JP4105798B2 - Sheet processing apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus, and more specifically, for example, a sheet of copying paper or the like carried out from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile is sequentially taken into the apparatus and folded and sorted with respect to the sheet The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus that selectively performs processing such as binding.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, image forming apparatuses such as copying machines have an automatic document feeder for automatically feeding a document, and alignment and classification of sheets on which images are recorded in order to reduce the labor required for copying and the like. Sort processing for performing a process, binding processing for selectively binding a bundle of a plurality of sheets, folding processing for selectively folding a bundle of a plurality of sheets, stack processing for stacking and storing sheets or sheet bundles, and the like. A sheet processing apparatus such as a so-called finisher or stitcher for selective application is attached, and an image forming apparatus is configured by connecting them.
[0003]
In the sheet processing apparatus, the outer peripheral surface in contact with the sheet is aligned with the sheet conveying direction by abutting the trailing edge of the sheet against the trailing edge regulating means with a knurled conveying belt, and the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction The sheet is aligned in the width direction by pressing the one end on the sheet rear end side in the width direction by the aligning means that can be moved to the width direction, and abutting the other end on the reference guide on the opposite side. Yes.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above conventional example, the sheet moved in the width direction by the aligning unit is in contact with the transport belt, and therefore the transport belt may be moved along with the sheet moved in the width direction by the aligning unit. There is a possibility that the sheet does not reach the reference guide due to the influence of the conveying belt, resulting in misalignment.
[0005]
Further, when the aligning means moves (withdraws) in the direction opposite to the sheet pressing direction, the sheet moves along with the above-described restoration of the conveyor belt, which may cause misalignment.
[0006]
Further, since the contact surface of the conveying belt with the sheet P is formed flat, when the sheet is pressed by the aligning means, the sheet moving in the width direction is caught on the edge portion of the conveying belt, and sheet misalignment occurs. There was a risk.
[0007]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to prevent sheet misalignment that occurs due to the influence of a conveying belt during sheet alignment.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a typical configuration of the present invention includes: a temporary stacking unit that temporarily stacks sheets; a rear end regulating unit that regulates a rear end of the sheets stacked on the temporary stacking unit; After discharging the sheet to the temporary stacking means, the sheet is pulled in the direction opposite to the discharge direction and abutted against the trailing edge regulating means to align the sheet in the discharge direction, and the temporary stacking means Orthogonal to the discharge direction of the stacked sheets Sheet width End of direction In the sheet width direction Alignment means that performs alignment in the width direction of the sheet by pressing, the alignment means, Each time the sheet is pressed in the width direction, it is temporarily stopped and further pressed in the same direction. It is configured to be aligned by pressing.
[0011]
According to the above configuration, since the sheet is aligned in the width direction by pressing the sheet a plurality of times stepwise by the aligning means, the sheet can be quickly released from the influence of the conveyor belt. Can be quickly and accurately performed.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, an embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0016]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the internal configuration of a copying machine as an example of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention can be applied. This copying machine is configured by coupling a sheet processing apparatus B to an image forming apparatus main body A. The sheet processing apparatus B includes a finisher unit C capable of sorting the sheets of images recorded by the image forming apparatus main body A for each number of copies, and a stitcher unit D capable of binding and binding a plurality of sheets.
[0017]
Here, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus will be briefly described first, and then the configuration of the sheet processing apparatus B will be described in detail for the finisher unit C and the stitcher unit D.
[0018]
[Entire configuration of image forming apparatus]
The image forming apparatus main body A optically reads a document automatically fed from the document feeding device 1 mounted on the upper portion of the apparatus by the optical means 2 and transmits the information to the image forming means 3 as a digital signal to send a plain paper or the like. Recording is performed on a recording sheet such as an OHP sheet.
[0019]
A plurality of sheet cassettes 4 storing sheets of various sizes are mounted on the lower part of the image forming apparatus main body A, and the sheets conveyed from the sheet cassette 4 by the conveying roller 5 are electrophotographic in the image forming means 3. Record an image. That is, based on the information read by the optical means 2, a laser beam is irradiated from the light irradiation means 3a onto the photosensitive drum 3b to form a latent image, which is developed with toner and transferred to a sheet, and this is fixed to the fixing means 6 And is permanently fixed by applying heat and pressure.
[0020]
The sheet is fed to the sheet processing apparatus B in the single-sided recording mode, and conveyed to the retransmission path 7 by switchback in the double-sided recording mode, and the sheet recorded on one side is conveyed again to the image forming unit 3. Then, after the image is formed on the other side, it is sent to the sheet processing apparatus B.
[0021]
The sheet can be fed not only from the sheet cassette 4 but also from the multi-tray 8.
[0022]
The finisher unit C in the sheet processing apparatus B is configured as shown in FIG. 2, and when discharging a sheet, in addition to the normal discharge mode, discharge processing corresponding to each mode such as an offset mode and a staple mode is performed. It is possible.
[0023]
Here, in the offset mode, when the sheets are sorted and discharged for each number of copies, when the first sheet of each portion is discharged, the side guide 11 is moved to move a predetermined amount in the sheet width direction (the sheet conveyance direction). This is an operation mode in which the second and subsequent sheets of each part are discharged normally so that the boundary of each part can be understood by discharging them.
[0024]
When there is no space for moving a predetermined amount of sheets with respect to the size in the sheet width direction, the reference guide 37 is retracted below the staple tray 12 serving as a temporary stacking unit to ensure a sufficient amount of sheet movement.
[0025]
Further, the staple mode is an operation mode in which, when sorting and discharging for each number of copies, the sheets are stacked and aligned on the staple tray 12, stapled by the stapler 13, and bound and discharged for each number of copies.
[0026]
In addition, when discharging the sheets, in addition to the normal discharge control for discharging the sheets one by one, two-sheet discharge control capable of discharging two sheets at the same time is possible. In the two-sheet discharge control, the sheet sent from the image forming apparatus main body A to the sheet processing apparatus B stays in the buffer path 14 provided in the finisher unit C, and is overlapped with the next discharged sheet. It is operation control which discharges simultaneously.
[0027]
On the other hand, the stitcher unit D in the sheet processing apparatus B is configured as shown in FIG. 3, aligns sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus main body A in units of copies, and staples them with a staple unit. The book is folded in half. Briefly, the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus main body A is conveyed to the vertical path 60 of the stitcher unit D, and is stacked and aligned in units of copies so that the lower end of the sheet comes into contact with the stopper 62. 61 is stapled at two points at the center position in the sheet length direction (sheet conveyance direction).
[0028]
Next, the stopper 62 is moved downward to move the sheet bundle so that the binding position reaches the nip position of the folding roller 78, and the sticking position is pushed by the pushing plate 79, and the sheet bundle is folded in two at the binding position. Then, the nip is conveyed by the folding roller 78. As a result, the sheet bundle that is bound in the center in the sheet length direction and is folded in two and bound is discharged to the stacking tray 106.
[0029]
[Finisher unit]
Next, the configuration of each part of the finisher unit C in the sheet processing apparatus B will be described in detail.
[0030]
In the normal mode, the sheet P discharged from the image forming apparatus main body A according to the present embodiment A to the finisher unit C is transported by the transport roller 15 and is stacked by the upstream discharge roller pair 16 and the downstream discharge roller pair 17. It is discharged to the tray 18. A plurality of stack trays 18 are provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and are moved in the vertical direction by a drive source built in a lower portion thereof. In the case of the sort discharge, the plurality of stack trays 18 are sequentially moved to the discharge port, so that the sheets P can be discharged in a state of being sorted for each number of copies. In the offset mode and the staple mode, it is possible to perform an offset process or a staple process on one stack tray 18 and eject the sheets in a sorted state. Further, in the interrupt mode, the paper can be discharged to the upper tray 19 without being discharged to the stack tray 18.
[0031]
{Offset discharge processing}
As described above, the finisher unit C according to the present embodiment is capable of sorting in the offset mode. In this mode, all copies are discharged to one stack tray 18 as shown in FIG. At the time of discharging in the number of copies, the boundary of each part is clarified by shifting the first sheet P1 of each part in the sheet width direction from the second and subsequent sheets P.
[0032]
For this purpose, the downstream discharge roller pair 17 includes a downstream discharge roller 17a provided in the unit body, and a movable discharge roller 17b attached to a swing guide 20 that can swing around the rotation shaft with respect to the unit body. When the swing guide 20 is opened upward, the downstream discharge roller pair 17 is separated as shown in FIG. Further, a side guide 11 that is an aligning means for guiding one side in the width direction of the sheet P between the upstream discharge roller pair 16 and the downstream discharge roller pair 17 is configured to be movable in the sheet width direction. Thus, in the offset mode, when the first sheet P1 of each number to be sorted is discharged, as shown in FIG. 5, the rear end of the sheet is the upstream discharge roller pair 16 and the downstream discharge roller pair 17. The swing guide 20 is opened upward when it is conveyed to the staple tray 12 and then the side guide 11 is moved in the direction of the arrow to move the first sheet P1 by a predetermined amount. Then, the swing guide 20 is closed, and the sheet P1 is discharged to the stack tray 18. Thereafter, the second and subsequent sheets P are normally discharged, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first sheet P1 of each copy is discharged in a shifted state. As described above, when there is no space for moving the sheet by a predetermined amount with respect to the sheet width direction size, the reference guide 37 is retracted below the staple tray 12 to ensure a sufficient sheet movement amount.
[0033]
{Two-sheet discharge control at offset}
In the above-described offset discharge, when the first sheet P1 of each copy is discharged, the offset processing of the sheet P1 is necessary as described above, and the second and subsequent sheets P are required until the processing is completed. Can not be discharged. For this reason, it is necessary to wait for the second sheet to be discharged, and the processing time is accordingly increased.
[0034]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the second sheet P is retained in the buffer path 14 during the offset process, and the second sheet and the third sheet are discharged simultaneously, thereby entering the offset mode. Even if there is, the processing time is shortened so that the sheet can be discharged without waiting.
[0035]
The two-sheet discharge control for that purpose will be described. When the second sheet is conveyed from the image forming apparatus main body A to the finisher unit C while the first sheet is being offset, as shown in FIG. 6, the first flapper 21 and the second flapper The upstream end of 22 is positioned downward, so that it is sent to the buffer path 14. A preceding sheet (second sheet in the case of the offset mode) P2 sent to the buffer path 14 is wound around the buffer roller 23 by a buffer roller 23 that rotates and a buffer roller 24 that rotates by driving the sheet against the buffer roller 23. It is sent in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure. Here, the third flapper 25 rotates so that the preceding sheet P2 is fed in the direction in which the preceding sheet P2 is wound around the buffer roller 23.
[0036]
Further, the leading edge of the preceding sheet P2 is detected by the buffer sensor 26, and when the leading edge of the preceding sheet P2 reaches a predetermined position, the driving of the buffer roller 23 is stopped and stopped in the buffer path 14. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, when the succeeding sheet (third sheet in the case of the offset mode) P3 enters, the buffer roller 23 starts rotating, and as shown in FIG. P2 and the succeeding sheet P3 are stacked and conveyed. Further, when the trailing edge of the preceding sheet P2 passes the position of the third flapper 25, the third flapper 25 rotates so that the two sheets P2 and P3 are fed in the direction of the upstream discharge roller pair 16, and the sheet The two P2 and P3 are stacked and discharged onto the stack tray 18.
[0037]
By performing the two-sheet discharge control operation described above, the sheet is not discharged from the upstream discharge roller pair 16 during the offset processing operation, and therefore the operation of the image forming apparatus main body need not be stopped. For this reason, processing time does not become long also in offset mode, and quick offset discharge is attained.
[0038]
In this embodiment, one sheet P is wound around the buffer roller 23. However, in order to further increase the time for performing the offset processing operation, two or more sheets are wound and three or more sheets are discharged simultaneously. It is also possible to do so. Further, the sheet wound around the buffer roller 23 can be discharged and stacked only with the sheet wound around the buffer roller 23 even if there is no subsequent sheet.
[0039]
Further, the case where the sheet to be offset is the first sheet of each part during the sorting process in the offset mode has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the last sheet of each part is offset. Even in this case, the present invention is effective. Furthermore, the sheet to be offset is not limited to a single sheet, and may be a plurality of sheets.
[0040]
Further, the two-sheet discharge control is performed not only at the time of offset processing but also at the time of stapling processing in a stapling mode to be described later, so that the time required for stapling processing can be used effectively.
[0041]
{Sheet standby position for two-sheet discharge control}
In the two-sheet discharge control described above, the leading sheet P2 waiting in the buffer path 14 and the succeeding sheet P3 discharged from the image forming apparatus main body A are conveyed so that the amount of deviation is constant. For this purpose, the rotation of the buffer roller 23 is started when the succeeding sheet P3 passes the position of the approach sensor 27 shown in FIG. 6 or when a predetermined clock elapses after the succeeding sheet P3 passes the approach sensor 27. In addition, the amount of misalignment between the leading sheet P2 and the trailing sheet P3 is made constant.
[0042]
However, the conveying speed of the succeeding sheet P3 discharged from the image forming apparatus main body A is changed depending on the image forming mode, the sheet type, and the like. On the other hand, since the start timing of the buffer roller 23 is constant, if the conveying speeds of the preceding sheet P2 and the succeeding sheet P3 are different, the leading ends of both the sheets P2 and P3 may be displaced.
[0043]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the conveyance speed of the succeeding sheet P3 depending on the image forming mode and the type of sheet can be acquired from the main body of the image forming apparatus, and therefore, the buffer path 14 according to the conveyance speed of the succeeding sheet P3. The leading end position of the preceding sheet P2 to be stopped is changed. Specifically, in FIG. 6, when waiting for the preceding sheet P2 in the buffer path 14, the amount of conveyance until the leading sheet leading edge passes through the buffer sensor position and stops is the conveying speed of the succeeding sheet P3. It is set so that it increases when the speed is fast, and decreases when it is slow. As a result, the time from the start of rotation of the buffer roller 23 until the leading edge of the preceding sheet P2 reaches the merging point with the succeeding sheet P3 is short when the conveying speed of the succeeding sheet P3 is fast and long when it is slow. Therefore, even if the start timing of the buffer roller 23 is constant, the leading ends of the preceding sheet P2 and the succeeding sheet P3 are always conveyed so as to have a predetermined shift amount.
[0044]
In addition to the method of changing the standby position of the preceding sheet P2 as described above, the configuration in which the leading ends of the preceding sheet P2 and the succeeding sheet P3 are coincident can be also made by changing the rotation start timing of the buffer roller 23. It is. For example, the preceding sheet P2 is kept waiting at a certain position in the buffer path 14, and when the succeeding sheet P3 is fast, the buffer roller 23 rotates immediately after the succeeding sheet P3 passes the entrance sensor 27. When the conveying speed of the succeeding sheet P3 is low, the succeeding sheet P3 is controlled to start the rotation of the buffer roller 23 after a predetermined time has passed after passing the entrance sensor 27. In this way, it is possible to make the amount of deviation of the leading ends of both the sheets P2 and P3 constant by changing the conveyance start timing of the preceding sheet P2 according to the conveyance speed of the succeeding sheet P3.
[0045]
The conveyance speed of the succeeding sheet P3 may be acquired from the image forming apparatus main body A as described above, but is generally conveyed at the same speed as the preceding sheet P2, and therefore the preceding sheet P2 is conveyed. You may make it acquire by detecting the conveyance speed of this.
