JP5561040B2 - Post-processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a post-processing apparatus, and more particularly, to a mechanism that performs a folding operation for binding the center of a sheet and folding it into two at the bound portion.

  A post-processing device attached to the image forming apparatus, in addition to a case where a so-called printed sheet such as recording paper is discharged from the image forming apparatus by an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a printing machine. May be discharged after various treatments.

  In the post-processing device, not only the binding processing for the leading edge and one side of the discharged paper and the saddle stitching processing for binding the center of the paper, but also folding the saddle-stitched paper from the middle binding portion. There is a bookbinding process.

Middle folding work can be done by protruding the crease part of the paper toward the opposite part of the pair of folding rollers and crease it by pinching and conveying the pair of folding rollers. The springback phenomenon that occurs may cause a phenomenon of warping in the direction opposite to the crease direction.
In particular, when the warping increases due to the bending rigidity of the paper, which is affected by the thickness of the paper, the folded surfaces of the paper are lifted apart.
Such lift may appear as a bulge of the sheet bundle and may interfere with the discharge of subsequent sheets.

Therefore, it is desired that the crease be made so that the folded portion is not plastically deformed and lifted.
Conventionally, the structure of a half-folding device for the purpose of suppressing the so-called bulging of a sheet bundle is to allow a pair of folding rollers that pinch and convey a fold part to rotate forward and backward so that the half-folded paper passes through the pinching part. After that, the roller pair is reversed and the crease part is sandwiched and transported once again, so that the crease part is plastically deformed (for example, Patent Document 1), and the crease is formed by the pair of fold rollers or the belt installed between the rollers. The means is provided in two stages and is configured to be plastically deformed by the crease means at the subsequent stage when passing each crease means in the conveying process (for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3), and can be moved in the paper width direction behind the pair of folding rollers. And a fold portion is plastically deformed by pressurizing the crease portion of the sheet that has passed through the pair of fold rollers with pressure. In such a configuration (for example, Patent Document 4), a press plate is provided opposite to the conveyance path of the paper that has passed through the pair of folding rollers, with the conveyance path interposed therebetween, and the crease portion is pressed by the press plate to be plastically deformed. There exists a structure (for example, patent document 5).

  In the configuration in which the nip portion of the pair of folding rollers is reciprocated a plurality of times so that the fold portion is plastically deformed so that the paper does not bulge, the fold portion of the paper may be niped depending on the number of times the paper is passed. There is a possibility that dirt and wrinkles may occur when sliding. When such stains and wrinkles occur, the quality of bookbinding is degraded.

  Also, in the configuration in which a plurality of folding roller pairs or belts are passed, there is no problem with dirt because they do not pass through the nip portion of the same folding roller pair, but depending on the nip length of the folding roller pair for each number of stages. When a thick sheet bundle is used, there is a possibility that the crease may not be obtained sufficiently and the bulge remains.

  Further, in the configuration in which an additional folding roller that moves in the width direction of the sheet is provided separately from the pair of folding rollers, or in a configuration that uses a press plate, an additional folding mechanism is provided separately from the intermediate folding device that is configured by the folding roller pair. Therefore, there are problems such as an increase in the size and cost of the entire apparatus, a complicated structure for the drive system, and an increase in power load such as power consumption required for the drive system.

  In view of the problems in the conventional saddle stitch folding device, the object of the present invention is to efficiently eliminate the bulging of the sheet bundle without reducing the crease quality, without increasing the size and cost of the device. It is an object of the present invention to provide a post-processing apparatus capable of saddle stitch folding, which has a configuration capable of producing a good bookbinding.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises the following arrangement.
(1) After binding the central portion in the conveyance direction of the loaded paper, the central portion in the conveyance direction is pressed and inserted between the pair of folding rollers, and the paper is folded in half by nipping and conveying the pair of folding rollers. In the post-processing apparatus having a configuration for performing the middle folding process,
A pair of press plates facing each other across the discharge conveyance path of the folded paper is provided on the side where the folded end portion folded by the folding roller pair is discharged, so as to be able to contact and separate from each other.
The press plate has a configuration capable of sequentially pressing between the paper edge and the folded edge in parallel with the paper discharge direction by moving while abutting each other, and moves toward the folded edge. The position at which the paper is not over the folded edge is set as the stop position when the paper is pushed , and the paper discharge direction is maintained while the pressure of the paper is maintained at the stop position. A post-processing apparatus characterized in that the sheet is plastically deformed by repeatedly performing folding back by movement in the opposite direction and incremental folding by movement in the discharge direction .

(2) The press plate has a curved surface that bulges toward the paper discharge conveyance path, and the press plate has a curved surface between the paper end and the folded end so that the convex portions of the curved surface face each other. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet can be pressed by rolling a curved surface.

(3) The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the press plate can be additionally folded by rotating a plurality of rotations between the paper end and the folded end.

(4) The press plate is provided with a pressure member that contacts the concave side of the curved surface and is movable in the longitudinal direction of the press plate, and the press member is a press plate drive that can be interlocked with a drive source. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a contact state between the convex portions of the press plate is set by a cam.

(5) The drive source of the press plate drive cam is connected to a control unit capable of speed control and setting of the stop position of the press plate, and the control unit is configured to fold the sheet size, the number of sheets, and the sheet thickness. Is connected to the input side and the drive source is connected to the output side, and when the pressure member is moved from the sheet end toward the folded end, the sheet is near the folded end. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving speed is set to be lower than the moving speed from the end portion.

(6) The control unit corresponds to a distance from the paper edge corresponding to twice the distance from the folded edge to the stop position as a rolling range of the press plate from the paper edge. 6. A post-processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

(7) The control unit according to claim 5 or 6, wherein when the pressure member is moved from the sheet end toward the folded end, the controller is stopped in the vicinity of the folded end for a predetermined time. Post-processing equipment.

