apparatus. As shown in FIG. 6, most of the discharge path from the staple tray 50 (at the time of side-stitching) is also used as the staple tray 50 itself, and if they are overlapped, the size and cost can be reduced. The stopper 60 has a screw shaft 63 rotated by a motor H3 and is moved along a stack tray (sheet discharge path) 50 so that it can be accommodated in each size and retracted. That is, the stopper 60 for folding the sheet can be displaced along the surface of the staple tray 50 from the maximum sheet position when the staple tray 50 is stacked to a position slightly outside and a position suitable for folding small size sheets. When the stopper 60 is further moved to the outside, the stopper 60 falls down and is retracted from the tray surface by the fixing pin 85, so that it does not become a hindrance for straight ejection when not folding. The stopper 60 may be retracted near the small-sized folding roller 58, or may be retracted by another method.

The paper P stacked on the staple tray 50 is then or after stapling, the upper paper discharge tray 41.
The movement starts toward the belt 57. In the case of the maximum size, the leading end abuts against the stopper 60 to prevent the movement, and is folded and gripped from the portion facing the pair of folding rollers 58, toward the second discharging device 91. Then, the sheet is advanced with the folded portion at the top and discharged to the discharge tray 41.

By the way, the paper P on the staple tray 50 is
When stacking sheets, the stacking surface is preferably flat. However, when folding, the buckling direction when the sheet P contacts the stopper 60 is not stable, and the folding accuracy is likely to decrease. Therefore, by forming the entire width or a part of the staple tray 50 with the belt 57 and providing the pressing roller 59 that presses the belt 57 against the folding roller 58 facing away from the back side at the time of folding, the buckling direction is stabilized. Moreover, it is possible to obtain a strong sheet driving force for folding. When the paper P hits the stopper 60, the stopper 60
If the path between the folding roller 58 and the folding roller 58 is free, the sheet P buckles here and the folding dimension accuracy deteriorates. Therefore, at least in this area, the guide plate 61 is provided between itself and the surface of the staple tray 50. Further, when folding, it is preferable that the guide plate 61 is closer to the staple tray 50 than when the sheets P are stacked or straightly ejected, and the cam 62 is rotated by the motor M4 to adjust the interval.

Next, the characteristic part of the third embodiment will be described.

In the recording apparatus described above, the stapler 53 is the upper side of the stack, that is, the last recorded sheet P.
The needle 70 is to be inserted from the side. If this type of side stitching is performed, it is necessary that the sheet P on which the first page is recorded is the last and the first page is stacked upward so that the flat side of the staple 70 is the first page side. There is. That is, in the case of single-sided recording, recording is performed in order from the last page, and the recording surface is placed on the upper side and stacked on the staple tray 50.

In the case of double-sided recording, it is advisable to record from the last page or the last minus first page and stack the sheets on the staple tray 50 in order with the younger page facing upward.

In order to perform saddle stitching (center stitching) using this type of recording apparatus, the flat side of the needle 70 is finally stacked on the paper P on which the first page and the last page are recorded, and The surface should be on the top.

Therefore, in the third embodiment, first, the number N of recording sheets is determined from the recording page number signal. When the number of left pages is not a multiple of 4, blank pages are added to make the total pages 1 to 4N.

Recording is performed on one side of the paper P on the (2N) th and (2N + 1) th pages (corresponding to the central spread page of the printed matter booklet). Then, the (2N-1) th and (2N + 2) th pages are recorded on the back surface thereof, and the (2N) th and (2Nth) th pages are recorded.
+1) Stack on the staple tray 50 so that the side on which the pages are recorded faces down (if the orientation of the page surface at the time of stacking is as described above, either of the front and back sides may be recorded first. The orientation of the recording surface of the paper P that comes out (up and down) and the presence / absence of a front / back reversing device can be selected depending on the circumstances of the device). This is repeated in order over all the pages, and the papers P on which the 1st, 2nd (4N-1), and (4N) th pages are recorded are stacked with the surfaces on which the 2nd and (4N-1) th pages are recorded facing down. After that, saddle stitching is performed, the sheet is center folded, and then ejected. Recording is completed when the above process is repeated for the desired number of copies.

