JP5245533B2 - Sheet processing apparatus and image forming system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus that performs processing on paper.

  Conventionally, many proposals have been made on sheet processing apparatuses that perform processing such as folding, punching, and stapling on a recorded sheet (sheet) discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine. For example, in Patent Document 1, in an apparatus for processing a booklet that is folded so that the back portion is curved, a clamp unit that is disposed so as to grip and fix a set of sheet materials in which the back portion is folded, and a length of the back portion It has been proposed to include a shaping means that is movable along the vertical direction and that applies sufficient pressure to the back to flatten the curvature of the back.

JP 2001-260564 A

  Here, in general, as a step before flattening the curvature of the back, which is a folded portion of the booklet, a process of aligning the booklet posture by abutting the back of the booklet against, for example, a plate-like member is performed. At the time of this abutment, the booklet with a small number of sheets has low rigidity of the booklet. For example, when the booklet abuts against a plate-like member, it intersects the conveyance direction due to the conveyance force to the booklet on the paper surface near the back of the booklet. A curvature (loop) may occur in the direction. At this time, for example, the conveying force concentrates on the portion that first hits with the booklet tilted with respect to the plate-like member, so the loop amount of this hitting portion is large, and the conveying force is dispersed in the portion that hits after that. As a result, the loop amount tends to be small. As a result, when aligning the orientation of the booklet, loops having different sizes occur depending on the position of the booklet in the width direction. In such a case, the deviation of the posture due to the difference in the loop amount remains. Thereafter, when bookbinding is performed, for example, when the rear end portion (the rear end side in the transport direction) of the booklet is cut, the booklet. Variations in the planar shape of the are increased.

  In addition, as a preparatory operation for squashing the booklet by squashing it, a so-called clamping operation is performed in which the vicinity of the back of the booklet is pressed by a clamp member. At this time, a booklet clamping pressure adjustment mechanism is often provided in order to perform clamping well even if the thickness of the booklet is changed. It is required to reduce the damage that occurs and keep the booklet in good shape.

The main object of the present invention is to accurately correct the orientation of a booklet with a small number of sheets.
Another object is to reduce damage to the booklet and keep the booklet in good posture.

  For this purpose, the sheet processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied includes a receiving unit that receives a booklet in which a plurality of sheet materials are stacked and folded, and a belt pair that sandwiches the booklet and conveys the booklet. A reference serving as a reference when correcting the inclination of the booklet by contacting a plurality of belt transport mechanisms arranged in parallel along the transport direction and the end of the booklet transported by the belt transport mechanism. A booklet holding member that sandwiches and holds an end portion of the booklet in contact with the reference member, and the belt transport mechanism transports the booklet having the end portion held by the booklet holding member. The belt pair is driven to pull in a direction opposite to the direction.

  Here, the apparatus further includes a control unit that controls movement of the belt pair provided in the belt conveyance mechanism in a direction in which the booklet is moved in the conveyance direction and a direction in which the booklet is moved in a direction opposite to the conveyance direction, The control unit controls the booklet holding the end portion to move in the opposite direction when the number of sheets constituting the booklet is less than a predetermined number.

  From another viewpoint, the sheet processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied includes a receiving unit that receives a booklet in which a plurality of sheet materials are stacked and folded, and a belt pair that sandwiches the booklet and conveys the booklet. Is a reference when correcting the inclination of the booklet by contacting a plurality of belt transport mechanisms arranged in parallel along the transport direction of the booklet and the end of the booklet transported by the belt transport mechanism. And a booklet holding member that sandwiches and holds the end portion of the booklet that is in contact with the reference member, and the belt conveying mechanism contacts the end portion of the booklet with the reference member, The belt pair is operated so as to release a force acting on the booklet in a region between the booklet whose end is held by the booklet holding member and the belt pair sandwiching the booklet. To.

  Here, the belt transport mechanism moves the belt so as to separate the belt disposed on the booklet of the pair of belts from the booklet whose end is held by the booklet holding member. It is characterized by that.

  In the two sheet processing apparatuses described above, the belt conveyance mechanism may be configured such that the driving torque of the belt pair exceeds a predetermined value when the booklet conveyed by the belt pair comes into contact with the reference member and the conveyance is blocked. And a torque limiter set so as to stop the transmission of the driving force to the pair of belts.

Further, the booklet holding member is provided at a position where it does not move, and a first holding part for holding the end of the booklet from one direction and the first holding part by moving toward the first holding part. A second holding unit that forms a pressing force between the first holding unit and the end of the booklet together with the first holding unit, and the second holding unit. And an elastic portion for adjusting the pressing force formed between the holding portion and the holding portion.
Furthermore, the elastic part of the booklet holding member has a plurality of spring members that equalize the pressing force between the first holding part and the second holding part along the longitudinal direction of the second holding part. Is arranged.

In the two sheet processing apparatuses, the booklet holding member includes a first holding unit that holds the end of the booklet from one side and a second holding unit that holds the end of the booklet from the other side. An interval between the first holding unit and the second holding unit in a setting state in which the booklet is not held can be changed according to the number of the sheet materials constituting the booklet.
Further, the reference member is set at a position that intersects the conveyance surface of the booklet when correcting the inclination of the booklet. When the correction of the inclination of the booklet is not performed, the reference member is set at a position where the reference member is retracted from the conveyance surface. When the booklet is transported after being set and corrected for inclination by the reference member, the guide portion that guides the transport of the booklet that is disposed at a position retracted from the transport surface is set in the vicinity of the transport surface. It is characterized by.

  On the other hand, an image forming system to which the present invention is applied includes an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet material, and a sheet processing apparatus that performs post-processing on the sheet material output from the image forming apparatus, and the sheet processing The apparatus includes a binding unit that binds a booklet in which a plurality of the sheet materials are stacked, a folding unit that folds the bound portion of the booklet that has been bound by the binding unit, and a binding unit. A belt conveying mechanism in which a plurality of belt pairs sandwiching the folded booklet from above and below and conveying the booklet are arranged in parallel along the conveying direction of the booklet, and conveyed by the belt conveying mechanism A reference member that serves as a reference when correcting the inclination of the booklet by contacting the end of the booklet, and a booklet holding unit that sandwiches and holds the end of the booklet in contact with the reference member from above and below And a flattening member that presses and flattens the end portion of the booklet held by the booklet holding member, and the belt conveying mechanism has a predetermined number of sheet materials constituting the booklet In the following cases, the belt pair is set so as to release the force acting on the booklet in the region between the booklet whose end is held by the booklet holding member and the belt pair sandwiching the booklet. It is characterized by operating.

