JP4006237B2 - Sheet processing apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus that processes a sheet, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet processing apparatus, and more particularly to an operation performed when processing a sheet.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile, for example, a sheet after image formation is performed in order to reduce the labor required for processing such as alignment and binding to a sheet of copy paper after image formation. There are some which include a sheet processing apparatus that sequentially takes the sheet into the apparatus and performs processing such as alignment and binding on the sheet.
[0003]
Here, such a sheet processing apparatus includes a mode for simply discharging and stacking sheets on the sheet stacking unit, a mode for discharging and stacking sheets on the sheet stacking unit after performing alignment and binding processing in the intermediate stacking unit, etc. The apparatus is capable of processing a plurality of modes, and these sheets are stacked on the same stacking unit, and the full load of sheets on the sheet stacking unit is often detected using a light transmission type sensor or the like.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when a light transmission sensor is used to detect the full load of sheets on the sheet stacking portion as in the conventional example, there is a problem that the light transmission sensor is expensive.
[0005]
Therefore, some conventional sheet processing apparatuses detect the full load of sheets on the sheet stacking portion by a full load detection flag provided with a rotation fulcrum above a pair of discharge rollers for discharging sheets to the sheet stacking portion. By using the full load detection flag, cost reduction can be realized.
[0006]
However, the full load detection flag is disposed between a plurality of intermediate stacking portions that temporarily hold sheets for performing processing such as alignment and binding, and further, as described above, a rotation fulcrum is provided above the discharge roller pair. Provided. Therefore, if the full load detection flag is not retracted from the sheet conveyance path to the intermediate stacking unit, the full load detection flag is pushed up to the sheet when the sheet is ejected, and the pushed full load detection flag hits the intermediate stacking unit and rotates. This is not possible and sheet jam occurs. Also, once the full load detection flag is lifted, the intermediate stacking unit is above the sheet stacking unit.For example, when the sheets are aligned, the full load detection flag is lifted upward by the sheets, so that during the alignment The full load detection flag will be detected on the alignment surface, and it will be erroneously detected that the sheets are full.
[0007]
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such a current situation, and an object of the present invention is to enable full load detection at low cost by effectively using a full load detection means using a flag. .
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
To achieve the above object, a typical configuration of the present invention is a sheet processing apparatus that performs processing on a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus main body, and aligns the end of the sheet in the conveyance direction against the wall. A first intermediate stacking unit; a discharge unit that discharges a sheet from the first intermediate stacking unit; and a conveyance direction of a sheet stacked on the first intermediate stacking unit on a downstream side in the conveyance direction of the discharge unit. A second intermediate stacking portion having a pair of guides that are movable to a position for supporting and not supporting the width direction end portion and aligning the width direction end portions of the sheets ; and a second intermediate stacking portion A sheet stacking unit located below the gravitational direction, and a full load detection unit that detects a full load of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit, wherein the full load detection unit is configured such that the guide pair has an end in the width direction of the sheet. In a position that does not support Rutoki, wherein above the discharge means by full load detecting flag has a rotation supporting point contact detected the sheet upper surface height on the sheet stacking portion, the guide pairs is in a position to support the end portion in the width direction of the sheet At this time , the full sheet detection is not performed.
[0009]
According to the above configuration, since the full sheet detection is not performed during the sheet processing in the intermediate stacking unit, it is possible to detect the full sheet using the full load detection means by the low-cost full load detection flag effectively. It is.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in the following embodiments should be appropriately changed according to the configuration of the apparatus to which the present invention is applied and various conditions. As long as there is no specific description, it is not the meaning which limits the scope of the present invention only to them.
[0011]
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an overall configuration of a laser beam printer which is an example of an image forming apparatus including a sheet processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
[0012]
(Overall configuration of image forming apparatus)
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100A denotes a laser beam printer as an image forming apparatus, and reference numeral 100 denotes a laser beam printer main body (hereinafter referred to as a printer main body) as an image forming apparatus main body. The laser beam printer 100A is independently a computer or a LAN. The image is formed (printed) on a sheet by a predetermined image forming process on the basis of image information, a print signal, and the like sent from these computers and networks, and discharged.