A control block diagram of this embodiment is shown in FIG. 17, and a control flow chart thereof is shown in FIGS. 18 and 19.

In FIG. 17, 120 is a controller for the bookbinding apparatus, 53 is a stapler, 122 is a reference member driving apparatus,
Reference numeral 123 is a discharging device, 124 is a discharging device, 56 is a folding device, 143 is a folding stopper drive device, 127 is a control device of the recording apparatus main body, 128 is an operation unit, 129 is a display unit, 1
90 is a page number signal generator, and 130 is a recording unit.
By the control device 120 of the bookbinding device, the stapler 53, the reference member drive device 122, the ejection device 123, the ejection device 12
4, the folding device 56, and the folding stopper drive device 143 are controlled, and the operation unit 1 is controlled by the control device 127 of the recording device.
28, the display unit 129, the page number signal generator 190, and the recording unit 130 are controlled, and the control device 120 of the bookbinding device is controlled.
And the control device 127 of the recording device are connected.

The binding operation control by the above-mentioned control circuit will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19.

In this binding mode, in the case of saddle stitch folding (YES in S1701), a page number signal is generated (S1701).
1702) and the number of sheets N is determined (S1703). Then, 2N and (2N + 1) pages are recorded on one side of the paper P (S1704), (2N-1) and (2N +).
2) The page is recorded on the back side of the paper P (S1705), 2
The faces of the N and (2N + 1) pages are stacked downward (S1706). Then, this operation is repeated and the 2nd and (4N-1) th pages are recorded on one side of the paper P (S17).
07), 1 and (4N) pages are recorded on the back surface of the paper P (S1708), and the surfaces of 2 and (4N-1) pages are stacked downward (S1709). Then, saddle stitching is performed (S1710), folding is performed and ejection is performed (S17).
11) The above-described operation is repeated until the recording of the desired total number is completed (NO in S1712), and when the recording is completed, the operation is ended (YES in S1712).

When not performing saddle stitch folding (flat binding) but also performing double-sided copying (NO in S1701, YE in S1713)
S), the last page is recorded on the back surface of the paper P (S171
4) The last minus one page is recorded on the back surface of the paper P (S1715), and the last page is turned down and stacked on the staple tray 50 (S1716). Then, this operation is repeated and the second page is recorded on one side of the paper P (S
1717) The first page is recorded on the back surface of the paper P (S1
718) Stack the staple tray 50 with the second page face down (S1719). Then, the side-stitching is executed (S1720), the sheet is discharged (S1721), and the above-described operation is repeated until the recording of the desired total number is completed (S1720).
If NO at 1722, the process ends when completed (S172).
2 is YES).

When saddle stitching is not performed (flat binding) and duplex copying is not performed (NO in S1701 and N in S1713)
O), recording is performed in order from the last page, and the recording surface is faced up and stacked on the staple tray 50 (S1723). When the recording of one copy is completed (YES in step S1724)
S), side-stitching is performed, and the sheets are discharged (S1725, S172
6) The above-described operation is repeated until the recording of the desired total number is completed (NO in S1727), and when completed, the process is ended (YES in S1727).

In the third embodiment described above, when the double-sided recording is performed, the front side and the back side are sequentially recorded on each sheet of the paper P one by one, but another method may be taken to improve efficiency. Is also good. For example, the recording order may be set so that all one side of the N sheets P is recorded first, and then all the recording is performed on the other side.

Further, JP-A-61-16976 and JP-A-5-16976.
As described in No. 7-26860 or the like, in the case of performing double-sided recording of a plurality of copies (M copies), in the 2nd to (M-1) th copy, paper is alternately fed from the double-sided tray and the paper feed tray. A method of performing alternate paper feeding may be adopted.

In any case, 2 is recorded in the case of saddle stitching.
Recording is started from the N and (2N + 1) th page or the (2N-1) and (2N + 2) th page, and in flat binding, the recording is started from the last page or the last minus one page.

Further, there is a case where a stapler of the type in which a needle is inserted from the lower side of the sheet stack is used in binding and binding,
A recording device of this kind is shown in FIG.