[0046]
{Discharge signal sending time in two-sheet discharge control}
When a sheet is sent from the image forming apparatus main body A to the sheet processing apparatus B and a predetermined process is performed, a sheet discharge signal is sent out. However, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8, in the two-sheet discharge control, when the sheet is detected by the carry-in sensor 28 (see FIGS. 2 and 6) (S1) and the preceding sheet P2 is conveyed into the buffer path 14 Then, a discharge signal for the preceding sheet P2 is sent out (S2), and then the succeeding sheet P3 is transported to a predetermined position, and after the two sheets are discharged, a discharging signal for the succeeding sheet P3 is sent out (S3 to S5). Then, after the discharge signal is sent (between S2 and S3 in FIG. 8), when a jam (paper jam) or the like occurs in the succeeding sheet P3 and the apparatus stops, the jamming process and the succeeding sheet P3 together. The preceding sheet P2 in the buffer path 14 is also removed. For this reason, when the image formation is resumed after returning from the jam, the apparatus body recognizes that the preceding sheet P2 has been discharged by sending a discharge signal even though the preceding sheet P2 has not been discharged to the stack tray 18 or the like. Will do. For this reason, the page is skipped and processed.
[0047]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 9, when the preceding sheet P2 is conveyed to the buffer path 14, the discharge signal is not sent, but it is overlapped with the succeeding sheet P3 and both are buffered. 14 and the discharge signals of the preceding sheet P2 and the succeeding sheet P3 when the leading ends of both sheets P2, P3 are detected by a discharge sensor 29 (see FIGS. 2 and 6) immediately before the upstream discharge roller pair 16. (S11 to S15).
[0048]
With this configuration, when the preceding sheet P2 is waiting in the buffer path 14 (between S11 and S12 in FIG. 9), even if the apparatus stops because the succeeding sheet P3 has jammed, At the time, the discharge signal for the preceding sheet P2 is not sent. For this reason, when the preceding sheet P2 is removed from the buffer path 14 by the jam processing and then the jam recovery is performed and the image formation is resumed, the image formation can be performed again from the preceding sheet P2, and the page is skipped and processed. Can be prevented.
[0049]
Note that the above-described two-sheet discharge control is effective when performed during offset processing or stapling processing, which will be described later, but it is also possible to perform two-sheet discharge control in other cases. Conversely, it is naturally possible to set so that the two-sheet discharge control is not performed.
[0050]
{Side guide shape}
The sheets discharged by the two-sheet discharge control described above or in the normal discharge mode are discharged to the stack tray 18 by the upstream discharge roller pair 16 and the downstream discharge roller pair 17 in FIG. , 17 has fallen downward (see FIG. 2). For this reason, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), when the leading edge of the discharged sheet P is curled downward or the like, it will hang down on the staple tray 12, and when conveyed in that state, the pair of downstream discharge rollers When nipped by 17, the sheet may be folded at the leading edge of the sheet as shown in FIG. 10 (b).
[0051]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the side guide 11 is configured to have a substantially triangular shape and the upper portion does not fall into the staple tray 12. The side guide 11 is made to stand by at a position inside the sheet width (sheet discharge area) from the discharged sheet width, whereby the discharged sheet P is guided and stapled on the upper side of the side guide 11 as shown in FIG. The paper is conveyed to the downstream discharge roller pair 17 without hanging down on the tray 12. Therefore, as described above, the sheet leading edge is discharged without being folded by the downstream discharge roller pair 17.
[0052]
If the shape of the side guide is cut in front of the downstream discharge roller pair 17 as shown in FIG. 10 (a), the side guide 500 is guided even if the sheet P is guided above the side guide 500. There is a possibility that the sheet P hangs down on the staple tray 12 after the guide by is removed. For this reason, it is desirable that the sheet P be guided from the upstream discharge roller pair 16 to the downstream discharge roller pair 17 as in the side guide 11 (see FIG. 11) of the present embodiment.
[0053]
Further, if an auxiliary guide 30 for guiding the sheet P is provided between the upstream discharge roller pair 16 and the side guide 11, it is effective for preventing the sheet P from drooping.
[0054]
As described above, the side guide 11 guides the sheet P by being positioned in the discharge area of the sheet P. However, in the offset mode or the staple mode, the side guide 11 drops the sheet P onto the staple tray 12 and ends in the sheet width direction. It is necessary to align by pushing the part. Therefore, in the offset mode or the staple mode, immediately after the leading edge of the first sheet is nipped by the downstream discharge roller pair 17 (state in FIG. 11), as shown in FIG. The side guide 11 is moved away from the sheet discharge area. Even in this case, since the leading edge of the first sheet has already passed through the downstream discharge roller pair 17, the leading edge of the sheet is not folded, and the side guide 11 may be positioned in the next sheet alignment standby state. it can.
[0055]
{Loading on staple tray}
In the staple mode, as shown in FIG. 14, the swing guide 20 is opened, the sheet P is discharged to the staple tray 12 by the upstream discharge roller pair 16, and then the paddle 31 provided in the swing guide 20 is provided. Then, the knurled belt 32 that is rotated by driving the upstream discharge roller pair 16 is rotated in the direction of the arrow to return the sheet P to the position where the rear end of the sheet P contacts the rear end stopper 33. Then, the sheet P is pushed into one side by the side guide 11 and aligned, and then stapled by the stapler 13.
[0056]
When discharging the sheet P to the staple tray 12, if the discharge speed of the upstream discharge roller pair 16 is high, the swing guide 20 is open, so the sheet P that has passed through the upstream discharge roller pair 16 pops out. In other words, it is excessively advanced forward (in the direction of the stacker tray), and it takes time to pull it back. In addition, when the sheet advances too far forward, even if it is pulled by hitting it with the paddle 31, it does not return to the knurled belt 32, and there is a possibility that it cannot be aligned on the staple tray.
[0057]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, in the staple mode, when the trailing end of the sheet passes through the upstream discharge roller pair 16, the upstream discharge roller pair 16 is controlled so that the rotational speed becomes low. As a result, the trailing edge of the sheet discharged to the staple tray 12 falls to the vicinity of the knurled belt 32, and the sheet P is reliably pulled in by the rotation of the paddle 31 and the rotation of the knurling belt 32, thereby performing trailing edge alignment. It becomes possible.
[0058]
Note that whether or not the trailing edge of the sheet passes the upstream discharge roller pair 16 can be determined by detecting a motor rotation speed for a predetermined time after the sheet passes a predetermined sensor.
[0059]
In addition, after the trailing edge of the sheet falls on the staple tray 12, the rotation of the upstream discharge roller pair 16 that has been switched to the low speed driving is switched at a high speed. Since the upstream discharge roller pair 16 is also a driving source for rotating the knurled belt 32, the sheet P that has fallen into the staple tray 12 is quickly pulled back by the knurled belt 32, and the trailing edge of the sheet is abutted against the trailing edge stopper 33. It becomes like this.
[0060]
As described above, in the staple mode, as a whole, quick alignment is possible by reducing the conveying speed only when the trailing edge of the sheet passes the upstream discharge roller pair 16.
[0061]
{Oscillating guide}
Here, the swing guide 20 will be briefly described with reference to FIG. The swing guide 20 rotatably holds the moving discharge roller 17b. When the sheet is discharged, the swing guide 20 swings downward with a swing shaft 20a as a fulcrum by a drive mechanism 39, which will be described later. The moving discharge roller 17b is moved to the downstream discharge roller 17a. Press contact. In the staple mode, the drive mechanism 39, which will be described later, similarly swings upward with the swing shaft 20a as a fulcrum, and the movable discharge roller 17b is separated from the downstream discharge roller 17a. In other words, the swing guide 20 serves as a switching means for setting the downstream discharge roller pair 17 including the movable discharge roller 17b and the downstream discharge roller 17a to a sheet discharge enabled state or a sheet discharge disabled state.
[0062]
In FIG. 13, reference numeral 34 denotes a stopper provided with a shutter portion 34a. When the stack tray is moved, the link 35 rotates upward with the rotation shaft 35a as a fulcrum, and the shutter portion 34a formed at the end rises. This prevents the sheet (or sheet bundle) stacked on the stack tray 18 from flowing backward to the discharge port 36 when the stack tray 18 passes through the discharge port 36 by closing the discharge port 36. Yes. The stopper 34 is configured such that when the sheet is discharged, the link 35 rotates downward with the rotation shaft 35a as a fulcrum to open the discharge port 36.
[0063]
{Operation of stack tray during double sheet discharge control}
Next, the operation of the stack tray 18 when there are only two sheets P to be stapled will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a principal cross-sectional view showing the position of the stack tray.
[0064]
Usually, when performing the stapling process, a plurality (two or more) of sheets S sequentially discharged onto the staple tray 12 are moved on the staple tray 12 by a paddle 31 or a knurled belt 32, which will be described later, in a direction opposite to the discharge direction. And the rear end thereof is abutted against a rear end stopper 33 (described later) to be aligned. At this time, the stack tray 18 is raised so that the front end side of the sheet P is higher than the rear end side on the staple tray 12 (a broken line position in FIG. 13), so that the sheet P can be easily pulled back using gravity. I have to.
[0065]
However, when there are only two sheets P to be stapled (including the case of the above-described two-sheet discharge control), the lower-level sheets are downstream that reversely rotate with the swing of the swing guide 20 by the drive mechanism 39 described later. The staple roller 12 is pulled back in the direction opposite to the discharge direction by the discharge roller 17a, and the upper sheet is similarly pulled back in the direction opposite to the discharge direction by a paddle 31 and a knurled belt 32 described later. Therefore, the first and second sheets discharged can be pulled back and aligned without using gravity, so there is no need to raise the stack tray 18 and lift the leading edge of the sheet. .
[0066]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, when there are only two sheets P to be stapled (including the case of the two-sheet discharge control), the stack tray 18 is not lifted (raised). That is, when there are three or more sheets P to be stapled, the stack tray 18 is raised from the solid line position in FIG. 13 to the broken line position, but when there are only two sheets P to be stapled, the stack tray 18 is raised. Without doing so, the pull-back operation as described above is performed while maintaining the position in the solid line in FIG.
[0067]
This configuration eliminates the need to move the stack tray 18 up and down when stapling a bundle of two sheets, thus saving the stack tray 18 and significantly reducing the processing time. be able to.
[0068]
{Swing amount of swing guide and paddle shape}
Next, referring to FIGS. 14 to 16, a paddle 31 that pulls back the sheet P discharged onto the staple tray 12 in a direction opposite to the discharge direction, and a swing guide that rotatably supports the paddle 31. The 20 swing amount will be described. 14 and 15 are enlarged views of main parts showing the state of the swing guide and the paddle when the sheet is pulled back, and FIG. 16 is an explanatory view showing the shape of the paddle.
[0069]
The swing guide 20 is rotatably provided with a paddle 31 for pulling back the sheet P discharged onto the staple tray 12 in the direction opposite to the discharge direction. The paddle 31 rotates in the direction opposite to the sheet discharge direction every time one sheet P is discharged onto the staple tray 12 when the swing guide 20 is opened, and is attached to the rear end portion of the sheet P on the staple tray 12. The sheet P is elastically deformed by contact, and the sheet P is pulled back by a frictional force generated between the sheet P and the sheet P.
[0070]
Here, if the sheet is discharged by the paddle 31 every time the sheet is discharged while the swing guide 20 is swung upward and held at a fixed position, the sheets are discharged one after another onto the staple tray 12. Depending on the change in the height (level) of the sheet on the staple tray 12, the contact area and the contact pressure of the paddle 31 in contact with the uppermost sheet P may change, and the sheet P may be returned too much. .
[0071]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the paddle 31 is configured to keep the contact pressure with respect to the uppermost sheet discharged onto the staple tray 12 substantially constant. More specifically, the shape of the paddle 31 is formed into a tapered shape with the tip 31a narrowed as shown in FIG. FIG. 16A shows a step on one side (sheet contact surface side) of the tip 31a of the paddle 31 when stepped portions are provided on both sides of the tip 31a of the paddle 31 to form a tapered shape. 16C shows a case where a stepped portion is provided on the other surface (sheet non-contact surface side) of the tip 31a of the paddle 31 to be tapered. The tapered shape of the tip 31a of the paddle 31 is not limited to the shape shown in FIG.
[0072]
By molding in this way, the tip of the paddle, which becomes the contact portion with the sheet, is easily elastically deformed when in contact with the sheet, a stable return force can be obtained regardless of the number of sheets stacked, and durability is further improved. To do.
[0073]
Further, in the present embodiment, a plurality of the paddles 31 are provided in the rotation direction, and the paddle 31 is configured to contact the sheet a plurality of times by one rotation. Accordingly, for example, when the paddle 31 is brought into contact with a relatively large size sheet and pulled back twice, the processing time is longer than when the single paddle 31 is rotated twice because only one rotation is sufficient. Can be shortened. FIG. 16 (a) illustrates the case where two paddles 31 are provided in the rotational direction (twin paddle), but the present invention is not limited to this. Further, even if the paddle 31 is shaped as shown in FIGS. 16 (d), (e), (f), and (g), the same effect can be expected.
[0074]
Further, the contact area of the paddle 31 with the sheet P discharged on the staple tray 12 may be kept constant. More specifically, the swing amount when the swing guide 20 is opened (when swinging upward) is changed in accordance with the change in the height (level) of the sheet P on the staple tray 12. Specifically, for example, the contact area of the paddle 31 with respect to the uppermost sheet P is kept constant by swinging the swing guide 20 upward as the number of discharged sheets P to the staple tray 12 increases. It keeps in.
[0075]
As shown in FIG. 15, the distance from the swing center (swing shaft 20a) of the swing guide 20 to the rotation center of the paddle 31 is r, the swing angle of the swing guide 20 is θ, and the thickness of the bundle of sheets P When the thickness is t, the thickness t can be expressed by t = rsin θ. Therefore, based on this equation, the swing amount (swing angle θ) of the swing guide 20 may be changed in accordance with the change in the thickness t of the bundle of sheets P.
[0076]
With this configuration, the contact area between the uppermost sheet P on the staple tray 12 and the paddle 31 is always kept constant regardless of the number of sheets P stacked, so that a stable return force can be obtained. Further, it is possible to prevent the sheet P from returning too much due to a change in the contact area of the paddle 31 with the sheet P.
[0077]
{Operation timing of paddle}
The operation timing of the paddle 31 is such that, as shown in FIG. 14, after the upstream discharge roller pair 16 on the upstream side of the staple tray discharges the rear end of the sheet P, the rear end of the sheet P is indicated by a broken line in the figure. After calming down, it is operated as shown in FIG. Specifically, the paddle 31 is rotated in the direction opposite to the sheet discharge direction after a lapse of a certain time after the trailing end of the sheet P passes through the discharge sensor 29 provided on the upstream side of the upstream discharge roller pair 16. I have to.
[0078]
{Paddle rotation speed according to sheet size}
Next, the number of times the paddle 31 is driven will be described. For example, in a configuration in which the paddle 31 is driven and rotated uniformly regardless of the size of the sheet, a large-sized sheet has a large mass and is difficult to pull back. There is a case where the sheet cannot be pulled back to the end, which may cause a sheet misalignment.
[0079]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the number of times the paddle 31 is driven is changed according to the sheet size. More specifically, the number of times the paddle 31 is driven is increased when the length of the sheet conveyance direction is relatively long. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, in the case of a relatively large A3, B4, LGL, or LDR size sheet, the paddle 31 is driven twice, and the small A4, LTR, In the case of the B5, A4R, and LTRR size sheets, the paddle 31 is driven once.