[0013]
Reference numeral 300 denotes a sheet processing apparatus. The sheet processing apparatus 300 is arranged above the printer main body 100, and passes a sheet discharged from the printer main body 100 to the outside of the apparatus via a conveyance unit in the sheet processing apparatus. In the face-down state with the image side down, the first intermediate stacking unit 300B is loaded into and mounted on the second intermediate stacking unit 300C (slide guides 301 and 302 described later), and then the second intermediate stacking described later. Alignment is performed using the alignment function of the unit 300C, the sheets are bundled for each predetermined job, one or more of the sheets are stapled and discharged and stacked on the sheet stacking unit 325, or the sheet stacking unit is simply face down 325 is discharged and loaded.
[0014]
Here, the sheet processing apparatus 300 and the printer main body 100 are electrically connected by a cable connector (not shown). In addition, the sheet processing apparatus 300 includes a casing part 300 </ b> A that stores each part, and is detachable from the printer main body 100.
[0015]
(Printer configuration)
Next, the configuration of each unit of the printer main body 100 will be described along the conveyance path of the conveyed sheet S.
[0016]
In the printer main body 100, a plurality of sheets S are stacked in the feeding cassette 200, and the uppermost sheet S1 is sequentially separated and fed one by one by various rollers. The sheet S fed from the feeding cassette 200 by a predetermined print signal supplied from a computer or a network is first placed on the upper surface of the image forming unit 101 that forms a toner image by a so-called laser beam type image forming process. The toner image is transferred, and subsequently, heat and pressure are applied by the fixing device 120 on the downstream side, whereby the toner image is permanently fixed.
[0017]
Next, the sheet S on which the image has been fixed is folded back in a substantially U-shaped sheet conveyance path up to the discharge roller 130, so that the image surface is reversed, and the image surface is thus on the lower side. Then, the printer body 100 is discharged face down to the outside.
[0018]
Here, the sheet S is face-down provided on the upper portion of the printer main body 100 by, for example, a discharge roller 130 according to the position of the flapper 150 of the printer main body 100 that rotates based on a control signal from a control unit (not shown). (FD) Whether to be discharged to the discharge unit 125 or to the sheet stacking unit 325 of the sheet processing apparatus 300 is selected.
[0019]
(Configuration of sheet processing apparatus)
Next, the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 300 and the movement of each part when the sheet S conveyed from the printer main body 100 goes to the sheet processing apparatus 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
[0020]
In FIG. 2, 330a is an upper discharge roller, 330b is a lower discharge roller, M is a jogger motor as a drive source, 322 is a paddle, 323 is a reference wall for abutting the rear end of the sheet (end in the conveyance direction). Here, as shown in the figure, the discharge roller pair 330 as discharge means composed of the discharge upper roller 330a and the discharge lower roller 330b is disposed on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction of the flapper 150 described above and is not used. It is rotationally driven by the illustrated drive motor.
[0021]
Further, the discharge upper roller 330 a is pivotally supported by an arm 330 c that can rotate around a paddle shaft 350. The jogger motor M (see FIG. 1) is a motor for driving slide guides 301 and 302 described later, and a stepping motor is used in this embodiment.
[0022]
Further, the paddle 322 serving as an alignment means at the end portion in the sheet conveyance direction is made of a flexible material such as rubber, and a plurality of paddles 322 are fixed to the paddle shaft 350 in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction. When the sheet is discharged from the printer main body 100, the paddle shaft 350 is driven to rotate in the clockwise direction, whereby the sheet S moves in the direction opposite to the sheet conveying direction, and the rear end ( The end portion in the transport direction abuts on the reference wall 323 and is aligned. By providing the paddle 322 in this way, the consistency can be further improved.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 3, in the sheet processing apparatus 300 of this embodiment, the second intermediate stacking unit 300 </ b> C (alignment unit) having a function of performing alignment in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction is detailed. A slide guide 301 and a slide guide 302, which will be described later, are provided. In the figure, H is a stapler that is a binding unit that staples the sheet bundle and performs a binding process on the sheet bundle. In this embodiment, the stapler H is an image surface of an image-formed sheet. In order to staple the upper left corner portion and bind each sheet, it is fixedly arranged on the slide guide 301 side.
[0024]
The sheet processing apparatus 300 configured as described above is configured to perform stapling processing based on a command output in advance from a computer or the like. Before S is discharged by the conveying roller 121 (see FIG. 1) provided in the printer main body 100, the flapper 150 is rotated counterclockwise by a solenoid (not shown) as shown in FIG. The conveyance path is switched to the sheet processing apparatus side.
