JP4908264B2 - Punching device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention includes a punching device that performs punching processing (punch processing) on paper discharged from an image forming apparatus such as an MFP (Multi Function Peripherals) that is a digital multifunction peripheral, a copying machine, or a printer, and a punching device. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

  In image forming apparatuses such as MFPs, copiers, and printers, a post-processing device is provided adjacent to a paper discharge unit of the image forming apparatus main body in order to perform post-processing such as punching or stapling on a sheet after image formation. Provided.

  Of such post-processing, punching is performed by a punching device. The punching device has a punching blade. When the paper discharged from the image forming apparatus is conveyed to the punching position, the punching blade is lowered with respect to the paper to punch a punch hole, and then the punching blade is raised. Thus, the punched paper is conveyed to the subsequent stage. In this way, punch holes are made by repeatedly lowering and raising the punch blades on the sheets sequentially discharged from the image forming apparatus.

  On the other hand, a dust box is attached to the punching device, and punch scraps after punching are accommodated in the dust box. A sensor is provided in the dust box, and when the punch waste stored in the dust box is full, the sensor detects it and notifies the user. ing.

  By the way, since the punch scraps fall from the punching blade and accumulate in the dust box as they are, the punch scraps tend to accumulate in a mountain shape directly below the punching blade. For this reason, even though punch dust can still be accommodated in the corner of the dust box, the sensor sometimes detects fullness, and the number of times punch dust is removed has increased. Alternatively, the user took out the dust box, shakes the dust box, leveles punch scraps, and remounts the dust box.

  When punching is performed by a punching device, punch scraps may adhere to the punching blade due to the influence of static electricity. For this reason, there is a problem in that punch scraps are caught by the punching blade and the punching process is hindered, or the punch scraps are discharged while adhering to the paper.

  In order to prevent punch scraps from forming a mountain shape, Patent Document 1 describes an example in which means for scattering punch scraps falling in a dust box is provided. This Patent Document 1 describes an example in which a cross rib is provided on the edge of a dust box or a fan for scattering is provided in order to scatter punch scraps. However, when the rib is provided, there is an inconvenience that punch scraps accumulate on the rib. Further, when stirring the punch scraps by driving the fan, there is a disadvantage that a motor or the like is required and the apparatus becomes large.

Patent Document 2 discloses an example in which punch scraps separated by punching processing are disposed on both sides of the punching blade in order to prevent the punch scraps from being discharged while adhering to the paper due to the influence of static electricity. Are listed. As the scraping member described in Patent Document 2, a brush-like member or a plate-like soft elastic member is used, and punch scraps are scraped off by the scraping member. However, it is not possible to prevent punch scraps from forming a mountain shape only by providing a scraping member.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-20029 JP 2002-200592 A

  In the conventional punching device, punch scraps tend to accumulate in a dust box in a dust box, and thus it is necessary to frequently remove punch scraps. In addition, punch scraps may adhere to the punching blade due to the influence of static electricity, resulting in problems such as hindering the punching process and discharging while the punch scraps remain attached to the paper.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a punching device and an image forming apparatus that can remove punch scraps stuck to a punching blade and prevent the punch scraps from accumulating in a dust box.

The present invention according to claim 1 is a punching device that punches and unloads the paper that has been carried in, and has a punching blade that can be moved up and down in a direction perpendicular to the transport path of the paper. A punch unit that punches the paper by lowering a punching blade; a dust box that is disposed opposite to the punch unit and receives punch waste generated when punching the paper; a rotary shaft that rotates only in one direction, has at least three or more of a plurality of blade members arranged radially around the rotary shaft, at a position displaced from the lifting path of the hole punch bit in the dust box Attach the rotary shaft, before the tip of the cutting head which descends to rotate the one direction by impinging on any one of said plurality of blade members, the cutting head is retracted to rise The tip of the subsequent blade member anda rotary member rotating in contact with the tip of the cutting head, before the rotation of the blade member when the punch chip is attached to the tip of the hole punch bit Kipa Nchikuzu The punch scraps accumulated in the dust box can be stirred by the rotation of the blade member.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus main body including an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, a sheet discharge unit that discharges a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit, and the image forming unit. An image forming apparatus comprising: the punching device according to claim 1, wherein the punching device is coupled to the apparatus main body and performs punching processing on the paper discharged from the paper discharge unit.

