JP5577375B2 - Adhesive applicator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an adhesive applicator for aligning sheets stacked sequentially from a printing apparatus such as an image forming apparatus and accumulating them in a bundle, and applying an adhesive for bookbinding to one edge of the sheet bundle. In particular, the present invention relates to an adhesive application device in which a hot melt solid adhesive is filled in a bowl-shaped container and melted to a predetermined temperature in a short time by a heater provided in the container.

  A bookbinding device is a terminal device of an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a printing machine, and stacks image-formed sheets in the order of pages and aligns them in a bundle, and then applies an adhesive to the end face and binds it to a cover sheet. As widely used. An adhesive application device incorporated in such a bookbinding apparatus applies a liquid adhesive to one end edge of a sheet bundle with a container that contains an adhesive such as glue and an application roll provided in the container. . A heater is built in the container, and the solid adhesive filled in the container is dissolved and maintained at a temperature exhibiting a viscosity suitable for adhesion.

  The method of heating and melting the solid adhesive after supplying it to the device in this way is characterized by easy handling of the adhesive, but careful attention is required for temperature control after it is dissolved in the container. It becomes. For example, a normally used solid adhesive has a melting point of about 60 ° C. to 80 ° C., and needs to be kept at 140 ° C. to 150 ° C. for an adherend such as a sheet. When the temperature is lower than the optimum temperature of the adhesive, there is a possibility that a solid mass that does not melt completely is contained in the container, or a highly viscous (high viscosity) adhesive is applied to the sheet bundle. is there. In this case, since the adhesive does not permeate between the leaves of the sheet bundle, problems such as missing booklet sheets after the bonding occur.

  Further, when the temperature of the adhesive is higher than the optimum temperature, the viscosity is weak (low viscosity), and in the process of applying to the sheet bundle, it causes a problem that the cover sheet is soiled by dripping or scattering. At the same time as these problems, when the hot-melt adhesive is filled in the container, the amount of the melt is large, the case where it is small, and the case where it is small, the subsequent melting conditions are different. . When the apparatus is not used, the dissolved adhesive in the container is solidified, and the solidified state varies depending on the environmental temperature. Therefore, when starting an apparatus such as a bookbinding apparatus, it is necessary to quickly dissolve the adhesive that has been solidified or newly filled and maintain the adhesive at a predetermined temperature.

  Conventionally, in such temperature control of a solid adhesive, first, in order to prevent the liquid adhesive in the container from solidifying when the apparatus is not operated, it is provided with a heat retention mode when it is not applied to a sheet bundle for a long time. 1 is proposed. This document discloses a heat retention mode in which the adhesive glue container is held at a temperature lower than the application temperature when the bookbinding apparatus is in a standby state where no adhesive glue is applied to the sheet bundle.

  An electromagnetic induction heating coil is provided in a container containing paste, and the adhesive paste inside is melted by Joule heat of eddy current generated by high-frequency magnetic flux generated in the coil. And what adjusts the electric current supplied to the said coil according to the paste temperature detected with the sensor (thermistor) which provided the electric current supplied to this coil in the container is disclosed. The publication also discloses that when the adhesive is melted in the container, a stirring means is provided so that the molten container has a uniform temperature.

JP 2005-238526 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-010748

  As described above, when the adhesive in the container is applied to the sheet bundle with a bookbinding apparatus or the like, the handling is easy if a hot-melt adhesive that solidifies at room temperature is used. On the other hand, the liquefied adhesive is solidified when the device is not in operation or on standby, and it is necessary that the solidified or newly replenished adhesive be dissolved and applied in a short time when the device is started. is there. It takes time to liquefy the solid adhesive (appropriate temperature), and there arises a problem that the operation of the apparatus must be waited during this time.

  Therefore, conventionally, as disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, it has been proposed to maintain the container heating means in the operating state when the apparatus is on standby. Specifically, since a current is applied to a heating element such as a heater during standby, power consumption is wasted. Continuing energization of the heating element even when the apparatus is not used may cause an accident such as a fire, and requires a preparation time for the adhesive to melt when the apparatus is started. Also, as disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, attempts have been made to dissolve the container with a high-frequency heating device in a short time, but the problem that the normal high-frequency heating device is much higher than the commercial frequency is expensive. And safety issues arise.

  As described above, it is necessary to dissolve the solidified adhesive in a short time when starting up the apparatus or restarting the apparatus in a standby state in an apparatus such as a bookbinding apparatus. In general, a large-capacity heating device such as a high-frequency heating device is used, and a small-sized and general bookbinding device such as an office machine has problems such as an increase in size, a high price, and a high power consumption. At the same time, the melted liquid adhesive cannot be expected to convect in the container, so it is necessary to stir, and as disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is necessary to stir simultaneously with the melting of the adhesive.