[0080]
With such a configuration, even a sheet having a large mass can be reliably pulled back to the knurled belt 32, and the alignment of the sheet can be improved.
[0081]
Although the number of rotations is changed according to the sheet size here, the same control can be performed for thick paper designation or special paper (with a low surface friction coefficient).
[0082]
{Movement speed of side guide according to sheet size}
Next, the moving speed of the side guide 11 that performs alignment in the width direction of the sheet P will be described. When the sheets P are stacked on the staple tray 12, alignment in the sheet conveyance direction is performed by the paddle 31 and the knurled belt 32 as described above, and the sheet rear end side (side end portion on the rear end stopper 33 side) is performed by the side guide 11. ) To move the sheet P in the width direction toward the reference guide 37 on the opposite side, thereby aligning in the sheet width direction. Here, when the size of the sheet P is large, the center of gravity of the sheet P is far from the pressing position by the side guide 11, and since the mass is large, the inertia is also high, so the front end of the sheet follows the movement of the side guide 11 in the sheet width direction. This is not possible and may cause sheet misalignment.
[0083]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the moving speed in the sheet width direction by the side guide 11 is changed according to the sheet size. More specifically, the side guide 11 is moved at a low speed when the length of the side guide 11 in the direction orthogonal to the moving direction (sheet width direction) (sheet conveying direction) is relatively long. . Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, side guides are used in the case of A4, LTR, B5 having a short length in the sheet conveying direction, and A3, LDR size sheets having a small amount of movement in the sheet width direction. In the case of B4, LGL having a long length other than that, and A4R, LTRR size sheets having a large amount of movement in the sheet width direction, the side guide 11 is moved at a low speed.
[0084]
With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the influence of inertia and improve the alignment in the width direction even for a large-sized sheet (a sheet having a long length in the conveyance direction). It is also effective for a sheet size having a large amount of movement in the sheet width direction.
[0085]
{Rear end stopper}
Next, the trailing edge stopper 33 that abuts the trailing edge of the sheet P at the time of alignment in the conveyance direction of the sheet P will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0086]
The sheet P discharged onto the staple tray 12 is conveyed in a direction opposite to the discharge direction by the paddle 31 and the knurled belt 32 described above, and is abutted against a rear end stopper 33 provided at a predetermined interval in the sheet width direction. Alignment in the sheet conveyance direction is performed.
[0087]
Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 18 (a), when the sheet abutting surface 501a of the rear end stopper 501 is flat, the sheet P enters the sheet abutting surface 501a slightly obliquely. In this case, the sheet P may be buckled (and submerged), or the sheet end may hit the corners (edge portions) on both sides in the width direction of the sheet abutting surface 501a and be damaged. .
[0088]
Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18B, both side portions in the width direction of the sheet abutting surface 33a of the rear end stopper 33 are formed in a tapered shape (tapered portion 33b).
[0089]
With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 18 (c), even if the sheet P inclines obliquely with respect to the sheet abutting surface 33a, the two taper portions 33b buckle (and sink) the sheet P. ) And the sheet edge can be prevented from being damaged.
[0090]
As shown in FIG. 19, one rear end stopper 33L corresponds to one knurled belt 32L in the seat width direction, but the other rear end stopper 33R slightly extends in the width direction to the other knurled belt 32R. Because of the deviation, when the vicinity of the sheet corner is abutted against the other rear end stopper 33R (especially in the case of an R-type sheet), the other knurled belt 32R is placed between the rear end stoppers. There is a possibility that the end of the sheet is pulled too much and the vicinity of the corner of the sheet is bent and buckled.
[0091]
Here, at the time of the sorting process in the offset mode, the side guide 11 needs to be moved in the sheet width direction. However, since the movable region extends to the vicinity of the knurled belt 32R, as shown in FIG. The other rear end stopper 33R has a configuration that is slightly shifted in the sheet width direction.
[0092]
With this configuration, it is possible to perform offset processing of a B5R size sheet that is short in the sheet width direction, and to reduce the size of the entire apparatus.
[0093]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, when the sheet bundle is stapled (especially when one R-sheet is bound at one place), the rear end stoppers 33L and 33R for abutting and aligning the rear end of the sheet bundle are arranged. The stapler 13 is put on standby in the middle (in the present embodiment), and the stapler 13 functions in the same manner as the rear end stoppers 33L and 33R. More specifically, the cover member 38 of the stapler 13 is provided with a rib 38a for regulating the rear end of the sheet bundle.
[0094]
With such a configuration, when the vicinity of the sheet corner is abutted against the other rear end stopper 33R, even if the sheet is pulled in by the other knurled belt 32R, it is waiting between the rear end stoppers. Since the sheet is regulated by the stapler 13 (the rib 38a), it is possible to prevent the sheet from being pulled in excessively, and hence the sheet from buckling.
[0095]
{Side guide pressure control}
Next, alignment in the width direction of the sheet P by the side guide 11 will be described. As described above, the alignment of the sheet P in the width direction is performed by pressing the one side end portion of the sheet rear end side by the side guide 11 and moving the sheet P in the width direction, and pushing the other end portion against the reference guide 37 on the opposite side. It is consistent by hitting. At this time, the sheet P moved in the width direction by the side guide 11 is in contact with the knurled belt 32. For this reason, the knurled belt 32 may be moved along with the sheet P moved in the width direction by the side guide 11, and the sheet P does not reach the reference guide 37 due to the influence of the knurled belt 32, resulting in inconsistency. There is a fear.
[0096]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, when the side guide 11 performs alignment in the width direction of the sheet P (particularly in the R-type sheet having a large width alignment amount), the side guide 11 In this way, the sheets are aligned while releasing the influence of the knurled belt 32. That is, by pressing the sheet P step by step with the side guide 11, even if the knurled belt 32 is swung at the time of pressing, the knurled width of the knurled belt 32 can be reduced. It is easy to return to the position (the state shown in the figure), and the restoration time until the knurled belt 32 returns to the normal position can be shortened.
[0097]
Further, the stepwise pressing control of the sheet by the side guide 11 during the sheet width alignment is changed according to the sheet size. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, the pressing control of the first sheet of A4, LTR, B4, and LGL size and the second and subsequent sheets of LTR and B5 size is performed in two steps. .
[0098]
The two-step pressing here means that the first pressing is temporarily stopped and then the second pressing is performed. In addition, the number of times of pressing is not limited to this. Further, the side guide 11 after the last push-in will be described in detail later, but it is configured to function as a guide for a certain period of time until the next sheet leading edge reaches the downstream discharge roller pair 17 at the push-in position. That is, the sheet is kept pressed by the side guide 11.
[0099]
Further, when the sheet is pressed stepwise a plurality of times, the side guide 11 is stopped every time the sheet is pressed, and the subsequent press after the time when the knurled belt 32 returns to the normal position (the twist returns) elapses. Like to start.
[0100]
Therefore, as described above, by performing the alignment in the width direction by pressing the sheet stepwise with the side guide 11, the effect of the knurled belt 32 is quickly released and the alignment of the sheet is performed quickly and accurately. be able to.
[0101]
{Knurled belt shape}
Next, the shape of the knurled belt 32 will be described with reference to FIGS. The knurled belt 32 further pulls back the sheet pulled back in the direction opposite to the sheet discharging direction by the paddle 31 and aligns the sheet P with the trailing end stopper 33 to perform alignment in the sheet conveying direction. Here, as shown in FIG. 22, when the contact surface of the knurled belt 502 with the sheet P is formed flat, the edge portion 502a of the knurled belt 502 moves in the width direction when the side guide 11 presses the sheet. There is a possibility that the sheet S is caught and the sheet is misaligned.
[0102]
Therefore, in this embodiment, the edge portion 32a of the knurled belt 32 is formed in a tapered shape as shown in FIG. 23 (a), or the outer peripheral surface of the knurled belt 32 is formed in a cross-sectional R shape as shown in FIG. 23 (b). It is molded into.
[0103]
By forming in this way, the resistance to the sheet P that is moved in the width direction by the side guide 11 during alignment is reduced, and sheet misalignment due to catching of the edge portion can be reduced.
[0104]
{Reconstruction of knurled belt}
Further, as described above, in the alignment in the width direction of the sheet, one side end on the sheet rear end side is pressed by the side guide 11 and moved in the width direction, and the other end is abutted against the reference guide 37 on the opposite side. At this time, the sheet P moved in the width direction by the side guide 11 is in contact with the knurled belt 32. For this reason, the knurl belt 32 may be moved along with the sheet P moved in the width direction by the side guide 11, and the knurl when the side guide 11 moves (retracts) in the direction opposite to the sheet pressing direction. As the belt 32 is restored, the sheet P moves with it, and there is a risk of misalignment.
[0105]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, after the sheet is pressed by the side guide 11, the knurl belt 32 continues to be pressed until it returns to the normal position (the twist returns), and after the knurl belt 32 returns to the normal position, the side guide 11 The press of the sheet is released.
[0106]
The side guide 11 functions as a guide for the next sheet to be sent by continuing to press the sheet at the position shown in FIG. 21, but the knurled belt 32 is still in the pressing state even if it is swung as described above. Return to the normal position. The side guide 11 is retracted to a retract position outside the sheet discharge area after the leading edge of the sheet P being guided approaches the downstream discharge roller pair 17.
[0107]
With this configuration, sheet misalignment due to the influence of the knurled belt 32 can be prevented.
[0108]
{When reversing the downstream discharge roller when the swing guide is open}
Next, the state of the downstream discharge roller 17a and the state of the side guide 11 when the swing guide 20 is opened will be described. When the swing guide 20 is opened, the downstream discharge roller 17a is configured to rotate in a direction opposite to the sheet discharge direction by a drive mechanism 39 described later. Usually, after the reverse conveyance of the downstream discharge roller 17a is completed, the alignment in the sheet width direction by the side guide 11 is performed.
[0109]
However, since the first sheet (two sheets at the time of the two-sheet discharge control) is in contact with the downstream discharge roller 17a by its own weight, this becomes a resistance at the time of the width alignment by the side guide 11, and the sheet is not loaded. May cause alignment. The frictional resistance between the sheet and the downstream discharge roller 17a is smaller when the roller is rotated than when the roller is stationary.
[0110]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the sheet width alignment work by the side guide 11 is completed before the reverse rotation of the downstream discharge roller 17a that pulls back the first sheet.
[0111]
With this configuration, when the width of the first sheet is adjusted by the side guide 11, the influence of the frictional resistance between the first sheet and the downstream discharge roller 17a can be reduced, and the sheet alignment is improved. To do.
[0112]
{Locking the downstream discharge roller when holding the swing guide}
Further, when the subsequent sheets are stacked and aligned on the staple tray 12, if the downstream discharge roller 17a is stopped in a free state (rotatable state), the staple tray 12 is in the middle of sheet alignment. There is a possibility that the lowermost sheet on the upper side is displaced.
[0113]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the sheets are stacked and aligned on the staple tray 12 by the drive mechanism 39 described later, the downstream discharge roller 17a is locked so as not to rotate.
[0114]
With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the deviation of the sheet due to a collision or the like during the paddle operation when the sheets are stacked and aligned on the staple tray 12.
[0115]
{Reverse rotation of downstream discharge roller when swing guide is closed}
When a bundle of sheets is stacked and aligned on the staple tray 12, the swing guide 20 is closed and fixed while the sheet bundle is stapled, and then stapled by the stapler 13.
[0116]
Here, when the sheets are aligned on the staple tray 12 by the paddle 31, the side guide 11, or the like, the lowermost sheet of the sheet bundle may be slightly shifted.
[0117]
Therefore, in this embodiment, when the swing guide 20 is closed and the sheet bundle is clamped and fixed, the downstream discharge roller 17a is reversely rotated by a predetermined amount (slightly) by a drive mechanism 39, which will be described later, on the staple tray 12. A conveying force in the direction opposite to the discharge direction is applied to the lowest sheet of the sheet bundle.
[0118]
With this configuration, even when the lowermost sheet of the sheet bundle is slightly displaced during sheet alignment by the paddle 31, the side guide 11 or the like, the deviation can be corrected and aligned.
[0119]
{Drive mechanism for swing guide and downstream discharge roller}
Next, the drive mechanism 39 for the swing guide 20 and the downstream discharge roller 17a will be described with reference to FIGS. 25, 26, and 27. FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 39 denotes a drive mechanism, which performs opening / closing of the swing guide 20 and forward / reverse drive of the downstream discharge roller 17a. The drive mechanism 39 includes a single drive motor 40 that is a drive source and a gear train that transmits a drive force from the motor 40.
[0120]
Further, the drive motor 40 is provided with an encoder 56 for detecting the number of rotations and a drive motor rotation detection sensor 55 for detecting the rotation speed of each roller and the amount of movement of the swing guide.
[0121]
In the drive mechanism 39, the downstream discharge roller 17a is rotated forward (rotation in the sheet discharge direction) when the drive motor 40 is rotated forward, and the swing guide 20 is opened and opened when the drive motor 40 is rotated backward. The reverse rotation of the downstream discharge roller 17a at the time (rotation in the direction opposite to the sheet discharge direction), the closing operation of the swing guide 20, and the reverse rotation of the downstream discharge roller 17a at the time of the closing operation are performed. When stopping, the swing guide 20 is held and the downstream discharge roller 17a is locked at the time of holding. Hereinafter, the configuration of the drive mechanism will be described in detail along the flow of operation.
[0122]
As shown in FIG. 25, when the drive motor 40 is rotated forward, a driving force is applied to the fixed gear 42a of the pendulum gear unit 42 meshing with the pinion gear 41 of the motor 40 and the swing gear 42b is rotated. The sheet is swung to the illustrated position and meshed with the discharge gear 43 of the downstream discharge roller 17a, and the downstream discharge roller 17a rotates (forward) in the sheet discharge direction (arrow direction in the figure) to discharge and convey the sheet S.
[0123]
As shown in FIG. 26, when the drive motor 40 is rotated in the reverse direction, a driving force is applied to the fixed gear 42a of the pendulum gear unit 42 meshed with the pinion gear 41 of the motor 40, and the swing gear 42b is illustrated. Oscillates to the position and meshes with the intermediate gear 44, and the operating gear 46 rotates in the direction of the arrow through the intermediate gear 45 meshed with the intermediate gear 44. The operating gear 46 includes a gear portion 46a meshing with the intermediate gear 45, a projecting portion 46b that contacts the open / close arm 47 integrally attached to the swing guide 20, and opens and closes the swing guide 20; A missing gear portion 46 c that can mesh with the intermediate gear 48 that meshes with the discharge gear 43 is provided.
[0124]
Therefore, when the operating gear 46 rotates in the direction of the arrow in the figure, the toothless gear portion 46c meshes with the intermediate gear 48, and the discharge gear 43 that meshes with the intermediate gear 48 rotates in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The discharge roller 17a rotates (reverses) in the direction opposite to the sheet discharge direction (in the direction of the arrow in the figure) to start pulling back and conveying the sheet P, and the protrusion 46b contacts the opening / closing arm 47 as shown in FIG. By pushing up the open / close arm 47, the swing guide 20 is pushed up in the direction of the arrow in the figure.
[0125]
Then, for example, when the position shown in FIG. 27 is reached, the drive of the drive motor 40 is temporarily stopped, and the swing guide 20 is held open. At this time, since the missing gear portion 46c of the operating gear 46 is stopped while meshing with the discharge gear 43 via the intermediate gear 48, the downstream discharge roller 17a is locked and cannot rotate. Yes.
