JP5262841B2 - Sheet processing apparatus, image forming apparatus, sheet processing control method, and sheet processing control program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress generation of noise in starting of initial action to the minimum degree and to attain reduction of unnecessary consumption power. <P>SOLUTION: The sheet processing device has: a rear end fence for aligning sheets by abutting rear ends in a conveying direction of the sheets on the fence; and an end surface stitching stapler moved along the rear ends in the conveying direction of the sheets and applying stitching on a bundle of the aligned sheets. The rear end fence and the end surface stitching stapler are provided with a hooking member and a member to be hooked respectively, and in the sheet post-treatment device integrally moved when both are in the engagement state, a movement amount when the end surface stitching stapler moves to a home position in initial action is measured (S109). When it is determined that a position of the stitching means in starting of initial action is positioned on an inner side of a tray more than the hooking member provided on the abutment member (S112-NO), the hooking action is not performed (S112&rarr;S114). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus provided with a sheet aligning device for aligning a sheet-like recording medium (herein, simply referred to as “sheet”) such as a loaded paper, recording paper, transfer paper, or OHP sheet, Image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, facsimiles, digital multifunction peripherals having at least two of these functions, and sheets executed by the sheet processing apparatus or the image forming apparatus. The present invention relates to a processing control method and a sheet processing control program for executing the sheet control processing method on a computer.

  In a sheet processing apparatus including a sheet aligning apparatus such as a finisher, alignment in the sheet conveying direction and alignment in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction are performed in a processing tray that is a sheet aligning unit. For alignment in the sheet conveying direction, a rear end fence is usually used, which is also referred to as vertical alignment. For alignment in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction, a jogger fence is normally used. In the jogger fence, the alignment surface is parallel to the paper conveyance direction, and the side edges of the paper are pressed from both sides from the direction orthogonal to the paper conveyance direction. Align. This alignment is also referred to as horizontal alignment.

  The trailing edge fence is installed at the end of the processing tray on the most downstream side in the sheet conveying direction, and receives the trailing edge of the sheet to regulate the sheet position. On the other hand, an end-face stitching stapler is provided in the vicinity of the rear end fence so as to bind a sheet bundle with the rear ends aligned. At this time, for example, when performing two-point binding, the end surface binding stapler needs to move to the binding position along the sheet rear end. At that time, since the rear end fence is located on the moving path of the end surface binding stapler, when the rear end fence moves beyond the position of the rear end fence, the rear end fence interferes with the end surface binding stapler, and the end surface binding stapler It becomes impossible to move to the binding position. Therefore, various inventions have been proposed in which the rear end fence does not interfere when the end face stitching stapler moves.

  Among them, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent No. 3652917) discloses a sheet post-processing apparatus that aligns recording paper bundles for each discharged job and performs parallel or oblique binding of the recording paper bundles with a stapler. A rear-end fence that is divided and arranged on both sides, and is provided so as to be movable along the rear-end reference of the recording paper in accordance with the tilting of the stapler, and is in contact with the rear-end of the discharged recording paper; There is described a sheet post-processing apparatus configured to slide a trailing edge fence in accordance with the movement of a stapler.

  Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent No. 3655431) discloses a staple tray for storing and stacking conveyed sheets, and a rear end fence for receiving and aligning the end portions of the sheets stacked on the staple tray. A paper post-processing apparatus comprising stapling means for stapling to the paper end aligned by the rear end fence, wherein a plurality of the rear end fences are provided on the front side and the rear side along the lower end direction of the staple tray. The rear end fence is movable along the lower end direction, and the rear end fence receives a notch window for exposing the paper to the stipple means and a paper end. The invention is such that a stopper portion is provided, and the diagonally back stitching by the stipple means can be performed from the cutout window of the rear end fence of the back side. It has been mounting.

  Further, in Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-105809), in a sheet processing apparatus that processes a sheet by the operation of an operation unit, an initialization operation that causes the operation unit to perform an initialization operation when receiving a power OFF signal. And a power switch for turning off the power after receiving an end signal indicating completion of the initialization operation from the initialization operation means. When the power is turned off, the initialization operation is performed and then used. It describes an invention that can be used quickly.

  In addition, Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-206374) detects the operation state of the post-processing operation, limits the drive signal in a predetermined period after the start of the post-processing operation based on the detection result, An invention is described in which the moving speed and driving current during the initial operation of the stapler are reduced to reduce noise.

  As described above, since the rear end fence (butting member) and the end face binding stapler (binding means) have a problem of interference, various measures for preventing the interference have been made. Further, when moving to prevent the interference between the two, if the position when the power is turned on is not known, the subsequent movement control and position control are impossible. Therefore, in this type of sheet processing apparatus, initial processing is executed when the power is turned on to determine the control reference.

