JP5693064B2 - Paper discharge processing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet discharge processing apparatus having a function of discharging a set number of conveyed sheets onto an intermediate tray and then discharging the stacked sheets to a stack tray.

  Generally, since the printing apparatus has a function of printing on printing paper, in addition to simply discharging the printed paper from the paper discharge port, a paper discharge processing device as an optional unit is attached to the paper discharge port, There is also provided a printing apparatus that can discharge after performing various kinds of processing. As this type of sheet discharge processing apparatus, an apparatus that binds and discharges a plurality of sheets by a stapler mechanism is known.

  By the way, in a paper discharge processing apparatus having a stapler mechanism, normally, a set number of sheets conveyed from a sheet discharge port are stacked on the intermediate tray, and the stacked sheets are bound by the stapler mechanism, and then discharged to the stack tray. It has a function to do. On the other hand, when a paper discharge processing device having a stapler mechanism is attached, there are not a few cases in which stacked paper is discharged without being bound by the stapler mechanism. In this case, the transported paper is once stacked on the intermediate tray, and then the stacked paper is moved to the stack tray. Therefore, the paper stacking state is disturbed rather than being discharged directly from the paper discharge port to the stack tray. This causes a malfunction.

  For this reason, conventionally, a paper discharge processing apparatus that reduces such disturbance of the paper stacking state is also known. Patent Document 1 discloses a first stacking unit on which a sheet bundle is stacked, and the first stacking unit. A second stacking unit disposed on the downstream side of the sheet stacking direction of the first stacking unit, a binding unit that binds a sheet bundle stacked on the first stacking unit, and a sheet stack stacked on the first stacking unit A sheet processing apparatus including a discharge unit that discharges to the second stacking unit, and based on the sheet bundle binding information, the sheet bundle conveyance speed of the discharge unit when the sheet bundle is an unbound sheet bundle is bound. A sheet processing apparatus is disclosed that includes a control unit that prevents the unstitched sheet bundle discharged to the second stacking unit from being out of alignment by lowering the sheet bundle conveyance speed of the discharge unit when the sheet is a sheet bundle. .

JP 2007-269486 A

  However, the above-described conventional sheet processing apparatus (paper discharge processing apparatus) has the following problems.

  First, since the improvement is limited to the control of changing the conveyance speed of the sheet bundle, there is a limit in improving the alignment disorder of the unbound sheet bundle. That is, the sheet stacking unit that transports the unbound sheet bundle stacked on the first stacking unit and discharges it to the second stacking unit adopts a structure in which it is moved by a normal roller. No consideration is given to preventing the disturbance, which is insufficient from the viewpoint of reliably preventing the sheet bundle alignment disturbance.

  Secondly, by slowing down the sheet bundle conveyance speed, the unstitched sheet bundle is prevented from being disturbed in alignment, resulting in a decrease in processing speed in the processing apparatus. In the end, the processing capability of the processing apparatus is sacrificed, and it is difficult to increase the processing speed.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a paper discharge processing apparatus that solves the problems existing in the background art.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention loads at least the set number N of sheets P sequentially conveyed on the intermediate tray 2 and then discharges the stacked sheets (stacked sheets) Ps to the front stack tray 3. In configuring the paper discharge processing apparatus 1 having a function to perform the above, the paper take-in mechanism 4 that takes the conveyed paper P into the intermediate tray 2 and the rear end Pr of the paper P that is taken in by the paper take-in mechanism 4 are engaged. A first feeding mechanism 5 having a finger portion 5f to be stopped and a finger moving mechanism portion 5m capable of moving the finger portion 5f from the rear position Xr of the intermediate tray 2 to the intermediate position Xm, and a predetermined distance between the rear position Xr and the intermediate position Xm. The clamper portion 6c that can come into contact with the rear end Psr of the stacked paper Ps at the position Xc, and the clamper portion 6c can be moved from the reverse position Xb to the forward position Xf. The pair of engaging rollers 56a, 56b provided in the portion 6c, and the guide mechanism 20 using the guide rails 57 that guide the engaging rollers 56a, 56b, correspond to the moving position of the clamper portion 6c. A second delivery mechanism 6 having a clamper moving mechanism 6m capable of changing the height and angle of the clamper 6c, a tray lifting mechanism 7 for raising and lowering the stack tray 3, and a finger moving mechanism for the clamper moving mechanism 6m. 5m, and a paper processing means Md having an interlocking mechanism 19 for interlocking the movement of the clamper section 6c... With at least a part of the moving section of the finger section 5f. It is characterized by comprising a control means Mc capable of driving and controlling the mechanism 5, the second delivery mechanism 6 and the tray lifting mechanism 7.