Here, the belt conveyance mechanism is characterized in that the belt pair is driven so as to pull the booklet whose end is held by the booklet holding member in a direction opposite to the conveyance direction.
Further, the booklet holding member has an upper holding portion that sandwiches an end portion of the booklet moved from above and a lower holding portion that is pinched and fixed downward, along the longitudinal direction of the upper holding portion. A plurality of spring members for leveling the pressing force between the lower holding part and the upper holding part are arranged.

  Even a booklet with a small number of sheets can be accurately corrected by the sheet processing apparatus or the image forming system.

[Embodiment 1]
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a sheet processing system 1 to which the exemplary embodiment is applied. A sheet processing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is provided on an image forming apparatus 2 such as a printer or a copier that forms a color image by an electrophotographic method, and a sheet (sheet material) on which a toner image is formed by the image forming apparatus 2, for example. A sheet processing apparatus 3 that performs post-processing is provided.
The paper processing device 3 includes a transport device 10 that transports the paper output from the image forming device 2 further downstream, and a combination of thick paper, window free paper, and the like with respect to the paper transported by the transport device 10. And an interleaf feeder 20 for feeding paper. Also, a folding device 30 that performs folding processing such as inner tri-folding (C-folding) and outer tri-folding (Z-folding) on the paper transported from the transporting device 10, and a paper provided on the downstream side of the folding device 30. And a first post-processing device 40 that performs punching, edge binding, and saddle stitching. Furthermore, a second post-processing device 50 is provided on the downstream side of the first post-processing device 40 and performs further post-processing on the sheet bundle (booklet) that is folded or saddle-stitched.
Further, the sheet processing apparatus 3 includes a control unit 100 that controls the entire sheet processing apparatus 3, and the control unit 100 is provided in the first post-processing apparatus 40, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first post-processing device 40 of the paper processing device 3 includes a punching unit 41 for punching (punching) paper, and an end-binding stapler unit 42 for binding the ends of the paper bundle. Yes. In addition, a stacker tray (stacking unit) 43 that stacks the edge-bound paper bundles so that the user can easily take them, and a saddle stitching unit 44 that creates a double-folded booklet by folding the sheet bundles in a center-fold manner. ing. Furthermore, a top tray 45 is provided for stacking sheets that are not processed by the first post-processing device 40 or sheets that are only punched.

Here, the saddle stitching unit 44 provided in the first post-processing device 40 will be described.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the first post-processing device 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the saddle stitching unit 44 compiles a necessary number of sheets after image formation, and outputs the sheets to the compile tray 441 when producing a booklet that is folded or saddle-stitched. A discharge roller 442 and an end guide 443 that moves along the compile tray 441 to determine a saddle stitching position and a center folding position by providing a positioning stopper so as to protrude on the compile tray 441 are provided. Further, the saddle stitching unit 44 has a plurality of sheet aligning members 444 formed of paddles that rotate to align the sheets stacked on the compilation tray 441 toward the end guide 443, and the width of the sheets stacked on the compilation tray 441. A sheet width aligning member 445 formed of a pair of alignment plates that slide to move in the direction is provided, and a stapler 446 that saddle-stitches the sheet bundle accumulated on the compilation tray 441.
Further, the saddle stitching unit 44 includes a folding knife 447 that moves so as to protrude downward from above the compile tray 441 in order to fold the sheet bundle that has been saddle stitched by the stapler 446 at the saddle stitching position, and a folding knife 447. A folding roll 448 composed of a pair of rolls that sandwich a sheet bundle that has started folding, and a transport roll 449 that transports the sheet bundle sandwiched by the folding roll 448 to the second post-processing device 50 are provided.

When the first post-processing device 40 produces a half-folded / saddle-stitched booklet, the sheet conveyed via the folding device 30 passes through the punching unit 41 based on an instruction from the control unit 100. To the saddle stitching unit 44.
The discharge roll 442 of the saddle stitching unit 44 sequentially places the conveyed paper on the compilation tray 441. For example, 5 sheets, 10 sheets, 15 sheets, etc., for example, the number of sheets set by the control unit (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 2 is accumulated in the compile tray 441. At this time, the end guide 443 moves and stops so that, for example, the central portion of the sheet is positioned at the staple position by the stapler 446. Further, at this time, the sheet aligning member 444 rotates toward the end guide 443 and presses the stacked sheets against the end guide 443 to assist the sheet alignment. Further, the sheet width aligning member 445 slides in the width direction of the sheets stacked on the compile tray 441 and aligns the stacked sheets from the width direction.

  After a predetermined number of sheets are collected on the compile tray 441, the stapler 446 performs saddle stitching on a predetermined portion (for example, the central portion) of the sheets. Next, the sheet bundle that has undergone saddle stitching is moved by the upward movement of the end guide 443 so that the folded portion (for example, the central portion of the sheet) coincides with the tip position of the folding knife 447. Note that the folding knife 447 is configured such that the tip of the folding knife 447 is retracted above the compile tray 441 in the sheet stacking stage on the compilation tray 441, the saddle stitching stage by the stapler 446, and the sheet transport stage after the saddle stitching. ing.

After the folding position of the sheet bundle has moved to the tip position of the folding knife 447, the folding knife 447 is pushed out from above. That is, the front end of the folding knife 447 presses the sheet bundle from the top to the bottom in a direction orthogonal to the accommodation surface of the compilation tray 441 provided with an opening at a position facing the folding knife 447. Further, the tip of the folding knife 447 is pushed downward from the opening of the compilation tray 441, whereby the sheet bundle is pushed down from the accommodation surface of the compilation tray 441 and is sandwiched between the folding rolls 448. In this case, the folding knife 447 is configured to move to a position where the sheet bundle sufficiently bites into the folding roll 448.
In this way, the sheet bundle subjected to the saddle stitching by the stapler 446 and the center folding by the folding knife 447 and the folding roll 448 is then conveyed to the second post-processing device 50 by the conveying roll 449.

