JP4151868B2 - Recording paper post-processing device of 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 recording paper post-processing apparatus of an image forming apparatus that can be used by being attached to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, a printer, or a complex machine thereof, and in particular, can perform a half-folding process on a recording paper bundle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Various recording paper post-processing devices that can bundle and align a plurality of recording sheets on which images have been recorded by an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and can perform post-processing on the aligned recording sheet bundle have been proposed and developed. Yes.
[0003]
For example, a recording paper post-processing apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-181990 is disclosed as a recording paper post-processing apparatus that can perform simple bookbinding by performing saddle stitching at the center of the recording paper bundle and then folding the saddle stitching portion at the center. It has been known.
[0004]
In this recording paper post-processing apparatus, for the saddle stitching and folding operation of the recording paper bundle, the center folding roller that rotates while being pressed against each other and the saddle stitching portion of the recording paper bundle are pushed toward the press contact portion of the folding paper roller. A half-folding processing means comprising a half-folded plate is provided.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the above-described middle folding processing means, special consideration has not been given to the nip pressure in a pair of two upper and lower rollers provided as a middle folding roller.
[0006]
That is, in the middle folding processing means having such a configuration, when performing the middle folding operation, the middle folding portion of the recording paper bundle is fed to the nip portion of the middle folding roller while being pushed by the middle folding plate. Yes. However, since the tip of the middle folded plate may temporarily enter the nip portion, if the nip pressure is too high, the middle folded plate may be fed together and may not come out of the nip portion. .
[0007]
On the other hand, if the nip pressure is set low, there is no problem in that point because the trouble of feeding the sheet up to the center folding plate is solved. There is a possibility that it cannot be done.
[0008]
Accordingly, in view of the above-described circumstances, the present invention can perform an excellent folding process on a bundle of recording paper and can prevent the folded sheet from being caught in the nip portion of the folded sheet roller. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording paper post-processing apparatus of a forming apparatus at a low cost.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Therefore, the invention described in claim 1 includes a recording sheet alignment tray for sequentially stacking recording sheets on which images have been recorded by the image forming apparatus, and performs post-processing on the recording sheet bundle aligned on the recording sheet alignment tray. As a post-processing means, a pair of two folding plates that are advanced and retracted toward the middle folded portion of the recording paper bundle and a pair of the recording paper bundle pushed out by the middle folding plate are pressed against each other. A recording paper post-processing device of an image forming apparatus having a center folding processing means provided with a center folding roller,
At least two sets of the middle folding rollers are provided on the front and rear in the forward and backward direction of the middle folding plate, and
Of the middle folding rollers, the one on the foremost side that performs the middle folding operation first can be retracted to the original position after the tip of the middle folding plate temporarily enters the nip. And a nip pressure that is lower than that at the downstream side.
[0010]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the post-processing means includes, in addition to the middle folding processing means,
A saddle stitching processing unit is provided that performs a saddle stitching process with a stapler prior to folding the aligned recording paper bundle.
[0011]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the post-processing means includes an end-face binding processing means for performing end-face binding processing with a stapler in the vicinity of the end face of the aligned recording paper bundle. It is a thing.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0013]
FIG. 1 shows an overall schematic diagram of a recording paper post-processing apparatus of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
[0014]
The recording paper post-processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is used by being attached to an image forming apparatus. As post-processing means, an end face binding processing means 4, a saddle stitching processing means 5, and a middle folding processing means 6 are provided. Each unit is provided as a unit, and all these post-processing means are installed so as to share the post-processing tray 3 which is a recording paper alignment tray.
[0015]
As the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, the copying machine 2 is used, but other than this, for example, a facsimile, a printer, and other appropriate devices can be used.
[0016]
An entrance guide plate 11 is provided between the recording paper post-processing apparatus 1 and the copying machine 2, and the recording paper on which an image is recorded by the copying machine 2 is guided by the entrance guide plate 11 to be recorded on the recording paper. It is fed into the post-processing device 1.