  In this case, according to a preferred aspect of the invention, the paper discharge processing apparatus 1 can be configured as an optional unit U that can be attached to and detached from the paper discharge port 101 of the printing apparatus 100. Further, the sheet take-in mechanism 4 includes a paddle roller 11 formed by arranging a plurality of flexible fins 12f protruding in the radial direction of the rotating body 12 at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction, and the paddle roller 11. A paddle rotation drive unit 13 for rotation can be provided. On the other hand, the sheet processing means Md includes an internal discharge roller mechanism unit 14 disposed above the paddle roller 11 and discharging the sheet P conveyed from the sheet discharge port 101 to a predetermined position in the vicinity of the paddle roller 11. A punching mechanism 15 disposed in front of the internal discharge roller mechanism 14 in the transport direction and punches one or more positions of the transported paper P. A stacked paper Ps whose rear end Psr is locked to the finger 5f. One or two or more positions are stapled by a stapler needle 16 and bound to the intermediate tray 2, and a shelf portion 17s that assists the intermediate tray 2 and a front end 17sf of the shelf portion 17s are connected to the intermediate tray. Tray auxiliary mechanism 1 having a shelf moving mechanism 17m that can move from a front position Xs of 2 to a protruding position Xp located above the stack tray 3 It can be provided.

  On the other hand, the clamper moving mechanism section 6m can be provided with a speed increasing mechanism 21 that moves the clamper sections 6c... At a higher moving speed than the moving speed of the finger section 5f. The forward position Xf of the clampers 6c... Can be set to a position where the stacked sheets Ps are stacked on the regular stack position of the stack tray 3. The clampers 6c can be provided with restricting portions 22 for restricting upward displacement with respect to the stacked paper Ps, and the restricting portions 22 are elastically supported by springs 22s. Thus, the holding portions 22p that are pressed against the stacked paper Ps can be provided.

  According to the paper discharge processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention having such a configuration, the following remarkable effects can be obtained.

  (1) First feeding mechanism 5 capable of moving a finger portion 5f for locking the rear end Pr of the paper P from the rear position Xr of the intermediate tray 2 to the intermediate position Xm by the finger moving mechanism portion 5m, the rear position Xr and the intermediate position The second feeding mechanism 6 and the stack tray that can move the clamper portion 6c that can come into contact with the rear end Psr of the stacked paper Ps at a predetermined position Xc between Xm from the backward position Xb to the forward position Xf by the clamper moving mechanism section 6m. Since the tray lifting / lowering mechanism 7 for moving up and down 3 is provided, the stacking paper Ps is reliably prevented from being disturbed (disintegrated) when being moved from the intermediate tray 2 to the stack tray 3. Can be stacked.

  (2) A problem that the processing speed of the paper discharge processing apparatus 1 is lowered because there is no need to change the control such as reducing the moving speed of the stacked paper Ps when moving from the intermediate tray 2 to the stack tray 3, that is, In addition to avoiding defects that sacrifice processing capacity, it is possible to easily increase the processing speed.

  (3) Since the clamper moving mechanism 6m and the finger moving mechanism 5m are connected by the interlocking mechanism 19, the movement of the clamper 6c is interlocked with at least a part of the moving section of the finger 5f. The rotation drive unit) can be shared, which can contribute to cost reduction and downsizing, and can improve the accuracy and certainty of the timing at which the clamper units 6c and the finger units 5f are linked.

  (4) A pair of engaging rollers 56a, 56b provided in the clamper portion 6c, and guide rails 57 for guiding the engaging rollers 56a, 56b, ... are used as the clamper moving mechanism portion 6m. Since the guide mechanisms 20 that can change the height and angle of the clamper portions 6c corresponding to the movement positions are provided, the clamper portions 6c can be released in the unused section of the clamper portions 6c. Thereby, unnecessary interference with the finger portion 5f and the like can be avoided, and a smooth overall operation can be ensured.

  (5) If the paper discharge processing apparatus 1 is configured as an optional unit U that can be attached to and detached from the paper discharge port 101 of the printing apparatus 100 according to a preferred embodiment, the multi-functionality and added value of the printing apparatus 100 are further increased. be able to.

  (6) According to a preferred embodiment, the sheet take-in mechanism 4 includes a paddle roller 11 in which a plurality of flexible fins 12f protruding in the radial direction of the rotating body 12 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. If the paddle rotation driving unit 13 for rotating the paddle rollers 11 is provided, the supplied paper P can be easily and reliably taken into the intermediate tray 2 and further into the finger unit 5f. .

  (7) According to a preferred embodiment, the paper processing unit Md is disposed above the paddle rollers 11... And the paper P conveyed from the paper discharge port 101 is discharged to a predetermined position in the vicinity of the paddle rollers 11. If the discharge roller mechanism unit 14 is provided, the paper P can be supplied to an optimum position where it can be taken in by the paddle rollers 11... By selecting the position of the internal discharge roller mechanism unit 14.

  (8) According to a preferred embodiment, if a punching mechanism 15 is provided in front of the internal discharge roller mechanism 14 in the transport direction and punches one or more positions of the transported paper P, the paper is discharged. Multifunctionality and added value when the processing apparatus 1 is configured as the option unit U can be further increased.

