JP4944978B2 - Printer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is configured by combining a printing unit and a post-processing unit. The printing unit conveys a roll-shaped printing paper and prints on the printing paper. The present invention relates to a printer that performs post-processing to create a printed material of a predetermined format, and more particularly, to a printer that can perform processing without being restricted by other operations.

  In the previous application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-003550), the present applicant is configured by combining a printing unit and a post-processing unit, and in the printing unit, roll-shaped printing paper (hereinafter simply referred to as roll paper or paper). ) Is printed on one side of the paper, and the post-processing unit performs cut or other predetermined post-processing on the printed paper (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “printed paper”). A single-sheet printed matter (hereinafter referred to as single-sided printed matter) and a printed sheet having two continuous printing surfaces in a mountain-fold, back-to-back, and pasted form (hereinafter referred to as a single-sheet printed matter) And a printer that selectively creates a double-sided printed product).

nothing special.

  However, the form of the printed material that can be created by the printer according to the previous application is that one page is printed on one side of the paper, that is, a single-sided printed material and two continuous pages that are printed on one side are folded in half.・ Appearance was limited to two types of two-sided printed material, that is, one with two pages in appearance.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and a first problem is that a single-sided printed material, a double-sided printed material, and an apparently one-sided double-sided printed material are continuously formed in a bellows shape from a roll paper. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer capable of selectively creating any of the bellows-like printed matter that is the printed matter of the third form.

  The second problem is that when the fold forming unit provided in the printer forms a fold, the fold forming roller gives an impact to the edge of the printed paper to shift the position of the printed paper, An object of the present invention is to provide a printer that prevents the edge of printed paper from being cut.

  A third problem is to provide a method for efficiently creating a bellows-like printed matter using the printer.

The first problem can be solved by configuring the printer as follows. That is, the present invention provides a printer capable of selectively creating any one-sided printed matter, double-sided printed matter, or accordion-like printed matter using a roll-like printing paper. (1) A printing unit, a post-processing unit, a control device, (2) the printing unit includes: a paper feeding unit that is controlled by the control device to feed the printing paper; and a printing paper that is controlled by the control device to be fed from the paper feeding unit. A first sheet conveying unit that sends a predetermined amount from the printing unit via a printing unit, and a printing unit that prints on one side of the conveyed printing sheet based on data provided from the control device; (3) The post-processing unit is controlled by the control device to cut a printed sheet sent from the printing unit for each predetermined length and to control the control device. And a transport path switching unit that switches between a discharge path that guides the transport destination of the printed paper after cutting to the first tray side and a first transport path that leads to the crease forming unit, and is controlled by the control device. A crease forming portion for forming a crease between an intermediate position of a unit print surface portion of a predetermined length of printed paper directed to the first transport path or between the intermediate position and each unit print surface portion, and a fold is formed. A glued portion for applying glue to a predetermined position of the printed paper, and each unit printing surface part of the glued printed paper of a predetermined length are folded at the fold and pasted with the glue, and then the mountain is folded. Folding and pasting part that presses the part, and the printed paper sent out from the printing unit is received, conveyed through the cut part, the crease forming part, the gluing part, and the half-folding and pasting part, Finally the second training Or (2) the bi-folding / pasting unit continues to the first conveyance path through which a predetermined length of printed paper after gluing is conveyed, And an openable / closable first transport roller disposed in contact with the first transport path on a second transport path extending in a direction opposite to the gluing section, and extending downstream from the gluing section of the first transport path. A second folding roller comprising a second conveyance roller disposed in the portion and a third conveyance roller disposed downstream of the first conveyance roller in the second conveyance path; A press part that is provided on the downstream side of the third transport roller, is fold-folded by the bi-folded part of the printed paper, and presses the glued part, (5) The first transport roller, the second transport roller, and the third transport roller are (6) The control device sets the transport destination of the printed paper after cutting to the first tray side when creating a single-sided printed matter, When creating a double-sided printed matter or a bellows-like printed matter, the conveyance path switching unit control means on the first conveying path side, and when creating a single-sided printed matter on the printing unit, printing is performed while the roll-shaped printing paper is being conveyed. When printing one page on one side of the paper and creating a double-sided printed matter, two pages are printed continuously on one side of the printing paper, and when creating a bellows-like printed matter, one double-sided printed matter is required. A printing unit control means for continuously printing a predetermined number of sheets on a unit printing surface portion, which is a printing area having two pages as one unit, and a crease in the double-sided printed material when creating a double-sided printed material in the gluing portion. Both when the glued position is reached When creating a bellows-like printed matter by gluing the back side of the surface printed matter, every time the fold at the middle position of the unit printed surface portion of the double-sided printed matter in the spread state reaches the glued position, the unit following that fold Gluing part control means for gluing the back side of the double-sided printed material to the middle position of the printing surface part, and unit printing of printed paper after crease formation and gluing conveyed through the first conveyance path when creating double-sided printed material When the intermediate fold of the surface portion reaches a predetermined bi-folding start position, the first and third conveyance rollers of the bi-folding / pasting unit are rotated forward and the second conveyance roller is rotated reversely, and the bellows-like printed matter is When creating, each time the intermediate fold of the unit printing surface portion of the printed paper after crease formation and gluing conveyed through the first conveyance path reaches the bi-fold start position, the bi-fold / paste is performed. The first conveyance roller and the third conveyance roller of the printing unit are rotated in the forward direction, and the second conveyance roller is rotated in the reverse direction until the intermediate fold reaches the press position of the press unit, so that the unit printed surface portion of the printed paper is between Each time the fold reaches the folding start position, the forward rotation of the first conveying roller is temporarily stopped and released, the third conveying roller is rotated in reverse, and the second conveying roller is moved to the press section. Until the leading edge of the printed paper pressed by the roller reaches the downstream side of the second conveying roller, and then the first conveying roller and the second conveying roller are moved to the second folding start position. The first and third transport rollers rotate forward and second each time the intermediate fold reaches the double folding start position until a predetermined number of continuous double-sided printed materials are formed. Reverse rotation of the roller, and temporary stop / release of the first conveyance roller every time the fold between the unit printing surfaces reaches the folding start position, reverse rotation of the third conveyance roller, and normal rotation of the second conveyance roller And a sheet conveying section control means for performing reverse rotation until the next intermediate fold of the first conveying roller and the second conveying roller reaches the bi-folding start position, and the unit printing surface section after gluing passes through the second conveying path. Press section control means for operating the press section when transported in the direction of the third transport roller from the first transport roller.

  The second problem can be solved by configuring the printer as follows. That is, (a) the crease forming unit is provided on the same side as the printing surface of the paper with the crease forming table provided in contact with the surface of the paper transport surface, A crease forming roller having an annular projection having a triangular cross section on the outer peripheral surface, and means for reciprocating the crease formation roller in a direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction while urging the crease formation roller toward the crease formation base; A plate cam that regulates a distance from the fold forming base of the annular protrusion of the fold forming roller in the course of movement of the fold forming roller, and (b) the plate cam is the sheet conveying surface A first cam surface at a position corresponding to both outer sides of the sheet conveying position, a second cam surface having a small width inside the first cam surfaces on both sides thereof, and a second cam surface continuous between the second cam surfaces on both sides thereof. (C) a first cam surface, a second cam surface, and a third cam surface. The surface of the fold forming roller is the distance from the surface of the crease forming table of the annular protrusion of the fold forming roller, and the tip of the annular protrusion of the fold forming roller is slightly smaller than the thickness of the sheet from the surface of the fold forming table The distance between the tip of the crease forming roller and the tip of the crease forming roller at a position substantially equal to the thickness of the paper, and the tip of the annular ridge of the crease forming roller The distance is restricted to a distance from the front surface at a position approximately equal to half the thickness of the sheet.

  The printer having the above-described configuration has the following structure for holding the printed paper sent out by the roller of the printing unit by hanging under its own weight between the roller sent out by the printing unit and the roller received by the post-processing unit. It is desirable that a temporary holding mechanism is provided (claim 3). That is, the temporary holding mechanism is (a1) between the roller that the printing unit sends out and the roller that the post-processing unit receives, by causing the printed paper that is sent out by the roller of the printing unit to hang down by its own weight from the upper opening surface. (A2) A guide member that supports the printed paper fed by the roller of the printing unit on the upper opening surface and guides it in the roller direction of the post-processing unit is provided on the upper opening surface. (A3) When the length of the printed sheet sent out by the printing unit is equal to or longer than a predetermined length, the leading end of the sheet is moved to the post-processing unit. The guide member is moved from a position where the upper opening surface of the housing space is closed to a position where it is opened. It is equipped with a.

  In the printer having the above-described configuration, either one or both of the front side of the conveyance direction of the roller that receives the printed sheet sent out by the printing unit of the post-processing unit and the position immediately before the roller that the post-processing unit receives the printed sheet. It is desirable to provide the following deskew mechanism (claim 4). That is, the skew elimination mechanism includes (b1) a roller whose axial frictional force is smaller than the circumferential frictional force, and (b21) provided on one side in the axial direction of the roller. (B22) provided on the other side in the axial direction of the roller and urged toward the center of the sheet conveyance path by the elastic member. In this case, the elastic member The urging force is set to a size that does not deform the printed paper, and is supported so as to be movable between the other widened position and a position that allows urging by the elastic member. And (b3) one or more times between the widening position and the reference position or the widening position and the position at which the elastic member can be urged. And moving means It is configured Te.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the printer uses a tandem type print engine in a printing unit.

  In the printer, the printing unit includes a paper feeding unit, a first paper transport unit, and a printing unit. The printing unit is disposed above the paper feeding unit, from the paper feeding unit to the terminal end of the printing unit. The first paper transport unit is provided so as to face substantially vertically upward, and the post-processing unit is provided with a cut unit, a path switching unit, a crease forming unit, a gluing unit, and a bi-fold / paste unit in that order from top to bottom. Thus, it is desirable to convey the sheet substantially along an inverted U shape from the start end of the printing unit to the end of the post-processing unit.

  In the method of creating a bellows-like printed matter according to the present invention for solving the third problem, the designated content is designated on the unit printing surface portion of the same length of all the printing paper while conveying the roll-like printing paper. The first step of printing only the pages, the second step of cutting the printed paper into a predetermined length for one book, the third step of forming a crease between each page and at the middle position of each unit printing surface, printed 4th step of gluing on the back side opposite to the printing side of the paper, the paper in the rear part from the fold at the middle position of the unit printing surface part is fed forward at the same time and the front part is fed back from that fold at the same time. By conveying while folding the eyes, the back surfaces of the unit printed surface portions folded in a mountain are pasted together with glue, and the mountain folded portion is pressed, and the unit printed surface portion is apparently one sheet. 5th step to form a double-sided printed material, one double-sided Each time a double-sided printed product is formed, the double-sided printed material is reversely fed and the subsequent unit printed surface portion is sequentially fed so that the created double-sided printed material is evacuated to the stacking unit. A plurality of double-sided surfaces that are evacuated and deposited in a depositing portion. The sixth step of valley-folding the crease between the two and the seventh step of repeating the fifth step and the sixth step by the designated number of the double-sided printed matter A bellows-like printed material is formed from the printed material (claim 7).

