JP4777843B2 - Sheet post-processing apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus that perform predetermined processing on a sheet.

  In Patent Document 1, a stacking tray on which sheets on which image formation has been performed is stacked, a guide roller that guides the sheets to the stacking tray, an alignment member that aligns the sheets stacked on the stacking tray, and an aligned sheet A technique is disclosed that includes a binding processing unit that performs a binding process, and a discharge unit that scoops up the sheet bundle that has been subjected to the binding process and discharges the bundle in the paper discharge direction.

JP 2006-1738 A

  However, in the prior art described in Patent Document 1, since the guide roller that guides the sheet to the stacking tray is always rotating in the same direction, after guiding the sheet to the stacking tray, the sheet bundle stacked on the stacking tray There is a problem that the guide roller comes into contact and the sheet bundle is returned in the direction opposite to the sheet discharge direction, which causes problems such as sheet jamming.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus that can prevent sheet clogging in a stacking tray by preventing reverse feeding of a sheet bundle stacked on the stacking tray.

In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1, a stacking tray for sheets on which image formation has been subjected are stacked, and the guide rollers for guiding the sheet to said stacking tray, said stacking tray a matching member for matching the stacked sheets, a binding process unit performs the binding processing on the aligned sheets, and release means for releasing the sheet bundle from the stacking tray pushes the sheet bundle subjected to the binding process to the paper discharge direction The guide roller pair is provided at a position opposite to the upper side of the sheet stacking position spaced from the stacking tray, and the sheet guided by the guide roller is between the guide roller pair and the stacking tray on the stacking tray. stacked on the rotational direction opposite to the direction when the sheets stacked on the stacking tray when released from the loading tray, to guide the sheet to said stacking tray And drives the guide roller pair in a direction to release there.

The invention described in claim 2, in the invention described in claim 1, when releasing the sheet bundle, that a drive start timing of the guide rollers and the drive start timing of the release means are substantially the same Features.

Wherein The invention described in claim 3, in the invention of claim 1 or 2, when releasing the sheet bundle, immediately after the sheet bundle is separated from the guide rollers, the rotational direction of the guide rollers The rotation direction is changed when guiding sheets to the stacking tray.

The invention described in claim 4, in the invention described in claim 1, comprising a plurality of conveying rollers for guiding the sheet on which image formation has been subjected to the stacking tray, when releasing the sheet bundle, each of said conveyor rollers was conveyed by driving the next sheet to the front position of the guide roller pair, until the sheet bundle discharge ends, characterized in that it the next sheet on standby at a position before the guide rollers.

The invention described in claim 5 is the invention according to claim 1 or 4, in the conveying direction upstream position of the guide roller pairs is provided waiting means for waiting a plurality of sheets on which image formation has been subjected cage, when releasing the sheet bundle, characterized in that on standby until the release of the sheet bundle is completed, a plurality of sheets sequentially sent from the image forming apparatus main body for performing image formation on the sheet in the waiting means And

The invention described in claim 6 includes the sheet post-processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

According to the present invention, when the sheet bundle is discharged from the stacking tray, the guide roller pair is driven in the direction opposite to the rotation direction when the sheets are guided to the stacking tray. The sheet can be prevented from being conveyed in the direction opposite to the sheet discharge direction by the guide roller pair , and the sheet can be prevented from being jammed in the stacking tray.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 24, a sheet post-processing apparatus (sheet post-processing apparatus) 100 according to the first embodiment is attached to a side portion of the image forming apparatus main body 110, and the sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 110 ( Perforating processing section A for perforating sheets), end binding processing section F for performing end binding processing on the sheet bundle, and saddle stitching processing for performing saddle stitching and folding processing on the bound sheet bundle. Part G includes paper discharge trays 39a, 39b, 39c and the like for discharging processed paper to the outside of the apparatus.

  The punching processing unit A includes an inlet sensor 20 a that detects paper discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 110, an inlet roller 21 provided downstream thereof, a punch unit 31, a hopper 32, a conveying roller 22, a branch claw 15, and a branch claw 16. Are arranged sequentially. By turning on the solenoid, the branching claw 15 is rotated upward, and the branching claw 16 is rotated downward, thereby conveying the paper B to the upper tray 39a, the conveyance path C for guiding the paper to the shift tray 39b, and the end portion. Each of the branching claws 15 and the branching claws 16 is distributed to the conveyance path D leading to the binding processing unit F.

  A transport roller 23, a paper discharge roller 24, and a paper discharge sensor 20b are provided on the path of the transport path B, and guide the paper on the transport path B to the upper tray 39a. In addition, a transport roller 25, a return roller 13, a paper discharge roller 26, and a paper discharge sensor 20c are provided on the transport path C to shift paper that is not subjected to binding processing or paper that is subjected only to edge binding processing. It leads to the tray 39b. On the conveyance path D, conveyance rollers 27, 29, and 30 and sheet detection sensors 20d and 20e are provided to guide the sheet to the end binding processing unit F. A branch claw 17 is disposed in the transport path D, and the transport roller 28 guides the paper to the paper storage unit (standby means) E so that the paper stays and is transported by superimposing it on the next paper. .