[0126]
As described above, the holding position of the swing guide 20 depends on the change in the height (level) of the sheet in order to keep the contact area of the paddle 31 with the sheet discharged on the staple tray 12 constant. The position can be changed accordingly.
[0127]
Thereafter, when the stacking alignment of the sheets on the staple tray 12 is completed and the drive motor 40 is rotated again, the discharge gear 43 rotates by the amount of meshing with the toothless gear portion 46c of the operation gear 46, and the downstream discharge roller 17a. However, the sheet P is rotated by a predetermined amount (the above-mentioned engagement) in the direction opposite to the sheet discharge direction, and the sheet P is pulled back and conveyed. At the same time, the swing guide 20 is closed, and after the closing is completed, it is prepared for the next processing.
[0128]
By configuring as described above, it is not necessary to separately provide a driving mechanism for driving the swing guide 20 and the downstream discharge roller 17a, so that the cost can be reduced and the apparatus can be simplified.
[0129]
{Closing operation of swing guide}
As described above, the swing guide 20 is rotatable about the swing shaft 20a, and as shown in FIG. 27, when the operation gear 46 rotates in the direction of the arrow, the protrusion 46b provided on the operation gear 46 is provided. Opens the swing guide 20 by pushing up the open / close arm 47 attached to one side of the swing guide 20. When the operation gear 46 further rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 27, the swing guide 20 starts to close, and when the operation gear 46 further rotates, the protrusion 46b and the open / close arm 47 are disengaged, and the swing guide 20 It will drop by its own weight and close.
[0130]
Here, if the operating gear 46 is rotated at a high speed when the swing guide 20 is closed and the initial speed of the closing operation is increased, the impact when the swing guide 20 falls by its own weight increases, and the aligned sheets may be disturbed. There is. It also has an undesirable effect on the durability of the device due to impact.
[0131]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 28, in the motor control for closing the swing guide 20, the swing guide 20 is closed at a high speed until the predetermined position 1 after the motor is started (S21). When the swing guide 20 is closed to the predetermined position 1 (S22, S23), the motor output is changed (S24) so that the closing operation of the swing guide 20 is delayed. When it is closed to the next predetermined position 2 (S28, S26), the motor output is changed again (S27), and the motor drive is stopped after the swing guide is detected to be closed (S28, S29).
[0132]
As a result, immediately before the swing guide 20 falls by its own weight, the swing guide 20 rotates gently, and the initial speed at the time of falling by its own weight becomes slow. Therefore, the impact of the swinging guide 20 that falls by its own weight is reduced, the aligned sheets are not disturbed, the impact sound is reduced, and the durability of the apparatus is not adversely affected.
[0133]
In the closing operation of the swing guide 20, the closing operation of the swing guide 20 is completed when a specified time elapses after the motor is started, and the opening / closing arm 47 rotates the sensor flag 49 as shown in FIG. Then, a closed sensor (not shown) is turned on. As a result, the apparatus recognizes that the swing guide 20 is closed.
[0134]
Therefore, if the closing sensor does not turn on after the specified time has elapsed, an error has occurred in the closing operation. However, in actuality, it may be caused by the rotation resistance of the drive motor 40 due to the impulse resistance between the projection 46b of the operating gear 46 and the open / close arm 47 and the fluctuation of the load of the connected gear portion. In such a case, the work can be continuously and smoothly continued by rotating the operation gear 46 by transmitting a larger rotational force.
[0135]
That is, in the present embodiment, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 29, when the swing sensor 20 is closed (S31 to S37), if the closing sensor does not turn on even after a specified time has elapsed after the motor is started ( (S32) The motor output is changed to transmit a larger rotational force (S33). Thereafter, if the closing sensor does not turn on even after the set time has elapsed, a closing error display of the swing guide 20 is displayed and the apparatus is stopped.
[0136]
When the closed state of the swing guide 20 cannot be detected in the initial closing operation as described above, the occurrence of an error stop of the device can be reduced by further increasing the motor output and performing the closing operation again. Continuous and smooth sheet post-processing is possible.
[0137]
{Rotation direction switching control}
When the pendulum gear unit 42 is switched by driving the drive motor 40 in the reverse direction, the swinging gear 42b is driven to rotate along with the rotation of the fixed gear 42a. 43 or the intermediate gear 44 is difficult to mesh and may cause tooth skipping. This causes noise and wears the gear unnecessarily, reducing durability and device reliability.
[0138]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 30, it is first determined whether or not the rotation direction of the drive motor 40 is switched according to the control of the apparatus (S41), and if the rotation directions do not match (S42), Is driven at a low speed (S43). When a predetermined time sufficient for switching elapses (S44), the drive motor is driven at a normal control speed (S45).
[0139]
With this configuration, the rocking gear 42b can be reliably engaged with the discharge gear 43 and the intermediate gear 44, and tooth skipping and noise can be prevented, resulting in a device with excellent durability. it can.
[0140]
{Stapling action}
As described above, the bundle of sheets P stacked on the staple tray 12 is pinched by the downstream discharge roller pair 17 fixed by the discharge gear 43 and is bound by the stapler 13 in this state. Various combinations of the closing positions are conceivable, but in this embodiment, a mode in which one corner is bound and a mode in which two sides are bound can be selected as shown in FIG.
[0141]
When the stapler 13 is not at the predetermined staple position, it is necessary to move the stapler 13, but this may cause the sheet bundle loaded on the staple tray 12 to move. Therefore, when the stapler 13 is moved, the end portion of the sheet bundle is pressed by the side guide 11. Thereby, there is no possibility that the alignment of the stacked sheets P is disturbed.
[0142]
However, if the binding operation is performed while being pressed by the side guide 11, there is a possibility that a staple failure may occur because the pressing of the side guide 11 may cause the sheet bundle to bend in the width direction.
[0143]
Therefore, when performing the binding operation, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 31, the side guide 11 is released and separated from the bundle of sheets P, and the binding operation is performed with only the downstream discharge roller pair 17 sandwiched. Configured to do. Thereby, the bending of the sheet bundle due to the pressing of the side guide 11 can be released, and the stapling defect can be prevented.
[0144]
{Needle exchange}
As shown in FIG. 32, the stapler 13 is configured to mount the needle cartridge 50, and when the needle is replenished, the staple cartridge 50 is replaced. In the needle cartridge 50, a plurality of needle plates 50a configured by connecting a plurality of binding needles can be loaded.
[0145]
Inside the stapler 13, there are a needle cartridge sensor 13a for detecting the frame of the needle cartridge 50, a needle detection sensor 13b for directly detecting the needle exposed on the lower surface of the needle cartridge 50, and a head needle detection sensor 13c provided at the tip of the stapler 13. Is provided.
[0146]
FIG. 33 is a flowchart showing the control when the needle cartridge 50 is replaced. When a job with binding processing is started (S51), or when the absence of a needle is detected (S52), the user is informed that there is no needle and prompts the user to replace the needle cartridge 50 (S53). ). The user opens the stapler door 51 (see FIG. 1) on the front surface of the finisher unit C, and attaches the staple cartridge 50 filled with the staple plate 50a to the stapler 13.
[0147]
Here, it is detected by the sensor that the staple cartridge 50 is mounted on the stapler 13, but when it is inserted to some extent, the needle detection sensor 13b detects the bottom surface of the staple cartridge 50 and determines that there is a staple. However, at this time, the cartridge is not yet mounted and fixed at a predetermined position, which causes inconvenience when feeding and ejecting the needle.
[0148]
Therefore, in this embodiment, it is determined whether or not both the needle cartridge sensor 13a and the needle detection sensor 13b are turned on (S54), thereby recognizing that there is a needle. Thus, not only the presence of the needle can be detected, but also the needle can be recognized as being ready to be ejected, and a reliable needle replacement operation can be performed.
[0149]
{Needle picking process}
When the presence of the needle is detected (S54) and the stapler door 51 is detected to be closed (S55), the needle cueing process is performed (S56). Conventionally, the needle head search is performed by blanking a predetermined number of times. However, in this case, even when the needle plate 50a has already reached the tip of the needle cartridge 50, this cannot be recognized, so that a wasteful hit is made.
[0150]
In the present embodiment, the stapler 13 is provided with a head needle detection sensor 13c and is disposed at a position facing the tip of the needle cartridge 50. By detecting the end of the needle cueing process by the head needle detection sensor 13c, there is no possibility that the needle is wasted blindly and wasted. On the other hand, in the control in which the head needle detection sensor 13c performs the blank shot until the needle is detected, there is no limit to the number of blank shots, so even if a staple jam occurs in the needle cartridge 50, the blank shot is performed forever. There is a risk that processing will not continue.
[0151]
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 34, when the needle head search process (S56) is started, the counter n is first reset (S61). Then, the needle plate 50a is transported by one stitch (S62). When the head needle detection sensor 13c detects the needle (S63), the process is terminated, and when not detected, the counter n is incremented by one (S64). Here, it is determined whether or not the counter n is the specified number of times (S65). If the counter n is within the specified number of times, the idle shot is further repeated. If the specified number of times is exceeded, the user is informed that a staple jam has occurred. Information is provided (S66).
[0152]
In this way, even when the needle is detected by the head needle detection sensor 13c, an infinite loop of the needle cueing operation can be avoided by limiting the number of idle shots. If the staple jam process (S56) results in a staple jam (S66), it is recognized that there is no staple in the staple cartridge replacement process (S57).
[0153]
{Needle jam processing}
In addition, a staple jam may occur during the binding operation. When the finisher unit C detects a staple jam, it is conventionally determined whether or not a staple jam has occurred after performing a binding process (S71) as shown in FIG. 35 (S72), and no staple jam has occurred. In this case, the sheet bundle is discharged (S73) and the process is continued. If it has occurred, this is notified to the user (S74), and the process is interrupted. However, in this case, the stapler 13 stays at the position where the binding operation is performed, and it may be difficult to reach even if the user opens the stapler door 51 to perform the jam processing.
[0154]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 36, after the binding process (S81) is performed, the sheet bundle is first discharged (S82), and then it is determined whether a staple jam has occurred (S83). If the staple jam has not occurred, the processing is continued as it is. If the staple jam has occurred, the stapler 13 is moved to the initial position near the stapler door 51 (S84), and then the jam is notified to the user (S85). ), The process is terminated. Here, the initial position is in the vicinity of the stapler door 51, and when the door is opened, it is the position where the user can easily handle the jam. The reason why the sheet bundle is discharged is that when the stapler 13 is moved to the initial position, it may come into contact and be damaged.
[0155]
In this way, even if a staple jam occurs, the stapler is moved to the initial position, so that there is no possibility that the user will not easily reach the stapler, and the apparatus can be easily maintained.
[0156]
{Initializing stapler during jam processing}
Further, as described above, the stapler door 51 of the finisher unit C is opened and closed when the needle is replaced. However, it is not necessary to open and close when the sheet being conveyed is jammed. However, it is possible for the user to open and close it, and the stapler may be moved by mistake.
[0157]
Here, the position control of the stapler is controlled by the amount of movement from the initial position, and the current position is not always confirmed by means such as a sensor. Accordingly, if the stapler position is moved during the sheet jam processing, the apparatus cannot recognize this, and if the binding process is performed as it is, the stapler will be stapled to the wrong position.
[0158]
Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 37, when the opening / closing of the stapler door 51 is detected (S91) and the binding process is performed (S92), the stapler 13 is temporarily initialized before the binding process is executed. It returns to the position (S93), and after that, it is moved again to the closed position (S94) and the binding process (S95) is performed. Since the binding process is performed after confirming the position of the stapler 13 as described above, there is no possibility that the stapler 13 is stapled to an incorrect position even when the stapler 13 is moved by the user.
[0159]
{Sheet bundle discharge}
As described above, when the binding process is completed, the drive motor 40 rotates in the forward direction, the pendulum gear unit 42 meshes with the discharge gear 43, and the downstream discharge roller pair 17 rotates in the conveyance direction to stack the bundle of sheets P. The tray 18 is discharged.
[0160]
At this time, when a sheet bundle that has been subjected to binding processing at one corner is discharged, the end face on the side that has not been subjected to binding processing is likely to be displaced. This phenomenon has a difference in effect depending on the size and the number of sheets. The smaller the sheet size, the smaller the friction between the sheets, so the deviation becomes more significant.
[0161]
Further, conventionally, the control of discharging the sheet bundle by the downstream discharge roller pair 17 is fixed, and the drive motor 40 is controlled by 100% output as shown in FIG. 38 (a). For example, when the discharge speed is reset based on a medium number of sheet bundles in this state, an excessive conveyance force is applied to a small number of sheet bundles, and the sheet bundle tends to be displaced. Since the mass of the material increases, the discharge speed decreases.
[0162]
Therefore, in this embodiment, when discharging a sheet bundle that has been bound at one place, the stack tray 18 is raised, and the stacking surface on the stack tray 18 is discharged in a state of being close to the downstream discharge roller pair 17. It is carried out. As a result, the resistance between the sheet bundle and the stacking surface on the stack tray 18 is reduced, and deviation is less likely to occur.
[0163]
Further, the stack tray 18 close to the downstream discharge roller pair 17 is lowered by a certain amount immediately before the rear end of the sheet bundle passes through the downstream discharge roller pair 17. As a result, it is possible to prevent the rear end of the sheet bundle from coming into contact with the downstream discharge roller pair 17 and flowing back into the apparatus.
[0164]
Further, as shown in the figure, by controlling the start-up speed of the drive motor 40 at the time of discharging slowly according to the size and number of sheets, it is possible to cope with sheet bundles having different sheet sizes and numbers. That is, driving is started with a driving force of about 80% for a large size sheet and about 60% for a small size sheet.
[0165]
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 38 (b), when the sheet size is a small size, the start-up speed is slower than in the case of the large size, thereby preventing a shift caused by rapid acceleration. Further, when the number of stacked sheets is large, the driving torque at the time of starting is lower than when the number of stacked sheets is small, and the torque from the driving roller is controlled to be sufficiently and averagely transmitted to the lowermost sheet in the sheet bundle. Then, it gradually shifts to a normal conveying speed and driving torque, and finally, a sheet bundle of any size and number of sheets is discharged at a substantially equal speed.
[0166]
As a result, it is possible to prevent misalignment of the end face that is not bound even when a sheet bundle that has been bound in one place is discharged, thereby improving stackability on the stack tray 18, and the number of sizes or bundles. It is possible to discharge at an equal speed regardless of the above. Further, since the drive motor 40 is not driven at 100% output, there is an effect that the operation sound generated by the apparatus can be reduced.
[0167]
Further, by bringing the stack tray 18 close to the downstream discharge roller pair 17, the sheet bundle to be discharged is prevented from being folded back and the bottom sheet of the sheet bundle is prevented from buckling.
[0168]
{Mixed loading detection}
When discharged in a different sheet size or sheet processing mode from the discharge sheets already stacked on the stack tray 18, the stackability becomes worse compared to stacking sheets of the same size or sheet stacking by the same processing. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the number of sheets that can be loaded.
[0169]
Therefore, a stack sensor 53 for detecting whether or not a sheet is stacked on the tray is provided in the approximate center of the stack tray 18, and when the sheet P is stacked on the stack tray 18, It will be treated as mixed loading under the following conditions.
[0170]
(1) The sheet P stacked on the tray is not a sheet discharged and stacked from the finisher unit C.
[0171]
(2) When sheets P of different sheet sizes are discharged and stacked on the stack tray 18 by the finisher unit C.
[0172]
(3) When the finisher unit C ejects and loads the stack tray 18 in different processing modes.
