JP4082253B2 - Sheet processing device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus that processes a sheet (sheet) discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine, and more particularly to a sheet processing apparatus including a sheet (sheet) setting mechanism.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, sheet processing apparatuses that receive recorded paper (sheets) discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine and perform predetermined post-processing have been widely used. This is because online production of the image forming apparatus and the high productivity of recording by the image forming apparatus have progressed, and post-processing means such as stapling, punching (round perforation), paper folding, etc. for the recording paper after image formation This is because image forming apparatuses that ensure high productivity while being equipped with the image forming apparatus have become common.
[0003]
As such a sheet processing apparatus, for example, when stapling is taken as an example, after recording sheets are received and stacked on the compiler tray (compile tray) and aligned, a predetermined number of sheet bundles are generated, There is a technique for performing stapling by a stapler unit (see Patent Document 1).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-120284 (page 3-4, FIG. 2)
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In recent years, the demand for sheet processing apparatuses that increase the number of sheets that can be stapled at a time has increased in the market as the speed and productivity of image forming apparatuses have increased. In order to increase the number of sheets that can be stapled at one time, it is necessary to increase the volume of the compile tray, specifically, to increase the size of the sheet in the thickness direction. On the other hand, in this type of sheet processing apparatus, a sheet bundle loaded on the compile tray is pressed during stapling, and a discharge roll for discharging the sheet bundle to the outside is provided so as to be movable forward and backward with respect to the compile tray. In order to prevent the sheet supply to the compilation tray from being hindered, it is necessary to set the discharge roll retracting position in consideration of the amount of sheets stacked. Then, when the volume of the compile tray is increased, the retracting position of the discharge roll becomes far from the compile tray, so that it takes a long time to move the discharge roll, and as a result, staple binding is performed on the sheet bundle. There was a technical problem that the time required to perform the process was prolonged and the productivity was lowered. In Patent Document 1 described above, no such technical problem is described or even suggested.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in order to solve the above technical problem, and the object of the present invention is to shorten the time required for stapling a sheet bundle and increase the productivity. It is to secure.
Another object of the present invention is to ensure safety when performing stapling.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the present invention, high productivity is ensured by differently pressing the sheet bundle depending on whether the staple process is performed on the sheet bundle or not.
That is, the present invention is a sheet processing apparatus having a compiling function for aligning a plurality of conveyed sheets as one sheet bundle, and sequentially stacking supplied sheets to form one sheet bundle. A compile tray, a sheet aligning unit that executes alignment processing of sheets supplied to the compile tray, a press discharge unit that presses the sheet bundle aligned by the sheet aligning unit and discharges the sheet bundle, and are integrated in the compile tray. A stapler for executing staple processing of the sheet bundle, and the timing at which the presser discharge unit starts the pressing process is earlier than the timing at which the alignment of the sheet bundle by the sheet aligning unit ends, and the stapler staples the sheet bundle. When processing is performed, it is more difficult to press than when not stapling the sheet bundle. It is characterized by initiating early pressing process of the sheet bundle by the example discharge means.
[0008]
Here, in the case where the staple discharge unit performs the stapling process on the sheet bundle, the sheet bundle is processed while the sheet alignment unit performs the alignment process on the last sheet supplied to the compilation tray. It is possible to start the pressing process. In addition, the pressing and discharging means may include a cover member that moves in a direction to close the opening formed on the sheet bundle discharging portion side of the compilation tray in conjunction with the sheet bundle pressing process. Further, the power supply of the stapling means can be further turned on, and the switch means can be turned on in conjunction with the sheet bundle pressing process by the pressing and discharging means.
[0009]
From another point of view, the sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention sequentially collects the supplied sheets to form a single sheet bundle, and aligns the sheets supplied to the compilation tray. A mechanism, a pressing member that presses the sheets accumulated on the compilation tray, a pressing member is attached, a retracting position that does not interfere with the supply of the sheets to the compilation tray, and a sheet bundle stacked on the compilation tray A frame member that is moved between the advance position, a stapler that staples the bundle of sheets on the compilation tray, and a switch that is disposed on the advance / retreat path of the frame member and that turns on / off the stapler. When stapling a sheet bundle with a stapler, While the last sheet is being aligned by the center aligning mechanism, the switch is turned on from the retracted position and moved to a switch position where the sheet bundle is not pressed.
[0010]
Here, the frame member may be characterized by temporarily stopping at the switch position after moving from the retracted position to the switch position. The frame member can complete the movement from the switch position to the advanced position after the last sheet is aligned by the sheet aligning mechanism. Further, the moving speed from the retracted position to the switch position in the frame member may be equal to or higher than the moving speed from the switch position to the advanced position.
[0011]
In addition, the sheet aligning mechanism presses the sheet against the horizontal reference wall using the pressing surface to perform horizontal alignment, and the distance from the horizontal reference wall to the pressing surface is D1, which is perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction of the aligned sheets. If the size is D2, the last sheet alignment is that the pressing surface stops at a position where D1 ≦ D2 and then once moves to a position where D1> D2, and then moves again to a position where D1 ≦ D2. It can be characterized by being. Further, when the frame member moves from the retracted position to the switch position, the frame member can be moved in a direction to cover the opening formed on the sheet bundle discharge portion side of the compilation tray. The frame member may be formed over substantially the entire region in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a sheet processing apparatus to which the exemplary embodiment is applied. A sheet processing apparatus (paper processing apparatus) 2 is connected to an image forming apparatus 1 such as a printer or a copying machine that forms a color image by an electrophotographic method, and is used as a post-processing apparatus. The sheet processing apparatus 2 includes a transport unit 3 connected to the image forming apparatus 1, a folding unit 4 that performs a folding process on a sheet (paper) captured by the transport unit 3, and the folding unit 4. A finisher 5 that performs predetermined final processing on the passed sheet, an interposer 6 that supplies slip sheets such as a cover of a booklet, and a control unit 7 that controls each mechanism unit of the sheet processing apparatus 2 are provided. Although the control unit 7 is provided in the casing of the finisher 5 in FIG. 1, it can be provided in the casing of another unit. Further, all the control functions can be integrated in the main body of the image forming apparatus 1.