  According to the present invention, even if punch scraps are stuck to the drilling blade due to the influence of static electricity, punch scraps can be removed. Further, by agitating the punch scraps, the space in the dust box is effectively used to increase the loading amount, thereby reducing the number of times the punch scraps are discarded and increasing the punching operation rate of the punching device.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus provided with a punching device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view showing an embodiment of the punching device of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a punching device of the present invention. It is a front view which shows one Embodiment.

  FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 1, the punching apparatus 2, and the post-processing apparatus 3. As the image forming apparatus 1, for example, an MFP (Multi Function Peripherals) is shown as an example. The punching device 2 performs punching processing on paper, and the post-processing device 3 includes, for example, a stapler.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes a scanner unit 11, an automatic document feeder (ADF) 12, and an operation panel 13 at the top of a main body 10, a printer unit 14 at the center, and a paper feed unit 15 at the bottom. ing.

  The printer unit 14 is, for example, a tandem color laser printer. The printer unit 14 includes a laser 141 and a photosensitive drum 142, and a charger 143, a developing device 144, a transfer device 145, and the like are disposed around the photosensitive drum 142. The developing device 144 is supplied with toner from a toner cartridge.

  The outline of the operation of the printer unit 14 is to scan and expose the surface of the photosensitive drum 142 with a laser beam from a laser 141 to create an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 142. The electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 144 and a toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 142. The toner image is transferred onto the paper P by the transfer device 145. When performing color printing processing, for example, toner cartridges of four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are arranged in a line, and a photosensitive drum and an optical unit are provided for each color.

  The paper supply unit 15 is provided with a plurality of paper supply cassettes for storing various sizes of paper. From these paper supply cassettes, the paper P is sent to the transport belt 16 to form an image. ing. The paper P on which the image is formed is discharged through the paper discharge unit 17 and conveyed to the punching device 2.

  The operation panel 13 provided in the image forming apparatus 1 includes a display and operation keys. In addition to a numeric keypad, a reset key, a stop key, a start key, and the like, the operation panel 13 is for specifying a paper punching mode. It has a punch key. By operating these keys, the user can designate the print mode, the number of copies, punch processing, and the like. The punching process for the paper is executed when the punch key on the operation panel 13 is pressed and the paper punching mode is set.

  In the punching device 2, the paper is punched by an instruction from a user operation, and in the post-processing device 3, the staple processing is performed by an instruction from a user operation and discharged to one of the paper discharge trays 4 and 5.

Next, an embodiment of the drilling device 2 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  The punching device 2 is disposed between the image forming apparatus main body 10 and the post-processing device 3, and the paper P is discharged from the image forming device 1 and conveyed to the punching device 2.

  The punching device 2 includes a punch unit 20 and a dust box 30, and an upper frame 41 and a lower frame 42 that guide the paper P are provided between the punch unit 20 and the dust box 30. The upper frame 41 and the lower frame 42 face each other at a predetermined interval, and the paper discharged from the image forming apparatus 1 is conveyed through a conveyance path 45 between the upper frame 41 and the lower frame 42. Conveying rollers 43 and 44 are provided on the post-processing device 3 side of the upper frame 41 and the lower frame 42, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the punch unit 20 is provided with a pair of punching blades (punches) 21 at predetermined intervals. The punching blades 21 are moved up and down by a punch guide 22 fixed to the upper frame 41. Is possible. The punch unit 20 is provided with a punch motor 23 as a drive source and a slide plate 24. The slide plate 24 is moved by the rotation of the punch motor 23, and the punching blade 21 is moved up and down by the movement of the slide plate 24. The mechanism by which the perforating blade 21 is moved up and down by the movement of the slide plate 24 is a well-known technique and is not the gist of the present invention.

  The punching blade 21 normally stands by at the raised position, and lowers along the punch guide 22 when punching the paper P. Further, punch dies 25 and 26 are provided in the lifting path of the punching blade 21. The punching blade 21 passes through the punch dies 25 and 26 when punching, descends into the dust box 30, punches holes in the paper P, and punch scraps are stacked in the dust box 30.

  On the other hand, the dust box 30 has a box body 31 having a rectangular shape that is long in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the paper P, and a pair of shafts 32 are attached to the upper portion of the box main body 31 in parallel with the transport direction of the paper. The shaft 32 is provided at a position slightly deviated from the lifting / lowering path of the drilling blade, and a rotating member 33 having a plurality of blade members 34 is rotatably attached to the shaft 32. Hereinafter, the rotating member 33 is referred to as a paddle 33.