  However, if the viscosity of the liquefied adhesive is high, there is a problem that an excessive load is applied to the stirring means or the drive mechanism and causes a failure. That is, if the solid adhesive is dissolved and then stirred early, the viscous load causes an overload on the drive motor, which may cause malfunction. Accordingly, in the present invention, when the adhesive in the solid or semi-solid (gel) state in the container is melted, heating is performed by providing a plurality of heating modes and heating in a mode selected according to the state temperature of the adhesive. An object of the present invention is to provide an adhesive application device that can be warmed up in a relatively short time in accordance with the state temperature of the adhesive without increasing the size of the device.

  The present invention also provides an adhesive that can be reliably melted and stirred without failure of the stirring means or its drive source when stirring the adhesive that has been liquefied at the same time as melting in a container to obtain a uniform application state. The problem is to provide a coating apparatus. Another object of the present invention is to provide a bookbinding apparatus capable of efficiently performing warm-up at the time of starting the apparatus when binding sheets bound in a bundle shape and binding the sheets transported from an image forming apparatus or the like. Yes.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a container for storing a hot-melt adhesive, heating means for heating and melting the solid adhesive in the container, and an adhesive in the container. Sensor means for detecting temperature, application means for applying the adhesive in the container to the sheet bundle, a stirring rotating body for stirring the adhesive in the container, and the heating means, the adhesive in the container Control means for starting the rotation of the stirring rotator by detecting that the sensor means has been heated and has reached a predetermined temperature, and the control means rotates the stirring rotator at a first speed. Then, it is rotated at a second speed faster than the first speed, and then further rotated at a third speed slower than the second speed.

The present invention further includes a container for storing a hot-melt adhesive, a heating means for heating and melting the solid adhesive in the container, and a time for which the heating means heats the adhesive. wherein the timer means, a coating means for applying an adhesive in the container to the sheet bundle, a stirring rotation member for stirring the adhesive in the container, said heating means has heated the adhesive predetermined time Control means for starting the rotation of the stirring rotator by detecting by the timer means, and the control means is faster than the first speed after rotating the stirring rotator at a first speed. The adhesive coating apparatus is characterized in that it is rotated at a second speed and then further rotated at a third speed slower than the second speed.

  The adhesive coating device according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, and heats and melts in a mode in which the supply power and the supply time are maximized when the adhesive is solidified, and the supply power when the adhesive is liquefied at a low temperature. When the adhesive temperature is high, the heating time is melted in the mode where the supply power and the supply time are minimum, and the apparatus warms according to the state of the adhesive. Up time is set.

  Therefore, in this adhesive application device, the warm-up time is long when the adhesive is completely solidified, and the warm-up time can be shortened when the adhesive temperature is high. That is, initialization time is required when starting a device in a low temperature state, but initialization time is short when starting the device from a high temperature state such as when the device is started, and power consumption required for this is also reduced. In the heating mode, the supply power and the supply time are changed stepwise until the adhesive in the container reaches a predetermined temperature. For example, the first step is controlled by a function of power and time, such as the first supply power is the first supply time, and the second step is the second supply power and the second supply time. This is because the adhesive temperature in the container is remarkably delayed with respect to the temperature of the heating means, so power (supply current, etc.) and time to be supplied by experiment are prepared in advance in the control table, and overheating (overheating) This is to avoid underheating (underheating).

  When the temperature of the adhesive is 70 ° C., for example, when adjusting the temperature to 150 ° C., if the heating means is set to 170 ° C., the adhesive temperature gradually approaches 150 ° C. with a time delay, and the heating means is stopped. However, since the container temperature is high, the adhesive temperature exceeds 150 ° C. and overheats to 160 ° C., for example. Conversely, when the heating means is set to 150 ° C., the adhesive temperature stops at 150 ° C. or lower, or the time to reach 150 ° C. becomes longer. In order to shorten such warm-up time, it is preferable to control the heating means with a preset heating pattern.

  The adhesive temperature is detected by a sensor means such as a thermistor. The adhesive temperature and the container temperature are different in the heating process. Therefore, a liquid temperature sensor that directly detects the temperature of the adhesive and a heating unit temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the container heating unit are provided, and one of the heating modes is selected based on the detection temperature of either one of the sensors. In the process of executing the heating mode, the supplied power is controlled so as to change stepwise when the heating unit temperature sensor detects a predetermined temperature. As a result, the adhesive temperature can be controlled to an appropriate temperature.

  Next, since the adhesive in the vicinity of the melting temperature melted in the container has high viscosity and low fluidity, it is necessary to stir the adhesive in the container. For example, this stirring can be performed simply by rotating an application roller provided in the container. The application roller is controlled to start rotating after the sensor means detects a predetermined temperature. For example, when a heating part temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the container heating part reaches a predetermined temperature, the adhesive in the container is liquefied, and is configured to start rotating after an expected time to assume a predetermined fluidity. The application roller does not rotate only in one direction, but first reversely rotates in the direction opposite to the application direction, and then rotates forward in the application direction. The estimated time is set to a different time depending on the plurality of heating modes.