[0013]
When the sheet processing apparatus 2 configured by each of these units is divided by function, the finisher 5 is provided in the finisher 5 and is provided in the staple function unit 10 and the finisher 5 for generating a sheet bundle and performing stapling. A saddle stitch bookbinding function unit 30 that performs saddle stitching and a folding unit 4 is provided in the folding unit 4, and performs an inner tri-fold (C-fold) and an outer tri-fold (Z-fold) on the sheet, for example, the finisher 5. An interleaving function that is provided with a punch function unit 70 that punches (punches) 2 holes or 4 holes and an interposer 6 and supplies interleaving paper such as cardboard and window empty paper used for the cover of a sheet bundle Part 80.
[0014]
Next, the staple function unit 10 which is a characteristic configuration in the present embodiment will be described in detail.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating the staple function unit 10. The staple function unit 10 includes conveyance guides 101 and 102 that guide a sheet to be conveyed, a compile exit sensor 103 that detects a sheet and outputs a signal for controlling the operation of each mechanism unit, and the conveyance guides 101 and 102. A conveyance roller pair 104 that discharges (conveys) the paper conveyed through the sheet, and a compile tray 105 that stacks the paper discharged by the conveyance roller pair 104 are provided. A discharge tray 109 for discharging the stapled booklet is provided. The compile tray 105 is provided with a vertical reference wall (an end wall 151 described later) serving as a reference wall for vertical alignment (paper conveyance direction alignment) in a direction opposite to the paper discharge direction. The compile tray 105 is provided with a horizontal reference wall (not shown) serving as a reference wall that is aligned in the horizontal direction (a direction orthogonal to the paper conveyance direction), for example, on the front side (front side) of the apparatus.
[0015]
In addition, as a mechanism unit that executes each function, a sheet feeding direction (longitudinal aligning unit 110 that performs sheet aligning in the vertical direction (sheet conveying direction) and a sheet conveying direction (longitudinal aligning unit 110) ( The vertical alignment assisting unit 120 for assisting the paper alignment in the (vertical direction), in order to improve the alignment of the paper bundle, presses the paper bundle during the staple binding, and discharges the paper bundle after the staple binding is completed. The sheet bundle support / discharge unit 130 and the sheet fed to the compile tray 105 are arranged in a horizontal direction aligning unit 140 that performs sheet alignment in a direction (horizontal direction) orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction. An end wall 151 including a wall for aligning paper and having a mechanism for driving the end wall 151; a staple; Includes a staple mechanism unit 160 that staples a bundle of sheets supplied to the compilation tray 105, and a shelf 171 that is a guide for supporting the sheets in the compilation tray 105, and a mechanism for driving the shelf 171. The shelf mechanism unit 170 is provided.
[0016]
First, the vertical alignment unit 110 will be described.
The vertical alignment unit 110 sequentially presses the supplied paper against the end wall 151 against the compile tray 105, a compile paddle 111 that moves the compile paddle 111 up and down (retract / advance operation), and a compile paddle up / down solenoid 112. Links 113 and 114 that rotate and slide in conjunction with the paddle up / down solenoid 112, and regulation guides 115 and 116 for assisting paper alignment, such as pressing paper with strong curl, are provided. The compile paddle 111 is formed of, for example, EPDM, and about three blades are attached to one compile paddle 111. With these blades, the trailing edge of the sheet supplied to the compilation tray 105 is pressed against the end wall 151. By this pressing, the rear end (vertical direction) of the paper is aligned.
[0017]
FIG. 3 is a perspective view for explaining each mechanism of the vertical alignment unit 110. Here, the regulation guide 115 is omitted in consideration of the visibility of the drawing, but actually, a plurality of (for example, three) coaxial guides 111 are provided coaxially. A spring 117 is provided on the shaft of the compile paddle up / down solenoid 112. When the compile paddle up / down solenoid 112 and the spring 117 move the axis of the compile paddle up / down solenoid 112 in the direction (A) in the figure, the link 113 rotates in the direction (B), and the link 114 (C ) Slide in direction. By the movement of the links 113 and 114, the compile paddle 111 can be moved up and down at a necessary timing based on, for example, the number of sheets to be stacked, the thickness of the sheet bundle, and the like. On the other hand, the regulation guide 116 rotates in the (D) direction in conjunction with the operation of the link 114 in the (C) direction. As a result, the trailing edge of the strongly curled paper can be pressed down.
[0018]
Next, the vertical alignment assisting unit 120 will be described.
The vertical alignment assisting unit 120 shown in FIG. 2 sub-paddles 121 that assist the operation of pressing the paper supplied to the compile tray 105 against the end wall 151, for example, when the number of sheets reaches a predetermined number (50 sheets). The sub paddle up / down solenoid 122 that moves the sub paddle 121 up and down (retract / advance operation), such as raising the position of 121, and links 123 and 124 that move the sub paddle 121 up and down in conjunction with the sub paddle up / down solenoid 122. I have. The sub paddle 121 is formed of, for example, EPDM, similarly to the compiled paddle 111, and about three blades are attached to one sub paddle 121. These blades assist the vertical alignment of the paper supplied to the compilation tray 105.
