JP3838305B2 - Finisher device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a finisher device for post-processing a sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus to a sheet storage unit.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a finisher device having a stapler that stacks sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a digital copying machine or a printer and binds one corner or two or more corners of the corner is known.
[0003]
Such a finisher apparatus generally includes a transport path for transporting sheets discharged from the main body side which is an image forming apparatus, a processing tray for stacking the discharged sheets, a staple unit for performing a stapling operation, and a stapled sheet bundle. And a stacking tray for discharging.
[0004]
Conventionally, when stapling a sheet bundle discharged from the image forming apparatus, the number of sheets to be stapled from the main body side is compared with the number actually stored on the processing tray of the finisher apparatus. It was confirmed that stapling was performed according to the control flow as shown in FIG. In this control method, when the sheet is discharged from the main body side, a post-processing mode selection signal indicating whether or not to staple is transmitted to the finisher apparatus. Here, it is determined whether or not the post-processing mode is set (S1). If the post-processing mode is not set, the paper is discharged directly from the transport path without passing through the processing tray (S2). On the other hand, when the post-processing mode is set, when the sheet is sent from the main body side to the conveyance path, the sheet detection and the number of sheets are counted when passing the discharge sensor near the discharge port on the main body side, Even when the sheet is stocked on the processing tray from the transport path, the sheet is detected and the number of sheets is counted by the storage sensor near the processing tray (S3). Thus, the number of sheets detected by the discharge sensor and the storage sensor is compared (S4), and the fact that the number of both matches is transmitted to the main body side. After such processing, stapling is performed based on the staple command (S5) transmitted from the main body (S6), and the paper is discharged to the stacking tray (S7).
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the control method as described above, a two-step process of starting stapling after the number of sheets stored in the processing tray has reached the specified number and a stapling command from the main body is received is performed. As a result, the number of processing steps has increased, causing a delay in starting the stapling operation.
[0006]
Also, because the sheet information is not managed on the discharge side and the storage side, if a jam occurs on the transport path, it is not possible to distinguish which sheet is the final sheet, and the sheet set on the main body side. There has been a problem that stapling occurs when the number of sheets is less than the number of sheets.
[0007]
Therefore, the present invention provides a finisher apparatus that has a high-speed and reliable staple operation by giving an attribute to a sheet to be post-processed, such as staples, and performing control based on the attribute.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problem, a finisher apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention performs a staple process on a discharged sheet in a finisher apparatus that performs a staple process on sheets sequentially discharged from an image forming apparatus. A sheet storage unit for sequentially storing sheets to which post-processing designation information to be applied to the sheet and final discharge information to be applied to the final sheet when performing the stapling process are provided; When paper information is given, stapling is started for a bundle of sheets stored in the sheet storage unit based on detection of the final paper discharge information .
[0009]
The finisher apparatus includes the post-processing designation information and final paper discharge information. Further, the final paper discharge information is detected by a discharge sensor disposed in the vicinity of the upstream side of the sheet storage unit .
[0010]
The sheet storage unit includes sheet storage information for detecting a storage state of each sheet to be stapled .
[0011]
A stacking tray is provided at the front end of the sheet storage unit, and the bundle of sheets for which the stapling process has been completed or each sheet to which the post-processing designation information is not given is discharged to the stacking tray .
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of a finisher device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a finisher apparatus according to the present invention. In this figure, reference numeral 1 is a finisher device, 2 is a conveyance path for guiding sheets discharged from an image forming apparatus (not shown) into the finisher apparatus 1, and 3 is a processing tray disposed at the downstream end of the conveyance path. 4, 5, and 6 are discharge rollers provided in the conveyance path 2. The processing tray 3 is arranged so that the front side is higher and the rear side is lower and lower with respect to the sheet conveying direction, and a rib 7 for seating the seat protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction at the center. ing. A pair of regulating members 8 for aligning the seated sheets in the width direction are slidably provided on both sides of the processing tray 3.