[0025]
As a result, the sheet S is carried into the sheet processing apparatus 300 by the conveying roller 121. The sheet S thus carried into the sheet processing apparatus 300 is detected by rotating the flag 391 of the entrance sensor 390 in the clockwise direction, thereby causing the flag 391 to transmit the photosensor 392. Thereafter, the sheet S is conveyed upward by the entrance roller pair 363.
[0026]
(Discharge loading operation)
By the way, in the present embodiment, the sheet processing apparatus 300 is capable of stapling and discharging and stacking the sheet on the sheet stacking unit 325 and discharging and stacking on the sheet stacking unit 325 simply face down. Hereinafter, each discharge stacking operation will be described.
[0027]
(Face-down discharge loading)
First, an operation for discharging and stacking sheets on the sheet stacking unit 325 in a face-down manner will be described.
[0028]
In this case, as shown in FIG. 4A, the bottom surfaces of the slide guide 301 on the right side and the slide guide 302 on the left side with respect to the sheet carry-in direction are not in contact with the sheet S that is carried in, that is, the sheet S. Is retracted to a position outside by a predetermined amount from the width direction.
[0029]
Therefore, after the sheet conveyed by the inlet roller pair 363 passes through the staple roller pair 320, the sheet passes through the gap of the stapler H and then is conveyed by the discharge roller pair 330, and the arrow in FIG. 4B and FIG. As shown in (), the sheet falls toward the sheet stacking unit 325. At this time, the full load detection flag 600 of FIG. 2A is pushed up by the sheet S around the rotation center 601 and rotates as shown in FIG.
[0030]
(Discharge loading after stapling)
Next, an operation of stapling sheets and discharging and stacking them on the sheet stacking unit 325 will be described.
[0031]
Here, as shown in FIG. 4A, the bottom surfaces of the slide guide 301 on the right side and the slide guide 302 on the left side with respect to the sheet loading direction do not come into contact with the sheet S being loaded, that is, the width of the sheet S. As shown in FIG. 3A, the reference pins 303 and 304 provided on the wall surfaces of the slide guides 301 and 302 are prevented from interfering with the loaded sheet S from a position outside the direction by a predetermined amount. The sheet S is moved to a position outside a predetermined amount from the width direction of the sheet S. Before this movement, as shown in FIG. 9, the full load detection flag 600 rotates the arm 330c used as a drive means for the full load detection flag upward, and the cam surface 330d of the arm 330c causes the cam of the flag 600 to When the surface 600b is pushed up, the surface 600b is retracted to the position shown in FIG. 9, which is the second position that does not interfere with the slide guide. In this state, the slide guides 301 and 302 are moved to the state shown in FIG. 4A, the full load detection flag 600 is inserted into the slide guides 301 and 302, and the arm 330c is lowered again to a position where the discharge roller pair 330 nips. Prepare for sheet loading. This is an initial operation at the time of staple stacking.
[0032]
At this time, the distance between the end surfaces of the bottom surfaces of the two slide guides 301 and 302 is smaller than the width of the sheet S, and the two slide guides 301 and 302 are in such a position (first position). The second intermediate stacking unit 300C that supports the sheet S entering can be configured.
[0033]
Accordingly, the sheet conveyed by the inlet roller pair 363 passes through the staple roller pair 320 and then passes through the gap between the staplers H and is then conveyed by the discharge roller pair 330 to be the second configured by the slide guides 301 and 302. Are conveyed onto the guide surface of the intermediate stacking unit 300C.
[0034]
In the present embodiment, the arm 330c is used as the driving means for the full load detection sensor. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a dedicated driving means may be provided separately.
[0035]
Here, as shown in FIG. 5A, the guide surface of the second intermediate stacking unit 300C is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction, and is mutually on the upstream side and the downstream side in the sheet carry-in direction. Specifically, a bent portion 300D that bends at an inclination angle α is formed between a predetermined section on the upstream side and a predetermined section on the downstream side. In addition, by having such a bent portion 300D, bending of the central portion of the sheet S that is not guided by the slide guides 301 and 302 forming the second intermediate stacking portion 300C is prevented.
[0036]
On the other hand, immediately after the first sheet is thus conveyed on the surface formed by the slide guides 301 and 302, the arm 330c rotates counterclockwise as shown in FIG. As a result, the discharge upper roller 330a pivotally supported by the arm 330c is retracted upward, and the discharge roller pair 330 is separated.