[0017]
Conveying rollers 12A and 12B are installed in the recording paper post-processing apparatus 1 in the vicinity of the entrance guide plate 11, and are conveyed into the recording paper post-processing apparatus 1 through the conveying rollers 12A and 12B.
[0018]
Further, a separation claw 13 that is actuated by a solenoid (not shown) is provided inside the recording paper post-processing apparatus 1 in the vicinity of the conveying rollers 12A and 12B, and the conveying direction depends on whether or not post-processing is performed on the recording paper. It is diverted in two directions.
[0019]
In the recording paper post-processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, when shifting to the non-post processing mode in which no post-processing is performed, the recording paper on which an image is recorded is conveyed leftward in the horizontal direction in FIG. The recording paper that has shifted to the non-post-processing mode is transported as it is along the substantially straight non-post-processing transport path α by the transport roller 12C and the paper discharge roller 12D, and is discharged to the outside of the recording paper post-processing apparatus 1. The
[0020]
Further, in the recording paper post-processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, when shifting to a post-processing mode in which various post-processings are performed on the recording paper, the recording paper is conveyed downward in FIG. Yes.
[0021]
That is, in this post-processing mode, the recording paper is transported along the substantially U-shaped post-processing transport path β via the transport rollers 12E to 12G, the staple discharge roller 12H, and a guide plate (not shown). After that, it is discharged to the post-processing tray 3. A brush roller (not shown) is integrated with the staple discharge roller 12H, and a tapping roller 12I is provided in the vicinity of the staple discharge roller 12H and downstream in the recording paper conveyance direction.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 2, the post-processing tray 3 includes a rear end reference fence 31 provided in parallel to the horizontal direction X and a jogger fence 32 provided in the Y direction orthogonal to the rear end reference fence 31. Yes. Prior to post-processing the recording paper, the post-processing tray 3 is aligned with the lower end portion of the recording paper bundle P by the rear end reference fence 31 and is moved by the jogger fence 32 operated by the jogger fence drive motor 32A. The left and right end portions of the recording paper bundle P are aligned.
[0023]
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a recess 33 is formed in the post-processing tray 3 in the vicinity of the intermediate portion in the vertical direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, in the post-processing tray 3 of this embodiment, the lower side 3D portion is 75 ° with respect to the horizontal direction across the recess 33, and the upper side 3U is also 65 on the same side. It is inclined at an angle of 0 °, and the overall shape is a substantially square shape (a shape in which the central portion protrudes convexly). Note that these inclination angles are not particularly limited to those in this embodiment, and various suitable inclination angles may be used.
[0024]
Further, the post-processing tray 3 is provided with an endless belt (not shown) and a discharge claw (not shown) that is attached to the endless belt and moves up and down along the post-processing tray 3. For example, the recording paper bundle P that has been subjected to the end face binding process is lifted from the post-processing tray 3 and discharged as it is, or is lifted halfway for the saddle stitching process while the recording paper bundle P is supported at the lower end. It has become.
[0025]
The end surface binding processing means 4 shown in FIG. 1 performs binding processing with a stapler in the vicinity of the end surface of the bundle of recording paper conveyed and aligned to the post processing tray 3, and the post processing tray 3 in the vicinity of the rear end reference fence 31. A stapler (not shown) is provided at the lower end. In the end face binding operation performed here, a plurality of modes of binding processing including oblique binding can be performed.
[0026]
The saddle stitching processing means 5 performs a saddle stitching process collectively with a pair of left and right staples at the center of the recording paper conveyed to the post-processing tray 3 and aligned there. The saddle stitching processing means 5 of this embodiment includes a stapler portion 51, a support member 52, and an eccentric cam 53.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 3, the two stapler portions 51 of this embodiment hold a constant interval (120 mm in this embodiment) in the vicinity of the recess 33 near the center of the post-processing tray 3, and It is provided in parallel to the rear end reference fence 31.