  Next, the shift tray portion will be described. The shift tray section includes a paper discharge roller 26, a return roller 13, a shift tray 39b, a shift mechanism shown in FIG. 2, and a shift tray lifting mechanism shown in FIG. The return roller 13 is rotated by the rotational force of the paper discharge roller 26. A tray raising limit switch 69c is provided in the vicinity of the return roller 13, and the shift tray 39b is raised to push up the return roller 13. Then, the tray lifting limit switch 69c is turned on and the tray lifting / lowering motor 38b is stopped. This prevents overrun of the shift tray 39b.

  Further, a paper surface detection sensor 66 is provided in the vicinity of the return roller 13 as paper surface position detecting means for detecting the paper surface position of the paper discharged from the shift tray 39b or the paper bundle. The paper surface detection sensor 66 includes a paper surface detection lever 60 shown in FIG. 3, a paper surface detection sensor 66a for stapling, and a paper surface detection sensor 66b for non-stapling. The paper surface detection lever 60 is provided so as to be rotatable about the shaft portion of the lever, and includes a contact portion 60a that contacts the upper surface of the rear end of the paper loaded on the shift tray 39b and a fan-shaped shielding portion 30b. The paper surface detection sensor (for stapling) 66a positioned above is mainly used for staple discharge control, and the paper surface detection sensor (for non-staple) 66b is mainly used for shift discharge control.

  In the present embodiment, the paper surface detection sensor (for stapling) 66a and the paper surface detection sensor (for non-staple) 66b are turned on when blocked by the shielding portion 60b. Therefore, when the shift tray 39b is raised and the contact portion 60a of the paper surface detection lever 60 is rotated upward, the paper surface detection sensor (for stapling) 66a is turned off. Turn on. When it is detected by the paper surface detection sensor (for stapling) 66a and the paper surface detection sensor (for non-staple) 66b that the sheet stacking amount has reached a predetermined height, the shift tray 39b is driven by the tray lifting / lowering motor 38b. Decreases by a certain amount. Thereby, the paper surface position of the shift tray 39b is kept substantially constant.

  Next, the shift tray lifting mechanism will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3, the shift tray 39b moves up and down when the drive shaft 61 is driven by the drive unit. A timing belt 63 is tensioned between the drive shaft 61 and the driven shaft 62 through a timing pulley, and a side plate 64 that supports the shift tray 39b is fixed to the timing belt 63. With such a configuration, the unit including the shift tray 39b is suspended from the timing belt 63 so as to be movable up and down.

  The drive unit is composed of a tray lifting / lowering motor 38b and a worm gear 65, and the power generated by the tray lifting / lowering motor 38b that can be rotated forward / reversely as a drive source is the final of the gear train fixed to the drive shaft 61 via the worm gear 65. The shift tray 39b is moved in the vertical direction by being transmitted to the gear. Since the drive is transmitted via the worm gear 65, the shift tray 39b can be held at a fixed position, and the gear tray can prevent the shift tray 39b from being unexpectedly dropped.

  A shielding plate 64a is integrally formed on the side plate 64 of the shift tray 39b, and a fullness detection sensor 69a for detecting the full load of stacked sheets and a lower limit sensor 69b for detecting a lower limit position are disposed below the shielding plate 64a. The full detection sensor 69a and the lower limit sensor 69b are turned on / off by 64a. The full detection sensor 69a and the lower limit sensor 69b are photosensors, and are turned on when blocked by the shielding plate 64a.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the swing mechanism of the shift tray 39b includes a shift motor 38a and a shift cam 33. By rotating the shift cam 33 using the shift motor 38a as a drive source, the shift tray 39b is orthogonal to the paper discharge direction. Reciprocates in the direction of The shift cam 33 is provided with a pin 33 a at a position away from the center of the rotation shaft by a certain amount, and the other end of the pin 33 a is engaged with the elongated hole of the end fence 34. Due to the rotation of the shift cam 33, the end fence 34 engaged with the pin 33a moves in a direction orthogonal to the paper discharge direction, and the shift tray 39b also moves accordingly. The shift tray 39b stops at two positions, the front and the back. The stop position is detected by the shift sensor 36a, and is driven and controlled by turning on / off the shift motor 38a.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the shift paper discharge roller 26 has a drive roller and a driven roller. The driven roller is supported on the upstream side in the paper discharge direction, and is free end of an open / close guide plate 37 that is swingable in the vertical direction. The part is supported rotatably. The driven roller abuts on the driving roller by its own weight or urging force, and the paper is nipped between the rollers and discharged. When the bound sheet bundle is discharged, the open / close guide plate 37 is pulled upward and returned at a predetermined timing. This timing is determined based on a detection signal of the shift paper discharge sensor 20c. Is done. The stop position is determined based on the detection signal of the paper discharge guide plate opening / closing sensor 69e and is driven by the paper discharge guide plate opening / closing motor 38c. The discharge guide plate opening / closing motor 38c is driven and controlled by turning on / off a discharge guide plate opening / closing limit switch 69d.