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to create the specified number of accordion-like printed materials having a specified size and number of double-sided printed materials in a bellows shape from a roll-shaped printing paper with a single printer. In addition, a single-sided printed material or a double-sided printed material of a specified size and number can be printed.

  According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the effects of the invention of claim 1, the formation of creases can be achieved without misalignment of the paper at the time of crease formation, cutting of both end edges, or cutting at the time of folding. It can be performed.

  According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, when the leading edge of the paper is fed from the final roller of the printing unit, the guide member is held at a position where the upper end surface of the accommodation space is closed. By doing so, the leading edge of the paper is smoothly guided to the first roller of the post-processing unit, so that the leading edge of the paper is reliably captured by the first roller of the post-processing unit. Further, when printing two or more pages continuously on the paper, the guide member is moved to a position where the upper end surface of the accommodation space is opened after the leading edge of the paper is captured, so that the final roller of the printing unit Subsequently, the sheet to be sent out can be freely curved in a drooping manner and accommodated in the accommodating space. Therefore, the printing unit can perform the printing process or the post-processing regardless of the progress of the post-processing of the previous printed matter, and the post-processing unit can perform the printing process or the post-processing without being restricted by the printing operation of the printing unit. Throughput is improved.

  According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, it is projected outward in the circumferential direction immediately before the first roller of the post-processing unit that receives the paper fed from the final roller of the printing unit. A protrusion roller having a number of protrusions which are sharp in the circumferential direction and rounded in the axial direction on the outer periphery, and are provided on one side in the axial direction of the protrusion roller. A width-shifting member movable between the projection roller and the other side in the axial direction of the protruding roller, and is urged by the elastic member toward the center of the sheet conveyance path. In this case, the urging force of the elastic member does not deform the sheet A width adjusting mechanism comprising a width adjusting member that is set to a size and is movable between the other widened position and a position that enables biasing by the elastic member; and Widening position and Since there is provided a skew canceling mechanism configured to include a means for performing a width shifting operation by moving once or a plurality of times between the quasi-position or the widened position and a position enabling the biasing by the elastic member. The paper can be transported along the transport reference plane by removing the skew by damaging the paper without causing damage or breakage. Therefore, the post-processing in the post-processing unit can be performed with high dimensional accuracy.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the frictional force in the circumferential direction is greater than immediately before the first roller of the post-processing unit and immediately before the first roller that feeds the leading edge of the sheet fed by the paper feeding unit of the printing unit to the printing unit. A roller having a small axial frictional force, a width-adjusting member provided on one side of the roller in the axial direction and movable between one widening position and a reference position, and provided on the other side in the axial direction of the roller The elastic member is urged toward the center of the paper conveyance path. In this case, the urging force of the elastic member is set to a size that does not deform the paper, and the other widened position and the elastic member are urged by the elastic member. A width-shifting mechanism comprising a width-shifting member that is movable between a position that enables the width-shifting member, and a position that enables each of the width-shifting members to be urged by a widened position and a reference position or a widened position and an elastic member, respectively. Once or And a skew canceling mechanism configured to move several times. Therefore, before the printing operation is performed in the printing unit and before the predetermined post-processing is performed in the post-processing unit, the skew of the paper is respectively detected. Therefore, prevention of color misregistration in printing and securing of high dimensional accuracy in post-processing are realized.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to compress the apparatus length of the printer and reduce the volume.

  A bellows-like printed matter can be efficiently produced by continuously performing printing, crease formation, gluing, bi-folding, and pasting from roll paper.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a printer according to the present invention. The block diagram which shows an example of a structure of a control apparatus. The chart which shows the operation content of the input part at the time of print setting. The image figure which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of the main component of a printing unit and a post-processing unit. The back view of a part of printing paper. The side view which shows the structure of the cut part which is the first half part of a post-processing unit, a path | route switching part, and a fold formation part. The side view which shows the structure of the gluing part which is the second half part of a post-processing unit, and a half fold and sticking part. The side view of the skew cancellation mechanism provided in the printing paper receiving part of the post-processing unit. The front view along the XX line of FIG. It is a figure which shows the roller with a protrusion which is one of the components of the deskew mechanism, (a) is a perspective view of the main part of the roller with a protrusion, (b) is a perspective view of only one protrusion of the roller with a protrusion, (C) is a longitudinal sectional view of the projection. The side view which shows the structure of the temporary storage mechanism provided between the printing unit and the post-processing unit. The side view of a fold formation part. It is the YY sectional view taken on the line of FIG. The print preparation flowchart. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an initialization operation performed when paper is loaded. The flowchart of a printing part. The flowchart explaining operation | movement of a cut part. The figure explaining the operation | movement of the gluing part at the time of double-sided printed matter preparation, and a half fold and sticking part. The flowchart explaining operation | movement of a punching part. The flowchart explaining the operation | movement at the time of double-sided printing of a double fold and sticking part. The flowchart explaining the operation | movement at the time of the bellows printing of a double fold and sticking part. The figure explaining the operation | movement 1 in the case of producing a bellows-like printed matter. The figure explaining the operation | movement 2 in the case of producing a bellows-like printed matter. The figure explaining the operation | movement 3 in the case of producing a bellows-like printed matter. The figure explaining the operation | movement 4 in the case of producing a bellows-like printed matter. The figure explaining the operation | movement 5 in the case of producing a bellows-like printed matter. The figure explaining the operation | movement 6 in the case of producing a bellows-like printed matter. The figure explaining the operation | movement 7 in the case of producing a bellows-like printed matter. The figure explaining the operation | movement 8 in the case of producing a bellows-like printed matter. The figure explaining the operation | movement 9 in the case of producing a bellows-like printed matter. The figure explaining the operation | movement 10 in the case of producing a bellows-like printed matter. The figure explaining the operation | movement 11 in the case of producing a bellows-like printed matter. The figure explaining the operation | movement 12 in the case of producing a bellows-like printed matter. The flowchart explaining the operation | movement at the time of double-sided printing of a double fold and sticking part. The flowchart explaining the operation | movement at the time of the bellows printing of a double fold and sticking part. The figure which shows the change of the form from the time of printing of a bellows-like printed matter to the time of completing as a product. The top view which shows the bellows-like printed matter of 2 aspects of a completed state.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order with reference to the drawings.
1. 1. Schematic description of configuration 2. Detailed description of each component 2.1 Control device 2.2 Printing unit 2.3 Post-processing unit 2.4 Improvements in the present invention 3. Description of action (control action) 3.1 Initial action 3.2 Action when creating single-sided printed matter 3.3 Action when creating double-sided printed matter 3.4 Action when creating bellows-like printed matter

[1. Schematic description of configuration]
The printer according to the present invention is generally composed of a control device A, a printing unit B, and a post-processing unit C as shown in FIG. Next, each component A, B, and C will be described sequentially.

[2. Detailed description of each component]
[2.1 Control device]
As shown in FIG. 2, the control device A has an input unit 1, an external input unit 1 ′ such as a host device added as desired, a control unit 2, a storage unit 3, a display unit 4, and a detection unit 5. Yes.

[Input section]
The input unit 1 includes a known keyboard, mouse, touch panel, or the like, and is operated to set printing specifications by the printer. The operation is configured to be interactive according to the guidance displayed on the screen of the display unit 4. The operation content includes operation 1 to operation 7 as illustrated in FIG.
Operation 1 is a print type selection for selecting one of three types of print types: single-sided printing, double-sided printing, and bellows-like printing. Bellows printing refers to printing in which double-sided printing is performed continuously over a predetermined length of paper, and finally a bellows-like printed material (book) is created. The operation 2 is a size selection for selecting the output size of the selected type of printed matter from various sizes displayed on the display unit 4. For example, 6 ”× 4”, 6 ”× 8”, and 6 ”× 12” are output size types in the case of single-sided printing, and the output size types in the case of double-sided printing are, for example, 6 There are “× 24”, 6 ”× 36” and other arbitrary lengths. The type of output size in the case of bellows printing is the same as in the case of double-sided printing. These output sizes are stored in advance in the storage unit 3 to be described later, read out in an output size selection operation step, and displayed on the display unit 4. Operation 3 is a print content setting such as a layout type of print content, designation of fixed or arbitrary, and arrangement of text and photos. The standard layout is stored in the storage unit, and is read out and displayed in the operation step of setting the print content. The operation 5 is an operation for displaying the set print contents and layout on the display unit 4 and confirming them by clicking the layout confirmation step after the input from the operations 1 to 3 is completed. The operation 4 is an operation for inputting the number of prints of the determined print contents or the number of prints in the case of bellows printing. The number of prints can be specified by operating a numeric keypad or a mouse. The operation 6 is an operation for instructing the start of the printing operation. For example, the user clicks on the “print start” display part of the display screen or operates the execution key to input the print start instruction. The operation 7 is an operation performed when it is desired to cancel the started printing operation, and the printing can be stopped by clicking the “printing cancel” display portion of the display screen or operating the print cancel key.

  In order to input print information from the outside, an external input unit 1 ′ connected to the host device can be provided.

[Control unit]
The control unit 2 is composed of a CPU having a data processing function, an arithmetic function, each unit control function, and the like. As will be described later, each unit control function realization means includes a memory read / write driver 21, as shown in FIG. Print content editing driver 22, paper transport unit drive unit 23, print driver 24, paper cut driver 25, transport path switching driver 26, crease forming driver 27, gluing driver 28, bi-fold / paste unit drive unit 29, duplex printing In this case, a punching driver 210 and a paper discharge driver 211 are used as desired. Each of these drivers or drive units is configured to control and drive each unit at a predetermined timing according to a predetermined command or a predetermined sequence program.

  The control unit 2 that performs overall control of the entire printer is shown in FIG. 2 as being composed of a single CPU for the sake of convenience. The connection work of the signal line between each part is complicated, and repair and maintenance inspection are not easy when a failure occurs in any element. Therefore, in the preferred embodiment, the function of the control unit 2 is divided into parts for controlling each part and stored in a single chip microcomputer, and each part is equipped with a minimum signal between the related ones. They are connected via connectors. This facilitates maintenance and component replacement.

[Storage unit]
The storage unit 3 includes a ROM that stores system program data and a RAM that stores working data during operation. An external storage device may be connected to assist the storage unit 3 as necessary. The contents stored in the storage unit 3 include, for example, the format and size type of single-sided printing, the format and size type of double-sided printing, the format and size type of bellows printing, etc. as basic data related to printing control.
Further, as basic data relating to paper conveyance control, it is installed at a plurality of predetermined positions for detecting a conveyance distance Δd per pulse of a pulse motor used as a driving body in the paper conveyance unit and a sheet position detection marker. The distance from the detection position of the marker sensor to the predetermined operation position, for example, in the printing unit B, will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, 6, and 7. The marker sensor S1 installed immediately before the print head The distance L1 from the detection position to the print position by the print head, in the post-processing unit C, the distance L2 from the detection position of the marker sensor S2 installed immediately before the cut section 9 to the cut position of the cut section 9, From the detection position of the marker sensor S3 installed just before the crease formation unit 11 to the crease formation position by the crease formation unit 11 Distance L3, distance L4 from the detection position of the marker sensor S4 installed just before the gluing part 12 to the gluing position by the gluing part 12, and from the detection position of the sensor S4 to the bi-folding position by the double fold / paste part 13 A distance L5, a distance L6 based on the marker sensors S5 and S6 for detecting that the paper has reached the retreat position required for the bellows printing, and the punching position from the mann sensor S8 provided immediately before the punching unit 17. And the distance L7.

