JP3849334B2 - Sheet cutting method, sheet cutting apparatus, sheet post-processing apparatus, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sheet cutting method, a sheet cutting device, and a sheet cutting device including a sheet cutting device that cut a fore edge in order to align the edge of the sheet after bookbinding by performing saddle stitching processing and center folding processing on the sheet bundle. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a processing apparatus and a sheet post-processing apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art There is a sheet cutting apparatus that cuts a fore edge in order to align the edge of a sheet after bookbinding by performing saddle stitching processing and center folding processing on the sheet bundle. In recent years, sheet bundles on which images have been recorded by image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, and multi-function machines have been subjected to saddle stitching processing and center folding processing by a sheet post-processing device, and then bound like a weekly magazine. A sheet post-processing apparatus provided with a sheet cutting device that cuts the fore edge in order to align the fore edge of the sheet by the sheet cutting apparatus after the conversion is provided.
[0003]
Conventionally, as a sheet post-processing apparatus that performs saddle stitching processing on a sheet bundle that is a set of a plurality of sheets, JP-A-6-72064, JP-A-7-187479, JP-A-8-192951, and the like are known. ing.
[0004]
Further, as a sheet post-processing apparatus capable of performing the folding process, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 10-148983 and 10-167562 are proposed.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As shown in FIG. 8, the sheet bundle S that has been subjected to the saddle stitching process and the half-folding process has a shape in which the vicinity of the folding part is swollen.
[0006]
In the above-described conventional sheet cutting apparatus, the upper surface of the sheet bundle S on the sheet mounting table M is uniformly pressed by the pressing member N to flatten the sheet bundle S, and then the upper blade C1 of the cutting means is lowered. The edge of the sheet S was cut with the lower blade C2 to align the edges.
[0007]
However, since the above-described sheet cutting apparatus presses the upper surface in the vicinity of the folded portion of the sheet S and the upper surface in the vicinity of the fore edge, the fore edge cutting is performed without sufficiently removing the swelling of the sheet S. For this reason, when the sheet S is opened after cutting the sheet edge, a problem that the left and right of the sheet S are different occurs, and the finished quality of the sheet bundle is deteriorated.
[0008]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to uniformly align the fore ends of a sheet bundle that has been subjected to saddle stitching processing and bi-folding processing, and to improve the finished quality of the sheet bundle.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The sheet cutting method of the present invention that solves the above-described problem is a sheet cutting method that cuts the edge of a sheet bundle that has been subjected to saddle stitching processing and bi-fold processing to align the sheets, and the sheet bundle that is placed on the sheet placement portion The upper surface of the sheet bundle is pressed by a first pressing means that can move up and down to press the vicinity of the folding portion of the sheet In order to flatten the bulge of the folding part, after driving the motor that raises and lowers the first pressing means, Predetermined time When measuring The upper surface of the sheet bundle in the vicinity of the small edge is pressed by the second pressing means capable of moving up and down to press the vicinity of the small edge of the sheet bundle. Preferably, the motor for raising and lowering the second pressing means is driven, and then the state in which the pressing in the vicinity of the folding portion by the first pressing means and the pressing in the vicinity of the fore edge by the second pressing means are maintained. The sheet bundle is trimmed by a cutting means capable of moving up and down to align the sheet edges (claim 1).
[0010]
The sheet cutting apparatus of the present invention is a sheet cutting apparatus that cuts the edge of a sheet bundle that has been subjected to saddle stitching processing and bi-folding processing, and aligns the sheets. , A stopper member that abuts the vicinity of the folded portion of the sheet bundle, and presses the vicinity of the folded portion of the sheet bundle placed on the sheet placing portion. To flatten the bulge of the fold First pressing means that can move up and down, second pressing means that can move up and down to press the vicinity of the small edge of the sheet bundle, cutting means that can move up and down to cut the vicinity of the small edge of the sheet bundle, the first pressing means, and the second pressing A plurality of means for driving up and down each of the means and the cutting means Including motor Driving means; A timer that counts the time from the start of driving one of the plurality of motors to the start of driving another motor, and starts driving any of the motors to drive the first pressing means. After that, after a predetermined time is counted by the timer, driving of another motor is started to drive the second pressing means. Control means, While maintaining the pressure near the folding portion by the first pressing means and the pressure near the fore edge by the second pressing means, A sheet bundle is trimmed by the trimming means to align the sheet edges (Claim 2).