Next, the second post-processing device 50 to which a sheet bundle (booklet) subjected to saddle stitching and center folding in the first post-processing device 40 is conveyed will be described.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the second post-processing device 50. As shown in FIG. 3, the second post-processing device 50 transports the booklet that has been subjected to saddle stitching and center folding in the first post-processing device 40 and corrects the deviation of the posture of the booklet, A reference member 52 that serves as a reference for correcting a deviation in the orientation of the booklet, a clamp member 53 that holds the booklet so as to sandwich the tip part (center folding / saddle stitching part) of the booklet, and pressing the tip part of the booklet And a pressing roll member 54 for flattening the tip by moving.
Further, the second post-processing device 50 includes a cutting unit 55 for cutting the booklet so as to align the rear end portion (spreading portion) of the booklet, a feed roll 56 for feeding the booklet into the cutting unit 55, and a rear end portion of the booklet. In order to determine the cutting position, a cutting position setting unit 57 that moves while holding the booklet is provided. Further, a cutting waste storage unit 58 that stores cutting waste from the booklet cut by the cutting unit 55 and a booklet transport roll 59 that transports the booklet whose rear end portion is cut by the cutting unit 55 are provided. .
Further, the second post-processing device 50 is provided with a booklet tray 60 for collecting booklets that have been bound, and the booklets sent from the booklet transport roll 59 are stacked while being sequentially transported one by one in the booklet tray 60. Is done.

Next, a description will be given of the flattening process performed on the front end portion (center folding / saddle binding portion) of the booklet executed by the second post-processing device 50.
The flattening process for the front end portion of the booklet is performed in a state where the posture of the booklet is adjusted by performing posture correction (hereinafter, also referred to as “skew correction”) for correcting the deviation (skew) of the booklet posture. Therefore, first, the skew correction performed in the second post-processing device 50 will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a mechanism unit that performs skew correction on a booklet from the side surface side. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a mechanism unit for performing skew correction on the booklet from the upper side. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the second post-processing device 50 includes belt transport mechanism units 51 </ b> A and 51 </ b> B that sandwich and transport the booklet from the vertical direction as a mechanism unit that performs skew correction on the booklet in the booklet transport direction. Two pairs are provided in parallel along. Note that FIG. 4 shows a pair of belt conveyance mechanism portions 51A.

Each of the belt transport mechanism portions 51A and 51B includes transport belt members 511a and 511b that sandwich and transport the booklet from the top and bottom directions, drive rolls 512a and 512b that rotate and drive the transport belt members 511a and 511b, and transport belt members 511a and 511a, respectively. 511b includes idle rolls 513a and 513b, and drive transmission rolls 515a and 515b that transmit drive force from a drive motor (not shown) to each of the drive rolls 512a and 512b.
Further, between the drive transmission roll 515a and the drive roll 512a, and between the drive transmission roll 515b and the drive roll 512b, the rotational torque transmitted from the drive transmission rolls 515a and 515b to the drive rolls 512a and 512b is a predetermined value. Torque limiters 514a and 514b that are limited to (for example, 100 gf · cm) or less are arranged. Accordingly, when the rotational torque from the drive transmission rolls 515a and 515b transmitted to the drive rolls 512a and 512b exceeds a predetermined value, the torque limiters 514a and 514b slip, and the drive rolls 512a and 512b rotate further. Torque rotational driving force is not transmitted. In the belt conveyance mechanism portions 51A and 51B, portions where the conveyance belt members 511a and 511b are stretched by the idle rolls 513a and 513b function as a receiving portion that receives a booklet in which a plurality of sheet materials are stacked and folded. ing.

Here, the drive rolls 512a of both the belt transport mechanism portions 51A and 51B are pivotally supported on a common support shaft 516a via a torque limiter 514a. Similarly, the drive rolls 512b of both the belt transport mechanism portions 51A and 51B are both supported by the support shaft 516b via the torque limiter 514b.
The idle rolls 513a of both the belt transport mechanism portions 51A and 51B are rotatably supported on a common support shaft 518a. Similarly, the idle rolls 513b of both the belt transport mechanism portions 51A and 51B are rotatably supported on a common support shaft 518b.
The drive transmission rolls 515a of both the belt conveyance mechanism portions 51A and 51B are fixed to a common drive transmission shaft 517a connected to a drive motor. Similarly, the drive transmission rolls 515b of both the belt conveyance mechanism portions 51A and 51B are fixed to a common drive transmission shaft 517b connected to the drive motor.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, in the second post-processing device 50, at the time of skew correction for the booklet, the pressing roll member 54 for flattening the front end portion (center folding / saddle binding portion) of the booklet is retracted upward, and the booklet The reference member 52 serving as a reference for correcting the skew is pulled up to a position where it comes into contact with the booklet.

  Next, FIGS. 6 to 8 are diagrams showing a process of operation of each mechanism unit when skew correction is performed in the second post-processing apparatus 50. FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), when the booklet is inclined (inclination angle θ) and conveyed from the first post-processing device 40 to the belt conveying mechanism portions 51A and 51B of the second post-processing device 50, the booklet conveyance is performed. The booklet is conveyed with an inclination angle θ under the substantially equal conveying force by the belt conveying mechanism 51A and the belt conveying mechanism 51B parallel to the direction F. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the booklet hits the reference member 52 with the inclination angle θ. At that time, due to the inclination of the booklet, the reference member 52 is sequentially abutted against the reference member 52 first from the end side on the C1 side. In this state, the C2 side has not been hit yet.

As shown in FIG. 7C, the conveyance of the booklet is interrupted at the end of the C1 side that first hits against the reference member 52, as shown in FIG. 7C. At that time, when the number of sheet bundles constituting the booklet is large, the booklet itself has high rigidity, so that the reaction force from the booklet caused by the booklet hitting the reference member 52 is immediately transmitted to the belt conveying mechanism 51B side. Is done. As a result, the rotational torque on the belt conveyance mechanism 51B side with respect to the booklet immediately exceeds the upper limit of the torque limiters 514a and 514b, and slip occurs in the torque limiters 514a and 514b. Thereby, the transmission of the rotational driving force from the drive transmission rolls 515a and 515b on the belt conveyance mechanism 51B side to the drive rolls 512a and 512b is stopped, and the conveyance force on the end side on the C1 side of the booklet is lost.
That is, when the number of paper bundles constituting the booklet is large and the booklet itself has high rigidity, as soon as the booklet hits the reference member 52, the transport force from the belt transport mechanism 51B to the booklet is stopped, and the booklet The force applied to the C1 side is zero. In this case, the upper limit value of the torque limiters 514a and 514b is set lower than the rigidity of the booklet having a predetermined number. Therefore, when the end side on the C1 side hits the reference member 52, the transport force from the belt transport mechanism 51A and the belt transport mechanism 51B is concentrated on the end side on the C1 side. The rigidity is high enough to resist the conveying force by the conveying belt members 511a and 511b. For this reason, a curve (loop) in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface of the booklet hardly occurs on the end portion side on the C1 side.