[Display section]
The display unit 4 is for displaying input contents and print contents on a display screen based on character data and image data input from the input unit 1 or the external input unit 1 ′, and is used by a liquid crystal display device or the like. Is done. While viewing the display screen of the display unit, various settings for printing, confirmation of print contents, and input of a print command can be performed.

[Detection unit]
The detection unit 5 is a kind of input unit. As illustrated in FIG. 5, as illustrated in FIG. 5, a process start when a predetermined process is performed on the conveyed paper p (including cut paper, that is, printed matter). It is composed of the marker sensors S1, S2,... Provided for detecting the position detection marker m attached to the back side of the sheet for determining the position at a predetermined position of the printing unit B and the post-processing unit C. Yes. Needless to say, the input unit 1, the external input unit 1 ′, the display unit 4, and the detection unit 5 are connected to the central control unit by an input / output interface.

[2.2 Printing unit]
The printing unit B accommodates a paper feeding unit 6, a first paper transport unit 7, and a printing unit 8. The printing unit 8 is disposed above the paper supply unit 6 and is provided so that the conveyance path of the first paper conveyance unit 7 from the paper supply unit 6 to the terminal end of the printing unit 8 faces substantially vertically upward. Subsequently, each component of the printing unit B will be described.

[Paper Feeder]
The paper feed unit 6 has a roll paper holder 61 for loading and holding roll paper p used as single-sided printing paper in this printer, and a feeding means 62. The feeding means 62 is usually used for reducing the initial transport resistance of the roll paper with respect to the first paper transport unit 7 and improving the stability of the paper transport in the printing unit 8. And a roller for transmitting a rotational force to the roll paper p.

[Paper transport section]
The paper transport unit is provided so as to be continuous with the printing unit B and the post-processing unit C, and operates in the range from the paper feed unit 6 of the printing unit B to the end of the printing unit 8; Each of the second sheet conveying unit 7 'conveys along a predetermined conveying path to a half-folding and pasting unit 13 through a cut unit 9 and a path switching unit 10 of a post-processing unit C, which will be described later. Controlled by another microcomputer. A pulse motor (not shown) that supplies power, and conveyance rollers R1, R2,... (Which are arranged along each conveyance path and are rotated in a predetermined direction by being provided with the rotational force of the pulse motor via a transmission means. A driving roller dr and a pinch roller pr), and a guide plate (not shown) provided between the rollers and guiding the paper along the conveying surface.

  The first roller R1 that can always hold the paper p fed from the roll paper loading unit of the paper supply unit 6 and start the conveyance by applying a conveyance force between the conveyance rollers of the first paper conveyance unit 7 and printing. There is a final roller R2 that sandwiches the paper that has been transported through the section 8 and has finished the printing process, and sends it to the post-processing unit C side. Among the transport rollers of the second paper transport section 7 ', from the final roller R2 There is a first roller R3 provided to receive the paper to be fed into the post-processing unit C.

[Print section]
The printing unit 8 uses a print engine capable of color printing, and may be a single type print engine. However, in a preferred embodiment, a tandem type print engine (not shown) is used. Then, a print engine provided on one side of the sheet conveyance surface by the first sheet conveyance unit 7 performs predetermined printing on a predetermined print area on one side of the sheet based on the print data and the print control signal given from the control unit 2. The content is printed by the designated number given by the control unit 2. In the preferred embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 5, in order to make it possible to detect a predetermined position of the paper p from the paper itself, a marker printing means (marker printing means ( (Not shown). In FIG. 8, CL indicates a cut line formed by the cut unit 9 described later, and St indicates a predetermined print area (unit print surface portion). The position of the cut line CL and the print area St are variable depending on the setting.

  In the printing unit 8, the printing driver of the control unit starts the printing process from the time when the marker sensor S1 detects the marker m on the back surface of the conveyed paper p to the time when the conveyance motor using the pulse motor rotates a predetermined number of steps. Thus, the predetermined printing content is printed at an accurate position of the predetermined unit printing surface portion (printing area St) of the paper p illustrated in FIG. The printed paper p is sent out from the final roller R2 of the printing unit B toward the post-processing unit C.

[2.3 Post-processing unit]
In the post-processing unit C, in addition to the second paper transport unit 7 ′, a cut unit 9, a transport path switching unit (hereinafter referred to as a path switching unit) 10, a crease forming unit 11, and a gluing unit along the transport path. 12, Folding / pasting part 13 and punching part 14 added as desired are accommodated.
Also in the post-processing unit C, the cut unit 9, the path switching unit 10, the crease forming unit 11, the gluing unit 12, and the two-fold / paste unit 13 are installed in the order from the top to the bottom, and from the starting end of the printing unit B By continuing the conveyance path to the end portion of the post-processing unit C substantially along an inverted U-shape, the apparatus length can be reduced and the printer volume can be reduced. Below, each component of a post-processing unit is demonstrated.

[Cut part]
As illustrated in FIG. 6, the cutting unit 9 is known and is conveyed by the second sheet conveying unit 7 ′ starting with the first roller R <b> 3 that receives the sheet fed from the printing unit B of the post-processing unit C. When the marker sensor S2 detects the marker m on the sheet P, the sheet conveyance is temporarily stopped when the conveyance motor rotates a predetermined number of steps from the time when the detection signal is received. At that time, the sheet cutter 9a is driven to convey the sheet. It is configured to cut along a straight line perpendicular to the direction. The paper cutter 9a cuts an unnecessary portion between the cut lines CL before and after the predetermined marker on the paper, and cuts at a cut line at the end of the paper (printed paper) that has finished the predetermined printing to have a predetermined length. It is configured to perform a cutting operation when forming a printed matter. The removed unnecessary portion is stored in the dust box 9c by falling under its own weight through the wing 9b.

[Route switching unit]
Path switching section 10 specifies the transport destination of the sheet fed from the cutting unit 9, to one of the discharge path Ra oblique guiding the first tray 15a direction, the first conveying path Rb extending vertically downward It is. When single-sided printing is selected in the print type selection operation at the input unit 1, the transport destination is designated as the discharge path Ra, and when double-sided printing or bellows printing is selected in the print type selection operation, the transport destination is folded. It switches to 1st conveyance path Rb which goes to the eye formation part 11 direction.
As shown in FIG. 6, the path switching unit 10 includes, for example, a rotary solenoid 10 a and a wing 10 b that is rotated in the conveyance surface by the rotary solenoid. What is designated as one of Ra and the first transport path Rb can be used. Instead of the rotary solenoid 10a, a combination of a motor and a cam or a combination of an electromagnet, a wing and a return spring can be used.

[Fold forming part]
As shown in FIG. 6, the crease forming unit 11 is cut to a predetermined length by the cutting unit 9, and the marker m of the printed paper (printed material) conveyed in the direction of the first conveyance path Rb by the path switching unit 10 is a marker. When the conveyance motor rotates a predetermined number of steps from the time detected by the sensor S3, that is, when the predetermined position in the longitudinal direction of the paper reaches the crease forming position and the conveyance is temporarily stopped, the printing surface of the printed matter A crease (streaks) is formed on the back surface of the printed matter by a crease forming mechanism which will be described in detail later. This fold is formed so as to be easily folded in two when the sheet is folded in two (mountain fold or valley fold) at a predetermined position of the cut paper by a bi-folding / pasting part 13 described later. In FIG. 6, only a part of the fold forming portion 11 is shown for simplification of the drawing. Details will be described later with reference to FIGS.

[Glued part]
As shown in FIG. 7, the gluing unit 12 is provided at the rear stage (lower side) of the fold forming unit 11, and a predetermined fold of the printed paper (printed material) conveyed after the crease formation is used as a boundary. Adhesive for adhering the pages on both sides to the surface opposite to the printing surface is attached.

  As the gluing portion 12, any known one using adhesive paste can be used. An adhesive can be sprayed or applied, but in order to avoid the risk of flammability, the adhesive is peelably supported on one side of the tape 12a, and the tape is wound around a roll and accommodated in the cartridge 12b. It is desirable to use a known glue cartridge 12c. Further, when the glue cartridge 12c is used, the glue (tape) can be easily replenished and no heating means or the like is required, which is preferable in terms of not affecting print quality and in terms of installation space. The tape 12a of the glue cartridge 12c is pulled out from the cartridge 12b, and is half-wound around a glue roller 12d provided so as to be pressed and separated from the pressure receiving roller pr8 that also serves as a paper carrying roller in the vicinity of the paper carrying surface. Yes.

[Folded and pasted part]
As shown in FIG. 7, the double fold / paste unit 13 folds the printed paper, which has been glued by the gluing unit 12, into two at a fold so that the printed surface is on the front side. Then, they are overlapped and pasted with the glue attached to the tip.

  The means for folding the sheet fed in a flat shape along the fold line is not particularly limited. Further, the means for attaching the folded paper is not particularly limited. However, since the glue is attached to the back surface of the printed matter, it is not easy to apply a force in the surface direction to the back surface without the glue becoming an obstacle. In addition, by simply pressing with a roller or the like while conveying the folded folded product, the folded folded product is securely pasted over its entire length, providing a clean appearance as if it were a single printed product. It is not easy.

In view of the above points, in a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the bi-folding / sticking portion 13 includes a bi-folding portion 13a dedicated to folding a printed material and a front end (bi-folding front end of the printed material after folding). ), And a deposition portion 13c newly provided for producing a bellows-like printed material.
The two-fold portion 13a is continuous with the first conveyance path Rb through which the printed sheet having a predetermined length after gluing is conveyed, and extends in the direction opposite to the gluing section 12 with respect to the conveyance surface of the first conveyance path Rb. An openable and closable first transport roller R8 (dr8, pr8) disposed in contact with the first transport path Rb with the Rc sandwiched vertically, and a downstream extension Rb ′ of the first transport path Rb sandwiched between the left and right. A second conveying roller R9 (dr9, pr9) provided, and a third conveying roller R10 (dr10, pr10) disposed in the second conveying path Rc on the opposite side of the gluing portion 12 with respect to the first conveying roller R8. It is composed of The driving roller dr8 of the first transport roller R8 also serves as the pressure receiving roller of the gluing unit 12. With such a configuration, an effect of shortening the sheet conveyance distance is obtained.

  Then, the press unit 13b is arranged on the downstream side of the third transport roller R10 and the flat roller 13b1 between the transport rollers R10 and R11 in the paper transport direction with its outer peripheral surface in contact with the second transport path Rc. An urging member (not shown) is provided to allow the flat roller 13b1 to be pressed against the second transport path Rc with an appropriate pressure so as to be able to roll in a direction perpendicular to the motor, and includes a combination of a motor and a ball screw. A flat roller moving means (not shown) is provided. Normally, the flat roller 13b1 is maintained on the outer side in the width direction from the second conveying path Rc, and when the fold of the folded and pasted paper exists at the passing position of the flat roller 13b1, the flat roller 13b1 Is rolled in one direction or both directions, and the fold and the periphery of the sheet are pressed. The flat roller 13b1 may change the moving direction alternately between the forward direction and the backward direction for each fold, and may perform pressing at each movement.