Next, the configuration of the end binding processing unit F that performs stapling on the end of the paper will be described in detail. 5 is a plan view of the end binding processing unit F as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance surface, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the end binding processing unit F and its driving mechanism, and FIG. It is a perspective view which shows a mechanism. As shown in FIG. 6, the sheet guided to the end binding processing section F by a staple discharge roller 11 (guide roller) that forms a pair with a driven roller and sandwiches and conveys the sheet between both rollers (guide roller pair). Are sequentially stacked on the end binding processor F. In this case, alignment in the vertical direction (paper conveyance direction) is performed by the tapping roller 12 for each sheet, and alignment in the horizontal direction (direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction—also referred to as the sheet width direction) is performed by the jogger fence 53. The end face binding stapler S1 is driven by the staple signal from the control device between the end of the job, that is, from the last sheet of the sheet bundle to the first sheet of the next sheet bundle, and the binding process is performed. The sheet bundle subjected to the binding process is immediately sent to the shift paper discharge roller 26 by the discharge belt 52 with the discharge claw 52a protruding, and is discharged to the shift tray 39b set at the receiving position.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the home position of the discharge claw 52a is detected by the discharge belt HP sensor 20g. The discharge belt HP sensor 20g is turned on / off by the discharge claw 52a provided on the discharge belt 52. Turn off. On the outer periphery of the discharge belt 52, two discharge claws 52a and 52a are provided at opposing positions. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the drive shaft of the discharge belt 52 driven by the discharge motor 38d is provided with the discharge belt 52 and its drive pulley 55 at the alignment center in the paper width direction. A discharge roller 56 is arranged and fixed symmetrically. Further, the peripheral speed of these discharge rollers 56 is set to be higher than the peripheral speed of the discharge belt 52.

As shown in FIG. 6, the hitting roller 12 hits a SOL (solenoid) 70 around a fulcrum 12a.
The pendulum motion is given by the above, and intermittently acts on the sheet fed to the end binding processing unit F to hit the sheet against the rear end fence 51. The hitting roller 12 rotates counterclockwise. The jogger fence 53 is driven via a timing belt by a jogger motor capable of forward and reverse rotation, and reciprocates in the paper width direction.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the end surface binding stapler S1 is driven via a timing belt by a stapler moving motor 38e capable of forward and reverse rotation, and moves in the paper width direction in order to bind a predetermined position of the paper edge. A stapler movement HP sensor 20j that detects the home position of the end surface binding stapler S1 is provided at one end of the movement range, and the binding position in the sheet width direction is the amount of movement of the end surface binding stapler S1 from the home position. Controlled by

  As shown in FIG. 9, the end-face stitching stapler S1 can change the needle driving angle parallel to or obliquely with respect to the end of the paper, and further, only the binding mechanism portion of the stapler S1 is inclined at a predetermined angle at the home position. It is configured so that the staple needle can be easily exchanged by rotating. The stapler S1 rotates obliquely by the oblique motor 38f, and when the needle replacement position sensor 20k detects that the stapler S1 reaches a predetermined oblique angle or reaches the needle replacement position, the oblique motor 38f stops. When the diagonal hitting is completed or the needle replacement is completed, it is rotated to the original position to prepare for the next staple.

  Next, the structure of the press means 1 in the edge part binding process part F is demonstrated using FIGS. The pressing unit 1 reduces the swelling of the rear end of the sheets stacked in the tray, and is provided at a position facing the rear end fence 51. The pressing means 1 includes a plurality of pressing units (a first pressing unit 1a at the front position, a second pressing unit 1b at the center position, and a third pressing unit 1c at the back position) in the width direction of the sheet.

  The first pressing unit 1a includes a rear end pressing lever 2a that comes into contact with the paper, a timing belt 6a that fixes the rear end pressing lever 2a, a driving motor 4a that drives the timing belt 6a, and a pulley 5a, and the driving motor 4a. The rear end presser lever 2a is operated in accordance with the rotational drive of. The first pressing unit 1a is provided with an HP sensor 3a for detecting the home position of the rear end pressing lever 2a. The convex portion at the rear end of the rear end pressing lever 2a blocks the HP sensor 3a. The position (initial position) is detected.

  Further, the home position of the rear end pressing lever 2a is a position where the stapler S1 does not interfere with the stapler S1 within a range in which the stapler S1 moves in the sheet width direction in order to bind the end of the sheet. The amount of movement in the direction of pressing the trailing edge of the paper, that is, the direction of arrow U in FIG. 1, is determined by the number of pulses input to the drive motor 4a. It moves to the position where the bulge of the rear end is suppressed.

  A spring 7a is attached to the rear end of the rear end pressing lever 2a so that the spring 7a expands and contracts to cope with a change in the thickness of the stacked sheet stack. In addition, since the 2nd press unit 1b and the 3rd press unit 1c are the same structures as the structure of the 1st press unit 1a, the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Next, the operation of each pressing unit 1a, 1b, 1c in each binding mode will be described. 11 is the standby position of the stapler S1 when front binding, FIG. 12 is binding at two locations, and FIG. 13 is back binding. Each pressing unit 1a, 1b, and 1c must prevent interference with the stapler S1 when the rear end pressing levers 2a, 2b, and 2c are operated at each standby position of the stapler S1. As shown in FIG. 11, at the time of front binding, only the second pressing unit 1b and the third pressing unit 1c are operated, and the first pressing unit 1a is not operated.