  (9) If the stapler mechanism 16 is provided that stops and binds one or more positions of the stacked sheets Ps whose rear end Psr is locked to the finger portion 5f with a stapler needle according to a preferred embodiment, the use of the stapler mechanism 16 In addition, the original purpose of preventing the stacked paper Ps from being disturbed (disintegrated) when the stapler mechanism 16 is not used can be effectively achieved.

  (10) According to a preferred embodiment, the shelf portion 17s that is arranged on the intermediate tray 2 and assists the intermediate tray 2, and the front end 17sf of the shelf portion 17s are disposed above the stack tray 3 from the front position Xs of the intermediate tray 2. If the tray auxiliary mechanism 17 having the shelf moving mechanism portion 17m that can be moved to the protruding position Xp located at the position is provided, the continuity between the intermediate tray 2 and the stack tray 3 can be ensured, so that the sheet P is taken into the intermediate tray 2 In addition, the stacked paper Ps can be moved with respect to the stack tray 3 reliably and smoothly (stable).

  (11) If a speed increasing mechanism 21 for moving the clamper portions 6c... At a moving speed faster than the moving speed of the finger portions 5f is provided according to a preferred embodiment, the finger portions are originally suitable for receiving the paper P. From 5f, the baton can be smoothly and reliably touched to the clamper portions 6c suitable for moving the stacked paper Ps.

  (12) According to a preferred embodiment, if the forward position Xf of the clampers 6c is set to a position where the stacked sheets Ps are stacked at the regular stack position of the stack tray 3, the clampers 6c. Therefore, the stacked sheets Ps can be reliably stacked at the stack position of the stack tray 3.

  (13) According to a preferred embodiment, if the clampers 6c are provided with the restricting portions 22 for restricting the upward displacement with respect to the stacked paper Ps, the stacked paper Ps can be prevented from being curled or lifted easily. Can do.

  (14) According to a preferred embodiment, if the regulating portions 22 are provided with holding portions 22p that are pressed against the stacked paper Ps by being elastically supported by the springs 22s, the stacked paper Ps is curled or lifted. It can prevent more reliably.

The internal structure figure of the paper discharge processing apparatus which concerns on suitable embodiment of this invention, An external front view of the printing apparatus showing a state in which the paper discharge processing apparatus is mounted; A perspective view showing an intermediate tray and peripheral structure of the paper discharge processing apparatus, A perspective view of a paddle roller of the paper discharge processing device, Front view of the tray auxiliary mechanism of the paper discharge processing device, Front view of the first delivery mechanism of the paper discharge processing device, Front view of the second delivery mechanism of the paper discharge processing device, Front view of the clamper part of the paper discharge processing device, Explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the clamper part and finger part of the paper discharge processing apparatus, Block system diagram in the control system of the paper discharge processing device, A flowchart for explaining the operation of the paper discharge processing apparatus; Schematic diagram showing the state of each part during operation of the paper discharge processing device, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing another state of each part during operation of the paper discharge processing apparatus; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing another state of each part during operation of the paper discharge processing apparatus; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing another state of each part during operation of the paper discharge processing apparatus;

  Next, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be given and described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  First, the configuration of the paper discharge processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet discharge processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is configured as an option unit U that can be attached to and detached from the sheet discharge port 101 of the printing apparatus 100. For this reason, the printing apparatus 100 includes a unit mounting portion 102 for accommodating and mounting the option unit U. Therefore, for example, if a simple stack tray unit is mounted on the unit mounting portion 102, the sheets P discharged from the sheet discharge port 101 are sequentially stacked on the stack tray unit as they are. In the printing apparatus 100, reference numeral 103 denotes a printing unit, and 104 denotes a paper cassette loading unit. Thus, if the paper discharge processing apparatus 1 is configured as an option unit U that can be attached to and detached from the paper discharge port 101 of the printing apparatus 100, the multi-functionality and added value of the printing apparatus 100 can be further enhanced.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the paper discharge processing apparatus 1 includes a housing 31 that covers the whole, and the paper P discharged from the paper discharge port 101 described above is sent to the side surface on one end side of the housing 31. The stack tray 3 protrudes from the other end side of the housing 31 as well as having a sheet supply port 31i. Therefore, the operator can take out the stacked sheets Ps... From the stack tray 3. On the other hand, the paper processing means Md shown in FIG. 1 and the control means Mc shown in FIG. The paper processing means Md includes, as main mechanisms, a first transport path 32, a punching mechanism 15, a second transport path 33, an internal discharge roller mechanism section 14, a paper take-in mechanism 4, an intermediate tray 2, a stapler mechanism 16, and a stack tray. 3, which are sequentially arranged from the paper supply port 31 i along the conveyance path of the paper P, and the tray auxiliary mechanism 17, the first delivery mechanism 5, and the second delivery mechanism 6 are attached to the intermediate tray 2.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of each unit included in the sheet processing unit Md will be described. The paper take-in mechanism 4 has a function of taking the supplied paper P into the intermediate tray 2, and specifically includes a plurality of paddle rollers 11 attached to the rotary shaft 41. FIG. 4 shows one paddle roller 11, and the paddle roller 11 is configured to be mounted in plural (for example, four) at predetermined intervals in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 41. One paddle roller 11 is configured by arranging a plurality of flexible fins 12f protruding in the radial direction of the rotating body 12 at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. The fins 12f are formed of a sheet material using a silicon rubber material or the like, and the rotating body 12 is formed by D-cutting a disk having a certain thickness. Therefore, the rotating body 12 has a D-cut surface 12c, and no fins 12f are provided on the D-cut surface 12c. Further, the paper take-in mechanism 4 includes a paddle rotation drive unit 13 (FIG. 10), and the rotation shaft 41 is rotated by the paddle rotation drive unit 13. In this way, if the sheet take-in mechanism 4 is configured using the paddle rollers 11 formed by arranging a plurality of flexible fins 12f protruding in the radial direction at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction, the supply The paper P thus obtained can be easily and reliably taken into the intermediate tray 2 and the finger portion 5f described later.