[0011]
A sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present invention includes the sheet cutting apparatus according to claim 2, and after the sheet bundle is folded in half and saddle stitched, the edge of the sheet bundle is cut to align the edge of the sheet. (Claim 5).
[0012]
The image forming apparatus according to the present invention further includes an image forming unit that forms an image on the sheet fed by the sheet feeding unit according to image information, and the sheet post-processing device according to claim 5. It is a characteristic (claim 6).
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, an image forming apparatus including a sheet cutting apparatus, a sheet post-processing apparatus, and a sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0014]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming system including an image forming apparatus A, a sheet cutting apparatus B, and a sheet post-processing apparatus FS.
[0015]
The illustrated image forming apparatus A includes an image reading unit 1, an image processing unit 2, an image writing unit 3, an image forming unit 4, a cassette paper feeding unit 5, a large capacity paper feeding unit (LCT) 6, a fixing device 7, and a paper discharge. A unit 8 and an automatic duplex copy feeding unit (ADU) 9 are provided.
[0016]
An automatic document feeder DF is mounted on the upper part of the image forming apparatus A. A sheet post-processing device FS including a sheet cutting device B is connected to the paper discharge unit 8 side on the left side of the image forming apparatus A shown in the figure.
[0017]
The document d placed on the document table of the automatic document feeder DF is conveyed in the direction of the arrow, and an image on one or both sides of the document is read by the optical system of the image reading unit 1 and is read by the CCD image sensor 1A.
[0018]
The analog signal photoelectrically converted by the CCD image sensor 1 </ b> A is subjected to analog processing, A / D conversion, shading correction, image compression processing, and the like in the image processing unit 2, and then sent to the image writing unit 3.
[0019]
In the image writing unit 3, output light from the semiconductor laser is applied to the photosensitive drum of the image forming unit 4 to form a latent image. In the image forming unit 4, processing such as charging, exposure, development, transfer, separation, and cleaning is performed, and an image is formed on the sheet (recording paper) S conveyed from the cassette sheet feeding unit 5 or the large capacity sheet feeding unit 6. Transcribed. The sheet S carrying the image is fixed by the fixing device 7 and sent from the paper discharge unit 8 to the sheet post-processing device FS. Alternatively, the single-sided image processed sheet S sent to the automatic double-sided copy paper feeding unit 9 by the conveyance path switching plate 8A is again discharged from the paper discharge unit 8 after the double-sided image processing in the image forming unit 4, and the sheet post-processing device In FS, the saddle stitching process and the folding process are performed, and then the sheet is fed to the sheet cutting apparatus B.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 3D, the sheet trimming apparatus B trims the vicinity of the fore edge of the sheet bundle S that has been subjected to the saddle stitching process and the double folding process, and will be described in detail in FIG.
[0021]
The sheet post-processing apparatus FS includes a fixed discharge tray 81, a cover sheet feeding unit 40, a shift processing conveyance unit (large-capacity discharge conveyance unit) 20, a first stacking unit 30, a stapling unit 50, a folding unit, from the upper stage in the figure. Means 60 are arranged in tandem in a substantially vertical direction.
[0022]
An inlet conveyance unit 10 is disposed on the upper right side of the sheet post-processing apparatus FS in the figure. In addition, on the left side of the sheet post-processing apparatus FS in the drawing, an elevating / discharging tray 82 for stacking sheets that have been subjected to edge binding and shift processing is disposed.
[0023]
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a sheet conveyance path of the sheet post-processing apparatus FS.
[0024]
The sheet post-processing apparatus FS is installed with its position and height adjusted so that the receiving section 11 for the sheet S carried out from the image forming apparatus A matches the paper discharge section 8 of the image forming apparatus A.
[0025]
The conveyance path of the sheet S connected downstream of the sheet conveyance of the inlet roller pair 12 of the receiving unit 11 is the upper first conveyance path (1), the middle second conveyance path (2), and the lower third conveyance path (▲). The sheet S is fed to one of the conveyance paths by selecting the angle occupied by the switching gates G1 and G2.
[0026]
(1) First transport path {circle around (1)} (non-staple, non-sort mode, paper discharged to the fixed paper tray 81 at the top of the apparatus)
The image-formed sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus A is introduced into the receiving unit 11, conveyed by the inlet roller pair 12, and the conveyance direction length of the sheet S is detected by the inlet passage sensor PS1. The sheet S passes through the passage 13 on the right side of the upper first switching gate G1, is nipped by the upper conveying roller pair 14 and the conveying roller pair 15, is conveyed upward, and is further nipped by the discharge roller pair 16. The paper is discharged onto a fixed paper discharge tray 81 at the upper outside of the machine and sequentially stacked.
