JP5081061B2 - Paper post-processing apparatus with stapling mechanism and electrophotographic apparatus having the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus of an electrophotographic apparatus, and more particularly to a sheet post-processing apparatus having a stapling mechanism.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the configuration of the sheet post-processing apparatus including the stapling mechanism includes a conveyance path 3 that conveys a sheet on which an image is formed, a tray 2 on which the conveyed sheet 10 is stacked, and the tray 2. Generally, the staple mechanism 1 is configured to bind the stacked sheets 10. In the case of an electrophotographic apparatus having a high printing speed, it is necessary to secure the productivity, that is, to secure the binding processing time without reducing the printing speed. A system that secures processing time by temporarily waiting a sheet of paper in each conveyance path is adopted. However, in such a system, it is necessary to set up an independent conveyance path for each sheet of paper, and the number of sheets to be waited is likely to be limited in configuration, and for an electrophotographic apparatus that performs printing at higher speed. In some cases, the binding processing time cannot be secured sufficiently.

Japanese Patent No. 3531786 Japanese Patent No. 3735455

  In recent years, printing by an electrophotographic apparatus has been increasing more and more, and the speed of printing has further increased. In addition, there are a wide variety of papers to be handled, and as a result, paper post-processing devices are required to process at a higher speed.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus with a stapling function that is suitable for high-speed printing and can handle various types of sheets, and an electrophotographic apparatus including the same.

In order to achieve the above object, a first means of the present invention includes a conveyance path that sequentially conveys paper on which an image has been formed to a stapling mechanism, and a stopper member that is positioned upstream of the stapling mechanism and that closes and opens the conveyance path. In the paper post-processing apparatus with a stapling mechanism having a sensor for detecting the positional information of the paper passing through the transport path, the position of the stopper can be changed, and this position is further based on the length information in the paper transport direction. By determining and installing a rotatable paper distributor having a plurality of paper conveyance paths upstream of the stopper member, and controlling to switch the paper conveyance path of the distributor according to the order of the conveyed paper A plurality of sheets of paper are stacked and held between the stopper member and the paper distributor.

In the second means the electrophotographic apparatus of the present invention, it is characterized in that it comprises a staple Organization with sheet post-processing apparatus of the first hand stage.

  In the paper post-processing apparatus with a stapling mechanism configured as described above, by switching the transport path of the distributor based on the information of the sensor that detects the position of the transported paper, the paper is fed to each individual transport path. In this case, the sheets can be overlapped with each other while maintaining the order between the stopper member and the distributor. Accordingly, it is possible to wait for a larger number of sheets before the stapling mechanism without interrupting printing, and to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus with a stapling function that does not reduce productivity even in an electrophotographic apparatus that performs high-speed printing. It becomes possible.

  Furthermore, since the position of the stopper member can be changed, and this position is determined based on the length information in the paper transport direction, it becomes possible to handle a larger number of papers. In this case, it is possible to provide a sheet post-processing apparatus with a staple function that can handle a larger number of types of sheets.

  As described above, the present invention passes through the conveyance path for sequentially conveying the image-formed paper to the stapling mechanism, the stopper member that is located upstream of the stapling mechanism and closes and opens the conveyance path, and the conveyance path. In a paper post-processing apparatus with a stapling mechanism having a sensor for detecting paper position information, a rotatable paper distributor having a plurality of paper transport paths is installed upstream of the stopper member, and the sensor information is used. This is realized by switching the paper transport path of the distributor according to the order of the paper transported to the top, and superposing a plurality of sheets between the stopper member and the distributor.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a sheet post-processing apparatus with a table function according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In the figure, 1 is a stapling mechanism, 2 is a tray on which sheets are stacked in order to perform binding processing in the stapling mechanism 1, 3 is a conveyance path for conveying the image-formed sheet 4 to the tray 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 is a transport roller, 9 is a sensor for detecting the travel position of the paper 4, and 14 is a rotatable stopper member for closing and opening the transport path 3.