  The paddle 33 rotates when the perforating blade 21 descends, and the tip of the perforating blade 21 abuts against the windmill-shaped wing member member 34, and the rotation direction is always one direction. For this reason, the wing member 34 is fixed to a rotating shaft 35 having a one-way rotating mechanism so as not to rotate in the reverse direction, and the rotating shaft 35 is attached to the shaft 32.

  The wing members 34 are composed of, for example, four sheets, and are fixed radially at equal intervals with respect to the rotation shaft 35. When the paddle 33 rotates, the upper tip of the wing member 34 protrudes slightly from the upper surface 31a of the box body 31, and the lower tip of the wing member 34 stirs the punch waste accumulated in the dust box 30. The length of the wing member 34 is set to a predetermined length. The paddle 33 is made of a conductive material, is grounded by a grounding means (not shown), and has a charge eliminating function.

  Further, a sensor 36 is provided on the upper portion of the box body 31 (a height position slightly below the shaft 32 of the paddle 33), and a predetermined amount of punch scraps 39 accumulated in the dust box 30 (nearly full). It detects to become. The sensor 36 includes a light emitting element 36a and a light receiving element 36b. Holes 37a and 37b are provided at positions crossing the upper center of the box body 31, and the light emitting element 36a and the light receiving element 36b are attached to the holes 37a and 37b.

If punch scraps 39 accumulate in the dust box 30 and the punch scraps accumulate to a position that blocks the optical path from the light emitting element 36a to the light receiving element 36b, the light receiving element 36b cannot receive light from the light emitting element 36a. Therefore, the sensor 36 detects that light reception has been interrupted, and uses this detection result to display a warning on the display of the operation panel 13.

  Further, the dust box 30 is provided with a handle 38 (FIG. 3), and the user can take out the dust box 30 from the punching device 2 by using the handle 38.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing the positional relationship between the drilling blade 21 and the paddle 33. The paddle 33 has a plurality (four in this example) of wing members 34, and when the piercing blade 21 is lowered, the attachment position of the shaft 32 so that the piercing blade 21 abuts against the tip of any of the wing members 34, The length of the wing member 34 is set in advance.

  That is, the paddle 33 causes a part of the circumference (dashed line α) formed by the rotation of the wing member 34 to hang on the lifting path of the drilling blade 21 and a part of the circumference α of the box body 31. It protrudes above the upper surface 31a, and when a predetermined amount of punch scrap 39 is stacked in the dust box 30, a part of the circumference α is applied to the top of the stack surface of the punch scrap 39.

  Next, the operation of the punching apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 mainly explains punching processing and punch scrap stirring operation. The initial state (the state in which the punching blade 21 is raised and in the standby position) is the state shown in FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5A, since punching is performed on the paper P, when the punching blade 21 is lowered, punched holes are formed in the paper P. As a result, the punch waste 39a may fall as it is, but may remain attached to the tip of the punching blade 21. Hereinafter, the case where the punch scraps 39a adhere to the tip of the punching blade 21 will be described.

When the punching blade 21 opens a punch hole in the paper P and further descends, the tip of the punching blade 21 abuts against the blade member 34 of the paddle 33. Assuming that the abutted wing member is 34a, the wing member 34a is pushed by the perforating blade 21 and rotates in the direction of arrow A by its power.

Next, as shown in FIG.5 (b), the perforation blade 21 raises. Since the paddle 33 is rotating in the arrow A direction at the ascending stage, the tip of the next wing member 34b adjacent to the wing member 34a hits the tip of the drilling blade 21 that is being raised. When the tip of the blade member 34b hits the tip of the perforating blade 21, the paddle 33 is once braked and tries to stop. However, as the perforating blade 21 rises, the brake is immediately released, and the paddle 33 continues to rotate.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5C, the punch scraps 39a adhering to the punching blade 21 are peeled off by the blade member 34b. Since the paddle 33 has a charge eliminating function, the punch scraps 39a remaining on the punching blade 21 due to static electricity can be easily peeled off.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5D, when punch scraps 39 accumulated in the dust box 30 are stacked up to a certain amount, the punch scraps 39 collected by the wing member 34a are scraped and stirred. . As a result, the punch scraps 39 do not accumulate in a mountain shape immediately below the punching blade 21 and can be accommodated in the dust box 30 almost uniformly.