  Next, a bookbinding apparatus according to the present invention includes stacking means for aligning sheets sequentially delivered from an image forming apparatus and the like, and sheet bundle transfer means for transferring the sheet bundle of the stacking means to a predetermined binding processing position. Prepare. An adhesive application device that applies an adhesive to the edge of the sheet bundle is provided at the binding processing position, and this adhesive application device adopts the above-described configuration. In this case, if the container for storing the adhesive is supported by the apparatus frame so as to be movable along the edge of the sheet bundle and is reciprocated by the drive motor, the container can be made relatively small. .

  The present invention provides a plurality of heating modes for supplying power and supplying time to the heating means disposed in the container for storing the adhesive, and one heating mode corresponding to the adhesive temperature detected by the sensor means when the apparatus is activated. Therefore, it is possible to warm up so as to be able to operate in a relatively short time in a heating mode set in advance according to the state temperature of the adhesive at the time of activation. The container is provided with a stirring rotating body such as an application roller, and when the adhesive in the container has a predetermined viscosity, it is rotated to obtain a uniform temperature state, and the operation of the drive system such as the application roller There will be no defects or failures.

  In particular, in the heating mode, the power applied to the heating means, for example, the current and the application time are changed stepwise, and the temperature of the adhesive that is delayed in time from this power application is controlled in an experiment or the like in a short time. The temperature can be controlled accurately, and the heating mode is set to a plurality of different patterns according to the initial state of the adhesive (the temperature at the time of starting the device). Is possible.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the adhesive agent container which accommodates a solid adhesive, (a) is a perspective view which shows an external appearance shape, (b) is sectional drawing of FIG. 1XX direction, (c) is a YY direction cross section. FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of temperature control means for heating and melting the solid adhesive. It is a flowchart which shows the effect | action of a temperature control means. The temperature change in the heating mode in the temperature control of the heating means is shown, (a) is the temperature change in the first heating mode, (b) is the temperature change in the second heating mode, and (c) is in the third heating mode. Temperature change. 2 shows an image forming system incorporating the adhesive application device of FIG. 1. Explanatory drawing which shows the principal part of the bookbinding apparatus of FIG.

  The present invention will be described in detail below based on the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings. First, the adhesive coating apparatus B of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the structure of an adhesive container for containing a solid adhesive, FIG. 1 (a) is a perspective view thereof, and FIGS. 2 (b) and 2 (c) are sectional views. . FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of temperature control means for heating and melting the adhesive. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the temperature control means, and FIG. 4 is a chart showing changes in the adhesive temperature.

  In FIG. 1B, a container 10 containing an adhesive is separated by a partition wall 10c into a solid agent filling chamber (hereinafter referred to as a filling chamber) 10b and a coating agent liquid tank chamber (hereinafter referred to as a liquid tank chamber) 10a. The partition wall 10c is provided with a communication port so that the adhesive liquefied in the filling chamber 10b flows into the liquid tank chamber 10a. The container 10 is constituted by a bowl-shaped tray having the filling chamber 10b and the liquid tank chamber 10a, and is formed of a material such as a metal having high heat conductivity or a resin material having high workability. A heat conductive plate such as metal is laid on the bottom surface.

  Therefore, a coating roller 30 is rotatably supported in the liquid tank chamber 10a, and the coating roller 30 is formed of a heat-resistant rubber material rich in impregnation, and its upper half protrudes above the liquid tank chamber 10a. The lower half is disposed so as to be immersed in the liquid tank chamber 10a. The application roller 30 is rotated to impregnate the liquid adhesive in the lower half of the roller, and the adhesive is applied to the sheet bundle in the upper half protruding upward. The rotating shaft 31 of the application roller 30 is vertically arranged in the filling chamber 10b through a communication port, and the stirring gear 32 for stirring the adhesive in the filling chamber 10b is attached to the rotating shaft 31.

  The rotating shaft 31 is connected to a stirring motor M1 capable of forward and reverse rotation. Accordingly, when the stirring motor M1 is driven to rotate, the application roller 30 and the stirring gear 32 rotate, and the former stirs the adhesive in the liquid tank chamber 10a and the latter stirs the adhesive in the filling chamber 10b. Therefore, the stirring gear 32 and the application roller 30 constitute a stirring rotating body, and the stirring motor M1 constitutes a driving means thereof. 10d in the figure is an adhesive liquid storage section provided in the liquid tank chamber 10a, which forms a hot water reservoir for supplying the application roller 30 with a stable temperature state without shortage.