  Conventionally, in this initial process, after returning the binding means to the home position, an operation of moving the binding means again in a direction opposite to the home position direction is performed. This is an operation for hooking a hook member provided to move the rear end fence. In an apparatus that supports a plurality of sheet sizes and binding positions, if the abutting member is fixed as described above, depending on the sheet size or the binding position, the binding means and the abutting member may interfere during the binding operation. There is a problem of damaging the machine. Therefore, in order to avoid this, a notch window is formed in the rear end fence so that the binding process can be performed, and a hooking member is provided and hooked on the binding means to follow and move the binding means. The rear end fence is prevented from interfering when the binding means performs the binding operation.

  Further, since the hook member is configured to be detached when the binding means is tilted 45 degrees or more toward the front side of the machine, it is necessary to perform the hook operation to surely hook the hook member during the initial operation. However, when used in a normal state, the hooking member is always caught by the binding means, and it is unnecessary to perform the hooking operation every time. There was a problem that noise occurred when touching.

  Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to minimize the generation of noise at the start of the initial operation and to reduce unnecessary power consumption.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the first means includes an aligning means for aligning the loaded sheets, and a binding means for binding the aligned sheet bundle, the aligning means after the sheet conveying direction. An abutting member that abuts the edges and aligns the sheets at the abutting position, the binding means moves along the rear end in the sheet conveying direction to bind the sheets, and the abutting member engages with the binding means A sheet processing apparatus that moves integrally with the binding means in the engaged direction when the engaging portion engages with the engaged portion of the binding means. When moving to the home position, whether or not the engaging portion and the engaged portion can be engaged is determined by the stop position when the binding means starts moving to the home position and the position of the engaging portion. Have control means The features.

In the first means, the distance from the home position sensor position for detecting the home position of the binding means to the stop position of the binding means is a, and the engaged position is from the home position sensor position in the first means. The distance to the engaging part when not in engagement with the part is b, and a> b between the two
When the above relationship is established, the control means rejects the engaging operation.

  The third means is characterized in that, in the second means, the distance a is a value measured when the control means moves the binding means to a home position.

  A fourth means is characterized in that, in the third means, the measured value is a moving pulse amount until the binding means reaches a home position.

  A fifth means is characterized in that, in the third means, the measured value is a time until the binding means reaches a home position.

  Sixth means is the first to fifth means, wherein when the engaged portion comes into contact with the engaging portion when the binding means moves from the home position to the binding position side, When the joining portion does not engage with the engaged portion and allows the binding means to pass, and when it contacts the engaging portion when moving from the binding position side to the home position, the engaging portion is The engaging member engages with the engaged portion, and the abutting member moves integrally with the binding means.

  The seventh means is characterized in that the image forming apparatus includes the sheet processing apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth means.

  The eighth means includes an aligning means for aligning the conveyed sheets, and a binding means for binding the aligned sheet bundle, and the aligning means abuts against and abuts the rear end in the sheet conveying direction. An abutting member that aligns the sheets at a position, wherein the binding means moves along the rear end of the sheet in the conveying direction to bind the sheet, and the abutting member has an engaging portion that engages with the binding means. The sheet processing control method for moving integrally with the binding means in the engaged direction when the engaging portion is engaged with the engaged portion of the binding means, wherein the binding means moves to the home position. Whether or not the engaging portion and the engaged portion can be engaged is determined by a stop position when the binding means starts to move to a home position and a position of the engaging portion.

  The ninth means comprises an aligning means for aligning the carried-in sheets, and a binding means for binding the aligned sheet bundle, wherein the aligning means abuts the rear end in the sheet conveying direction, and the abutting position The binding means moves along the rear end of the sheet in the conveying direction to bind the sheet, and the abutting member has an engaging portion that engages with the binding means, A sheet processing control program for executing, by a computer, sheet processing control that moves together with the binding means in the engaged direction when the engaging portion is engaged with the engaged portion of the binding means, When the binding means moves to the home position, whether or not the engaging portion and the engaged portion can be engaged is determined according to whether the binding means starts to move to the home position and the position of the engaging portion. In Characterized in that it comprises the steps of determining me.

  In the embodiment described later, the alignment means is the rear end fences 51, 51a, 51b and the jogger fences 53, 53a, 53b, the binding means is the end face binding stapler S1, and the abutting member is the rear end fences 51, 51a, 51b. The engaging portion corresponds to the hook member 55, the engaged portion corresponds to the hooked member 56, the control means corresponds to the CPU 360, the sheet processing apparatus corresponds to the sheet post-processing apparatus PD, and the image forming apparatus corresponds to the symbol PR. .

  According to the present invention, when the binding means moves to the home position, whether or not the engaging operation of the abutting member and the engaged portion of the binding means can be engaged is determined when the binding means starts to move to the home position. Therefore, it is possible to avoid unnecessary movement of the binding means during the initial operation, thereby minimizing the generation of noise at the start of the initial operation. In addition, unnecessary power consumption can be reduced.