  Further, in FIG. 5D, the next wing member 34c adjacent to the wing member 34b protrudes into the lifting path of the piercing blade 21, so that the next time the piercing blade 21 descends, it hits the wing member 34c. Similarly, 33 rotates in the A direction, and thereafter repeats the states shown in FIGS. 5B to 5D, and the next blade member 34d peels off the punch scraps 45 adhering to the perforating blade 21, and the blade member 34c. The punch scraps 39 that have accumulated are scraped off.

Thus, the paddle 33 is rotated by the lifting / lowering operation of the punching blade 21, and the punch scraps 39 a attached to the punching blade 21 are peeled off and the accumulated punch scraps 39 are scraped off. As a result, the punch scraps 39 in the dust box 30 are prevented from being stacked in a mountain shape and are stacked flat in the dust box 30. Further, when the punch scrap is full, it is detected by the sensor 36, so that the full warning can be given after the punch scrap is completely filled.

Further, since the paddle 33 rotates as the perforating blade 21 descends, a driving source such as a motor is not required, and power saving can be achieved.

  Further, the number of the wing members of the paddle 33 is not limited to four, and may be any number. However, in the case of two sheets, since the wing member is provided at a position of 180 degrees, there is a possibility that when the wing member 34 is oriented vertically, it does not hit the punching blade 21. Therefore, three or more wing members 34 are preferably provided, and four are most suitable.

  Further, the perforating blades 21 are not limited to a pair, and may have two or more perforating blades and selectively lift and lower the plurality of perforating blades according to the number of punch holes. In this case, the paddle 33 may be added according to the number of drilling blades.

  As described above, according to the present invention, even if punch scraps are stuck to the drilling blade due to the influence of static electricity, the punch scraps can be reliably removed. Moreover, since the punch scraps can be collected by effectively using the space in the dust box, the number of times the punch scraps are discarded can be reduced, and the punching operation rate of the punching device can be increased.

The present invention is not limited to the above description, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims.

1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing the overall structure of an image forming apparatus provided with a punching device of the present invention. The side view which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the punching apparatus of this invention. The front view which shows the punching apparatus of the embodiment. The front view which shows the structure of the principal part of the punching apparatus of the embodiment. Operation | movement explanatory drawing explaining operation | movement of the punching apparatus of the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming device 2 ... Punching device 3 ... Post-processing device 20 ... Punch unit 21 ... Punching blade 22 ... Guide 23 ... Punch motor 24 ... Slide plate 25, 26 ... Punch die 30 ... Dust box 31 ... Box body 32 ... Shaft 33 ... Paddle (Rotating member)
34 ... Wings 35 ... Rotating shaft 36 ... Sensor 36a ... Light emitting element 36b ... Light receiving element 39, 39a ... Punch scraps

Claims (7)

A punching device that performs a punching process on the paper that has been carried in and carries it out,
A punch unit that has a perforating blade that can be raised and lowered in a direction orthogonal to the paper conveyance path, and that punches the paper by lowering the perforating blade;
A dust box that is disposed opposite to the punch unit and receives punch waste generated when punching the paper;
A rotary shaft that rotates only in one direction, has at least three or more of a plurality of blade members arranged radially around the rotary shaft, at a position displaced from the lifting path of the hole punch bit in the dust box Attach the rotary shaft, before the tip of the cutting head which descends to rotate the one direction by impinging on any one of said plurality of blade members, the cutting head is retracted to rise, A rotating member that rotates in contact with the tip of the perforating blade, the tip of the subsequent wing member ,
Characterized in that the punch debris at the tip of the cutting head is removed before Kipa wrench waste by rotation of the blade member when attached, and a punch debris accumulated within the dust box stirrable by rotation of the blade member Drilling device.  The perforating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member has a charge eliminating function.  The perforating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member has four wing members, and the four wing members are arranged at equal intervals around the rotation shaft.  The rotating member is configured such that a part of the circumference formed by the rotation of the wing member is applied to the lifting path of the drilling blade, and a part of the circumference protrudes above the upper surface of the dust box, 2. The punching device according to claim 1, wherein when a predetermined amount of punch scraps is loaded in the dust box, a part of the circumference is applied to the top of the punch scrap stacking surface.  2. The perforating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor for detecting that a predetermined amount of punch waste accumulated in the dust box has reached the dust box. The perforating apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the sensor is installed at a height position slightly below the rotating shaft of the rotating member. An image forming apparatus main body having an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, and a sheet discharge unit that discharges the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming unit;
A punching device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the punching device is coupled to the image forming apparatus main body and performs punching processing on the paper discharged from the paper discharge unit. Image forming apparatus.

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