  The adhesive liquid storage part 10d is provided with a liquid temperature sensor 22a for detecting the temperature of the liquefied adhesive. The liquid temperature sensor 22a is composed of a rod-like thermistor and is disposed in the adhesive liquid storage part 10d that is separated from the application roller 30. This thermistor is composed of a heat sensitive element of a fine ceramics semiconductor which is sintered using several kinds of transition metal oxides such as Mn, Co, Ni, Fe and Cu as raw materials.

  The liquid temperature sensor 22a detects the liquid level of the adhesive (remaining amount of adhesive) simultaneously with temperature detection. That is, the remaining amount of the adhesive is detected by determining the amount of liquid from the temperature change due to the liquid level of the adhesive heated to a temperature higher than normal temperature. In this case, the liquid temperature sensor 22a is arranged in the adhesive liquid storage part 10d away from the application roller 30 so that the detection of the liquid level of the sensor 22a is not affected by the rotation of the application roller 30.

  The control rods 34 are arranged along the circumferential surface of the application roller 30 in the width direction of the container 10, are arranged at predetermined intervals along the outer circumference of the application roller 30, and adhere the adhesive uniformly to the roller circumferential surface. . The control rod 34 adjusts the distance from the roller according to the position of the sheet bundle. 36 is a plate-like blade, which is disposed at a predetermined interval (doctor gap) on the outer periphery of the application roller 30 and is provided for scraping off an excessive adhesive adhering to the outer periphery of the roller.

  The container 10 having such a configuration is equipped with heating means including an electric heater 20. The electric heater 20 is built in the bottom surface of the liquid tank chamber 10 a of the container 10. The electric heater 20 may be disposed in at least one of the liquid tank chamber 10a and the filling chamber 10b, but may be disposed in both. The reason why the filling chamber 10b and the liquid tank chamber 10a are divided by the partition in the illustrated case is to prevent the adhesive temperature impregnated in the coating roller 30 from being lowered when the solid adhesive is filled. Thus, an electric heater may be disposed in the filling chamber 10b to preheat the solid adhesive.

Next, control of the heating means (electric heater 20) arranged in the liquid tank chamber 10a will be described.
In the container described above, a liquid temperature sensor 22a and a heating part temperature sensor 22b for detecting the temperature of the container heating part are arranged, and although not shown, the container 10 is provided with an abnormal temperature detection sensor. The liquid temperature sensor 22a directly detects the adhesive temperature in the container 10 as described above, and the heating unit temperature sensor 22b is an electric heater 20 embedded in the container 10 (embedded in the liquid tank chamber 10a). It arrange | positions so that the temperature of the container heating part by which temperature was raised may be detected. The abnormal temperature detection sensor is disposed in the container 10, for example, for detecting a safety when the adhesive and the container for storing the adhesive are heated to an excessive temperature and turning off the apparatus power supply. It is. Each of these sensors is connected to the control CPU 26 (see FIG. 2).

  The control CPU 26 is prepared as a controller for a bookbinding apparatus A or an adhesive application apparatus B described later, and is stored in a heating control execution program (for example, ROM 28) as shown in FIG. Further, data for executing a heating mode to be described later (for example, a target temperature for setting an applied current value, an application time, a timer setting time, etc.) is prepared in the data table 29. The electric heater 20 arranged in the container 10 is connected to a power source (DC power source shown in the figure) 21 and a pulse generator 23. The pulse generator 23 is a temperature control means comprising a control CPU 26. It is controlled by. Accordingly, the electric heater 20 is supplied with a pulse current corresponding to the command signal from the temperature control means (control CPU) 26. In the illustrated example, a power supply circuit 24 having a pulse generator 23 is configured by a PWM (pulse width modulation) control circuit, and is configured to change the voltage by changing the pulse width of the power supply by a command signal from the control CPU 26. Yes.

  Under the above configuration, the heating means (electric heater 20) is controlled to generate heat in the following three heating modes. When the power of the bookbinding apparatus A or the like is turned on and a temperature adjustment start command is issued, the adhesive application apparatus B receives this. Then, the adhesive application device B firstly “detects the adhesive temperature in the container 10”. This adhesive temperature is detected by either the liquid temperature sensor 22a or the heating unit temperature sensor 22b described above (normally, both are at the same temperature when the apparatus is activated).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first mode is “when the adhesive temperature is in the first set temperature range (the one shown is less than 70 ° C.), the second mode is the adhesive temperature in the second set temperature range ( In the third mode, the temperature of the heating means 20 is as follows depending on when the adhesive temperature is in the third set temperature range (100 ° C. to 131 ° C. in the figure). Control is performed by a control means (control CPU) 26.

  Hereinafter, in the illustrated apparatus, it is assumed that the temperature of the adhesive when the temperature control command is issued does not exceed 130 ° C., and the adhesive temperature of the optimum condition for applying to the sheet or the like when the melting point of the adhesive is 70 ° C. The temperature control when the temperature is 150 ° C. will be described.

"First heating mode"
The first heating mode includes the following primary heating step and secondary heating step.