On the other hand, when the number of sheets constituting the booklet is small, the rigidity of the booklet itself is low. Therefore, a part of the reaction force from the reference member 52 due to the C1 side of the booklet hitting the reference member 52 is the booklet. Absorbs. Therefore, the reaction force from the reference member 52 due to the booklet hitting the reference member 52 is not immediately transmitted to the belt conveying mechanism 51B side, and the booklet is absorbed after the end portion on the C1 side absorbs a part of the reaction force. The rotational torque on the belt transport mechanism 51B side exceeds the upper limit of the torque limiters 514a and 514b. Then, the transmission of the rotational driving force from the drive transmission rolls 515a and 515b to the drive rolls 512a and 512b is stopped.
That is, when the number of sheet bundles constituting the booklet is small and the booklet itself has low rigidity, the booklet absorbs a part of the conveyance force from the belt conveyance mechanism unit 51A and the belt conveyance mechanism unit 51B. The rotational torque on the belt transport mechanism 51B side does not exceed the upper limit of the torque limiters 514a and 514b even when it hits the reference member 52. Thereby, even after the booklet hits the reference member 52, the booklet receives the transport force from the belt transport mechanism portions 51A and 51B. For this reason, when the number of paper bundles constituting the booklet is small, a loop in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface is likely to occur in the booklet.

  Further, in the state shown in FIG. 7C in which the end portion side on the C1 side hits the reference member 52, the end portion side on the C2 side of the booklet has not yet reached the position where it has hit the reference member 52. Therefore, even when the conveyance by the belt conveyance mechanism 51B is stopped, the torque limiters 514a and 514b set the upper limit in the belt conveyance mechanism 51A (see FIGS. 4 and 5) that mainly conveys the end side on the C2 side. Do not exceed. Accordingly, the conveyor belt members 511a and 511b continue to rotate and convey the booklet to the reference member 52 side. As a result, the inclination angle θ of the booklet at the time when the booklet is conveyed to the belt conveyance mechanism sections 51A and 51B is reduced, and the booklet posture correction (skew correction) is performed. When the C2 side of the booklet also hits the reference member 52, the transport belt members 511a and 511b of the belt transport mechanism 51B are also stopped by the same mechanism as described above.

Even in this case, similarly to the end side on the C1 side, when the number of sheet bundles constituting the booklet is small and the booklet itself has low rigidity, a loop may also occur on the C2 side.
However, when the end portion of the booklet on the C2 side hits the reference member 52, the transport belt members 511a and 511b of the belt transport mechanism 51A are already stopped. Therefore, when the C2 side of the booklet abuts on the reference member 52, the booklet only receives the conveying force from the belt conveying mechanism 51A side, so the reaction force received from the reference member 52 on the C2 side of the booklet is from the C1 side. Is also small. For this reason, the amount of loop generated on the end side on the C2 side is smaller than the amount of loop generated on the end side on the C1 side. As a result, when the number of sheet bundles constituting the booklet is small, a loop may occur at the leading end, and at this time, it occurs at the end on the C1 side and the end on the C2 side. The loop amount will be different. The amount of loop generated in the booklet is proportional to the amount of the booklet entering the reference member 52 (conveyance amount), so that the booklet still has an inclination corresponding to the difference in the loop amount.

  Therefore, in the second post-processing device 50 of the present embodiment, when the number of sheet bundles constituting the booklet is small, the entire front end portion of the booklet becomes the reference member 52 as shown in FIG. In a state where the belt members 511a and 511b of both the belt conveyance mechanism 51A and the belt conveyance mechanism 51B are stopped, the clamp member 53 is set in a state in which the front end of the booklet is sandwiched and held. Further, as shown in FIG. 8E, the conveying belt members 511a and 511b of both the belt conveying mechanism 51A and the belt conveying mechanism 51B are moved in the reverse direction (the booklet rear end direction G). Accordingly, a pulling force in the rear end direction G acts on the entire booklet in a state where the front end of the booklet is sandwiched and fixed by the clamp member 53. As a result, the loop generated at the front end of the booklet is extended, and the loop amount is reduced.

  That is, in the second post-processing device 50 of the present embodiment, torque limiters 514a and 514b that operate by setting an upper limit torque for rotation in both directions are used. As shown in FIG. 7D, after the clamp member 53 holds the front end of the booklet, the transport belt members 511a and 511b are simultaneously driven to rotate in the opposite directions. And since the moving speeds of the conveyor belt members 511a and 511b are the same, the extension at the end portion on the C2 side where the loop amount is small is completed quickly, and at the end portion side on the C1 side where the loop amount is large, Complete with a delay. At that time, when the extension on the end side on the C2 side where the loop amount is small is completed, the torque limiters 514a and 514b in which the rotational torque on the belt conveyance mechanism 51A side with respect to the booklet is set for the rotation in the reverse direction. Exceed the upper limit of. Therefore, transmission of the rotational driving force from the drive transmission rolls 515a and 515b on the belt conveying mechanism 51A side to the drive rolls 512a and 512b is stopped, and the stretching force on the end side on the C2 side of the booklet is lost. On the other hand, in this state, the extension on the end portion side on the C1 side where the loop amount is large is continued by the belt conveyance mechanism portion 51B. When the end of the end on the C1 side is completed, the rotational torque on the belt transport mechanism 51B side exceeds the upper limit of the torque limiters 514a and 514b set for the reverse rotation, and the end on the C2 side There is also no stretching force on the part side. As a result, the booklet is relaxed until the difference between the loop amount on the C1 side and the loop amount on the C2 side becomes substantially the same. As a result, the inclination in the remaining booklet is corrected based on the difference in the loop amount, and the deviation of the booklet posture is corrected.

Here, in the second post-processing device 50 of the present embodiment, an upper limit torque is set for rotation in one direction (forward rotation direction), and the operation is performed so as to freely rotate in the other direction (reverse rotation direction). The unidirectional torque limiters 514a and 514b may be used. In this case, slip is generated between the surface of the booklet and the surfaces of the conveyor belt members 511a and 511b when the extension on the end portion on the C2 side where the loop amount is small is completed. Therefore, the frictional force between the two on the belt conveyance mechanism 51A side is reduced by changing from static friction to dynamic friction. Thereby, at the time when the end on the C1 side is completed, the frictional force between the booklet surface on the conveying mechanism 51B side in the static friction state and the surfaces of the conveying belt members 511a and 511b is relative. Become bigger. By utilizing such an action, the difference between the loop amount on the C1 side and the loop amount on the C2 side may be reduced.
6 to 8 are views of the belt conveyance mechanism 51A and the belt conveyance mechanism 51B as viewed from above, and the arrow indicating the rotational movement direction of the belt indicates the movement of the upper surface of the conveyance belt member 511a. The direction is shown.