[0037]
At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, the full load detection flag 600 is lifted in the slide guides 301 and 302 by the cam surface 330 d of the arm 330 c around the rotation center 601.
[0038]
At the same time, the drive connected to the discharge roller pair 330 is disconnected, and the rotation of the discharge upper roller 330a and the discharge lower roller 330b is stopped. As a result, when the trailing edge of the sheet S completely passes through the staple roller pair 320, the sheet S returns to the direction opposite to the conveyance direction by its own weight and moves toward the reference wall 323.
[0039]
(Alignment operation in the sheet width direction)
Next, only the left slide guide 302 operates, and the alignment operation in the width direction of the sheets S stacked on the first intermediate stacking unit 300B and the second intermediate stacking unit 300C is started. Specifically, when the slide guide 302 is driven by the motor M and moves to the right side in FIG. 3, the reference pin 304 provided on the slide guide 302 contacts the left side surface of the sheet S and moves toward the slide guide 301 side. The sheet S is pushed in.
[0040]
Then, when the right side surface of the sheet S abuts on a reference pin 303 provided on the slide guide 301, the slide guide 302 moves to the position shown in FIG. 6, and alignment in the width direction of the sheet is performed. It is set so that the sheet S moves to a set staple position at a position where the sheet S is in contact with the reference pin 303 and aligned. After the alignment operation, the slide guide 302 moves in a direction wider than the width of the sheet S so that the next sheet can be conveyed again at the standby position.
[0041]
(Configuration of slide guide)
Here, the configuration of the slide guides 301 and 302 will be described in detail.
[0042]
As shown in FIG. 3, each of the slide guides 301 and 302 is guided by a total of four guide pins 313a provided on the mold frame F and guide pins 313b provided on the sheet metal frame F ′. It can be reciprocated in the left-right direction, that is, the direction (width direction) perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, and moved by the driving force from the jogger motor M.
[0043]
Further, when viewed from the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction, the slide guides 301 and 302 are each a wall portion that guides both sides of the sheet S and a support portion that supports the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet S, as shown in FIG. And has a substantially U-shaped cross section, and the lower surface of the U-shape supports each sheet discharged onto the first intermediate stacking unit 300B and carried into the second intermediate stacking unit 300C. In addition, the central portion of the sheet S in the width direction is not guided.
[0044]
Further, the slide guide 302 is provided with a slide rack portion 310 having a flat gear that meshes with the step gear 317. A slide rack 312 having a flat gear that meshes with the step gear 317 is also attached to the slide guide 301.
[0045]
Here, the slide rack 312 is provided to be movable relative to the slide guide 301 via a coiled spring 314. The spring 314 has one end abutting on the slide guide 302 and the other end abutting on the slide rack 312 and urges the slide guide 301 and the slide rack 312 to expand. The slide rack 312 has a square hole 312a for moving the embossed portion 301a on the slide guide 301 side.
[0046]
Further, two reference pins 303 made of metal having excellent wear resistance are provided on the side wall of the slide guide 301, and two reference pins 304 are provided on the side wall of the slide guide 302, respectively. When doing so, the slide guide 302 moves as described above, and the reference pin 304 and the pin 303 come into contact with the both side end faces 305 and 306 of the sheet.
[0047]
The slide guide 301 and the slide guide 302 are supported in the height direction by a step gear 317 and a jog sheet metal frame F ′.
[0048]
(Slide guide operation)
Next, the operation of each slide guide 301, 302 will be described.
[0049]
When the sheet processing apparatus 300 is turned on, the staple roller pair 320 starts to rotate, and then the jogger motor M rotates and the step gear 317 rotates, so that the rack portion 310 of the slide guide 302 is driven to the outside. Evacuate to.
[0050]
Further, when the jogger motor M rotates and the step gear 317 rotates, the slide guide 301 first moves the slide rack 312 relatively, and the square hole portion 312a of the slide rack 312 moves to the right side of the embossed portion 301a of the slide guide 301 in FIG. After coming into contact with the end face, it is retracted to the outside by being pressed by the square hole 312a.
[0051]
The slide guide 301 is provided with a slit portion 301S, and when the slit portion 301S moves to a predetermined retraction distance, the photosensor 316 transmits light as shown in FIG. Stops. Hereinafter, this position is referred to as a home position.
