JP3460939B2 - Sheet post-processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing on a sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, image forming apparatuses such as copying machines have become more and more popular, and in particular, the development and development of digital copying machines have been remarkable. Along with this, the development of a sheet post-processing device that performs post-processing such as stapling, punching, and gluing (binding) on the sheets discharged from the copying machine,
It is currently being actively conducted.

In such a sheet post-processing apparatus, the sheet which has been subjected to the above-mentioned post-processing is usually discharged to the tray from the gap between the two rollers facing each other. For example, one of the two rollers is a driving roller and the other is a driven roller. Then, at the time of discharging the sheet, by pressing, for example, a driven roller among these two rollers which are normally in a separated state against the driving roller via the sheet, the sheet is discharged by the rotational force of the driving roller. ing.

By the way, as a pressing means for pressing the driven roller against the driving roller, for example, there is a method of utilizing an actuating means which is a constituent of the clutch disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-85524. Therefore, the details of the operating means will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 9, the actuating means 100 disclosed in the above publication has a pressure contact roller 101, a roller support portion 102 for supporting the pressure contact roller, and a movable plate integrally formed with the roller support portion 102. 103 and the movable plate 103, the solenoid tip portion 104a is displaced in the PQ direction in FIG.
Solenoid 10 for rotating in the R-S direction with a as a fulcrum
4 and at least.

According to this structure, the O of the solenoid 104 is
When the solenoid tip portion 104a is displaced in the Q direction by the N operation, the movable plate 103 rotates in the R direction with the rotation fulcrum 103a as a fulcrum, so that the pressure roller 101 attached to the movable plate 103 is integrated with the rotating shaft 111. The tubular elastic body 113, which is rotating dynamically, is pressed into contact with the driven member 112, and the tubular elastic body 113 partially contacts. As a result, a frictional resistance is generated between the driven member 112 and the tubular elastic body 113, so that the driven member 112 rotates depending on the rotation of the tubular elastic body 113. That is, at this time, the rotating shaft 111
Is transmitted to the driven member 112 via the tubular elastic body 113.

On the other hand, when the solenoid tip 104a is displaced in the P direction by the OFF operation of the solenoid 104,
The movable plate 103 uses the rotation fulcrum 103a as a fulcrum, and this time S
Since the pressing roller 101 rotates in the direction,
Away from 13. As a result, the tubular elastic body 113 returns to the position separated by the gap a from the outer periphery of the driven member 112, so that the driven member 112 and the tubular elastic body 113 are not in contact with each other. Therefore, at this time, the rotational driving force of the rotating shaft 111 is not transmitted to the driven member 112 via the tubular elastic body 113.

Thus, in the above publication, the solenoid 1
04 is used to bring the pressing roller 101 into and out of contact with the cylindrical elastic body 113, thereby switching the transmission / non-transmission of the rotational driving force to the driven member 112.

When such an operating means 100 is used as the above-mentioned pressing means for conveying a sheet,
For example, the cylindrical elastic body 113 corresponds to the driving roller, while the pressure contact roller 101 corresponds to the driven roller. Then, when the solenoid is turned on when the sheet is conveyed, the driven roller presses the drive roller with a predetermined force through the sheet. As a result, the sheet is nipped by the driving roller and the driven roller with a predetermined force, and is conveyed by the rotational force of the driving roller. On the other hand, when the solenoid is turned off when the sheet is not conveyed, the driven roller is separated from the drive roller by a predetermined distance.

As described above, by the ON / OFF operation of the solenoid, the driven roller is brought into contact with and separated from the drive roller, whereby the discharge of the sheet conveyed between the driven roller and the drive roller is controlled.

[0011]

However, when such actuating means 100 is used as a pressing means, the following problems occur.

That is, in the above-mentioned structure of the pressing means, the pressing force applied to the drive roller by the ON operation of the solenoid is always constant regardless of the thickness of the sheet. Therefore, there is no particular problem when the post-processed sheet to be conveyed is thin, but when the post-processed sheet is relatively thick, the pressing force applied to the drive roller increases by the increase in the sheet thickness. In this case, since an excessive pressing force acts as a load on the drive of the drive roller, there arises a problem that the drive roller, the driven roller, and the peripheral members supporting these are easily damaged. Further, since the driving roller does not rotate smoothly due to the excessive pressing force, there is a problem that the sheet cannot be conveyed smoothly.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to adjust the pressing force applied to a drive roller according to the thickness of a sheet to be conveyed, whereby the drive roller or the like can be adjusted. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus that can avoid damage to the constituent members and can smoothly convey a sheet.

[0014]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a sheet post-processing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention separates a rotatable driven member from a rotatable driven member. A sheet post-processing apparatus having a separating / connecting means for controlling the discharge of the sheet conveyed between the driving member and the driven member, wherein the driven member is attached in a direction toward the driving member. The driven member is urged according to the thickness of the sheet conveyed between the driving member and the driven member when the driven member is pressed against the driving member by the separating / contacting means. the includes a biasing means for displacing in a direction opposite to the above-mentioned biasing direction, the disjunctive
The means includes a support member that supports the driven member and the support member.
One end of the holding member is fixed and serves as a rotation axis of the support member.
At least a rotating shaft portion, and the driven member is
The support member starts to rotate so as to be separated from the moving member,
Displacement of the driven member in the direction opposite to the biasing direction is released.
When it is divided, the center of gravity of the upper Symbol support member the rotary shaft portion
So that it is located on the side of the above separating direction from the vertical line passing through
One end of the support member is fixed to the rotating shaft portion .