Subsequently, when the number of sheet bundles constituting the booklet is small, the operation of the conveyor belt members 511a and 511b in the belt conveyor mechanism 51A and the belt conveyor mechanism 51B and the operation of the clamp member 53 as a booklet holding member are side views. This will be described from the direction side.
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the conveyance belt members 511a and 511b on the belt conveyance mechanism 51A side and the operation of the clamp member 53 before and after the front end of the booklet hits the reference member 52. First, as shown in FIG. 9A, the drive rolls 512a and 512b receive the rotational driving force from the drive transmission rolls 515a and 515b until the leading end of the booklet hits the reference member 52, and the conveyor belts. The members 511a and 511b are rotated so that the booklet is conveyed toward the reference member 52.

  When the front end of the booklet hits the reference member 52, as shown in FIG. 9 (b), the booklet is blocked from being conveyed by the reference member 52, so that the drive transmission rolls 515a and 515b transfer to the drive rolls 512a and 512b. The rotational torque exceeds a predetermined value (for example, 100 gf · cm). Thereby, the torque limiters 514a and 514b are operated, and the transmission of the rotational driving force from the drive transmission rolls 515a and 515b to the drive rolls 512a and 512b is stopped. That is, when the torque limiters 514a and 514b slip, the rotation of the drive rolls 512a and 512b is stopped, and thereby the transport belt members 511a and 511b of the belt transport mechanism 51A are stopped. In this state, the clamp member 53 is set so as to sandwich and hold the leading end portion of the booklet. Thereby, the front end of the booklet is fixed by the clamp member 53.

  When the front end of the booklet is fixed by the clamp member 53, as shown in FIG. 9C, the drive transmission rolls 515a and 515b are rotated in the reverse direction when the number of sheet bundles constituting the booklet is small. To do. As a result, the drive rolls 512a and 512b rotate so that the transport belt members 511a and 511b transport the booklet in the direction away from the reference member 52 (the direction of the rear end of the booklet). Then, the booklet whose front end is fixed by the clamp member 53 receives a force that is extended in the direction of the rear end of the booklet. Therefore, when the number of sheet bundles constituting the booklet is small, the loop generated at the leading end of the booklet is stretched, and the booklet is pulled in the direction opposite to the booklet transport direction, thereby reducing the loop amount. Then, the remaining booklet inclination (skew) is corrected based on the difference in the loop amount, and the deviation of the booklet posture is corrected.

By the way, the operation of the mechanism unit that performs skew correction on the booklet described above is controlled by the control unit 100.
Then, the control unit 100 determines whether or not to perform an operation for correcting the inclination of the remaining booklet based on the difference in the loop amount, for example, according to the number of sheet bundles constituting the booklet. That is, the control unit 100 controls an operation for correcting the inclination of the booklet as follows.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of operation control performed when the control unit 100 corrects the inclination of the booklet. As shown in FIG. 10, first, the control unit 100 acquires information on the number of sheet bundles constituting the booklet from the control unit (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 2 (step 101). Then, it is determined whether or not the number of sheets constituting the booklet is equal to or less than a predetermined number (for example, 5) (step 102). When the number of sheet bundles is equal to or less than a predetermined number (for example, 5), the control unit 100 holds the belt conveyance mechanism 51A and the belt conveyance with the clamp member 53 sandwiching and holding the leading end of the booklet. Control is performed so that the conveying belt members 511a and 511b of both the mechanism portions 51B are moved toward the rear end portion of the booklet (step 103). That is, control is performed so that the booklet is pulled in the direction opposite to the booklet transport direction. In other words, control is performed so as to release the force acting on the booklet in the region between the booklet and the belt pair (conveying belt members 511a and 511b) sandwiching the booklet.

On the other hand, when the number of sheet bundles is larger than the predetermined number in step 102, the control unit 100 moves the conveyance belt members 511a and 511b of both the belt conveyance mechanism unit 51A and the belt conveyance mechanism unit 51B to the rear end of the booklet. Control is performed so as not to perform the movement in the part direction (step 104). Then, the above processing is performed for all booklets in one cycle of printing processing (step 105).
As a result, the operation of correcting the inclination of the remaining booklet based on the difference in the loop amount is not performed on the booklet in which the number of paper bundles in which a loop is difficult to occur is larger than a predetermined number (for example, 5 sheets). As a result, the time required for post-processing in the sheet processing apparatus 3 can be shortened.
Note that the control unit 100 may be controlled to perform an operation of correcting the inclination of the remaining booklet based on the difference in the loop amount regardless of the number of sheet bundles constituting the booklet.

Next, the configuration and operation of the clamp member 53 will be described.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the configuration and operation of the clamp member 53 from the side surface side. FIG. 11A shows a set state before the clamp member 53 sandwiches and holds the leading end portion of the booklet, and FIG. 11B shows a state where the leading end portion of the booklet is sandwiched and held. As shown in FIG. 11, the clamp member 53 includes a lower clamper (first holding unit) 531 that holds a booklet from the lower side, an upper clamper (second holding unit) 532 that holds the booklet from the upper side, and an upper portion. A pressure adjustment spring member 533 that presses the upper clamper 532 toward the lower clamper 531 while adjusting the pressing force between the clamper 532 and the lower clamper 531, and the upper clamper 532 via the pressure adjustment spring member 533 on the lower clamper 531 side And a pressing member 534 that presses the head.

  The lower clamper 531 is fixed to the second post-processing device 50 in a state where the upper surface is set at a height position that substantially coincides with the conveyance surface H of the booklet. Further, the upper clamper 532, the pressure adjusting spring member 533, and the pressing member 534 are integrally formed, and move up and down according to a setting state in which the front end portion of the booklet is sandwiched and held and a setting state before holding. The movable part is configured.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 11A, in the set state before the clamp member 53 sandwiches and holds the leading end portion of the booklet, the movable portion (the upper clamper 532, the pressure adjusting spring member 533, and the pressing member 534) It is set at a position retracted above the fixed upper clamper 532 and waits until it is set in a state where the leading end of the booklet abuts against the reference member 52. When the leading end of the booklet is abutted against the reference member 52 and the conveying belt members 511a and 511b of the belt conveying mechanism 51A are stopped, as shown in FIG. 11B, the movable portion moves downward and the upper clamper 532 is moved. And the lower clamper 531 hold the booklet while pressing it.