(8) An operation unit capable of selecting the paper size, the number of sheets, and the paper thickness by an external operation is connected to the input side of the control unit, and the control unit performs folding according to the input item. The number of additional folds, the press plate rolling speed, the press plate stop time, and the stop position at which the plastic deformation can be performed at each part can be set, respectively. Processing equipment.

(9) The operation unit can display the number of additional folds, press plate rolling speed, press plate stop time and stop position set by the control unit according to the input information, and change the display content information. 9. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the setting items can be changed by re-inputting the changed contents to the control unit.

According to the present invention, the stop position of the press plate when the press plate is moved from the end of the sheet toward the folded end is set to a position that does not get over the folded end. Since it moves at a lower speed than the moving speed from the end, it can be prevented from causing the springback phenomenon that occurs when it is creased, and it is easy to be plastically deformed by lengthening the pressurization time. State.
As a result, the folded end portion is not lifted. Therefore, when performing additional folding by a plurality of rotational movements of the press plate, it is possible to prevent the position of the folded end portion from being displaced due to lifting. As a result, it is possible to prevent wrinkles and dirt from being generated at the time of pressing by a plurality of additional folds, so that the bookbinding quality is not deteriorated.

Further, according to the present invention, the press plate is rotated a plurality of times between the paper end portion and the folded end portion, and the press plate is folded as a moving range of the pressure member used for rolling the press plate. Since the distance from the edge of the paper is equivalent to twice the distance from the edge to the stop position, the moving distance of the press plate at the time of additional folding is shortened to shorten the time required for additional folding. Can do.
Furthermore, in the present invention, since a control unit for setting a folding mode including additional folding by inputting paper information at the time of bookbinding, a bookbinding operation free from wrinkles and dirt is possible.

It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the whole structure of the post-processing apparatus by this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the clamp bundle conveyance part in the post-processing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by a symbol (H) in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by a symbol (R) in FIG. 2. It is the figure which looked at the part shown in FIG. 3 from the opposite side. FIG. 3 is a detailed view of a portion indicated by a symbol (V) in FIG. 2. It is the figure which looked at the part shown in FIG. 6 from the opposite side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a press folding portion indicated by a symbol F in FIG. 2. It is a side view of the press fold part F shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which removes and shows a part of member used for the press folding part shown in FIG. It is a side view which removes and shows a part of member used for the press folding part F shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which removes and further shows the member used for the press folding part shown in FIG. It is a side view which removes and further shows a part of member used for the press folding part F shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the support mechanism of the press plate used for the press folding part shown in FIG. It is a side view of the support mechanism shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows one of the effect | actions of the press folding part shown with the code | symbol F in FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating one of the characteristics in the press folding part in the post-processing apparatus by this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows another one of the effect | action in the press folding part shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the discharge state of the sheet | seat performed after the effect | action shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the additional folding operation | movement which is another one of the effects | actions in the press folding part shown in FIG. It is a timing chart for demonstrating the relationship between the stop position of a press plate with respect to the front-end | tip of a fold end part at the time of performing additional folding in the press fold part used for the post-processing apparatus by this invention, and a moving speed. It is a timing chart for demonstrating the relationship between the stop position of a press plate and moving speed on conditions different from the case shown in FIG. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the structure of the control part used for control of the folding operation by a press board. It is a figure for demonstrating the setting conditions based on the relationship between the paper information and additional folding conditions used by a control part. It is a figure which shows one content of the input information in the operation panel connected to the control part shown in FIG. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing another content of input information on the operation panel shown in FIG. 25. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing yet another content of input information on the operation panel shown in FIG. 25.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described using embodiments shown in the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a post-processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention.
In FIG. 1, the post-processing apparatus 1 includes a sheet receiving unit A for carrying in a sheet Pm on which an image is formed in the image forming apparatus, a proof discharge unit B, a shift / stack unit C including a stipple unit C1, and upper and lower shift trays. The operation unit D, the clamp bundle conveyance unit E, and the press folding unit F including the paper discharge unit F1 are configured.

Hereinafter, the configuration of each unit will be described.
The paper receiving unit A includes an introduction path P1, and an entrance roller 10 and an entrance sensor 13 are arranged in the introduction path P1, and it is confirmed that the paper P is carried into the paper post-processing apparatus. It can be detected.
A paper punching unit U is arranged downstream of the carry-in roller 10 in the carrying-in direction of the paper Pm (in the direction of the arrow attached to the paper Pm for convenience), and the transport rollers 11 and 12 are arranged downstream of the paper punching unit. ing.
The transported paper Pm passes through the paper punching unit U and is switched by the branching claw 20 provided at a position where the paper Pm is fed out by one of the transport rollers 11, whereby the proof discharge unit and the shift stack. It is conveyed to one of the parts C.

The proof discharge portion B includes a carry-out path P2 provided on the downstream side of the branch claw 20, and a discharge tray 22 is disposed at the end thereof.
The paper Pm whose transport direction toward the proof discharge section B is set by the branch claw 20 passes through the transport roller 11, passes through the carry-out path P <b> 2, and is discharged toward the paper discharge tray 22 by the discharge roller 21.

The shift / stack unit C includes a transport path P3 into which the paper Pm fed by the transport roller 12 provided in the paper receiving unit A is introduced.
In the transport path P3, the paper discharge rollers 31 and 33 and the paper discharge sensor 35 are arranged, and in the sort mode for sorting into paper groups, the transport roller 12 having a shift mechanism that can move in the paper width direction is a driving unit (not shown). Thus, the sheet Pm is shifted by a certain amount in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction during the conveyance, and is discharged to the discharge tray 32 by the discharge roller 33, and is shifted in the width direction for each sheet group. It is designed to be stacked sequentially.