In FIG. 20, reference numeral 25 is a reversing unit, 43 is a first paper feed tray, 44 is a second paper feed tray, 45 is a third paper feed tray, 46 is a large capacity paper feed tray, 47 is a manual feed tray, and 48. Is a double-sided tray, 49 is a screw shaft for moving the reference member 52, and M5 is a motor for driving the screw shaft 49. The same parts as those in the above embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 20, the document D
Is set face down, and is fed from the first page, and the recorded paper P is fed to the bookbinding apparatus 4 from the page with the smallest number.

In the case of single-sided copy side binding, the sheets P are sequentially recorded from the first page, and the sheet is reversed inside out at the reversing section 25 of the recording apparatus main body and stacked on the staple tray 50 with the recording surface facing down. After recording all pages, the sheets are stapled from below by a stapler 53 of a type that inserts a staple 70, and the stapler 53 is ejected to a sheet ejection tray 41 in the upper right portion.

In the case of double-sided copy side-stitching, the first page is recorded on one side of the paper P, the second page is then recorded on the back side, and the first page is directly placed on the staple tray 50.

In the case of using an ADF having a document reversing device or a circulation type document feeding device, or a copying machine or printer having a digital page, recording can be performed from the second page, so that 2, 1, 4, 3 ... You may record in the order of the page. In this case, the double-sided recorded paper P is turned upside down by the turning device 25, and is stacked on the staple tray 50 with the younger page facing down. After recording all pages,
The stapler 53 is bound and discharged.

When saddle stitching is performed, pages 1 to 4N are set and the first and fourth N pages or the second and fourth (4N-
1) A page is recorded on one side of the sheet P, the above-mentioned unrecorded page side is recorded on the back side, and the sheets are stacked on the staple tray 50 so that the side on which the 1st and 4Nth pages are recorded faces down.

This is repeated over all pages, and among the pages to be recorded on the same paper P, the youngest page and the page on which the largest number of pages are recorded are stacked downward so that the reference member 52 is completed. Moves to the saddle stitching position together with the paper P, and the stapler 53 performs stapling at the same position as the side stitching, whereby the saddle stitching is completed. Next, the bound paper P is moved upward. And
The leading edge advances to the folding portion by the guide of the claw C, and the paper P by the action of the folding stopper 60 and the three-fold folding roller 58.
Is folded in two from the staple portion with the staple insertion side being convex. The folded sheet P advances to the upper right with the folded portion at the front and is ejected. If a part of the staple tray 50 is used as the discharge path after folding as shown in the figure, it is compact and low in cost.

As a method for making a double-sided copy, another method may be used as described above.

Such binding operation control is shown in FIG. 21 and FIG.
It will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

In this binding mode, in the case of saddle stitch folding (YES in S1901), a page number signal is generated (S19).
1902) and the number of sheets N is determined (S1903). Then, the first and fourth pages are recorded on one side of the sheet P (S1904), the second and fourth (4N-1) pages are recorded on the back side of the sheet P (S1905), and the sides of the first and fourth pages are recorded. Stack downwards (S1906). Then, this operation is repeated, and (2N-1) and (2N +)
2) A page is recorded on one side of paper P (S1907), 2
The N and (2N + 1) pages are recorded on the back surface of the paper P (S1908), and the surfaces of the (2N-1) and (2N + 2) pages are stacked downward (S1909). Then, saddle stitching is performed (S1910), folding is performed and ejected (S1911), and the above-described operation is repeated until the recording of the desired total number is completed (NO in S1912), and when completed, the process ends (S1912). Yes).

When not performing saddle stitch folding (flat binding) and also performing double-sided copying (NO in S1901, YE in S1913)
S) The first page is recorded on the back side of the paper P (S191
4) The second page is recorded on the back surface of the paper P (S191
5) Staple tray 50 with the first page face down
(S1916). Then, this operation is repeated so that the last minus one page is recorded on one side of the sheet P (S1917), the last page is recorded on the back side of the sheet P (S1918), and the side of the last minus one page faces down. Stack (S191
9). Then, the side-stitching is executed (S1920), the sheet is ejected (S1921), and the above-described operation is repeated until the recording of the desired total number is completed (NO in S1922), and when it is completed, the process ends (YES in S1922).