According to the above construction, when the driven member is pressed against the driving member through the sheet by the separating / connecting means, the sheet is discharged by the rotational force of the driving member. If the member is separated from the driving member, it will not be ejected.

Here, when the driven member is pressed by the driving member via the sheet, the driven member is biased by the biasing means to the driving member while depending on the thickness of the sheet. It is displaced in the direction opposite to the urging direction. Thereby, the pressing force according to the thickness of the sheet is applied to the drive member.

In other words, according to the above-mentioned structure, it is only necessary to switch the driven member to and from the driving member in two steps.
The pressing force of the driven member against the driving member is continuously adjusted according to the thickness of the sheet. With this, even when the sheet is thick, an excessive pressing force is not directly applied to the drive member, so that the drive member and its peripheral members can be prevented from being damaged. Further, by adjusting the pressing force according to the thickness of the sheet, a load is not applied to the rotation of the driving member as in the conventional case, so that the driving member can be smoothly rotated and the sheet can be conveyed smoothly .

[0018] According to the above configuration, when the driven member starts away from the driving member, the displacement in the opposite direction is released and the biasing direction of the driven member, the center of gravity of the support member By being located on the separating direction side with respect to the vertical line passing through the rotating shaft portion, the supporting member is easily rotated in the separating direction. Therefore, the driven member can be easily separated from the driving member when the supporting member is rotated in the separating direction.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the invention of claim 2 , in the structure of claim 1 , the driven member is supported by the supporting member via the urging means. It is characterized by being.

According to the above construction, when the support member rotates in the direction of pressing the driven member against the driving member, the driven member causes the thickness of the sheet between the driven member and the driving member to be increased. Accordingly, the sheet is surely pressed despite the displacement in the direction opposite to the urging direction. In particular, when the sheet is thick, the sheet pressing force and the sheet conveying force increase. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the sheet can be reliably discharged regardless of its thickness.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8.

Sheet post-processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment
2, as shown in FIG.
The sheet discharged from the copying machine 2 is installed on the side of the sheet discharge port 3 and performs post-processing such as stapling processing and sheet sorting processing. The copying machine 2 is, for example, a digital (color) copying machine having a printer and a FAX function, or another general copying machine. In addition, the above-mentioned sheet means paper or OHP (overhead project).
or), which is a transparent sheet or the like.

As post-processing performed on the sheet by the sheet post-processing apparatus 1, punching processing, gluing processing, and the like can be considered in addition to the above-described stapling processing. An example is shown in which a stapling process is performed as a post process.

The sheet post-processing apparatus 1 is constructed so that it can be contacted and detached from the copying machine 2 in the paper discharge direction at the time of jam processing of the copying machine 2 and the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 and replacement of staples. When the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 is connected to the copying machine 2, the inclined rail 61 mounted on the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 side rides on the guide member 62 on the copying machine 2 side and the copying machine 2
It is possible to accurately align the heights of the sheet discharge port 3 and the sheet input port 4 of the sheet post-processing apparatus 1.

A body side hook 63 is provided above the side surface of the copying machine 2 which is connected to the sheet post-processing apparatus 1, while the side surface of the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 which is connected to the copying machine 2 is connected. A sheet post-processing device side hook 64 capable of engaging with the main body side hook 63 is provided above. By engaging these hooks at the upper position, the copying machine 2 and the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 can be connected more stably.

The sheet post-processing apparatus 1 has, for example, an offset tray 11 capable of ascending / descending operations and offset sorting operations as a discharge destination of a large number of staple-processed copies.

The offset tray 11 has a driving force transmission system 5 in which the driving force of the lifting motor 51 is composed of gears or the like.
2 and the driving wire 53, the lifting operation is performed. Therefore, the elevating device 50 as the elevating means for elevating the offset tray 11 is composed of the elevating motor 51, the driving force transmission system 52, and the driving wire 53.

Further, the offset tray 11 has a double structure of a lower offset tray reinforcing plate 11a and an upper offset tray plate 11b. The offset tray plate 11b can horizontally move the offset tray reinforcing plate 11a in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction by the driving force of the offset motor 54.

As a result, when a plurality of sheets or a bundle of sheets are discharged for offset sorting, the offset tray plate 11b is discharged each time one sheet or the like is discharged.
By alternately moving right and left, discharged sheets and the like are accumulated on the offset tray 11 in a state in which they are shifted left and right alternately. Therefore, especially when the sheet bundle is not stapled, the sorting of the sheet bundle becomes extremely easy.

The sheet post-processing apparatus 1 includes an upper fixed tray 12 and a lower fixed tray 1 in addition to the offset tray 11.
It has two fixed trays of three. The copying machine 2 used in the present embodiment supports not only the copy mode but also the operation modes such as the fax mode and the printer mode. For example, the upper fixed tray 12 is a discharge destination in the fax mode. The lower fixed tray 13 is set as the discharge destination tray in the printer mode.

