JP5577867B2 - Sheet folding apparatus, image forming system, and sheet folding method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet-like recording medium, for example, a sheet folding apparatus having a function capable of diffracting a plurality of sheets, and an image forming apparatus including the sheet folding apparatus and an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a digital multifunction peripheral. The present invention relates to a system and a sheet folding method.

  In general, in a copying machine that copies a large-size original such as a drawing original, the image is often copied onto a large-size copy sheet such as A0, A1, or A2. If these large-sized copy sheets are stored as they are or are handled in a large size, the storage space becomes large or the handling is inconvenient, so that they are usually folded and stored.

  However, when this large size copy sheet is folded by hand, generally it takes a considerable amount of time, and the time required for folding the sheet is several times longer than the time required for copying. There is. For this reason, for example, a sheet folding machine having a function of folding an A0 size copy sheet into an A4 size is disposed and used in the discharge path of the copying machine.

  Such a sheet folding machine has, for example, two folding roller pairs for folding a sheet, a conveying roller pair for feeding the sheet to any one of the roller pairs, and a direction for folding the sheet with respect to any one of the folding rollers. And a deflecting means for switching. The bending direction of the sheet is alternately switched, and a plurality of diffraction can be continuously performed.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a sheet folding apparatus that has been conventionally implemented adopting such a folding method. In the figure, the sheet folding unit 1 includes an inlet sensor 2, a pair of conveying rollers 3 (3a, 3b), a first folding roller pair 6 (6a, 6b) and a second folding roller disposed opposite to the lower left and right thereof. First and second sheet guide members 4, 5 for selectively guiding the sheet 11 conveyed from the pair of rollers 7 (7 a, 7 b), the pair of folding rollers 6, 7, and the first, The first and second sensors 8 and 9 are provided on the outer sides of the second folding roller pair 6 and 7, respectively, and a sheet lower surface guide 10 that guides the lower surface of the sheet 11.

  The sheet 11 is conveyed by the conveying roller pair 3 and selectively guided to the first folding roller pair 6 or the second folding roller pair 7 by the operation of the first sheet guide member 4 or the second sheet guide member 5. Then, the sheet 11 slides on the upper surface of the sheet lower surface guide 10 by the operation of the first or second sheet guide members 4 and 5 in accordance with repeated forward and reverse rotations of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7. However, the operation of feeding between the first folding roller pair 6 or the second folding roller pair 7 is repeated. It is folded a predetermined number of times by repeating this operation.

  The first sheet guide member 4 and the second seed guide member 5 are used when the sheet 11 is fed to the first folding roller pair 6 and when the first sheet guide member 4 is fed to the second folding roller pair 7. Each of the second sheet guide members 5 is operated.

  In this sheet folding apparatus, a constant nip pressure is obtained between the pressure roller 6a and the folding roller 6b constituting the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7, and between the pressure roller 7a and the folding roller 6b. Thus, the pressure rollers 6a and 7a are pressed against the folding rollers 6b and 7b by a pressure mechanism (not shown). Accordingly, the gap between the pressure roller 6a and the folding roller 6b changes according to the folding thickness when the sheet 11 is folded. The folding roller pair 7 similarly changes between the pressure roller 7a and the folding roller 7b.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the sheet folding apparatus. The control configuration of the sheet folding apparatus is configured around the control unit 30. Folding size and folding instructions are input to the control unit 30 from the folding size designation unit 31 and the folding method designation unit 32. On the other hand, the detection outputs 34 of the first and second sensors 8 and 9 are input from the sheet folding apparatus 1 to the control unit 30, and the control unit 30 receives these pieces of information and determines the conveyance distance and conveyance direction after detecting the sheet leading edge. The decision 35 is given and an instruction is given to the electrical component control unit 36 that controls the drive of the motor, solenoid, and the like. The electrical component control unit 36 controls the electrical component according to the instruction.

  That is, the first sensor 8 and the second sensor 9 arranged outside the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 are used for the sheet 11 conveyed by the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7. Each end is detected, and the control unit 30 controls the sheet conveyance direction and the sheet conveyance distance based on the detection result. The first sensor 8 and the second sensor 9 detect the end of the sheet 11 on the first folding roller pair 6 side using the first sensor 8 and the second sensor 9 detects the end of the sheet 11 on the second folding roller pair 7 side. .

  The control unit 30 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM (not shown). The ROM stores a program code executed by the CPU 30, and the CPU 30 expands the program code read from the ROM into the RAM, and the RAM is used as a work area and a data buffer. The control defined by the program code is executed while

In this sheet folding apparatus, as in the sheet folded state shown in FIG.
L1> L2 ≧ L3 ≧ ・ ・ ・ ≧ Ln
Thus, even when the front folding surface is wide and the first sensor 8 or the second sensor 9 cannot detect the folding end immediately after folding, the position of the folding roller is determined based on the stop position after the last folding. Control the stopping of the pair. Note that L1 is the length of the first folded sheet portion (hereinafter referred to as “the length of the first folding surface”), the length from the sheet edge F0 to the first folding edge F1, and L2 is 2. The length from the first folding end F1 to the second folding end F2 by the length of the sheet portion folded at the second time ("the length of the second folding surface"), and L3 is the sheet portion folded at the third time. The length from the second fold end F2 to the third fold end F3 with the length of “(the length of the third fold surface”),... Ln is folded n times (n is a positive integer) The length of the sheet portion (the length of the Lth folding surface) is the length from the Ln-1 folding end Fn-1 to the Ln folding end Fn.

  That is, when setting the folding roller stop position after the folding of the second folding end F2 in FIG. 3, the sheet end F0 protrudes from the second folding end F2, so that the first sensor 8 detects the second folding end F2. Can not do. Therefore, the stop of the pair of folding rollers 6 and 7 is controlled based on the stop position after the first folding end F1 which is the stop position before that is detected by the second sensor 9. As a result, a sheet folding apparatus capable of controlling the folding operation even in the case of folding in which the folded end portion of the sheet cannot be detected by the first sensor 8 or the second sensor 9 is proposed in, for example, Patent Document 1 (see Japanese Patent No. 3911091). Has been.

  However, in the sheet folding apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the conveyance direction and conveyance of the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7 are based on the detection of the sheet edge or the folded edge by the first sensor 8 or the second sensor 9. Since the amount is controlled by controlling the amount, the position of the first sensor 8 or the second sensor 9 with respect to the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 affects the minimum value of the folding surface length. become.