1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating a system including a sheet post-processing apparatus as a sheet processing apparatus according to an embodiment and an image forming apparatus. It is the schematic block diagram which looked at the end surface binding processing tray of the sheet processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment from the stacking surface side of the tray. It is a figure which shows the principal part structure of the jogger fence part which aligns the width direction of a sheet | seat. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of an end surface binding processing tray and its attachment mechanism. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of the control means of a sheet processing apparatus. It is the figure which looked at the normal state where the hook member of the rear end fence is hooked on the hooked member of the end face binding stapler from the back side of the end face binding processing tray. It is an enlarged view which shows the state which the hook member of the rear end fence has removed from the member to be hooked of the end face binding stapler. It is an enlarged view which shows the state which the hook member of a rear-end fence is hooked on the to-be-hooked member of an end surface binding stapler. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure at the time of the initial operation of the end surface binding stapler in this embodiment.

  The present invention is intended to reduce power consumption by minimizing the noise generated by the hooking operation of the binding means and the sheet abutting member at the start of the initial operation, in other words, the end surface binding stapler and the rear end fence. Then, when the amount of movement when the binding means moves to the home position during the initial operation is measured, and it is identified that the position of the binding means at the start of the initial operation is behind the hook member provided on the abutting member Is intended to reduce the noise of the device and reduce the power consumption by preventing the hooking operation.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing a system including a sheet post-processing apparatus PD and an image forming apparatus PR as a sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, the sheet post-processing apparatus PD is attached to the side portion of the image forming apparatus PR, and the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus PR is guided to the sheet post-processing apparatus PD. The sheet has a conveyance path A having post-processing means for performing post-processing on one sheet (in this embodiment, a punch unit 100 as a punching means), and a conveyance path that leads to the upper tray 201 through the conveyance path A. B, the transfer path C leading to the shift tray 202, and the transfer path D leading to the processing tray F (hereinafter also referred to as “end face binding processing tray”) for performing alignment, stapling, and the like, are distributed by the branching claws 15 and 16 respectively. It is configured as follows.

  The image forming apparatus PR includes an image processing circuit that converts input image data into printable image data (not shown), and an optical writing apparatus that performs optical writing on a photoconductor based on an image signal output from the image processing circuit. A developing device for developing the latent image formed on the photosensitive member by optical writing, a transfer device for transferring the toner image visualized by the developing device to the sheet, and a fixing device for fixing the toner image transferred on the sheet At least the sheet on which the toner image is fixed is sent to the sheet post-processing apparatus PD, and desired post-processing is performed by the sheet post-processing apparatus PD. Here, the image forming apparatus PR is of an electrophotographic system as described above, but any known image forming apparatus such as an ink jet system or a thermal transfer system can be used. In this embodiment, the image processing circuit, the optical writing device, the developing device, the transfer device, and the fixing device constitute image forming means.

  The sheet guided to the end-face binding processing tray F through the transport paths A and D, and aligned, stapled, and the like in the end-face binding processing tray F is guided to the shift tray 202 by the guide member 44. Are arranged so as to be distributed to the saddle stitching / folding processing tray G (hereinafter simply referred to as “saddle stitching processing tray”), and the sheet subjected to folding or the like in the saddle stitching processing tray G passes through the conveyance path H. Guided from the paper discharge roller 83 to the lower tray 203. Further, a branching claw 17 is disposed in the conveyance path D, and is held in the state shown in the figure by a low load spring (not shown). After the trailing edge of the sheet conveyed by the conveyance roller 7 passes through the branching claw 17. Then, at least the transport roller 9 among the transport rollers 9 and 10 and the staple paper discharge roller 11 is reversed to reverse the sheet along the turn guide 8. As a result, the sheet is guided from the rear end of the sheet to the sheet storage portion E to be retained (pre-stacked), and can be conveyed while being overlapped with the next sheet. By repeating this operation, two or more sheets can be stacked and conveyed. Reference numeral 304 denotes a prestack sensor for setting a reverse feed timing when the sheets are prestacked.

  In the conveyance path A common to the upstream of the conveyance path B, the conveyance path C, and the conveyance path D, an inlet sensor 301 that detects a sheet received from the image forming apparatus PR, an inlet roller 1, a punch unit 100, The punch and waste hopper 101, the conveying roller 2, the branching claw 15 and the branching claw 16 are sequentially arranged. The branching claws 15 and 16 are held in the state shown in FIG. 1 by a spring (not shown). When the solenoid (not shown) is turned on, the branching claws 15 and 16 are driven to change the combination of the two. The sheet is distributed to the path B, the conveyance path C, and the conveyance path D.