[0052]
On the other hand, when a signal that the sheet S enters the sheet processing apparatus 300 is input from the printer main body 100, the jogger motor M rotates, the slide guides 301 and 302 move inward, and the sheet that enters as shown in FIG. Stop at a position wider than the width of S by a predetermined amount d. At this position, the slide guide 301 is in a state where the stopper 301b abuts against the guide pin 313a and cannot move further inward. Hereinafter, this position is referred to as a standby position. In this standby position, the side surface of the slide guide 301 becomes the reference position for the alignment operation.
[0053]
Here, in the present embodiment, when the size (width) of the sheet S is the maximum size that can be passed, the standby positions of the slide guides 301 and 302 are set so that the gaps on both sides are equal to or larger than the predetermined amount d. Is set.
[0054]
When aligning a narrower sheet than this, the slide guide 302 moves to the right by an amount corresponding thereto, so that the left gap at the standby position shown in FIG. . On the other hand, in this case, the gap between the sheet and the slide guide 302 widens by half the amount that is narrower than the predetermined amount d.
[0055]
On the other hand, after the alignment in the width direction is performed by the slide guides 301 and 302 as shown in FIG. The sheet S is brought into a movable state in the sheet conveyance direction. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the paddle 322 rotates once while contacting the upper surface of the sheet S in the clockwise direction around the paddle shaft 350, whereby the sheet S is abutted against the reference wall 323. Align.
[0056]
These operations enable alignment in the sheet conveying direction and the width direction. In order to maintain such an aligned state, a lever 400b provided with a friction member 400a as shown in FIG. 7 described later is provided in the vertical direction in the vicinity of the right end surface of the aligned sheet as shown in FIG. A stamp means 400 is provided for pressing the aligned sheet S after moving to.
[0057]
Then, after the aligning operation is completed by the stamp unit 400, the sheet in the aligned state is moved by pressing the upper surface of the sheet before the next entering sheet contacts the aligned sheet. Therefore, the alignment is prevented from being disturbed.
[0058]
Note that after the alignment of the first sheet is completed in this way, the second sheet is conveyed. In this case, the discharge roller pair 330 is separated when the second and subsequent sheets are conveyed. Therefore, when the trailing edge of the sheet S completely passes through the staple roller pair 320, the sheet returns to the direction opposite to the conveyance direction by its own weight and moves toward the reference wall 323. Since the alignment operation from here is exactly the same as that of the first sheet, description thereof is omitted.
[0059]
Then, such an operation is repeated to perform an operation of aligning the last (nth) sheet (Sn) of one job, and each reference pin 304 provided on the slide guide 302 moves the left side surface of the sheet along the slide guide 301. 6 in a state where the movement of the slide guide 302 is stopped, the position on the right side of the rear end is stapled by a small stapler H located on the right side of the rear end of the sheet bundle.
[0060]
Here, according to this configuration and operation, during the alignment operation of each sheet, the slide guide 301 stops and does not move at the reference position, and only the slide guide 302 moves and the left end portion of each sheet moves to the reference position. Thus, the binding process by the stapler H fixedly arranged on the slide guide 301 side is performed accurately and reliably.
[0061]
Furthermore, even when the width of each sheet carried in one job varies or when the sheet size changes within one job, for example, from LTR to A4, the position of the left end of each sheet is made uniform. Therefore, the finish of the binding process by the stapler H becomes accurate and beautiful, and an excellent effect is obtained.
[0062]
On the other hand, when the stapling operation is completed in this way, as shown in FIG. 5C, the arm 330c rotates in the clockwise direction, so that the discharge upper roller 330a supported on the arm 330c is moved downward. As a result, the discharge roller pair 330 is formed, and at the same time, the discharge roller pair 330 is driven to start the rotation of the discharge upper roller 330a and the discharge lower roller 330b. As a result, the sheet bundle S is sandwiched between the discharge roller pair 330 and conveyed onto the second intermediate stacking unit 300 </ b> C formed by the slide guides 301 and 302.
[0063]
After that, when the sheet bundle S is completely discharged from the discharge roller pair 330, the jogger motor M is rotationally driven to move the slide guide 302 from the state shown in FIG. When the slide guide 302 starts to move, the slide rack 312 moves to the right in FIG. 6 on the slide guide 301 side, and the slide guide 301 itself does not move immediately.