  Further, above the paddle rollers 11..., An internal discharge roller mechanism 14 constituted by a drive roller 14d and an idling roller 14u is disposed. As a result, the paper P conveyed from the paper discharge port 101 is discharged to a predetermined position in the vicinity of the paddle rollers 11. Therefore, the sheet P can be supplied to the optimum position where it can be taken in by the paddle rollers 11. The internal discharge roller mechanism unit 14 is rotated by a discharge roller rotation drive unit 43 (FIG. 10).

  On the other hand, a hole is made in one or more positions of the conveyed paper P in the transport direction of the internal discharge roller mechanism 14, that is, at an intermediate position between the internal discharge roller mechanism 14 and the paper inlet 31 i. A punching mechanism 15 is provided. The punching mechanism 15 includes a registration roller mechanism 44 that corrects the angle and position of the paper P. If such a punching mechanism 15 is provided, the multi-functionality and added value when the paper discharge processing apparatus 1 is configured as the option unit U can be further increased. A first conveying path 32 formed by a pair of upper and lower guide plates is arranged between the paper inlet 31i and the punching mechanism 15, and a pair of upper and lower guides are provided between the punching mechanism 15 and the internal discharge roller mechanism portion 14. A second conveyance path 33 formed by a plate is arranged.

  Further, an intermediate tray 2 shown in FIG. 3 is disposed below the paddle rollers 11. In this case, the front end (stack tray 3 side) of the intermediate tray 2 is positioned directly below the paddle rollers 11 as shown in FIG. The intermediate tray 2 is provided with fixed tray portions 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d that are divided into four in the horizontal direction and arranged at predetermined intervals, and each fixed tray portion 2a... Is fixed on the support base portion 2x. As a result, the whole is integrally formed. At this time, a support space is provided between the fixed tray portions 2a... And the front upper surface of each fixed tray portion 2a.

  And the tray auxiliary mechanism 17 shown in FIG. 5 is arrange | positioned using two support space located in both sides. The tray auxiliary mechanism 17 includes a pair of shelf portions 17s and 17s for assisting the intermediate tray 2. The shelf portions 17s are formed in a shape that fills the support space, and are respectively moved forward and backward by the fixed tray portions 2a and 2d. Supported slidably. In this case, the lower surface of the shelf portion 17s is formed as a friction surface against the paper P by forming a friction shape or attaching a friction member (friction process). As a result, when the sheet P is positioned above the stack tray 3, the sheet P can be pressed, and an adverse effect that the sheet P is displaced due to the processing on the intermediate tray 2 side can be prevented. Further, the tray auxiliary mechanism 17 includes a shelf moving mechanism portion 17m in which the front ends 17sf of the shelf portions 17s can move from the front position Xs of the intermediate tray 2 to the protruding position Xp located above the stack tray 3. The shelf moving mechanism portion 17m has one end rotated by the shelf rotation driving portion 45 (FIG. 10) and the shelf rotation driving portion 45, and a long hole 46h at the other end is formed in the pin portion 17p of the shelf portion 17s. Engaging lever portions 46 are provided. If such a tray auxiliary mechanism 17 is provided, the continuity between the intermediate tray 2 and the stack tray 3 can be ensured, so that the loading of the paper P into the intermediate tray 2 and the movement of the stacked paper Ps with respect to the stack tray 3 are ensured and smooth. (Stable).

  Further, the first delivery mechanism 5 shown in FIG. 6 is disposed using the central support space. The first delivery mechanism 5 includes a finger portion 5f formed in a U-shape that can contact the rear end Pr of the paper P taken into the intermediate tray 2 by the paddle rollers 11, and the finger portion 5f is a fixed tray portion. It is slidably supported in the front-rear direction by 2b and 2c. The first delivery mechanism 5 includes a finger moving mechanism 5m that can move the finger portion 5f from the rear position Xr of the intermediate tray 2 to the intermediate position Xm. The finger moving mechanism 5m includes a common rotation driving unit 48 ( 10), and a lever portion 49 whose one end is rotated by the shared rotation driving portion 48 and whose long hole 49h is engaged with the pin portion 5p of the finger portion 5f.