  When the sheet is guided to the conveyance path B, the solenoid is OFF in the state shown in FIG. 1 (downward is the initial state). When the sheet is guided to the conveyance path C, the solenoid is turned off from the state shown in FIG. 1 (upward is the initial state). By turning ON, the branch claw 15 is turned upward and the branch claw 16 is turned downward, and the sheet is discharged from the conveying roller 3 to the upper tray 201 via the paper discharge roller 4. When the sheet is guided to the conveyance path D, the branching claw 16 is turned in the state shown in FIG. 1 and the solenoid is turned off (initial state), and the branching claw 15 is turned upward by turning on the solenoid from the state shown in FIG. Then, the sheet is conveyed to the shift tray 202 side through the conveyance roller 5 and the discharge roller pair 6 (6a, 6b).

  In this sheet post-processing apparatus, punching (punch unit 100), sheet alignment + edge binding (jogger fence 53, end surface binding stapler S1), sheet alignment + saddle binding (saddle stitch upper jogger fence 250a, Each processing such as the saddle stitching lower jogger fence 250b, the saddle stitching stapler S2), the sheet sorting (shift tray 202), and the middle folding (folding plate 74, folding roller 81) can be performed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the shift tray paper discharge unit located at the most downstream portion of the sheet post-processing apparatus PD includes a shift paper discharge roller pair 6 (6a, 6b), a return roller 13, and a paper surface detection sensor 330. The shift tray 202 includes a shift mechanism (not shown) that reciprocates the shift tray 202 in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction, and a shift tray lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the shift tray 202.

  The sheets guided to the end face binding processing tray F by the staple paper discharge roller 11 are sequentially stacked on the end face binding processing tray F. In this case, alignment in the vertical direction (sheet conveyance direction) is performed by the tapping roller 12 for each sheet, and alignment in the horizontal direction (direction also orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction—also referred to as sheet width direction) is performed by the jogger fence 53. The end-face stitching stapler S1 is driven by a staple signal from the control device 350 (see FIG. 5) between job breaks, that is, between the last sheet of the sheet bundle and the first sheet bundle, and the binding process is performed. The sheet bundle subjected to the binding process is immediately sent to the shift paper discharge roller 6 by the discharge belt 52 (see FIG. 2) with the discharge claw 52a protruding, and is discharged to the shift tray 202 set at the receiving position. The

  The discharge belt 52 is positioned at the alignment center in the sheet width direction, is stretched between pulleys 52c, and is driven by a discharge motor. A plurality of discharge rollers 56 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the discharge belt 52, are provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the drive shaft, and function as driven rollers.

  The release claw 52 a is configured such that the home position is detected by a release belt HP sensor 311, and this release belt HP sensor 311 is turned on / off by a discharge claw 52 a provided on the discharge belt 52. Two discharge claws 52a are arranged at opposing positions on the outer periphery of the discharge belt 52, and the sheet bundle stored in the end face binding processing tray F is moved and conveyed alternately. Further, if necessary, the discharge belt 52 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the discharge claw 52a waiting to move the sheet bundle from now on and the back side of the discharge claw 52a on the opposite side of the sheet bundle accommodated in the end face binding processing tray F It is also possible to align the tips in the transport direction.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 110 denotes a rear end pressing lever, which is located at the lower end of the rear end fence 51 that can press the rear end of the sheet bundle SB accommodated in the rear end fence 51, and is an end surface binding processing tray. Reciprocates in a direction substantially perpendicular to F. Sheets discharged to the end surface binding processing tray F are tapped for each sheet and aligned in the vertical direction (sheet conveying direction) with the rollers 12, but the trailing edge of the sheets stacked on the end surface binding processing tray F is curled. When the waist is weak, the rear end tends to buckle and swell due to the weight of the seat itself. Furthermore, as the number of stacked sheets increases, the gap in which the next sheet enters the rear end fence 51 is reduced, and the vertical alignment tends to deteriorate. Therefore, the trailing edge pressing mechanism 110 reduces the swelling of the trailing edge of the sheet so that the sheet can easily enter the trailing edge fence 51, and the trailing edge pressing lever 110 directly presses the sheet. The

  FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the end face binding processing tray F as viewed from the stacking surface side of the tray. In the same figure, the alignment in the width direction of the sheet received from the upstream machine is performed by the jogger fences 53a and 53b, and the longitudinal direction is the rear end fence 51a by the front end stoppers 512a and 512b driven by the stopper drive belts 511a and 511b. , 51b (indicated by reference numeral 51 in FIG. 1) for matching. After the alignment operation is completed, the binding process is performed by the end surface binding stapler S1, and the sheet bundle after the binding process is lifted by the movable fences 57a and 57b. The receiving portion for scooping the sheet bundle of the movable fence is located slightly below the receiving portion for receiving the sheet bundle of the rear end fences 51a and 51b, and the front end stoppers 512a and 512b are attached to the rear end fences 51a and 51b. It is arranged so that it does not become an obstacle when performing vertical alignment by hitting the bundle. After the sheet bundle is lifted by the movable fences 57a and 57b, the discharge belt 52 is driven counterclockwise, and the sheet lifted by the movable fences 57a and 57b by the discharge claw 52a attached to the discharge belt 52. The bundle is scooped and the discharging operation from the end face binding processing tray F is performed. Reference numerals 64a and 64b are a front side plate and a rear side plate. Further, this operation can be performed in the case of an unbound bundle that is not subjected to the binding process after the alignment process.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a main configuration of a jogger fence unit that aligns the width direction of the sheet. The jogger fences 53a and 53b are moved in the direction of the arrow by a drive motor (not shown), respectively, to perform sheet width alignment. Further, two mylars 531 and 532 are disposed on the jogger fences 53a and 53b, respectively, to prevent the sheet discharged to the end face binding processing tray F from being bent due to curling or the like. The mylars 531 and 532 are for large size and small size, respectively, and the mounting positions, lengths, and elasticity of the two mylars 531 and 532 are conveyed when the sheet is conveyed into the stacking means. It is determined taking into consideration that it does not become a resistance at the time, can suppress the vicinity of the leading end of all sheet sizes that can be received in the end face binding processing tray F, and does not become an obstacle at the time of sheet lateral alignment. ing.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the end face binding processing tray F and its attached mechanism. As shown in the figure, the sheets guided to the end-face binding processing tray F by the staple paper discharge roller 11 are sequentially stacked on the end-face binding processing tray F. At this time, when the number of sheets discharged to the end face binding processing tray F is one sheet, the sheet is aligned in the vertical direction (sheet conveying direction) with the tapping roller 12 for each sheet, and the jogger fences 53a and 52b are arranged in the width direction ( Alignment in the sheet width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction is performed. The hitting roller 12 is given a pendulum motion by the hitting SOL 170 about the fulcrum 12a, and intermittently acts on the sheet fed to the end surface binding processing tray F to hit the sheet against the rear end fence 51. Note that the hitting roller 12 itself rotates counterclockwise.

  The jogger fence 53 is provided with a pair of front and rear (53a, 53b) as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and is driven through a timing belt by a jogger motor 158 capable of forward and reverse rotation, and reciprocates in the sheet width direction.

  A sheet bundle deflection mechanism is provided on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction of the end-face binding processing tray F. As shown in FIG. 1, a conveying path for conveying a sheet bundle from the end-face stitching processing tray F to the saddle-stitching processing tray G, and from the end-face stitching processing tray F to the shift tray 202, and a conveying means for conveying the sheet bundle include a sheet bundle. A conveying mechanism 35 that applies a conveying force, a discharge roller 56 that turns the sheet bundle, and a guide member 44 that performs a guide for turning the sheet bundle.

  Each detailed configuration will be described. The driving force of the driving shaft 37 is transmitted to the roller 36 of the transport mechanism 35 by a timing belt. The roller 36 and the driving shaft 37 are connected and supported by an arm, and driven. The shaft 37 can be swung about the rotation fulcrum. The roller 36 of the transport mechanism 35 is driven to swing by a cam 40. The cam 40 rotates about a rotating shaft 41 and is driven by a motor (not shown).

  In the transport mechanism 35, a driven roller 42 is disposed at a position opposite to the roller 36, and a sheet bundle is sandwiched between the driven roller 42 and the roller 36 and pressed by an elastic material to give a transport force.

  A conveyance path for turning the sheet bundle from the end face binding processing tray F to the saddle stitching processing tray G is formed between the discharge roller 56 and the inner surface of the guide member 44 on the side facing the discharge roller 56. The guide member 44 rotates around a fulcrum, and the drive is transmitted from the bundle branch drive motor 161.

  In the transport path for transporting the sheet bundle from the end surface binding processing tray F to the shift tray 202 serving as a stacking unit, the guide member 44 rotates around the fulcrum in the illustrated clockwise direction, and the outer surface of the guide member 44 (opposite the discharge roller 56). The space between the non-side surface and the outer guide plate is used as a conveyance path.

  When the sheet bundle P is sent from the end surface binding processing tray F to the saddle stitching processing tray G, the trailing edge of the sheet bundle aligned on the end surface binding processing tray F is pushed up by the discharge claw 52a, and the roller 36 of the transport mechanism 35 and A sheet bundle is sandwiched between the opposed driven rollers 42 facing each other, and a conveying force is applied. At this time, the roller 36 of the transport mechanism 35 stands by at a position where it does not hit the leading end of the sheet bundle P.

  Next, after the front end of the sheet bundle P passes, the roller 36 of the transport mechanism 35 is brought into contact with the sheet surface to apply a transport force. At this time, the guide member 44 and the discharge roller 56 form a guide for the turn conveyance path, and convey the sheet bundle P to the downstream saddle stitching processing tray G.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the saddle stitch processing tray G is provided on the downstream side of the sheet bundle deflection mechanism including the conveyance mechanism 35, the guide member 44, and the discharge roller 56. The saddle stitching processing tray G is provided substantially perpendicularly on the downstream side of the sheet bundle deflection mechanism, with the center folding mechanism at the center, the bundle conveyance guide plate upper 92 above, and the bundle conveyance guide below. A lower plate 91 is arranged.