Inside the sheet post-processing apparatus 1, various combinations are possible depending on the size of the sheet to be discharged, the presence / absence of stapling processing, the necessity of reverse discharging, the discharge destination tray, and the like. It has a pass, and one of the plurality of passes is combined with a desired pass to form one conveyance path, and the sheet is subjected to necessary processing and discharged.

The above-mentioned plurality of paths are specifically, direct path 21, detour path 22, reverse path 23, connection path 24, upper fixed tray discharge path 25, lower fixed tray discharge path 26, offset tray discharge path 27. , And the lower staple tray 15.

The direct path 21 extends downward from the sheet entrance 4 and passes through the reversing roller 42 and is provided between a vertically extending upper staple tray 14 and a lower staple tray 15 as described later. It is connected to the part. Therefore, the sheet discharged from the copying machine 2 is conveyed to the lower staple tray 15 through the direct path 21 and the reversing roller 42.

The bypass path 22 extends upward from the sheet entrance 4 and curves the upper end portion of the upper staple tray 14 to bypass it, and after the bypass, the side surface of the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 on the tray side. It extends downward in the vicinity, is bent again before the upper side of the offset tray 11, and is connected to the lower end of the lower staple tray 15. The detour path 22 extends from the sheet entrance 4 to the lower staple tray 15.
Detour paths 22a-2 in the entire section up to the lower end of
It is divided into three parts 2c. The upper fixed tray discharge path 25, which is a path for discharging the sheet to the upper fixed tray 12, branches off from the connection portion between the bypass path 22a and the bypass path 22b, while the bypass path 22b and the bypass path 22c are connected. A lower fixed tray discharge path 26, which is a path for discharging a sheet to the lower fixed tray 13, is branched from the connecting portion.

The reversing path 23 is located in the vicinity of the reversing roller 42 at the lower end of the direct path 21, and from the vicinity of the connection with the gap between the upper staple tray 14 and the lower staple tray 15 to the copying machine 2 side. It extends vertically. As a result, the sheet conveyed through the direct path 21 can be conveyed not only to the lower staple tray 15 but also to the reversing path 23 side. The sheet introduced into the reversing path 23 is then transferred to the contact path 24 by reversing the reversing roller 42.
Is sent to the detour path 22 from. Therefore, the reversing path 23 and the connecting path 24 are paths used when the sheet is once switched back to the detour path 22 and fed.

The offset tray discharge path 27 extends from the lower end portion of the lower staple tray 15 and further below the detour path 22.
The sheet sent from the lower end of the sheet 5 is discharged onto the offset tray 11 from the offset tray discharge path 27.

It should be noted that the above switching of each transport path is performed by switching the gate provided at the branching portion of each path and the rotation direction of the transport roller. The switching operation of these will be described in detail later. .

The lower staple tray 15 is a part of a staple tray that extends vertically for temporarily stacking a sheet bundle to be stapled. In the present embodiment, the lower staple tray 15 is a part of a conveying path. It is used as a path that configures.

That is, in the present embodiment, the staple trays are arranged substantially vertically near the upper portion of the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 while being separated into the upper staple tray 14 and the lower staple tray 15. And
Since a gap is provided between the upper staple tray 14 and the lower staple tray 15, as described above, it becomes possible to carry a sheet from the direct path 21 to the lower staple tray 15 through the gap. ing.

When the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 performs stapling processing on a sheet, the sheet is stacked on a staple tray. In this case, the lower end of the sheet is placed on the sheet support base 55, and the lower end of the sheet is aligned by the sheet support base 55.

However, the above-mentioned sheet conveyed onto the staple tray is charged with the above-mentioned sheet support base 5 by static electricity or the like.
In some cases, it does not match well on the 5th. In order to prevent this, every time one sheet is conveyed, a downward conveying force is applied to the sheet by the rotation of the paddler 56 (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2), and the sheets are surely aligned. It The paddler 56 can give a conveying force to the sheet by a flexible blade portion formed of an elastic material such as rubber. In addition, the above paddler 5
6 is rotated once every time one sheet is conveyed onto the staple tray. Further, the side edges of the sheet bundle placed on the sheet support base 55 are aligned by being held from the side surface of the sheet bundle by the alignment plate 57.

Here, the staple tray is extended in the vertical direction as described above, and in the area of the upper staple tray 14, only one side of the sheets to be stacked is supported. The sheet may fall on the side opposite the staple tray.

In order to prevent this, a paper guide portion 58 is disposed at least near the upper end portion of the stacked sheets, and the sheets are sandwiched and held by the staple tray and the paper guide portion 58. The paper guide portion 58 includes, for example, two connecting plates 58a, 58.
It is configured by b and can be manually moved to the retracted position at the time of jam processing or the like.

A stapler 59 is arranged below the staple tray. When a predetermined number of sheets are stacked on the sheet support base 55, the stapler 5 holds the sheet bundle while the sheet support base 55 holds the sheet bundle.
9 to the stapling position. The sheet bundle stapled by the stapler 59 is returned to the position of the staple tray when the sheet support base 55 moves up while holding the sheet bundle. Then, the sheet bundle is discharged to the offset tray 11 through the offset tray discharge path 27 as the sheet support base 55 descends.