  The discharge port portion to the discharge tray 32 has a structure in which a sheet or a sheet bundle is sandwiched and discharged by the discharge roller 33 and the driven roller 31. This is a contact / separation operation of the discharge guide provided with the driven roller 31 with respect to the discharge roller 33 so that a closed state in which a sheet or sheet bundle can be pinched and discharged and an open state in which the sheet is not held can be selectively taken. Thus, after the paper shift operation is completed, the paper can be pinched and discharged.

  The conveyance path P3 is provided in a tilted state so that the sheet can be easily moved in one direction by using gravity, and a staple roller 36 and a hitting roller that faces the staple tray 36 are provided in the middle. 30 is arranged. In addition, a stapler C1 divided by a driver and a clincher 41 that can advance and retreat in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface is disposed at the end of the transport path P3. Jogger fences 37 and 38 that are movable in the paper width direction are arranged in front of the stapler C1 in the transport path P3 to align the paper edge.

The paper introduced into the transport path P3 is discharged onto the staple tray 36 and aligned in the width direction by the jogger fences 37 and 38.
Further, the hitting roller 30 is configured to perform a pendulum motion by a driving source (not shown), and the roller is rotated by another driving source, and the roller contacts the upper surface of the paper so that the paper is switched back toward the stapler 41. Then, the rear end of the sheet is abutted against the reference fences 39 and 40 to align the vertical position of the sheet bundle.
In the edge binding mode, the aligned sheet bundle is stapled by moving the stapler (41) in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface and stapling the appropriate position at the lower edge of the sheet bundle. The paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 32 by being sandwiched and conveyed by the paper rollers 31 and 33.

The shift tray up-and-down operation unit D is a part for sequentially stacking sheets discharged from the shift / stack unit C. As a configuration for this, the discharge tray 32 provided in the shift / stack unit C is moved up and down. The upper surface is provided with a swingable filler 34 so as to be in contact with the upper surface of the paper on the paper discharge tray 32.
An upper surface detection sensor (not shown) for detecting the height position of the front end of the filler 34 is provided at the base of the filler 34, that is, in the vicinity of the rocking base end side. The paper surface height of the loaded paper Pm can be detected.
When the upper surface detection sensor is turned on as the sheet height rises as the number of sheets stacked on the discharge tray 32 increases, a control unit (not shown) controls drive means (not shown) that moves the discharge tray 32 up and down. Then, the discharge tray 32 is lowered.

  When the discharge tray 32 is lowered and the upper surface detection sensor is turned off, the lowering of the discharge tray 32 is stopped. When the paper discharge tray 32 reaches the specified tray full height by repeating this operation, a stop signal is issued from the paper post-processing device to the image forming device, the image forming processing is stopped, and more paper is discharged to the paper output tray. Thus, it is possible to prevent the sheet from being accidentally dropped from the sheet discharge tray 32 as a state where the sheet is not discharged onto the sheet 32.

The clamp bundle conveying unit E positions the binding position of the edge-aligned paper so as to oppose the stapler 41 and the folding position when the paper after the binding process is folded in two by a press folding part F described later. For this purpose, a curved conveyance path P4 for guiding the paper is provided.
In the curved conveyance path P4, clamp movable fences 120 and 121 are provided that move along the shape of the conveyance path P4 while sandwiching the trailing edge sheet in the conveyance direction of the sheet conveyed in the conveyance path P3. .
In the case where the ends are stopped and clamped by the clamp movable fences 120 and 121, the reference fences 39 and 40 provided in the shift stack portion C move outward in the paper width direction to move the end of the paper. Is retracted to a position that does not prevent entry into the clamp movable fences 120 and 121.

  The clamp movable fences 120 and 121 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, and are provided to be slidable with respect to the clamp longitudinal axis 106 arranged in the longitudinal direction outside the machine side plate. Accordingly, the sheet or the sheet bundle can be transported in the path length direction of the transport path P4 while moving in the lateral direction perpendicular to the axial direction according to the axial direction of the clamp longitudinal axis 106 and the curved trajectory of the curved transport path P4.

  The curved path P4, which will be described with reference to FIG. 2, is configured by the guide rail 110, and the sheet or the sheet bundle sandwiched at the rear end in the transport direction is a predetermined position corresponding to the sheet size along the track of the guide rail 110. And is saddle-stitched by stapling an appropriate position of the sheet bundle length center portion. The predetermined position corresponding to the paper size is a position sent from the clamp movable fence home position sensor 49 by a predetermined pulse by a drive motor (not shown).

Further, in FIG. 1, when folding a saddle-stitched sheet or sheet group in half, the sheet or sheet bundle is folded until the folding position can be positioned at the position of a folding blade 203 provided in a press folding unit F described later. The rear end in the transport direction is moved along the curved locus of the guide rail 110.
In FIG. 1, in the press folding part F, the clamp movable fences 120 and 121 hold the rear end in the transport direction and are below the curved path P4 (in FIG. 1, the clamp movable fences 120 and 121 are indicated by two-dot chain lines). The clamp movable fences 120 and 121 are moved to the center of the sheet in the length direction by continuing the conveyance for a predetermined time from the time when the trailing edge of the sheet is detected by the position detection sensor 50 in the process. The part is positioned so as to face the folding blade 203.