  Further, an upper bundle conveying roller 71 is provided above the upper bundle conveying guide plate 92, and a lower bundle conveying roller 72 is provided below the upper bundle conveying guide plate 92. A saddle stitch upper jogger fence 250a is arranged on both sides along the side surface of 92. Similarly, a saddle stitch lower jogger fence 250b is provided on both sides along the side surface of the bundle conveyance guide plate lower 91, and a saddle stitch stapler S2 is disposed at a place where the saddle stitch lower jogger fence 250b is installed. The saddle stitching upper jogger fence 250a and the saddle stitching lower jogger fence 250b are driven by a driving mechanism (not shown) and perform an alignment operation in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction (sheet width direction). The saddle stitching stapler S2 is a pair of a clincher portion and a driver portion, and two pairs are provided at a predetermined interval in the sheet width direction.

  A movable rear end fence 73 is arranged so as to cross the lower bundle conveyance guide plate 91, and can be moved in the sheet conveyance direction (vertical direction in the figure) by a moving mechanism including a timing belt and its driving mechanism. . As shown in FIG. 1, the drive mechanism includes a drive pulley and a driven pulley on which the timing belt is stretched, and a stepping motor that drives the drive pulley. Similarly, a rear end tapping claw 251 and its drive mechanism are provided on the upper end side of the upper bundle transport guide plate 92. The trailing edge tapping claw 251 can reciprocate in a direction away from the sheet bundle deflecting mechanism and a direction pushing the trailing edge of the sheet bundle (the side that contacts the trailing edge when the sheet bundle is introduced) by a timing belt 252 and a driving mechanism (not shown). ing.

  The center folding mechanism is provided at a substantially central portion of the saddle stitching processing tray G, and includes a folding plate 74, a folding roller 81, and a conveyance path H that conveys the folded sheet bundle. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 326 denotes a home position sensor for detecting the home position of the rear end tapping claw 251, reference numeral 323 denotes a folded portion passage sensor for detecting a folded sheet, and reference numeral 321 denotes a sheet bundle. A bundle detection sensor 322 for detecting that the center folding position has been reached is a working rear end fence home position sensor for detecting the home position of the movable rear end fence 73.

  In this embodiment, a detection lever 501 for detecting the stacking height of the sheet bundle folded in the lower tray 203 is provided to be swingable by a fulcrum 501a, and the angle of the detection lever 501 is detected by the paper surface sensor 505. Then, the raising / lowering operation and overflow detection of the lower tray 203 are performed.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an outline of the control means 350 equipped with a microcomputer having a CPU 360, an I / O interface 370, and the like. The control unit 350 receives signals from various switches such as a control panel of the image forming apparatus main body (not shown), and other sensors such as the upper paper discharge sensor 302, the paper presence sensor 310, the staple paper discharge sensor 305, and the paper surface detection sensor 330. Input to the CPU 360 via the I / O interface 370, and the CPU 360 controls each solenoid such as a driving motor for controlling the mechanisms such as the tip stopper 512, the discharge belt 52, the movable fence 57, and the hitting SOL based on the input signal. To do.

The control is executed based on a program defined by the program code while the CPU 360 reads a program code stored in a ROM (not shown) and uses a RAM (not shown) as a work area and a data buffer.

  6 to 8 are views showing the positional relationship between the rear end fence 51, the hook member 55 provided on the rear end fence 51, the end surface binding stapler S1 and the hook member 56 provided on the end surface binding stapler S1.

  In FIG. 6, a hook member 55 as an engaging portion provided in the rear end fence 51 is hooked on a hooked member 56 as an engaged portion provided in the end surface binding stapler S1 (engaged state or contact). FIG. 7 is a view of the normal state (as viewed from the back side of the end face binding processing tray F), and FIG. 7 shows a hook member 55 provided on the end face binding stapler S1 and a hook member 55 provided on the rear end fence 51. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a state where it is detached from 56 and FIG. In these drawings, the rear end fence 51a is mounted on a shaft 513 and is movable in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. Further, in a free state where the rear end fence 51a is not hooked by the hooked member 56 provided on the end surface binding stapler S1, the rear end fence 51a is pulled by a spring (not shown) and brought close to the center of the end surface binding processing tray F. It becomes.

  More specifically, FIGS. 6 and 8 show a state in which the end-face stitching stapler S1 is located together with the rear-end fence 51a at the home position on the near side as viewed from the front of the apparatus. In this state, the hook member 55 of the rear end fence 51a is in contact with the hooked member 56 of the end face binding stapler S1, and is pushed by the end face binding stapler S1 to resist the elastic force of a spring (not shown). Is located. This state is one of the initial states of the end-face stitching stapler S1.