  Here, regarding the opening amount h between the upper clamper 532 and the lower clamper 531 in the set state before holding the front end portion of the booklet shown in FIG. 11A, it depends on the number of sheet bundles constituting the booklet. The opening amount h may be adjusted. For example, when the control unit 100 acquires information on the number of sheet bundles constituting the booklet from the control unit (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 2 and the number of sheet bundles is small, the opening amount h is set small. When the number of sheets is large, the opening amount h is set large. Thereby, when the front end portion of the booklet hits the reference member 52, a space where the front end portion of the booklet is shifted to the upper clamper 532 side is limited between the upper clamper 532 and the lower clamper 531. Accordingly, since the front end portion of the booklet is moderately suppressed from abutting against the reference member 52 in a state of being lifted from the conveyance surface H, the front end portion of the booklet is moved when the movable portion shown in FIG. Is prevented from being caught. As a result, the accuracy of skew correction for the booklet is also improved.

Next, FIG. 12 is a view for explaining the configuration and operation of the clamp member 53 in the longitudinal direction. The upper clamper 532 and the pressing member 534 of the clamp member 53 are supported so that the protruding portions 532a provided at both ends of the upper clamper 532 are slidable in the vertical direction by the perforated portions 534a provided in the pressing member 534. Thus, an integral movable part is configured. A plurality of pressure adjustment spring members 533 are arranged between the upper clamper 532 and the pressing member 534 at a predetermined interval along the longitudinal direction. With such a configuration, the clamp member 53 shown in FIG. 12A changes from the set state before the booklet tip part is sandwiched and held to the state where the booklet tip part shown in FIG. 12B is sandwiched and held. At the time of transition, the pressing member 534 is pushed down by a driving unit (not shown), so that the elastic force of each of the plurality of pressure adjusting spring members 533 applies a pressing force equal to the longitudinal direction to the upper clamper 532. Thereby, a uniform pressing force is formed in the longitudinal direction between the upper clamper 532 and the lower clamper 531 to hold the booklet evenly.
For this reason, when the loop generated at the front end of the booklet is extended, the booklet is securely held in the longitudinal direction, so that the loop in the longitudinal direction of the booklet is uniformed as a whole. In addition, occurrence of problems such as dents at the front end of the booklet due to uneven pressure contact between the upper clamper 532 and the lower clamper 531 is suppressed.

  Further, in the clamp member 53 of the present embodiment, as described above, the lower clamper 531 has the upper surface set at a height position that substantially coincides with the conveyance surface H of the booklet, and the second post-processing device 50. It is fixed to. Therefore, the conveyance surface H of the booklet that passes through the clamp member 53 is unlikely to fluctuate, and the booklet is smoothly carried into the feed roll 56 that feeds the booklet into the cutting unit 55.

FIG. 13 compares (a) the clamp member 53 of the present embodiment and (b) a clamp member 53 ′ as a comparative example in which a pressure adjusting spring member 533 ′ is provided on the lower clamper 531 ′ side. FIG. As shown in FIG. 13A, in the clamp member 53 of the present embodiment, the lower clamper 531 is fixed, so that the movable portion (the upper clamper 532, the pressure adjusting spring member 533, and the pressing member 534) is the lower clamper. Even if the 531 is pressed, the upper surface position of the lower clamper 531 does not change. Therefore, the booklet transport surface H is maintained at a substantially constant height position. As a result, the booklet enters substantially parallel to the nip of the feed roll 56, so that bending or the like hardly occurs at the front end of the booklet.
On the other hand, in the clamp member 53 ′ of the comparative example, when the upper clamper 532 ′ presses the lower clamper 531 ′, the pressure adjusting spring member 533 ′ provided on the lower clamper 531 ′ side is supported by the support member 535 ′. By being compressed, the upper surface position of the lower clamper 531 ′ moves downward. As a result, the conveyance surface H of the booklet changes to a conveyance surface H ′ positioned lower by the movement amount g of the upper surface of the lower clamper 531 ′. Therefore, the booklet enters with an angle with respect to the nip of the feed roll 56, and the leading end of the booklet is likely to be bent.

  Therefore, the lower clamper 531 of the present embodiment is fixed to the second post-processing device 50 in a state where the upper surface of the lower clamper 531 is set at a height position that substantially coincides with the booklet transport surface H. Therefore, the conveyance surface H of the booklet that passes through the clamp member 53 is maintained substantially constant, so that the booklet enters substantially parallel to the nip of the feed roll 56. As a result, bending or the like is suppressed from occurring at the front end of the booklet.

As described above, in the second post-processing device 50, the skew correction to the booklet described above is performed before the flattening process is performed on the front end portion (the half-fold / saddle binding portion) of the booklet sent from the first post-processing device 40. Is done. Then, after the skew correction is completed, a flattening process is performed on the front end portion of the booklet.
When the front end of the booklet is flattened by the second post-processing device 50, the reference member 52 used for skew correction is pulled down to a position lower than the booklet transport surface H (see FIG. 11). Along with this, the pressing roll member 54 is pulled down to a position at which the front end of the booklet is pressed.

  Here, FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a mechanism unit that performs a flattening process on the front end portion of the booklet and its operation. FIG. 14A shows a state where the front end portion of the booklet is flattened, and FIG. 14B shows a state after the flattening processing is performed on the front end portion of the booklet. As shown in FIG. 14A, when performing the flattening process on the front end of the booklet, the clamp member 53 is in a state where the skew correction is completed, and the clamp member 53 holds the front end of the booklet, and The belt conveyance mechanism 51A and the belt conveyance mechanism 51B are maintained in the stopped state. Then, after the reference member 52 is pulled down to a position lower than the conveyance surface H of the booklet, the pressing roll member 54 is set to a position where the front end portion of the booklet is pressed. The pressing roll member 54 rotates from one end to the other end along the width direction of the booklet while rotating while the front end portion of the booklet held by the clamp member 53 is pressed from the lateral direction. One movement or reciprocation, or a plurality of reciprocations are performed. Thereby, the front-end | tip part of the booklet which was curving by the middle folding in the 1st post-processing apparatus 40 is leveled evenly.