[0019]
FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining each mechanism of the vertical alignment assisting unit 120. The perspective view shown in FIG. 4 shows a view of the vertical alignment assisting unit 120 from the rear side (IN side) of the apparatus. In the vertical alignment assisting unit 120, in order to shorten the sheet alignment time, the gear 125 rotates once based on the sheet discharge timing, and is linked to the link 126 via the sub paddle clutch 128 to operate the sub paddle 121. (Moves up and down). By this vertical movement, when the sheets are discharged from the compile tray 105, the sub paddle 121 is controlled to move to the position of the top stop point that does not hinder the discharge of the sheet bundle, and a conveying force is required for aligning the sheets. Sometimes, in order to increase the conveying force, the sub paddle 121 is controlled to move to the position of the bottom stop point at a necessary timing.
[0020]
The vertical alignment assisting unit 120 sucks the sub-paddle up / down solenoid 122 when the number of sheets discharged to the compilation tray 105 exceeds, for example, 50 sheets. By the suction of the sub-paddle up / down solenoid 122, the link 123 is rotated in the direction (G) in the figure around the center 123a, and the whole including the link 124 and the sub-paddle 121 is upward (the direction (F) in the figure). ). Also, by opening the sub-paddle up / down solenoid 122, the link 123 rotates in the direction (H) in the figure around the center 123a, and the entire link 124 and the sub-paddle 121 move downward. The sheet discharged to the compilation tray 105 moves to a height corresponding to 1 to 50 sheets. By adjusting the height between the sub paddle 121 and the sheet stacking surface in this manner, the conveyance force by the sub paddle 121 can be maintained in a substantially constant state even when the sheet stacking amount is different. Further, the vertical alignment assisting unit 120 is provided with a paper surface regulation guide 127 so that the paper does not buckle even when the sub-paddle 121 applies a transport force more than expected. It is configured.
[0021]
Next, the sheet bundle support / discharge unit 130 will be described.
A sheet bundle support / discharge unit 130 shown in FIG. 2 is pressed against the opposing roll 139 to support the sheet and discharge the sheet bundle (holding discharge member, restraining member) 131, such as a Z-folded sheet. A pressing roll (pressing member, pressing member) 132 for pressing the vicinity of the folded portion is provided. The pressing roll 132 is provided on the compiling direction side (opposite to the paper discharge direction) with respect to the eject roll 131. For example, when an A3 size paper (A3SEF) is folded into a Z shape to become an A4 size and a B4 size The sheet (B4SEF) is folded in the Z shape and becomes B5 size so that the vicinity of the folded portion (mountain folded portion) of the sheet can be pressed. Details of this will be described later. The eject roll 131 and the pressing roll 132 rotate around the shaft 137.
[0022]
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining each mechanism of the sheet bundle supporting / discharging unit 130. The sheet bundle support / discharge unit 130 includes an eject clamp motor 134 that moves the eject roll 131 and the pressing roll 132 up and down, and an eject motor 135 that rotates the eject roll 131. The eject roll 131 and the pressing roll 132 are attached to a frame 139a as a cover member or a frame member, and the eject roll 131 and the pressing roll 132 are moved up and down by rotating the frame 139a with an eject clamp motor 134. . The pressing roll 132 is made of, for example, POM (polyacetal monomer) and is rotatably supported by a leaf spring (elastic member) 133. The link 136 rotates around the shaft 136b by the rotation of the eject clamp motor 134, and the eject roll 131 and the pressing roll 132 are lowered / raised around the shaft 137 shown in FIG. 2 in the direction (I) shown in FIG. Let
[0023]
The eject motor 135 rotates the eject roll 131 to discharge the paper after being stapled by the staple mechanism unit 160 in the discharge direction. Further, the eject motor 135 to which the present embodiment is applied receives the paper first transported to the empty compile tray 105 after the paper bundle is ejected while rotating in the ejection direction, and receives the transport roller pair 104 as the paper. After the trailing end is discharged, the eject roll 131 is rotated in the reverse direction so that the sheet is conveyed in the compiling direction that is opposite to the discharging direction.
[0024]
An arm 139b extending upward is attached to the frame 139a. The arm 139b swings in the direction (L) in the drawing as the frame 139a rotates. On the other hand, an eject safety switch 139c for turning on / off the power supply to the stapling mechanism section 160 is attached to the frame (not shown) of the main body, and the lever 139d of the eject safety switch 139c is on the swinging locus of the arm 139b. Is arranged.
[0025]
Further, the sheet bundle supporting / discharging unit 130 presses the sheet with a predetermined pressing force by the spring 138. At this time, the compression / extension direction of the spring 138 (direction (J) in the figure) and the movement direction of the eject roll 131 (direction (I) in the figure) do not coincide with each other. The change of the pressure concerning 131 is relieved. As a result, it is possible to prevent the pressing force of the eject roll 131 against the paper from greatly changing depending on the amount of paper loaded.
[0026]
Next, the horizontal direction alignment unit 140 will be described.
The horizontal direction aligning unit 140 shown in FIG. 2 slides in a direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction, and the paper that is loaded into the compile tray 105 is horizontally aligned, for example, from the rear side to the front side of the apparatus. A tamper 141 that performs the reciprocating operation, a tamper motor 142 that is a driving source for reciprocating the tamper 141, and a belt 143 that transmits the driving force of the tamper motor 142 to the tamper 141.
[0027]
FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining each mechanism of the horizontal alignment unit 140. The horizontal alignment unit 140 includes a tamper home sensor 144 that is a photosensor that detects the home position of the tamper 141. At the home position detected by the tamper home sensor 144, the tamper 141 is in a standby state. The home position of the tamper 141 is on the rear side of the apparatus, and the tamper 141 functions to press the side edge of the sheet toward a horizontal reference wall (not shown) on the front side of the apparatus. This standby position is close to the front side when the paper size is small, regardless of the position of the tamper home sensor 144. In such a case, the standby position is determined by stepping control of the tamper motor 142. In the horizontal alignment, the tamper motor 142 rotates in accordance with the timing of paper conveyance with respect to the compilation tray 105, and the tamper 141 moves from the standby position corresponding to the paper size in the direction (K) in the figure as the belt 143 rotates. Moving. By this moving operation, it is possible to perform horizontal alignment with respect to the paper carried into the compilation tray 105. More specifically, the paper is aligned with a lateral reference wall (not shown) by pressing a wall portion 141a that is a pressing surface provided on the tamper 141 against a side edge of the paper.