  The accumulation part 13c is configured by a space having a square shape formed on the downstream side extension of the first transport path Rb. And the accumulation | storage part 13c is used as a temporary stay space at the time of bi-folding (mountain fold, valley fold) of the double-sided printed matter which is a structural unit of a bellows-like printed matter, and the accumulation space of the double-sided printed matter which complete | finished sticking.

[Punching part]
4 and 7, the further preferred embodiment has a punching portion 14 on the downstream side of the half-folding / pasting portion 13 of the second transport path Rc. When the double-sided printed material created by the printer of the present invention is, for example, a photographic printed material, the punching unit 14 has a plurality of punch holes for binding a plurality of completed double-sided printed materials to, for example, an album book, and the end side of the double-sided printed material. Are opened at intervals. Although not shown in the drawings, the punching unit 14 is provided with a plurality of punching pins that are vertically guided and held at a fixed position on an oblique lever that is pivotally supported at one end, and can be rotated forward and backward. A known one configured by screwing a ball screw rotated by a motor can be used.

[Output section]
This printer is capable of producing three types of printed materials: single-sided printed material, double-sided printed material, and bellows-like printed material. The single-sided printed material is completed when the printed sheet is cut to a predetermined length by the cutting unit 9, and is thus configured to be discharged directly from the path switching unit 10 to the first tray 15a from the discharge path Ra. In addition, the double-sided printed material is folded in two after the printed sheet is cut into a two-page spread in the cut portion 9 and a crease is formed at an intermediate position in the crease forming portion 11. Since it is folded and pasted at the fold by the part 3 and is punched by the punching part as desired, it is transported so as to pass through the half-folding / pasting part 13 and the punching part 14, and the second transport. It is configured to be discharged to the second tray 15b provided at the end of the path Rc. Further, in the accordion-like printed matter, a sheet having a required length after printing is cut into a predetermined length in the cut portion 9, and a necessary number of folds are formed in a predetermined position in the crease forming portion 11, and folded and pasted in half. In part 13, as an example, the valley fold is repeated at the odd-numbered fold, the mountain fold is repeated at the even-numbered fold, and the pages on both sides of the fold are pasted at the time of the mountain fold. Since the double-sided printed material is held in the stacking portion 13c and the pasting of all the double-sided printed materials is completed, the bottom of the stacking portion constitutes the third tray 15c.

[2.4 Improvements According to the Present Invention]
Proceeding now, improvements to the above configuration according to the present invention will be described.
When double-sided printing is designated as the print type, the half-folding / paste unit 13 applies a sheet having one unit printing surface portion St having a length corresponding to two pages of a predetermined length of printed matter to the middle of the unit printing surface portion St. A single-sided double-sided printed product is created in appearance by a single folding and pasting operation in which the mountain is folded at the position and the back surfaces are pasted together. On the other hand, when the bellows printing is designated as the print type, it is folded in half with respect to the long sheet having the specified number of unit print surface portions St having the same length as the two pages of the printed matter. -A bellows-like printed matter (book-like printed matter) is created by performing the pasting operation a predetermined number of times. The fact that the creation of the bellows-like printed matter is a novel matter that is not disclosed in the previous application. Details will be described later.

  In the present invention, as a new configuration for solving the above problems, (1) an improved temporary holding mechanism 16 is provided between the printing unit B and the post-processing unit C, and (2) at least post-processing. The unit B has a printed paper receiving port provided with a skew canceling mechanism 17, (3) an improved crease forming mechanism is provided in the crease forming unit 11, and (4) a double fold / paste unit In addition to the creation of double-sided printed matter, 13 is added with a control means that enables creation of the above bellows-like printed matter. These will be described in detail below.

(1) Improving the storage unit Between the printing unit B and the post-processing unit C, as shown in FIG. 11, since the post-processing of the previous printed matter is not completed, the printed paper is immediately carried into the post-processing unit C. When it is not possible, or when the paper currently being printed cannot be carried into the post-processing unit C, a paper holding unit 16 is provided for temporarily holding the paper sent from the end roller R2 of the printing unit. . The paper storage unit 16 may be provided on either side of the tail of the printing unit B and the head of the post-processing unit C.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the sheet storage unit 16 opens a distance between the final roller R2 of the printing unit B and the first roller R3 of the post-processing unit C, and holds the storage space 16a extending downward with the space therebetween as an upper opening surface. And a moving means for moving the guide member from the closed position to the open position and in the opposite direction thereof, the guide member 16b being movable between a position for closing and opening the opening surface. (Not shown). On the upper side of the opening surface, a plurality of feed rollers 16c having a lower end surface on the sheet conveying surface connecting the nip of the final roller R2 of the printing unit B and the nip of the first roller R3 of the post-processing unit C are provided at an appropriate interval. A pressing roller 16d is provided on the guide member 16b. The pressing roller 16d is in contact with the feed rollers 16c when the guide member 16b is in the closed position.

  The guide member 16b illustrated in FIG. 11 has a rear end portion of the guide member 16b fixed to a support shaft 16e provided on the first roller side R3 of the post-processing unit C, and is supported by a moving means (not shown) including a motor and a lever. The guide member 16b is configured to rotate between a closed position and a release position about the shaft 16e.

(2) Newly Establishing Skew Eliminating Mechanism In the vicinity of the first roller R3 of the post-processing unit C, a skew eliminating mechanism 17 as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 is provided. The skew canceling mechanism 17 conveys the roller 17a that also serves as the pressing roller pr3 of the first roller R3 of the post-processing unit C, the width adjusting members 17b1 and 17b2 provided on both sides in the width direction of the paper conveying surface, and the width adjusting members. It has moving means 17c1 and 17c2 for moving in the width direction of the surface.

  The roller 17a has a smaller frictional force against the paper in the axial direction than the frictional force against the paper in the outer peripheral direction. An example of such a roller will be described. As shown in FIG. 10, the roller 17a has a large number of small protrusions 171 that are sharp in the sheet conveying direction and round in the longitudinal direction of the roller, as shown in FIG. It is a known one arranged. When the roller with protrusion (hereinafter referred to as protrusion roller) 17a is rotated, it exerts a frictional force that reliably conveys the sheet existing on the sheet conveying surface in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the protrusion roller 17a. When the protruding roller does not rotate, only a frictional force that allows sliding in the width direction acts on the paper.

One width adjusting member 17b1 is fixed to one end of the conveying surface in the width direction at the tip of a shaft 172 that is reciprocally movable in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, and the shaft 172 is connected to the moving means 17c1. ing. In the illustrated example, the moving means 17c1 is configured by a grooved cylindrical cam 174 fixed to one end of one rotating shaft 173, and the lower end of the operating rod 172 ′ fixed to the shaft 172 of the width adjusting member 17b1 is the lower end thereof. It is slidably fitted in the groove. The shaft 173 is coupled with a rotation shaft of a width adjusting motor (not shown) controlled by the control unit 2.
The other width adjusting member 17b2 is fixed to the other end in the width direction of the sheet conveying surface at the tip end of a shaft 175 that is reciprocally movable in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, and the shaft 175 is linked to the moving means 17c2. Has been. The shaft 175 is biased by the elastic member 176 such as a coil spring toward the center of the conveying surface R by the width adjusting member 17b2. The moving means 17c2 includes a grooved cylindrical cam 177 fixed to the other end of the rotating shaft 173, and the lower end of the operating rod 175 ′ fixed to the shaft 175 of the width adjusting member 17b2 is slidably fitted in the groove. Are combined.
If the width adjusting members 17b1 and 17b2 are divided into two parts before and after the conveying roller R3 and connected to each other, the width adjusting operation can be efficiently performed.

  Thus, when the shaft 173 is rotated, the width adjusting member 17b1 via the grooved cylindrical cam 174 is positioned closest to the widened position p1 which is the farthest distance from the center of the sheet conveying surface and the same sheet conveying surface. It is possible to reciprocate between the paper transport reference position p2. Further, when the shaft 173 is rotated, the other width adjusting member 17b2 is brought into contact with the widening position p3 which is the farthest distance from the center of the sheet conveying surface, and one side is in contact with the reference position via the grooved cylindrical cam 177. It is possible to reciprocate between the width adjustment position p4 that presses against the other side of the sheet with a flexible force that does not damage the other side. The shaft 173 may be divided into left and right parts, and a width adjusting motor may be coupled to each of the shafts 173 so that the moving units 17c1 and 17c2 act independently.

  The marker sensor S2 detects a marker next to the start edge of the sheet fed from the last roller R2 of the printing unit B, and determines that the start edge of the sheet has been nipped by the first roller R3. When the width adjusting motor is rotated by a predetermined angle (in the opened state), both width adjusting members 17b1 and 17b2 are preferably at least once between the widening position p1 and the reference position p2 or between the widening position p3 and the width adjusting position p4. The sheet is reciprocated a plurality of times, and a width-shifting action is performed on the sheet existing above the protrusion roller 71a so that one side in the width direction matches the reference position p2. Therefore, when a skew is generated in the sheet held in the sheet holding unit 16, the skew is eliminated by the width shifting action. Accordingly, an accurate position is subsequently conveyed along the conveyance reference plane inside the post-processing unit C. When the shaft 173 is divided into left and right parts, the width adjusting member 17b2 is reciprocated once or a plurality of times between p3 and p4 while the width adjusting member 17b1 is positioned at the reference position p2.

  When the printing unit B is a single type and performs color printing by repeating forward and backward feeding of paper, there is no skew that causes color misregistration on the paper, but the tandem type Therefore, when cutting is performed every time printing of one printed matter is finished and an unprinted paper is returned to the transport start position of the paper transport section 7, there is a possibility that a skew is generated at the start edge of the paper. Therefore, in the case of a printer that prints a color photograph that requires a particularly high resolution, it is desirable that the tandem type printing unit is provided with a skew elimination mechanism similar to the above just before the first roller R1 of the paper transport unit. . This enables color photo printing without color misregistration in the printing unit.

(3) Improvement of Fold Forming Part A specific example for solving the second problem will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the example shown in FIG. 12, the crease forming mechanism is a belt wound between a frame 11a fixed to the post-processing unit B and pulleys (not shown) rotatably attached to the left and right sides of the frame. 11b, a guide shaft 11d fixed between the left and right support portions 11c of the frame 11a, a holder 11e slidably supported by the guide shaft, and coupled to a part of the belt 11b, and the holder 11e A fold is formed between a lever 11g swingably supported at a fulcrum 11f, a fold forming roller 11i rotatably supported by a support shaft 11h at one end of the lever, and the other end of the lever 11g and the holder 11e. The roller 11i has an elastic member, for example, a coil spring 11j, mounted so as to be urged in the direction of the sheet conveying surface, and is provided on the lower side of the frame 11a, and the leading end forms a crease. A positioning member 11k slidably in contact with the lower surface of the roller 11i, a coil spring 11l wound around the support shaft 11h between the lever 11g and the crease forming roller 11i, and a lever of the support shaft 11h The arm 11m fixed to the end opposite to 11g, and rotatably provided at the tip of the arm, is in contact with the cam surface of the plate cam 11n provided inside the lower surface of the frame 11a so as to be able to roll. A roller 11o, and a motor 11p attached to the frame 11a and reciprocally moving the holder 11e along the guide shaft 11d via the pulley.