[0013]
A paddle 9 that rotates in accordance with the sheet discharge timing is disposed near the lower portion of the discharge roller 6. The paddle 9 is composed of two soft rubber members disposed around the rotary shaft 10, and scrapes the sheet discharged onto the processing tray 3 to the sheet guide 12 disposed near the rear end of the processing tray 3. The conveyance direction is aligned by abutting the end. The sheet guide 12 is formed in a U-shape so that the rear end of the sheets stacked on the processing tray 3 can be received, and can move in a direction orthogonal to the inclination of the processing tray 3. ing. Note that the height position of the sheet guide 12 at the time of sheet stacking is slightly lower than the sheet stacking surface of the processing tray 3, so that it can cope with changes in curled paper and sheet thickness.
[0014]
A staple unit 15 for stapling a bundle of sheets stacked on the processing tray 3 is disposed near the lower end of the processing tray 3. A support frame 16 is integrally provided at the lower portion of the staple unit 15, and the support frame 16 can be moved via a roller 18 to a guide rail 17 disposed in the casing of the finisher device 1. . On the front side of the staple unit 15, an anvil 19 that supports the sheet surface during stapling and a driver 20 that drives the staple needle are set up and down so as to face each other. Is driven to staple. The number of staples is appropriately selected at one or two or more locations.
[0015]
A discharge sensor 27 and a storage sensor 28 for detecting the passage of the sheet are disposed at the entrance end and the exit end of the transport path 2. A photo interrupter or the like is used for the discharge sensor 27 and the storage sensor 28, and the number and time are detected each time the leading and trailing edges of the sheet shield the photo interrupter. In addition, a pair of upper and lower paper discharge rollers 32 a and 32 b and a delivery roller 33 are disposed in the vicinity of the processing tray 3 to discharge the sheet bundle after finishing the processing onto the stacking tray 31.
[0016]
FIG. 2 shows the flow of the sheet in the finisher apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration. The image-formed sheet 11 guided from the main body 13 of the image forming apparatus into the transport path 2 of the finisher apparatus 1 is discharged. After being detected by the sensor 27 and further detected by the storage sensor 28 on the downstream side, it is stocked on the processing tray 3. In the processing tray 3, after the sheet alignment as described above is performed, the staple unit 15 is operated to bind the sheet bundle, and is discharged onto the stacking tray 31 .
[0017]
FIG. 3 is a system configuration example showing the components in the finisher apparatus 1 and the flow of control signals. On the main body 13 side, an image forming apparatus for forming a print command such as a personal computer or a copied image is provided. The finisher apparatus 1 includes a CPU 24 that controls the present invention, a discharge sensor 27, a storage sensor 28, a conveyance motor driver 25, a conveyance motor 26 that conveys a sheet, and the like. The CPU 24 includes a ROM 21 that stores programs and various control instructions, a RAM 22 that stores sheet attribute information, a timer / counter 23 that determines a start / stop cycle of the conveyance motor, and the like. Then, bidirectional communication is performed between the CPU 24 and the main body 13 to control the entire finisher apparatus 1.
[0018]
In such a control method, as shown in the schematic flow of FIG. 4, first, a sheet bundle to be post-processed is set on the main body 13 side. At this time, post-processing designation information indicating whether or not to set the post-processing mode for the set sheet bundle and sheet attribute information such as whether or not the sheet is the last sheet in the sheet bundle are given. If the image forming apparatus is a printer connected to a computer, the sheet attribute information is assigned based on print designation information from the computer. Further, when the image forming apparatus is a copying machine, there is a method of counting the number of sheets in advance when setting sheets and assigning attributes to the respective sheets. The information added in this way is first sent to the CPU 24 of the finisher apparatus 1 to determine whether it is set to the post-processing mode (S21). If the post-processing mode is not set, the paper is discharged directly from the transport path 2 without passing through the processing tray 3 (S22). On the other hand, when the post-processing mode is set, the sheets 11 are sequentially sent to the sheet conveyance path 2 (S23), and are detected one by one by the discharge sensor 27 and the storage sensor 28, and are stored in the processing tray 3. Loaded. The sheets 11 stacked on the processing tray 3 are transmitted to the CPU 24 as sheet storage information, and the display of normal completion and the number of processed sheets are delivered to the main body 13 side. Such a process is repeated until the sheet 11 to which the final paper discharge information is given is detected (S24). Then, the stapling process by the staple unit 15 is performed on the bundle of sheets stacked on the processing tray 3 at the stage where the final sheet is detected (S25). After that, the bundle of sheets 11 is discharged to the stacking tray 31 (S26), and the process is terminated after waiting for the next sheet bundle.