[0064]
When the position of the slide guide 302 passes the standby position shown in FIG. 3, the square hole portion 312a of the slide rack 312 comes into contact with the end surface of the embossed portion 301a of the slide guide 301, and the slide guide 301 is moved to the right side in FIG. The movement starts and both slide guides 301 and 302 move.
[0065]
After this, when the distance between the slide guides 301 and 302 becomes near or wider than the width of the sheet, the stapled sheet bundle supported by the slide guides 301 and 302 is as shown in FIG. The sheet falls downward and is stacked on the sheet stacking unit 325. The above is the configuration and the series of operations of the printer main body and the sheet processing apparatus in the present embodiment.
[0066]
As described above, in this embodiment, the sheet processing apparatus 300 is mounted on the upper portion of the printer main body 100, and the sheet is reversed by switching the conveyance path of the sheet discharged from the printer main body 100 with the flapper 150. It can be discharged and loaded.
[0067]
Here, the sheet processing apparatus 300 is mounted on the upper portion of the printer main body 100 in this way, and the sheets are reversed and discharged and stacked, whereby the sheets on which images have been formed are discharged in the order of pages without providing a switchback mechanism. Can be loaded. Further, there is no inconvenience that the sheet interval has to be widened for switchback.
[0068]
As described above, in the printer main body 100 that discharges the sheet to the upper surface of the apparatus, the sheet processing apparatus 300 is provided above the discharge unit on the upper surface of the apparatus main body, and the sheet is reversed or in a reversed state. By selectively performing an operation of discharging the sheet stacking unit 325 after processing the sheet, the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus 300 can be simplified, and the sheet processing apparatus 300 and the sheet processing apparatus 300 are provided. In addition, the installation area and cost of the printer main body 100 can be reduced.
[0069]
In the above description, only the slide guide 302 operates and the slide guide 301 does not operate during the sheet alignment operation. However, the slide guide 301 may operate during the sheet alignment operation. In this case, for example, the slide guide 301 can be realized by using the same configuration as the slide guide 302.
[0070]
Furthermore, although the two slide guides 301 and 302 are configured to operate when the sheet after the alignment operation is dropped downward, only one of the slide guides 301 and 302 may be configured to operate when the sheet S is dropped downward.
[0071]
In the description so far, the case where the binding process is performed as the process for the sheet has been described, but according to this configuration, the puncher for punching the sheet or the sheet for performing the process of creating a sheet bundle by gluing the sheet. The same effect can be obtained with the processing apparatus.
[0072]
Incidentally, FIG. 7 is a view showing the structure of the stamp means 400 described above which is an alignment deviation prevention means. As shown in FIG. 7, the stamp means 400 is provided with a friction member 400a at the tip and a shaft 400c. An arm lever 400b that is a pivotable pressing member as a fulcrum, a solenoid 401 that is a releasing means for rotating the arm lever 400b to release the pressing operation of the arm lever 400b, and an arm lever 400b in the direction of an arrow 402, that is, A torsion coil spring (not shown) that urges the sheet S in a direction to press the sheet S in the direction of the slide guide 301 is provided.
[0073]
Here, during the discharging operation, the arm lever 400b of the stamp unit 400 is positioned outside the sheet conveyance path through which the succeeding sheet Sb passes the aligned preceding sheet Sa as shown in FIG. 7 by the force of the torsion coil spring. In other words, the pressing is performed at a position outside the sheet passing range.
[0074]
As a result, the arm lever 400b can be prevented from coming into contact with the succeeding sheet Sb to be discharged next, and the preceding sheet Sa that is already held in alignment with the second intermediate stacking unit 300C is the succeeding sheet. It is possible to prevent extrusion by Sb.
[0075]
On the other hand, when the succeeding sheet Sb is completely discharged, the succeeding sheet Sb moves in the direction of the arrow 403 shown in FIG. And while the succeeding sheet Sb moves in this way, the solenoid 401 is turned on. As a result, the arm lever 400b rotates in the direction of the arrow 404 shown in FIG. 8B, and as a result, the succeeding sheet Sb enters under the arm lever 400b.
[0076]
Thereafter, after the alignment in the sheet conveyance direction by the paddle 322 is performed, the slide guide 302 returns to the standby position. In this embodiment, however, the slide guide 302 returns to the standby position to prepare for the subsequent sheet carry-in. The solenoid 401 is turned off before the process is completed. As a result, the arm lever 400b presses the preceding sheet Sa again, and as a result, the preceding sheet Sa can be prevented from being pushed out by the subsequent sheet Sb that is subsequently conveyed.