"Primary heating step"
Electric power is supplied to the heating means 20 at full power until the heating unit temperature sensor 22b reaches 90 ° C. In this case, full power is supplied with the maximum allowable output (251 watts) of the above-described power supply circuit. In this full power heating state, the pulse current supplied from the pulse generator 23 described above to the electric heater 20 is adjusted by a command from the temperature control means (control CPU) 26. When the container temperature is detected as “90 ° C.” by the heating part temperature sensor 22 b equipped in the container 10, the target temperature is set to 170 ° C., and electric power corresponding to the target temperature is applied to the electric heater 20.

"Secondary heating step"
When the container temperature is detected to be “120 ° C.” by the heating part temperature sensor 22b, the target temperature is set to 150 ° C. after the delay time Ta1 (270 seconds) from this detection signal, and the electric power corresponding to this target temperature is supplied to the electric heater. 20 applied. The “150 ° C.” is a final set temperature for finally adjusting the adhesive temperature. Simultaneously with the above temperature adjustment, the application roller 30 is rotated by the stirring motor M1. The adhesive heated to a liquefied state in the liquid tank chamber 10a of the container 10 by the rotation of the application roller 30 is stirred.

  In this stirring, when the heating unit temperature sensor 22b detects “120 ° C.”, the application roller 30 is reversely rotated (reverse to the application direction) for “5 seconds” after a delay time Tb1 (255 seconds) from the detection signal. The peripheral speed at this time is set to “82.5 mm / sec (low speed)”. The reason why the application roller 30 is rotated in reverse is to scrape off the solid glue around the roller by the control rod 34, and the reason why the reverse rotation time is limited to "5 seconds" is as it is. This is because the paste overflows and the flow of glue is better in the forward rotation than in the reverse rotation.

  When the application roller 30 is rotated at the low speed and “5 seconds” have elapsed, the application roller 30 is rotated in the forward direction at “200 mm / sec (high speed rotation)”. After this high speed rotation is continued for “20 seconds”, the application roller 30 is rotated in the forward direction at “82.5 mm / sec (low speed rotation)” for “30 seconds”. As described above, the adhesive in the container reaches the final set temperature of “150 ° C.”. It takes 310 seconds after the container temperature reaches “120 ° C.”, and the warm-up is completed. After this estimated time, a “warm-up completion signal” is issued.

"Second heating mode"
The second heating mode includes the following primary heating step and secondary heating step.

"Primary heating step"
As in the first heating mode, electric power is supplied to the heating means 20 with full power until the heating unit temperature sensor 22b reaches 90 ° C. Next, when the temperature of the container heating section is detected as “90 ° C.” by the heating section temperature sensor 22b equipped on the container 10, the target temperature is set to 170 ° C. and the electric power corresponding to this target temperature is applied to the electric heater 20 To do.

"Secondary heating step"
When the temperature of the container heating unit detects “120 ° C.” by the heating unit temperature sensor 22b, the target temperature is set to 150 ° C. after a delay time Ta2 (130 seconds) from this detection signal, and the power corresponding to this target temperature is set. Is applied to the electric heater 20. Simultaneously with this temperature adjustment, the application roller 30 is rotated by the stirring motor M1. The adhesive heated to a liquefied state in the liquid tank chamber 10a of the container 10 by the rotation of the application roller 30 is stirred. In this stirring, when the heating unit temperature sensor 22b detects “120 ° C.”, the application roller 30 is rotated reversely (rotation opposite to the application direction) by “5 seconds” after a delay time Tb2 (40 seconds) from the detection signal. The peripheral speed at this time is set to “82.5 mm / sec (low speed rotation)”.

  When the application roller 30 is rotated at the low speed and “5 seconds” have elapsed, the application roller 30 is rotated in the forward direction at “200 mm / sec (high speed rotation)”. After this high speed rotation is continued for “160 seconds”, the application roller 30 is rotated in the forward direction at “82.5 mm / sec (low speed rotation)” for “30 seconds”. Thus, the adhesive in the container 10 reaches the final set temperature of “150 ° C.”, and it takes 235 seconds after the temperature of the container heating unit reaches “120 ° C.”, and the warm-up is completed. After this estimated time, a “warm-up completion signal” is issued.

"Third heating mode"
The third heating mode includes the following primary heating step and secondary heating step.

"Primary heating step"
Electric power is supplied to the heating means 20. In this power supply, the target temperature is set to 170 ° C., and electric power corresponding to the target temperature is applied to the electric heater 20.