  On the other hand, a second delivery mechanism 6 shown in FIG. The second delivery mechanism 6 includes a pair of clamper portions 6c and 6c that can contact the rear end Psr of the stacked sheets Ps at a predetermined position Xc between the rear position Xr and the intermediate position Xm of the intermediate tray 2. As shown in FIG. 8, the clamper unit 6 c uses a plate material (block material) having a predetermined thickness, and as shown in FIG. 8, the clamper main body 51 that contacts the rear end Psr of the stacked paper Ps and one end of the clamper main body 51. 9 and is formed in an L shape by a restricting portion 22 that restricts upward displacement of the stacked paper Ps, and the restricting portion 22 is elastically supported by a spring 22s as shown in FIG. A holding portion 22p that is in pressure contact with the paper Ps is provided. The clamper units 6c are arranged side by side on the shelf unit 17s described above. In this manner, if the clamper portions 6c are provided with the restriction portions 22 for restricting the upward displacement with respect to the stacked paper Ps, the stacked paper Ps can be easily prevented from being curled or lifted, and If the restricting portions 22 are provided with holding portions 22p that are elastically supported by the springs 22s so as to be pressed against the stacked paper Ps, the stacked paper Ps can be more reliably prevented from curling and floating. .

  The second delivery mechanism 6 includes a clamper moving mechanism 6m that can move the clampers 6c... From the reverse position Xb to the forward position Xf. The clamper moving mechanism unit 6m includes a transmission gear 52 to which rotation is transmitted from the shared rotation driving unit 48 provided in the first delivery mechanism 5 described above, a transmitted first gear 53 to which rotation is transmitted from the transmission gear 52, A second gear 54 to which rotation is transmitted from the first gear 53 to be transmitted, one end rotated by the second gear 54 to be transmitted, and a long hole 55h at the other end is one of the clamper body portions 51. A lever portion 55 that engages with a pin portion 51p provided at an intermediate position on the other surface and a pair of engagement rollers 56a, 56b provided at an intermediate position on the other surface of the clamper main body 51 (FIG. 8). And guide rails 57 formed by L-shaped slits that are engaged and guided by the engagement rollers 56a, 56b,. In this case, the transmission gear 52 has a partial gear portion 52n only in a partial section in the circumferential direction, and the guide rails 57 are provided integrally with the support base portion 2x of the intermediate tray 2 as shown in FIG. The chassis portion 58 is formed.

  Accordingly, the transmission gear 52 and the transmitted first gear 53 constitute an interlocking mechanism 19 that interlocks the clamper moving mechanism 6m and the finger moving mechanism 5m, and the movement of the clamper 6c is at least one of the fingers 5f. Linked to the movement section of the department. Therefore, if the finger portion 5f is at the rear position Xr of the intermediate tray 2, the engagement of the gear portion 52n and the transmitted first gear 53 is released, and the operation of the first delivery mechanism 5 causes the finger portion 5f to move to the rear position. At a point in time when moving forward from Xr by a predetermined distance, the gear portion 52 n is engaged with the transmitted first gear 53, and the rotation is transmitted to the transmitted first gear 53. As described above, when the clamper moving mechanism unit 6m and the finger moving mechanism unit 5m are connected by the interlocking mechanism 19, and the movement of the clamper units 6c is linked to at least a part of the moving section of the finger unit 5f, the driving unit ( Since the rotation drive unit can be shared, it is possible to contribute to cost reduction and miniaturization, and it is possible to improve the accuracy and certainty of the timing at which the clamper units 6c and the finger units 5f are linked.

  Further, the pair of engagement rollers 56a, 56b,... And the guide rails 57 constitute a guide mechanism 20 that can change the height and angle of the clamper portions 6c corresponding to the movement position of the clamper portions 6c. If such a guide mechanism 20 is provided, the clamper portions 6c can be released in the unused section of the clamper portions 6c, so that unnecessary interference with the finger portions 5f and the like can be avoided and a smooth overall operation can be ensured. Further, the transmission gear 52 having a large diameter and the transmitted first gear 53 having a small diameter constitute a speed increasing mechanism 21 that moves the clamper portions 6c... At a moving speed faster than the moving speed of the finger portions 5f. As a result, when the transmitted first gear 53 rotates, the clamper unit 6c... Moves from the retracted position Xb shown by the solid line in FIG. 7 to a predetermined position Xc between the rear position Xr and the intermediate position Xm of the intermediate tray 2. If it reaches, as shown in FIG. 9, it abuts against the rear end Psr of the stacked paper Ps moved by the finger portion 5f, and then passes the finger portion 5f and moves the stacked paper Ps forward only by the clamper portion 6c. be able to. If such a speed increasing mechanism 21 is provided, it is possible to smoothly and reliably baton-touch the clamper portions 6c suitable for moving the stacked paper Ps from the finger portions 5f originally suitable for receiving the paper P. Further, the forward position Xf that is the forward limit of the clamper units 6c is set so that the stacked sheets Ps are stacked at the regular stack position of the stack tray 3. Thus, the stacked paper Ps can be accurately positioned with respect to the stack position by the clamper portions 6c, and the stacked paper Ps can be reliably stacked at the stack position of the stack tray 3.