  As shown in FIG. 12, all the pressing units 1a, 1b, 1c can be operated at the time of two-point binding. As shown in FIG. 13, at the time of back binding, only the first pressing unit 1a and the second pressing unit 1b are operated, and the third pressing unit 1c is not operated. The operation timing of each pressing unit 1 a, 1 b, 1 c is adjusted such that the discharged paper is stacked in the trailing edge fence 51 and aligned in the paper width direction by the jogger fence 53, and then the next paper is aligned by the tapping roller 12. It is done until it is done.

  Next, the configuration of the sheet bundle deflecting means I will be described. As shown in FIG. 14, the sheet bundle deflecting means I for guiding the sheet bundle from the edge binding processing section F to the saddle stitching processing section G or from the edge binding processing section F to the shift tray 39b gives a conveying force to the sheet bundle. The conveying means 35, a discharge roller 56 for turning the sheet bundle, and a guide member 44 for guiding the turn section of the sheet bundle. The conveying means 35 is provided with a roller 41, and the roller 41 is configured to transmit the drive of the drive shaft 47 by the timing belt 48.

  Further, the roller 41 and the drive shaft 47 are connected and supported by an arm 49, and as shown in FIG. 15, the transport means 35 rotates the drive shaft 47 provided at a position upstream of the driven roller 42 in the transport direction. It can be moved as a fulcrum. The rotational movement of the roller 41 of the conveying means 35 is performed by a cam 40. The cam 40 rotates about the rotation axis, and the drive is transmitted from the motor M1. The home position of the cam 40 that rotates and moves the conveying means 35 is detected by a sensor T1, and the rotation angle from the home position may be provided separately from the sensor T1, or may be adjusted by pulse control of the motor M1. Also good. A driven roller 42 is arranged at a position facing the roller 41 of the conveying means 35. A sheet bundle is sandwiched between the driven roller 42 and the roller 41, and is pressurized by an elastic member 43 to give a conveying force.

  The operation of the sheet bundle deflecting means will be described. When transporting a sheet bundle from the edge binding processing unit F to the saddle stitching processing unit G, as shown in FIG. 16, the trailing edge of the sheet bundle aligned by the edge binding processing unit F is pushed up by the discharge claw 52a, The sheet bundle is sandwiched between the 35 rollers 41 and the driven roller 42 facing the roller 41 to give a conveying force. At this time, the roller 41 of the conveying means 35 stands by at a position where it does not hit the leading end of the sheet bundle. Here, as shown in FIG. 17A, the distance between the roller 41 and the surface on which the sheet bundle is stacked when aligned by the edge binding processing unit F or the surface on which the sheet bundle is guided when pushed up by the discharge claw 52a. L1 is made wider than the maximum sheet thickness L2 of the sheet bundle conveyed from the edge binding processing section F to the saddle stitching processing section G, and the collision between the leading edge of the sheet bundle and the roller 41 is avoided.

  Since the thickness of the sheet bundle varies depending on the number of sheets to be aligned and the sheet type in the edge binding processing unit F, the minimum position where the rollers 41 avoid collision with the leading end of the sheet bundle also varies. Therefore, the retraction position is changed according to the information on the number of sheets and the type of paper. In this way, by changing the retreat position according to the information on the number of sheets and the paper type, the time required for moving from the retreat position to the position where the conveyance force is applied can be minimized, and the productivity is improved. The information on the number of sheets and the sheet type may be job information from the image forming apparatus main body, or may be obtained by a sensor in the sheet post-processing apparatus.

  Note that when a large curl is generated in the sheet bundle aligned by the edge binding processing unit F, when the sheet bundle is pushed up by the discharge claw 52a, the leading end of the sheet and the roller 41 may come into contact with each other. As shown in (b), a guide 47a is provided at a position immediately before the roller 41 and on the conveyance path side so that the contact angle between the leading edge of the sheet and the roller 41 is reduced. The guide 47 a may be a member fixed to the arm 49 or a member elastically supported with respect to the arm 49.

  When the sheet bundle is conveyed to the downstream saddle stitching processing section G, as shown in FIG. 18A, the roller 41 of the conveying means 35 is brought into contact with the surface of the sheet after the leading edge of the sheet has passed the conveying means 35. The conveying force is given to the sheet bundle. At this time, the guide member 44 and the discharge roller 56 form a guide for the turn portion, and the sheet bundle is conveyed to the downstream saddle stitching processing portion G by pushing up the discharge claw 52a. On the other hand, when a sheet bundle is sent from the end binding processing section F to the shift tray 39b, the guide member 44 is rotated as shown in FIG. 18B, and the guide member 44 and the guide plate 46 are connected to the shift tray 39b. A conveyance path is formed. Then, the rear end of the sheet bundle aligned by the edge binding processing unit F is pushed up by the discharge claw 52a and conveyed to the shift tray 39b.