Continuing to convey the paper, from the start of detection by the position detection sensor 50 until the position in the center in the length direction of the paper is opposed to the folding blade by setting the number of pulses to the drive motors of the clamp movable fences 1201 and 121 (not shown). Is determined.
In FIG. 1, the press folding unit F is provided with a folding blade 203 that can be moved forward and backward with respect to the folding position of the sheet, and the sheet is sandwiched and conveyed at the position where the folding position of the sheet is inserted by the folding blade 203. On the other hand, conveying rollers 206 and 207 used as a pair of folding rollers having a folding function for making a crease are arranged.
One press plate 219, 220 that is opposed to the discharge conveyance path is disposed at a position where the folded end portion that is nipped and conveyed by the conveyance rollers 206, 207 and discharged.

The press plates 219 and 220 are provided so as to be able to contact and separate from each other. When the press plates 219 and 220 come into contact with each other, the press plates 219 and 220 are subjected to half-folding by pressurizing and plastically deforming a folded sheet or sheet bundle. .
The sheet or sheet bundle that has been folded in half is discharged onto the saddle stitching tray 62 by the transport rollers 206 and 207 and the sheet discharge roller 58.
The sheet or sheet bundle discharged to the saddle stitching tray 62 is pressed by a sheet pressing roller 61 attached to the sheet pressing unit 60, so that the folded sheet expands and does not obstruct the discharge of the next discharged sheet. Yes.

The press fold F is one of the features of the present invention, and details thereof will be described later.
Below, the structure of each part is demonstrated with a function.
FIG. 2 is an overall view of the clamp bundle transport unit E.
In the clamp bundle conveying section E, the rotational movement of the clamp moving motor 101 is transmitted to the drive belt 102, and is stretched on the opposite side to the upper and lower conveyor belts 104a stretched on the upper and lower drive pulleys 103 and 105. The vertical movement belt 104b converts the vertical movement.
Clamp vertical movement members 107a and 107b are attached to the vertical conveyance belts 104b and 104a. The clamp vertical movement members 107a and 107b are fitted to the clamp vertical axes 106a and 106b and supported so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. Yes.
As a moving member with respect to the lateral direction corresponding to the direction of the curved path P4 shown in FIG. 1 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the clamp longitudinal axes 106a and 106b, the clamp vertical movement members 107a and 107b have lateral movement of the clamp. The members 108a and 108b are provided to be slidable in the lateral direction described above.

  The clamp lateral movement members 108a and 108b are connected to a clamp stay 114 corresponding to a support portion of the clamp used in the clamp movable fences 120 and 121, as described in FIGS. The arrows (indicated by reference numerals 110a and 110b in FIG. 2) along the guide rails formed along the trajectory of the curved path P4 in the side plates 109a and 109b in conjunction with the vertical movement of the vertical conveyor belts 104a and 104b ( Q) It moves in the direction.

  In FIG. 2, the sheet or sheet bundle nipped at the rear end in the clamp portion indicated by the symbol (R) passes through the conveyance path constituted by the conveyance guide plates 111a, 111b, 112a, 112b, 113, 115, 116, 117. Then, the conveyance is stopped at a predetermined position when it is detected by the folding position sensor 118.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by reference character (H) in FIG. 2, in which the guide laterally moving parts 108 a and 108 b have guide grooves having a longitudinal direction in the lateral direction (in FIG. 3, for convenience. A clamp stay shaft integrated with the clamp stay 114 (in FIG. 3, for convenience, the clamp stay shaft corresponding to the above-described guide groove 108b1 is denoted by reference numeral 109b. ) Is inserted.
The end portions of the clamp stay shafts 109a and 109b are inserted into the guide rails 110a and 110b, and the clamp stay shafts 109a and 109b can move in the horizontal direction according to the trajectory of the guide rails 110a and 110b while moving up and down.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the clamp stay 114 is provided with upper clamps 120 a and 121 a and lower clamps 121 a and 121 b used for the clamp portion (R) supported by a clamp shaft 123.

Among the upper and lower clamps, the upper clamps 120a and 120b are connected by the clamp part connecting sheet metal parts 124, and thus can operate simultaneously between the upper clamps 120a and 120b at the left and right clamp parts.
The lower clamps 121a and 121b and the upper clamps 120a and 120b are given a habit of abutting against each other by springs 122a and 122b that urge the upper clamps 120a and 120b toward the lower clamps 121a and 121b. Pm) can be held between the rear ends.

6 and 7 are diagrams showing details of the portion indicated by the reference numeral (V) in FIG. 2, and this portion is a clamping release mechanism (hereinafter referred to as clamp release) in the clamp portion (R) described in FIGS. It is a part used as a mechanism).
6 and 7, the clamp release mechanism includes a clamp pressure release lever 132 that is movable in a direction in which the clamp stay 124 can be pressed facing the clamp stay 124 side of the clamp mechanism, as shown in FIG.

The clamp mechanism includes a clamp release motor 127 provided on a clamp release motor bracket 126 attached to a stay 125 on the apparatus side, and the driving force of the clamp release motor 127 is via a gear 129 integrated with the rotary shaft 128. Thus, it is transmitted to a rack portion integrally formed with the clamp pressure release lever 132.
The clamp pressure release lever 132 has a guide groove 132A in which guide pins 130 and 131 fixed to the clamp release motor bracket 126 are inserted, and the direction of the arrow X is determined by the driving force transmitted to the rack portion. Can be moved to.

When the clamp pressure release lever 132 moves in the direction of the arrow X, the clamp stay 124 rotates against the urging force of the springs 122a and 122b provided in the clamp portion, whereby the upper clamp in the clamp mechanism shown in FIG. 120a and 120b are separated from the lower clamps 121a and 121b to release the paper.
The paper nipping is canceled when the paper is folded in half, and the paper released from the nipping is moved to the folding position of the conveying rollers 206 and 207 in conjunction with the inserting operation of the folding blade 203 shown in FIG. It can be moved toward the position.