[0028]
The stapler 51 includes a stapler main body 51A, a pusher 51B that pushes and pushes the recording paper bundle P by an appropriate means (not shown) when binding the recording paper bundle P, and a binding needle is inserted into the recording paper bundle. In order to hold the recording paper bundle from the opposite surface, the clincher 51C is provided to face the pusher 51B.
[0029]
The stapler main body 51 </ b> A is fixed to the back side of the post-processing tray 3 above the portion where the recess 33 of the post-processing tray 3 is formed.
[0030]
The pusher 51B is attached to the stapler body 51A so as to be rotatable in the direction of the clincher 51C. The pusher 51B of this embodiment is provided on the back surface side of the recess 33, and is partially movable to a position protruding from the surface of the recess 33 of the staple tray 3 during the stapling operation. As a result, the pusher 51B can press the recording paper bundle P firmly and perform the saddle stitching process.
[0031]
On the other hand, the clincher 51C is fixed to the front end side of the support member 52 that rotates toward the post-processing tray 3, and is separate from the stapler main body 51A and the pusher 51B.
[0032]
As shown in FIG. 2, the support member 52 is rotatably attached to a support shaft 52 </ b> A provided on the side wall surface 3 </ b> A that stands on both sides of the post-processing tray 3. Further, the support member 52 is elastically biased in a direction away from the post-processing tray 3 (counterclockwise in FIG. 3) by a spring not shown.
[0033]
On the other hand, an eccentric cam 53 is provided at a position on the circumference of a predetermined radius drawn by the tip of the support member 52 when it rotates, and at a position separated from the post-processing tray 3 by a predetermined distance.
[0034]
The eccentric cam 53 has a perfect circle shape, and a rotation shaft 53A is fixed to the peripheral edge portion that is shifted from the center. The rotating shaft 53A is rotatably attached to the side wall surface 3A in a state parallel to the support shaft 52A. The rotating shaft 53A is rotated by the cam driving motor 53B shown in FIG. 2, and the eccentric cam 5 is displaced from its center. Rotate around the position.
[0035]
The center folding processing unit 6 performs the center folding process on the central portion where the center binding is performed on the recording sheet bundle which has been subjected to the center binding processing at the center by the saddle stitching processing unit 5.
[0036]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the middle folding processing means 6 of this embodiment includes two sets of front and rear middle folding rollers 61A and 61B that are in contact with each other, and these middle folding rollers 61A and 61B. Schematic configuration includes a rotation mechanism 62 provided, a center folding plate 63 provided so as to be able to advance and retreat toward each nip NP portion between the center folding rollers 61A and 61B, and an advance / retreat mechanism 64 for moving the center folding plate 63 back and forth. Has been. In this embodiment, the center folding roller is composed of two sets of front and rear, but is not particularly limited to these two sets, and may be composed of, for example, three or more sets.
[0037]
In FIG. 4, for convenience of explaining the structure of the rotation mechanism 62, the rotation mechanism on the side of the folding roller 61 </ b> B is omitted, but the same is also provided for this.
[0038]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each of the middle folding rollers 61A and 61B in this embodiment includes a pair of rollers, that is, an upper roller and a lower roller. As shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5, each of these upper rollers and lower rollers has a nip portion NP that bites the recording paper bundle along the forward direction of the folding plate 63, that is, on a predetermined line L. It is provided in a positional relationship such as
[0039]
The middle folding roller 61A is provided with a pressure spring 60A. In this embodiment, of the pair of rollers provided in the middle folding roller 61A, the upper roller is pressed against the lower roller and brought into contact therewith. . Similarly, the half-folding roller 61B is also brought into contact by pressing the upper roller toward the lower roller by the pressure spring 60B.
[0040]
Of these half-folding rollers 61A and 61B, especially the first-stage middle folding roller 61A for first folding the recording paper bundle P, after the tip of the half-folding plate 63 temporarily enters the nip, there The nip pressure cannot be increased too much because it is necessary to escape from the position and return to the original position. Therefore, the pressure spring 60A has a smaller elastic force than the pressure spring 60B.