[0173]
Further, the finisher unit C in the present embodiment is configured so that the detection signal of the stack sensor 53 is referred to when starting image formation and is not referred to after image formation is started. This is because if the detection signal of the stack sensor 53 is referred to even after the sheet is discharged after the image formation is started, the first discharged sheet may be erroneously recognized as mixed loading. .
[0174]
{Load detection}
The level detection of the uppermost surface of the sheet or sheet bundle stacked on the stack tray 18 is performed by a distance measuring sensor 54 provided above the swing guide 20. The distance measuring sensor has a light emitting unit that irradiates a sheet bundle with light rays such as infrared rays, and a light receiving unit that receives a light beam irregularly reflected by the sheet bundle, and performs level detection by measuring the angle of the reflected light. Is.
[0175]
When a sheet or the like is discharged onto the stack tray 18, the rear end of the sheet P may be caught by the finisher unit C as shown in FIG. If level detection is performed in such a state, accurate level detection may not be performed. Therefore, when the sheet P is discharged, the stack tray 18 temporarily moves downward and rises again, so that the sheet P settles on the stack tray 18.
[0176]
When the level of the sheet P stacked on the stack tray 18 is detected, the distance measuring sensor 54 preferably detects the level when the stack tray 18 is raised. However, in actuality, when the stack tray 18 is raised, the next sheet P has already been discharged, so that the sheet on the stack tray 18 cannot be seen due to this.
[0177]
If level detection is performed when the sheet descends in this way, there is a possibility that the sheet P has not yet settled at that moment. Therefore, the level is detected twice or more at predetermined intervals, and values within the error range are continuously detected. Is acquired as a detection result. This makes it possible to detect the actual level that has been determined, and to demonstrate the production capacity of the apparatus.
[0178]
Further, the position after the stack tray 18 is raised is controlled so that the height of the stacking surface is always constant based on the data obtained by the level detection (paper height control).
[0179]
Here, a configuration for recognizing the amount of sheets stacked on the stack tray 18 (height of stacked sheets) will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 39 (b). The detailed configuration is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-48549. FIG. 39 (b) is a main part perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the tray unit, the drive unit of the tray unit, and the position detection unit of the tray unit.
[0180]
In the present embodiment, the three stack trays 18 are respectively fixed to the tray frame 57 to constitute a tray unit 58, and the three stack trays 18 move up and down integrally with respect to the finisher frame 59 of the finisher unit C ( Can be moved up and down). The vertical movement of the tray unit 58, that is, the vertical movement of the stack tray 18 is transmitted to the rack portion 58a provided in a part of the tray unit 58 by the pinion gear 225 by the forward / reverse driving of the stacker motor 209, thereby the tray unit itself. Is configured to be moved up and down in the direction of the arrow in the drawing with respect to the finisher frame 59.
[0181]
An encoder 226 is mounted on the output shaft of the stacker motor 209. By detecting the pulse amount of the encoder 226 by the stacker motor clock sensor 227, how many pulses from the home position where the tray unit 58 is the initial position is detected. It is possible to know whether it has moved, that is, the amount of movement of the stack tray 18. The home position of the stack tray 18 is detected by detecting the tray unit flag 57a provided at the lower portion of the tray frame 57 by the tray home position sensor 228.
[0182]
After the home position of the tray unit 58 is detected by a copy operation signal or the like (the tray unit flag 57a is detected by the tray home position sensor 228), the predetermined stack tray 18 is moved to the downstream discharge roller based on the detection signal of the distance measuring sensor 54. The sheet is positioned at a predetermined position with respect to the pair 17 and the sheet discharged by the downstream discharge roller pair 17 is received by the stack tray 18.
[0183]
Further, in order to keep the position of the uppermost surface of the sheet on the stack tray 18 at a predetermined amount from the downstream discharge roller pair 17, the stack tray 18 is lowered by a predetermined amount every time a sheet (or a sheet bundle) is stacked. It has become.
[0184]
It should be noted that how many clocks the tray unit 58 has moved from the home position, that is, the amount of movement of the stack tray 18 can be recognized by the MPU 200 (see FIG. 42) of the finisher unit C described later.
[0185]
From the above configuration, the position of the stack tray 18 and the position of the top surface of the sheet on the stack tray 18 (level detection) are determined, and the amount of sheets stacked on the stack tray 18 (height of stacked sheets) Can be recognized.
[0186]
As described above, the stack amount of the sheets P stacked on the stack tray 18 is detected by detecting the position and level of the stack tray 18, and it is determined that the predetermined stack amount determined by the processing mode and the sheet size is exceeded. If it is done, it will be recognized as full.
[0187]
However, even when it is detected that the sheet is full, the sheet P on the stack tray 18 may not be settled due to curling or the state of catching at the rear end. For this reason, there is a case where it is determined that the apparatus is not fully loaded but the apparatus is stopped, and the productivity may be lowered.
[0188]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the fact that the uppermost surface of the sheets on the stack tray 18 has a height greater than or equal to a predetermined value, that is, that the stacking amount of sheets on the stack tray 18 exceeds a predetermined amount continuously. When it is detected, it is determined for the first time that the sheets are full and the apparatus is stopped. More specifically, the stack tray 18 is moved up and down, and the sheet stacking amount on the stack tray 18 is detected for each operation (or after the operation is completed), and the sheet stacking amount exceeds a predetermined amount. When this is continuously detected a plurality of times (three times in this embodiment), it is determined for the first time that the sheets are full and the apparatus is stopped.
[0189]
Further, in the present embodiment, the full sheet detection as described above is performed every time a predetermined number of sheets (for example, 5 sheets) are discharged to the stack tray 18.
[0190]
As a result, it is possible to detect whether or not the sheet stacking amount exceeds a predetermined amount after eliminating the curl of the sheet generated on the stack tray 18 or the catching of the trailing end of the sheet. Prevents misrecognition of full sheet detection because it is judged that the full sheet is full when it is continuously detected that the stacking capacity of the sheet exceeds the specified amount, and the device is stopped. And can exhibit sufficient productivity.
[0191]
As described above, when the full sheet is detected and the apparatus is stopped, the user is prompted to remove the stacked sheets (or sheet bundles) from the stack tray 18.
[0192]
{System stop timing when full load is detected}
However, even when the sorting process is in progress, if image formation is always stopped by detecting the full load described above, the sheet bundle in the middle of the sorting process will be stacked on the stack tray 18, and removing this will cause the sorting process to Since the process is completed, handling of the stacked sheets may be complicated. On the other hand, a certain amount of margin is usually set for full load detection on the stack tray 18, and it is still possible to load even when full.
[0193]
Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 40, when a full load is detected during the image forming and stacking operation (S101) (S102), it is determined whether or not the bundle is finished (S103), and a bundle of images is obtained. If the formation has not been completed, the image formation is continued without stopping. With this configuration, even when the sheet bundle is removed from the stack tray 18 due to full load detection, there is no sheet bundle in the middle of the sorting process, and handling is easy.
[0194]
Then, the distance measuring sensor 54 detects the full load, and if it is not in the middle of the sorting process, the image recording is stopped as the full load detection (S104).
[0195]
{Special sheet}
When the sheet discharged and stacked on the stack tray 18 is a special sheet, particularly an OHP sheet, the light irradiated from the distance measuring sensor 54 does not reflect so much on the surface of the OHP sheet, and is almost specularly reflected. This results in a distance error of 20 to 30 mm (experimental value) compared to the case of measuring the sheet. For this reason, if the normal control is performed, if the full load detection or the stack height control is performed, the stack tray 18 is raised because the top surface of the stack is recognized as being far (lower) than the actual level. Depending on the case, the stacked sheets may hit the discharge port, and the discharged sheets may collide with the stacked sheets and damage the sheets.
[0196]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 41, it is determined whether or not the stacked sheets including the sheets fed from the main body multi-tray (manual feed tray) are extracted from the stack tray 18 (S111). ), If it is extracted, the about detection flag is cleared (S112), that is, it is assumed that no about detection is made.
[0197]
When the about detection flag is off (S113), it is assumed that no stacked sheets are present on the stack tray 18, or that sheets with no detection error of the distance measuring sensor are stacked. Tray control is performed (S114). If the about detection flag is ON (S113), the about detection control (S115) is performed.
[0198]
Here, the about detection means that if the level of the discharged sheet stacking surface on the stack tray 18 measured by the distance measuring sensor 54 is not reliable due to special sheets, the error is estimated in advance and corrected. In this embodiment, there is shown a case where sheets fed from the main body multi-tray (manual feed tray) may be stacked on the stack tray 18.
[0199]
Further, the about detection control indicates that the control is performed lower than the predetermined height of the loading surface, specifically, about 30 mm lower based on the sensor error.
[0200]
Then, after the discharged sheets are stacked on the stack tray 18 (S116), it is determined whether or not the stacked sheets are the targets of about detection (S117). This determination is made in the same manner as described above based on whether or not the stacked sheets are fed from the main body multi-tray (manual feed tray).
[0201]
Based on this determination, an about detection flag is set (S118) if it is an object of about detection, and about the next tray control, the about detection control (S115) is performed.
[0202]
Further, when it is not an object of about detection, the stacking amount detection and the sheet surface height control (S121) are performed. When it is not an object of about detection, only the stacking amount detection is performed (S119).
[0203]
In the above embodiment, the control for processing all the sheets fed from the manual feed port as special sheets has been described. Here, it is determined whether the stacked sheets are special sheets, and the about detection flag is set. The on / off control will be described.
[0204]
In this determination, the stack tray 18 is moved in advance to two points having different heights where the amount of movement is known, and the distance is calculated by the distance measuring sensor 54 at the two points. On the other hand, the distance by which the stack tray 18 is moved is measured by a movement amount detecting means (not shown), and the difference between the measured value and the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor is larger than a predetermined amount (generally by distance measurement). If the measured value is large), it is determined that the stacked sheets are the targets of the about detection.
[0205]
As a result, even if the sheet to be conveyed is a special sheet such as an OHP sheet that is difficult to measure the distance with the distance measuring sensor 54, or even if it is changed to a special sheet in the middle, a sheet that is almost the same as a normal sheet Processing can be performed.
[0206]
Further, as described above, the measurement of the OHP sheet by the distance measuring sensor causes a deviation of a constant value (20 to 30 mm) as compared with the plain paper, but the variation of the measured value according to the number of sheets is the same as that of the plain paper. Therefore, when it is recognized that the discharged sheet is an OHP sheet, the stack tray 18 is shifted downward by the predetermined value, and the full load detection and the stacking height control can be performed using the distance measuring sensor 54 as usual. it can.
[0207]
{Finisher unit control system configuration}
Here, the configuration of the control system in the finisher unit C of the sheet processing apparatus B will be briefly described with reference to FIG.
[0208]
In FIG. 42, reference numeral 200 denotes an MPU as a control means. The MPU 200 includes the carry-in sensor 28, the approach sensor 27, the buffer sensor 26, the discharge sensor 29, the distance measuring sensor 54, the stack sensor 53, and the rotational speed of the drive motor 40. A drive motor rotation detection sensor 55 for detecting the detection, a needle cartridge sensor 13a, a needle detection sensor 13b, a cueing sensor 13c, a stacker motor clock sensor 227 for detecting the pulse amount of the encoder 226 provided on the output shaft of the stacker motor 209, a tray A signal is input from a tray home position sensor 228 or the like that detects the home position of the unit 58 (stack tray 18).
[0209]
Then, based on the signal, the first flapper solenoid 201 for switching the first flapper 21, the second flapper solenoid 202 for switching the second flapper 22, and the third flapper 25 for switching the second flapper 22 through the drivers D 1 to D 11. The flapper solenoid 203, the buffer roller 23, the upstream discharge roller pair 16, and the knurled belt 32 are driven, and the shutter portion 34 is rotated in the reverse direction to move up and down. A paddle solenoid 206 for connecting / releasing the driving force from the buffer transport motor 204 to rotate the paddle 31; a side guide motor 207 for sliding the side guide 11; and a reference guide 37 on the staple tray 12 during sheet shift A reference guide solenoid 208 that is retracted from the drive, a drive motor 40 that swings the swing guide 20 and forward / reversely rotates the downstream discharge roller 17a, a stacker motor 209 that moves the stack tray 18 up and down, a stapler 13 binding and a needle feed A stapler motor 210 that performs the movement, a stapler moving motor 211 that moves the position of the stapler 13, and the like are controlled.
[0210]
Each motor controls the movement amount, speed, and the like by a control input pulse or an encoder coder input that detects the rotation amount.
[0211]
[Stitcher unit]
Next, the configuration of each part of the stitcher unit D in the sheet processing apparatus B will be described in detail. As described above, the stitcher unit D shown in FIG. 3 conveys the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus main body A into the vertical path 60 including the path guides 60a and 60b, and binds the center of the sheet by the stapler unit 61. Later, it is folded and discharged.
[0212]
The sheet P discharged from the image forming apparatus main body A is fed to the vertical path 60 of the stitcher unit D by the action of the first flapper 21 and is stacked and aligned with the lower end in contact with the stopper 62. An upper roller pair 63 as a conveying means is provided at the upper part of the vertical path 60, and a plurality of flappers 64 are provided downstream thereof. In the present embodiment, the flapper 64 includes two first flappers 64a and a second flapper 64b, and the conveyance path can be selectively switched according to the size of the sheet P.
[0213]
A movable guide 65 is provided in the vicinity of the flapper 64, and is urged toward the flapper 64 by the urging means 65a to constitute a part of the conveying path of the vertical path 60. This movable guide 65 can expose the inside of the vertical path 60 in the vicinity of the flapper 64 by gripping and turning the handle 65b, and can handle jammed sheets.
[0214]
A plurality of sheet sensors 66 are provided at positions facing the flapper 64 via the vertical path 60, and face the first upper sensor 66a and the first flapper 64a between the upper roller pair 63 and the first flapper 64a. A second upper sensor 66b is disposed at a position, and a third upper sensor 66c is disposed at a position facing the second flapper 64b. These sheet sensors 66 can detect the presence or absence of the passing sheet P, or the leading edge or the trailing edge.
[0215]
{Lower roller pair}
A stapler unit 61, which will be described later, is provided in the approximate center of the vertical path 60, and an anvil 61d is disposed at a position facing the stapler unit 61 via the vertical path 60. Downstream of the stapler unit 61, a lower roller pair 67 as a conveying means is provided, and a driving roller 68 as a driving rotating body to which driving force is transmitted from a driving source (not shown), and a sheet is pressed against the driving roller 68 Thus, it is composed of a pick-up roller 69 as a movable rotating body that is driven to rotate.
[0216]
As shown in FIG. 43, the pickup roller 69 is attached to one end of the transport roller arm 69a, and the other end of the transport roller arm 69a is rotatably supported by the path guide 60b of the vertical path 60 by a rotating shaft 69b. . Further, an elastic member 69c is attached to a substantially central portion of the transport roller arm 69a, and the pickup roller 69 is urged toward the drive roller 68. On the other hand, the conveyance roller arm 69a is provided with a compression release arm 70 that can be driven by a solenoid (not shown) so that the pickup roller 69 can be separated from the driving roller 68. Accordingly, the pickup roller 69 can be displaced between a pressing position where the sheet is pressed against the driving roller 68 and a separating position where the sheet is separated from the driving roller 68.
[0217]
{Pickup roller pressure welding}
When the sheet P is conveyed by the pair of lower rollers 67, first, as shown in FIG. 44 (a), after the leading end of the sheet P passes through the position of the pickup roller 69, the roller 69 is pressed against the sheet. The sheet P is nipped and conveyed by the driving roller 68. At this time, the sheet P sent later enters the drive roller 68 side of the already stacked sheet P and is conveyed while sliding with the already stacked sheet.