  Next, the saddle stitching processing unit G will be described. As shown in FIG. 24, the saddle stitching processing unit G includes a conveyance guide 92 that guides the sheet bundle along the conveyance path, conveyance rollers 71 and 72 that convey the sheet bundle along the conveyance guide 92, and the center of the sheet bundle. , A folding blade 74 provided in a projecting manner, and a pair of folding rollers 81 for sandwiching a sheet bundle pressed by the folding blade 74 in a nip and folding the sheet bundle. The sheet bundle subjected to the folding process by the folding roller pair 81 passes through the sheet detection sensor 20h and the sheet discharge roller 83 in the conveyance path H, and is discharged to the lower tray 39c.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the folding blade 74 is supported by loosely fitting the long hole portions 74a to each of the two shafts standing on the side plate, and the shaft portion 74b standing from the folding blade 74 is linked arm. When the link arm 76 swings around the fulcrum 76a, the folding blade 74 reciprocates left and right. That is, the shaft portion 75b of the folding blade drive cam 75 is loosely fitted in the long hole portion 76c of the link arm 76, and the link arm 76 swings by the rotational movement of the folding blade drive cam 75, and the folding arm is bent accordingly. The blade 74 reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance guide 92. The folding blade drive cam 75 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 19A by the folding blade drive motor 38h. The stop position is determined by detecting with the folding blade HP sensor 20p.

  FIG. 19A shows the home position completely retracted from the sheet bundle accommodation area of the saddle stitching processing section G. FIG. The folding blade 74 that rotates the folding blade drive cam 75 in the direction of the arrow moves in the direction of the arrow and protrudes into the sheet bundle accommodation area of the saddle stitching processing section G. FIG. 19B shows a position where the center of the sheet bundle of the saddle stitching processing section G is pushed into the nip of the folding roller 81. When the folding blade drive cam 75 is rotated in the direction of the arrow, the folding blade 74 moves in the direction of the arrow in the drawing and retracts from the sheet bundle accommodation area of the saddle stitching processing section G. In addition, although it is premised on folding a sheet bundle about the middle folding, it can be applied to the case of folding one sheet. In this case, since the saddle stitching is not required for only one sheet, the sheet is fed to the middle folding processing section G when the sheet is discharged, and the folding process is performed by the folding blade 74 and the folding roller, and the sheet is discharged to the lower tray 39c. To do.

  Next, the operation of the saddle stitching process will be described below. After the sheet bundle is temporarily aligned by the edge binding processing unit F, the leading end of the sheet bundle is conveyed downstream by the discharge claw 52 a and the discharge roller 56. The discharge roller 56 is provided on the drive shaft of the discharge belt 52 and is driven in synchronization with the discharge belt 52. Thereafter, the paper is carried by the discharge claw 52a until the trailing edge of the sheet bundle passes through the discharge roller 56, and further conveyed by the upper and lower conveyance rollers 71 and 72 to the position of FIG. At that time, the stop position of the movable rear end fence 84 differs depending on the size of each bundle of sheets in the transport direction, and is waiting. When the front end of the sheet bundle comes into contact with and stacks on the movable rear end fence 84 that is waiting, the pressure of the lower conveying roller 72 is released as shown in FIG. Tap the edge to make the final alignment in the transport direction. Since there is a possibility that the sheet bundle that has been temporarily aligned in the edge binding processing unit F is stacked on the movable rear end fence 84, the final alignment is performed at the rear end tapping claw 73. Is going on.

  Immediately after the sheet bundle is aligned with the trailing edge hitting pawl 73, the final alignment in the width direction is performed by the saddle stitching upper jogger fence 77a and the saddle stitching lower jogger fence 77b, and the center thereof is saddle stitched stapler S2. Then, the binding process is performed. Here, the movable rear end fence 84 is positioned by pulse control from the movable rear end fence HP sensor 84a, and the rear end hitting claw 73 is positioned by pulse control from the rear end hitting claw HP sensor 73a.

  As shown in FIG. 20C, the saddle-stitched sheet bundle is carried upward along with the movement of the movable rear end fence 84 while the pressure of the lower conveyance roller 72 is released, and thereafter, FIG. As shown in a), the vicinity of the bound needle portion is pushed by the folding blade 74 in a substantially right-angle direction and guided to the nip of the opposing folding roller 81. The folding roller 81 that has been rotated in advance presses and conveys the sheet bundle, thereby folding the sheet bundle at the center.

  Here, since the saddle-stitched sheet bundle moves upward for folding processing, the sheet bundle can be reliably conveyed only by moving the movable rear end fence 84. As shown in FIG. 21B, the folded sheet bundle is strengthened by the second folding roller 82 and is discharged to the lower tray 39 c by the paper discharge roller 83. At this time, when the trailing edge of the sheet bundle is detected by the folding portion passage sensor 20h, the folding blade 74 and the movable trailing edge fence 84 are returned to the home position, and the pressurization of the lower conveying roller 72 is restored to the next sheet. Prepare. If the next job is the same sheet size or the same number of sheets, the movable rear end fence 84 may move to the position shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 22, the control unit 100a is a microcomputer having a CPU 95, an I / O interface 97, and the like. Each control unit 100a includes a switch on the control panel of the image forming apparatus main body 110, a sensor for detecting a paper surface, and the like. A signal is input to the CPU 95 via the I / O interface 97. The CPU 95 drives the tray lifting / lowering motor 38b for the shift tray 39b, the discharge guide plate opening / closing motor 38c for opening / closing the opening / closing guide plate, the shift motor 38a for moving the shift tray 39b, and the tapping roller 12 based on the input signal. Each solenoid such as the hitting SOL 70, a conveyance motor that drives each conveyance roller, a paper discharge motor that drives each paper discharge roller, a discharge motor 38d that drives the discharge belt 52, a stapler moving motor 38e that moves the end-face binding stapler S1, The driving of an oblique motor 38f that rotates the end binding stapler S1 obliquely, a jogger motor that moves the jogger fence 53, and the like is controlled.