In the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 having the above structure,
The operation of the gates and the conveyance rollers is controlled according to the operation mode of the copying machine 2, the size of the sheet to be carried in, and the conveyance path is switched. The operation of the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 in each operation mode of the copying machine 2 will be described below. (Copy Mode Operation) In the copy mode of the copying machine 2, when stapling is performed for each predetermined number of sheet bundles discharged from the copying machine 2, the size of the sheet is larger than the letter size (A4 width), or The transport path in the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 differs depending on whether it is the letter size or less.

First, the case where the sheet size is not larger than the letter size will be described. In this case, the transport path in this case is in the order of direct path 21 → staple tray (lower staple tray 15 only) → offset tray discharge path 27 → offset tray 11 in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet discharged from the sheet discharge port 3 of the copying machine 2 is processed by the sheet post-processing device 1.
The sheet is input through the sheet input port 4 of the sheet, and the direct path 21 inside the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 by the sheet input roller 41.
Be delivered to. Thereafter, the reversing roller 42 conveys the sheet from the direct path 21 to the lower staple tray 15.

The reversing roller 42 is a roller whose rotation direction can be freely switched between forward and reverse. When the reversing roller 42 rotates forward, the sheet is transferred from the direct path 21 to the lower staple tray 15 or reversed. It is sent to pass 23. When the reversing roller 42 rotates in the reverse direction, the sheet is sent from the direct path 21 to the bypass path 22 via the connecting path 24.

Here, in the vicinity of the paper input roller 41 and the reversing roller 42, immediately after the downstream side of the paper input roller 41, the conveying path of the input sheet is set to the direct path 2
A paper entry gate 31 is provided for switching to either 1 or the detour path 22. On the other hand, on the upstream side of the reversing roller 42, a reversing gate 32 that is switched between forward rotation and reverse rotation of the reversing roller 42 is provided. further,
Immediately after the reversing roller 42, the reversing roller 4
A switching gate 33 is provided for switching the sheet conveying path between the lower staple tray 15 and the reversing path 23 when the sheet is normally rotated.

Therefore, in the copying mode of the copying machine 2, when the stapling process is performed on the sheet of the letter size or smaller, the sheet input gate 31, the reversing gate 32 and the switching gate 33 are as shown in FIG. 4A. It has been switched to the position.

The sheet conveyed through the direct path 21 is guided by the switching gate 33 to pass through the gap between the upper staple tray 14 and the lower staple tray 15 and, as shown in FIG. Tray 15
Is stacked on the lower staple tray 15 from the upper end of the sheet. At this time, since the size of the sheet is smaller than the letter size, the sheet does not stick out from the lower staple tray 15.

In this way, when a sheet bundle of a predetermined number of sheets is stacked on the sheet support base 55, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the seat support base 55 descends,
The sheet bundle is moved to the stapler 59 and staple processing is performed. At this time, the switching gate 34 which is provided on the downstream side of the lower staple tray 15 and which switches the conveyance destination of the sheet bundle between the offset tray 11 and the stapler 59 is located at a position where the sheet bundle is sent to the stapler 59. It has been switched.

When the stapling process is completed by the stapler 59, the sheet support base 55 is raised,
As shown in (c), the sheet bundle is returned to a position higher than the switching gate 34, and then the switching gate 34 is switched to the discharge position to the offset tray 11. In this state, as shown in FIG.
And the sheet bundle is rotated while being pressed by the transport roller 43 on the upstream side of the switching gate 34, the sheet bundle is moved to the offset tray discharge path 2
7 is sent. Then, the sheet bundle is further discharged to the offset tray 11 by the paper output roller 44 through the offset tray discharge path 27.

The conveying roller 43 is composed of a driving roller 43a and two driven rollers 43b and 43c. When the sheet bundle is sent to the offset tray discharge path 27, the conveying roller 43a and the driving roller 43a are used. The driven roller 43b is used. On the other hand, the driven roller 43c is
It is used at the same time as the drive roller 43a when feeding the sheet conveyed through the bypass path 22 to the staple tray. Further, the driven roller 43b is the driving roller 43
It can be attached to and detached from a, and the sheet bundle
When moving to 9, the driven roller 43b has moved to the retracted position and does not hinder the movement of the sheet bundle. The details of the separating / contacting mechanism of the driven roller 43b will be described later.

Next, the case where the sheet size is larger than the letter size will be described. The transport route in this case is
In FIG. 3, the order is direct path 21 → reversing path 23 → contact path 24 → detour path 22 → staple tray (upper staple tray 14 and lower staple tray 15) → offset tray discharge path 27 → offset tray 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the sheets input from the copying machine 2 are first transferred from the direct path 21 to the reverse path 2.
Sent to 3. At this time, the sheet input gate 31, the reversing gate 32, and the switching gate 33 are switched to the positions shown in FIG.

In this way, when the sheet is fed to the reversing path 23 and the trailing edge of the sheet exceeds the reversing gate 32, the reversing gate 32 causes the sheet to reverse the path 23 as shown in FIG. 4C. Is switched to a position where it is fed to the bypass path 22, and at the same time, the rotation direction of the reversing roller 42 is switched to the reverse direction. As a result, the sheet input from the copying machine 2 is once switched back by the reversing path 23, and then the detour path 2 is passed through the connection path 24.
Sent to 2.