[0027]
In this sheet conveyance process, the switching gate G1 is swung by driving the solenoid SD1, closes the passage 17, opens the passage 13, and allows the sheet S to pass through the fixed paper discharge tray 81.
[0028]
(2) Second transport path {circle around (2)} (shift processing mode or non-sort mode, paper discharged to the lift paper tray 82)
When this conveyance mode is set, the switching gate G1 closes the passage 13 and keeps the passage 17 open while the solenoid SD1 is off, allowing the sheet S to pass through the passage 17.
[0029]
The image-formed sheet S discharged from the image forming apparatus A passes through the receiving portion 11 and the entrance roller pair 12, passes through a passage 17 formed in an open state below the switching gate G1, and is conveyed to the transport roller. The shift means is sandwiched between the pair 18 and passes through the passage 21 above the second switching gate G2 obliquely below, which is the second transport path (2), and is sandwiched between the pair of transport rollers 22 and passes through the path 23. 70, sandwiched between the shift roller pair 24, and discharged onto the lifting / discharging tray 82 outside the machine by the discharge roller pair 26.
[0030]
(3) Third conveyance path {circle around (3)} (edge binding processing mode, paper discharged to the lift paper tray 82)
The sheet S to be subjected to the edge binding process or the saddle stitching process is subjected to image formation processing in the image forming apparatus A, and is sent to the receiving unit 11 of the sheet post-processing apparatus FS, where the inlet roller pair 12 and the first switching gate G1 are fed. Passes through the lower passage 17, is sandwiched between the pair of transport rollers 18, and is transported to the third transport path (3).
[0031]
In the third conveyance path (3), the sheet S passes through the passage 31 below the switching gate G2, and is nipped and conveyed by the downstream conveyance roller pair 32. The sheet S is further nipped by the downstream conveying roller pair 34 and sent out. The sheet S is discharged into the space above the intermediate stacker 35 disposed at an inclination of the first stacking unit 30 and stacked on the intermediate stacker 35 or the intermediate stacker 35. After the sheet S touches the upper surface of the sheet S and slides and rises, the trailing end of the sheet S in the traveling direction is discharged from the conveying roller pair 34, and then the sheet S moves downward due to the weight of the sheet S, on the inclined surface of the intermediate stacker 35. The leading edge of the sheet S in the advancing direction comes into contact with the sheet abutting surface of an end binding movable stopper member (hereinafter referred to as an end binding stopper) 51 in the vicinity of the stapling means 50 and stops.
[0032]
Reference numeral 36 denotes a pair of upstream side width aligning means movably provided on both side surfaces of the intermediate stacker 35. The upstream side width aligning means 36 is movable in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. When the sheet S is received on the intermediate stacker 35, the upstream side width aligning means 36 is opened wider than the sheet width and conveyed on the intermediate stacker 35. When stopping by contacting the edge binding stopper 51, the side edges of the sheets S in the width direction are tapped to perform the width alignment (width alignment) of the sheet bundle.
[0033]
When a predetermined number of sheets S are stacked and aligned on the intermediate stacker 35 at this stop position, the stapling unit 50 performs a binding process to bind the sheet bundle.
[0034]
A plurality of discharge belts 38 wound around a drive pulley 37A and a driven pulley 37B are rotatably disposed on a part of the sheet stacking surface of the intermediate stacker 35. A discharge claw 38 a is integrally formed on a part of the discharge belt 38, and the tip of the discharge belt 38 draws an elliptical locus as shown by a one-dot chain line in the drawing. The stapled sheet bundle is held on the trailing edge of the sheet S by the discharge claw 38a of the discharge belt 38, and is placed on the discharge belt 38. The sheet bundle slides obliquely upward on the placement surface of the intermediate stacker 35. It is pushed up and proceeds to the nip position of the discharge roller pair 26. The sheet bundle sandwiched between the rotating discharge roller pair 26 is discharged and stacked on the lifting / lowering discharge tray 82.
[0035]
(4) Fourth transport path (4) (cover paper feed mode)
The cover sheet feeding means 40 includes a cover sheet placing unit 41 and a cover sheet feeding unit 42.