  The crease forming roller 11i has an annular protrusion (ring edge) 11i 'having a triangular cross section on the outer peripheral surface. A fold forming base 11q is installed in parallel to the paper transport surface on the side opposite to the fold forming roller 11i with respect to the paper transport surface, and the crease forming base 11q includes a protrusion 11i ′ of the fold forming roller 11i. A concave strip 11q ′ having a rectangular cross section and having a required depth is formed.

  In order to solve the third problem of the present invention, the cam surface 11n 'of the plate cam 11n is particularly formed as follows. That is, the fold forming base 11q is used as a reference surface, and the first cam surface 11n′1 having the highest height h1 from the reference surface is provided outside the sheet conveying positions on both sides of the plate cam 11n. There is a second cam surface 11n′2 whose height h2 from the reference surface is lower than the height h1 of the first cam surface 11n′1 over a predetermined distance d inside the first cam surface 11n′1. Further, a third cam surface 11n′3 having the lowest height h3 from the reference surface is provided between the second cam surfaces 11n′2 on both sides. The first cam surface 11n′1 and the second cam surface 11n′2 and the second cam surface 11n′2 and the third cam surface 11n′3 are respectively continuous by gentle curved surfaces.

  The height h1 of the first cam surface 11n′1 is such that when the roller 11o rolls on this cam surface, the tip of the annular projection 11i ′ of the fold forming roller 11i is larger than the thickness of the sheet from the surface of the fold forming base 11q. The height h2 of the second cam surface 11n′2 is set so as to be slightly separated from each other, and the height 11 of the second cam surface 11n′2 when the roller 11o rolls on the cam surface, the protrusion 11i of the fold forming roller 11i. 'Is set to exist at a position substantially equal to the thickness of the sheet from the surface of the crease forming table 11q, and the height h3 of the third cam surface 11n'3 is set on the cam surface by the roller 11o. When moving, the tip of the annular protrusion 11i ′ of the fold forming roller 11i is set to be located at a position equal to approximately half the thickness of the sheet from the surface of the fold forming base 11q.

  With the above configuration, when the motor 11p is rotated, the holder 11e existing on either the left or right side of the paper transport surface is moved to the outer side of the left or right side of the paper transport surface, and a crease is formed therebetween. The roller 11i rolls within the concave strip 11q ′ of the crease forming base 11q while being urged by the coil spring 11j to the sheet conveying surface. Therefore, when a sheet is present on the surface of the fold forming base 11q, a linear fold (streak) is formed on the sheet by the annular protrusion 11i 'of the fold forming roller 11i.

  The height h2 of the second cam surface 11n′2 and the predetermined distance d3 cause the annular projection 11i ′ of the fold forming roller 11i to roll to suddenly impact the edge pe in the width direction of the paper and shift the paper. It is set in order to prevent the edge of the sheet from being broken or broken when the sheet is folded in half. Therefore, in the present invention using the crease forming mechanism, it is possible to form folds without causing paper misalignment, and the strength of the edge pe of the paper is maintained, so that the edge is cut. The paper can be folded in half.

  The crease formation on the paper may be performed each time the crease forming roller 11i is moved once in one direction, or may be performed by reciprocating the crease forming roller 11i once.

(4) Improvement of the gluing part In the printer according to the previous application, there was only a gluing operation for creating a double-sided printed material. The gluing operation is performed when the number of rotations of the transport motor reaches a predetermined number of steps from when the predetermined marker m of the printed paper having a length of two continuous pages is detected by the marker sensor S4, that is, When the fold of the paper reaches the gluing position (the nip between the gluing roller 12d and the pressure receiving roller pr8), the fold is used to attach the first half (first page) and the second half (second page) of the paper. Gluing was performed on the area from the eyes to the rear edge of the paper.
On the other hand, in the present invention, there is provided a gluing control program for performing different gluing patterns for gluing in the case of the bellows-like printed material in addition to the gluing pattern in the case of the above-mentioned double-sided printed material with the same gluing unit. It has been added. In this way, double-sided printing and bellows printing are realized only by adding software.
That is, the printed matter is formed into a bellows shape by sequentially folding a mountain and a valley at each fold by a bi-folding and pasting unit 13 described later, and pasting pages on both sides of the mountain fold. In the case of a printed accordion-like printed matter, in order to paste the back side of two continuous pages before and after the folds to be folded in a mountain, paste is applied to the region from the fold to the middle position of the page following the fold. It is controlled to do. This will be described in detail later.

(5) Improvement of bi-fold / paste part In the previous application invention, the double-fold / paste part 13 had only an operation for forming a double-sided printed material. By adding it, it became possible to create a bellows-like printed matter.
When the printed matter to be created is a double-sided printed matter, the glued paper should be folded in two so that the printed surface will be on the front side at one crease, and then overlapped and pasted Be controlled. If the printed material is a bellows-shaped printed material, the glued paper is alternately folded and folded in each fold, and folded in half so that the printed surface is on the front side when the mountain is folded. In addition, it is controlled so as to be superimposed and pasted. Details will be described later.

[3. Description of action]
Next, the action (operation) of the above configuration will be described in the following order based on the drawings of FIG.
(1) Initialization operation (2) Single-sided printing (3) Double-sided printing (4) Bellows printing

[Initialization operation]
When the printer is turned on, as shown in FIG. 14, first, an initialization operation and a check operation are performed (S11, S means a step). Specifically, the presence or absence of paper is checked by a paper sensor (not shown) provided in the paper supply unit 6 of the printing unit B, and the paper guide 15a of the paper storage unit 15 is held in the closed position. When it is detected that there is paper, the paper presence flag in the storage unit is turned on. When it is detected that there is no paper, the paper presence flag is turned off. The presence or absence of paper is displayed on the display unit 4 in correspondence with ON and OFF. When paper is loaded in the roll paper holder 61 of the paper supply unit 6 based on the indication of no paper, the control unit 2 of the control device A cuts the starting edge of the paper by the cutting unit 9 and conveys the beautiful starting edge of the paper. An initialization operation is performed to wait at the start position.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 15A, when the leading end of the loaded roll paper is held between the feeding means 62 and a loading sensor (not shown) is turned on, or when a paper feed button is pressed, FIG. ), The paper feed unit 6 is started to feed out the paper, and the first paper transport unit 7 is linked to transport the paper. During the conveyance, the marker is printed on the back surface of the paper at predetermined distances by the marker printing unit of the printing unit 8. The sheet on which the marker is printed is sent out from the printing unit 8, passes through the upper surface of the guide member 15 a of the sheet holding unit 15, and when the first marker is detected by the marker sensor S2 before the cut unit 9, the marker detection is performed. When the number of steps of the transport motor reaches a predetermined value from the time, the transport is stopped, and at the same time, the cutting unit 9 is operated to cut the paper at a predetermined position away from the marker. As shown in FIG. 15C, the tip portion p 'cut off by this cutting is dropped and accommodated in the dust box 9c by the wing 9b.

  Next, the sheet having a clean leading edge is reversely fed by cutting, and the reverse feeding is stopped when it is detected that the leading edge has reached the conveyance start position as shown in FIG. Then, a check operation is performed as to whether or not the preparation state is good by the initialization operation (S12). If the result of the check is OK, OK is displayed on the display unit 4 (S13), and if it is not OK, NG is displayed (S14).

When OK is displayed, it is possible to input settings for the print contents.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16, when the printing content is set from the input unit 2 (S15), the control unit 2 of the control device A gives a print start command to the printing unit B in the paper transport unit 7 and the printing unit 8. Wait.

  When the printing unit B receives the print start command (Y in S16), it waits for the skew to be eliminated (S17). That is, regardless of the type of printed matter to be created, first, prior to paper conveyance, the deskewing mechanism 17 'immediately before the conveyance start position is activated, and a width-shifting action that vibrates the leading edge of the paper a plurality of times in the conveyance path width direction. Then, one end of the sheet is brought into contact with the conveyance reference surface.

  When the skew is eliminated, the sheet conveying section 7 starts conveying the sheet (S18), and the first marker is printed at a position away from the leading edge of the sheet as shown in FIG. S19), when the first marker sensor S1 detects the first marker, and when a predetermined number of steps of the transport motor has elapsed from the time point (S110), the printing unit 8 responds to a command given from the control unit 2 according to the type of printed matter. Is started (S111). Hereinafter, control operations corresponding to each type of printed matter will be described.

[Single-sided printing]
When single-sided printing is selected as the type of printed material (in the case of setting content 1 in FIG. 4), printing on an area (unit printing surface part) for one page on one side of the paper is performed on the paper being conveyed. When the designated number is 2 or more, printing for the area for one page is continuously performed for the designated number of sheets (S111-S112,...). When printing for the designated number of sheets is completed, the last marker is printed (S113), and then the printing process is terminated.

The printed paper to be conveyed is fed from the final roller R2 of the printing unit B, passes through the upper surface of the guide member 16b held at the closed position of the paper holding unit 16, and passes through the first roller R3 of the post-processing unit C. When the sheet is transported by the first predetermined distance n2 from the time when the marker sensor S2 detects the first marker m1 at the rear position of the leading end (FIG. 17A, Y in S21) (for example, a predetermined step of the transport motor) The cut portion 9 is operated (S22) when a few n1 have elapsed), and an unprinted unnecessary portion of the leading edge of the paper is cut and separated (S23), and the wing 10 is kept at the exclusion position when the leading edge is removed. Therefore, it is excluded by the dust box 9c. The remaining printed paper after cutting is advanced as it is.
At the time of single-sided printing, the path switching motor of the path switching unit 10 is maintained at the home position, and the conveyance path is made conductive in the direction of the discharge path Ra, so that the advanced paper advances to the discharge path Ra. Then, when the sheet is transported by the second predetermined distance determined by the designated output size of the printed matter from the first marker detection time (FIG. 17 (b) S21) (FIG. 17 (b) S22), the cutting unit 9 is operated again (S23 in FIG. 17B), and a single-sided printed material having a predetermined length is created from the first printed sheet. The single-sided printed matter is discharged from the discharge path Ra to the first tray 15a.

  When the designated number is two or more (N in FIG. 17B, N in S24), the second predetermined predetermined time from the marker detection time (S21) by the marker sensor S2 subsequent to the trailing edge cut of the first single-sided printed material. After transporting the distance (S22), the sheet is cut by the cutting unit 9 (S23), and a second single-sided printed material is created and discharged to the first tray 15a. Thereafter, the second predetermined distance conveyance after the marker detection, cutting and discharging are repeated until the end of the designated number.