  In order to reduce the length of the folding surface, the distance between the first folding roller pair 6 (the nip) and the first sensor 8 and the distance between the second folding roller pair 7 (the nip) and the second sensor 9 are set. It needs to be small. However, the limits of the distances between the folding rollers 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, the distance between the pair of folding rollers 6, 7, the sizes of the first and second sensors 8, 9, etc. are determined. Therefore, the folding surface length may not be set to a desired length or a target length.

  Also, when folding a sheet that is a copy of a large original such as a drawing original, it is described in JIS (Z8311: Drafting-Drawing paper size and drawing style appendix (reference): Standard drawing folding method). There are also ways of folding other than folding. That is, there are cases in which there are various ways of folding depending on the type of business, etc., and there is a surface with a short folding length.

  For example, when the sheet folded state shown in FIG. 3 is set, as in the prior art, the subsequent folding end folding is performed on the basis of the stop position based on the detection position of the second sensor 9 at the first folding end F1. For controlling the stop position. As long as there is an operation of stopping according to the sensor detection reference in this manner, the stop position is affected by the detection position of the sensor, and the stop position is always influenced by the layout.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between components that is a restriction on the minimum folding length. The distance between the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 (distance between the nips) is 80 mm, the distance between the first folding roller pair 6 (the nip) and the first sensor 8 is 30 mm, and the second folding roller pair 7 ( The distance between the second sensor 9 and the second sensor 9 is 30 mm, and the conveyance distance from the detection of the sheet end or folding end of the first sensor 8 and the second sensor 9 to the stop of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 ( Find the minimum folding surface length when the free running distance is 20 mm. The conveyance distance H1 between the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 from the stop after the first folding end detection by the second sensor 9 in FIG. 4A to the second folding in FIG. 4B. Is a value obtained by subtracting the conveyance distance h1 of the conveyance roller pair 3 from the distance between the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 from 80 mm. H1 = 80 mm−h1
It becomes.

Here, if the transport distance h2 of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 and the transport distance h1 of the transport roller pair 3 are equal, the state shifts from FIG. 4A to FIG. 4B. The conveying distance h2 between the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 is h2 = 40 mm
It becomes.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4C, the minimum folding surface length Hmin is obtained by adding the sheet length 10 mm outside the second folding roller pair 7 to the interval 80 mm between the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7. Hmin = 90mm
It becomes.

  Further, in actual operation, the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 have forward, stop, and reverse operations, whereas the conveyance roller pair 3 conveys the sheet without stopping and reversing. By continuing, the conveyance distance h2 of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 and the conveyance distance h1 of the conveyance roller pair 3 are not equal, and the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 is reduced, the minimum folding surface length Hmin is increased.

  Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to fold the sheet with a minimum minimum folding surface length regardless of the mechanical positional relationship and size such as the diameter of the folding rollers, the distance between the folding rollers, and the position of the sensor. Is to be able to.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a pair of conveying rollers for feeding a sheet and a first folding and a second folding for arranging the sheets fed from the pair of conveying rollers alternately. comprising a pair of rollers, and the sheet folding apparatus for performing a folding several times parallel to the sheet, identified portion of the folding of the specified sheet, the sheet end a folding position of the second and subsequent Alternatively, when the first folding edge cannot be detected, the second and subsequent folding positions are set based on the sheet conveyance amount based on the sheet edge or the first folding edge, and the first folding edge is It is set based on a stop position of the sheet end after entering the first folding roller pair .

In the embodiments described below, the sheet on the sign 11, the conveying roller pair is code 3 or code 100, the first and second folding roller pair to the first and second folding roller pair 6, 7, images The forming apparatuses correspond to the reference numerals 50, respectively.

According to the present invention, even when the sheet over preparative end and folded end is not detected by the first and second sheet detecting means, the diameter of the folding roller, the folding rollers pairwise distances, mechanical such as the position of the sensor Regardless of the positional relationship and size, the minimum folding surface length can be reduced and folded.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the sheet folding apparatus implemented conventionally. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure of a sheet folding apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the folding finish state of the sheet | seat in a prior art. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the components used as restrictions of the folding length minimum value in a prior art. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a conveyance control unit of a folding roller pair of the sheet folding apparatus 1 according to the first exemplary embodiment. FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a conveyance reference when performing conveyance control without detecting a sheet end and a sheet folded end of a sheet folding target surface. FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a sheet folding operation according to the first exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating another sheet folding operation according to the first exemplary embodiment. FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a sheet folding operation in Embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a finished sheet state in Example 3. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration in Embodiment 4. FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a sheet folding operation in Embodiment 5. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a sheet folding operation in Embodiment 8. FIG. FIG. 20 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a sheet folding operation according to the eleventh embodiment. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a sheet folding apparatus according to a twelfth embodiment. 1 is a perspective view showing a simplified configuration of an image forming system in the present embodiment.

  The present invention intends to be able to fold a sheet by reducing the minimum folding surface length without being influenced by mechanical elements when the sheet is diffracted a plurality of times. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration of the sheet folding apparatus 1 itself is the same as that shown in FIG. 1 in the prior art described above. The second folding roller pair 7, the first sheet guide member 4 and the second sheet guide member 5 that selectively guide the sheet 11 conveyed from the conveying roller pair 3 in the direction of each folding roller pair, and the lower surface of the sheet are guided. And a sheet lower surface guide 10 to be performed. Although the 1st sheet guide member 4 and the 2nd sheet guide member 5 are not provided by the below-mentioned example, what provided the above-mentioned members 4 and 5 as a rough composition was shown.

  The sheet 11 is conveyed by the conveying roller pair 3 and is selectively guided to the first folding roller pair 6 or the second folding roller pair 7 by the operation of the first sheet guide member 4 or the second sheet guide member 5. The sheet 11 slides on the upper surface of the sheet lower surface guide 10 by the operation of the first sheet guide member 4 or the second seed guide member 5 in accordance with repeated forward and reverse rotations of the folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7. The sheet is fed between the folding roller pair 6 or the second folding roller pair 7 and the folding process is executed a predetermined number of times. Details of the folding process are as described above.