"Secondary heating step"
When the temperature of the container heating unit detects “120 ° C.” by the heating unit temperature sensor 22b, the target temperature is set to 150 ° C. after a delay time Ta3 (90 seconds) from this detection signal, and the power corresponding to this target temperature is set. Is applied to the electric heater 20. Simultaneously with this temperature adjustment, the application roller 30 is rotated by the stirring motor M1. The adhesive heated to a liquefied state in the liquid tank chamber 10a of the container 10 by the rotation of the application roller 30 is stirred. In this stirring, when the heating unit temperature sensor 22b detects “120 ° C.”, the application roller 30 is rotated reversely (rotation opposite to the application direction) by “5 seconds” after a delay time Tb3 (20 seconds) from the detection signal. The peripheral speed at this time is set to “82.5 mm / sec (low speed rotation)”.

  When the application roller 30 is rotated at the low speed and “5 seconds” have elapsed, the application roller 30 is rotated in the forward direction at “200 mm / sec (high speed rotation)”. After this high speed rotation is continued for “130 seconds”, the application roller 30 is rotated in the forward direction at “82.5 mm / sec (low speed rotation)” for “30 seconds”. Thus, the adhesive in the container 10 reaches the final set temperature of “150 ° C.”, and it takes 185 seconds after the temperature of the container heating unit reaches “120 ° C.”, and the warm-up is completed. After this estimated time, a “warm-up completion signal” is issued.

  In the above first to third heating modes, the temperature setting of “90 ° C.” and “120 ° C.” is set from the following consideration. First, in this temperature setting, the temperature of the adhesive near the electric heater, the adhesive near the heater, and the adhesive far from the heater are different from each other, and particularly the solid or gel adhesive does not convect, so the temperature distribution changes greatly. Therefore, if the temperature of the heater itself is detected, the set temperature is rapidly reached, and if the temperature of the adhesive itself is detected, the temperature rises slowly, and varies greatly depending on the amount of the adhesive. As described above, since the unstable factors are large in the temperature detection of the heater itself and the adhesive itself, the example in the illustrated embodiment detects the temperature of the container heating unit provided with the heater.

  The set temperature “90 ° C.” is set to a suitable temperature from the melting point of the adhesive (70 ° C. in the figure) so that the adhesive temperature does not eventually overheat the target “150 ° C.”. If this is set low, it takes time to reach the target temperature, and if it is set high, the target temperature may be exceeded. Similarly, the set temperature “120 ° C.” is the delay time Ta (Ta1 = 270 seconds in the first heating mode, “Ta2 = 103 seconds” in the second heating mode, This is a reference temperature for control in “Ta3 = 90 seconds” in the third heating mode.

This temperature is not limited to “120 ° C.” and can be set variously. As described above, in the first to third heating modes, the initial temperature of the adhesive is maintained until the temperature of the container heating unit equipped with the heating means 20 as the primary heating step reaches a predetermined temperature (the temperature shown is set to 120 ° C.). Electric power corresponding to the temperature is applied to the heating means 20. In the secondary step, after the temperature of the container heating part reaches a predetermined temperature, the target temperature is changed stepwise after the delay time Ta set experimentally by a timer or the like is supplied, and the heating means 20 is supplied with electric power. It is characterized by. This is because the adhesive temperature, container temperature (container heating part temperature), and heater temperature vary greatly depending on the adhesive conditions ( initial temperature, capacity) for the reasons described above, so the temperature of the container heating part After reaching a predetermined temperature, the heater is controlled by a time set by experiment (the above-mentioned Ta time).

  Accordingly, the set temperatures “90 ° C.” and “120 ° C.” must be set according to the configuration of the heating device, for example, the capacity of the heater. Moreover, there is room for devising such as increasing the set temperature in three stages or more depending on the apparatus configuration. Thus, the supply power and the supply time in each mode are set to experience values determined by experiments. In the primary heating step, power is supplied until the temperature of the container heating unit reaches a predetermined temperature, and in the secondary step, predetermined power is supplied for a preset time.

  Next, the time change of the adhesive temperature in each said heating mode is shown to Fig.4 (a) (b) (c). FIG. 5A shows the temperature change when the initial temperature of the adhesive is “23 ° C.” and the heating is controlled in the first heating mode. In the figure, La is the outside air temperature, Lb is the container heating unit temperature, Lc is the adhesive temperature of the liquid temperature detection sensor, Ld is the adhesive temperature of the application roller portion, and Le is the applied power of the electric heater. In this chart, Ld is a value measured by a special temperature sensor provided in the experimental apparatus at the adhesive temperature impregnated in the application roller 30. The applied power is indicated by the duty value of the pulse power source. These conditions are the same in the chart described later.

As is apparent from the chart of FIG. 4A, the applied power Le is full power Le1, then the applied power Le2 corresponding to the target temperature 170 ° C., and the applied power Le3 corresponding to the target temperature 150 ° C. ). At this time, the temperature of the container heating unit is controlled to “170 ° C.” and “150 ° C.” with a time delay. Further, the adhesive temperature Lc of the liquid temperature sensor 22a reaches the target temperature “150 ° C.” in a parabolic manner as shown in the figure, and the adhesive temperature Ld at the application roller portion suddenly reaches the target temperature from the initial temperature.