  The paper transported for printing finishes the trailing edge cut by the cut portion 9 for the last single-sided printed matter of the designated number, and at the same time, the first roller R3 of the post-processing unit C is opened, and the final roller R2 of the printing unit B and Since the first roller R1 is reversely rotated, it is reversely fed, and when the leading edge of the paper is returned to the conveyance start position as shown in FIG. 15C, the reverse feeding of the paper is stopped and the printing unit B Waits for the next print command input from the control unit 2.

[Double-sided printing]
When double-sided printing is selected as the type of printed material in the input unit (in the case of setting content 2 in FIG. 4), printing for one page of the area (unit printing surface part) on one side of the paper is continuously conveyed for two pages. This is done for the paper inside. When the designated number is 2 or more, printing for the area for two continuous pages is continuously performed for the designated number. The conveyed paper is sent out from the final roller R2 of the printing unit B, passes through the upper surface of the guide member 16b held at the closed position of the paper storage unit 16, and passes through the first roller R3 of the post-processing unit C. When the marker sensor S2 detects the first marker located at the rear of the leading edge (Y in S21) and is conveyed by a first predetermined distance (S22), the sheet is cut by the cutting unit 9 (S23). ) Unnecessary unprinted portions at the front end of the paper are cut and separated, and are removed by the dust box 9c. The remaining printed paper after cutting is advanced as it is.

  During double-sided printing, the path switching unit 10 connects the transport destination to the first transport path Rb, so that the advanced paper advances in the direction of the first transport path Rb. Then, when the printed paper is conveyed by the third predetermined distance determined by the designated output size of the printed matter from the time when the marker is first detected, the cutting unit 9 cuts the trailing edge of the paper (S23). A double-sided printed material having a predetermined spread is created from the first printed sheet. The double-sided printed material in the spread state is conveyed toward the crease forming unit 11 by the conveyance roller R5 along the first conveyance path Rb whose traveling direction is designated by the path switching unit 10.

  When the designated number is two or more (N in S24), the process returns to S21, and after the trailing edge cutting of the first double-sided printed material, after the third predetermined distance from the marker detection time by the marker sensor S2 thereafter. The second double-sided printed material is cut by the cutting unit 9 and the double-sided printed material in the double-spread state is created. The double-sided printed material in the spread state is directed to the first transport path Rb by the path switching unit 10, and a fold is formed by the transport roller R5. It is conveyed toward the section 11. Thereafter, the third predetermined distance conveyance, cutting, and conveyance after the marker detection by the marker sensor S2 are repeated until the end of the designated number of sheets.

  The double-sided printed material conveyed downward by the conveyance roller R5 is conveyed for a predetermined distance from the point of time when the marker is detected by the marker sensor S3, that is, the intermediate position in the longitudinal direction of the double-sided printed material in the spread state is shown in FIG. The conveyance of the duplex printed material by the conveyance roller R5 is stopped between the groove 11q ′ of the forming table 11q and the annular protrusion 11i ′ of the fold forming roller 11i, that is, when the fold forming position is reached. Immediately thereafter, the moving means 11p of the crease forming part 11 moves the crease forming roller 11i from one outer side in the width direction of the paper conveying path to the other outer side, thereby forming a fold by the action of the plate cam 11n. As shown in FIG. 13, the annular protrusion 11 i ′ of the roller 11 i leaves both ends pe in the width direction of the double-sided printed product, and a fold fl having a predetermined depth between them is opposite to the printed surface of the double-sided printed material (back surface) ) To form.

  The double-sided printed material in which the crease is formed at the intermediate position in the longitudinal direction is further conveyed downward along the first conveyance path Rb by the conveyance rollers R5 and R6 existing before and after the crease forming unit 11, and is shown in FIG. As described above, after passing the intermediate conveyance roller R7, the adhesive roller 12d of the gluing part 12 and the rotating roller dr8 of the fold part 13a of the fold / paste part 13 are entered. At this time, the gluing roller 12d is separated from the pressure receiving roller dr8. When a predetermined distance is conveyed from the marker detection time of the double-sided printed material in the spread state (Y in S45), that is, the fold of the double-sided printed material is at the nip between the gluing roller 12d and the pressure receiving roller dr8, that is, the gluing position. At this point, as shown in FIG. 18A, the glue roller 12d is pressed against the roller dr8, so that the glue is transferred from the tape 12a of the glue cartridge 12c to the back surface of the double-sided printed matter. This gluing is performed up to the rear end of the double-sided printed material.

  The double-sided printed material transported during the gluing process is transported down the first transport path Rb as it is by the second transport roller R9 of the bi-fold / paste part 13. Then, it is determined that the fold of the double-sided printed material for which gluing has been started has reached the intersection of the first transport path Rb and the second transport path Rc, that is, the bi-fold start position, by measuring the transport distance from the marker detection time point. Since the conveying roller R7 continues to rotate in the forward direction, the roller pr8 of the bi-folding / sticking portion 13 is pressed by the roller dr8 that is rotating in the forward direction, and the third conveying roller R9 is reversed, so that the spread is made The double-sided printed product in the state is pushed to the left side in FIGS. 7 and 18 at the fold, folded in two in a mountain fold shape, and overlapped with each other by the first transport roller R8 and the third transport roller R10. It is drawn into the road Rc. At this time, the back surfaces of the first page and the second page of the double-sided printed material folded in half are pressed together and pasted with glue.

  However, depending on only the pressure contact by the transport rollers R8 and R10, the portion that is particularly folded in the mountain may not be completely attached, or a slight bulge may occur due to the restoring force of both sides of the fold. The horizontal conveyance is further continued by the roller R10 and the conveyance roller R11, and after the predetermined distance from the marker detection time by the marker sensor S7, that is, when the folded fold reaches the press position of the press portion 13b, The conveyance is stopped, and the portion folded by the press portion 13b is pressed by a pressure receiving plate (not shown) provided on the lower side of the second conveyance path Rc. As a result, the mountain-folded portion becomes completely flat, and an apparently one-sided double-sided printed material having printing surfaces on both sides is completed.

  The sheet-like double-sided printed matter is then sent to the rear of the second transport path Rc by the transport rollers R10, R11, and R12 rotated in the forward direction, that is, leftward in FIGS. After transporting a predetermined distance from the marker detection time point, that is, when the rear end of the double-sided printed material reaches the punching position of the punching unit 17, the transport is stopped and punching is performed by the punching unit 17. The operation flow of the punching unit 17 is as shown in FIG. After that, the sheet-like double-sided printed material in which the punch holes are formed is discharged to the second tray 15b by the transport rollers R11 and R12.

A consistent operation from the time of double-sided printing to discharging after being glued, folded in two and pasted will be described with reference to FIG.
After the printed paper fed from the crease forming unit is conveyed to the gluing position (S301), the gluing roller is pushed out to start gluing (S302). Until the glue start position reaches the bi-fold start position, the sheet is conveyed while being glued (S303). When the glue start position reaches the bi-fold start position, the conveyance is stopped (S304), The first half is fed backward (conveyed in the reverse direction), and the second half is fed forward (forward conveyed), and the printed paper is conveyed while being folded at the crease and glued (S305). During the conveyance, the folded and glued paper is pasted. Then, it conveys until a mountain fold tip reaches a press position (S306). During the conveyance, it is checked whether or not the gluing up to the end of the printed paper is completed (S307). When the gluing is completed, the gluing roller is retracted and the gluing is finished (S308). When the leading edge of the folded paper reaches the pressing position (Y in S309), the conveyance is stopped (S110), and the leading edge of the paper is pressed (S311).
This press completes the double-sided printed material. The double-sided printed material is conveyed toward the punching position (S312). It is checked whether punching is designated (S313). When designated, when the paper reaches the punching position (Y in S314), the conveyance is stopped (S315), and punching is made. (S316). Finally, the double-sided printed material having the punched holes is conveyed until it is discharged to the second tray 15b (S317), and the double-sided printed material creation process is terminated.

[Bellows printing]
When setting content 3 in FIG. 4 is set by operating the input unit and then a start command is input, the paper feeding unit 6 and the paper transport unit 7 are started after a skew canceling operation is performed on the paper existing at the transport start position. After a predetermined distance from the time of marker detection by the first marker sensor S1, that is, as shown in FIG. 21 (a), a length corresponding to the glue margin ap of a predetermined width is secured at the start end, and finally one double-sided printed matter The printing is continuously performed in two pages of printing areas (unit printing surface portions) bp1, bp2; bp3, bp4; to bpn-1, bpn. The printing on the unit printing surface portion of 2 pages and 1 unit is continuously performed by the designated number of sheets (St1 to Stn) of the bellows-like printed matter to be created. However, it is possible to arbitrarily set whether to print on both pages or only one of the two pages of the unit printing surface portion.

  The paper p is provided with a back cover portion cp having a predetermined length at the end of the last unit printing surface portion bpn of the designated number. This length is determined by calculation corresponding to the designated number of sheets. Further, following the spine portion cp, a back cover portion dp1 and a folded portion dp having a length equal to one unit printing surface portion are added. The unit printing surface portion corresponds to a photo publishing portion in a color photo album. Therefore, printing by the printing unit 8 may be performed only on the unit printing surface portion, but may be performed on any or all of the back cover portion cp, the back cover portion dp1, and the folded portion dp2.

  Thus, the paper printed in the printing unit B is cut at the leading end of the glue margin ap and the end of the folded portion dp2 by the cutting unit 9 in the post-processing unit C. When the designated number of accordion-like printed materials to be printed is 1, the guide member 15a of the paper storage unit 16 is held at a position where the opening surface of the storage space is closed. The paper separated by the cut at the end of the folded portion dp2 by the cutting unit 9 is returned by the paper transport unit 7, the leading end thereof is held at the transport start position, and the next print command is awaited. During bellows printing, the path switching unit 10 makes the transport path conductive in the direction of the first transport path Rb, so the printed paper advances in the direction of the first transport path Rb after being cut.

  Further, when the designated number of accordion-like printed materials is 2 or more, the guide member 15a of the paper storage unit 16 is moved to the open position and held. Then, in the printing unit B, after the printing of the first book is completed, a predetermined number of sheets are printed following the securing of the adhesive margin ap at the front end of the sheet up to the designated number of books. The crease formation, gluing, bi-folding and pasting of the printed paper for the bellows-like printed matter of the post-processing unit C takes more time than the case of the printed paper for the single-sided double-sided printed matter. Since it is longer than the time required for a series of prints for the printed matter, the post-processing unit until the post-processing for the previous printed paper is not affected by feeding the post-printed paper to the post-processing unit C. Stop the rotation of the first roller R3 of C. Therefore, the printed paper fed from the final roller R2 of the printing unit B is suspended and curved in the storage space 16c of the paper storage unit 16.

  The printed sheet p that has been cut to a predetermined length by the cutting unit 9 and advanced to the first conveyance path Rb is shown in FIG. 21 (b) by the crease forming unit 11 every time conveyance is intermittently stopped. As shown in the figure, on the back surface of the paper p, a predetermined position separated from the front edge of the paper by a distance corresponding to the width of the glue margin ap, between the adjacent pages bp1, bp2, bp3, and the end of the last page and the back cover Folds fl1, fl2, fl3 to fln-1, fln are sequentially formed between cp and between the back cover dp1 and the folded paper dp2.