  Further, the configuration and operation itself excluding the folding control are the same as those of the prior art described with reference to FIGS.

  Hereafter, it demonstrates concretely for every Example.

  In the first embodiment, the sheet conveyance direction and the sheet conveyance distance are controlled without detecting the sheet edge and the sheet folding edge of the target surface by the first sensor 8 or the second sensor 9, or without using the detection result. The sheet is conveyed while nipping and conveying the sheet by the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 by matching the timing of the conveyance of the sheet by the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 and the operation of the sheet guide member. I tried to fold it. In the first embodiment, the first sheet guide member 4 or the second sheet guide member 5 is not used for the folding operation.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the conveyance control unit of the folding roller pair 6 of the sheet folding apparatus 1 in the present embodiment. In FIG. 5, the control configuration of the sheet folding machine 100 is configured with a conveyance amount calculation unit 33 as the center, and includes a folding size designation unit 31, a folding method designation unit 32, first and second sensors 8 and 9, and conveyance roller conveyance amounts. A detection unit 37, an electrical component control unit, and the sheet folding apparatus 1 are included.

  The conveyance amount calculation unit 33 conveys the sheet 11 by a distance based on the folding surface length as detected by the folding size designation unit 31 and the folding method designation unit 32, and stops the first folding roller pair 6. That is, the result of detecting the sheet end or the folded end of the sheet 11 by the first sensor 8 and the second sensor 9 of the sheet folding apparatus 1 is input to the carry amount calculation unit 33 as the first and second sensor detection results 34. The conveyance amount based on the information of the folding size designation unit 31 and the folding method designation unit 32 is sent to the electrical component control unit 36 as conveyance distance and conveyance direction data 35 to control the sheet folding apparatus 1.

  The carry amount calculation unit 33 corresponds to the control unit 30 in FIG. 2 and includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM (not shown) as in the control unit 30. The ROM stores program codes executed by the CPU 30. The program code read from is expanded in the RAM, and the control defined by the program code is executed using the RAM as a work area and a data buffer.

  In addition, the conveyance amount calculation unit 33 is provided in the sheet folding apparatus 1, but may be provided as a control unit in a control unit of the image forming apparatus 50 in an image forming system to be described later. It is also possible to set 50 operation panels (not shown).

  When configured as an image forming system, the conveyance control unit in FIG. 5 can communicate with the control unit of the image forming apparatus 50 via an interface, and can be controlled as an integrated image forming system.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an outline of the conveyance reference when carrying out conveyance control without detecting the sheet end of the sheet folding target surface and the sheet folding end.

  As shown in the drawing, when the first folding surface length L1 is the longest and the sheet edge F0 and the first folding edge F1 are folded up so as to be convex, the second folding edge F2 by the first sensor 8 and the second sensor 9 is used. Subsequent operations are hidden behind the sheet edge F0 and the first folding edge F1 and cannot be detected, so that the conveyance control after the folding surface length L3 after the second folding is not performed. In such a case, in the prior art shown in FIG. 3, the reference of the third folding surface length L3 is not set as the second folding end F2, but is controlled based on the first folding end F1.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, the reference of the lengths L3 and L5 of the third and fifth folding surfaces is the sheet end F0, and the reference of the lengths L2 and L4 of the second and fourth folding surfaces is the first folding end F1. Control as detection. As a result, it is possible to stop at a smaller conveyance amount than the conventional control standard, the folding surface length can be reduced, and furthermore, since the folding is performed from the control standard, the variation in the folding surface length due to the variation in conveyance can be suppressed. it can.

  Further, if necessary, a folding length close to the interval between the folding roller pairs 6 and 7 can be realized by performing the following operations.

  The operation of the sheet folding apparatus is the operation described with reference to FIG. 4, and the conveyance distance of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 and the conveyance distance of the conveyance roller pair 3 are equal, from FIG. When the conveyance distance of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 in FIG. 4B is 40 mm, the first folding roller pair is stopped from the stop after the folding of the first folding end F1 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4B, the second folding end F2 is folded by conveying 40 mm in six directions. In this case, the minimum folding surface length is 90 mm as shown in FIG. 4C.

  That is, the stop after the folding of the first folding end F1 in FIG. 4A is performed by the stop position control not based on the detection of the first folding end F1 by the second sensor 9, and is stopped before the detection of the second sensor 9. Thus, the minimum folding surface length can be reduced.

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation at this time. FIG. 7A shows a stopped state in which the sheet end of the sheet 11 is controlled to perform the first folding end folding after entering the first folding roller pair 6. From this state, the sheet 11 is conveyed 40 mm toward the second folding roller pair 7 to perform the first folding end F1 folding, and the stop position after the folding is controlled toward the second folding end F2 folding. It becomes the stop position.

  FIG. 7B shows the stop position when the distance L2 between the first folding end F1 and the second folding end F2 is set to 85 mm. After stopping at the position shown in FIG. 7B, the transport direction is switched, and after transporting 40 mm, the next folding end is folded. Thereby, the protrusion amount to the outside of the second folding roller pair 7 is a length obtained by subtracting 40 mm from the designated folding surface length. By executing this stop control from the stop position of FIG. 4A, the detection of the sheet end F0 or the folding end F1... N of the sheet 11 by the first sensor 8 and the second sensor 9 can be performed without reference. The stop position shown in FIG. 7B is a position conveyed by 85 mm, which is a distance L2 between the first fold end F1 and the second fold end F2, from the stop position of 4 (a).

  FIG. 7C shows a state where 40 mm is further conveyed in the direction of the first folding roller pair 6 from the state shown in FIG. As can be seen from the figure, when 40 mm is conveyed, the amount of outward protrusion of the second folding roller pair 7 becomes 5 mm, and the sheet is folded at 85 mm as set by the distance L2 between the first folding end F1 and the second folding end F2. Will be.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, in the control configuration shown in FIG. 5, the roller conveyance amounts of the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7 are input to the conveyance amount calculation unit 33 as the roller conveyance amount detection result 37 and the folding size is calculated. The conveyance amount based on the information of the designation unit 31 and the folding method designation unit 32 is sent to the electrical component control unit 36 as conveyance distance and conveyance direction data 35 to control the sheet folding apparatus 1.