  Next, FIG. 4B shows a temperature change when the initial adhesive temperature is “70 ° C.” and the temperature is controlled in the second heating mode. In the figure, La, Lb, Lc, and Ld are as described above. Unlike (a), the adhesive temperature at the portion of the application roller 30 suddenly increases from the initial temperature and slightly exceeds the target temperature “150 ° C.”. It is stable at “150 ° C.”. Similarly, FIG. 4C shows a temperature change when the initial temperature of the adhesive is “101 ° C.” and the temperature is controlled in the third heating mode.

Next, a bookbinding apparatus incorporating the above-described adhesive application device will be described.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the overall configuration of the bookbinding apparatus A and an image forming system including the bookbinding apparatus A. The bookbinding apparatus A includes an adhesive application device B. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a main part of the bookbinding apparatus A.

  The image forming system shown in FIG. 5 includes a printing apparatus C and a bookbinding apparatus A that binds the printing sheets from the printing apparatus C in a booklet shape, and unloads printing sheets that are not bound to the bookbinding apparatus A. A stacker device D for storage is attached. The printing apparatus C has a structure known as a printer, a copying machine, or the like. In the illustrated example, a predetermined sheet is fed out from a cassette prepared in the paper supply unit 40, printed on the sheet by, for example, a printing drum 41, heated and fixed by a fixing device 42, and then sequentially discharged from a paper discharge port 43. . The illustrated printing drum 41 is a photosensitive drum, and shows an electrostatic printing method in which an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum by a laser transmitter and transferred onto a sheet. In addition, various printing methods such as silk screen printing and ink jet printing can be employed.

  Next, the bookbinding apparatus A aligns the print sheets sequentially discharged from the paper discharge port 43 by aligning them with the accumulation tray 44 for each predetermined document. Reference numeral 45 in the drawing denotes a sheet carry-in path for guiding print sheets from the paper discharge port 43 to the stacking tray 44. The sheet bundle that is aligned and aligned on the stacking tray 44 is conveyed by the grip conveying means 46 to the adhesive application position E (arrow in FIG. 6). In particular, in the illustrated example, the stacking tray 44 is arranged in a substantially horizontal posture, and the bookbinding path 47 for transferring the sheet bundle by the grip conveying means 46 is arranged in a substantially vertical direction. The grip conveying means 46 sandwiches and holds the sheet bundle from the front and back by a pair of gripper means. First, the sheet bundle is deflected from the horizontal posture to the vertical posture and conveyed to the bookbinding path 47 in the vertical direction.

  A cover sheet conveyance path 48 for feeding a cover sheet is branched and connected to the sheet carry-in path 45, and a sheet carry-out path 49 is connected to the cover sheet conveyance path 48. That is, the print sheet from the paper discharge port 43 of the printing apparatus C is transferred from the sheet carry-in path 45 to the stacking tray 44, and the cover sheet carried out from the paper discharge port 43 is fed to the cover sheet conveyance path 48 branched therefrom. The At the same time, a print sheet that is not subjected to bookbinding processing is conveyed across the bookbinding apparatus A from the sheet discharge path 49 to the stacker apparatus D through the sheet carry-in path 45 and the cover sheet conveyance path 48 from the discharge port 43.

  The bookbinding path 47 and the cover sheet conveyance path 48 are arranged so as to cross each other, and the sheet bundle conveyed from the bookbinding path 47 and the cover sheet conveyed from the cover sheet conveyance path 48 at the intersection F (arrow in FIG. 6). The sheet is united. That is, the cover sheet HS is conveyed and supplied to the intersection F so that the center center line coincides with the intersection, and the sheet bundle is attached in an inverted T shape from the bookbinding path 47 orthogonal to the intersection. It is bound and bound by the folding roll 53 arranged in the bookbinding path 47. Therefore, an adhesive application device B is incorporated as a unit on the upstream side of the intersection F of the bookbinding path 47.

  A predetermined amount of adhesive (glue) is applied to the lower edge of the sheet bundle that is held by the grip conveying means 46 and held in an inverted posture at the adhesive application position E. In the adhesive application unit B, the container 10 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 is disposed so as to be movable along the lower edge of the sheet bundle. The container 10 provided with the adhesive heating means has the above-described configuration, and the description thereof is omitted.