[0028]
Next, the end wall unit 150 will be described.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view for explaining each mechanism of the end wall section 150. The end wall unit 150 includes an end wall 151 serving as a reference for vertical alignment, and aligns sheets at a staple binding reference position (vertical direction). Further, the end wall unit 150 includes an end wall motor 152 that is a stepping motor serving as a driving source when the end wall 151 is retracted (opened), a belt 153 that transmits the driving force of the end wall motor 152, and the end wall 151. The end wall home sensor 154 that is a photo sensor that detects the closed state, the end wall open sensor 155 that is a photo sensor that detects the open state of the end wall 151, and the opening and closing of the end wall 151 upon receiving driving from the belt 153. A shaft 156 to be performed, a central shaft 157 serving as a rotation center of the ceiling portion 151b of the end wall 151, and a spring 158 provided on the wall portion 151a and returning the opened ceiling portion 151b to the original state are provided.
[0029]
Here, for staple binding, a single (one-point binding) mode for stapling one corner of a stacked sheet bundle and a dual (two-point) mode for stapling a plurality of locations can be selected. In this single (one-point binding) mode, the end wall 151 is not retracted. In the dual (two places) mode, the stapling operation and the end wall 151 interfere with each other, so that the end wall 151 needs to be retracted from the stacking surface of the compile tray 105. When the end wall 151 rotates for retraction, the ceiling portion 151 b is pushed by the sheet bundle, and the ceiling portion 151 b is opened via the central shaft 157. When contact with the sheet bundle is lost, the spring 151 returns the wall 151a and the ceiling 151b forming the L shape to the original state, and the wall 151a, the ceiling 151b, and the bottom 151c form a U-shape. can do. In this state, by returning the end wall 151 to the original position, it becomes possible to accept a sheet that needs to be compiled next.
[0030]
Next, the stapling mechanism unit 160 will be described.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view for explaining the staple mechanism section 160. The staple mechanism unit 160 moves a staple head 161 that actually performs staple binding, a base 162 that supports the staple head 161, a rail 163 that is formed on the base 162 and forms a path along which the staple head 161 moves, and the staple head 161. A staple move motor 164 that is a stepping motor, a staple move home sensor 165 that detects the home position of the staple head 161, and a staple center position sensor 166 that detects the center position of the staple head 161 are provided.
[0031]
When performing the above-described single (one-point binding), the staple head 161 stays at the first home position detected by the staple move home sensor 165, and sequentially executes staple binding at a necessary timing. To do. On the other hand, when performing dual (two places), first, it stands by at the second home position position detected by the staple center position sensor 166. After that, a group of sheets are stacked on the compile tray 105 and the end wall 151 is opened. Then, the staple move motor 164 is driven to move the staple head 161 to the staple position, thereby stapling at two locations. is doing.
[0032]
Next, the shelf mechanism unit 170 will be described.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view for explaining the shelf mechanism unit 170. The shelf mechanism unit 170 receives the driving force from the shelf 171 that is a guide for supporting the paper in the compilation tray 105, the stepping motor that drives the shelf 171, and the shelf motor 172. N) a rack and pinion mechanism 173 that slides in a direction, and a shelf home sensor 174 that is a photosensor that detects the home position of the shelf 171 are provided.
[0033]
The shelf 171 needs to have a predetermined length in the paper transport direction (paper discharge direction) in order to support the paper in the compilation tray 105. If the tip of the compile tray 105 having the predetermined length is used as a discharge port as it is, the discharge tray 109 shown in FIG. 2 protrudes greatly from the sheet processing apparatus 2. Therefore, when the sheet bundle is discharged, the shelf 171 is retracted in the direction opposite to the sheet discharging direction. As a result, the entire apparatus can be reduced in size.
[0034]
Next, a series of operations of the staple function unit 10 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9 will be described with reference to these drawings.
A sheet (sheet) on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus 1 passes between the conveyance guides 101 and 102 shown in FIG. 2 and is supplied to the compile tray 105 by a conveyance roller pair 104 constituting a sheet discharge unit. The supplied paper is transferred to the end wall 151 which is the vertical reference wall by the compile paddle 111 of the vertical alignment unit 110 constituting the vertical alignment unit and the sub paddle 121 of the vertical alignment auxiliary unit 120 constituting the vertical alignment assisting unit. It is sent. At this time, the tamper 141 of the horizontal aligning unit 140 constituting the horizontal aligning unit is brought close to a horizontal reference wall (not shown) provided on, for example, the front side of the compilation tray 105. By repeating this operation, the sheets are neatly collected on the upper surface of the compile tray 105.
[0035]
As shown in FIG. 2, the vertical alignment unit 110 constituting the vertical alignment unit constantly rotates the compile paddle 111 and abuts the upper surface of the paper supplied to the compile tray 105, so that the rear end side of the paper An edge (rear edge) is pressed against the end wall 151. At this time, as described above, when the sheets stacked on the compile tray 105 exceed a predetermined thickness (for example, exceeding 50 sheets), the compile paddle up / down solenoid 112 is operated to compile By raising the paddle 111, the conveyance force by the compiled paddle 111 is maintained in an appropriate state.