  In actual control, the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 have forward, stop, and reverse operations, whereas the conveyance roller pair 3 continues to convey the sheet without stopping and reversing. . Thereby, the conveyance distance of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 and the conveyance distance of the conveyance roller pair 3 are not equal, and the conveyance distance of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 is not equal. Becomes smaller. Therefore, the stop control of the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7 needs to determine the stop position in consideration of the difference in the transport distance.

  When the difference between the transport distance of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 and the transport distance of the transport roller pair 3 is 25 mm (the transport distance of the transport roller pair 3 is 25 mm longer), the folding operation is shown in FIGS. 8 will be described.

FIG. 7B shows a stop state before the second folding end F2 is folded, and the conveyance distance of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 and the conveyance distance of the conveyance roller pair 3 are equal. This is the stop position. FIG. 7C shows a state in which 40 mm is conveyed from this state toward the first folding roller pair 6, and the protruding amount to the outside of the second folding roller pair 7 is 5 mm, and the folding surface length L 2 is 85 mm. Here, the stop state before the second folding end F2 is folded when the difference between the conveyance distance of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 and the conveyance distance of the conveyance roller pair 3 is 25 mm is shown in FIG. In the same manner as b), when transported in the direction of the first folding roller pair 6, the transport distance of the transport roller pair 3 is 25 mm longer as shown in FIG. With the conveyance distance of the pair of folding rollers 7,
25mm × 1/2 = 12.5mm
As soon as possible, the second folding end F2 is folded. In this case, since the outer protrusion amount of the second folding roller pair 7 is 17.5 mm, the folding surface length L2 is 97.5 mm. FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a stop position in which the difference in the folding surface length is reflected in the stop position. FIG. 8B shows the conveyance distance between the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7. Difference in transport distance between transport roller pair 3 25 mm × 1/2 = 12.5 mm
Only the stop position is advanced. FIG.8 (c) is the direction of the 1st folding roller pair 6 direction from the state of the same figure (b) 40mm-25mm * 1/2 = 27.5mm.
It is a figure which shows the state conveyed. In FIG. 8C, the amount of outward protrusion of the second folding roller pair 7 is 5 mm, and the distance between the first folding end F1 and the second folding end F2 is 85 mm as set by the folding surface length L2. Will be raised.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the first or second sensor 8 or 9 does not detect the sheet edge, and the sheet edge is detected by the control of the sheet conveyance direction and the sheet conveyance distance. , 9 can be stopped before detection. As a result, it is possible to reduce the set value of the conveyance distance control, and the folding surface length can be reduced.

In the first exemplary embodiment, in the control configuration illustrated in FIG. 5, the roller conveyance amounts of the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7 are input to the conveyance amount calculation unit 33 as the roller conveyance amount detection result 37, and the folding size designation unit 31, the conveyance amount based on the information of the folding method specifying unit 32 is sent to the electrical component control unit 36 as the conveyance distance and conveyance direction data 35 to control the sheet folding apparatus 1. The elapsed time is measured based on the detection of the sheet edge by the sensor 2, the conveyance amount of the conveyance roller pair 3 is calculated, and the sheet conveyance direction and the sheet conveyance distance are controlled by the calculated conveyance amount and the designated folding method. I made it. Hereinafter, a different point from Example 1 is demonstrated and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.
In the second embodiment, the stop of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 is controlled by the entrance sensor 2, and the basic configuration is the same as that of the sheet folding apparatus shown in FIG.

  The sheet 11 sent from the copying machine main body 200 to the sheet folding apparatus 1 is detected by the entrance sensor 2 and is conveyed by the conveyance roller pair 3, and the first sheet guide member 4 or the second seed guide member 5 causes the first sheet guide member 5 to convey the first sheet 11. Guided to the first folding roller pair 6 or the second folding roller pair 7. Then, the first folding end F1 is stopped at the stop position with respect to the conveyance amount from the inlet sensor 2, and the conveyance directions of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 are switched. After the folding of the folding end F1, the sheet stops at the stop position toward the folding of the second folding end F2 with reference to the conveyance amount from the inlet sensor 2. Thereafter, the conveyance direction of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 is switched, and after the second folding end F2 is folded, the third folding end F3 is folded based on the conveyance amount from the inlet sensor 2. The operation of stopping at the directed stop position is repeated and folded up to the specified folding surface length.

  FIG. 9 is an operation explanatory view showing the folding operation of the second embodiment. In the figure, the target folding length is 85 mm, the distance from the inlet sensor 2 to each nip of the first folding roller pair 6 or the second folding roller pair 7 is 130 mm, the first folding roller pair 6 or the second folding roller. The conveyance distance from the stop state of the roller pair 7 to the folding operation is equal to the conveyance distance of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 and the conveyance distance of the conveyance roller pair 3, and folding is performed at a conveyance distance of 40 mm. The case will be described.

FIG. 9A shows a stop state before the first folding end F1 is folded, and the stop position protrudes outside the second folding roller pair 7 from the target value of the first folding surface length L1 of 85 mm. Since the distance from the entrance sensor 2 to the first fold roller pair 6 or the second fold roller pair 7 nip is 130 mm, the conveyance distance from the entrance sensor 2 is 130 mm + 45 mm = 175 mm.
Stop control with.

FIG. 9B shows a stop state before the second folding end F2 is folded, and the stop position is 85 mm, which is the target value of the second folding surface length L2, and the protrusion amount of the folding roller pair to the outside is 45 mm. Then, the conveyance distance from FIG. 9 (a) is 85mm, which is the conveyance distance 40mm until folding is performed and the convex amount to the outside of the roller pair is 45mm, and the conveyance distance from the inlet sensor 2 is up to FIG. 9 (a). The transport distance from Fig. 9 (a) to Fig. 9 (b) is added to the transport amount of 175mm + 85mm = 260mm
Stop control with.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, since the sheet conveyance direction and the sheet conveyance distance are controlled based on the conveyance distance of the conveyance roller 3, the folding surface length is made smaller than the first folding surface length L1. In addition, the conveyance distance is calculated on the basis of the conveyance amount of the first and second folding rollers 6 and 7 with the conveyance roller 3 as a reference. It becomes possible to suppress, and it can be folded with high accuracy.