  The container 10 is supported by the guide rail 37 so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the sheet bundle held by the grip conveying means 46, and reciprocates by the reciprocating motor M2. In this way, the container 10 is supported so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction (direction orthogonal to the bundle thickness) along the back portion of the sheet bundle, and is reciprocated by the reciprocating motor M2. At this time, the application roller 30 of the container 10 is rotated by the stirring motor M1 in a predetermined direction, for example, in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the container. Then, the adhesive impregnated in the application roller 30 is applied to the back of the sheet bundle. After this coating process is completed, the container 10 is retracted outward from the sheet bundle conveyance path. In this retracted position, the solid adhesive is supplied to the filling chamber 10b from the hopper 38 shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, the sheet bundle coated with the adhesive is transferred to the intersection F by the grip conveyance means 46 and joined to the cover sheet HS fed back and forth from the cover sheet conveyance path 48. After the joining of both, the sheet bundle is bound into a booklet by the folding roll 53, and the peripheral edge is cut by a cutting unit 50 disposed on the downstream side of the folding roll 53 as necessary. In this way, the sheet bundle mounted with the cover sheet is collected and stored in the booklet sheet storage stacker 51.

  In the above-described embodiment, the cover sheet HS has been described as being printed out from the printing apparatus C after a title or the like is printed, and then discharged from the paper discharge port 43 in the same manner as the printing sheet. An inserter device may be provided between the bookbinding device A and the cover sheet HS may be supplied from the inserter device to the sheet carry-in path 45. If this inserter apparatus is composed of one or a plurality of loading trays, a separation roller for separating sheets on the tray one by one, and a sheet feeding path for guiding the sheet from the separation roller to the sheet carry-in path 45 Good.

  Further, the above-described stacker device D is constituted by a paper discharge tray for sequentially stacking and storing sheets carried out from the carry-out port 52 of the sheet carry-out path 49 connected to the cover sheet conveyance path 48. In addition, this apparatus may be provided with a post-processing unit that performs post-processing such as stapling, punching, and stamping on the sheet from the carry-out port 52. In this case, the post-processing unit may adopt a known mechanism.

A Bookbinding apparatus B Adhesive coating apparatus C Printing apparatus D Stacker apparatus 10 Container 10a Coating liquid tank room (liquid tank room)
10b Solid agent filling chamber (filling chamber)
10c Partition 10d Adhesive liquid storage chamber (liquid storage chamber)
20 Heating means (electric heater)
22a Liquid temperature sensor 22b Heating part temperature sensor 26 Temperature control means (control CPU)
30 Coating roller 32 Stirring means (stirring gear)
34 Control rod 36 Plate blade 45 Sheet carry-in path 46 Grip transport means 47 Bookbinding path 48 Cover sheet transport path M1 Stirring motor M2 Reciprocating motor

Claims (11)

A container for storing a hot-melt adhesive;
Heating means for heating and melting the solid adhesive in the container;
Sensor means for detecting the temperature of the adhesive in the container;
Application means for applying the adhesive in the container to the sheet bundle;
A stirring rotator for stirring the adhesive in the container;
Control means for starting rotation of the stirring rotator by detecting that the sensor means detects that the adhesive in the container has been heated by the heating means and has reached a predetermined temperature;
The control means rotates the stirring rotator at a first speed, rotates it at a second speed faster than the first speed, and then rotates it at a third speed slower than the second speed. An adhesive application device characterized by the above. A container for storing a hot-melt adhesive;
Heating means for heating and melting the solid adhesive in the container;
Timer means for detecting the time for which the heating means heats the adhesive; and
Application means for applying the adhesive in the container to the sheet bundle;
A stirring rotator for stirring the adhesive in the container;
By the heating means is detected by said timer means that heating the adhesive predetermined time, and a control means for starting the rotation of the stirring rotary body,
The control means rotates the stirring rotator at a first speed, rotates it at a second speed faster than the first speed, and then rotates it at a third speed slower than the second speed. An adhesive application device characterized by the above. The heating means is disposed in the container;
It said sensor means, according to claim 1, wherein the direct temperature detection liquid temperature sensor glue in the container, and the heating temperature sensor the heating means detects the temperature of the disposed containers, in that it is configured The adhesive applicator described in 1. The application means is composed of an application rotating body that applies the adhesive in the container to the sheet bundle,
The adhesive coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coating rotating body also serves as the stirring rotating body.   The adhesive application device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined temperature is a melting temperature of the adhesive in the container.   The adhesive application device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined time is a time required to melt the adhesive in the container. Sensor means for detecting the temperature of the adhesive in the container;
The adhesive application according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined time is variably set according to a temperature of the adhesive in the container detected by the sensor means before the heating means heats the adhesive. apparatus.   3. The adhesive application device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit rotates the stirring rotating body forward and backward in order to stir the adhesive in the container.   3. The adhesive application device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit repeats rotation and stop of the stirring rotating body in order to stir the adhesive in the container. The control means variably sets the time for rotating the stirring rotating body according to the temperature of the adhesive in the container detected by the sensor means before the heating means heats the adhesive. Item 2. The adhesive application device according to Item 1. Sensor means for detecting the temperature of the adhesive in the container;
The control means variably sets the time for rotating the stirring rotating body according to the temperature of the adhesive in the container detected by the sensor means before the heating means heats the adhesive. Item 3. The adhesive application device according to Item 2.

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