  Next, operations and effects of the edge binding processing unit of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. Here, the operation of the end binding processing unit F in the staple mode will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 5 to 8, and 23. When the staple mode is selected, as shown in FIG. 6, the jogger fence 53 moves from the home position and stands by at a standby position that is 7 mm away from the width of the sheet discharged to the end binding processing section F. Similarly, the tapping roller 12, the jogger fence 53, the stapler S1, and the discharge claw 52a also stand by at a predetermined home position, and then the staple paper discharge roller 11 starts to rotate in the forward rotation direction (steps S1 and S2).

  The sheet is conveyed into the tray by the rotation driving of the staple discharge roller 11 (step S3). When the trailing edge of the paper passes the staple paper discharge sensor 20e, the jogger fence 53 moves inward by 5 mm from the standby position and stops. The staple discharge sensor 20e detects when the trailing edge of the sheet has passed, and a detection signal is input to the CPU 95. Each time the paper stored in the end binding processing section F passes through the entrance sensor 20a or the staple paper discharge sensor 20e, the signal is input to the CPU 95, and the number of sheets is counted. If the paper transported into the tray is the final paper, the process proceeds to the next step S8, and the vertical alignment of the paper by the tapping roller 12 is performed (step S4). That is, the CPU 95 counts the number of pulses transmitted from the staple transport motor that drives the staple discharge roller 11 from the time when the staple discharge sensor 20e receives the detection signal, and turns on the SOL 70 after transmitting a predetermined pulse. The tapping roller 12 performs a pendulum motion by turning on and off the tapping SOL 70. When the tapping roller 12 is on, the tapping roller 12 strikes the paper and returns it to the lower side, and abuts against the rear end fence 51 to align the paper.

  After the hitting SOL 70 is turned off and the predetermined time has elapsed, the jogger fence 53 is further moved inward by 2.6 mm by the jogger motor, temporarily stops, and the horizontal alignment is finished (step S9). Thereafter, the jogger fence 53 moves outward by 7.6 mm, returns to the standby position, and waits for the next sheet. This operation is performed up to the last page. Thereafter, the jogger fence 53 again moves inward by 7 mm and stops, and presses both side ends of the sheet bundle to prepare for the stapling operation. Thereafter, a sheet pressing operation by the rear end pressing lever 2 is performed (step S10), and after a predetermined time, the end surface binding stapler S1 is operated by the staple motor, and the binding process is performed (step S11). If two or more bindings are designated at this time, after one binding process is completed, the staple moving motor is driven, and the end-face binding stapler S1 is moved to an appropriate position along the rear edge of the sheet. Eye binding processing is performed. If the third and subsequent locations are specified, this is repeated. In step S4, if the paper conveyed in the tray is not the final paper, the paper is aligned in the vertical direction by the tapping roller in step S5, the paper is aligned in the horizontal direction by the jogger fence 53 in step S6, and after step S7. The sheet pressing operation by the end pressing lever 2 is repeated.

  When the binding process is completed in step S11, the discharge motor 38d is driven, and the discharge belt 52 is driven. At this time, only the staple paper discharge roller 11 facing the processing tray is discharged at substantially the same conveying speed as the discharge belt 52 (discharge claw 52a) almost simultaneously with the release claw 52a provided on the discharge belt 52 lifting the sheet bundle. The paper bundle is fed out in the reverse direction (step S12). The time during which the staple paper discharge roller 11 rotates in reverse is until the trailing edge of the sheet bundle passes through the staple paper discharge roller 11, and thereafter, the staple paper discharge roller 11 is driven in the paper transport direction to receive the next paper (step). S13, S14).

  Further, during the reverse rotation of the staple paper discharge roller 11, the next paper cannot be received in the tray. Therefore, the next paper stops upstream from the staple paper discharge roller 11, and the staple paper discharge roller 11 moves in the transport direction. Waiting for normal rotation. In this case, in order to improve productivity, the next sheet is stacked in the sheet storage unit E located upstream from the staple sheet discharge roller 11, and a plurality of sheets are collected and discharged to the edge binding processing unit F. Also good.