  On the other hand, the stack tray 3 is supported by a tray lifting mechanism 7 shown in FIG. The tray lifting mechanism 7 includes a lifting drive unit 76 shown in FIG. A stapler mechanism 16 is disposed adjacent to the finger portion 5f. The stapler mechanism 16 can bind one or more positions of the stacked sheets Ps locked by the rear end Psr to the finger portion 5f at the rear position Xr of the intermediate tray 2 by using a stapler needle. If such a stapler mechanism 16 is provided, in addition to the use of the stapler mechanism 16, the original purpose of the present invention of preventing the disturbance (disintegration) of the stacked sheets Ps when the stapler mechanism 16 is not used is effectively used. Can be achieved. 3, 61 and 61 are fixed finger portions fixed to the rear ends of the fixed tray portions 2a and 2d. The position of the fixed finger portions 61 in the front-rear direction is the rear position of the intermediate tray 2. It is made to correspond to the position of the finger part 5f in Xr.

  On the other hand, FIG. 10 shows a configuration of a control system including the control means Mc. The control means Mc includes a processing device controller 71 having a computer function including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a power supply unit, and the like. The processing device controller 71 is a series of at least a whole of the sheet discharge processing device 1 according to the present embodiment. It has a program memory 71p that stores a control program for executing control (sequence control) and a data memory 71d that stores various data (database). In addition, the processing device controller 71 is connected to a control system (printing device controller) on the printing apparatus 100 side via an interface (IF) 72 to perform control synchronization, data exchange, and the like. Further, as sensors, a registration sensor 73 disposed in front of the registration roller mechanism 44, a discharge sensor 74 disposed in front of the internal discharge roller mechanism 14, and a stack sensor 75 disposed in the vicinity of the upper end position Xu of the stack tray 3 are provided. The sensors 73, 74, and 75 are connected to the sensor input port of the processing device controller 71, and the paddle rotation drive unit 13 in the paper take-in mechanism 4 and the discharge roller rotation drive unit 43 in the internal discharge roller mechanism unit 14 described above. The shelf rotation drive unit 45 in the shelf moving mechanism unit 17m, the shared rotation drive unit 48 in the first delivery mechanism 5 and the second delivery mechanism 6, the elevation drive unit 76 in the tray elevation mechanism 7, the punching mechanism 15 and the stapler mechanism 16 are as follows. To the control output port of the processing device controller 71.

  Next, the operation of the paper discharge processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  FIG. 12 shows the state of each part at the time of stop. The shelf part 17s... Is positioned at a position that coincides with the fixed tray part 2a that is in the retracted position, and the finger part 5f is at the rear position Xr in the intermediate tray 2. The portions 6c... Are stopped at the retracted position Xb. Further, the paddle roller 11 is secured at the front by stopping at an angle at which the D-cut surface 12 c is vertical, and the stack tray 3 is at the upper end position Xu detected by the stack sensor 75. In this case, when the stacked paper Ps exists on the stack tray 3, the upper end of the stacked paper Ps becomes the upper end position Xu.

  Assume that the operation of the printing apparatus 100 is started by the operator turning on the start button. Thereby, the shelf portions 17s... Advance from the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 5 (position shown in FIG. 12) to the position indicated by the phantom line, that is, the front end 17sf of the shelf portion 17s. To a protruding position Xp located above the stack tray 3 (step S1). This state is shown in FIG. In this case, the stack tray 3 is at the upper end position Xu, and the gap between the upper surface of the stack tray 3 and the lower surface of the shelf portion 17s is small.

  On the other hand, in the printing apparatus 100, a printing process is performed, and the printed paper P is discharged from the paper discharge port 101 and enters the paper supply port 31i. The paper P passes through the first transport path 32 and the punching mechanism. 15, the second transport path 33 and the internal discharge roller mechanism 14 are transported (step S2). At this time, when the punching process by the punching mechanism 15 is set, the punching mechanism 15 temporarily stops and drilling is performed. If the paper P passes through the internal discharge roller mechanism 14 and the trailing edge Pr of the paper P is detected by the discharge sensor 74, the paddle roller 11... In FIG. 13), it rotates counterclockwise (steps S3 and S4). As a result, the paper P discharged from the internal discharge roller mechanism section 14 is sent rearward by the paddle rollers 11... And taken into the intermediate tray 2, and the rear end Pr of the paper P is the finger portion 5 f and the fixed finger portion 61. ... abut. At this time, the paddle rollers 11... Are rotated by a set number of rotations in consideration of the timing at which the rear end Pr of the paper P contacts the finger portions 5f, and thereafter, the D cut surfaces 12c shown in FIG. Stop at an angle (step S5).