If saddle stitching is not performed (flat binding) and duplex copying is not performed (NO in S1901 and N in S1913)
O) Recording is sequentially performed from the first page, and the recording surface is faced up and stacked on the staple tray 50 (S1923). Then, when the recording of one copy is completed (YES in S1924),
The side-stitching is performed and ejected (S1925, S1926), and the above-described operation is repeated until the recording of the desired total number is completed (NO in S1927), and when completed, the processing is ended (S1).
YES at 927).

According to the third embodiment constructed as described above, the needle 70 is pointed from the upper side of the stack by defining the recording page order and the stack surface orientation in both the side stitching and saddle stitching modes. The stapler 53 and the staple tray 50 of the type can be commonly used for both the binding modes, which contributes to low cost and space saving.

Further, according to the third embodiment, by defining the folding direction after saddle stitching, it is possible to obtain a saddle stitching finish with a good appearance that is not dangerous such that the needle tip goes outside.

Further, according to the third embodiment, the stacking order of the recording pages in both the side stitching mode and the saddle stitching mode, and the vertical direction of the recording surface when stacking the recorded sheets are defined. The stapler 53 and the staple tray 50 of which the needle is inserted from the lower side can be commonly used for both the binding modes, which can contribute to low cost and space saving.

Although a digital copying machine is shown in this example, it may be applied to an analog copying machine that optically projects a document image onto a photoconductor, or the present technology may be applied to a facsimile, a printer or the like.

[0189]

As described above, according to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the standard binding member which is displaced by the binding motor is provided below the sheet discharging position to the staple tray which is inclined and is flat-stitched. Alternatively, since the saddle stitching is performed and the discharge is set to the upper side, both the flat stitching mode and the saddle stitching mode can be realized with stable performance, space saving and low cost, and the sheet take-out property from the sheet discharge tray is excellent.

According to the third aspect of the invention, when the sheets are moved for saddle stitching after stacking, the clamps provided on the movement reference member clamp the sheets, so that the sheets are not misaligned during movement. .

According to the invention of claim 4, the first to
Since the fourth paper feed path is defined, five paper discharges are performed without post-processing of paper, discharge with side stitching without folding or with folding, and discharge with saddle stitching without folding or with folding. The mode can be realized compactly and at low cost.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the discharge section is composed of a plurality of trays, and the sheet discharge tray corresponding to the fourth group runway is pressed by the sheets stacked on the tray from above. Since a member is provided, a pressing member is provided as a tray, which is at least a folded paper stack, out of several types of post-processed paper, and is provided as a tray different from the other stacks. It is possible to stack on multiple output trays with stacking performance suitable for each.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, both sheets are stacked in the same tray, and a pressing member that acts on at least the folded sheets is provided in the tray. Therefore, stacking conditions suitable for the sheets in each discharge mode can be obtained. Can be achieved with one tray,
At the same time, paper operability can be shared.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, most of the staple tray is also used as the sheet discharge path, and the folding device that operates on the staple tray during the sheet discharge operation is provided.
It can be a compact and low-cost binding machine for both side stitching and saddle stitching.

According to the invention described in claim 8, since the paper discharge path is constituted by the belt along the staple tray, and the pressure roller for pressing the belt against the folding roller from the back surface of the belt at the time of folding is provided, The folding device has a stable buckling direction and folding dimension, and a strong sheet propelling force can be obtained at the time of folding due to the pressing and conveying force of the roller and the belt at the time of folding.

According to the ninth aspect of the invention, since the folding stoppers can be arranged or moved at a plurality of positions, it becomes possible to perform side stitching and saddle stitch folding on sheets of different sizes, and By using the movement of the stopper, the stopper can be retracted from the tray surface discharge path, and it is possible to select between simple and low-cost direct-stitch direct discharge and saddle stitch folding.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, since the guide plate whose distance can be changed is provided between the stopper and the folding roller, the stacking onto the staple tray and the side-by-side binding are not a hindrance, and the sheet is folded at the time of folding. It can be folded with high accuracy without unnecessary buckling.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, since the position of the folding stopper is controlled based on the characteristic signal of the sheet, it is possible to perform highly accurate folding regardless of the type of sheet. Further, since the position of the folding stopper is controlled on the basis of the number-of-folded-sheets signal, it is possible to fold with high accuracy whether the number of sheets is one or many. Further, since the folding stopper can be set to a plurality of positions depending on the paper size, it is possible to accurately fold paper of various sizes. Further, since the amount of fine adjustment of the folding stopper position depending on the type and number of sheets is made different depending on the sheet size, it is possible to fold any size sheet with higher accuracy.