In the present embodiment, the trailing edge of the sheet is defined as the trailing edge of the sheet at the time when the sheet is discharged from the copying machine 2. The leading edge of the sheet when the sheet is discharged from the copying machine 2 is defined as the leading edge of the sheet. That is, the sheet switched back by the reversing path 23 is conveyed through the bypass path 22 with the rear end of the sheet facing forward.

The reason why the switchback is performed in the reversing path 23 before the sheet is sent to the bypass path 22 is as follows.

When the copying machine 2 is in the copy mode, the sheet is discharged from the final page from the copying machine 2. Therefore, when performing the stapling process on the sheets, the sheets to be stacked on the staple tray must be stacked in a so-called face-up state in which the image forming surface of the sheets sent later always faces the front.

However, in the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the sheets discharged from the copying machine 2 are
If they are stacked directly on the staple tray through the bypass path 22, they will be stacked face down. For this reason, in the sheet post-processing apparatus 1, before feeding the sheet to the bypass path 22, the sheet is once switched back in the reversing path 23 so that the sheets are stacked face up on the staple tray.

The sheet conveyed to the bypass path 22 is fed to the staple tray from the lower end portion of the lower staple tray 15 by the conveyance roller 43 along the entire circumference of the bypass path 22. Here, as the transport roller 43, a drive roller 43a and a driven roller 43c are used. At this time, since the size of the sheet is larger than the letter size, the sheet is stacked while being supported on both the upper staple tray 14 and the lower staple tray 15.

That is, when the sheet size exceeds the letter size, when the sheet is sent to the staple tray using the direct path 21, the sheet size is too large to fit in the lower staple tray 15. A transport jam occurs in the direct path 21. Therefore, in this case, the detour path 22 is used to feed the sheet to the staple tray.

The processing of the sheets after being stacked on the staple tray is the same as the case where the sheet size is the letter size or less, and therefore the description thereof is omitted.

Further, in the copy mode when the stapling process is not performed, regardless of the sheet size,
In this case, the transport path is in the order of direct path 21 → staple tray (lower staple tray 15 only) → offset tray discharge path 27 → offset tray 11 in FIG.

That is, in this case, the sheets carried in from the copying machine 2 do not need to be stacked on the lower staple tray 15, and the sheets are discharged one by one onto the offset tray 11. Therefore, at this time, the seat support base 55 is maintained in the lowered state, and the switching gate 3
4 is also maintained at the discharge position to the offset tray 11.

(Fax Mode and Printer Mode Operation) As described above, the sheet discharged from the copying machine 2 is discharged to the upper fixed tray 12 in the fax mode and to the lower fixed tray 13 in the printer mode. However, in the copy mode, the sheet is usually ejected face-up from the last page, but in the fax mode and the printer mode, it is ejected from the first page.

For this reason, when the sheet is discharged face-up like in the copy mode, the page order after discharging is reversed. Therefore, in the fax mode and printer mode, the sheet is switched back once before discharging to the tray. , Face down on the offset tray 11.

That is, the transport path in the fax mode is the direct path 21 → reverse path 23 in FIG.
The contact path 24, the detour path 22a, the upper fixed tray discharge path 25, and the upper fixed tray 12 are in this order. On the other hand, in FIG. 3, the transport path in the printer mode is direct path 21 → reversing path 23 → contact path 24 → detour path 22a.
The order of the detour path 22b, the lower fixed tray discharge path 26, and the lower fixed tray 13 is as follows.

As described above, in the fax mode and the printer mode, the sheet input from the copying machine 2 is once sent to the reversing path 23, switched back here, and then sent to the bypass path 22. The operation of the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 at this time is the same as the copy mode operation when stapling a sheet of a letter size or more.

The sheet thus sent to the bypass path 22 is discharged to the upper fixed tray 12 or the lower fixed tray 13 from the middle of the bypass path 22, as shown in FIG. That is, in the fax mode, the output gate 3
5 is switched, the sheet conveyed in the bypass path 22 passes through the upper fixed tray discharge path 25, and is discharged to the upper fixed tray 12 by the paper output roller 45, and the paper output gate 36 is switched in the printer mode. Thus, the sheet is discharged to the lower fixed tray 13 by the paper output roller 46 through the lower fixed tray discharge path 26.

In the case where the copying machine 2 has a large-capacity memory and it is possible to store all the sent image data in the memory and then print and discharge from the last page. Does not need to switch back the sheet, so that the sheet input from the copying machine 2 is directly sent from the sheet input port 4 to the bypass path 22 without using the reversing path 23, and the upper fixed tray 12 Alternatively, it may be discharged to the lower fixed tray 13. In this case, the paper input gate 31 is switched to the position shown in FIG.

In the fax mode or the printer mode, even when the stapling process is performed, the conveyance path of the sheet post-processing device 1 differs depending on whether the copying machine 2 has a memory or not.

If the copying machine 2 has a memory, the sheet is printed and discharged from the last page in the same manner as in the copy mode. Therefore, the conveyance path of the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 is also the same as in the copy mode. . That is, if the sheet is a letter size or smaller, the transport path is in the order of direct path 21 → staple tray (lower staple tray 15 only) → offset tray discharge path 27 → offset tray 11. On the other hand, if the sheet is a letter size or larger, the direct path 21 → the reverse path 23 → the contact path 24 → the detour path 22 → the staple tray (the upper staple tray 14
And the lower staple tray 15)-> offset tray discharge path 27-> offset tray 11 in that order. The switching operation of each roller and gate is also the same as in the copy mode.