  After the flattening process is performed on the leading end of the booklet, as shown in FIG. 14B, the pressing roll member 54 is set by being pulled upward from the upper surface position of the booklet. Along with this, the movable parts (the upper clamper 532, the pressure adjusting spring member 533, and the pressing member 534) of the clamp member 53 are pulled up, and the booklet is released. Further, the reference member 52 that has been lowered to a position lower than the booklet conveyance surface H is pulled up to a position where the booklet guide portion 521 disposed on the upper surface thereof coincides with the booklet conveyance surface H. As a result, the booklet with the leading end flattened is conveyed to the position of the feed roll 56 while being guided to the booklet guide part 521 on the upper surface of the reference member 52 by the belt conveying mechanism 51A and the belt conveying mechanism 51B.

Thereafter, in the second post-processing device 50, as shown in FIG. 3 described above, the flattened booklet is conveyed to the cutting unit 55 by the feed roll 56. The cutting position of the booklet conveyed to the cutting unit 55 is determined by the cutting position setting unit 57 at the trailing edge of the booklet. Then, the trailing end of the booklet is cut by the cutting unit 55. Thereby, the planar shape of the booklet is aligned. In this case, since the deviation of the booklet posture is corrected with high accuracy during the flattening process with respect to the front end of the booklet, variations in the planar shape of the booklet are reduced.
The booklets that have been bound are sent to the booklet tray 60 by the booklet transport roll 59 and are collected while being sequentially transported one by one in the booklet tray 60.

  As described above, in the paper processing apparatus 3 provided in the paper processing system 1 of the present embodiment, the mechanism for correcting the deviation of the booklet posture caused by the loop generated in the booklet having a small number of sheets and low rigidity is provided. Is provided. Thereby, even if the booklet has a small number of sheets, the deviation of the posture of the booklet is corrected, and the variation in the planar shape of the booklet that has been bound is reduced.

[Embodiment 2]
In the first embodiment, a configuration is used in which the conveyance belt members 511a and 511b of both the belt conveyance mechanism 51A and the belt conveyance mechanism 51B are moved so that the booklet is directed toward the rear end during skew correction. In the second embodiment, instead of the configuration in the first embodiment, the conveyor belt member 511a disposed above both the belt conveyor mechanism 51A and the belt conveyor mechanism 51B is retracted during skew correction. In addition, the same code | symbol is used about the function similar to Embodiment 1, and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted here.

  FIG. 15 shows the operation of the conveying belt members 511a and 511b on the belt conveying mechanism 51A side and the operation of the clamp member 53 before and after the front end of the booklet hits the reference member 52 in the paper processing apparatus 3 of the present embodiment. FIG. In the belt conveyance mechanism 51A and the belt conveyance mechanism 51B of the present embodiment, the conveyance belt member 511a disposed on the upper side is moved to a booklet placed on the lower conveyance belt member 511b by a moving mechanism (not shown). It is configured to retreat to an upper position where it does not contact the surface.

In the belt conveyance mechanism 51A and the belt conveyance mechanism 51B according to the present embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 15A, the upper conveyance belt member 511a until the leading end of the booklet hits the reference member 52. And the lower conveying belt member 511b are arranged in pressure contact so as to sandwich the booklet. The transport belt members 511a and 511b transport the booklet in the direction of the reference member 52 by the drive rolls 512a and 512b that receive the rotational driving force from the drive transmission rolls 515a and 515b.
After that, when the leading end of the booklet hits the reference member 52, the conveyance of the booklet is blocked by the reference member 52 as shown in FIG. 15 (b), so the drive transmission rolls 515a, 515b to the drive rolls 512a, 512b The rotational torque exceeds a predetermined value (for example, 100 gf · cm). Thereby, the torque limiters 514a and 514b are operated, and the transmission of the rotational driving force from the drive transmission rolls 515a and 515b to the drive rolls 512a and 512b is stopped. Thereby, the conveyance belt members 511a and 511b of the belt conveyance mechanism 51A and the belt conveyance mechanism 51B are stopped. In this state, the clamp member 53 is set so as to sandwich and hold the leading end portion of the booklet. Thereby, the front end of the booklet is fixed by the clamp member 53.

  When the front end of the booklet is fixed by the clamp member 53, as shown in FIG. 15C, when the number of sheet bundles constituting the booklet is small, the transport belt member 511a disposed on the upper side is not used. By the illustrated moving mechanism, the conveyor belt member 511a is separated by retreating to an upper position where it does not contact the surface of the booklet placed on the lower conveyor belt member 511b. Thereby, it is released from the frictional force with the conveyance belt member 511a which has acted on the booklet. That is, the force acting on the booklet in the region between the booklet and the belt pair (conveying belt members 511a and 511b) sandwiching the booklet can be released. Furthermore, since the pressure contact force between the upper conveyor belt member 511a and the lower conveyor belt member 511b is eliminated, the frictional force with the conveyor belt member 511b is also reduced. Thereby, in the booklet whose front end portion is fixed by the clamp member 53, the stress existing at the front end portion of the booklet is released to the rear end side. As a result, the loop generated at the front end portion of the booklet having a small number of sheet bundles constituting the booklet spontaneously extends, and the loop amount is reduced. Then, the remaining booklet inclination (skew) is corrected based on the difference in the loop amount, and the deviation of the booklet posture is corrected.