[0036]
On the other hand, in the vertical alignment assisting unit 120 constituting the vertical alignment assisting unit, as described with reference to FIG. 4, each time the sheet is supplied, the sub paddle 121 is moved from the upper stop position to the lower stop position. It is moved. The sub-paddle 121 is always rotating clockwise (clockwise) as shown in FIG. 2, and assists the vertical alignment for pressing the paper against the end wall 151 in accordance with the movement to the bottom stop position. Yes. Further, when the sheets stacked on the compile tray 105 exceed a predetermined thickness (for example, exceeding 50 sheets), the sub paddle up / down solenoid 122 is operated to set the bottom end point of the sub paddle 121. By raising the position, the conveyance force by the sub paddle 121 is maintained in an appropriate state.
[0037]
Here, when the paper is supplied, the horizontal alignment unit 140 constituting the horizontal alignment unit stands by at a size position positioned further back than the back edge of the supplied paper. As described above, the standby position is the home position position shown in FIG. 6, and a sheet with a short main scanning direction length (a length in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction) is conveyed. If it is, the position is closer to the front side than the home position. After the trailing edge of the sheet is discharged by the conveying roller pair 104, the tamper 141 moves in the horizontal reference wall direction and stops at a position where “distance from the horizontal reference wall to the tamper 141 ≦ length in the main scanning direction”. Then, it returns to the size position again. By repeating this operation every time a sheet is supplied to the compile tray 105, it is possible to perform horizontal alignment.
[0038]
Thereafter, after a necessary number of sheets for forming the sheet bundle are stacked and aligned, the eject clamp motor 134 (see FIG. 5) of the sheet bundle supporting / discharging unit 130 is operated, and the pressing roll 132 and the eject roll 131 are lowered. Then, it abuts on the sheet surface and supports the sheet bundle by pressing it. In the single (single place binding) mode, a staple motor (not shown) provided in the staple head 161 is operated to staple the sheet bundle. Thereafter, the eject motor 135 (see FIG. 5) rotates and the eject roll 131 rotates in the discharge direction, whereby the sheet bundle (booklet) is discharged toward the discharge tray 109. At this time, the shelf mechanism unit 170 operates the shelf motor 172 shown in FIG. 9 to slide the shelf 171 in the retracting direction.
[0039]
On the other hand, in the dual (two places) mode, after the pressing roll 132 and the ejecting roll 131 are lowered and the sheet bundle is pressed and supported, the end wall motor 152 (see FIG. 7) of the end wall section 150 is operated. Operate. As a result, the end wall 151 is rotated and the end wall 151 is retracted from the compilation tray 105. Here, in the dual (two places) mode, the staple head 161 stands by at the position of the staple center position sensor 166 (see FIG. 8), but after the end wall 151 is retracted, the staple mechanism unit as the staple unit is stored. The staple move motor 164 (see FIG. 8) is driven to move the staple head 161 to the staple position, and staple binding is performed at two locations. Thereafter, the sheet bundle (booklet) is discharged to the discharge tray 109 in the same manner as in the single (one-point binding) mode.
[0040]
Next, the paper transport buffer function in the present embodiment will be described.
With the configuration of the stapling function unit 10 as described above, it is possible to align a predetermined number of sheets and execute stapling. However, for example, a large amount of post-processing time may be required due to the stapling operation in the stapling mechanism unit 160 and the horizontal alignment operation in the horizontal direction aligning unit 140. Before the bundle is discharged, a sheet for the next compilation is supplied to the compilation tray 105. For example, in the horizontal alignment unit 140, after the last sheet is supplied, the tamper 141 is moved twice at the time of the final horizontal alignment. By moving the tamper 141, the quality of horizontal alignment is improved. When such a function is adopted, it takes a lot of time for horizontal alignment, but it is not preferable to reduce the overall productivity. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a configuration is provided in which a buffer unit that accumulates paper and gains time is provided in the conveyance path before the paper is supplied to the compile tray 105.
[0041]
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a buffer unit provided on the (upstream) conveyance path before the sheet is supplied to the compile tray 105. This buffer section is formed by a first transport path 91 provided on the downstream side of the punch function section 70, a transport roll 92 for transporting paper on the first transport path 91, a gate 93 for switching the transport path, and transport guides 101 and 102. The second transport path 94 is forwardly rotated and reversely rotated, whereby the buffer reverse roll 95 for transporting the paper transported to the second transport path 94 and the paper reversed by the buffer reverse roll 95 are temporarily put on standby. The transport path 96 is provided with a buffer roll 97 that transports the paper on the third transport path 96 in the forward and reverse directions.
[0042]
The first sheet conveyed from the punch function unit 70 (the first sheet of the job forming one sheet bundle) enters the first conveyance path 91 and is conveyed in the direction (1) in the figure. . It is further transported downstream by the transport roll 92 and enters the second transport path 94 via the gate 93. The sheet transported further downstream by the buffer reverse roll 95 is detected by the compile exit sensor 103, and the control unit 7 detects the timing after the trailing edge of the sheet leaves the first transport path 91. . At this timing, the controller 7 reverses the buffer reverse roll 95 and conveys the paper in the direction (2) opposite to (1). The reversed paper is conveyed to the third conveyance path 96 by the rotation of the buffer roll 97. Thereafter, the control unit 7 reverses the buffer roll 97 in accordance with the timing at which the second sheet is conveyed, and conveys the first sheet in the direction (3) opposite to (2). As a result, the first sheet and the second sheet constituting one buffer are supplied to the compile tray 105 in the overlapping state at the same timing, so that the time until the first sheet enters Can be delayed, and the time required for the stapling process or the like can be earned for one sheet.