On the other hand, if the copying machine 2 does not have a memory, the sheet is printed and discharged from the first page.
Therefore, the sheets stacked on the staple tray must be stacked face down. At this time, if the sheets are sent directly to the lower staple tray 15 using the direct path 21, the sheets cannot be stacked face down. Therefore, in this case, the detour path 22 is used regardless of the size of the sheets. , The sheet is conveyed to the staple tray.

That is, in FIG. 3, the transport path in this case is the bypass path 22 → the staple tray (only the lower staple tray 15 or the upper staple tray 14 and the lower staple tray 15) → the offset tray discharge path 27 → the offset tray. The order is 11.

Even if the copying machine 2 has a memory,
The image data stored in the memory may exceed the storage capacity of the memory. In such a case, since the copying machine 2 discharges the sheet from the first page, the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 performs the same operation as when the copying machine 2 does not have a memory.

The above is the conveyance path in each operation mode of the copying machine 2 in the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment.

Next, details of the separating / contacting mechanism of the driven roller 43b in the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1, 6, 7 (a) to 7 (c) and 8. .

As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet post-processing apparatus 1
Is configured such that the rotatable driven roller 43a (driving member) is brought into contact with and separated from the rotatable driving roller 43a (driving member), so that the driving roller 43a and the driven roller 43b
An actuator 81 (separation / contact means) that controls the discharge of the sheet P conveyed between the sheet and the sheet is provided. The actuator 81 includes a driven roller support portion 82 (support member) that supports the driven roller 43b, a solenoid 83, a solenoid connecting portion 84, and a rotating shaft portion 85.

The solenoid 83 is turned off when the sheet support base 55 (see FIG. 2) is lowered and the stapler 59 staples the sheet P, and is turned on at other times so that the solenoid 83 is turned on. The operation is controlled by a CPU (central processing unit) (not shown) inside the processing device 1. When the solenoid 83 is turned off, the solenoid tip portion 83a is adapted to project outside the solenoid 83 (downward in the figure). On the other hand, when the solenoid 83 is turned on, the solenoid tip portion 83a is drawn into the solenoid 83 (upward in the figure).

One end of the solenoid connecting portion 84 is engaged with the shaft portion 86 provided on the solenoid tip portion 83a, while the other end is fixed to the rotating shaft portion 85. As a result, the solenoid connecting portion 84 is connected to the solenoid tip portion 83a.
Based on the displacement of the above, the rotary shaft portion 85 is rotated in the direction of AB.

The rotating shaft portion 85 is provided coaxially with the rotating shaft 43a ₁ of the driving roller 43a and the rotating shaft 43b ₁ of the driven roller 43b. As described above, one end of the solenoid connecting portion 84 is fixed to the rotating shaft portion 85, and one end of the driven roller support portion 82 is fixed. As a result, the driven roller support portion 82 can rotate in the CD direction in conjunction with the rotation operation of the solenoid connecting portion 84.

That is, when the solenoid 83 is turned off and the solenoid tip portion 83a projects to the outside of the solenoid 83, the solenoid connecting portion 84 is A with the rotary shaft portion 85 as an axis.
The driven roller support portion 82 rotates in the C direction around the rotation shaft portion 85 as an axis. as a result,
The driven roller 43b is separated from the drive roller 43a, and the pressure on the drive roller 43a is released.

On the other hand, when the solenoid 83 is turned on and the solenoid tip portion 83a is drawn into the solenoid 83, the solenoid connecting portion 84 is rotated by the rotary shaft portion 85 as a shaft B.
The driven roller support portion 82 rotates in the D direction around the rotation shaft portion 85 as an axis. as a result,
The driven roller 43b is the driving roller 43a via the sheet P.
Is pressed by.

Further, the sheet post-processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment
Is a sheet conveyed between the drive roller 43a and the driven roller 43b when the driven roller 43b is pressed by the actuator 81 by the actuator 81 while the driven roller 43b is urged toward the drive roller 43a. A spring 87 (biasing means) for displacing the driven roller 43b in the direction opposite to the biasing direction according to the thickness of P is provided.

This spring 87 is driven by the driven roller 43b.
And the driven roller support portion 82. Specifically, one end of the spring 87 is fixed to the rotary shaft 43b ₁ of the driven roller 43b, while the other end is fixed to the driven roller support portion 82. With this spring 87, the driven roller 43b is constantly driven. It is biased in the direction toward 43a. And, the rotary shaft 43b ₁ is
It is inserted into an elongated hole 82a provided in the driven roller support portion 82 so that the spring 87 can be slightly moved in the expansion / contraction direction.

As a result, when the solenoid 83 is turned on, the driven roller 43b causes the sheet P to drive the driving roller 4b.
3a, the spring 87 contracts in accordance with the thickness of the sheet P, while the driven roller 43b displaces in the contracting direction of the spring 87, as shown in FIGS. Thus, when the sheet P is thick, the spring 87 absorbs the excessive pressing force applied to the drive roller 43a.