[0036]
One cover sheet K fed from the cover sheet feeding means 40 passes through the passage 47, passes through the other nip position of the transport roller pair 14, passes through the path 19 and the transport roller pair 18, and then It reaches the intermediate stacker 35 via the conveying roller pair 32, the passage 33, and the conveying roller pair 34 in the three conveying paths (3).
[0037]
(5) Fifth transport path (5) (saddle stitching processing mode)
The stapling means 50 has a two-part structure of an upper mechanism 50A and a lower mechanism 50B, and a passage 52 through which the sheet S can pass is formed in the middle.
[0038]
Two sets of stapling means 50 are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction, and can be moved in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction by a driving means (not shown). By this stapling means 50, staple needles SP are hit at two central sorting positions in the sheet width direction.
[0039]
When the saddle stitching mode is set and the size (length in the transport direction) of the cover sheet K and sheet S is set or detected, the saddle stitching movable stopper member (hereinafter referred to as the saddle stitching stopper) 53 moves to a predetermined position. Then stop. In conjunction with the activation of the saddle stitching stopper 53, the end stitching stopper 51 is retracted and the passage 52 is opened.
[0040]
After the cover sheet K is placed at a predetermined position on the intermediate stacker 35, the sheet S carried out from the image forming apparatus A passes through the third conveyance path (3) from the inlet conveyance section 10 of the sheet post-processing apparatus FS. Then, the sheets are sequentially stacked on the upper surface of the cover sheet K placed on the intermediate stacker 35, and the end portion of the sheet S is in contact with the saddle stitching stopper 53 and positioned. Reference numeral 56 denotes a downstream side width aligning unit that regulates the width direction of the sheet S during saddle stitching processing. Like the upstream side width aligning unit 36, each time a sheet S is carried in, the width direction side of the sheet S is shown. Width alignment is performed by hitting the edge.
[0041]
Further, at the time of saddle stitching processing, the upstream side width aligning means 36 is estimated for the time when the sheet S abuts against the saddle stitching stopper 53 with respect to the sheet S conveyed on the intermediate stacker 35 and traveling upstream of the staple means 50. And the downstream side width aligning means 56 are simultaneously operated to perform sheet width alignment and align sheets.
[0042]
In this way, the sheet S and the cover sheet K that travel on the intermediate stacker 35 and extend over the upstream side and the downstream side with the staple unit 50 as the center are stacked on the upstream side width aligning unit 36 and the downstream side. The width aligning unit 56 accurately performs the width alignment over the entire length of the sheet S.
[0043]
After the final sheet S is positioned and placed on the intermediate stacker 35, the saddle stitching process is performed by the stapling unit 50 on the sheet bundle composed of the cover sheet K and all the pages of the sheet S. By the saddle stitching process, the staple needle SP is driven into the center portion in the transport direction of the cover sheet K and the sheet S. The staple needle SP is driven from the lower mechanism 50B having the staple needle driving drive side toward the upper mechanism 50A having the staple needle clinching side.
[0044]
(6) Sixth transport path {circle around (6)} (bi-fold processing mode) (see FIG. 2)
After the saddle stitching process, the saddle stitch stopper 53 swings to open the passage downstream of the passage 52. The sheet bundle composed of the cover sheet K and the sheet S subjected to the saddle stitching process is conveyed by being guided to the guide plate 63 by the conveyance belt 62 obliquely below through the curved path and the intermediate conveyance roller pair 61, and the second The sheet is conveyed on the stacking unit (stacking table) 64, and the leading end of the sheet bundle in the conveying direction comes into contact with the folding unit movable stopper means 65 and stops at a predetermined position. The folding portion movable stopper means 65 can be moved to a predetermined position by setting or detecting the sheet size and driving means.
[0045]
A sheet ejecting means 66 is installed at the center in the conveying direction of the stopped sheet bundle, that is, obliquely below the saddle stitching position. A folding roller pair 67 and a two-fold sheet conveying means 68 are installed obliquely above the saddle stitching position.
[0046]
The folding means 60 is composed of a sheet ejecting means 66, a folding roller pair 67, a bi-fold sheet conveying means 68, and the like.
[0047]
By the folding start signal, the ejecting plate 661 of the sheet ejecting means 66 advances obliquely upward, and the leading end of the ejecting plate 661 pushes up the central portion of the sheet bundle composed of the cover K and the sheet S and passes through the sheet bundle. The nip portion of the folding roller pair 67 is pushed and swung and separated.