[0043]
However, although it is possible to improve the productivity of the stacked sheets, it is necessary to take further measures when it is necessary to improve the productivity more than the stacked sheets. For example, when more time is required than the two-sheet superposition by the buffer unit due to horizontal alignment processing, stapling processing, or the like, it is necessary to delay the image formation timing with respect to the image forming apparatus 1, and accordingly. , Productivity deteriorates.
[0044]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the timing for supplying the sheets stacked in the buffer unit to the compile tray 105 is delayed, and the time required for the horizontal alignment processing, stapling processing, and the like performed on the previous sheet bundle is secured. (Buffer compilation method). On the other hand, by strengthening the compile function of these sheets as much as the sheets stacked in the buffer section are delayed and supplied to the compilation tray 105, the alignment time for the next sheet bundle is not affected. It is composed.
[0045]
More specifically, when the sheets are supplied to the compile tray 105 in a stacked state, the sheets are supplied to the compile tray 105 at the first time (first job of forming a predetermined sheet bundle). At this time, the eject roll 131 shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 is configured to rotate in the compiling direction (direction of the end wall 151) for a certain period of time. This makes it possible to reduce the time required for the vertical alignment of the first and second stacked sheets, and the time until the next sheet (third sheet) is supplied is shortened. In addition, the integration function can be secured.
[0046]
FIGS. 11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining the buffer compilation method in the present embodiment. Here, a case where four sheets supplied to the compilation tray 105 are compiled to form one sheet bundle is taken as an example. FIG. 11A shows a case where a sheet is supplied to the compile tray 105 at the conveyance timing as it is discharged from the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 11B shows a case where the first sheet is stacked on the second sheet and supplied to the compilation tray 105 using the buffer unit as shown in FIG. Further, FIG. 11C shows a case where the sheets stacked in the buffer unit are further stopped for a predetermined period and then supplied to the compilation tray 105 with a delay.
[0047]
As shown in FIG. 11 (b), when the first sheet is supplied to the second sheet by the buffer unit, the fourth sheet, which is the last sheet (final sheet), is supplied. Until the next sheet is supplied, a time obtained by adding the time t2 to the normal time t1 is secured. In addition, as shown in FIG. 11C, when the operation is further stopped for a predetermined period (for example, time t3) and delayed and supplied to the compile tray 105, the secured time T is
T = t1 + t2 + t3
It becomes. If the time T is secured in this way, the time until the third sheet is conveyed is t5, which is shorter than the normal sheet interval time t4. In the present embodiment, as described above, the time required for paper alignment is shortened by adding a forced movement when paper is aligned.
[0048]
FIG. 12 is a timing chart showing the operation of the staple function unit 10 when the single (one-point binding) mode is selected, and is controlled by the control unit 7. In FIG. 12, the timing of the compile exit sensor 103 when the paper is supplied to the compile tray 105 is shown at the bottom, and when the buffer compile method is adopted, the first and second sheets are displayed at the first timing. The first sheet is supplied to the compilation tray 105. When the first sheet of the sheet bundle is supplied to the compile tray 105, the eject roll 131 of the sheet bundle supporting / discharging unit 130 constituting the presser discharge unit together with the opposing roll 139 conveys the sheet to be supplied in an overlapping manner. Receive from pair 104. After the trailing edge of the sheet has come out of the conveying roller pair 104, the eject motor 135 switches the rotation from the discharge direction to the compile direction, and reverses the eject roll 131 and the opposing roll 139 in the compile direction opposite to the discharge direction. Perform reverse operation. By this reverse rotation operation, the rear end of the paper scraped to the bottom surface of the compile tray 105 by the compile paddle 111 can be forcibly conveyed toward the end wall 151 that is the vertical reference wall.
[0049]
Next, as shown in FIG. 12, the eject clamp motor 134 ends the forced conveyance of the sheet at a position where the rear end of the sheet almost reaches a position where the compile paddle 111 and the bottom surface of the compile tray 105 contact each other. In this way, the UP operation is started and the next sheet is moved to a retreat position where the supply of the next sheet to the compile tray 105 is not hindered, the eject clamp motor 134 is turned off, and the eject roll 131 ends the nipping of the sheet. It is controlled. The tamper 141 is slid by the movement of the tamper motor 142 at the timing when the nipping of the paper by the eject roll 131 is completed, and the paper is brought near the horizontal reference wall.
[0050]
Thereafter, with respect to the last sheet of the sheet bundle, the horizontal alignment unit 140, which is a horizontal alignment unit, sets the distance D1 from the horizontal reference wall to the surface of the tamper 141, and sets the size of the supplied sheet to be orthogonal to the sheet conveyance. D2
D1 ≤ D2
After stopping at the position, the staple binding operation is performed by driving the staple motor of the staple head 161, and then the operation of returning to the size position is performed.
[0051]
After the last sheet is supplied, the tamper motor 142 once separates the tamper 141 from the sheet edge to a predetermined distance, then moves again toward the sheet edge, and performs tamping again. . That is, after stopping at the position where D1 ≦ D2, the control is performed so that the staple binding is performed after moving away from the reference wall once again and moving again to the position where D1 ≦ D2, so that D1> D2. Yes. As a result, it is possible to improve the sheet consistency when the last sheet is supplied.
[0052]
In this way, after stapling is completed, the eject roll 131 completes the movement to the sheet bundle nipping position and discharges the sheet bundle. At this time, the shelf motor 172 operates to retract the shelf 171 and discharge the sheet bundle. Then, the shelf motor 172 exits and waits for the sheet bundle 171 to be ready for compilation of the sheet bundle supplied to the compile tray 105.