  Here, the tray 2 is installed with an inclination, and the exit of the transport path 3 is provided at the upper center of the tray 2. In this configuration, the transported sheets 4 are sequentially stacked on the tray 2, and when the number of sheets reaches a predetermined number or more, binding processing is performed by the stapling mechanism 1, and then the bound sheet bundle 10 is discharged. The belt 19 moves and discharges in the A direction.

  In this configuration, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a rotatable paper distributor 11 having a plurality of conveyance paths is installed on the upstream side of the stapling mechanism 1. Further, sensors 12 and 13 for detecting the rotational position are attached to the distributor 11. Based on the information of the sensors 12 and 13, the amount of rotation of the distributor 11 by a driving device and a control device (not shown). Is controlled. In the above configuration, FIG. 2 shows the operation of the distributor 11 and the state of the sheet when, for example, three sheets are sequentially conveyed.

  In FIG. 2A, when the first sheet 15 passes through the sensor 9 and stops against the stopper member 14, the distribution is performed at the timing when the rear end of the first sheet 15 passes through the sensor 9. The conveying path is switched by rotating the container 11 by a certain amount. By this operation, the second sheet 16 is introduced into the next transport path as shown in FIG. Further, at the timing when the trailing edge of the second sheet 16 passes the sensor 9, the distributor 11 is rotated again by a predetermined amount to switch the conveyance path, whereby the third sheet 17 as shown in FIG. Is introduced into the next transport path. Through the series of operations described above, the three sheets are held between the stopper member 14 and the distributor 11 in a state where they are overlapped while maintaining the order in which the sheets are conveyed. As a result, the three sheets are simultaneously transported downward and sent to the stapling mechanism 1 for binding processing. Here, since the number of sheets to be held in an overlapping manner is determined by the number of transport paths of the paper distributor 11, if more standby time is required, the transport paths of the distributor 11 may be increased.

The size of paper that can be handled by this mechanism restricted to the distance from the stopper member 14 to the distributor 11, the length of the conveying direction of the sheet is L ₁ or more as shown in FIG. 1, and is L ₂ below There is a need. On the other hand, the mechanism shown in FIG. 3 has been devised so as to handle a larger number of sheets with respect to this restriction. In the mechanism of FIG. 3, a stopper member 14 for shielding and opening the conveyance path 3 is attached to the rotating belt 18, and the stop position can be changed to an appropriate position according to the length in the conveyance direction of the paper to be handled. It is. That is, since the dimensions L ₁ and L ₂ shown in FIG. 1 can be changed, it is possible to handle a larger number of sheets than when the position of the stopper member 14 is fixed.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a paper post-processing device with a stapling function that does not need to be interrupted in an electrophotographic apparatus that performs high-speed printing and that can handle various types of paper.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a sheet post-processing apparatus with a staple mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is an operation explanatory diagram of the sheet post-processing apparatus with a staple mechanism. It is a schematic block diagram of the paper post-processing apparatus with a staple mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the conventional paper post-processing apparatus with a stapling mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

  1 is a stapling mechanism, 2 is a tray, 3 is a paper conveyance path, 4 is paper, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are conveyance rollers, 9 is a sensor, 10 is a paper bundle, 11 is a distributor, 12 and 13 are sensors, Reference numeral 14 is a stopper member, 15 is a first sheet, 16 is a second sheet, 17 is a third sheet, 18 is a belt, and 19 is a sheet discharge belt.

Claims (2)

A transport path for sequentially transporting the image-formed paper to the stapling mechanism; a stopper member positioned upstream of the stapling mechanism for closing and opening the transport path; and positional information of the paper passing through the transport path. In a paper post-processing apparatus with a staple mechanism provided with a sensor for detecting,
The position of the stopper member is configured to be changeable, and the position is determined based on length information in the conveyance direction of the paper,
A rotatable paper distributor that is positioned upstream of the stopper member and has a plurality of paper transport paths is controlled to switch the paper transport path by rotation according to the order of the transported paper, and the stopper A sheet post-processing apparatus with a stapling mechanism, wherein a plurality of sheets of paper are stacked and held between a member and the sheet distributor. Electrophotographic apparatus comprising the staple mechanism-equipped sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1 Symbol placement.

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