[0041]
For this reason, the nip pressure P1 of the front folding roller 61A that folds the recording paper bundle P first is lower than the nip pressure P2 of the rear folding roller 61B that folds after that. It has become.
[0042]
The rotation mechanism 62 forcibly rotates two pairs of rollers provided in the half-folding rollers 61A and 61B, respectively.
[0043]
In the rotation mechanism 62 of this embodiment, for example, for the half-folding roller 61A, as shown in FIG. 4, the driving motor 62A and the driving force transmitted from the driving motor 62A via the belt 62B are rotated. A gear 62C, a driven gear 62D that meshes with the drive gear 62C and rotates, and a transmission gear train 62E that transmits a rotational force from the driven gear 62D and rotates a pair of upper and lower rollers.
[0044]
Each gear used here is rotatably supported by a housing (not shown). Although omitted in FIG. 4, a rotating mechanism having the same configuration is also used for the intermediate folding roller 61B on the rear stage side.
[0045]
The middle folded plate 63 is formed in a thin plate shape and has a tapered cross section with a sharp tip. Slide shafts 63 </ b> A and 63 </ b> B projecting from the middle folded plate 63 in the left-right width direction are provided in the vicinity of the base end portion and the middle portion of the middle folded plate 63.
[0046]
These slide shafts 63A and 63B are slidably inserted into guide holes 631C of a pair of guide members 63C provided on the left and right sides, and the moving direction when the folding plate 63 is advanced is guided. The guide member 63C is fixed to a housing or the like (not shown) and is held stationary.
[0047]
As shown in FIG. 4, the advance / retreat mechanism 64 includes a drive motor 64A, a drive gear 64B rotated by the drive motor 64A, a driven gear 64C meshing with the drive gear 64B, and a rotation link 64D. .
[0048]
In the advance / retreat mechanism 64 of this embodiment, the slide shaft 63A of the center folding plate 63 is reciprocated in the front-rear direction by the rotation link 64D that swings while following the rotation operation of the driven gear 64C, and the center folding plate 63 is advanced and retracted. It is configured to operate.
[0049]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
(1) When the post-processing is not performed on the recording paper on which the image is transferred by the copying machine 2 and discharged from the copying machine 2, the non-processing mode is selected and set. Then, it is conveyed along the non-processing conveyance path α as it is by the sorting action of the separation claw 13, and is discharged toward the tray 1A outside the recording paper post-processing apparatus 1 by the paper discharge roller 12D.
[0050]
(2) Further, for example, when the end face binding processing mode is selected / set, a solenoid (not shown) is operated to rotate the separation claw 13 so that each recording sheet is sequentially conveyed toward the post-processing conveyance path β. . In this way, a predetermined plurality of sheets (for example, a maximum of about 50 sheets) of recording paper are stacked on the post-processing tray 3. The recording paper alignment operation is performed prior to the end-face binding operation in the post-processing tray 3. Is called.
[0051]
That is, the direction of conveyance of each of these recording sheets is reversed by approximately 180 degrees so that the leading end side is obliquely upward in the vicinity of the end portion of the post-processing conveyance path β. Each recording paper bundle P conveyed here is struck in the direction of the rear end reference fence 31 and falls below the post-processing tray 3 by the cooperative action of the brush roller 12H and the tapping roller 12I.
[0052]
As a result, when the rear end of the recording paper bundle P reaches the rear end reference fence 31 of the post-processing tray 3, the jogger fence drive motor 32A is driven, and the jogger fence 32 moves in the X direction (see FIG. 2) for recording. The both ends of the sheet bundle P are pressed, and the recording sheet bundle P is aligned at the center in the transport direction.
[0053]
Such a series of alignment operations are performed on the plurality of recording paper bundles P discharged from the copying machine 2, and thereafter, the operation shifts to an end face binding operation. When the recording paper bundle P is discharged to the post-processing tray 3, the saddle stitch clincher 51C is retracted to the position farthest from the pusher 51B.