[0218]
If the pickup roller 69 is always kept in pressure contact with the driving roller 68, a conveying force is applied to the sheet P that has already reached the stopper 62 and is stacked, and the sheet may be buckled. There is. Therefore, as shown in the present embodiment, the pick-up roller 69 is brought into pressure contact only when necessary, so that the sheet alignment is improved and accurate stacking on the vertical path 60 can be performed.
[0219]
{Separation of pickup roller}
Further, the pickup roller 69 is separated as shown in FIG. 44 (b) at the position where the leading end of the sheet P approaches the stopper 62 by a predetermined distance. In the present embodiment, the predetermined distance from the stopper 62 is set to 10 mm, and after the pickup roller 69 is separated, the sheet P is conveyed to the stopper 62 due to the inertia and weight of the movement so far. Note that the position of the leading edge of the sheet P is recognized by the distance conveyed after the leading edge of the sheet passes through the sheet sensor 66.
[0220]
If the pickup roller 69 is conveyed while being pressed against the driving roller 68 until the sheet P reaches the stopper 62, the sheet P is buckled or rebounded when the pickup roller 69 is separated, and the alignment is disturbed. There is a case. Therefore, by separating the pickup roller 69 at an early stage as shown in the present embodiment, the sheet P is not excessively conveyed, and the above problem can be avoided.
[0221]
{Driving roller when separating the pickup roller}
As described above, if the pickup roller 69 is separated before the sheet P is stacked on the stopper 62, if the number of stacked sheets is still small, the sheet P proceeds vigorously in the vertical path 60 and rebounds to disturb the alignment. There is a fear. In addition, when the number of stacked sheets increases, the friction for passing through the vertical path 60 becomes narrow and may not reach the stopper 62.
[0222]
Therefore, in this embodiment, the driving rotation of the driving roller 68 is maintained even after the pickup roller 69 is separated. Since the sheet P being conveyed at this time is not in pressure contact with the driving roller 68, a weak conveying force is applied only by the contact pressure. As a result, the sheet P is reliably conveyed to the stopper 62 and pressed, so that it can be reliably aligned.
[0223]
{Vertical path shape}
The sheets P stacked against the stopper 62 are aligned in the width direction by the alignment member 71. At this time, since the sheet P is in an upright state, if the sheet P does not have a waist, buckling occurs. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the path guide 60a is provided with a raised portion 60c protruding into the conveying path of the vertical path 60, and the vertical path 60 is bent in the horizontal direction. As a result, the stacked sheets P are also bent in the horizontal direction, that is, the vertical waist is generated. Accordingly, the sheets P can be stacked without causing buckling.
[0224]
On the other hand, if the sheet P is bent in the lateral direction, it is not preferable when the stapler unit 61 performs the binding process. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 45, the vertical path 60 is refracted between the upper part and the lower part of the stapler unit 61, and the sheet P is bent in the vertical direction at a substantially center. That is, as shown in FIG. 46, the sheets P are stacked in a state where the lower portion is bent in the horizontal direction and the substantially central portion is bent in the vertical direction. As a result, the stacking can be performed without buckling, and the binding position can be flattened.
[0225]
{Stopper mechanism}
The drive mechanism of the stopper 62 will be described with reference to FIG. Slide members 62 a are attached to both ends of the stopper 62 and supported so as to be slidable along the stopper frame 72. Further, the stopper 62 is fixed with a stopper driving belt 73 stretched around a driving pulley 73a and an idler pulley 73b. A drive gear 73d is fixed to the rotating shaft 73c of the drive pulley 73a, and a stopper drive motor 74 is connected thereto. That is, when the stopper driving motor 74 rotates, the driving force is transmitted to rotate the stopper driving belt 73, so that the stopper 62 can be driven up and down.
[0226]
A stopper sensor 75 is provided on the sheet stacking surface of the stopper 62, and it can be detected that the leading edge of the sheet P is in contact with the stopper 62. A flag 62b is formed below the stopper 62 so that the stopper home sensor 76 detects when the stopper 62 reaches the home position.
[0227]
{Stapler unit}
Next, a mechanism of the stapler unit as a sheet binding unit that binds the sheet bundle will be described.
[0228]
As shown in FIG. 48, the stapler unit 61 has two symmetrical positions with respect to the center in the sheet width direction at the center position in the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle aligned with the vertical path 60 by the support plate 77 fixed to the frame. Are arranged.
[0229]
In FIG. 48, the stapler unit 61 includes a forming unit 61b as upper needle driving means supported so as to be swingable about a rotation shaft 61a, a drive unit 61c, and an anvil 61d.
[0230]
A vertical path 60 is formed below the stapler unit 61 for guiding the sheet bundle by path guides 60a and 60b and an anvil 61d. The vertical path 60 is configured such that the guide surface 60b1 of the path guide 60b that guides the sheet bundle and the binding surface 61d1 of the anvil 61d that staples the guided sheet bundle have an angle α. A notch hole 60a1 having a size that does not interfere when the forming portion 61b of the stapler unit 61 swings is cut out in the upper surface side path guide 60a having the angle α and forming a vertical path.
[0231]
A needle cartridge 61e is detachably attached to the forming portion 61b, and about 2000 to 5000 binding needles 61f connected in a plate shape are loaded in the needle cartridge 61e. The plate-like binding needle 61f loaded in the needle cartridge 61e is urged downward by a spring 61g provided on the uppermost side of the needle cartridge 61e, and is conveyed to the needle feed roller 61h disposed on the lowermost side. It is configured to give power.
[0232]
The binding needles 61f fed by the needle feed roller 61h are moved one by one by swinging the forming portion 61b around the rotation shaft 61a in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 48 (counterclockwise in FIG. 48). It is formed in a letter shape. That is, when the stapler motor 61i is activated, the eccentric cam gear 61k rotates via the gear train 61j, and the forming portion 61b is moved in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 48 by the action of the eccentric cam attached integrally with the eccentric cam gear 61k. The sheet bundle is stapled by swinging toward the anvil 61d side) to perform a needle driving operation (clinch operation) and bending the driven binding needle 61f with the anvil 61d on the lower surface of the sheet bundle.
[0233]
Further, a flag (not shown) is arranged coaxially with the eccentric cam gear 61k. By detecting this flag by a stapler sensor (not shown), whether the stapler unit 61 is clinching, or clinching has been completed (or clinching). Before the start).
[0234]
{Loading the binding needle}
In the case of the above-described binding processing, when the binding needle is removed from the needle cartridge 61e as the needle loading unit, it is necessary to replace it. Here, loading of the binding needle into the stapler unit 61 will be described.
[0235]
As shown in FIG. 49, the stapler unit 61 according to the present embodiment is configured so that two needle cartridges 61e are attached to bind two places in the sheet width direction, and either one of the needle cartridges 61e is attached. When there is no binding needle, the absence of the needle is detected.
[0236]
When the absence of the needle is detected, the stapler unit 61 shown in FIG. 49 is pulled out in the direction of the arrow, and a new staple is loaded into the needle cartridge 61e. However, only one of the needle cartridges 61e has no needle, and the other needle cartridge 61e has no needle. If the needle remains, even if only one of the needle cartridges 61e is loaded, there is a possibility that the binding needle of the other needle cartridge 61e may be lost immediately. The device is stopped each time, and the stapler unit 61 is pulled out to remove the staples. Loading is inefficient.
[0237]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the absence of the needle is detected, the stapler unit 61 is pulled out, the binding needle is loaded into one of the needle cartridges 61e without the needle, and the other needle cartridge 61e is loaded. Even when the binding needles remain, the remaining needles are replaced with new binding needles, and a message that prompts the two needle cartridges 61e to simultaneously load the needles is displayed on the operation panel as a display unit.
[0238]
According to this display, by loading the needles into the two needle cartridges 61e at the same time, as a general rule, the two needle cartridges 61e are in the absence of the needles at the same time. When the cartridge 61e has no needle, the number of needles remaining in the other needle cartridge 61e is small. By loading these simultaneously, it is possible to load the individual needle cartridges 61e more efficiently than the case where the needles are loaded each time.
[0239]
In this embodiment, two needle cartridges 61e are provided. However, in the case of the stapler unit 61 provided with three or more needle cartridges 61e, the needles of all the needle cartridges are replaced at the same time.
[0240]
After loading the needle as described above, the stapler motor 61i (see FIG. 48) is driven to cue the needle, but it is necessary to detect whether or not the needle has been cueed. Although this cueing can be detected by a sensor or the like, in this embodiment, it is performed by detecting the driving current value of the stapler motor 61i.
[0241]
In other words, when the cueing is performed by driving the stapler motor 61i, the load applied to the stapler motor 61i is small before the cueing of the needle is performed (the idle driving state), and thus the current that drives the stapler motor 61i. Becomes smaller as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the needle is cued (needle strike state), the load applied to the stapler motor 61i becomes large, so that the current for driving it becomes larger than that in the idle strike state as shown in FIG. . Accordingly, the current value for driving the stapler motor 61i is detected, and when the current value is smaller than the predetermined value, it is detected before cueing, and when the current value is larger than the predetermined value, it is detected that cueing has been performed. is there.
[0242]
Thus, by detecting the needle head by the drive current of the stapler motor 61i, it is not necessary to provide a special sensor for the head search, and the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.
[0243]
{Stapling post-processing}
After the stapler unit 61 is driven and bound at the center in the sheet conveyance direction with respect to the sheet bundle P conveyed and aligned in the vertical path 60 as described above, the stopper 62 is moved downward to bring the sheet bundle to the folding position. Transport. At this time, as shown in FIG. 51, if the staple needle 61f after stapling is fitted in the groove 61d2 of the anvil 61d, the binding needle 61f is caught in the groove 61d2 even if the stopper 62 is moved downward, and the sheet 61 The bundle P may cause a conveyance failure.
[0244]
Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 51, the pickup roller 69 of the lower roller pair 67 is swung once in the arrow direction in FIG. 51 before the stapled sheet bundle P is conveyed downward. It is configured as follows. As a result, the sheet bundle P is pressed toward the path guide 60a by the pickup roller 69 as the displacing means, so that the binding needle 61f fitted in the groove 61d2 of the anvil 61d surely comes out of the groove 61d2. Therefore, the stopper 62 does not move downward in a state where the binding needle 61f is fitted in the groove 61d2, and it is possible to reliably prevent sheet conveyance failure.
[0245]
Here, in the present embodiment, an example in which the sheet is displaced by swinging the pickup roller 69 so that the binding needle 61f is removed from the groove portion 61d2 is shown. However, instead of the pickup roller 69, the binding needle 61f is used. Alternatively, a dedicated member may be provided as a displacing means for displacing the sheet so as to escape from the groove 61d2, and the member may be operated.
[0246]
When the stopper 62 is lowered to convey the sheet bundle downward, the pickup roller 69 is separated from the driving roller 68 and the driving roller 68 is rotationally driven in the direction in which the sheet P is lowered.
[0247]
As a result, when the sheet bundle falls due to its own weight, even if it is in contact with the drive roller 68 formed of a material having a high friction coefficient, a friction load is not generated in descending. Therefore, it is possible to reliably follow the descending stopper 62 and to ensure the accuracy of the folding position.
[0248]
{Fine adjustment of binding position and folding position}
Here, in order to perform the binding process and the folding process, which will be described later, accurately at the center (center) in the conveyance direction of the sheet bundle, the stopper 62 is moved so that the center of the sheet bundle is accurately positioned at the binding position and the folding position. There is a need. However, the length of the sheet may not be constant due to an error at the time of cutting or expansion / contraction due to humidity, and the binding position or the folding position may not be the center of the sheet bundle P. In this case, the lower end of the sheet is supported. It is necessary to finely adjust the position of the stopper 62 as the supporting means.
[0249]
Conventionally, the stopper is screwed into a long hole provided in the frame that supports it, and the position of the stopper can be finely adjusted within the range of this long hole, and the binding position and folding position of the above-mentioned sheet bundle are finely adjusted. Like to do.
[0250]
However, in order to make the fine adjustment as described above, it is necessary to loosen the screw and stop the screw after making the fine adjustment, which requires a lot of work for adjustment and makes it difficult to accurately perform the fine adjustment. Further, this adjustment work can only be performed by a service person.
[0251]
Therefore, in this embodiment, the amount of movement of the stopper 62 by the drive mechanism (see FIG. 47) can be finely adjusted by an instruction from an input unit such as an operation panel provided in the image forming apparatus main body A or the sheet processing apparatus B. It is configured.
[0252]
Specifically, the amount of movement (amount of increase) when the stopper 62 is moved from the home position to the lower end stop position (binding stop position) corresponding to the sheet size before stapling is set as the image forming apparatus. A fine adjustment is possible according to an instruction from an operation panel (not shown) provided in the main body A. For example, the amount of movement from the home position to the lower end position of each size sheet is usually constant for each sheet size, but this amount of movement is increased or decreased by an amount according to an instruction from the operation panel as input means, The amount of movement of the stopper 62 when it is raised is finely adjusted, and the stop position is changed by the amount of fine adjustment.
[0253]
Alternatively, after the stapling, the movement amount (lowering amount) when the stopper 62 is moved from the lower end stop position (binding stop position) according to the sheet size to the lower end stop position (folding stop position) at the time of folding processing is set as the sheet processing apparatus B. It can be finely adjusted by means of a dip switch (not shown) or an operation panel of the electrical board provided in the circuit board. The amount of movement of the stopper 62 from the lower end stop position during the binding process to the lower end stop position during the folding process is constant (70 mm in this embodiment) regardless of the sheet size. The amount of movement of the stopper 62 when it is lowered is finely adjusted according to the amount corresponding to the dip switch, and the stop position is changed by the amount of fine adjustment.
[0254]
With this configuration, fine adjustment of the stopper 62 that receives the lower end of the sheet can be performed accurately and easily.
[0255]
In addition, the sheet may be stretched slightly while being conveyed due to roller pressure, temperature, humidity, or the like. For this reason, the length of the sheet may be detected by the sheet length detection means during sheet conveyance, and the stop position of the stopper 62 may be automatically adjusted according to the detection result.
[0256]
For example, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 52, when the sheet is conveyed to the vertical path 60, any one of the upper sensors 66a to 66c detects this according to the sheet size. When the leading edge is detected (S131), the pulse counter (not shown) of the conveyance motor is turned on (S132), and the number of pulses from the time when the trailing edge of the sheet passes the sensor position to the time when the sensor is turned off is counted. (S133, S134). Thereby, the length of the sheet sent to the vertical path 60 can be accurately detected. The amount of movement of the stopper 62 from the home position to the binding stop position and the amount of movement from the binding stop position to the folding stop position are automatically controlled by the control means according to the length of the conveyed sheet (slightly extended sheet). Calculation and fine adjustment are made (S135), and the stopper 62 is moved in accordance with the movement amount after the fine adjustment.
[0257]
As described above, if the amount of movement of the stopper is automatically finely adjusted according to the sheet length detected at the time of conveyance, it is not necessary for the user to perform fine adjustment setting, and the sheet is more accurately and easily adjusted. It is possible to stop at the folding position.