  The above operation (process), that is, the operation (process) from step S1 to S5 is repeated in the same manner until the sheet P reaches the set number N (step S6). As a result, when the number of sheets P reaches the set number N, the stacked sheets Ps on which the N sheets P are stacked are obtained on the intermediate tray 2, so that the printing and conveyance of the sheets P are temporarily stopped. The paddle rollers 11 are stopped at an angle shown in FIG. 14, that is, an angle at which the D-cut surface 12 c is approximately parallel to the intermediate tray 2. At this time, when the binding process is set by the stapler mechanism 16, the stapler mechanism 16 performs the process of binding the stacked sheets Ps. However, if it is not set, as shown in FIG. 14, the stacked paper Ps is moved forward by moving the finger portion 5f forward without operating the stapler mechanism 16 (step S7).

  In this case, the loaded paper Ps is first moved only by the finger portion 5f, but if the transmission gear 52 rotates and the gear portion 52n meshes with the transmitted first gear 53, the transmitted first gear 53 and the transmitted gear are transmitted. The lever portion 55 is rotationally displaced via the second gear 54, and the clamper portions 6c... Start moving (displacement) forward from the retracted position Xb. At this time, the clamper portions 6c are guided by the guide rails 57 in the guide mechanism 20 and moved at a speed faster than the finger portion 5f by the speed increasing mechanism 21, so that the fingers at the predetermined position Xc shown in FIG. It catches up with the part 5f and comes into contact with the rear end Psr of the stacked paper Ps. The shape and the like of the guide rails 57 are selected so that the clamper portions 6c catch up with the finger portion 5f at a predetermined position Xc, and at the same time, the clamper portions 6c ... stand up at a position perpendicular to the surface of the rear end Psr ( It is desirable that the holding portions 22p of the clamper portions 6c can be stably brought into contact (pressure contact) with the upper surface of the stacked paper Ps. Then, after the clamper sections 6c have caught up with the finger section 5f, the clamper sections 6c have overtaken the finger section 5f and moved the stacked sheets Ps only by the clamper sections 6c, and the clamper sections 6c are shown in FIG. Move to the forward position Xf (step S8). The forward position Xf is a position where the stacked sheets Ps are stacked on the regular stack position of the stack tray 3. That is, the stacked paper Ps is accurately positioned at the normal stack position by the clamper portions 6c, and is thus reliably stacked at the stack position of the stack tray 3.

  Next, the stack tray 3 is lowered (step S9). At this time, the upper end position Xu of the stacked paper Ps is detected by the stack sensor 75, and if the upper end position Xu is detected, the descent is stopped. When the lowering of the stack tray 3 is finished, the shelf portions 17s are moved backward to the position shown in FIG. 15, that is, the front end 17sf is aligned with the front position Xs of the intermediate tray 2 (step S10). Further, when the backward movement of the shelf portions 17s is completed, the finger portion 5f is moved backward to the rear position Xr (step S11). As a result, the clampers 6c... Are also linked back to the retreat position Xb (step S12). Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the paddle rollers 11 are rotationally displaced to an angle at which the D-cut surfaces 12c are vertical. Thereafter, printing and conveyance of the paper P are resumed, and the processing for the next stacked paper Ps is similarly performed (S13, S1,...).

  Therefore, according to the paper discharge processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the finger portion 5f that holds the rear end Pr of the paper P is moved from the rear position Xr of the intermediate tray 2 to the intermediate position Xm by the finger moving mechanism 5m. The first delivery mechanism 5 that can be moved up to 5 and the clamper portion 6c that can come into contact with the rear end Psr of the stacked paper Ps at a predetermined position Xc between the rear position Xr and the intermediate position Xm. Since the second feeding mechanism 6 that can move to the advance position Xf and the tray lifting mechanism 7 that lifts and lowers the stack tray 3 are provided, the disturbance (disintegration) of the stacked sheets Ps when moving from the intermediate tray 2 to the stack tray 3 is ensured. Therefore, it is possible to stack the neatly arranged stacking sheets Ps on the stack tray 3. Further, since it is not necessary to change the control such as reducing the moving speed of the stacked paper Ps when moving from the intermediate tray 2 to the stack tray 3, there is a problem that the processing speed of the paper discharge processing apparatus 1 is lowered, that is, the processing In addition to avoiding defects that sacrifice performance, it is possible to easily increase the processing speed.

  The preferred embodiment has been described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and the detailed configuration, shape, material, quantity, and the like are within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention. , Can be changed, added and deleted arbitrarily.

  For example, the material of the paper P is not limited and may be not only paper but also a sheet of resin or the like. Further, although the case where the paddle roller 11 is used as the paper take-in mechanism 4 has been shown, other paper take-in mechanisms such as sucking and moving may be used. Furthermore, although the case where the paper discharge processing apparatus 1 is configured as the option unit U that can be attached to and detached from the paper discharge port 101 of the printing apparatus 100 is shown, it may be configured as an independent single paper discharge processing apparatus 1. . In this case, the paper discharge processing apparatus 1 can be provided with a paper feed mechanism that can supply, for example, one sheet at a time from a large number of set sheets P. On the other hand, the first delivery mechanism 5 can be replaced by any other configuration as long as it exhibits the same function (operation) as the finger portion 5f, and the second delivery mechanism 6 also includes the clamper portion 6c. Any other configuration can be used as long as it exhibits the same function (operation) as.