8 is a perspective view of the press folding portion F shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 9 is a side view of the press folding portion F.
The press folding unit F includes a press plate driving cam 201 that performs contact / separation driving of the press plate indicated by reference numerals 219 and 220 in FIG. 2, a drive cam 202 that moves the folding blade 203 back and forth, and a folding blade support rod 204. A side plate 205 is used.
Each of the press plate drive cam 201 and the folding blade drive cam 202 has a cam groove having a predetermined cam stroke. The cam groove of the press plate drive cam 201 is in contact with press plates 219 and 220 described later. A moving plate 208 (see FIGS. 10 and 11) used for performing the separating operation is connected, and a folding blade support bar 204 is connected to the cam groove of the driving cam 202 for the folding blade.

10 and 11 are a perspective view and a side view showing the cam shown in FIG. 9 except for the cam.
In the same figure, the moving plate 208 connected to the cam groove of the press plate drive cam 201 is provided with guide grooves 208A and 208B in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction (for convenience, reference is made to one groove). It has been.
An interlocking pin provided in a press pressure release cam indicated by reference numerals 209 and 210 in FIGS. 13 and 16 is inserted in the lateral guide groove 208A, and the longitudinal guide groove 208B is inserted in FIG. In FIG. 16, the shafts of the press guide rollers 211 and 212 facing the back surface of the press plate denoted by reference numerals 211 and 212 are inserted so as to be movable in the direction of coming into contact with and separating from the paper conveyance path.

The lateral guide groove 208A has a stroke that does not move the press pressure release cams 209 and 210 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 when the press guide rollers 211 and 212, which will be described later, reciprocate. The length of is set.
As will be described later with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15, the press guide rollers 211 and 212 are members that press the folded paper using the press plates 219 and 220, and the back surfaces of the press plates 219 and 220. The press plates 219 and 220 are sequentially pressed in parallel with the paper transport direction by moving in the horizontal direction in conjunction with the horizontal movement of the moving plate 208 while in contact with the sheet.

FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 are views showing the support portions for the press pressure releasing cams 209 and 210 and the press plates 219 and 220 described above. FIG. 13 is a side view of the portion indicated by the symbol H in FIG.
12 and 13, the press pressure release cams 209 and 210 have wedge-shaped tip portions, and rollers 213 to 216 facing each other across the sheet conveyance path are in contact with the tip portions, and the rollers 213 to 216 are in contact with each other. Are provided in the press units 217 and 218. For this reason, when the front ends of the press pressure release cams 209 and 210 move the rollers 213 to 216 apart from each other in conjunction with the movement of the moving plate 208 in the lateral direction, the press units 217 and 217 provided with the rollers 213 to 216 are provided. 218 can move in a direction away from the paper transport path.

  The press units 217 and 218 are usually attached with elastic members (members indicated by reference numerals 225 to 228 in FIG. 16) for imparting habits for moving to the paper conveyance path side. The contact state of the press units 217 and 218 by this behavior (contact by the movement behavior in the directions indicated by arrows A and B in FIG. 13) and the separated state are the press pressure release cams 209 and 210 facing the rollers 213 to 216. Forward / backward movement (the forward / backward movement obtained in the direction indicated by the arrow T in FIG. 13 and in the opposite direction).

14 and 15 are diagrams showing a support structure for the press plates 219 and 220. FIG.
In the figure, the press plates 219 and 220 have a symmetrical structure at positions facing each other across the paper conveyance path. Specifically, the press plates 219 and 220 have curved surfaces that bulge out toward the paper conveyance path and are parallel to the paper conveyance direction. Support pins 219A, 219B, 220A, and 220B that are inserted into guide grooves 221 to 224 formed in the press units 217 and 218, respectively, are provided at the end portions in the longitudinal direction. The habit of separating from each other is given by springs 219C and 220C (see FIG. 15) installed between the two.
When the support pins 219A, 219B, 220A and 220B are inserted and the guide grooves 221 to 224 on the side of the press units 217 and 218 are pressed against the back side by the displacement of press guide rollers 211 and 212, which will be described later, the press plates of each other The opposing surfaces of 219.220 are configured to be able to sequentially contact each other from one end to the other in the longitudinal direction following the curved surface.
Therefore, the press plates 219 and 220 can move like a cradle due to the displacement when the press guide rollers 211 and 212 come into contact with each other.

On the other hand, press guide rollers 211 and 212 are provided on the back surface of the press plates 219 and 220, that is, on the surface opposite to the opposing surface of the press plates 219 and 220.
The press guide rollers 211 and 212 are given a habit of approaching each other by a biasing means (not shown), and in the vertical direction formed on the moving plate 208 shown in FIG. A shaft is inserted through the guide groove 208B. For this reason, when the rollers 213 to 216 on the side of the press units 217 and 218 are disengaged from the front ends of the press pressure release cams 209 and 210 as the moving plate 208 moves in the lateral direction, the press units 217 and 218 approach each other. In contact with the back surface of the press plates 219 and 220 as they move.

  Further, the press guide rollers 211 and 212 in contact with the back surfaces of the press plates 19 and 220 move in a direction parallel to the conveying direction with respect to the press plates 219 and 220 in conjunction with the lateral movement of the moving plate 208. Then, the press plate 219, 220 can be made to press the sheet by changing the position of the abutting surface on the curved surface while the cradle is swung.

  The press guide rollers 219 and 220 are members that can reciprocate during the additional folding operation on the paper, and the configuration for this is the reciprocating operation of the moving plate 208. The relationship between the stroke of the lateral guide groove at 208 and the press pressure releasing cams 209 and 210 is used.