[0077]
(Full load detection with full load detection flag)
Next, the movement of the full load detection flag will be described.
[0078]
As shown in FIG. 9 (partially enlarged view of FIG. 5B), when the full load detection flag 600 is lifted by the arm 330c as the driving means, the photosensor 602 changes from light shielding to translucent. If this state is detected as a full sheet, an erroneous detection of the full sheet will occur. Therefore, in the present embodiment, detection of the full load detection flag 600 is performed when the full load detection flag 600 is present in the slide guides 301 and 302 (positions that do not interfere with the slide guide) (second position), that is, in the second middle. When stacking sheets on the stacking unit 300C, do not go to see the full sheets of software. When the sheet is discharged, the arm 330c is lowered downward (first position) by a not-shown stepping motor (first position), and after the sheet bundle is discharged, the sheet is fully loaded at a predetermined timing. When the full load detection flag 600 detects that the photo sensor 602 is transmitted, it detects that the sheets on the sheet stacking unit 325 are full.
[0079]
However, in the case of a sheet stack in which the slide guides 301 and 302 are simply retracted to the position shown in FIG. 4A, the full load detection flag 600 is always lowered (the first position for detecting full load of sheets). ) And always sees the full load of the sheet stacking unit 325. While the maximum length sheet to be discharged is pushing the full load detection flag 600 during discharge, the full load detection flag 600 is in the transmission state during that time, and the full load is detected, but at least the sheet is full. When it is confirmed that the full load detection flag 600 is transparent for a time longer than the time when the detection flag 600 is pushed up during discharging, the full load detection flag 600 is made full and the loading is finished.
[0080]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, during the alignment stack process, the full load detection flag 600 is moved to the second position to prevent the slide guides 301 and 301 and the full load detection flag 600 from interfering with each other. Further, by adopting a configuration in which the full load is not seen at the second position, the full load detection of the sheet can be performed by the low-cost full load detection flag.
[0081]
[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the schematic configurations of the image forming apparatus main body and the sheet processing apparatus are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted here. 10-12 is a figure explaining 2nd Embodiment. 11 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 10 (a), and FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 10 (b).
[0082]
FIG. 10A shows the initial state, and the full load detection flag 600 has two photosensor light shielding portions 605 and 606 as shown in FIG. 11, and the photosensor light shielding portions 605 and 606 depend on the rotation angle of the flag. The photosensor 602 is shielded from light at these two locations. In FIG. 10A (FIG. 11), the photosensor light shielding unit 605 shields the photosensor 602 and the sheets are stacked on the sheet stacking unit 325. As a result, when the full load detection flag 600 is lifted by the arm 330c (second position), that is, at the time of alignment stacking in the second intermediate stacking portion 300C, the full load detection function, that is, the arm 330c in the present embodiment. When the full load detection flag 600 is moved to the second position, the sequence for determining whether or not the sheets on the sheet stacking unit 325 are full (whether the photosensor 602 is translucent or shaded) is stopped. Instead, as shown in FIG. 12, the photo sensor 602 is shielded by the full load detection flag 600 in a hardware manner, thereby creating a state where the full load is not detected.
[0083]
As a result, it is possible to reduce the complexity of the software configuration and reduce software bugs.
[0084]
[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the schematic configurations of the image forming apparatus main body and the sheet processing apparatus are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.
[0085]
The full load detection flag 600 of FIG. 13 is lifted by the solenoid 607 and is not linked to the arm 330c. That is, in the present embodiment, a solenoid is used as a driving unit for moving the full load detection flag 600. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the arm 330c is lifted every time when the full load detection flag 600 is lifted in the initial operation at the time of jogger alignment, but this is not necessary. Since the arm 330c is urged downward by a spring, and the operating sound is loud when the arm 330c is operated, the arm 330c is not operated as much as possible to prevent this noise. It is preferable to use another driving means (solenoid 607).
[0086]
As a result, the driving noise is reduced, the rotation response of the full load detection flag is improved, and the initial time can be reduced.