  The present invention provides a sheet discharge processing apparatus attached to a printing apparatus or the like having a function of stacking a set number of transported sheets on an intermediate tray and then discharging the stack sheets to a stack tray, or a sheet discharge process for various uses alone. It can be used as a device. Therefore, not only printing paper but also various papers can be applied.

  1: paper discharge processing device, 2: intermediate tray, 3: stack tray, 4: paper take-in mechanism, 5: first feeding mechanism, 5f: finger section, 5m: finger moving mechanism section, 6: second feeding mechanism, 6c ...: Clamper unit, 6m: Clamper moving mechanism unit, 7: Tray lifting mechanism, 11 ...: Paddle roller, 12: Rotating body, 12f ...: Fin, 13: Paddle rotation driving unit, 14: Internal discharge roller mechanism unit, 15: punching mechanism, 16: stapler mechanism, 17: tray auxiliary mechanism, 17s ...: shelf part, 17sf ...: front end of shelf part, 17m: shelf moving mechanism part, 19: interlocking mechanism, 20 ...: guide mechanism, 21: Speed increasing mechanism, 22...: Restricting part, 22 s...: Spring, 22 p...: Holding part, 100: Printing device, 101: Paper discharge port, P: Paper, Ps: Stacked paper, Pr: Paper trailing edge, P r: trailing edge of loaded paper, Xs: front position of intermediate tray, Xr: rear position of intermediate tray, Xm: intermediate position of intermediate tray, Xp: protruding position, Xc: predetermined position, Xb: reverse position, Xf: forward Position, Md: Paper processing means, Mc: Control means, U: Option unit

Claims (11)

  In a paper discharge processing apparatus having a function of stacking at least a set number of sequentially transported sheets on an intermediate tray and then discharging the stacked sheets (stacked sheets) to a front stack tray, the transported sheets are transferred to the intermediate tray. A paper take-in mechanism for taking in the tray, a finger portion for locking the rear end of the paper taken in by the paper take-in mechanism, and a finger moving mechanism portion for moving the finger portion from the rear position to the intermediate position of the intermediate tray A first delivery mechanism having a clamper portion capable of contacting a rear end of the stacked sheets at a predetermined position between the rear position and the intermediate position, the clamper portion being movable from a retracted position to a forward position, and the clamper The movement mechanism of the clamper is moved by a guide mechanism using a pair of engagement rollers provided in the section and a guide rail for guiding the engagement rollers. A second feeding mechanism having a clamper moving mechanism that can change the height and angle of the clamper, a tray lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the stack tray, and the finger moving mechanism connected to the clamper moving mechanism And a paper processing means having an interlocking mechanism for interlocking the movement of the clamper part with at least a part of the moving section of the finger part, and at least the paper take-in mechanism, the first delivery mechanism, and the second A paper discharge processing apparatus comprising control means capable of driving and controlling the feeding mechanism and the tray lifting mechanism.   The paper discharge processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper discharge processing apparatus is configured as an optional unit detachable from a paper discharge port of the printing apparatus.   The paper take-in mechanism includes a paddle roller in which a plurality of flexible fins protruding in the radial direction of the rotating body are arranged at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction, and a paddle rotation driving unit that rotates the paddle roller. The paper discharge processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein   The paper processing means includes an internal discharge roller mechanism that is disposed above the paddle roller and discharges the paper conveyed from the paper discharge port to a predetermined position in the vicinity of the paddle roller. Item 4. A paper discharge processing apparatus according to item 2 or 3.   5. The sheet processing means includes a punching mechanism that is disposed in front of the internal discharge roller mechanism and in a perforating position at one or more positions of the transported paper. Paper discharge processing equipment.   6. The stapler mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a stapler mechanism for binding one or more positions of the stacked sheets whose rear ends are locked to the finger portion with a stapler needle. The paper discharge processing device according to 1.   The sheet processing unit is arranged on the intermediate tray so as to assist the intermediate tray, and a shelf capable of moving a front end of the shelf section from a front position of the intermediate tray to a protruding position positioned above the stack tray. The paper discharge processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a tray auxiliary mechanism having a moving mechanism unit.   The paper discharge process according to claim 1, wherein the clamper moving mechanism unit includes a speed increasing mechanism that moves the clamper unit at a moving speed faster than a moving speed of the finger unit. apparatus.   The paper discharge processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the advance position of the clamper unit is set to a position where the stacked sheets are stacked on a normal stack position of the stack tray.   The sheet discharge processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the clamper unit includes a regulating unit that regulates upward displacement with respect to the stacked sheets.   The paper discharge processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the restricting portion includes a holding portion that is elastically supported by a spring and press-contacts the stacked paper.

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