  As described above, in the paper processing apparatus 3 according to the present embodiment, the front end portion of the booklet hits the reference member 52, and the clamp belt 53 sandwiches and holds the front end portion of the booklet, and the conveying belt member disposed on the upper side. 511a is retracted to an upper position where it does not contact the surface of the booklet placed on the lower conveyor belt member 511b. As a result, even if the booklet has a small number of sheet bundles, a deviation in the posture of the booklet is corrected, and variations in the planar shape of the bound booklet are reduced.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a sheet processing system to which the exemplary embodiment is applied. It is a figure explaining the structure of a 1st post-processing apparatus. It is a figure explaining the structure of a 2nd post-processing apparatus. It is the figure which showed the mechanism part which performs the skew correction with respect to a booklet from the side surface direction side. It is the figure which showed the mechanism part which performs the skew correction with respect to a booklet from the upper direction side. (A), (b) is the figure which showed the process of operation | movement of each mechanism part when skew correction is performed in a 2nd post-processing apparatus. (C), (d) is the figure which showed the process of operation | movement of each mechanism part when skew correction is performed in a 2nd post-processing apparatus. (E) is a diagram showing a process of operation of each mechanism unit when skew correction is performed in the second post-processing apparatus. (A)-(c) is a figure explaining operation | movement of the conveyance belt member by the side of the belt conveyance mechanism part and operation | movement of a clamp member before and after the front-end | tip part of a booklet strikes a reference | standard member. It is the flowchart which showed an example of the procedure of the operation control at the time of correct | amending the inclination of the booklet which a control part performs. (A), (b) is a figure explaining the structure and operation | movement of a clamp member from a side surface direction side. (A), (b) is a figure explaining the structure and operation | movement of the longitudinal direction of a clamp member. It is the figure which performed the comparison with the clamp member of this Embodiment of (a), and the clamp member as a comparative example by which the pressure adjustment spring member was provided in the lower clamper side of (b). (A), (b) is a figure explaining the mechanism part which performs the flattening process with respect to the front-end | tip part of a booklet, and its operation | movement. (A)-(c) is a figure explaining operation | movement of the conveyance belt member by the side of the belt conveyance mechanism part and operation | movement of a clamp member before and after the front-end | tip part of a booklet strikes a reference | standard member.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Paper processing system, 2 ... Image forming apparatus, 3 ... Paper processing apparatus, 10 ... Conveyance apparatus, 30 ... Folding apparatus, 40 ... 1st post-processing apparatus, 50 ... 2nd post-processing apparatus, 51 ... Conveyance unit, 52 Reference member, 53 ... Clamp member, 54 ... Press roll member, 55 ... Cutting unit, 56 ... Feeding roll, 57 ... Cutting position setting unit, 58 ... Cutting waste container unit, 59 ... Booklet transport roll, 60 ... Booklet tray, 100: Control unit

Claims (12)

A receiving section for receiving a booklet in which a plurality of sheet materials are stacked and folded;
A belt conveyance mechanism in which a plurality of belt pairs sandwiching the booklet and conveying the booklet are arranged in parallel along the conveyance direction of the booklet;
A reference member serving as a reference when correcting the inclination of the booklet by contacting the end of the booklet conveyed by the belt conveyance mechanism;
A booklet holding member that sandwiches and holds the end of the booklet in contact with the reference member,
The sheet processing apparatus, wherein the belt conveying mechanism drives the belt pair so as to pull the booklet, the end of which is held by the booklet holding member, in a direction opposite to the conveying direction. A controller for controlling movement of the belt pair provided in the belt conveyance mechanism in a direction in which the booklet is moved in the conveyance direction and a direction in which the booklet is moved in a direction opposite to the conveyance direction;
The said control part is controlled so that the said booklet with which the said edge part was hold | maintained is moved to the said opposite direction, when the number of the said sheet materials which comprise the said booklet is less than predetermined number. The sheet processing apparatus according to 1. A receiving section for receiving a booklet in which a plurality of sheet materials are stacked and folded;
A belt conveyance mechanism in which a plurality of belt pairs sandwiching the booklet and conveying the booklet are arranged in parallel along the conveyance direction of the booklet;
A reference member serving as a reference when correcting the inclination of the booklet by contacting the end of the booklet conveyed by the belt conveyance mechanism;
A booklet holding member that sandwiches and holds the end of the booklet in contact with the reference member,
The belt conveying mechanism is configured such that after the end portion of the booklet is brought into contact with the reference member, an area between the booklet in which the end portion is held by the booklet holding member and the belt pair sandwiching the booklet. A sheet processing apparatus that operates the belt pair so as to release a force acting on the booklet.   The belt transport mechanism moves the belt so as to separate a belt disposed on an upper portion of the booklet of the pair of belts from the booklet whose end is held by the booklet holding member. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3.   The belt conveying mechanism drives the belt pair when the booklet conveyed by the belt pair comes into contact with the reference member and the conveyance is interrupted so that the driving torque of the belt pair exceeds a predetermined value. 5. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a torque limiter set to stop transmission of the sheet. The booklet holding member is
A first holding unit that is provided at a position that does not move and holds the end of the booklet from one direction;
A second holding that forms a pressing force with the first holding unit by moving toward the first holding unit and holds the booklet with the first holding unit across the end of the booklet. And
6. The sheet processing according to claim 1, further comprising: an elastic portion that is provided in the second holding portion and that adjusts the pressing force formed between the first holding portion and the second holding portion. apparatus. The elastic part of the booklet holding member is
The plurality of spring members for leveling the pressing force between the first holding part and the second holding part are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the second holding part. The sheet processing apparatus according to the description.   The booklet holding member includes a first holding unit that holds an end portion of the booklet from one side and a second holding unit that holds the booklet from the other side, and the first book in a setting state in which the booklet is not held. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an interval between the holding unit and the second holding unit can be changed according to the number of the sheet materials constituting the booklet. The reference member is set at a position that intersects the conveyance surface of the booklet when correcting the booklet inclination, and is set at a position for retreating from the conveyance surface when correction of the booklet inclination is not performed. ,
When the booklet is transported after the inclination correction by the reference member, a guide portion that guides the transport of the booklet disposed at a position retracted from the transport surface is set in the vicinity of the transport surface. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet material;
A sheet processing apparatus that performs post-processing on the sheet material output from the image forming apparatus,
The paper processing apparatus includes:
Binding means for binding a booklet on which a plurality of the sheet materials are stacked;
Folding means for folding the bound portion of the booklet that has been bound by the binding means;
A belt transport mechanism in which a plurality of belt pairs that sandwich the booklet that has been bound and folded from above and below and transport the booklet are arranged in parallel along the transport direction of the booklet;
A reference member serving as a reference when correcting the inclination of the booklet by contacting the end of the booklet conveyed by the belt conveyance mechanism;
A booklet holding member for holding an end of the booklet in contact with the reference member from above and below;
A flattening member that presses and flattens the end of the booklet held by the booklet holding member;
When the number of sheet materials constituting the booklet is equal to or less than a predetermined number, the belt transport mechanism is configured such that the booklet holding the end portion by the booklet holding member and the belt pair sandwiching the booklet. An image forming system, wherein the belt pair is operated so as to release a force acting on the booklet in a region in between.   The image according to claim 10, wherein the belt conveyance mechanism drives the pair of belts so as to pull the booklet, the end of which is held by the booklet holding member, in a direction opposite to the conveyance direction. Forming system.   The booklet holding member has an upper holding portion that sandwiches an end portion of the booklet moved from the upper direction and a lower holding portion that is fixed and sandwiched in the lower direction, and the lower portion along the longitudinal direction of the upper holding portion. 12. The image forming system according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of spring members for leveling the pressing force between the holding portion and the upper holding portion are arranged.

Images