Therefore, according to the above configuration, the sheet P
Even when the thickness is thick, an excessive pressing force is not applied to the drive roller 43a. As a result, the drive roller, driven roller,
And, it is possible to avoid damaging the peripheral members that support them. Further, since no load is applied to the rotation of the drive roller 43a, it is possible to smoothly rotate the drive roller 43a and smoothly convey the sheet P.

Further, as described above, the driven roller 43b is
Since it is supported by the driven roller support portion 82 via the spring 87, when the driven roller support portion 82 rotates in the direction of pressing the driven roller 43b against the drive roller 43a, the driven roller 43b and the drive roller 43a are separated from each other. Although the spring 87 contracts according to the thickness of the sheet P in between, the sheet P is reliably pressed. In particular, when the sheet P is thick, the sheet pressing force and the sheet conveying force increase. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the sheet P
Can be reliably discharged regardless of its thickness.

Further, one end of the driven roller support portion 82 is fixed to the rotary shaft portion 85 as follows. That is,
By the OFF operation of the solenoid 83, the driven roller 43
The driven roller support portion 82 starts to rotate in the C direction around the rotation shaft portion 85 as an axis so that the drive roller 43a is separated from the drive roller 43a, and the driven roller 43b moves in the direction opposite to the biasing direction of the driven roller 43a to the drive roller 43a. When the displacement is released, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the center of gravity G of the driven roller support portion 82 is closer to the separation direction side (the direction opposite to the urging direction of the driven roller 43b toward the drive roller 43a) than the vertical line L passing through the rotation shaft portion 85. One end of the driven roller support portion 82 is fixed to the rotating shaft portion 85 so as to be positioned.

As a result, when the driven roller 43b tries to separate from the drive roller 43a due to the OFF operation of the solenoid 83, the driven roller support portion 82 easily rotates in the C direction. As a result, the solenoid 83 is turned off.
The driven roller 43b can be easily separated from the drive roller 43a.

Next, the operation of the actuator 81 in this embodiment will be described below.

First, as shown in FIG. 7A, the sheet P
In the initial state in which (see FIG. 1) is not conveyed onto the lower staple tray 15, the solenoid 83 is turned on. As a result, the solenoid tip portion 83a is pulled inside the solenoid 83, and the driven roller 43b is pressed by the drive roller 43a. In addition, the switching gate 34
Is pushed down to the solenoid 83 side, and the lower staple tray 1
The sheet P is located in the middle of the sheet P conveyance path from the stapler 59 to the stapler 59.

Next, the sheet P is transferred to the lower staple tray 15
When the sheet is conveyed upward, the solenoid 83 is turned off. FIG. 7B shows the moment when the solenoid 83 is turned off. At this time, since the solenoid tip portion 83a projects to the outside of the solenoid 83, the solenoid connecting portion 8
4 rotates in the direction A about the rotation shaft portion 85 as an axis,
The driven roller support portion 82 rotates in the C direction around the rotation shaft portion 85.

Here, when the driven roller supporting portion 82 starts to rotate in the C direction, the spring 87 fixed to the driven roller supporting portion 82 is released from its contraction. Therefore, while keeping the contact between the driven roller 43b and the driving roller 43a, the rotary shaft 43b ₁ of the driven roller 43b is attached to the elongated hole 8.
The spring 87 tries to extend while being moved in the pressing direction of the drive roller 43a along 2a.

When the contraction of the spring 87 is released and the spring 87 is fully extended, the center of gravity G of the driven roller supporting portion 82 is positioned on the C direction side of the vertical line L of the rotating shaft portion 85. become. Therefore, the driven roller support portion 82 easily rotates in the direction away from the drive roller 43a (direction C) together with the further protrusion of the solenoid tip portion 83a. Therefore, the driven roller 43b
The drive force of the solenoid 83 required to separate the drive roller 43a from the drive roller 43a may be a little small.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7C, when the driven roller 43b is completely separated from the drive roller 43a,
The switching gate 34 is switched to the drive roller 43a side,
The sheet P is lowered together with the sheet support base 55 (see FIG. 2) so that the staple process can be performed.

Next, after stapling the sheet P by the stapler 59, when the sheet P rises together with the sheet support base 55, the solenoid 83 is turned on again as shown in FIG.
N is done. As a result, the solenoid tip portion 83a is drawn in, the solenoid connecting portion 84 rotates in the B direction about the rotation shaft portion 85, and the driven roller support portion 8
2 also rotates in the D direction with the rotating shaft portion 85 as an axis.
As a result, the driven roller 43b supported by the driven roller support portion 82 presses the drive roller 43a with a predetermined pressing force via the sheet P.

Here, the sheet P is stapled.
6 becomes thicker, the spring 87 contracts as shown in FIG. 6, so that an excessive pressing force is not applied to the sheet P and a predetermined sheet clamping force and sheet conveying force can be obtained. it can. At this time, the switching gate 34 is tilted toward the solenoid 83 again so that the sheet P can be conveyed from the lower staple tray 15 to the offset tray discharge path 27.

In this embodiment, the spring 87 is taken as an example of the biasing means, but the biasing means is not limited to this spring 87. Any elastic member having the same function as that of the spring 87 may be used, and a U-shaped leaf spring 87 'as shown in FIG.