According to the twelfth aspect of the invention, when saddle-stitching folding is performed, when one of the folding and the binding is corrected in position, the other is corrected following the position correction. It is possible to perform saddle-stitching and folding in which is accurately matched.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the relationship between the mutual positional correction amounts of binding and folding is changed according to the characteristics and number of sheets of paper, so that binding is performed regardless of the number and type of sheets. It is possible to perform saddle-stitching with matching folds.

According to the fourteenth aspect of the invention, flat stitching,
By specifying the recording page order and stack surface orientation in both saddle stitching mode, it becomes possible to use stapler type and staple tray that can be stapled from the upper side of the stack in both stitching modes, contributing to low cost and space saving. can do.

According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, flat stitching,
The stapler and staple tray of the type that inserts staples from the lower side of the stack are commonly used for both binding modes by specifying the recording page order in both saddle stitching mode and the vertical direction of the recording surface when stacking recorded sheets. It becomes possible to contribute to low cost and space saving.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a recording apparatus (copying machine) according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a staple tray according to the first embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of the staple tray according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a folding device portion according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the stiffness of a sheet according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a measurement during conveyance of a sheet according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a sheet setting unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a sheet setting unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a control circuit for changing folding conditions according to sheet characteristics according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a control operation for changing folding conditions according to sheet characteristics according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing an operation of folding a plurality of sheets at the same time according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing saddle stitching and a folding operation at a binding position in a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing saddle stitching and a folding operation at a binding position in a second example of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a control circuit according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a binding operation in the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a binding operation in the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing the mechanism of the recording apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a binding operation in the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a binding operation in the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of the recording apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram showing how to bind sheets.

[Explanation of symbols]

4 Bookbinding equipment 16 trays 20 Document feeder 30 paper feed unit 37 Presser member 41 Output tray 50 staple tray 52 Reference member 53 stapler 55a First transport path 55b Second transport path 55c Third transport route 55d Fourth transport route 56 folding device 57 belt 58 folding roller 59 Pressure roller 60 stopper 61 guide plate 80 Presser member 81 Claw opening arm 120 Control device for bookbinding device 122 Reference Member Driving Device 123 Discharge device 124 Ejector 126 Pressing device 127 Control device for recording device 128 operation part 129 Display 143 Folding stopper drive device 144 Folding roller / belt pressure device 145 Paper transport / discharge device 151 Paper characteristic signal generator 152 Paper size signal generator 190 page number signal generator

Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI G03G 15/00 534 G03G 15/00 534 (56) References JP-A-4-144791 (JP, A) JP-A-2-219601 (JP, A) JP-A-3-67699 (JP, A) JP-A-63-127972 (JP, A) JP-A-1-117175 (JP, A) Actual development S55-143264 (JP, U) Actual development S63 -201766 (JP, U) Actually open 63-175665 (JP, U) Actually open 3-81765 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65H 37/04 B65H 37/06 B42B 4/00 B42C 1/12 B65H 45/16 G03G 15/00 534

Claims (15)