[0048]
After the leading end of the protruding plate 661 passes through the nip portion, the protruding plate 661 moves backward, and the central portion of the sheet bundle is pinched by the folding roller pair 67 to form a fold. This fold line coincides with the staple needle driving position into the sheet bundle by the saddle stitching process.
[0049]
The central portion of the sheet bundle formed with a fold by being pressed by a pair of first pressing rollers (folding rollers) 671 rotated by the pair of folding rollers 67 is sandwiched and transported by a pair of transport belts 672. The second pressure roller (pressure roller) 676 is fed to the nip position, and the crease is further firmly fixed at this position and fed to the double-folded sheet conveying means 68.
[0050]
The sheet bundle fed into the folded sheet conveying means 68 is nipped and conveyed between the lower conveying belt 681 and the upper conveying belt 682, and is discharged to the sheet cutting apparatus B outside the apparatus.
[0051]
FIG. 3A is a plan view of a sheet showing a saddle stitching process in which staple needles SP are hit at two centrally distributed locations along a folding portion a of the sheet S, and FIG. 3B is a saddle stitch and folded in half. 3 (c) is a perspective view showing a state in which the post-processed booklet is double-opened, and FIG. 3 (d) is a view of the booklet that has been subjected to saddle stitching and bi-fold post-processing. It is sectional drawing. In these drawings, b is a fore edge of the side edge of the sheet S, and c is a cutting line for aligning the fore edges.
[0052]
The booklet produced by the saddle stitching process and the two-fold process has the first side (p1, p8) of the cover K facing outward, the second side (p2, p7) on the back side, and further the contents inside the booklet. The first surface (p3, p6) of the sheet S and the second surface (p4, p5) of the sheet S are arranged inside the sheet S, and the booklet of 8 pages (p1 to p8) can be aligned as shown.
[0053]
When the booklet creation auto mode is selected and set in the operation unit of the image forming apparatus A, the cover sheet K is loaded on the cover sheet placing unit 41, and printing is started, the control unit of the image forming apparatus A performs the image process. The sheet S carrying the image is subjected to saddle stitching processing and bi-folding processing by the sheet post-processing device FS, and a booklet is continuously produced and discharged.
[0054]
In the operation section of the sheet post-processing apparatus FS, the booklet production manual mode is selected and set, and the cover sheet K and an image-formed sheet S on the cover sheet stacking section 41 are stacked and sent out. When the operation is started, the control unit of the sheet post-processing device FS performs saddle stitching processing and bi-folding processing on the cover sheet K and the sheet S by the sheet post-processing device FS, and a booklet for one book is produced and discharged. Is done.
[0055]
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the sheet cutting apparatus B of the present invention.
[0056]
The sheet cutting apparatus B includes a cutting unit 100, a first conveying unit 110, a second conveying unit 120, a first pressing unit 130, a second pressing unit 140, a driving unit 150, and a control unit 90.
[0057]
The first transport unit 110 includes a lower transport belt 111 and an upper transport belt 116. The lower conveyance belt 111 is wound around a driving roller 112 and a driven roller 113 connected to a driving source (motor M1) and is rotatable. The driving roller 112 and the driven roller 113 are supported by the main body of the sheet cutting apparatus B, and the lower conveyance belt 111 rotates at a fixed position. The sheet bundle guiding means (guide plate) 114 in the vicinity of the driving roller 112 guides the sheet S from the lower conveying belt 111 to the cutting lower blade 102 of the cutting means 100 described later when the sheet passes, and swings and descends when cutting. evacuate.
[0058]
The upper conveying belt 116 is wound around a driving roller 117 and driven rollers 118 and 119 connected to the same driving source (motor M1) and is rotatable. The driving roller 117 is supported by the main body of the sheet cutting apparatus B, and the driven rollers 118 and 119 are supported to be swingable. The upper conveying belt 116 presses the passing sheet bundle and swings according to the thickness of the sheet bundle.
[0059]
The cutting unit 100 includes a cutting upper blade 101, a cutting lower blade 102, and a driving unit that is connected to a drive source (motor M2) and drives the cutting upper blade 101 to be moved up and down.