[0258]
{Folding the sheet bundle}
As described above, the binding position is conveyed to the position of the folding roller 78 disposed below the stapler unit 61 by the downward movement of the stopper 62, where the binding position is projected by the thrust plate 79a and the folding roller. In 78, the nip is conveyed in a folded state and folded in half. Next, the sheet folding configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0259]
As shown in FIG. 53, the folding roller 78 is rotatable to a fixed roller 78a that can be rotated about a fixed rotation shaft 78c and a support arm 80 that can be rotated about a fulcrum 80a to the apparatus frame. The movable roller 78b is attached, and the rollers 78a and 78b are pressed against each other by a spring 81 locked to one end of the support arm 80. With this configuration, the pitch between the folding rollers 78 is corrected according to the thickness of the sheet bundle P to be nipped.
[0260]
In the configuration for driving the folding roller 78, a motor pulley 83 is fixed on the output shaft 82a of the folding motor 82, as shown in FIGS. The driving force of the motor pulley 83 is transmitted to the pulley portion of the idler gear pulley 85 via the timing belt 84. The idler gear pulley 85 has the pulley portion and the gear portion formed on the same axis.
[0261]
Further, folding gears 86 and 87 are fixed to the shaft of the folding roller 78 described above, and both the gears 86 and 87 mesh with each other. One end of the folding gear 86 meshes with the gear portion of the idler gear pulley 85. Further, the folding gear 86 meshes with the idler gear 88.
[0262]
The rotational force of the folding motor 82 is transmitted from the motor pulley 83 to the idler gear pulley 85 via the timing belt 84. Then, the rotation of the idler gear pulley 85 is transmitted from the folding gear 86 to the folding gear 87, and the folding roller 78 is driven. Simultaneously, the rotational force is transmitted to the idler gear 88 meshing with the folding gear 86. The idler gear 88 transmits rotational force to a discharge roller, which will be described later.
[0263]
In FIG. 54, reference numeral 79 denotes a protrusion unit as a protrusion means, which includes a protrusion plate 79a, holders 79b and 79d, shafts 79c and 79e, and the like. The thrust plate 79a is held by holders 79b and 79d, and shafts 79c and 79e are fixed to the holder 79b. A roller (not shown) is rotatably attached to the outer periphery of the shafts 79c and 79e, and the roller slides in a groove 89 formed in the main body frame.
[0264]
Reference numeral 90 denotes a protruding motor, and a motor pulley 90a is fixed on the output shaft thereof. 91 is an idler gear pulley, and a pulley part and a gear part are formed on the same axis. A timing belt 92 is wound between the pulley portion of the idler gear pulley 91 and the motor pulley 90a. The gear portion of the idler gear pulley 91 meshes with a gear 126 having a shaft 93 in part. As shown in FIG. 55, flags 95a and 95b are fixed on the rotating shaft 94a of the gear 94, and the flags 95a and 95b have notches in part. The protruding home sensor 96a and the protruding position sensor 96b are disposed at positions where the notches of the flags 95a and 95b are detected. The protruding home sensor 96a is arranged so as to detect the protruding plate 79a at a position where the protruding plate 79a is retracted from the sheet conveying surface constituted by the path guides 60a and 60b. The protruding position sensor 96b is protruded by the protruding plate 79a. It is arranged to detect at the position.
[0265]
As shown in FIG. 55, a rotating plate 97 having a shaft 97a is fixed to the other end of the gear 94 on the rotating shaft 94a so as to rotate in synchronization with the gear 94. It is configured.
[0266]
The rotational force of the ejection motor 90 is transmitted from the motor pulley 90a to the idler gear pulley 91 via the timing belt 92. As the idler gear pulley 91 rotates, the gear 94 rotates and the shaft 93 moves circularly. One end of a link 98 is fitted to the shaft 93, and the other end of the link 98 is fitted to a shaft 79c of the protruding unit 79. Similarly, one end of the link 98 is fitted to the shaft 97a on the rotating plate 97, and the other end of the link 98 is fitted to the shaft 79c of the protruding unit 79. Thereby, the circular motion of the shaft 93 is transmitted to the shaft 79c of the projecting unit 79 through the link 98, and the shaft 79c is fitted with the shaft 79c along the groove portion 89 of the frame fitted through a roller (not shown). Perform a linear motion.
[0267]
Similarly, the other end of the protrusion unit converts the rotational movement of the rotation plate 97 and the shaft 97a on the rotation plate 97 into the linear movement of the protrusion unit via the link. Thus, the protrusion unit 79 receives driving at both ends thereof, and always slides in parallel with the folding roller 78 in the direction of the arrow in FIG.
[0268]
As shown in FIGS. 55 and 56, stopper shafts 97b and 97c are provided on the surface of the rotating plate 97 opposite to the shaft 97a, and the stopper member 99 is centered on the shaft 99a on the main body frame. And is urged toward the rotating shaft 94a by a tension spring 100. As described above, the projecting unit 79 slides due to the rotation of the rotating plate 97. However, the rotating plate 97 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. When the position 96b reaches the detected position (the leftmost position in FIG. 54), the stopper shaft 97c and the stopper member 99 are fitted so that the rotating plate 97 does not rotate any further. For this reason, it is fixed at the position where the protruding unit 79 is protruded. Further, when the protrusion unit 79 is returned to the home position, the stopper member 99 and the stopper shaft 97c are disengaged by rotating the protrusion motor 90 in the direction opposite to that at the time of protrusion. Then, the protrusion unit returns to the home position, and at the position detected by the home sensor 96a (the rightmost position in FIG. 54), as shown in FIG. 56 (a), the stopper shaft 97b and the stopper member 99 are fitted, The rotating plate 97 is prevented from further rotating.
[0269]
As described above, the protrusion unit 79 is configured to move left and right by forward and reverse rotation of the protrusion motor 90.
[0270]
{Distance between nip of folding roller and alignment of veneer}
As described above, the folding roller 78 moves the movable roller 78b upward according to the thickness of the sheet bundle P. That is, the distance between the nips of the folding roller 78 is changed. On the other hand, if the thrusting position by the thrusting plate 79a is always constant, the thrusting plate 79a does not necessarily project at the center between the nips of the folding rollers 78, and the sheet bundle P may not be folded at the binding position.
[0271]
Therefore, in this embodiment, even if the distance between the nips of the folding roller 78 is changed by the cam member, the thrust plate 79a always projects in the center between the nips. A configuration for this will be specifically described with reference to FIG.
[0272]
As shown in FIG. 57, the protruding unit 79 is configured to be rotatable about a sliding roller 79g (the outer diameter of the sliding roller 79f is smaller than the width of the groove 89). A cam member 101 is attached to 78c and 78d. The cam member 101 has a cam groove 101a that can be engaged with the movable roller shaft 78d and a guide portion 101b of the protrusion unit 79. The protrusion unit 79 slides on the guide portion 101b. The spring 102 is biased downward.
[0273]
The cam member 101 is rotatably attached with the shaft 103c of the fixed roller 78a as a fulcrum. When the movable roller 78b rotates around the fulcrum 80a (see FIG. 53), the movable roller 78b moves upward. The shaft 78d of the movable roller 78b pushes up the cam groove 101a. As a result, the cam member 101 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 57, and the guide portion 101b lifts the protruding unit 79 as shown in FIG. 57 (b). The cam groove 101a and the guide portion 101b are configured so that the thrust plate 79a always projects the center of the distance between the nips of the folding roller 78.
[0274]
By providing the cam member 101 as described above, even if the distance between the nips of the folding roller 78 changes due to the change in the sheet bundle thickness, the thrust position of the thrust plate 79a is aligned and always strikes the center of the distance between the nips. As a result, the sheet bundle P is reliably folded at the binding position. Further, since the alignment of the thrust plate 79a can be performed only by attaching the cam member 101 as described above, the structure is not complicated.
[0275]
Note that the sheet bundle P is bent by protruding the pushing plate 79a and nipped by the folding roller 78. Even after the folding roller 78 nips the sheet bundle P, the pushing plate 79a is in the position where the pushing unit 79 sticks out. Then, wrinkles may occur on the inner sheet due to the frictional force between the folded sheet and the thrust plate 79a.
[0276]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 58, after the sheet bundle P is nipped by the folding roller 78, the pushing plate 79a is pulled back to the home position. If the timing of pulling back the thrust plate 79a is too early, the thrust plate 79a returns before the folding roller 78 nips the sheet bundle P. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to fold the sheet bundle P, the pushing plate 79a is pulled back when the folding roller 78 rotates by a predetermined amount.
[0277]
Thus, when the sheet bundle P is nipped and conveyed to the folding roller 78, the veneer 79a is retracted to the home position, so that the sheet bundle P to be folded does not rub against the veneer 79a, so Occurrence is prevented.
[0278]
{Folding action}
As described above, the center of the sheet bundle P that has been subjected to the binding process is pushed by the pushing plate 79a, and the center portion of the sheet bundle P that is pushed by the pushing plate 79a is conveyed while being pinched by the folding roller 78. The bundle P is folded.
[0279]
On each sheet forming the sheet bundle, an image is recorded on the upstream half surface and the downstream half surface in the transport direction with reference to the center of the sheet. Similarly, the image recording as described above is performed on both surfaces of the sheet, and the image recording is performed. The sheet bundle subjected to the binding and folding processing is performed in the page order.
[0280]
When the sheet bundle is pulled by the folding roller as described above, if an image is recorded at the center portion of the sheet bundle, the sheet friction coefficient is lowered by the image (toner), so that the folding roller pulls the sheet bundle. There is a risk that sheet wrinkling and tearing may occur.
[0281]
Here, the mechanism of sheet breakage and wrinkle generation during the folding process will be briefly described with reference to FIG. Here, a sheet bundle composed of two sheets P11 and P12 will be described as an example.
[0282]
The frictional force between the folding roller 503 and the first sheet P11 is F1, the frictional force between the first sheet P11 and the second sheet P12 is F2, and the binding needle for bundling the sheet bundle Assuming that the restraining force is F3, a normal folding process is normally performed when the equation F1 = F2 + F3 is established. However, in order to establish the above equation when the frictional force F2 between the sheets P11 and P12 becomes small, the binding force F3 of the binding needle needs to be larger. At this time, even if the strength of the sheet can withstand the binding force F3 of the binding needle, the second sheet P12 is pulled by the binding needle, causing a deviation as shown in FIG. b) Deflection as shown in Fig. 2 occurs. Then, when the paper passes through the folding roller 503 in this state, wrinkles as shown in FIG. 59 (c) occur. Further, if the sheet strength cannot withstand the binding force F3 of the binding needle, a tear as shown in FIG. 59 (d) occurs.
[0283]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 60, a certain margin (folding allowance t) is provided in the center portion of the sheet P (sheet bundle) serving as the folding portion. Specifically, the image recording on the sheet P processed by the stitcher unit D is performed in advance when the image recording is performed in the main body A of the image forming apparatus A by the folding amount t of the sheet center portion (t = about 5 mm to 8 mm in this embodiment). And the width of the margin is set to be about 2t = 10 mm to 16 mm).
[0284]
In the drawing, Ps is the center (the center in the transport direction) of the sheet P, and Pg is the image recording portion of the sheet P.
[0285]
With this configuration, when the sheet bundle is drawn by the folding roller 78, the frictional force between the sheet P and the folding roller 78 is increased by the blank portion (folding allowance t) previously provided in the sheet P. The sheet bundle P is reliably pulled in without causing such wrinkles and tears.
[0286]
Here, if the width of the margin portion is narrower than about 10 mm, sufficient frictional force cannot be obtained when the sheet bundle is drawn, and if the margin width exceeds about 16 mm, the image forming area is reduced. For this reason, it is desirable to set the margin width to about 10 mm to 16 mm.
[0287]
In the present embodiment, the sheet to be folded is set so as to form an image with a margin of a predetermined width as described above. However, when a wide image forming area is required. May be configured to be able to cancel the setting of the margin. In particular, when the number of folded sheets is small, there is little possibility of tearing even if the margin part of the folded part is narrowed. Therefore, the setting for providing the margin part of the predetermined width is canceled, and a normal margin width (for example, about 4 mm) is released. ) To form an image. As a result, a wide image forming area can be obtained.
[0288]
Further, when the sheet bundle to be bound and folded as described above has a cover sheet (in the cover mode), image recording is also performed on the back surface of the cover sheet (hereinafter referred to as the cover sheet). When the toner image transferred to the back surface of the cover sheet is fixed by the fixing unit, silicon oil or the like adheres, and the coefficient of friction between the back surface of the cover sheet and the sheet in contact with the cover sheet decreases. In many cases, high-quality paper (and thick paper) is used as the cover sheet. However, when silicon oil adheres to the high-quality paper, the friction coefficient is further reduced as compared with other sheets (plain paper). When this cover sheet is sandwiched between folding rollers and folded and pulled in, the friction coefficient between the cover sheet and the sheet in contact with the back surface of the cover sheet is small, so slip occurs between the sheets, and only the cover sheet is pulled in. There is a risk that.
[0289]
Therefore, in this embodiment, recording is not performed on the back surface of the cover sheet in the cover mode. Specifically, during image recording in the image forming apparatus main body A, after recording an image on the surface of the cover sheet, the cover sheet is discharged as it is without passing through the retransmission path 7 (see FIG. 1), and the stitcher unit To D.
[0290]
In this embodiment, the cover sheet (quality paper, etc.) is fed from the multi-tray 8 (see FIG. 1), so the last sheet fed into the stitcher unit D is fed from the multi-tray 8. In this case, control is performed so that the paper is discharged without passing through the retransmission path 7.
[0291]
With this configuration, the back side of the cover sheet does not come into contact with the fixing means (the fixing roller on the image side), so that no silicone oil adheres to the back side of the cover sheet and the friction coefficient is reduced. A drop is prevented, and only the cover sheet is not drawn.
[0292]
{Detection of sheet bundle breakage}
Usually, when the sheet bundle is torn during the folding process as described above, a configuration in which the tear is detected by a detecting unit such as a sensor is conceivable. However, a detecting unit for detecting the torn is provided separately. As a result, the number of parts increases and the cost increases. In addition, when the tear is detected, the next sheet is conveyed, and the previous sheet is retained, so that there is a possibility that a more severe jam may occur.
[0293]
Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 61, the intermediate sensor 103 provided in the vicinity (upstream side) of the folding roller 78, the stopper sensor 75 provided in the stopper 62, and the discharge provided in the vicinity of the discharge roller 104 When the sensors 105 detect the presence of sheets at the same time, the sheets (or sheet bundles) are detected torn and the stitcher unit D detects that the sheets (or sheet bundles) are stagnant. It is configured as follows.
[0294]
In the present embodiment, when the intermediate sensor 103, the stopper sensor 75, and the discharge sensor 105 detect the presence of a sheet at the same time, it is detected that the sheet is torn. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to detect the occurrence of sheet breakage when both the sensor 75 and the discharge sensor 105 detect the presence of a sheet.
[0295]
By configuring in this way, it is not necessary to separately provide a detection means for detecting that a sheet (or sheet bundle) has been torn, so that it is possible to prevent an increase in the number of parts and an increase in cost. . In addition, since it is possible to detect sheet breakage at the time when the sheet is folded, it is possible to prevent the sheet from jamming by stopping conveyance of the next sheet at an early stage.
[0296]
{Discharge operation}
As described above, the folded sheet bundle is discharged onto the stacking tray 106 by the discharge roller 104 and stacked. As shown in FIG. 63, a sheet bundle pressing member 107 for pressing the sheet bundle P is provided on the upper portion of the discharge roller 104 so as to be rotatable about the rotation shaft 107a. The pressing member 107 can hold the end of the sheet bundle P when the folded sheet bundle P is discharged from the discharge port onto the stacking tray 106 by the discharge roller 104, thereby preventing folding. Even a sufficient sheet bundle P can be stacked so as not to open on the stacking tray 106.