(57) [Claims] 1. An inclined stack tray for stacking recorded sheets; a sheet discharging device for conveying and discharging sheets so that the direction of movement of the sheets on the stack tray is upward. Adjacent to the first position, a paper stack reference member that can take a first position, which is the uppermost position near the lower part of the paper discharging device, and a second position that moves downward along the stack tray surface. A stacking section that sandwiches the stack tray surface provided and drives the staples on one side to the sheet, and a bending section that bends the staples that are stamped on the sheet on the other side are separated so that the sheet can move between them. A recording apparatus comprising: a stapler configured and a discharge device that conveys and discharges a sheet on the stack tray above the stack tray. 2. An inclined stack tray for stacking recorded sheets, a sheet discharging device for conveying and discharging the sheets so that the direction of movement of the sheets on the stack tray is upward. Adjacent to the first position, a paper stack reference member that can take a first position, which is the uppermost position near the lower part of the paper discharging device, and a second position that moves downward along the stack tray surface. A stacking section that sandwiches the stack tray surface provided and drives the staples on one side to the sheet, and a bending section that bends the staples that are stamped on the sheet on the other side are separated so that the sheet can move between them. A configured stapler and the sheet stack reference member are set to a first position to stack recording sheets, and then staple at that position.
Mode and control in the second mode in which the sheet stack reference member is set to the first position to stack the recording sheets, and then the reference member is moved to the second position to displace the sheet and then stapling A recording apparatus having a control device for controlling. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a clamp unit for clamping the stacked sheets of the sheet stack reference member, and moving the sheet in a state in which the sheets are clamped by the clamp unit. 4. In a recording apparatus capable of side-stitching and saddle-stitching recorded sheets by a stapler, a first conveying path for guiding and conveying the sheet discharged from the recording apparatus directly to a sheet discharging unit, and discharging from the recording apparatus. Second conveyance path for guiding and conveying the sheet to be stapled to the binding position by the stapler, a sheet position regulating device for controlling the relative position of the stapler and the sheet for saddle stitching or side stitching, and discharging the sheet from the binding position A third conveying path for guiding and conveying a sheet to a sheet, a folding device provided on the third conveying path and capable of selecting at least two folds of the sheet, and a sheet from the folding device to a sheet discharging section And a fourth conveyance path for guiding and conveying the recording medium. 5. The discharge unit is composed of a plurality of trays, and a discharge tray corresponding to the fourth conveyance path has a pressing member for pressing the sheets stacked on the tray from above. The recording device according to claim 4, wherein 6. A recording apparatus having a first recording mode for ejecting a recorded sheet by folding at least and a second recording mode for ejecting the sheet at least without post-processing, and ejects in both modes. A sheet discharge tray for stacking sheets, a pressing device capable of pressing sheets stacked on the sheet discharge tray, and the pressing device operate in the first recording mode and do not operate in the second recording mode, or A recording device, comprising: a control device for controlling the pressure to be lightly pressed. 7. A stapler tray for stacking sheets, wherein a recording device is capable of saddle-stitching recorded sheets with a stapler and is substantially flat, and the relative positions of the stapler and the sheets can be changed according to the saddle stitching. A first discharging device arranged along the staple tray where the paper on the staple tray is conveyed to a discharging part, and a pair of folding members arranged facing the discharging path of the first discharging device. A roller, a stopper that can be selectively positioned in the first discharge path or outside the first path, and cooperates with the folding roller to fold the sheet, and a sheet from the folding roller to the sheet discharge unit. A recording device comprising a second discharging device for conveying. 8. The first ejecting device includes a belt device along the staple tray, and further has a pressure roller which can be selectively pressed together with the belt from the back surface of the belt to one of the pair of folding rollers. The recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: 9. A recording apparatus capable of binding recorded sheets with a stapler, which is substantially flat, and the relative positions of the stapler and sheets can be changed in accordance with binding.
A staple tray for stacking sheets, a first discharging device arranged along the staple tray for transporting the sheets on the staple tray to a discharging section, and a discharging path by the first discharging device A pair of folding rollers arranged, a stopper that can be selectively positioned in the first discharge path or outside the first discharge path and cooperates with the folding rollers to fold a sheet, A recording device comprising a second discharge device for conveying a paper to a paper discharge part, wherein the stopper can take a plurality of positions along the paper discharge path. 10. A stapling tray for stacking sheets, wherein a recording device is capable of saddle-stitching recorded sheets by a stapler and is substantially flat, and the relative positions of the stapler and the sheets can be changed according to the saddle stitching. And a first ejection device arranged along the staple tray where the paper on the staple tray is conveyed to a paper ejection unit,