[0060]
The drive source (motor M2) rotates the gears g11, g12, g13 of the drive means, and eccentrically rotates the eccentric pin 103 planted at the eccentric position of the gear g13. The tip end portion of the eccentric pin 103 slides in the movable frame body 104 and moves the movable frame body 104 up and down.
[0061]
An upper blade support frame body 106 is fixed to an upper part of an elevating drive member 105 that is integrated with the movable frame body 104 and supported to be movable up and down. A cutting upper blade 101 is fixed to the upper blade support frame 106.
[0062]
The cutting edge of the cutting upper blade 101 that can be moved up and down and the cutting edge of the cutting lower blade 102 at the fixed position cut the edge of the sheet S. Reference numeral 108 denotes a waste box for storing waste cut from the small mouth, and PS2 is a sensor for detecting a full tank of waste.
[0063]
On the upper blade support frame 106, the movable frame body 141 of the second pressing means 140 (small edge pressing portion) is supported by being biased by the spring 142. A pressing member 143 that presses the upper surface side of the sheet S and a roller 144 that presses the guide plate 114 are supported on the lower part of the upper blade support frame 106.
[0064]
The transport belt 121 of the second transport unit 120 is wound around the drive roller 122 and the driven roller 123 and is rotatable. An upper conveyance belt 124 wound between a driving roller 125 and a driven roller 126 that can be swung and has a pressing force by a spring or the like is attached to the conveyance belt 121 on the upper portion of the conveyance belt 121 on the upstream side of sheet conveyance. It is supported so that it can be pressed.
[0065]
A movable stopper 127 that stops the leading end portion of the sheet S is supported on the downstream side of the conveyance belt 121 so as to be swingable. The leading end of the movable stopper 127 positions the leading end of the sheet S when protruding from the sheet conveying path, and allows the sheet S to pass when retracted from the sheet conveying path.
[0066]
Further on the downstream side of the conveyance belt 121, the discharge roller 128 is supported so as to be able to swing and is in pressure contact with the conveyance belt 121.
[0067]
A first pressing means 130 is disposed on the upper portion of the conveyor belt 121.
[0068]
The drive source (motor M3) rotates the gears g21, g22, g23, g24, and g25 of the drive means, and eccentrically places the eccentric pin 132 that is implanted at the eccentric position of the rotary disk 131 that is arranged coaxially with the gear g25. Rotate. A lower end portion of the crank 133 connected to the eccentric pin 132 is connected to the suspension member 134. The suspension member 134 is guided so as to be movable up and down along a long groove portion 135a of a guide member 135 fixed to the apparatus main body.
[0069]
A pressing member 136 is suspended below the long groove portion 135a. The pressing member 136 is biased by the spring 137 and presses the upper surface near the folded portion of the sheet S.
[0070]
When the motor M3 starts driving, the eccentric pin 132 is moved from the top dead center to the bottom dead center, and the crank 133 is displaced, the pressing member 136 presses the upper surface of the sheet S by the biasing force of the spring 137.
[0071]
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of the driving unit 150 of the sheet cutting apparatus B.
[0072]
The motor M1 (first driving means) drives the first conveying means 110 and the second conveying means 120. A gear g1 provided on the drive shaft of the motor M1 rotates the belt B1 via the gear g2. The belt B1 rotates the driving rollers 112 and 122 and rotates the belt B2 via gears g3 and g4. The belt B2 rotates the driving roller 117, and further rotates the driven roller 118 via the belt B3. The drive roller 122 rotates the belt B4 via gears g5 and g6. The belt B4 rotates the driving roller 125.
[0073]
The motor M2 (second driving means) drives the cutting upper blade 101 and the pressing member 143 via gears g11 to g13. The motor M3 (third driving means) drives the pressing member 136 via the gears g21 to g25. The motor M4 (fourth driving means) moves the movable stopper 127 to a predetermined position corresponding to the sheet size via the belt B5. The motor M5 (fifth drive means) drives the cam 129 and raises and lowers the movable stopper 127. The movable stopper 127 is held in an upright initial state when the leading end of the sheet is abutted, and is brought down by driving the motor M5 when the sheet S is discharged.
[0074]
The protruding position of the fore edge before sheet cutting differs depending on the thickness of the sheet bundle, that is, the thickness (t) of one sheet and the number (n) of the sheet bundle. The control means 90 selects the optimum value by setting the numerical value of the value or detecting the thickness of the sheet bundle.
[0075]
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a process of cutting the edge of the sheet S, and FIG. 7 is a block diagram for controlling the driving of the sheet cutting apparatus B.