  The printed paper p on which the folds are sequentially formed is transported through the first transport path Rb by the transport rollers R6, 7, 8, and 9, and the even-numbered folds of the printed paper p, that is, each unit printing surface portion. Each time the fold at the intermediate position arrives at the gluing position, the gluing roller 12d is pressed against the pressure receiving roller dr8, and as shown in FIG. 21 (c), the middle of the unit printing surface portion following the fold from the fold. Gluing is performed in an area up to a position (any position that does not prevent valley folding described later).

Subsequently, the pasted printed paper p is fed into the bi-fold / paste section 13 at even-numbered folds (in FIG. 21, fl2, fl4,...), That is, in the middle of the unit printing surface section. Mountain folds (mf) are made at the folds. Affixed between the back surfaces in a region from the folded fold to a certain distance before and after the fold. The unit print surface portion that has been folded and pasted is subsequently pressed by the press portion 13b, and apparently becomes a single-sided double-sided printed matter. Valley folds (vf) are made at the first fold and odd-numbered folds of the sheet, that is, the folds between the unit print surface portions (in FIG. 21, fl, fl3, fl5,...).
In this way, the glued printed paper p is repeatedly folded in half for each unit print surface by the bi-folding / paste unit 13 and valley folds between the unit print surfaces until the designated number of sheets is reached. The created double-sided printed material is sequentially held in the accumulation portion 13c provided below the first transport path Rb until the production of the double-sided printed material, that is, the bellows-like printed material is completed.

Hereinafter, the process from pasting, folding in two (mountain fold and valley fold), pasting and pressing to completion of the bellows-like printed matter will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 22A to 22L and FIGS. 23A and 23B. .
The printed paper p traveling from the crease formation 11 is fed along the first transport path Rb with the leading edge ap at the leading edge of the paper by the forward-rotating transport rollers R6, 7, 8, and 9. When the intermediate fold fl2 of the first unit printing surface portion reaches the gluing position, the gluing roller 12d is pressed against the roller dr8 and gluing is started (S402). At this time, the roller pr8 in the first transport path Rb is separated from the roller dr8 (FIG. 22A).
The first unit printing surface portion is conveyed while being glued until the intermediate fold fl2 of the first printing surface portion reaches the intersection (bi-folding start position) between the first conveyance path Rb and the second conveyance path Rc (S403), until the bi-folding start position. Then, the conveyance is temporarily stopped (S404), the roller pr8 is brought into pressure contact with the roller dr8, the second conveyance roller R9 is reversed, and the conveyance rollers R6, 7, 8, 10, and 11 continue normal rotation. Therefore, the paper that is fed forward from the fold fl2 and the paper that is fed backward from the fold fl2 are folded in the fold fl2 while traveling on the second conveyance path Rc, The first and second pages of the first unit printing surface are pasted with glue by the clamping force of the first transport roller R8 and the third transport roller 10 (s405) <FIG. 22B>.
Thereafter, the forward rotation of the transport rollers R6, 7, 8, 10, and 11 and the reverse rotation of the transport roller R9 are continued, and the glued paper is transported until the folded end reaches the press position (S406), and the pasting is completed. (S407. When finished, the glue roller 12d has the glue roller 12d and the roller dr8 at the middle position of the second page due to the progressive feeding of the paper in the transport path Rb from the time when the fold fl2 is detected. Is separated from the roller dr8 at the time of passing through the nip <FIG. 22C>.
When the gluing is not completed, it is checked whether or not the press position has been reached. When it has not reached, the process returns to S406, and when reached, the conveyance is stopped (S410), and then it is folded by the brace portion 13b. The front end portion of the paper is pressed, the pasting is completed, and the mountain-folded portion is flattened (S411) <FIG. 22C>.

  At the time when the fold fl3 formed at the end of the first unit printing surface portion reaches the intersection of the transport paths Rb, Rc and the second transport path Rd (S412) <FIG. 22D>, the transport rollers R6, 7, 8 Temporarily stops normal rotation (S413), and the roller pr8 is separated from the roller dr8 (S414). Next, the transport rollers R10 and 11 are reversed, and the transport roller R9 is changed to forward rotation <FIG. 22E>. Progression on the leading end side of the sheet by forward rotation of the transport roller R9, forward transport of the sheet above the fold fl3 by forward rotation of the transport rollers R6, 7 and 8, separation of the roller pr8 from the roller dr8, transport roller Combined with the rotational directions of R6 to R11, the fold fl3 is valley-folded (S415) <FIG. 22E>.

  The first double-sided printed material (first double-sided printed material) St1 is pressed and formed substantially in the form of a single sheet by the continuation of the rotation direction of the transport rollers R6 to R11. Along with the page, the sheet is transported down the first transport path Rb to the deposition unit 13c <FIG. 22F>. The downward conveyance of the first double-sided printed material St1 is continued until the rear end of the two-sided printed material St1 is separated from the nip of the conveyance roller R9 (FIG. 22G). When it reaches (Y in S406), the conveyance is stopped (S417). Then, the transport rollers R7, R8, and R9 are reversely rotated while the transport roller R6 is stopped, and reversely fed until the intermediate fold fl4 of the second unit printing surface portion reaches between the glue roller 12d and the transport roller R7 ( S418) <FIG. 22H>. In this case, on the side of the first conveyance path Rb between the conveyance rollers R6 and R7, a second holding portion ds is formed that can be bent and retracted by the reverse feeding of the paper p ″ between the conveyance rollers R6 and R7. is there.

When the intermediate fold fl4 of the second unit printing surface portion reaches between the glue roller 12d and the transport roller R7, the transport is stopped (S419). Next, when the predetermined number of double-sided printed materials has not been completed, the process returns to S402. When the predetermined number of sheets is reached, the sheet is conveyed to the stacking unit 13 up to the end of the sheet (S421), and the control is terminated.
When the conveying rollers R7, R8, R9 are rotated in the opposite direction to reach the gluing position, the gluing roller 12d is brought into pressure contact with the pressure receiving roller dr8 <FIG. 22I>, and the fold fl4 is the first conveyed. When reaching the intersection of the path Rb and the second transport path Rc <FIG. 22I>, the transport roller R9 is reversely rotated and the roller pr8 is pressed against the roller dr8 at the same time so that the sheet on the upper side of the fold fl4 is lowered. By moving the paper in the lower part of the fold fl4 upward, the fold fl4 is folded in the same manner as in FIG. 22C, and the second unit as shown in FIGS. 22J and 22K. The first and second pages of the printing surface are pasted with glue and pressed by the pressing unit 13b to form the second double-sided printed material St2 continuous to the first sheet and sent to the accumulation unit 13c. It is.

  When the number of double-sided printed materials to be created is 2 or more, the steps from FIG. 22E to FIG. 22K are repeated until the final sheet, and the double-sided printed materials sequentially created by repeating this step are first accommodated in the stacking unit 13c. The double-sided printed material is deposited on the upper side (S421) <FIG. 22L>.

  Then, after the formation of the final double-sided printed matter is completed, the back cover portion cp, the back cover portion dp1, and the folded-back portion dp2 are continuously added to the end of the final double-sided printed matter. Assuming that St2 is the final double-sided printed material Stn, the fold between the end of the final double-sided printed material Stn and the back cover is folded in the same manner as shown in FIG. 22E. After that, in the same manner as shown in FIG. 22F, the final double-sided printed material Stn, the back cover portion cp, the back cover portion dp1, and the folded portion dp2 are sent to the accumulation portion 13c, and the accumulation is performed. It is accommodated in the third tray 15c provided at the bottom of the portion 13c.

  In FIGS. 7 and 22A to 22L, 19, 20 and 21 indicate that, in the case where the printed matter to be created is a bellows-like printed matter, the separation of the double-sided printed matter accommodated in the accumulation portion 13c from the subsequent paper and the accumulation portion It is a guide plate provided in order to make the sliding of smooth or guide the moving direction. A third tray 15 c is configured by the right side portion of the guide plate 21. A third tray (not shown) may be placed in the right portion of the guide plate 21 so as to be freely inserted and removed. Alternatively, an endless chain 22 that is circulated by a motor is attached to the guide plate 21, and the endless chain 22 is circulated by a switch operation when printing of the accordion-like printed matter is finished, and the accordion-like printed matter is moved leftward or rightward in FIG. It can also be sent out.

[Explanation based on FIGS. 24 and 25]
From the end of printing by the printer to the completion of the bellows-like printed matter will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 24A shows the bellows-like printed matter PM1 taken out from the third tray or sent out by the endless chain 22. As shown in FIG. 24 (b), the adhesive margin ap is valley-folded, the back cover portion cp, the back cover portion dp1, and the folded portion dp2 are sequentially folded in a mountain shape, as shown in FIG. By attaching the inner surface of the folded portion to the inner surface of the adhesive margin portion with glue, the back cover portion dp1 and the folded portion dp2 are fixed in a back-to-back state, and each of the two-sided printed matter constituted by each unit printing surface portion With the same appearance. Therefore, it becomes the accordion-like printed matter PM2 that is entirely organized.
When the binding tape t is pasted on the back surface of the valley fold side of all the double-sided printed materials of the bellows-like printed matter PM2, in a natural state where no external force is applied, the bellows-like printed matter PM2 is as shown in FIG. Keep the closed form. Then, the printed contents can be viewed by manually opening up to one page at a time or a plurality of pages at a time. On the other hand, when the binding tape t is not attached, the valley fold side of each double-sided printed matter is not constrained. Therefore, when the bellows-like printed matter PM2 is placed on a plane, the elastic restoring force of the paper causes Since the double-sided printed material opens up to an arbitrary angle, it is possible to maintain a radially open form as a whole. Therefore, the print contents of all pages can be listed. If desired, as shown in FIG. 25 (b), the double-sided printed material at the left and right ends can be opened outward to improve the listability, and a plurality of people can simultaneously view the printed contents.

  The deskewing operation of the deskewing mechanism may be performed each time the end of the bellows-like printed material for one book is cut, or the start of the creation of the first one of the specified bellows-like printed material based on the input settings each time. Sometimes it can be done.

  The structure of the bellows-like printed matter is characterized in that (a) a predetermined margin of margin is formed on one end side of a belt-like predetermined length of printing paper, and all unit print surface portions of equal length follow the margin. A back cover part, a back cover part, and a folded part are successively formed following the end unit printing surface part, and (b) at least the unit printing surface part is arbitrarily printed on one side. (C) between the margin portion and the first unit printing surface portion adjacent thereto, an intermediate position of each unit printing surface portion, between adjacent unit printing surface portions, a final unit printing surface portion and a back cover portion; Folds extending in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the printing paper are formed between the back cover portion, the back cover portion, and the folded portion, and (d) a fold at an intermediate position of each unit printing surface portion, The fold between the final unit printing surface and the back cover, the back cover, the back cover, and the folding Each of the folds between the parts is mountain-folded, and each of the folds between the glue margin part and the first unit printing surface part and the folds between the adjacent unit printing surface parts is valley-folded. And each unit printing surface portion is glued in an area from a fold folded to a middle position from a fold folded adjacent to the fold, (e) the spine portion is That is, the outer sides of the folds of the unit printed surface portions are covered with the folds, and at least a part of the inner surface of the end portion of the folded portion is attached to the inner surface of the margin portion.