[0053]
As described above, in the present embodiment, after the trailing edge of the sheet that is not stacked and discharged (supplied to the compile tray 105) is discharged from the conveying roller pair 104 that is the sheet discharge unit, the horizontal alignment that is the horizontal alignment unit is performed. Compared to the time until the horizontal alignment ends in the unit 140, the control unit 7 controls so that the horizontal alignment ends earlier when the stacked and discharged sheets are aligned. At this time, it is controlled so that the stack of sheets overlapped in the transport path is delayed from the transport roller pair 104 by an amount substantially equal to the shortening time of the horizontal alignment time, and this time when the discharge is delayed is controlled. Used for the final paper horizontal alignment time.
[0054]
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the operation of delaying the amount of sheet bundles to be overlapped by approximately the shortening of the horizontal alignment time is overlapped in the buffer section of the conveyance path as compared with the number of sheet bundles aligned on the compile tray 105. It can be said that it is implemented when the number of sheets to be recorded is small. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, by performing tamping again, the paper alignment can be improved, and even when the tamping is performed again, productivity is not reduced.
[0055]
Next, the staple binding will be described in detail. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, before stapling, the eject clamp motor 134 is driven in two stages to lower the frame 139a to which the eject roll 131 is attached. FIG. 13 is a front view for explaining the operation of the frame 139a and the eject roll 131 when stapling is performed, and FIG. 14 is a side view thereof. 13 and 14, the same reference numerals ((a) to (c)) show a front view and a side view in the same situation.
[0056]
13A and 14A show the state at the timing (a) shown in FIG. 12, that is, the first tamping is performed on the last sheet (fourth sheet) constituting the sheet bundle S. The previous state is shown. The rear ends of the four stacked sheets are aligned along the end wall 151 by the vertical alignment unit 110 and the vertical alignment auxiliary unit 120 as sheet alignment means, and the side edges are aligned in the horizontal direction as sheet alignment means. The portion 140 is aligned along a horizontal reference wall (not shown). In this state, as shown in FIG. 13 (a), the frame 139a is in the first position (standby position) where the arm 139b attached to the frame 139a is separated from the lever 139d of the eject safety switch 139c as the switch means. is there. As a result, power is not supplied to the staple motor, and the staple head 161 cannot perform the binding operation. In the first position, the frame 139a is far away from the compilation tray 105, so that the supply of new paper is not hindered.
[0057]
On the other hand, in this state, as shown in FIG. 14A, the frame 139a is separated from the compilation tray 105 and hidden when viewed from the outside. For this reason, a wide opening is formed, and the user can put the hand in the compilation tray 105. However, as described above, since the staple head 161 is in an inoperable state, even if the user puts a hand into the opening, stapling by the staple head 161 is performed at that time. Safety is ensured.
[0058]
FIGS. 13B and 14B show a state at the timing (A) shown in FIG. 12, that is, a state where the one-step drive of the eject clamp motor 134 is finished. The stacked fourth sheet is tamped again by the horizontal direction aligning unit 140, and the consistency of the sheet alignment is improved. In this state, the frame 139a swings downward, and as shown in FIG. 13 (b), the frame 139a is in contact with the lever 139d of the eject safety switch 139c, with the arm 139b attached to the frame 139a. Pause at position (switch position). As a result, supply of electric power to the staple motor is started, and the staple head 161 can perform a binding operation. Further, in the second position, the eject roll 131 and the pressing roll 132 attached to the frame 139a do not press strongly even though they contact the paper on the compile tray 105. The tamping of the last sheet is not disturbed again.
[0059]
On the other hand, in this state, as shown in FIG. 14B, the frame 139a is temporarily stopped at a position closer to the compile tray 105 than at the timing of (a), and the wide opening is narrow. As a result, the user cannot place a hand in the compile tray 105. Therefore, even when the staple head 161 is in an operable state, the user can no longer put his hand into the compilation tray 105, so safety is ensured.
[0060]
FIGS. 13C and 14C show a state at the timing (c) shown in FIG. 12, that is, a state where the eject clamp motor 134 is driven in two stages. The four stacked sheets are held by an eject roll 131 and a counter roll 139. In this state, as shown in FIG. 13C, the frame 139a is in a third position (advance position) where the arm 139b attached to the frame 139a strongly contacts the lever 139d of the eject safety switch 139c. As a result, the supply of electric power to the staple motor is continued, and a state in which the staple operation by the staple head 161 is possible is maintained.
[0061]
On the other hand, in this state, as shown in FIG. 14C, the frame 139a is stopped at a position closer to the compile tray 105 than at the timing (A), and the opening is almost completely closed. By being peeled off, a state in which the user cannot put his hand in the compile tray 105 is maintained. Therefore, also in this case, safety is ensured.
[0062]
In this embodiment, when stapling is performed, the speed V23 ≦ the speed at which the frame 139a is moved from the second position to the third position ≦ the speed at which the frame 139a is moved from the first position to the second position. V12. Here, the speed V23 is appropriately selected from a range that does not disturb the alignment of the stack of sheets stacked on the compilation tray 105. The reason why the speed V23 is set to be equal to or higher than the speed V12 is to shorten the time required for movement.
[0063]
Thereafter, the eject safety switch 139c is turned off when the eject clamp motor 134 is turned on with respect to the sheets constituting the next sheet bundle. At that time, the opening is widened again as shown in FIG. 14A, and the user can put his hand into the compilation tray 105. However, since the staple head 161 becomes inoperable as the eject safety switch 139c is turned off, even if the user places a hand into the opening, the staple head 161 may Stapling is not performed and safety is maintained.
[0064]
When stapling is not performed, the frame 139a is moved from the first position shown in FIGS. 13 (a) and 14 (a) after tamping is performed again by the tamper 141 as indicated by a broken line in FIG. The direct movement is completed with respect to the third position shown in FIGS. 13 (c) and 14 (c). That is, the movement of the frame 139a is completed without being temporarily stopped at the second position shown in FIGS. 13 (b) and 14 (b).