[0076]
The following is the process for trimming the sheet.
[0077]
(1) A setting signal for performing a fore edge cutting process is input to the sheet S that has been subjected to the saddle stitching and folding process by the sheet post-processing apparatus FS.
[0078]
(2) When a sheet size detection signal from the image forming apparatus A or the sheet post-processing apparatus FS or a sheet size signal set in the operation unit of the image forming apparatus A is input to the sheet cutting apparatus B, the movable stopper 127 is included. The unit moves by being driven by the motor M4, and stops at the set sheet size position.
[0079]
(3) The sheet S that has been subjected to the saddle stitching and folding process discharged from the sheet post-processing device FS is sent to the first conveying unit 110 of the sheet cutting device B, and is sandwiched between the lower conveying belt 111 and the upper conveying belt 116. Then, it is sent to the second conveying means 120.
[0080]
(4) The sheet S carried into the second conveying unit 120 is conveyed by pressing and sandwiching the surface of the rotating conveying belt 121 by the upper conveying belt 124 so as to suppress the swelling of the folding portion. When the sensor PS3 disposed in the vicinity of the movable stopper 127 detects the passage of the leading end of the sheet S, the control unit 90 causes the conveying belt 121 and the belt S to stop so that the leading end of the sheet S abuts against the movable stopper 127. The rotation of the upper conveying belt 124 is controlled and stopped (see FIG. 6A).
[0081]
(5) After the sheet leading edge passing detection by the sensor PS3, the motor M3 starts to be driven by the control means 90, the rotating disk 131 is rotated via the gears g21 to g25, and the suspension member 134 is lowered by the crank 133. . At the same time, the pressing member 136 connected by the suspension member 134 and the spring 137 descends and strongly presses the upper surface in the vicinity of the front end portion (folded portion a) of the sheet S by the spring biasing force. With this pressing force, the sheet S subjected to the saddle stitching and folding process is compressed and flattened as shown in FIG. 6A (see FIG. 6B).
[0082]
(6) Thereafter, the control means 90 starts driving the motor M2 after a predetermined time is measured by the timer 91, and drives the elevating drive member 105 downward through the gears g11 to g13. By this lowering drive, first, the pressing member 143 of the second pressing means 140 presses the upper surface of the sheet S to correct the warp of the sheet S so as to be brought into close contact, and then the cutting upper blade 101 is lowered and the edge b of the sheet S is lowered. Is cut (see FIG. 6C).
[0083]
(7) After the edge cutting process, the control unit 90 drives the motor M5 to swing the movable stopper 127 and bury its tip under the sheet conveying surface. The cutting upper blade 101 and the pressing member 143 of the second pressing means 140 are raised by the motor M2 that continues to drive. The motor M2 continues to rotate and stops driving of the motor M2 when the upper limit of the cutting upper blade 101 is detected by the sensor PS4 (see FIG. 4).
[0084]
Using the upper limit detection by the sensor PS4 as a trigger, driving of the motors M3 and M5 is started. By driving the motor M3, the pressing member 136 of the first pressing means 130 is raised. The movable stopper 127 is tilted by driving the motor M5 to open the paper discharge path.
Thereafter, the motor M1 is driven to rotate the conveyance belt 121, and the sheet S is discharged outside the apparatus by being sandwiched between the discharge rollers 128 (see FIG. 6D).
[0085]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the following effects can be achieved by the sheet cutting apparatus and the sheet post-processing apparatus of the present invention.
[0086]
(1) The sheet cutting apparatus of the present invention presses and removes the bulges in the vicinity of the folded portion of the sheet that has undergone saddle stitching and center folding, and then presses and cuts the vicinity of the edge of the sheet. Therefore, the fore ends after cutting are evenly aligned, and when the sheet is opened after the end cutting, the problem that the left and right sides of the sheet are different is solved, and the finished quality of the sheet is improved.
[0087]
(2) With the sheet post-processing apparatus provided with the sheet cutting apparatus of the present invention, the sheets that have been saddle-stitched and center-folded are uniformly aligned with the edge of the sheet, and the finished quality of the bound sheet is improved.