  FIG. 7 shows a state in which the end-face stitching stapler S1 is located at the front home position when viewed from the front of the apparatus, and the rear end fence 51a is located inside the end-face stitching processing tray F from the end-face stitching stapler S1. In this state, the hook member 55 of the rear end fence 51a and the hooked member 56 of the end surface binding stapler S1 are in a disengaged state, that is, separated from each other, and the end surface binding stapler S1 and the rear end fence 51a are independent. . This state is also one of the initial states of the end-face stitching stapler S1.

  When the end-face stitching stapler S1 moves to the inside of the end-face stitching processing tray F for the binding operation from the initial state of FIG. 7, the hooked member 56 of the end-face stitching stapler S1 is moved to the hooking member 55 of the rear end fence 51a. Abut from the outside. The hook member 55 is movable only within a range corresponding to the third quadrant with the rotation center of the hook member 55 as the origin, as indicated by an arrow Z in FIG. 7, and does not rotate counterclockwise from the position shown in FIG. . That is, it can be rotated clockwise by 90 ° with reference to the position shown in FIG. Therefore, when the end surface binding stapler S1 moves inward (leftward in the figure) in FIG. 7 and the hooked member 56 contacts the hooking member 55, the hooking member 55 rotates clockwise in the figure, and The movement beyond the hook member 55 is allowed.

  The position of the rear end fence 51a in FIG. 7 is a position close to the center as described above, and when the binding operation on the front side of the two-point binding is performed at this position, the stapler binding portion becomes the rear end fence 51a. Cause a failure of the stapler. Therefore, in the initial state of FIG. 7, the end-face stitching stapler S <b> 1 is in a state where the hooked portion 56 has passed the hooking portion 55. When moving from this state to the binding position, there is no interference between the rear end fence 51 and the binding portion of the end surface binding stapler S1.

  Once the hooked portion 56 has passed the hook portion 55, when the end-face stitching stapler S1 returns to the home position, the hooked portion 56 is locked in contact with the hook portion 55, and the rear end fence 51a is locked. Moves to the home position integrally with the end-face stitching stapler S1. This state is the state shown in FIGS. The state shown in FIG. 7 is a case where the end-face stitching stapler S1 is rotated counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG. 6 for exchanging the staples, for example, and the engagement state therebetween is released. When the engagement state between the two is released in this way, the rear end fence 51a moves toward the center of the end face binding processing tray F by the elastic force of the spring. For this reason, after the needle replacement, it is necessary to rotate the end-face stitching stapler S1 from the needle replacement position to the binding enabled position and return it. The state returned to the binding enabled position is the state shown in FIG. On this assumption, the control shown in FIG. 9 is executed.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a control procedure during the initial operation of the end-face stitching stapler S1 in the present embodiment. The initial operation of the end-face stitching stapler S1 is started after completion of the initial operation of the other mechanism unit in order to prevent contact with the rear end presser 110 or a nail attached to the discharge belt 52 (not shown) (step S101). -YES). When the initial operation of the other mechanism unit is completed, the CPU 360 first executes the initial operation in the rotation direction of the end surface binding stapler S1 (step S102). The rotation direction here refers to the rotation between the needle replacement position and the binding position. The initial operation in the rotational direction refers to the initial position corresponding to the binding position since the binding position is the initial position. Refers to movement. When the initial process in the rotation direction is completed in step S102 (YES in step S103), the lateral movement initial operation is started (step S104) and the operation counter is started (step S105).

  When the end face stitching stapler S1 starts to move to the horizontal home position and detects an ON signal of a lateral home position sensor (not shown) (step S106-YES), the operation counter is stopped (step S107) and the end face binding is performed. The stapler S1 is stopped (step S108).

  Here, the CPU 360 acquires the value T of the operation counter (step S109), and derives the separation distance a from the home position at the time when the end face stitching stapler S1 starts the initial operation by a predetermined calculation formula (step S110). ). As a value measured by the operation counter, in step S109, the time required for the end-face stitching stapler S1 to move to the home position is used. In addition to the time, the measuring means may be the number of pulses obtained by pulse control by the stepping motor used to move the end-face stitching stapler S1 to the home position in the horizontal direction.

  Next, when the rear end fence 51a is in a free state, the CPU 360 acquires a distance b between the position of the hook member 55 provided on the rear end fence 51a and the home position sensor ON position in the lateral direction of the end face stitching stapler S1 (step). S111). The distance b acquired here is a value determined on the mechanical layout. Further, the CPU 360 compares the acquired values of a and b, and only when the relationship of a ≦ b is established (step S112—YES), the end surface stitching stapler S1 is moved by the distance b in the direction opposite to the home position, and the above described. In this manner, the operation of hooking (engaging) the member 56 to be hooked to the hooking member 55 is executed (step S113). Thereafter, an initial operation of the binding mechanism of the end face binding stapler S1 is executed (step S114). If there is any needle residue, the needle residue is discarded (step S115), and the initial operation of the end-face stitching stapler S1 is terminated.