[0102]

As described above, the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention separates the rotatable driven member from the rotatable driven member to separate the driven member and the driven member from each other. A sheet post-processing apparatus including a separation / contact means for controlling discharge of a sheet conveyed between a driving member,
The driven member is biased in the direction toward the driving member, and when the driven member is pressed against the driving member by the separating / connecting means, it is conveyed between the driving member and the driven member. A biasing means for displacing the driven member in a direction opposite to the biasing direction according to the thickness of the formed sheet, and the separating / connecting means supports the driven member.
Support member and one end of the support member are fixed,
At least a rotation shaft portion that serves as a rotation shaft of the holding member,
The drive member is supported so that it is separated from the drive member.
The holding member starts to rotate, and the biasing direction of the driven member becomes
When the displacement in the opposite direction is released,
The center of gravity of the
So that one end of the support member is located on the side of the rotary shaft.
It is fixed to the section .

Therefore, the pressing force of the driven member against the driving member can be adjusted steplessly according to the thickness of the sheet only by switching the driving member to the driving member in two steps. Accordingly, even if the sheet is thick, an excessive pressing force is not directly applied to the drive member, and therefore, the drive member and its peripheral members can be prevented from being damaged. Further, by adjusting the pressing force according to the thickness of the sheet, there is no load on the rotation of the drive member as in the conventional case, so that the effect of being able to smoothly rotate the drive member to carry the sheet can be obtained. Play together .

In addition to the above effects, since the support member is easily rotated in the separating direction, the driven member is easily separated from the driving member when the supporting member is rotated in the separating direction. There is an effect that can be.

As described above, in the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the invention of claim 2 , in the structure of claim 1 , the driven member is supported by the supporting member via the biasing means. Is.

Therefore, when the support member rotates in the direction in which the driven member is pressed against the driving member, the driven member is adjusted according to the thickness of the sheet between the driven member and the driving member. The sheet is reliably pressed despite the displacement in the direction opposite to the biasing direction. Therefore,
In addition to the effect of the configuration of claim 1, the effect that the sheet can be reliably discharged regardless of the thickness thereof is exerted.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a separation / contact mechanism of a driven roller in a sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view schematically showing the overall configuration of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a path through which a sheet is discharged to each tray.

FIG. 4A is an explanatory diagram showing the positions of a sheet input gate, a reversing gate, and a switching gate when a sheet is directly conveyed to a lower staple tray. FIG. 6B is an explanatory diagram showing the positions of the sheet input gate, the reversing gate, and the switching gate when the sheet is conveyed to the reversing path. (C) is an explanatory view showing the positions of the sheet entrance gate, the reversing gate, and the switching gate when the sheet is conveyed from the reversing path to the bypass path. (D) is an explanatory view showing the positions of the sheet input gate, the reversing gate, and the switching gate when the sheet is directly conveyed to the bypass path without passing through the reversing path.

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view showing the positions of a sheet support base and a switching gate before a sheet is stapled. FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view showing the positions of the sheet support base and the switching gate when the sheet is stapled. FIG. 6C is a sectional view showing the positions of the sheet support base and the switching gate before the stapled sheet is discharged. (D) is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the sheet is discharged.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the driven roller presses the drive roller via the thick sheet after post-processing.

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the solenoid is turned on and the driven roller presses the drive roller. (B) is a cross-sectional view showing the moment when the solenoid is turned off, and showing how the driven roller support portion rotates while the spring extends. FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the driven roller support portion rotates and the driven roller is completely separated from the drive roller.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a separation / contact mechanism of a driven roller whose urging means is a U-shaped leaf spring.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a clutch disclosed in a conventional publication.

[Explanation of symbols]

43a Drive roller (drive member) 43b Driven roller (driven member) 81 Actuator (separating / connecting means) 82 Driven roller support (support member) 85 Rotating shaft 87 spring (biasing means)

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Masahiro Kanezaki 472-5 Moriwaki, Miyuki Town, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture 72-5 (72) Hiroki Takada 2759 Kanemi, Kanae Town, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture (56) Reference Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 8 -123128 (JP, A) (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65H 37/04 G03G 15/00 534

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A separation / contact means for controlling discharge of a sheet conveyed between the drive member and the driven member by separating and contacting a rotatable driven member with respect to a rotatable driving member. A sheet post-processing apparatus comprising: a drive unit that biases the driven member in a direction toward the driving member, and drives the driving member when the driving member is pressed by the separation / contact means. the driven member in accordance with the thickness of the conveyed sheet between member and the driven member includes a biasing means for displacing in a direction opposite to the above-mentioned biasing direction, said disjunction means, Support member for supporting the driven member
And one end of the support member is fixed, and the support member is rotated.
At least a rotating shaft portion serving as a moving shaft, and the driving member is separated from the driving member.
The support member starts to rotate, and the biasing direction of the driven member
When the displacement in the opposite direction to the
How the center of gravity of the material separates from the vertical line that passes through the rotating shaft
One end of the support member is rotated so that it is located on the opposite side.
A sheet post-processing device characterized by being fixed to the shaft . 2. The driven member is urged through the urging means.
The support member is supported by the support member.
1. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to item 1.