  At this time, the paper discharge motor is also driven, and the shift paper discharge roller 26 starts to rotate so as to accept the sheet bundle lifted by the discharge claw 52a. At this time, the jogger fence 53 is controlled differently based on the paper size and the number of sheets to be bound. For example, when the number of sheets to be bound is smaller than the set number or smaller than the set size, the trailing edge of the sheet bundle is hooked and conveyed by the discharge claw 52a while the sheet bundle is pressed by the jogger fence 53. Then, by the detection by the paper presence sensor 20f or the discharge belt HP sensor 20g, the jogger fence 53 is retracted by 2 mm after a predetermined pulse, and the restriction on the paper by the jogger fence 53 is released. The predetermined pulse for retracting the jogger fence 53 is set after the discharge claw 52a comes into contact with the rear end of the sheet and passes through the front end of the jogger fence 53. When the number of sheets to be bound is larger than the set number or larger than the set size, the jogger fence 53 is retracted in advance by 2 mm and discharged. In any case, when the sheet bundle passes through the jogger fence 53, the jogger fence 53 moves further to the outside by 5 or 6 mm, returns to the standby position, and prepares for the next sheet.

  In the present embodiment, when the sheet bundle is discharged, the staple discharge roller 11 is driven in the direction opposite to the rotation direction when the sheet is guided into the end binding processing section F. Thus, it is possible to prevent the paper stacked on the paper from being conveyed in the direction opposite to the paper discharge direction, and to prevent paper jamming.

  When discharging the sheet bundle, the drive start timing of the staple paper discharge roller 11 and the drive start timing of the discharge claw 52a are substantially the same, so the frictional resistance against the sheet bundle can be reduced, and the sheet bundle can be smoothly shifted to the shift tray 39b. Or the saddle stitching processing section G.

  When discharging the sheet bundle, the sheet conveyance speed of the staple discharge roller 11 and the sheet conveyance speed by the discharge claw 52a are substantially the same, so the frictional resistance against the sheet bundle due to the speed deviation can be reduced, and the sheet bundle can be made smooth. It can be conveyed to the shift tray 39b or the saddle stitching processing section G.

  When releasing the sheet bundle, immediately after the sheet bundle is separated from the staple discharge roller 11, the rotation direction of the staple discharge roller 11 is changed to the rotation direction when the sheet is guided to the tray. The paper waiting time can be shortened and productivity can be improved.

  When discharging the sheet bundle, only the staple discharge roller 11 facing the stack tray is driven in reverse, and the other transport rollers are rotated so as to transport toward the staple tray. By transporting the fed paper to the position immediately before the staple paper discharge roller 11 facing the stack tray, the waiting time of the next paper can be shortened and the productivity can be improved.

  Further, since the next paper is kept waiting at the position before the staple paper discharge roller 11 until the discharge of the paper bundle is completed, the next paper can be prevented from entering the staple tray, and the paper can be damaged. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of paper jams.

  While the bundle of sheets is being discharged by the staple discharge roller 11, the sheets sequentially fed from the image forming apparatus main body 110 are stacked in the sheet storage portion E where the next sheet does not reach the staple discharge roller 11. Therefore, the waiting time for the next sheet can be shortened and the productivity can be improved.

  Next, other embodiments will be described. In the following description, parts having the same functions and effects as those of the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description of the parts is given. In the following description, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  In the first embodiment described above, the sheet bundle deflecting means pressurizes the sheet bundle by the biasing of the elastic member 43 between the driven roller 42 and the roller 41 of the conveying means 35. In the second embodiment, The pressing force of the elastic member 43 attached to the roller 41 of the conveying means 35 is changed by the cam 40.

  As shown in FIG. 26, the cam 40 is provided with a pin. When the cam 40 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in the drawing by driving the drive motor M1, the elastic member 43 is compressed by the pin and the pressurizing force is increased. On the other hand, when the cam 40 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow direction in the drawing, the elastic member 43 extends and the applied pressure is weakened. The pressurizing force is increased when the paper thickness of the paper bundle is thick, and the pressurizing force is decreased when the paper thickness of the paper bundle is thin. The rotation angle of the cam 40 is detected by a position detection sensor T1 provided in the vicinity of the cam 40.

  According to the second embodiment, the pressing force of the conveying means 35 in the sheet bundle deflecting means can be changed depending on the difference in the sheet thickness of the sheet bundle, so that a suitable conveying force can be applied to the sheet bundle, and the sheet bundle can be smoothed. Can be conveyed to the shift tray 39b or the saddle stitching processing section G.

  Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment described above, the roller facing the roller 41 of the conveying means 35 is the driven roller 42, but in the third embodiment, the roller facing the roller 41 of the conveying means 35 is the discharge roller 56. At this time, the nip position between the roller 41 and the discharge roller 56 is set in the vicinity of a contact position where the conveyance locus line D1 of the sheet bundle contacts with the concentric circle C1 of the discharge roller 56.

  The conveyance path for conveying the sheet bundle from the end binding processing unit F to the saddle stitching processing unit G includes a discharge roller 56 and a guide member 44 on the opposite side of the discharge roller 56, and the guide member 44 is centered on a fulcrum 45. The rotation is transmitted from the bundle branch drive motor 38g. The home position of the guide member 44 is detected by the sensor S2. Further, the transport path for transporting the sheet bundle from the end binding processing section F to the shift tray 39b serving as a stacking means is such that the guide member 44 rotates around the fulcrum 45 as shown in FIG. A conveyance path is formed between the member 44 and the guide plate 46.

  Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be variously modified without departing from the scope of the invention.