  After that, the stapler processing is executed at the binding position by the end face binding stapler S1.

As described above, according to this embodiment,
1) The CPU 360 measures the amount of movement when the end face binding stapler S1 moves to the home position during the initial operation, and the position of the binding means at the start of the initial operation is the hook member 55 provided on the rear end fence 51a on the near side. When it is determined that the sheet is located inside the end face binding processing tray F, the hooking operation is not performed. Thereby, the implementation of the hooking operation of the hooking member is stopped to the minimum necessary, and the apparatus can be quiet and the power consumption can be reduced.
2) The distance a from the home position sensor position for detecting the home position of the end-face stitching stapler S1 to the stop position of the end-face stitching stapler S1 when performing the initial process is measured by the driving pulse of the stepping motor that drives the end-face stitching stapler S1. Therefore, it is possible to perform accurate measurement with the existing configuration.
3) The distance a from the home position sensor position for detecting the home position of the end-face stitching stapler S1 to the stop position of the end-face stitching stapler S1 when performing the initial process is measured by the driving time of the stepping motor that drives the end-face stitching stapler S1. Therefore, it is possible to perform accurate measurement with the existing configuration.
There are effects such as.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to this embodiment, All the technical matters contained in the technical thought described in the claim are object.

  The present invention is not limited to a sheet processing apparatus that is used by being connected to a subsequent stage of the image forming apparatus, but has a function of collectively combining sheet-like members including alignment processing and binding processing on sheet-like members. The present invention can be used for all sheet processing apparatuses including a sheet-like member handling apparatus.

51, 51a, 51b Rear end fence 53, 53a, 53b Jogger fence S1 End surface binding stapler 55 Hooking member (engaging part)
56 Hooked member (engaged part)
360 CPU
PD sheet post-processing device PR image forming device

Japanese Patent No. 36552917 Japanese Patent No. 3655431 JP 2008-105809 A JP 2005-206374 A

Claims (9)

An alignment means for aligning the carried-in sheet;
A binding means for binding the aligned sheet bundle;
Have
The alignment means includes an abutting member that abuts the rear end of the sheet in the conveyance direction and aligns the sheet at the abutting position;
The binding means moves along the rear end of the sheet in the conveying direction to bind the sheet,
The abutting member has an engaging portion that engages with the binding means, and when the engaging portion engages with an engaged portion of the binding means, the abutting member moves integrally with the binding means in the engaged direction. A sheet processing apparatus,
When the binding means moves to the home position, whether or not the engaging portion and the engaged portion can be engaged is determined based on whether the binding means starts to move to the home position when the binding portion starts to move. A sheet processing apparatus comprising control means for determining the position. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The distance from the home position sensor position for detecting the home position of the binding means to the stop position of the binding means is a, and the engagement portion when the home position sensor position is not engaged with the engaged portion. The distance to b, and a> b between the two
When the relationship is established, the control means rejects the engaging operation. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The distance a is a value measured when the control unit moves the binding unit to a home position. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measured value is a moving pulse amount until the binding unit reaches a home position. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3,
The measured value is a time until the binding means reaches a home position. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
When the engaged portion comes into contact with the engaging portion when the binding means moves from the home position to the binding position side, the engaging portion does not engage with the engaged portion and the binding means When it is allowed to pass and contacts the engaging portion when moving from the binding position side to the home position, the engaging portion engages with the engaged portion, and the abutting member is connected with the binding means. A sheet processing apparatus that moves together.   An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1. An alignment means for aligning the carried-in sheet;
A binding means for binding the aligned sheet bundle;
Have
The alignment means includes an abutting member that abuts the rear end of the sheet in the conveyance direction and aligns the sheet at the abutting position;
The binding means moves along the rear end of the sheet in the conveying direction to bind the sheet,
The abutting member has an engaging portion that engages with the binding means, and when the engaging portion engages with an engaged portion of the binding means, the abutting member moves integrally with the binding means in the engaged direction. A sheet processing control method,
When the binding means moves to the home position, whether or not the engaging portion and the engaged portion can be engaged is determined based on whether the binding means starts to move to the home position when the binding portion starts to move. A sheet processing control method, characterized by being determined by a position. An alignment means for aligning the carried-in sheet;
A binding means for binding the aligned sheet bundle;
Have
The alignment means includes an abutting member that abuts the rear end of the sheet in the conveyance direction and aligns the sheet at the abutting position;
The binding means moves along the rear end of the sheet in the conveying direction to bind the sheet,
The abutting member has an engaging portion that engages with the binding means, and when the engaging portion engages with an engaged portion of the binding means, the abutting member moves integrally with the binding means in the engaged direction. A sheet processing control program for executing sheet processing control by a computer,
When the binding means moves to the home position, whether or not the engaging portion and the engaged portion can be engaged is determined based on whether the binding means starts to move to the home position when the binding portion starts to move. A sheet processing control program comprising a procedure for determining by position.

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