[0065]
As described above, in the present embodiment, when stapling is performed on a sheet bundle, the eject roll 131 is moved at an early stage (from the vicinity of the end of the first tamping) when the final sheet of the sheet bundle is aligned. Since the first position is moved to the second position close to the sheet bundle and kept waiting, the time required to move to the third position when performing stapling is set to the first position. Compared with the case of moving directly from the position to the third position, it can be reduced, and the productivity can be increased accordingly. This is particularly the case when the number of sheets that can be stapled at a time is large, and as a result, the volume of the compile tray 105, specifically, the opening formed on the compile tray 105 must be increased. Is effective.
Further, in the present embodiment, the opening of the compile tray 105 is closed in conjunction with the stapling by the staple head 161, so that the user can put a hand into the opening. It becomes impossible and can improve safety.
[0066]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to shorten the time required for stapling a sheet bundle and the time required to discharge the stapled sheet bundle, thereby ensuring high productivity. Can do.
In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to ensure safety when performing stapling.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a sheet processing apparatus to which the exemplary embodiment is applied.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating a staple function unit.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view for explaining each mechanism of a vertical alignment portion.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining each mechanism of a vertical alignment assisting portion.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining each mechanism of a sheet bundle support / discharge unit;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining each mechanism of a horizontal direction aligning portion.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view for explaining each mechanism of the end wall portion.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view for explaining a stapling mechanism.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view for explaining a shelf mechanism.
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a buffer unit provided on a conveyance path before a sheet is supplied to a compile tray.
FIGS. 11A to 11C are diagrams for explaining a buffer compilation method according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 12 is a timing chart showing the operation of the stapling function unit when the single (one-point binding) mode is selected.
FIGS. 13A to 13C are front views for explaining the operation of the frame when performing a single staple process on a sheet bundle.
FIGS. 14A to 14C are side views for explaining the operation of the frame when single bundle processing is performed on a bundle of sheets.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 2 ... Sheet processing apparatus, 5 ... Finisher, 7 ... Control part, 10 ... Staple function part, 103 ... Compile exit sensor, 104 ... Conveying roller pair, 105 ... Compile tray, 110 ... Vertical alignment part 111 ... Compiled paddle, 120 ... Vertical alignment assist part, 121 ... Sub paddle, 130 ... Paper bundle support / discharge part, 131 ... Eject roll, 139a ... Frame, 139b ... Arm, 139c ... Eject safety switch, 139d ... Lever, 140 ... Horizontal alignment part, 141 ... Tamper, 150 ... End wall part, 151 ... End wall, 160 ... Staple mechanism part, 161 ... Staple head, 170 ... Shelf mechanism part

Claims (11)

A sheet processing apparatus having a compile function for aligning a plurality of conveyed sheets as one sheet bundle,
A compilation tray that sequentially collects the supplied sheets to form one sheet bundle;
Sheet aligning means for performing alignment processing of sheets supplied to the compilation tray;
Pressing and discharging means for pressing the sheet bundle aligned by the sheet aligning means and discharging the sheet bundle;
Stapling means for performing stapling of the sheet bundle accumulated in the compile tray,
The timing at which the pressing and discharging unit starts the pressing process is earlier than the timing at which the alignment of the sheet bundle by the sheet aligning unit ends. When the staple process is performed on the sheet bundle by the staple unit, the staple process is performed on the sheet bundle. The sheet processing apparatus is characterized in that the sheet bundle pressing process by the pressing and discharging unit is started earlier than in the case where the sheet is not applied. In the case where the staple discharge unit performs the staple process on the sheet bundle, the sheet discharge unit performs the sheet alignment process performed by the sheet alignment unit on the last sheet supplied to the compilation tray. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a bundle pressing process is started. 2. The pressing and discharging means includes a cover member that moves in a direction to close an opening formed on the sheet bundle discharging portion side of the compilation tray in conjunction with the pressing process of the sheet bundle. Sheet processing equipment. Switch means for turning on / off the power of the stapling means;
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switch unit is turned on in conjunction with a sheet bundle pressing process by the pressing and discharging unit. A compilation tray that sequentially collects the supplied sheets to form one sheet bundle;
A sheet alignment mechanism for aligning sheets supplied to the compilation tray;
A pressing member for pressing the sheets accumulated in the compilation tray;
The pressing member is attached, and a frame member that moves the pressing member between a retracted position that does not interfere with the supply of sheets to the compile tray and an advance position that presses a bundle of sheets stacked on the compile tray,
A stapler for stapling a bundle of sheets on the compilation tray;
A switch that is disposed on the advancing / retreating path of the frame member, and that turns on / off the power of the stapler;
When the staple is stapled on the sheet bundle by the stapler, the frame member turns on the switch from the retracted position while the last sheet is aligned by the sheet alignment mechanism, and the sheet. A sheet processing apparatus which moves to a switch position where the bundle is not pressed. 6. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the frame member temporarily stops at the switch position after moving from the retracted position to the switch position. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the frame member completes movement from the switch position to the advanced position after the last sheet is aligned by the sheet alignment mechanism. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a moving speed of the frame member from the retracted position to the switch position is equal to or higher than a moving speed from the switch position to the advanced position. The sheet aligning mechanism presses the sheet against the horizontal reference wall using the pressing surface to perform horizontal alignment, and the distance from the horizontal reference wall to the pressing surface is D1, a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction of the aligned sheets If the size of the last sheet is D2, the last sheet is aligned after the pressing surface stops at a position where D1 ≦ D2, and then once separated to a position where D1> D2, and again to a position where D1 ≦ D2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sheet processing apparatus moves. 6. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when the frame member moves from the retracted position to the switch position, the frame member moves in a direction covering an opening formed on the sheet bundle discharge portion side of the compilation tray. . 6. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the frame member is formed over substantially the entire region in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction.

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