  In the third embodiment, the control based on the detection of the sheet edge by the first sensor 8 or the second sensor 9 is not executed only for the specified portion of the specified sheet folding method, and the sheet conveyance direction and the sheet conveyance are performed. This is an example of controlling the distance. In addition, since it is equivalent to the above-mentioned Example 1 or 2 except the control characterized by this Example 3, the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  In the third embodiment, when the component layout and operation conditions of the sheet folding apparatus 1 are the same as those in the first and second embodiments, the folding surface length minimum value is 90 mm in the conventional sheet folding apparatus 1. Here, when the sheet is folded to the finished state shown in FIG. 10, the second and third folding surface lengths L2 and L3 are 88 mm, and the minimum folding surface length is Hmin = as shown in FIG. Since it is 90 mm, it is impossible to cope with it, and since the fourth and fifth folding surface lengths L4 and L5 are 104 mm, this is possible in the past. Therefore, it is possible to implement in Example 1 or 2 in which no sensor is used.

  Therefore, in the third embodiment, only the second and third folding surface lengths L2 and L3: 88 mm are controlled so that detection of the sheet edge or the folding edge of the sheet 11 by the first sensor 8 and the second sensor 9 is not required. Folding processing is executed, and the fourth and fifth folding surface lengths L4 and L5: 104 mm are the conventional techniques based on the detection of the sheet end or folding end of the sheet 11 by the first sensor 8 and the second sensor 9. The indicated folding process is executed. In the figure, FF indicates the final end of the sheet.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, the folding surface length setting control using the first and second sensors 8 and 9 is not applied when the length is shorter than the minimum folding surface length, and the other portions are the first. Since the sheet edge is detected by the first or second sensor 8 or 9 and the sheet conveyance direction and the sheet conveyance distance are controlled based on the detection result, the length of the folding surface can be accurately reduced.

  In the fourth embodiment, the sheet conveyance direction and the sheet conveyance distance are controlled only for a portion corresponding to a condition that is a control that does not depend on the sensor detection, for the designated sheet folding method. It is an example. In addition, since it is the same as that of the above-mentioned Example 1 thru | or 3 except the control characterized by this Example 4, the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  In the present embodiment, control is performed by adding the determination of the folding roller stop reference determination unit 38 to the conveyance amount calculation unit 33 shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a control configuration in the present embodiment. As can be seen from FIG. 11, with respect to the control configuration of FIG. 5, a folding roller stop reference determination unit 38 is provided before the carry amount calculation unit 33 and after the folding size designation unit 31 and the folding method designation unit 32. In other respects, the other components have the same control configuration as in the first embodiment.

  With this configuration, the data of the folding size designating unit 31 and the folding method designating unit 32 that are data of the finished state of the sheet is sent to the folding roller stop reference determining unit 38. The folding roller stop reference determination unit 38 determines whether or not to perform control based on the detection of the sheet end or folding end of the sheet 11 by the first sensor 8 and the second sensor 9 from the data, and the determination result is conveyed. The data is sent to the calculation unit 33. The subsequent control is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, for example, even when the folding method of the designated sheet is changed by the user adjustment function, the folding roller stop reference determination unit sets the conditions to be controlled without detecting the sensor. Since only the corresponding part reflects the control of the sheet conveyance direction and the sheet conveyance distance not depending on the detection of the sheet edge, the accuracy folding surface length can be reduced without being affected by the adjustment value of the user adjustment function.

  The fifth embodiment is an example in which the conveyance roller pair is stopped during conveyance after switching the sheet conveyance direction, and the sheet conveyance is performed only by the folding roller pair. In addition, since it is equivalent to the above-mentioned Example 1 thru | or 4 except the control characterized by this Example 5, the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  That is, in the fifth embodiment, the component layout of the sheet folding apparatus is the same as in the first to fourth embodiments, but the conveyance roller pair 3 is conveyed during conveyance after the conveyance direction of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 is switched. The sheet 11 is conveyed by the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7.

  The operation up to the folding will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 illustrates the sheet folding apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment and is an operation explanatory diagram when the conveyance distance of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 is equal to the conveyance distance of the conveyance roller pair 3.

  FIG. 7B shows a stopped state before the second folding end F2 is folded, and is conveyed 45 mm after the first folding end F1 is folded. FIG. 7C shows the first folding roller pair 6, the second folding roller pair 7, and the conveying roller pair 3 in the direction of the first folding roller pair 6 until the second folding end F 2 is folded from FIG. 7B. Shows a state in which the sheet is conveyed by 40 mm. In FIG. 7C, the total conveyance amount in the direction of the first folding roller pair 6 needs to be 80 mm.

  On the other hand, FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing the operation of this embodiment, and FIG. 12 (a) shows the stop state before the second folding end F2 is folded, as in FIG. 7 (b). The fifth embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the conveyance roller pair 3 stops simultaneously with the conveyance stop of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7. In the fifth embodiment, the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 are driven in the direction of the first folding roller pair 6 while the conveying roller pair 3 is stopped from the state of FIG. After the sheet is conveyed until the state 12 (b) is reached, the conveyance of the conveyance roller pair 3 is resumed.

  The required conveyance amount is the same as that in the case of shifting from the state of FIG. 7B to the state of FIG. 7C, and the necessary conveyance amount 80 mm in the direction of the first folding roller pair 6 is set to the first folding roller pair 6 and the second This is performed by conveying the folding roller pair 7. Accordingly, the necessary conveyance distance is 80 mm for conveyance of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7.

  In the case of Example 1 shown in FIG. 7, since the conveyance of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 is 40 mm, the first folding end F1 is similarly conveyed by 40 mm in the second folding end. F2 folding is performed. Therefore, the folding surface length is 85 mm. On the other hand, in the case of FIG. 12, since the necessary conveyance amount of 80 mm is conveyed only by the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7, the second folding is performed with the first folding end F1 being conveyed by 80 mm. The end F2 is folded, resulting in a folding surface length of 45 mm.

  As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, the conveyance amount until the folding is performed can be reduced and the folding surface length can be further reduced by stopping the conveyance roller pairs 6 and 7. .