[0019]
The processing flow will be described below based on actual commands and signal processing. 5 to 9 show the processing flow in detail. FIG. 5 shows the main routine, which is roughly divided into four steps: reception processing (S31), discharge detection waiting processing (S32), storage detection waiting processing (S33), and storage non-detection waiting processing (S34). . Data detected for each process is sequentially stored in three storage areas (memory 1, memory 2, and memory 3) of the RAM 22, and the information stored in the memory 3 is constantly monitored for final post-processing. Made.
[0020]
The reception process (S31) shown in FIG. 6 receives a discharge command from the main body 13 side (S41). There are two types of discharge commands, a normal discharge command and a final paper discharge command. The normal discharge command is for performing post-processing and discharging the stacking tray 31 as it is. On the other hand, the final paper discharge command is sent to the staple unit 15 after the alignment operation on the processing tray 3, where staple processing is performed and discharged to the stacking tray 31. The received discharge command is stored in the memory 1 as post-processing designation information (S42).
[0021]
In the discharge detection waiting process (S32) shown in FIG. 7, the leading end of the sheet 11 is detected by the discharge sensor 27 provided in the vicinity of the discharge port on the main body 13 side (S51). When detected in this way, the contents of the memory 1 storing the post-processing designation information are shifted to the memory 2. Thereafter, the contents of the memory 1 are cleared (S52).
[0022]
In the storage detection waiting process (S33) shown in FIG. 8, the front end of the sheet 11 conveyed to the processing tray 3 is detected by the storage sensor 28 provided in the vicinity of the processing tray 3 of the finisher apparatus 1 (S61). When detected in this way, the post-processing designation information stored in the memory 2 is shifted to the memory 3, and then the contents of the memory 2 are cleared (S62). Further, the rear end of the sheet 11 is also detected at the same time as the sheet 11 passes through the storage sensor 28. By detecting the trailing edge of the sheet in this way, it can be confirmed that the sheet is normally stored in the processing tray 3, and this information is sequentially communicated to the main body 13 side as sheet storage information.
[0023]
In the storage non-detection waiting process (S34) shown in FIG. 9, the operation on the finisher apparatus 1 side after a predetermined time has elapsed after the sheet discharge command is transmitted from the main body 13 side is determined. The predetermined time is measured by the timer / counter 23 that is started and set to a count value for a predetermined time immediately after the sheet discharge command is transmitted. As described above, the non-detection state of the storage sensor 28 is maintained even after waiting for a predetermined time (S71), and it is recognized that a series of processing has been completed, and the main body 13 is notified that the sheet has been normally stored ( S72). Then, it is determined whether the content of the memory 3 is a normal discharge command or a final paper discharge command (S73). As a result of this determination, if it is a final paper discharge command, it is aligned in the processing tray 3 and then stapled in the staple unit 15 (S74) and discharged onto the stacking tray 31 (S76). On the other hand, if it is not the final paper discharge command, the stapling process is not performed, and the process is completed in the processing tray 3 (S75).
[0024]
In the above method, when discharging the sheet bundle from the main body 13 side, a command for normal discharge or final paper discharge is given in advance, and the finisher apparatus 1 side performs normal discharge or stapling processing based only on the given information. Therefore, the processing can be speeded up and simplified.