16 to 19 are diagrams for explaining the operation of the press folding portion F. FIG.
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a half-folding operation for saddle-stitched sheets. In the figure, in an initial state before the paper Pm is introduced toward the folding position, the press units 217 and 218 are separated from each other by the press pressure release cams 209 and 210 entering between the rollers 213 to 216. (FIG. 16A).
When the saddle stitched paper Pm is conveyed and the center in the length direction faces the folding blade 203, the conveyance of the paper Pm is stopped. The position of the center in the length direction at this time is determined by continuing the rotation of the drive motor used for conveyance for a predetermined time from the time when the position sensor 50 detects the passage of the edge of the conveyed sheet. This is done by stopping.

The center of the sheet Pm in the length direction is inserted toward the press units 217 and 218 by the folding blade 203 and the conveyance rollers 207 and 208 are rotated in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The part is positioned at a position opposite to the press plates 219 and 220 (FIG. 16B).
In this state, when the moving plate 203 moves in the lateral direction, the rollers on the side of the press units 217 and 218 are disengaged from the tips of the positive pressure release cams 209 and 210, so that the press units 217 and 220 approach each other (in the figure, the arrows F1 and F1 ′ move), and the press plates 219 and 220 face one side of the curved surface (FIG. 16C).

FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the press plates 219 and 220 in the press units 217 and 218 that are close to each other.
In FIG. 17A, the press guide rollers 211 and 212 that are in contact with the back surfaces of the press plates 219 and 220 with which the curved surfaces are in contact with each other are in contact with the movement of the moving plate 208. The sheet Pm can be moved along the back surface of the sheet 220, and a folding press is applied by crushing the sheet Pm from the sheet end side toward the folded end by the pressure applied to itself in the moving process (FIG. 17). (B)).

The press plates 219 and 220 continuously change a part of the curved surface with the movement of the press guide rollers 211 and 212, but the condition as shown in FIG. It comes to stop at.
In FIG. 17C, the press plates 219 and 220 stop at a position slightly away from the folded end portion of the paper Pm, that is, at a position separated from the folded end portion by a distance indicated by L in the drawing. ing. This is because when the folded end is pressed, the paper shape is restored at the fold, so-called springback phenomenon, the paper surface from the folded end to the end of the sheet is warped, and the fold is expanded. It is for preventing. By preventing the occurrence of such swelling, it is possible to prevent the position of the folded end from being displaced during the reciprocating motion of the press plates 219 and 210 that are executed during the additional folding.

FIG. 18 shows an operation when the additional folding operation is not performed. The additional folding operation in this case means that a predetermined distance is set between the folding end portion and the sheet end portion and the pressing operation using the press plate is repeated, and this operation is shown in FIG. ing.
In this case, the press pressure release cams 209 and 210 move in the direction of the arrow, and the press units 217 and 218 positioned above and below the paper conveyance path are separated.
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 18B, the folding blade 203 is retracted in the direction of the arrow and pulled out from the sheet bundle Pm.

When the retraction of the folding blade 203 is completed, as shown in FIG. 19A, the transport rollers 206 and 207 and the discharge rollers 229 and 230 are driven to transport the sheet bundle Pm in the direction of the arrow.
Here, the driving of the transport rollers 206 and 207 stops when the rear end of the sheet bundle Pm corresponding to the end of the sheet passes the folding position sensor 50 and is transported for a certain distance.
As shown in FIG. 19B, the sheet bundle Pm is conveyed and discharged by the discharge rollers 229 and 230, and the series of folding processes is completed when the sheet bundle Pm passes the discharge sensor 231. .

FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining a case where additional folding work is performed.
At the time of the additional folding operation, as described with reference to FIG. 17, a predetermined distance from the folded end as a stop position of the press plates 219 and 220 when the press plates 219 and 220 are moved from the sheet end toward the folded end. Stop at a position separated by (L).
In this embodiment, the movement amount of the press plates 219 and 220 from the folding end portion toward the sheet end portion is set to a movement amount that is about twice the distance (L) from the folding end portion to the stop position. ing.
As a result, it is possible to suppress the swelling by weight-pressing the vicinity of the folded end, which is a position where the sheet tends to bulge, and the folded end turns into plastic deformation, and the press plate moves to prevent the bulging. Time can be shortened.

Based on such an operation principle, the operation will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 20A shows a state in which the press plate 219, 220 is stopped at a position set at a predetermined distance (L) from the folded edge of the sheet, as shown in FIG. A state in which the guide rollers 211 and 212 have moved from the folded end side to the sheet end side and have reached the initial movement start position is shown.
The movement of the press guide rollers 211 and 212 is performed in conjunction with the reciprocating movement of the moving plate 208. That is, the press guide rollers 219 and 220 move the vertical guide grooves (see FIG. 11) of the moving plate 208 in the horizontal direction when the moving plate 208 moves in the horizontal direction. You can move the back.

  When the press guide rollers 219 and 220 are moved on the back surface, the press plates 219 and 220 are supported by the support pins 219, 219B and 220A of the press plates 219 and 220 in the guide grooves 221 to 224 provided in the press units 217 and 218, respectively. 220B can be displaced, and as described above, the press plate 219, 220 is made to press the paper by changing the position of the abutting surface on the curved surface while shaking the cradle. Can be done.

  The number of reciprocating movements of the moving plate 208, that is, the number of repetitions of the pressing operation by the press plates 219 and 220 for the additional folding is set in advance based on the type and number of sheets. Details of the control of the folding operation including the repetition will be described later.