[0297]
The pressing member 107 is restricted so that the rotating roller 107b provided at the tip thereof is not lower than a predetermined height h (a height that does not contact the stacking tray 106). It can move freely in the direction of lifting. For this reason, there is no discharge failure that occurs when the leading end of the sheet bundle P having a low waist is pressed by the pressing member 107, and the sheet stack P can be reliably stacked on the stacking tray 106.
[0298]
As described above, when the folded sheet bundle P is discharged onto the stacking tray 106 by the discharge roller 104, the sheet bundle folding side (downstream in the discharge direction) swells compared to the sheet bundle opening side, so the stacking is continued. In this case, only the sheet bundle folding side becomes high, and the stackability of the sheet bundle may be unstable. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 62, an apparatus is proposed in which the sheet bundles P are sequentially shifted and stacked so that the sheet bundles P discharged by the discharge rollers 505 are stacked on the stacking tray 504. Has been.
[0299]
However, in the above-described configuration, when a large number of sheet bundles are discharged, it is necessary to enlarge the stacking tray, which increases the size of the apparatus and increases the installation space.
[0300]
Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 63, the portion near the discharge roller 104 of the stacking tray 106 is made higher than the stacking surface 106b (projection 106a), and the folding side of the sheet bundle P is the leading end of the stacking tray 106 The stacking surface 106b on the side (downstream in the discharge direction) is discharged so that the open side is placed on the protruding portion 106a. As a result, the folding side is lowered from the opening side, and even when the folding side is larger than the opening side, the height difference from the opening side can be reduced.
[0301]
Specifically, when the sheet bundle P is thick (that is, in the case of a sheet bundle in which the folding side particularly swells), the sheet bundle discharge speed by the discharge roller 104 is slowed, and the open side of the sheet bundle P rests on the protrusion 106a. So that it is discharged. Further, when the sheet bundle P is thin (that is, in the case of a sheet bundle in which the folding side does not swell relatively), the sheet bundle discharge speed by the discharge roller 104 is increased, and the open side of the sheet bundle P is not placed on the projection 106a. As described above, the sheet is discharged onto the loading surface 106b.
[0302]
Thus, only one side (folding side) of the sheet bundle P discharged onto the stacking tray 106 is not raised, and the stackability of the sheet bundle P is stabilized. Further, since it is not necessary to stack the sheet bundle P, it is not necessary to enlarge the stacking tray 106.
[0303]
In the present embodiment, the protrusion is provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an inclined portion is provided, the stacking tray 106 itself is provided in a tilted shape, or the stacking tray 106 is provided. You may comprise so that the protrusion part which can enter / exit from the bottom face or can be attached or detached is provided.
[0304]
{Description of control system}
Here, FIG. 64 is used to briefly explain the main configuration of the control system for controlling the driving of each member of the stitcher unit described above.
[0305]
In FIG. 64, the MPU 200 as the control means detects the home position of the first upper sensor 66a to the third upper sensor 66c for detecting the presence or absence of the sheet conveyed to the stitcher unit or the leading edge or the trailing edge, and the alignment member 71. The member home sensor 220, the stopper home sensor 76 for detecting the home position of the stopper 62, the stopper sensor 75 for detecting the sheet, the discharge sensor 105 provided in the vicinity of the discharge roller 104, and the thrust position of the thrust plate 79a A signal from each sensor such as a protrusion position sensor 96b for detecting the intermediate sensor 103 and an intermediate sensor 103 provided in the vicinity of the folding roller 78 is input.
[0306]
Based on the signals from the sensors and the image forming apparatus main body A, the MPU 200 drives the first flapper 21 for feeding the sheet to the vertical path of the stitcher unit via the drivers D20 to D28. The first flapper solenoid 201, the switching upper solenoid 221 for switching the first flapper 64a and the second flapper 64b on the vertical path path, the switching lower solenoid 222, the upper roller pair 63, and the lower roller pair 67 are driven to drive the sheet. A conveyance motor 223 for conveying, a stapler motor 61i for driving the stapler unit 61, a width adjusting motor 224 for operating the alignment member 71, a stopper driving motor 74 for moving the stopper 62, and a folding roller 78 are driven. The folding motor 82, the ejection motor 90 for driving the ejection plate 79a, etc. are controlled to perform the operation as described above. .
[0307]
【The invention's effect】
As explained above, according to the present invention, Since the sheet is aligned in the width direction by pressing the sheet a plurality of times step by step by the aligning means, the sheet can be aligned quickly and accurately while the influence of the conveyor belt is quickly released. Can .
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional configuration explanatory diagram of a finisher unit.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional configuration explanatory diagram of a stitcher unit.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory perspective view illustrating a state of a sheet discharged by an offset process.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the state of the sheets that are discharged by the offset process and the discharged sheets.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a preceding sheet is retained in a buffer path in the two-sheet discharge control.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which two sheets are simultaneously conveyed in the two-sheet discharge control.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a discharge signal transmission timing of a preceding sheet in the two-sheet discharge control.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a discharge signal transmission timing of a preceding sheet in the two-sheet discharge control according to the present case.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state of a sheet when the upper side guide is not used as a guide when discharging the sheet.
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a state of a sheet when the upper side guide according to the present case is used as a guide for discharging the sheet.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the side guide is retracted after the front end of the sheet is nipped by the downstream discharge roller pair.
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the position of the stack tray.
FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a state of the swing guide and the paddle when the sheet is pulled back.
FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a state of the swing guide and the paddle when the sheet is pulled back.
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the shape of a paddle.
FIG. 17 is a diagram exemplifying paddle driving frequency, side guide movement speed, and alignment control according to sheet size;
FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of a rear end stopper.
FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a standby position when the stapler functions as a rear end stopper.
FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a sheet width alignment state by a side guide.
FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a sheet width alignment state by a side guide.
FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a state of the knurled belt when the sheet width is aligned by the side guide.
FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the shape of a knurled belt.
FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating a sheet width alignment state by a side guide.
FIG. 25 is an explanatory view showing an operating state of a swing guide and a drive mechanism for a downstream discharge roller.
FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation state of a swing guide and a downstream discharge roller drive mechanism.
FIG. 27 is an explanatory view showing the operating state of the drive mechanism for the swing guide and the downstream discharge roller.
FIG. 28 is a flowchart showing a flow of position control during the swing guide closing operation.
FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing the flow of an abnormal end process during the swing guide closing operation.
FIG. 30 is a diagram for explaining low-speed drive control when the drive motor rotation direction is switched.
FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating a binding operation according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 32 is a view showing a stapler and a needle cartridge.
FIG. 33 is a flowchart illustrating a needle cartridge replacement process.
FIG. 34 is a flowchart illustrating needle head search processing.
FIG. 35 is a diagram for explaining control when conventional needle jam occurs.
FIG. 36 is a diagram for explaining control when a needle jam occurs according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 37 is a diagram for explaining stapler initialization when the stapler door is opened and closed.
FIG. 38 is a diagram for explaining a start-up speed of the discharge motor.
FIG. 39 is a diagram illustrating a state in which sheets are discharged to the stack tray, and a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a main part of the tray unit.
FIG. 40 is a flowchart illustrating control when full load is detected.
FIG. 41 is a flowchart for explaining full sheet detection of special sheets.
FIG. 42 is a block diagram showing an outline of a control system of the finisher unit.
FIG. 43 is a partially enlarged view illustrating the configuration of the pickup roller.
FIG. 44 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the pickup roller.
FIG. 45 is a diagram illustrating the shape of a vertical path.
FIG. 46 is a diagram illustrating the shape of stacked sheets.
FIG. 47 is a diagram illustrating a stopper driving mechanism.
FIG. 48 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a stapler unit.
FIG. 49 is an explanatory diagram of needle loading into the needle cartridge.
FIG. 50 is an explanatory diagram of a motor drive current waveform at the time of needle head search.
FIG. 51 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which a needle fitted in a groove portion of an anvil is pulled out by a pickup roller.
FIG. 52 is a flowchart when the amount of movement of the stopper to the binding stop position and the folding stop position can be automatically adjusted.
FIG. 53 is an explanatory diagram of a moving configuration of the movable roller.
FIG. 54 is an explanatory side view of the drive configuration of the folding unit.
FIG. 55 is an explanatory plan view of the driving configuration of the folding unit.
FIG. 56 is an explanatory diagram of a stopper configuration of a thrust plate.
FIG. 57 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of a cam member for aligning a thrust plate.
FIG. 58 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the thrust plate is pulled back.
FIG. 59 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a mechanism of sheet tearing and wrinkling during folding processing.
FIG. 60 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an image recording portion and a folding allowance portion in a sheet.
FIG. 61 is a layout diagram of an intermediate sensor, a stopper sensor, and a discharge sensor that detect sheet breakage.
FIG. 62 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a stacking state of sheet bundles on a stacking tray.
FIG. 63 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a stacking state of sheet bundles on a stacking tray.
FIG. 64 is a block diagram showing an outline of a control system of the stitcher unit.
[Explanation of symbols]
A: Image forming apparatus main body
B: Sheet processing apparatus
C ... Finisher unit
D ... Stitcher unit
P ... sheet
P1 ... sheet
P2 ... preceding sheet
P3 ... Follow-up sheet
Pg ... Image recording part
Ps Center
t ... Insertion allowance
1 ... Document feeder
2 Optical means
3 Image forming means
3a: Light irradiation means
3b ... photosensitive drum
4 ... Sheet cassette
5 ... Conveying roller
6 Fixing means
7 ... Retransmission path
8 ... Multi tray
11… Side guide
12… Staple tray
13… stapler
13a ... Needle cartridge sensor
13b ... Needle detection sensor
13c ... Head needle detection sensor
14… buffer path
15… Conveying roller
16… Upstream discharge roller pair
17… Downstream discharge roller pair
17a ... downstream discharge roller
17b ... Moving discharge roller
18… Stack tray
19… Upper tray
20… Oscillating guide
20a… Oscillating shaft
21… First flapper
22… second flapper
23… Buffer roller
24… buffer roller
25… Third flapper
26… Buffer sensor
27 ... Approach sensor
28… Incoming sensor
29… discharge sensor
30 ... Auxiliary guide
31… Paddle
31a ... tip
32 ... Knurled belt
32a ... Edge part
33… Rear end stopper
33a ... Butting surface
33b ... Tapered part
34… Stopper
34a ... Shutter part
35… Link
35a… rotating shaft
36… discharge port
37… Standard Guide
38… Cover member
38a ... rib
39… Drive mechanism
40… Drive motor
41… pinion gear
42… Pendulum gear unit
42a ... fixed gear
42b ... Oscillating gear
43… discharge gear
44… Intermediate gear
45… Intermediate gear
46… Working gear
46a ... Gear section
46b ... Projection
46c ... Missing gear
47… Open / close arm
48… Intermediate gear
49… Sensor flag
50 ... Needle cartridge
50a ... Needle plate
51… Stapler door
52… Front cover
53… Stack sensor
54… Ranging sensor
55… Drive motor rotation detection sensor
56 Encoder
57… Tray frame
57a ... Tray unit flag
58… Tray unit
58a ... Rack part
59… Finisher frame
60… Vertical path
60a, 60b ... pass guide
60a1 ... Notch hole
60b1 ... guide surface
60c ... bump
61… Stapler unit
61a ... Rotating shaft
61b ... Forming part
61c ... Drive unit
61d ... anvil
61d1 ... surface
61d2 ... groove
61e ... Needle cartridge
61f ... Binding needle
61g… Spring
61h ... Needle feed roller
61i ... Stapler motor
61j… Gear train
61k ... Eccentric cam gear
62… Stopper
62a ... Slide member
62b ... Flag
63… Upper roller pair
64 Flapper
64a ... 1st flapper
64b ... second flapper
65… movable guide
65a ... biasing means
65b ... handle
66… Seat sensor
66a ... First upper sensor
66b ... Second upper sensor
66c ... Third upper sensor
67… Lower roller pair
68… Drive roller
69… Pickup roller
69a ... Conveyor roller arm
69b ... Rotating shaft
69c ... Elastic member
70… decompression arm
71… Alignment member
72… Stopper frame
73… Stopper drive belt
73a ... Drive pulley
73b ... idler pulley
73c… Rotating shaft
73d ... Drive gear
74… Stopper drive motor
75… Stopper sensor
76… Stopper home sensor
77… Support plate
78… Folding roller
78a ... Fixed roller
78b ... movable roller
78c, 78d ... axis
79… Extrusion unit
79a ... Veneer
79b, 79d ... Holder
79c, 79e ... shaft
79f, 79g ... sliding roller
80… Support arm
80a… fulcrum
81… Spring
82… Folding motor
82a… Output shaft
83… motor pulley
84… Timing belt
85… idler gear pulley
86, 87 ... folding gear
88… idler gear
89… Groove
90… Extrusion motor
90a ... Motor pulley
91… idler gear pulley
92… Timing belt
93… axis
94… Gear
94a ... Rotating shaft
95a, 95b ... flags
96a Home sensor
96b ... Thrust position sensor
97… Rotating plate
97a ... axis
97b, 97c ... Stopper shaft
98… Link
99… Stopper member
99a ... axis
100… Tension spring
101… Cam member
101 a ... Cam groove
101 b ... Guide
102… Spring
103 Intermediate sensor
104… discharge roller
105… Discharge sensor
106… Loading tray
106 a ... Projection
106 b ... Loading surface
107… Presser member
107 a ... Rotating shaft
107 b ... Rotating roller
200 ... MPU
201… First flapper solenoid
202… Second flapper solenoid
203… Third flapper solenoid
204… Buffer motor
205… discharge motor
206… Paddle solenoid
207… Side guide motor
208… Standard guide solenoid
209… Stacker motor
210… Stapler motor
211… Stapler moving motor
212… Stapler home sensor
220… Alignment member home sensor
221 ... Solenoid on switching
222… Solenoid under switching
223… Conveyance motor
224… Width good motor
225… pinion gear
226… Encoder
227… Stacker motor clock sensor
228… Tray home position sensor

Claims (5)

Temporary loading means for temporarily loading sheets;
A trailing edge regulating means for regulating the trailing edge of the sheets stacked on the temporary stacking means;
A conveyance belt that aligns the discharge direction of the sheet by discharging the sheet to the temporary stacking unit and then pulling the sheet in a direction opposite to the discharge direction and abutting against the trailing edge regulating unit;
And matching means for performing the width direction of the alignment of the sheet by pressing the end portion in the sheet width direction orthogonal to the discharge direction of the sheets stacked in the temporary stacking means to the sheet width direction,
Have
2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the aligning unit is configured to temporarily stop each time the sheet is pressed in the width direction of the sheet, and to perform alignment by performing stepwise pressing in the same direction . 2. The sheet according to claim 1, wherein the number of stepwise pressing of the sheet by the aligning unit is changed to a preset number in accordance with a size of the sheet and a moving speed of the aligning unit in the sheet width direction. Processing equipment. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the aligning unit is configured to release the pressing of the sheet after a predetermined time after the alignment of the sheet is completed. A downstream discharge roller for discharging the sheets stacked on the temporary stacking means;
2. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the aligning unit is configured to release the pressing of the sheet after the leading end of the sheet conveyed next reaches the downstream discharge roller after the alignment of the sheet is completed. . The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An image forming means for forming an image on a sheet;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a discharge unit that discharges an image-formed sheet to the sheet processing apparatus.

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