A pair of folding rollers arranged facing the discharge path of the first discharging device, and the folding roller that can be selectively positioned in the first discharging path or outside the path, in cooperation with the sheet. And a second ejecting device that conveys a sheet from the folding roller to the paper ejecting unit. The first ejecting device includes a belt device along the staple tray. A pressure roller capable of selectively pressing one of the pair of folding rollers together with the belt from the back side, and a guide plate facing the belt, the guide plate having a large relative distance from the belt. A recording device characterized by being able to take a second position having a small relative distance from the first position. 11. A tray for stacking recorded sheets, a conveying device for conveying a plurality of sheets stacked on the tray while overlapping each other, a stopper for preventing the progress of the recorded sheets, and the stopper. A folding device that cooperates to fold a sheet, a stopper drive device that displaces the stopper in the forward and backward directions of the sheet, a signal generator that generates a signal related to the number of sheets and / or the characteristics of the sheet, and the signal generator. A recording device comprising: a control device for controlling the stopper drive device based on a signal from the device. 12. A tray for stacking recorded sheets, a stapler for binding sheets stacked on the tray, a center of the sheets to be bound by defining a relative relationship between the stapler and the sheets on the tray. Sheet binding reference member, a first driving member for displacing the reference member along the tray surface, a transport device for transporting the bound sheets, a stopper for preventing the progress of the sheets, and a stopper for cooperating with the stopper. A folding device that works to fold at least two sheets of paper,
A second drive device for displacing the stopper in the front-back direction of the sheet, a command signal generation device for instructing the operation of the first or second drive device, and a second reverse device in relation to the command signal. And a control device for controlling the first or second drive device. 13. A tray for stacking recorded sheets, a stapler for binding the sheets stacked on the tray, and a center of the sheets to be bound by defining a relative relationship between the stapler and the sheets on the tray. Sheet binding reference member, a first drive member for displacing the reference member along the tray surface, a transport device for transporting the bound sheets, a stopper for preventing the progress of the sheets, and a stopper for cooperating with the stopper. A folding device that works to fold at least two sheets of paper,
A second drive device for displacing the stopper in the front-back direction of the sheet, a first signal generator device for instructing the operation of the first or second drive device, and the above in relation to the command signal It has a control device for controlling the opposite second or first driving device, and a second signal generating device relating to the number of sheets and / or characteristics, and the second signal generating device based on the signal of the second signal generating device. Or a recording device characterized in that a control value for the first drive device is changed. 14. A first recording mode in which recording is performed on one side or both sides of a recording sheet, a second recording mode in which two pages are recorded on each side of the recording sheet on both sides, and recording is performed in the first recording mode. The stapled sheets are stacked on the staple tray and the side edges of the sheets are stapled with a stapler of a type that inserts staples from the top of the stack, and the sheets recorded in the second mode are stacked on the staple tray. And a binding mode in which the central member of the paper is bound by the stapler. In the first printing mode, printing is performed from the last page of the total recording pages or the last minus one page, and the last page is at the bottom. In the second recording mode, if there is a blank page in the recording, the total number of recording pages including the page is recorded. Assuming that the number of recording sheets is N, the (2N) th and (2N + 1) th pages or the (2N-1) th page
And recording from the (2N + 2) th page,
N) and a control device that sequentially stacks them on the staple tray so that the side on which the (2N + 1) th page is recorded is at the bottom, repeats these over all the recorded pages, and then binds in each binding mode A recording apparatus having: 15. A first recording mode in which recording is performed on one side or both sides of a recording sheet, a second recording mode in which two pages are recorded on each side of the recording sheet on both sides, and recording is performed in the first recording mode. The stapled sheets on the staple tray and the side edges of the sheets are bound by a stapler of a type in which the staples are inserted from the lower side of the stack, and the sheets recorded in the second mode are stacked on the staple tray. In addition, a second binding mode in which the central portion of the paper is bound by the stapler is provided. In the first recording mode, the first or second page is recorded from the first or second total pages to be recorded, and the first page is the first. Number of sheets to be stacked in order on the staple tray so that they are on the bottom, and if there is a blank page for recording in the second recording mode, the total number of pages including that page is recorded. Is recorded as N sheets, recording is performed from the first and fourth (4N) pages or the second and (4N-1) th pages, and the surface on which the first and fourth (4N) pages are recorded is at the bottom. A recording apparatus comprising a control device that stacks the sheets in order on a staple tray, repeats these over all recording pages, and then controls to bind in each binding mode.