[0088]
(3) Desired digital processing is performed by an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a multifunction machine of these, and the sheet discharged after processing such as single-sided recording, double-sided recording, and page editing is the sheet of the present invention. With the cutting device, the small cut is accurately performed and bound.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus including a sheet post-processing apparatus and a sheet cutting apparatus.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a sheet conveyance path of a sheet post-processing apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a sheet that has undergone saddle stitching, a perspective view of a booklet that has undergone saddle stitching and bi-folding, a perspective view that shows a state in which the post-processed booklet has been opened, and after saddle stitching and bi-folding Sectional view of a processed booklet.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a sheet cutting apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a driving unit of the sheet cutting apparatus.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process of cutting a fore edge of a sheet.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram for controlling driving of the sheet cutting apparatus.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a conventional sheet cutting apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
50 Staple means
60 folding means
68 Folded sheet conveying means
90 Control means
91 timer
100 Cutting means
101 Cutting upper blade
102 Cutting lower blade
103 Eccentric pin
104 Movable frame
105 Lifting drive member
106 Upper blade support frame
108 Trash box
110 First transport means
111 Lower conveyor belt
114 Guide plate (sheet bundle guide means)
116,124 Upper conveyor belt
120 Second conveying means
121 Conveyor belt
127 Movable stopper
128 discharge roller
129 cam
130 1st press means (folding part pressing part)
131 rotating disc
133 cranks
134 Suspension member
135 Guide member
136, 143 pressing member
137, 142 Spring
140 Second pressing means (small edge pressing part)
141 Movable frame
150 Drive means
A Image forming apparatus
B sheet cutting device
FS sheet post-processing equipment (finisher)
M1, M2, M3, M4, M5 Motor (drive source)
PS1, PS2, PS3 sensors
S sheet (recording paper, sheet bundle)
SP staple needle
a Folding (tip)
b
c Cutting line
g1 to g6, g11 to g13, g21 to g25

Claims (6)

In the sheet cutting method of cutting the edge of the sheet bundle that has been subjected to the saddle stitching process and the half-fold process, and aligning the sheets,
In order to flatten the bulge of the folding portion by pressing the upper surface of the sheet bundle by the first raising and lowering pressing means that presses the vicinity of the folding portion of the sheet bundle placed on the sheet placement portion. After driving the motor to move up and down, when a predetermined time is counted by a timer , the second pressing means is used to press the upper surface in the vicinity of the small edge of the sheet bundle by the second pressing means capable of lifting and lowering the vicinity of the small edge of the sheet bundle. The motor for moving up and down is driven, and then the edge of the sheet bundle is cut by the cutting means that can be moved up and down while maintaining the pressure near the folding portion by the first pressing means and the pressure near the fore edge by the second pressing means. Then, the sheet cutting method is characterized by aligning the sheets in a small size. In a sheet cutting apparatus that cuts the edge of a sheet bundle that has been subjected to saddle stitching processing and bi-fold processing, and aligns the sheets,
A stopper member to abut the folded portion near the sheet over sheet bundle,
A first pressing means capable of moving up and down to press the vicinity of the folded portion of the sheet bundle placed on the sheet placing portion to flatten the bulge of the folded portion ;
A second pressing means capable of moving up and down to press the vicinity of the edge of the sheet bundle;
A cutting means capable of moving up and down to cut the vicinity of the edge of the sheet bundle,
Driving means including a plurality of motors for driving up and down each of the first pressing means, the second pressing means, and the cutting means;
A timer for measuring the time from the start of driving one of the plurality of motors to the start of driving another motor;
Control means for starting driving of one of the motors to drive the first pressing means, and then starting driving of another motor to drive the second pressing means after measuring a predetermined time by the timer ; Have
While maintaining the pressing in the vicinity of the folded portion by the first pressing means and the pressing in the vicinity of the fore edge by the second pressing means, the edge of the sheet bundle is cut by the cutting means to align the fore edges of the sheets. Sheet cutting device.   The sheet cutting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second pressing unit is driven up and down integrally with the cutting unit.   3. The sheet bundle guiding means that can be raised and lowered is provided at a position immediately before the sheet feeding direction with respect to the cutting means, and the sheet bundle guiding means can be retracted from the sheet conveyance path when cutting sheets. The sheet cutting device according to 1.   A sheet post-processing apparatus comprising the sheet cutting device according to claim 2, wherein the sheet bundle is folded in half and saddle stitched, and then the edge of the sheet bundle is cut to align the sheets.   6. An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet fed by a sheet feeding unit according to image information; and the sheet post-processing device according to claim 5.

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