  With the above structure, it is possible to consistently produce a bellows-like printed material from roll paper, print on the entire surface, have no useless surface, have an excellent appearance appearance, and have good production efficiency.

A control device B printing unit 6 sheet feeding unit 7 sheet conveying unit 8 printing unit C post-processing unit 9 cutting unit 10 conveying path switching unit 11 fold forming unit 11i fold forming roller 11n plate cam 11n1 first cam surface 11n2 second Cam surface 11n3 Third cam surface 12 Gluing part 13 Folding and sticking part 13a Folding part 13b Press part 13c Accumulating part 14 Punching part 15a, 15b, 15c Tray 16 Temporary holding mechanism 16a Housing space 16b Guide member 17 Skew eliminating mechanism R1 First roller of the printing unit R2 Last roller of the printing unit R3 First roller of the post-processing unit R8 First conveying roller of the folded portion R9 Second conveying roller of the folded portion R10 Third conveying roller of the folded portion Rb First conveying path Rc Second transport path p paper (single-sided printing paper)
ap adhesive margin part bp1-bpn unit printing surface part fl fold cp back cover part dp1 back cover part dp2 folding part PM1 double-sided printed matter PM2 bellows-like printed matter

Claims (7)

In a printer that can selectively create any one-sided printed matter, double-sided printed matter, or accordion-like printed matter using a roll-like printing paper,
(1) having a printing unit, a post-processing unit, and a control device;
(2) The printing unit
A paper feeding unit that feeds the printing paper under the control of the control device;
A first paper transport unit controlled by the control device to send a predetermined amount of printing paper fed from the paper feeding unit from the printing unit via a printing unit described later;
A printing unit that prints on one side of the conveyed printing paper based on data provided from the control device;
(3) The post-processing unit includes:
A cut unit configured to cut printed sheets sent from the printing unit for each predetermined length under the control of the control device, and to create printed sheets of a predetermined length;
A transport path switching unit that is controlled by the control device to switch between a discharge path that guides the transport destination of the printed paper after cutting to the first tray side and a first transport path that goes to the crease forming unit;
A crease forming unit that forms a crease between the intermediate printing position of each unit printing surface of the unit printed surface of a predetermined length of printed paper that is controlled by the control device and directed toward the first conveyance path, and the unit printing surface. ,
A gluing portion that glues a predetermined position of the printed paper on which the crease is formed;
Folding and pasting unit that folds each unit printing surface portion of the pasted printed paper of a predetermined length and pastes it with the glue at the fold, and presses the folded portion;
Accepts the printed paper sent out from the printing unit, transports it through the cut part, the crease forming part, the gluing part, and the bi-fold / paste part, and finally discharges it to the second tray or the third tray. A second paper transport unit
(4) The bi-fold / paste part is
Openable and closable disposed on and in contact with the first conveyance path on a second conveyance path that is continuous with the first conveyance path through which a predetermined length of printed paper after gluing is conveyed and extends in a direction opposite to the gluing portion. A first conveying roller, a second conveying roller disposed in a portion extending downstream of the gluing portion of the first conveying path, and a downstream side of the first conveying roller of the second conveying path. A bi-folded portion comprising a third conveying roller disposed;
It is provided on the downstream side of the third transport roller in the second transport path, and is formed of a press section that presses the glued portion that is fold-folded by the bi-fold section of the printed paper. Yes,
(5) The first transport roller, the second transport roller, and the third transport roller also constitute a part of the second paper transport unit,
(6) The control device includes:
A transport path switching unit control means for transporting the printed paper after cutting to the first tray side when creating a single-sided printed matter, and to the first transport path side when creating a double-sided printed matter or a bellows-like printed matter; ,
When creating a single-sided printed material in the printing unit, one page of the printing paper is printed during the conveyance of the roll-shaped printing paper, and when creating a double-sided printed material, continuous on one side of the printing paper. When printing two pages and creating a bellows-like printed material, a predetermined number of sheets are continuously printed on the unit printing surface portion which is a printing area having two pages constituting one double-sided printed material as one unit. Printing unit control means;
When creating a double-sided printed product in the gluing part, when the fold of the double-sided printed product reaches the gluing position, the back side of the double-sided printed product is glued, and when creating a bellows-like printed product, unit printing of the double-sided printed product in a spread state Gluing part control means for gluing the back surface of the double-sided printed matter from the fold to the middle position of the unit printing surface part following the fold each time the fold at the middle position of the surface part reaches the gluing position;
When creating a double-sided printed material, when the intermediate fold of the unit printing surface portion of the printed paper after the crease formation and gluing conveyed through the first conveyance path reaches a predetermined bi-fold start position, the bi-fold / paste When the first and third transport rollers of the part are rotated in the forward direction and the second transport roller is rotated in the reverse direction to create a bellows-like printed matter, printing after forming the crease and gluing that is transported through the first transport path Each time the intermediate fold of the unit printing surface portion of the finished paper reaches the bi-folding start position, the first and third conveyance rollers of the bi-folding / pasting unit are rotated forward and the second conveyance roller is The intermediate fold is reversely rotated until it reaches the press position of the press section, and each time the fold between the unit print surface portions of the printed paper reaches the bi-fold start position, the first conveyance roller rotates forward. The The third conveying roller is reversely rotated while the time is stopped, and the second conveying roller is rotated in the forward direction until the leading edge of the printed sheet pressed by the pressing unit reaches the downstream side of the second conveying roller. Subsequently, the first conveying roller and the second conveying roller are reversely rotated until the next intermediate fold reaches the bi-folding start position, and thereafter, until a predetermined predetermined number of double-sided printed materials are formed, Whenever the fold reaches the bi-fold start position, the first rotation of the first and third transport rollers and the reverse rotation of the second transport roller, and every time the fold between the unit printing surfaces reaches the bi-fold start position. The forward rotation of the first transport roller is temporarily stopped and released, the reverse rotation of the third transport roller, the forward rotation of the second transport roller, and the next intermediate fold between the first transport roller and the second transport roller reaches the bi-fold start position. Reverse turn until A sheet conveying section control means for the,
A unit printing surface section after gluing includes a press section control means for operating the press section when the second transport path is transported from the first transport roller toward the third transport roller.
A printer characterized by that. The printer according to claim 1.
The crease forming unit includes a crease forming table provided on the same side as the printing surface of the sheet in contact with the sheet conveying surface, and an outer peripheral surface provided on the opposite side with respect to the fold forming table and the sheet conveying surface. A crease forming roller having an annular projection having a triangular cross-section, means for reciprocating the crease forming roller in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction while urging the crease forming roller toward the crease forming base, and the fold forming roller A plate cam that regulates a distance from the fold forming base of the annular projection of the fold forming roller in the movement process of
The plate cam has a first cam surface at a position corresponding to both outer sides of the sheet conveying position on the sheet conveying surface, a second cam surface having a small width inside the first cam surface on both sides, and a first cam surface on both sides. A third cam surface continuous between the two cam surfaces;
Each of the first cam surface, the second cam surface, and the third cam surface is a distance from the surface of the fold forming base of the annular protrusion of the fold forming roller, and the tip of the annular protrusion of the fold forming roller is a crease. The distance that is slightly separated from the surface of the forming table than the thickness of the paper, the distance that the tip of the projection of the crease forming roller is located at the position almost equal to the thickness of the paper from the surface of the fold forming base, A printer wherein the tip of the annular protrusion of the roller is restricted to a distance from the surface of the crease forming base at a position equal to approximately half of the thickness of the sheet. The printer according to any one of claims 1 and 2,
A temporary holding mechanism for holding the printed sheet sent out by the roller of the printing unit in a drooping curve with its own weight between the roller sent out by the printing unit and the roller received by the post-processing unit;
The temporary holding mechanism has an accommodation space for accommodating a printed sheet sent out by the roller of the printing unit by drooping and curving from its upper opening surface between a roller sent out by the printing unit and a roller received by the post-processing unit. A guide member for supporting a printed sheet fed by a roller of the printing unit on the upper opening surface and guiding it in the roller direction of the post-processing unit from the position where the upper opening surface is closed; When the length of the printed sheet sent out by the printing unit is equal to or longer than a predetermined length, the roller of the post-processing unit grips the leading end of the sheet, and then the guide member is moved. Means for moving the upper opening surface of the accommodation space from a position to be closed to a position to be opened;
A printer characterized by that. The printer according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 3,
A skew elimination mechanism is provided in one or both of the transport direction before the roller for receiving the printed paper sent out by the printing unit of the post-processing unit and immediately before the roller for receiving the printed paper in the post-processing unit;
The skew canceling mechanism is provided on a roller whose axial frictional force is smaller than the circumferential frictional force and on one side of the roller in the axial direction, and is movably supported between one widening position and a reference position. The first width adjusting member is provided on the other side in the axial direction of the roller and is urged by the elastic member toward the center of the paper conveyance path. In this case, the urging force of the elastic member is large enough not to deform the printed paper. And a second width adjusting member which is set to be and is supported so as to be movable between the other widened position and a position enabling the biasing by the elastic member, and The first and second width-adjusting members are each configured to include a widening position and a moving position that moves the reference position or the widening position and a position enabling the biasing by the elastic member one or more times.
A printer characterized by that.   The printer according to claim 1, wherein the printing unit uses a tandem type print engine. The printer according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The printing unit contains a paper feeding unit, a first paper transport unit, and a printing unit. The printing unit is disposed above the paper feeding unit, and the first paper transport from the paper feeding unit to the terminal end of the printing unit. The printing unit is provided with the cut section, path switching section, crease forming section, gluing section and bi-fold / paste section in the order from top to bottom in the post-processing unit. A printer characterized in that a sheet is conveyed substantially along an inverted U shape from the beginning end of the sheet to the end of the post-processing unit. A first step of printing a specified content for a specified page on a unit printing surface portion of an equal length while conveying a roll-shaped printing paper;
A second step of cutting the printed paper into a predetermined length for one book,
A third step of forming a fold between the intermediate position of each unit printing surface portion and each unit printing surface portion;
A fourth step of gluing the back side of the printed paper opposite to the printed side;
Unit printing that is folded in a mountain by feeding the paper in the rear part from the fold at the middle position of the unit printing surface at the same time as feeding the paper in the reverse direction from the fold and feeding it while folding the fold. A fifth step in which the back surfaces of the surface portions are pasted together with glue, and the mountain-folded portion is pressed, and the unit printed surface portion is apparently formed into a single-sided double-sided printed material;
Each time a double-sided printed material is formed, the double-sided printed material is reversely fed, and at the same time, the subsequent unit printed surface part is sequentially advanced, and the already created double-sided printed material is evacuated to the stacking unit, and the double-sided printed material is followed. A sixth step of valley-folding the crease between the unit printing surface part, and
A seventh step in which the fifth step and the sixth step are repeated for the designated number of double-sided printed materials;
And consist of
A method of creating a bellows-like printed matter, comprising forming a bellows-like printed matter from a plurality of double-sided printed matter that have been retracted and accumulated in the accumulation portion.

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