[0054]
The recording sheet bundle P stacked and aligned on the post-processing tray 3 in this way is subjected to end-face binding processing at a predetermined position by the stapler of the end-face binding processing means 4, and the discharge claw 34 (see FIG. 5). ) Is lifted upward along the post-processing tray 3 and discharged onto the tray 1A by the discharge roller 12D shown in FIG.
[0055]
(3) Also, for example, when the saddle stitching processing mode is selected and set, a desired plural number of sheets are recorded while the clincher 51C is retracted to the position farthest from the pusher 51B in the same manner as in the end face binding processing mode. The paper bundle P is aligned and stacked on the post-processing tray 3.
[0056]
After that, as shown in FIG. 3, the clincher 51 </ b> C is pushed toward the recess 33 of the post-processing tray 3 by the rotational operation of the eccentric cam 53 and moves forward, and stops when it comes closest to the recess 33. Here, the pusher 52B of the stapler section 51 is pushed forward by a pressing means (not shown) to move forward, so that the width direction along the half-folded portion in the center of the recording paper bundle P (X direction in FIG. 2). The two stitches are punched and saddle stitched.
[0057]
When this saddle stitching process is completed, the eccentric cam 53 rotates again, and the clincher 51C returns to the original home position again and waits. If the recording paper to be used is other than, for example, A3 size (B4, A4 size, etc.), immediately after the recording paper bundle P is stacked in the aligned state, the discharge claw 34 moves according to each recording paper size, The rear end portion of the recording paper bundle P is lifted upward and the movement operation is stopped when the central portion of the recording paper bundle P reaches the binding position, and thereafter, the above-described series of saddle stitching operations are performed.
[0058]
The recording sheet bundle thus saddle-stitched is further lifted upward of the post-processing tray 3 by the movement operation of the discharge claw 34, and as shown in FIG. It stops when the part P0 reaches a position that coincides with the direction in which the folded plate 63 moves forward. Note that the moving / lifting distance of the recording paper bundle here is uniquely determined by the installation position of the half-folding processing means 6 and the saddle stitching processing means 5, and is therefore constant regardless of the recording paper size.
[0059]
Thereafter, the folding plate 63 moves forward toward the nip NP portion between the front folding rollers 61A, and moves so as to push the central portion P0 of the recording paper bundle P into the nip NP portion of the folding rollers 61A. . As a result, the saddle-stitched recording sheet bundle P is pushed into the nip NP portion between the front folding rollers 61A.
[0060]
At this time, even if the tip of the center folding plate 63 enters the nip NP portion of the center folding roller 61A at the same time, the tip of the center folding plate 63 can be removed by the nip pressure of the center folding roller 61A. In addition, it is set low to some extent, so that it is possible to reliably exit and return to the home position.
[0061]
In this way, the front-side middle folding roller 61A passes the sandwiched recording paper bundle P as it is and discharges it toward the nip NP portion of the next rear-side middle folding roller 61B.
[0062]
Thereafter, the recording paper bundle P pushed out toward the middle folding roller 61B is sequentially bitten into the nip NP portion of the middle folding roller 61B from the middle folded portion. Here, since the nip pressure P2 of the latter half-folding roller 61B is set higher than the nip pressure P1 of the former half-folding roller 61A, the latter half-folding process is replaced with the middle-folding process in the former stage. Compared to this, pressing can be performed at a higher pressure, and a more reliable middle folding operation can be performed.
[0063]
In this way, the half-folding roller 61B passes the nip portion while performing the second half-folding operation on the sandwiched recording paper bundle P, and discharges it toward the tray 1A (see FIG. 1).
[0064]
Therefore, according to this embodiment, the half-folded plate can be obtained simply by using the pressurizing springs 60A and 60B having the elastic force satisfying the relationship of the nip pressure described above for the two-stage middle folding rollers 61A and 61B. The tip of 63 is not bited together, and the recording paper bundle P can be folded in a reliable and stable manner.