FIG. 21 shows the press plates 219 and 220 after the leading end of the fold reaches the press portion and pressure is applied to the sheet bundle by the press plates 219 and 220 until the additional folding is performed. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a change in a moving speed (a speed V) and a change in a distance (a distance X) between a folded leading end portion of a sheet bundle Pm and a pressurizing portion by the press plates 219 and 220.
In FIG. 21, the interval X at the start of folding is X0, and the point where the folding tip portion of the sheet bundle Pm and the pressurizing portion by the press plates 219 and 220 coincide is the interval X = 0.
When folding is started, the speed V is accelerated to V1, and the press plates 219 and 220 move at the speed V1 in the paper discharge direction while pressurizing the paper Pm (denoted as “fold (1)” in the figure). region).
When the interval X gradually decreases from X0 and reaches a certain interval X1, the speed V is reduced from V1 to V2.
Further, when the press plates 219 and 220 move at the speed V2 and the interval X becomes L, the movement of the press plates 219 and 220 is stopped (in the drawing, an area indicated as “Fold (2)”).
Here, the moving speeds V1 and V2 of the press plates 219 and 220 are in a relationship of V1 ≧ V2. Further, V2 is preferably a self-starting region speed at which the stepping motor can be driven / stopped without through up / down. The interval X1 is a point between L and X0, but it is desirable that X1 ≧ 2L.
After the movement of the press plates 219, 220 is stopped, the press plate 219, 220 is kept pressed against the sheet bundle at the interval X = L and waits for the time T1 (in the figure, the area indicated as “stop”) ).
After the elapse of time T1, the press plates 219 and 220 move in the direction opposite to the paper discharge direction at the speed V3 until the interval X becomes X0, and stop (area indicated as “folding back” in the figure). . Here, the moving speed V3 of the press plates 219 and 220 has a relationship of V3 ≧ V1.
After that, when the interval X becomes X0, the press plates 219 and 220 are moved again at the speed V1 in the paper discharge direction (the area indicated as “additional folding (1)” in the figure), and the interval X gradually increases from X0. When the interval X1 is reached, the speed V is reduced from V1 to V2.
Further, when the press plates 219 and 220 are moved at the speed V2 and the interval X becomes L, the movement of the press plates 219 and 220 is stopped (in the drawing, the region indicated as “addition folding (2)”). Repeated folding, additional folding, and stopping operations are performed according to the set number of additional folding, whereby additional folding is performed on the sheet bundle (Pm).

FIG. 22 shows a case in which additional folding is performed after the leading end of the fold reaches the press portion and pressure is applied to the sheet bundle by the press plates 219 and 220 when additional folding is performed in another form. A change in the moving speed of the plates 219 and 220 (referred to as a speed V) and a change in the distance (referred to as an interval X) between the folded leading end portion of the sheet bundle Pm and the pressurizing portion by the press plates 219 and 220 are shown. FIG.
When folding is started, the speed V is accelerated to V1, and the press plates 219 and 220 move at the speed V1 in the paper discharge direction while pressurizing the paper Pm (denoted as “fold (1)” in the figure). Area). When the interval X gradually decreases from X0 and reaches a certain interval X1, the speed V is reduced from V1 to V2. Further, when the press plates 219 and 220 move at the speed V2 and the interval X becomes L, the movement of the press plates 219 and 220 is stopped (in the drawing, an area indicated as “Fold (2)”).
Here, the moving speeds V1 and V2 of the press plates (219 and 220) have a relationship of V1 ≧ V2. Further, V2 is preferably a self-starting region speed at which the stepping motor can be driven / stopped without through up / down.
The interval X1 is a point between L and X0, but it is desirable that X1 ≧ 2L.
After the movement of the press plates 219, 220 is stopped, the press plate 219, 220 is kept pressed against the sheet bundle at the interval X = L and waits for a time T1 (in the figure, the region indicated as “stop”) ). After the elapse of time T1, the press plates 219 and 220 move at a speed V3 in the direction opposite to the paper discharge direction until the interval X reaches X1, and stop (in the figure, the region indicated as “folding back”). Here, the moving speed V3 of the press plates 219 and 220 has a relationship of V3 ≧ V2.
After that, when the interval X becomes X1, the press plates 219 and 220 are moved again at the speed V2 in the paper discharge direction, and when the interval X gradually decreases from X1 and the interval X becomes L, the press plate 219 is reached. , 220 is stopped (in the drawing, an area indicated as “additional folding”). Repeated folding, additional folding, and stopping operations are performed according to the set number of additional foldings, whereby additional folding is performed on the sheet bundle Pm.
As described above, each driving component used for folding the sheet bundle Pm is a stepping motor whose driving distance can be step-controlled, or a DC motor in which a pulse counting encoder is arranged on the shaft portion. It is driven by DC load such as.

The folding operation using the various members described above is controlled by a control unit shown in FIG.
The control unit shown in FIG. 23 is a control unit intended for a post-processing device, and is configured by a post-processing device control unit 300 incorporating a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a RAM 303, a timer 304, an IO port 305, a serial communication port 306, and the like. ing.

The program code for control is stored in the ROM 302, the CPU 301 expands the program code in the RAM 303, stores the data necessary for control in the RAM 303, and is defined by the program code while using the RAM 303 as a work area. And various DC loads 309 are controlled. The various DC loads in this case correspond to the above-described stepping motor or a DC motor having a pulse count encoder disposed on the shaft portion.
The image forming apparatus H and the post-processing apparatus 1 exchange commands and data necessary for paper conveyance control via the serial communication port 306). In the post-processing apparatus 1, the position of the paper obtained from the commands, data, and various sensors 307. Paper conveyance control and post-processing are performed based on the information. The various sensors 307 in this case include position detection sensors 50 and 231 that can detect the passage of paper.

  An operation panel P is connected to the image forming apparatus H, and the user uses the operation panel P to use the image forming apparatus H and the post-processing apparatus 1 such as selection and setting of a copy mode, the number of copies, and a post-processing function. Necessary information can be input and output, and various setting values related to image formation can be set and changed by the operation panel P, and can be operated by a user or a customer engineer.