  The sixth embodiment is an example in which the conveyance roller pair 3 is re-driven before the sheet folding target portion enters the first or second folding roller pair 6 and 7 in the fifth embodiment. That is, in the example of the fifth embodiment, the conveyance of the conveyance roller pair 3 is stopped until the state shown in FIG. 12B is reached, but in the sixth embodiment, the conveyance roller before the second folding end F2 is folded. The conveyance of the pair 3 is resumed, and when the second folding end F2 is folded, the conveyance roller pair 3, the first folding roller pair 6, and the second folding roller pair 7 are in the conveyance state. In addition, since it is the same as that of the above-mentioned Example 5 except the control characterized by this Example 6, the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  According to this embodiment, since the re-driving of the conveying roller pair 3 is before the sheet folding target portion enters the folding rollers 6 and 7, the folding surface length can be reduced. In addition, since the conveyance roller pair 3 is driven when the sheet folding target portion enters the folding roller pairs 6 and 7, it is possible to prevent deviation when the sheet folding target portion enters the folding roller pair. Can do. As a result, it is possible to accurately reduce the length of the folding surface while preventing the generation of wrinkles.

  In the seventh embodiment, when the sheet folding target portion enters the first or second folding roller pair 6, 7 in the sixth embodiment, the start of the conveying roller pair 3 is finished, and the conveying roller pair 3. Is an example in which it is driven at a constant speed, and the speeds of the conveying roller pair 3, the first and second folding roller pairs 6, 7 are constant. In addition, since it is the same as that of the above-mentioned Example 6 except the control characterized by this Example 7, the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  That is, in Example 6, the conveyance of the conveyance roller pair 3 is resumed before the state shown in FIG. 12B (the folding of the second folding end F2 is completed), and the conveyance roller when the second folding end F2 is folded. The pair 3 and the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7 are conveyed. On the other hand, in Example 7, the start of the conveying roller pair 3 is finished before the second folding end F2 is folded, and the conveying roller pair 3 is driven at a constant speed, and the second folding end F2 is driven. When the folding is performed, the conveying speed of the conveying roller pair 3 and the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7 is set to be constant.

  According to this embodiment, when the second folding end F2 is folded, the conveyance speed of the conveyance roller pair 3 and the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7 is constant. It is not affected by the speed fluctuation of the pair 3 or the speed difference between the pair of folding rollers 6 and 7. As a result, the folding surface length can be reduced with high accuracy.

  In the eighth embodiment, in the fifth, sixth, and seventh embodiments, the folding pair is stopped before the sheet folding target portion enters the first or second folding roller pair 6 and 7, and the posture of the sheet is changed. In this example, the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7 are allowed to enter after being stabilized. In addition, since it is equivalent to the above-mentioned Example 5, 6, 7 except the control characterized by the present Example 8, the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  FIG. 13 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating the sheet folding operation according to the eighth embodiment, and the basic operation is the same as that of the fifth embodiment. That is, FIG. 13A shows a stopped state before the second folding end F2 is folded, as in FIG. 12A. In this state, the conveyance roller pair 3 stops simultaneously with the conveyance stop of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7, and from this state, the conveyance roller pair 3 is stopped and the first folding roller pair 6 direction is stopped. The second folding end F2 is folded by the conveying operation of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7. FIG. 13 (c) shows this state, which is the same as FIG. 12 (b). During the operation of shifting from the state of FIG. 13A to the state of FIG. 13C, the conveying operation of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 is temporarily stopped. FIG. 13B shows this state. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13B, the conveying operation of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 is temporarily stopped to stabilize the behavior of the folding unit at the second folding end F2. Thereafter, the conveying operation of the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 is restarted, and the sheet is conveyed again.

  The stop immediately before the folding of the second folding end F2 is naturally performed before the folding of the second folding end F2, and in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13B, the position shown in FIG. It is stopped at a position conveyed 60 mm from (maximum protruding position of the first folding end F1).

  According to this embodiment, when the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7 are temporarily stopped, the sheet conveying direction is reversed, and the second folding end F2 of the first folding roller 6 is not stabilized while the speed is not stable. The sheet does not enter the nip, and the sheet type, environment, sheet conveyance speed, and the like can be stabilized. As a result, when the sheet is folded, the posture of the folding target portion of the sheet when entering the pair of folding rollers is stabilized, and the folding surface length can be accurately reduced.

  In the ninth embodiment, in the eighth embodiment, the conveying roller pair 3 is driven in synchronization with the re-driving of the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7, and the speed of the conveying roller pair 3 and the folding roller pairs 6 and 7 is increased. Is an example where the speed is constant. In addition, since it is the same as that of the above-mentioned Example 8 except the control characterized by this Example 9, the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  In the present embodiment, when the first folding roller pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 after stopping immediately before the second folding end folding shown in FIG. The conveyance roller pair 3 is driven in synchronization. Thereby, at the time of re-conveyance, the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7 and the conveyance roller pair 3 are synchronized and driven at a constant speed.

  Since the first folding roller pair 6, the second folding roller pair 7 and the conveying roller pair 3 are synchronized and re-driven, when the second folding end of FIG. 16c is folded, the conveying roller pair 3 and the first folding roller The conveyance speed of the pair 6 and the second folding roller pair 7 is constant.

  According to this embodiment, since the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7 and the conveying roller pair 3 are started to be driven simultaneously, the feeding amount of the conveying roller pair and the feeding amount of the folding roller pair coincide with each other. It becomes possible to allow the folding portion of the sheet to enter the pair of folding rollers while maintaining a stable sheet posture when the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7 and the conveying roller pair 3 are stopped. As a result, the folding surface length can be reduced with high accuracy.

  The tenth embodiment is the same as the ninth embodiment in that the folding roller stop position before the sheet folding target portion enters the first or second folding roller pair 6, 7 is the sheet folding target portion is the folding roller pair. In this example, the rotational speed of the pair of folding rollers is set at a position separated from the nip position of the pair of folding rollers that enters before reaching the target speed. In addition, since it is the same as that of the above-mentioned Example 9 except the control characterized by this Example 10, the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  In the present embodiment, the stop position immediately before the second folding end folding shown in FIG. 13B is compared with the ninth embodiment from the folding execution position of the second folding end F2 in FIG. It is set on the upstream side in the transport direction beyond the required acceleration distance when the drive unit is started. As a result, when the second folding end F2 is folded, the start-up of the conveying roller pair 3 and the first and folding roller pairs 6 and 7 is completed, and the sheet is conveyed at a constant speed.