[0025]
As a method other than the processing method described above, for example, there is a method in which sheet attribute information detected in each processing routine is stored in the RAM 22 as a data structure as shown in FIG. 10 and processed. This has three areas: a post-processing designation information storage area, a discharged sheet information storage area, and a storage sheet information storage area. Each time a sheet is conveyed and detected, sheet attribute information is stacked in each information storage area. It is going. First, a sheet bundle to be post-processed is set on the main body 13 side. At this time, post-processing designation information indicating whether or not to set the post-processing mode for the set sheet bundle and sheet attribute information such as whether or not the sheet is the last sheet in the sheet bundle are given. If the main body 13 (image forming apparatus) is a printer connected to a computer, the sheet attribute information is assigned based on print designation information from the computer. When the main body 13 is a copying machine, there is a method of counting the number of sheets in advance when setting sheets and assigning attributes to each sheet. Such added information is sent to the CPU 24 of the finisher apparatus 1 to determine whether or not the post-processing mode is set. When the post-processing mode is not set, the paper is discharged as it is to the stacking tray 31. On the other hand, when the post-processing mode is set, the sheets 11 are sequentially sent to the sheet conveyance path 2, detected one by one by the discharge sensor 27 and the storage sensor 28, and stored in the processing tray 3. Information stored in the processing tray 3 is transmitted to the CPU 24 as sheet storage information, and a display of normal completion and a display of the number of processed sheets are delivered to the main body 13 side. Such a process is repeated until the sheet 11 to which the final discharge information is given is detected. Then, it is determined whether or not the position indicating the stack pointer of the three information storage areas is the last sheet, and the stapling process is performed. If the final sheet is not stored in the stack pointer even after a predetermined time has elapsed, it is recognized that a jam or the like has occurred on the sheet conveyance path 2 and is collected in the processing tray 3 without performing stapling. Exit as it is. The number of processed sheets can be managed by transmitting data stored in the discharge / storage sheet information storage area to the main body 13 side.
[0026]
Next, a method for controlling the transport motor 26 shown in FIG. 3 will be described. In this control, the conveyance motor 26 is activated based on a sheet discharge command signal transmitted from the main body 13 side, and when the discharge command signal is not issued from the main body 13 side for a certain period of time, the conveyance motor 26 is temporarily stopped and then again. It is restarted when a discharge command signal is issued. This control is performed based on a control signal from the CPU 24 in the finisher apparatus 1. The control flow includes a reception process (S91), a timer process 1 (S92), a timer process 2 (S93), and a transport path check process (S94) as shown in FIGS. The timer process 1 (S93) and the timer process 2 (S94) here are performed using two types of timers / counters: a carry motor start timer and a carry motor stop timer. The conveyance motor activation timer is a timer that activates the conveyance motor 26 in anticipation of the time when the sheet 11 is discharged from the main body 13 side and reaches the processing tray 3. The conveyance motor stop timer is a timer for temporarily stopping the conveyance motor 26 when the n + 1th sheet ejection command is not transmitted even after a predetermined time has elapsed with respect to the nth sheet ejection command. . Here, the value set in the conveyance motor activation timer is set according to the distance from the sheet discharge port on the main body 13 side to the processing tray 3. The timer set value is measured in advance according to the type of the sheet 11 or the like, or the arrival time is transmitted from the finisher 1 to the main body 13 each time the sheet 11 is discharged, and the timer set value is sequentially set. There are ways to do it.