  In the above-described embodiment, the conveying unit 35 of the sheet bundle deflecting unit is configured to be able to move using the drive shaft 47 provided at a position upstream of the driven roller 42 in the conveying direction as the rotation fulcrum as shown in FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 25, the conveying means 35 may be provided at a position downstream of the axis of the driven roller 42 in the conveying direction.

It is the schematic which expands and shows the principal part of the edge part binding process part of the paper post-processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of a shift mechanism of the paper post-processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective view which expanded the principal part of the shift tray raising / lowering mechanism of the paper post-processing apparatus concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a paper discharge unit to a shift tray of the paper post-processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view of an end binding processing unit of the paper post-processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the paper transport surface. It is a perspective view which shows the edge part binding process part and its drive mechanism of the paper post-processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the discharge | release mechanism of the paper bundle of the paper post-processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the end surface binding stapler of the paper post-processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention with a moving mechanism. It is a perspective view which shows the diagonal rotation mechanism of the end surface binding stapler in FIG. It is a figure which shows the press means in an edge part binding process part, and is the schematic which shows the initial position of each press unit. It is a figure which shows the press means in an edge part binding process part, and is the schematic which shows the position of each press unit at the time of front binding. It is a figure which shows the press means in an edge part binding process part, and is the schematic which shows the position of each press unit at the time of two places binding. It is a figure which shows the press means in an edge part binding process part, and is the schematic which shows the position of each press unit at the time of back binding. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the sheet bundle deflection | deviation means periphery of an edge part binding process part. It is the schematic which shows the drive state of the conveyance means in FIG. It is a figure which shows the sheet bundle deflection | deviation means periphery of an edge part binding process part, and is the schematic which shows the state in which the sheet bundle was stacked in the tray. 2A and 2B are enlarged views illustrating the periphery of the conveyance unit of the sheet bundle deflecting unit, in which FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating the conveyance unit in a retracted position, and FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram illustrating the conveyance unit provided with a guide. . 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams illustrating a state in which a sheet bundle in an end binding processing unit is discharged, in which FIG. 4A illustrates a case where a sheet bundle is conveyed toward a saddle stitching processing unit, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the case where it conveys toward. FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory diagram of a folding blade moving mechanism of the paper post-processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a diagram showing a state before entering a middle folding operation, and (b) is a diagram after the middle folding, It is a figure which shows the state when returning to an initial position. FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory view of the saddle stitching processing unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a diagram showing a state where a sheet bundle hits a movable rear end fence, and (b) is a sheet by a rear end tapping claw. FIG. 8C is a diagram illustrating a state in which the rear end alignment of the bundle is performed, and FIG. 10C is a diagram illustrating a state in which the movable rear end fence is moved to the folding position of the sheet bundle. 4A and 4B are operation explanatory views in the saddle stitching processing unit of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating an operation when a sheet bundle is pushed into a folding roller, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement when a bundle is folded with a folding roller. 2 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention together with the image forming apparatus main body. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a control operation in a staple mode of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of a sheet post-processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic which shows the conveyance means of the sheet bundle deflection | deviation means which concerns on the modification of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the conveyance means of the sheet bundle deflection | deviation means which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the sheet | seat bundle deflection | deviation means concerning 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

11 Staple paper discharge roller (guide roller)
52 Discharge belt (discharge means)
52a Release claw (release means)
53 Jogger fence (alignment member)
100 Paper post-processing device (sheet post-processing device)
S1 End binding stapler (binding processing unit)
E Paper storage section (standby means)

Claims (6)

A stacking tray sheet on which the image formation has been performed is loaded, the guide rollers for guiding the sheet to said stacking tray, a matching member for matching the sheets stacked on the stacking tray, binding processing on the aligned sheet a binding process section for performing, a sheet bundle subjected to the binding process pushes the discharge direction and a release means for releasing the sheet bundle from the stacking tray, the guide rollers is a sheet stacking position upwardly spaced from said stacking tray provided on the counter position, the sheet guided by the guide rollers are stacked on the guide rollers and the loading tray a between the stacking tray, the sheets stacked on said stacking tray from said stacking tray when released, it drives the guide rollers be in a direction to release the rotational direction opposite to the direction when guiding the sheet to said stacking tray Sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim. When releasing the sheet bundle, the sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive start timing of the guide rollers and the drive start timing of the release means are substantially the same. When releasing the sheet bundle, the claims sheet bundle immediately away from the guide roller pair, and changes in the rotational direction when guiding the sheet the direction of rotation of the guide rollers to said stacking tray The sheet post-processing apparatus according to 1 or 2. Comprising a plurality of conveying rollers for guiding the sheet on which image formation has been subjected to the stacking tray, when releasing the sheet bundle by driving the respective said conveying rollers to convey the next sheet to the front position of the guide roller pair, the sheet 2. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the next sheet is kept waiting at a position before the pair of guide rollers until the discharge of the bundle is completed. The conveyance direction upstream position of the guide roller pairs is provided with a waiting means for waiting a plurality of sheets on which image formation has been performed, when the release sheet bundle to the discharge of the sheet bundle is completed, the sheet 5. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of sheets sequentially sent from an image forming apparatus main body that performs image formation are kept on standby by the standby unit.   An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1.

Images