  According to this embodiment, when the sheet folding target portion enters the folding roller pair, the rotational speed of the folding roller pair reaches the target speed, so the sheet folding target portion, the folding end, and the sheet end It is possible to prevent the fluctuation of the folding roller rotation speed due to the fluctuation of the load when the folding roller pair enters. As a result, the sheet conveyance of the pair of folding rollers 6 and 7 is performed accurately, and the folding surface length can be reduced with high accuracy.

  In the tenth embodiment, in the tenth embodiment, the sheet is guided by the sheet guide member from the inside of the folding target portion of the sheet when the folding target portion of the sheet is stopped before the folding target portion enters the pair of folding rollers, and the sheet posture is changed. This is an example in which a sheet folding target portion is guided to a pair of folding rollers in a stabilized state. Since the control other than the characteristic feature of the tenth embodiment is the same as that of the prior art shown in the tenth embodiment and FIG.

  FIG. 14 is an operation explanatory view showing the sheet folding operation in this embodiment. FIG. 14 arranges the first and second sheet guide plates 4 and 5 with respect to FIG. 13 respectively, guides the sheet by placing the first and second sheet guide plates 4 and 5 inside the sheet, and folds the sheet. The other operations are the same as those in the tenth embodiment. That is, in the present embodiment, the first sheet guide member 4 guides the sheet 11 of the folding portion at the second folding end F2 from the inside when stopped immediately before the folding of the second folding end F2 shown in FIG. This is different from the tenth embodiment.

  The timing of the guide from the inside of the folding portion of the second folding end F2 of the sheet 11 of the first sheet guide member 4 from the stop state immediately before the folding of the second folding end F2 shown in FIG. The first sheet guide member 4 may be set so as to reach the lower end point before the third and first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7 are re-driven.

  According to this embodiment, since the sheet 11 is guided by the sheet guide members 4 and 5 and guided to the folding roller pairs 6 and 7, the sheet posture is stabilized, and the folding roller pair of the sheet folding target portion is moved to. Can be improved. As a result, the folding target portion of the sheet is more accurately guided to the pair of folding rollers, and the folding surface length can be reduced with high accuracy.

  In the twelfth embodiment, the first and second folding rollers 6 and 7 and the conveying roller 3 are driven by a DC motor in the ninth embodiment, and are driven and stopped by turning on and off the clutch. .

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the sheet folding apparatus 1 according to the twelfth embodiment. FIG. 15A illustrates a driving unit of the conveying roller 3, and FIG. 15B illustrates another example of the driving unit of the conveying roller. FIG.

  In the twelfth embodiment, the conveying roller pair 3 is driven in synchronization with the re-driving of the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7, and the speeds of the conveying roller pair 3 and the folding roller pairs 6 and 7 are made constant. The configuration and the basic operation of each part are the same as those in Example 9, but the drive unit of each roller is configured as shown in FIG.

  The drive unit shown in FIG. 15A drives the conveyance roller pair 3 (generally shown as the conveyance roller 100 in FIG. 15), rotates the conveyance roller forward and backward, and stops it. The drive unit includes a conveyance roller 100, a DC motor 101, a clutch 102, a forward / reverse switching mechanism 103, an encoder 104, a brake 105, and a drive belt 106.

  The power of the DC motor 101 is transmitted to the clutch 102, the forward / reverse switching machine 103, and the transport roller 100 via the drive belt 106. The clutch 102 selects whether or not the DC motor 101 transmits power, drives the conveyance roller 100, and stops it. The forward / reverse switching mechanism 103 has a function of switching the rotation direction of the transport roller 100. The encoder 104 measures the sheet conveyance amount of the conveyance roller 100, and the brake 105 prevents overrun when the conveyance roller 100 stops.

  When driving the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7, the two roller pairs of the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7 are driven simultaneously by the driving force of the DC motor 101. For example, when the driving belt 106 at the final stage is arranged in parallel and is driven by being driven by the driven pulleys of the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7, both are driven and controlled in synchronization.

  Therefore, when driving the conveyance roller pair 3 and the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7, the conveyance amount calculation unit (control unit) 33 controls the driving of each DC motor 101 to synchronize the three. Alternatively, the drive roller pair 3 and the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7 are divided into two drive systems, and drive control is performed independently of each other.

  Here, when the stepping motor 110 is used as the DC motor 101, the control elements such as the encoder 104 and the brake 105 and the driving elements such as the forward / reverse switching mechanism 103 are replaced with the speed reduction mechanism 111 as shown in FIG. It is possible to simplify the configuration and control.

  That is, in the example shown in FIG. 15B, the power of the DC motor 110 is transmitted to the speed reducer 111 and the transport roller 100 via the drive belt 106 to drive the transport roller 100. Also in this case, the transport roller 100 can be replaced with the transport roller pair 3 or the first and second folding roller pairs 6 and 7. The speed reducer 111 is a mechanism that converts the power of the stepping motor 110 into the power required by the transport roller 100, and is set to a reduction ratio determined from the characteristics of the stepping motor 110 and the required characteristics of the transport roller 100.

  When the stepping motor 110 is used as the DC motor as described above, the sheet conveyance amount can be controlled without using devices such as the encoder 104 and the brake 105 due to the characteristics of the stepping motor 110.

  According to this embodiment, the first and second folding rollers 6 and 7 and the conveying roller pair 3 can be accurately driven and stopped, so that the sheet conveying accuracy is improved and the folding surface length is improved with accuracy. The thickness can be reduced.

  Further, when the stepping motor 110 capable of position control is used, the position accuracy is improved, and further fine adjustment of driving and stopping is possible.

  The sheet folding apparatus according to the first to twelfth embodiments is configured as an image forming system combined with, for example, an image forming apparatus.

  FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a simplified configuration of the image forming system. The image forming system according to the present embodiment includes the sheet folding device 1 on the back side of the image forming apparatus 50 as viewed from the user operation side. The sheet folding device 1 serves as a folding unit for a bellows folding unit 53 described later. Is provided.

16, the sheet 11 wound in a roll is set in the image forming apparatus 50 is conveyed by a copy start, details image is formed by the image forming unit 51 (not shown) on the seat 11 (1 Part: The underlined numbers are shown as circled numbers in the figure (the same applies hereinafter). The sheet 11 on which the image is formed is guided from the discharge port of the image forming apparatus 50 to the entrance of the sheet folding apparatus 1, and is folded at the ear folding part 52 ( two parts), and perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction by the bellows folding part 53 Folding is performed in the direction of ( 3 parts). The sheet folding apparatus shown in the first to twelfth examples corresponds to the bellows folding unit 53.