The information for additional folding input on the operation panel P includes the sheet size, the number of sheets, and the sheet thickness as shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 24, the post-processing device control unit registers a map based on various information and experimental results on the number of times of additional folding, speed, folding stop position, and folding stop time based on information input on the operation panel P. The additional folding condition corresponding to the input information can be selected.

That is, the number of additional foldings during a series of folding operations, that is, the number of additional foldings, can be set according to the paper size, the number of sheets, and the paper thickness. For example, the number of additional foldings 402 shown in FIG. When “0 times” is set to “0”, a folding operation without additional folding, ie, “folding (1) -folding (2) -stop” in FIGS. The
When “2 times” is set in the additional folding number 402 shown in FIG. 25, “folding (1) -folding (2) -stop” is performed, and then “folding-increase folding-stopping operation” is repeated twice. After that, a procedure for discharging the sheet bundle is set.

  Also, the press plate moving speed at the time of additional folding, that is, the moving speed V2 in FIGS. 21 and 22 can be set according to the paper size, the number of paper sheets, and the paper thickness. Select from “Fast”, “Normal”, “Slow”, etc., and set “Fast” to increase the number of folding parts per hour, “Slow”, “Fast” to increase the number of foldings more firmly. "Normal" is selected in the middle of "slow" and "slow", and the press plate moving speed V2 is set to a speed corresponding to each.

  Further, the distance (L) between the folded end portion of the sheet bundle Pm at the folding operation and the additional folding operation stop position and the pressurizing portion by the press plates 219 and 220 described with reference to FIG. For example, when the folding stop position 404 is set to “0 mm”, the folding leading end portion of the sheet bundle Pm and the press plate are set at the folding operation and additional folding operation stop positions. When the folding stop position 404 is set to “3 mm”, the distance from the pressure part 219, 220 is 0 mm, and the same distance is 3 mm.

  21 and 22 can also be set according to the sheet size, the number of sheets, and the sheet thickness, and the stop time (standby) time T1 at the folding operation and additional folding operation stop positions can be set longer than the time T1. Is set to stop for a longer time, and the pressurizing time for the sheet bundle Pm by the press plates 219 and 220 is increased.

  In the present embodiment in which the above-described control can be performed, the plastic deformation in the vicinity of the folded end can be favorably performed by performing a plurality of repeated presses using a plus plate. That is, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the bulge of the folded end due to the springback phenomenon due to elastic deformation, and to prevent the occurrence of wrinkles and the occurrence of dirt due to the misalignment of the folded end that occurs when the bulge occurs. it can.

  Also, when converting the elastic deformation at the folded end to plastic deformation, the speed is reduced or the adjustment of the stop time is used based on user input information including the paper type. Thus, it is possible to prevent the bookbinding quality from being lowered regardless of the type of paper without complicating the apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Post-processing apparatus 219,220 Press plate 300 Control part which sets stop position L Distance from a folding end part corresponding to the position where a press plate stops

JP-A-9-2735 JP 2000-72320 A JP 2001-146363 A Japanese Patent No. 404461 JP 2010-6602 A

Claims (9)

After the central portion of the transported paper in the transport direction is bound, the central portion in the transport direction is pressed and inserted between the pair of folding rollers, and the paper sheet is folded in half by sandwiching and transporting the pair of folding rollers. In a post-processing apparatus having a configuration for performing processing,
A pair of press plates facing each other across the discharge conveyance path of the folded paper is provided on the side where the folded end portion folded by the folding roller pair is discharged, so as to be able to contact and separate from each other.
The press plate has a configuration capable of sequentially pressing between the paper edge and the folded edge in parallel with the paper discharge direction by moving while abutting each other, and moves toward the folded edge. The position at which the paper is not over the folded edge is set as the stop position when the paper is pushed , and the paper discharge direction is maintained while the pressure of the paper is maintained at the stop position. A post-processing apparatus characterized in that the sheet is plastically deformed by repeatedly performing folding back by movement in the opposite direction and incremental folding by movement in the discharge direction .   The press plate has a curved surface that bulges toward the paper discharge conveyance path, and the curved surface is disposed between the paper end and the folded end so that the convex portions of the curved surface face each other. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet can be pressed by rolling.   The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the press plate can be additionally folded by rotating a plurality of rotations between the paper end and the folded end.   The press plate is provided with a pressurizing member that is in contact with the concave side of the curved surface and is movable in the longitudinal direction of the press plate, and the pressurizing member is provided by a press plate driving cam that can be interlocked with a drive source. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a contact state between the convex portions of the press plate is set.   The drive source of the press plate drive cam is connected to a control unit that can control the speed and set the stop position of the press plate, and the control unit can input the paper size, the number of sheets, and the paper thickness to be folded. When the pressing member is moved from the sheet end toward the folded end, the vicinity of the folded end is moved from the end of the sheet. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving speed is set to be lower than the moving speed.   The control unit corresponds to the distance from the paper edge corresponding to twice the distance from the folding edge to the stop position as a rolling range of the press plate from the paper edge. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that:   The post-processing according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the control unit stops the pressure member in the vicinity of the folded end when moving the pressure member from the sheet end toward the folded end. apparatus.   Connected to the input side of the control unit is an operation unit that can select the paper size, the number of sheets, and the paper thickness by an external operation. The control unit is connected to the folded end portion according to the input item. 8. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the number of additional folds capable of plastic deformation, press plate rolling speed, press plate stop time, and stop position can be set.   The operation unit can display the number of additional folds, press plate rolling speed, press plate stop time and stop position set by the control unit according to the input information, and can change the display content information. 9. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the set item can be changed by re-inputting the change content to the control unit.

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