[0065]
In this embodiment, the end face binding process, the saddle stitching process, and the middle folding process are configured to share the post-processing tray and the conveyance path, and accordingly, a larger mechanism or device is required. Therefore, various types of binding processes can be performed without increasing the size, and it is possible to realize a small-sized and high-performance apparatus at a low cost.
[0066]
In addition to this embodiment, for example, the folding process is first performed for each recording sheet, and then stacked and aligned sequentially on the post-processing tray, and finally, the edge binding process is performed collectively. It is also possible to provide a function for performing bag binding.
[0067]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the pair of two folding rollers has a positional relationship along a fixed line in which the advancing direction of the folded sheet and the biting direction of the recording paper bundle coincide with each other. At least two sets of rollers, that is, at least two stages at the front and rear, and among the middle folding rollers at each stage, the middle folding roller on which the middle folding operation is performed first is the rearmost stage. The nip pressure is set lower than the one on the side.
[0068]
Therefore, according to the present invention, the tip of the half-folded plate can escape from the nip portion only by setting the nip pressure of the middle-folding roller on the foremost stage side lower than that on the rear-stage side. There is no risk of biting the end of the folded plate together, and at the same time, the recording paper bundle can be reliably folded in a stable state, so that a satisfactory folded process can be realized. become. As a result, even if an expensive and complicated mechanism is not added, the recording paper bundle made up of each recording paper does not cause the middle folding failure due to insufficient folding at the middle folding portion, and the quality is good. High middle folding can be performed at low cost.
[0069]
Furthermore, according to the invention of claim 2, center folding the recording sheet after the processing unit of the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, as a post-processing unit, in addition to the center-folding processing means, it matched the recording sheet bundle Prior to this, the saddle stitching processing means for performing the saddle stitching process with the stapler is provided, so that simple bookbinding can be performed.
[0070]
Furthermore, according to the invention of claim 3, in the recording sheet after the processing unit of the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, as a post-processing means, the end face binding processing in the stapler in the vicinity of the end face of the aligned recording sheet bundle since with the end face processing means for performing, because it is the end surface binding, convenience is enhanced as a recording sheet after the processing apparatus.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a recording paper post-processing apparatus of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a processing tray thereafter.
3 is an explanatory diagram showing a post-print sheet process operation in the subsequent processing tray.
FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the center folding processing means.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the middle folding process.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of the same.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of the same.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 after the recording sheet processing apparatus 12H stapler discharge rollers 12I tapping roller 2 image forming apparatus 3 post-processing tray (paper bundle aligned trays)
31 Rear end reference fence 32 Jogger fence 33 Recess 4 End face binding processing means 5 Saddle binding processing means 6 Middle folding processing means 61A Middle folding roller (front side)
61A Folding roller (rear side)
62 Rotating mechanism 63 Medium folding plate 64 Advance / retreat mechanism β Post-processing conveyance path L line (extension line)

Claims (3)

As post-processing means for performing post-processing on the recording paper on which the image is recorded by the image forming apparatus, a folding plate that advances and retreats toward the middle folding portion of the recording paper bundle, and the recording paper bundle that is pushed out by the folding plate is bitten. A post-processing apparatus for recording paper of an image forming apparatus having a half-folding processing unit comprising two folding rollers that are paired and pressed against each other for folding and folding;
At least two sets of the middle folding rollers are provided on the front and rear in the forward and backward direction of the middle folding plate, and
Of the middle folding rollers, the one on the foremost side that performs the middle folding operation first can be retracted to the original position by escaping from the nip portion after the tip of the middle folding plate temporarily enters the nip portion. together are formed in the nip pressure is, the recording sheet after the processing unit of the image forming apparatus characterized by this nip pressure than that of from the rear stage side is configured to be lower. As the post-processing means, in addition to the middle folding processing means,
2. The recording paper post-processing apparatus of an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a saddle stitching processing unit that performs a saddle stitching process with a stapler prior to folding the aligned recording paper bundle.   The recording paper of the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the post-processing means includes end-face binding processing means for performing end-face binding processing with a stapler in the vicinity of the end face of the aligned recording paper bundle. Post-processing device.

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