[0027]
In the first reception process (S91), the start and stop commands for the transport motor 26 are constantly monitored. If a stop command is received, the numerical value set in the start timer is cleared and the immediate transport motor 26 is stopped. On the other hand, when a conveyance motor start command is received and a sheet 11 discharge command is received, a preset count value is set in the timer / counter 23 of the CPU 24 according to the type of paper and other conditions, By clearing the conveyance motor stop request, the conveyance motor 26 is activated and the sheet 11 is conveyed. In the state where the transport motor 26 is thus activated, the following timer process 1 (S92) and timer process 2 (S93) are performed. In the timer process 1 (S92), a subtraction process for a set time is performed, and then the carry motor 26 is started when the count-up is detected. In the timer process 2 (S93), similarly to the timer process 1 (S93), the subtraction process for the set time is performed and it is confirmed that the counting is up. Depending on whether or not the sheet 11 is being conveyed at that time, The process is divided. If the sheet is being conveyed, the immediate conveyance motor 26 is stopped, and the process waits for the next sheet 11 in the same job. On the other hand, if the sheet 11 is not being conveyed, a conveyance motor stop command is set, and the processing waits for another job. The next conveyance path check process (S94) is a process for checking whether or not an unprocessed sheet 11 exists in the conveyance path 2. In this process, first, it is confirmed whether or not a conveyance motor stop command is set. If the transport motor stop command is not set, the process here is passed and the process returns to the normal process routine. If the conveyance motor stop command is set, it is checked whether or not the sheet is being conveyed. If not, the immediate conveyance motor 26 is stopped. On the other hand, if the sheet is being conveyed, the process here is passed and the process returns to the normal process routine.
[0028]
As described above, since the transport motor 26 is controlled by the two types of timers, the transport motor start timer and the transport motor stop timer, power consumption and noise can be reduced and the life of the transport motor 26 itself can be increased. Further, when a jam or the like occurs in the sheet conveyance path 2 by performing control according to the start / stop command of the conveyance motor from the CPU 24 in the finisher apparatus 1 according to the movement of the sheet 11 to be processed, the conveyance is immediately performed. It is possible to stop the motor 26 and avoid a failure.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the finisher device of the present invention, the post-processing operation can be started based on the post-processing designation information and the sheet attribute information issued from the main body side, so that control can be unified . Further, the number of sheets to be post-processed , error confirmation, etc. can be centrally managed on the main body side.
[0030]
Further, since sheet attribute information such as whether the paper is normally discharged or final discharged is previously added for each sheet, it is not necessary to issue a post-processing designation again after discharging the final sheet to the processing tray. For this reason, the command / processing system is simplified, and the start-up time required for post-processing such as stapling can be shortened.
[0031]
Further, the movement of the sheet is constantly monitored by various sensors arranged in the sheet conveying path of the finisher apparatus, and finally the sheet storage information stored in the processing tray is transmitted to the image forming apparatus side which is the main body. Reliability is improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a finisher device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the operation of the finisher device.
FIG. 3 is a system configuration diagram of the finisher device.
FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of control means of the finisher device.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a main routine of the control means.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a reception processing subroutine of the control means.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a discharge detection waiting process subroutine of the control means.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a storage detection waiting process subroutine of the control means.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a storage non-detection waiting process subroutine of the control means.
FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing a data structure of a RAM in the control means.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a transport motor driving procedure of the finisher device.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a transport motor driving procedure of the finisher device.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing processing in a conventional finisher apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Finisher apparatus 2 Conveyance path 3 Processing tray (sheet storage part)
11 sheet 13 main body (image forming apparatus)
15 Staple unit 24 CPU
26 Conveyance motor 27 Discharge sensor 28 Storage sensor 31 Accumulation tray

Claims (5)

In a finisher that performs stapling on sheets sequentially discharged from an image forming apparatus,
A sheet that sequentially stores sheets to which post-processing designation information to be given to the sheet when the staple process is performed on the discharged sheet and final discharge information to be given to the final sheet when the staple process is performed With a housing,
When final discharge information is given to the sheet, stapling processing is started on a bundle of sheets stored in the sheet storage unit based on detection of the final discharge information. Finisher device. The finisher according to claim 1, further comprising post-processing designation information and final paper discharge information. The finisher device according to claim 1, wherein the final paper discharge information is detected by a discharge sensor disposed in the vicinity of the upstream side of the sheet storage unit. The finisher device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet storage unit includes sheet storage information for detecting a storage state of each sheet to be stapled. The finisher device according to claim 1, wherein a stacking tray is provided at a leading end of the sheet storage unit, and a sheet bundle for which the stapling process has been completed or each sheet not provided with the post-processing designation information is discharged to the stacking tray.

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