The sheet 11 folded in the bellows is switched in the conveyance direction by the conveyance switching unit 54 for switching the sheet conveyance direction ( four parts), and at the same time, a punch hole for a file is punched by the punch unit 55 ( five parts), After being conveyed to 56, folding is performed in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction ( 6 parts). The front and back ends of the sheet 11 whose front and back sides have been replaced by the reversing unit 57 ( 7 copies) are replaced by the rotating unit 58 ( 8 copies), and the stamp unit 59 indicates a copy date, a drawing date, a company name, and the like. Are stamped ( 9 copies), and the folded sheet 11 is discharged to the stack portion 60 in the correct (intended) order and direction.

  Note that the ear folding by the ear folding unit 52, the punching by the punch unit 55, and the stamping by the stamp unit 59 can be selected from the copying machine operation unit, and the presence or absence of the operation is selected as necessary. Further, the operations of the reversing unit 57 and the rotating unit 58 are based on information such as the size, direction, and folding method of the sheets so that the folded sheets can be correctly stacked in the stacking unit 60 with the specified order and direction. The presence / absence of an operation is automatically determined.

  According to this embodiment, sheet folding can be performed in a series of operations immediately after image formation, such as direct sheet folding from document copying, direct sheet folding from printer output, and facsimile transmission to sheet folding. At that time, the length of the folding surface can be accurately reduced.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications are possible, and all technical matters included in the technical idea described in the scope of claims are the subject of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sheet folding apparatus 2 Entrance sensor 3,100 Conveying roller pair 4 1st sheet guide member 5 2nd sheet guide member 6 1st folding roller pair 7 2nd folding roller pair 8 1st sensor 9 2nd sensor 11 Sheet 32 How to fold Designation part 50 Image forming apparatus 101 DC motor 104 Clutch 110 Stepping motor

Japanese Patent No. 3911091

Claims (15)

A pair of conveying rollers for feeding the sheet;
A first and a second pair of folding rollers, which are arranged at a predetermined interval and for alternately folding sheets fed from the pair of conveying rollers ;
In a sheet folding apparatus that folds a plurality of times in parallel to the sheet,
Identified portion of the folding of the specified sheets to a folding position of the second and subsequent if not detected by the sheet end or first folded end, wherein the second and subsequent folding position said sheet end or 1 It is set based on the transport amount of the sheet based on the second folding edge ,
The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first folding end is set based on a stop position of the sheet end after entering the first folding roller pair . The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
And Cie over preparative detecting means to detect the sheet edge of the conveyed into the apparatus seat,
Measurement means for measuring a conveying time on the basis of the detection timing of the detected sheet edge by previous carboxymethyl over preparative detecting means,
With
A sheet folding apparatus, wherein a sheet conveyance direction and a sheet conveyance distance are determined based on a sheet conveyance amount calculated from a conveyance time measured by the measurement unit and a designated folding method. In the sheet folding apparatus according to claim 2 ,
The process of determining the sheet conveying direction and the sheet conveyance distance, the sheet folding apparatus characterized by being executed for a particular portion of the folding of the specified sheet. In the sheet folding apparatus according to claim 2 or 3 ,
A sheet folding apparatus comprising folding method designating means for designating the folding method . In the sheet folding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A sheet folding apparatus , wherein the pair of conveyance rollers is stopped during conveyance after switching the sheet conveyance direction, and the sheet conveyance is performed only by the first and second folding roller pairs . The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 5 ,
2. The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the re-driving of the conveying roller pair is started before the sheet folding target portion enters one of the first and second folding roller pairs . The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein
When the sheet folding target part enters one of the first and second folding roller pairs, the conveyance roller pair has been activated and is in a constant speed driving state. The sheet folding apparatus, wherein the first and second folding roller pairs have a constant speed . The sheet folding apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7 ,
Either the first or second folding roller pair is stopped before the sheet folding target portion enters one of the first and second folding roller pairs, and the posture of the sheet is stabilized. A sheet folding device, which is caused to enter a pair of folding rollers . The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
When the conveyance roller pair is driven in synchronization with the re-driving of the first and second folding roller pairs, and the sheet enters, the speeds of the conveyance roller pair and the first and second folding roller pairs are the same. A sheet folding apparatus having a constant speed . The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 9, wherein
The folding roller stop position before the folding target portion of the sheet enters one of the first and second folding roller pairs is before the folding target portion of the sheet enters one of the folding roller pairs. A sheet folding apparatus, characterized in that it is a position that leaves an acceleration distance sufficient for the rotational speed of the pair of folding rollers to reach a target speed . The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 10, wherein
A first sheet guide member and a second sheet guide member for guiding the sheet from the inner side of the sheet folding target portion to the first or second folding roller opposite side;
When the folding roller is stopped before the sheet folding target portion enters one of the first and second folding roller pairs, the sheet guide member on the side disposed corresponding to the one folding roller pair is A sheet folding apparatus that guides the folding target portion of the sheet to the pair of folding rollers in a state where the sheet posture is stabilized . The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
A sheet folding apparatus, wherein the first and second folding roller pairs and the conveying roller pair are driven by a DC motor, and are driven and stopped by turning on and off a clutch . The sheet folding apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
A sheet folding apparatus, wherein the first and second folding roller pairs and the conveying roller pair are driven by a stepping motor . A sheet folding device according to any one of claims 1 to 13 ,
An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet;
Image forming system, characterized in that it comprises a. A pair of conveying rollers for feeding the sheet;
A first and a second pair of folding rollers, which are arranged at a predetermined interval and for alternately folding sheets fed from the pair of conveying rollers;
A sheet folding method for performing a plurality of folds parallel to the sheet,
When the specified portion of the specified sheet folding method is the second and subsequent folding positions and cannot be detected by the sheet edge or the first folding edge, the second and subsequent folding positions are determined as the sheet edge or 1 Set based on the transport amount of the sheet based on the second folding edge,
The first folding edge is set based on the stop position of the sheet edge after entering the first folding roller pair,
A sheet folding method, wherein the sheet is folded alternately by the first and second folding rollers .