[0087]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, when the sheet is processed in the intermediate stacking unit, the full load detection flag is not detected by the full load detection flag. It is possible to detect the full load of the seat.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an overall configuration of a laser beam printer as an example of an image forming apparatus including a sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus and a sheet conveyed from a printer body. FIG. 3 is a plan view and a side view of the main part of the sheet processing apparatus. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a slide guide provided in the sheet processing apparatus at a home position. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a sheet bundle is dropped at the position shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the movement of each part in the processing operation of the sheet processing apparatus. 7 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of stamp means provided in the sheet processing apparatus. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a state of the stamp unit during sheet alignment. FIG. 9 is related to the first embodiment. FIG. 10B is a partially enlarged view for explaining the full load detection flag provided in the sheet processing apparatus. FIG. 10 is a view for explaining the full load detection flag provided in the sheet processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12A is a partially enlarged view for explaining a full load detection flag provided in the sheet processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 illustrates the full load detection flag provided in the sheet processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13B is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 10B. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a full load detection flag provided in the sheet processing apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is an image forming apparatus including the sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention. Overall perspective view of a laser beam printer that is an example of the device
F ... Mold frame F '... Sheet metal frame H ... Stapler M ... Jogger motor S ... Sheet S1 ... Sheet 100 ... Printer main body 100A ... Laser beam printer 101 ... Image forming part 120 ... Fixing device 121 ... Conveying roller 125 ... Discharge part 130 ... Discharge roller 200 ... sheet feeding cassette 300 ... sheet processing apparatus 300A ... casing part 300B ... first intermediate stacking part 300C ... second intermediate stacking part 300D ... bending parts 301 and 302 ... slide guide (second intermediate stacking part)
301S ... Slit portion 301a ... Embossed portion 301b ... Stopper 303, 304 ... Reference pin 305,306 ... End surface 310 ... Slide rack portion 312 ... Slide rack 312a ... Square hole portion 313a ... Guide pin 313b ... Guide pin 314 ... Spring 316 ... Photo Sensor 317 ... Step gear 320 ... Staple roller pair 322 ... Paddle 323 ... Reference wall 325 ... Sheet stacking section 330 ... Discharge roller pair 330a ... Discharge upper roller 330b ... Discharge lower roller 330c ... Arm 330d ... Cam surface 350 ... Paddle shaft 363 ... Inlet roller pair 390 ... Entrance sensor 391 ... Flag 392 ... Photo sensor 400 ... Stamp means 400a ... Friction member 400b ... Lever 400c ... Shaft 401 ... Solenoid 600 ... Full load detection flag 600b ... Cam surface 601 ... Rotation Heart 602 ... photosensor 605, 606 ... photosensor shielding portion 607 ... solenoid 700 ... guide top 701 ... flags underside

Claims (6)

In a sheet processing apparatus that processes sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus main body,
A first intermediate stacking unit that aligns a sheet conveying direction end against the wall;
Discharging means for discharging sheets from the first intermediate stacking unit;
Movable to a position that does not support the position for supporting the end portion in the width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the sheets stacked on the first intermediate stacking portion in the downstream side of said discharge means, the widthwise end of the sheet A second intermediate stacking section having a pair of guides for aligning the sections;
A sheet stacking portion below the second intermediate stacking portion in the direction of gravity;
Full load detecting means for detecting the full load of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacking unit,
The full load detecting means, when the guide pair is in a position that does not support the widthwise end portion of the seat, the seat height of the upper surface on the sheet stacking portion by full load detecting flag with upward rotational fulcrum of said discharge means The sheet processing apparatus is characterized in that full sheet detection is not performed when the contact pair is detected and the guide pair is in a position to support the widthwise end of the sheet.   2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the full load detection flag is movable between a first position where full sheet detection is performed and a second position where full sheet detection is not performed.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the full load detection flag is movable to each position using a driving unit. 4. The full load detection flag is moved to the second position when the guide pair is in a position that supports an end in the width direction of the sheet, and full load detection of the sheet is not performed. The sheet processing apparatus according to 1.   The full load detection flag has two light blocking portions for blocking the photosensor, and one light blocking portion is a light blocking portion for detecting whether or not the sheets on the sheet stacking portion are full, The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light shielding unit is a light shielding unit for preventing full sheet detection. An image forming apparatus having an image forming apparatus main body that forms an image on a sheet, and a sheet processing apparatus that performs processing on a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus main body.
An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 as the sheet processing apparatus.

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