JP5742338B2 - Post-processing apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a post-processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus that fold a sheet, and particularly relates to a configuration that reliably stacks a folded sheet on a stacker unit.

  As a post-processing apparatus connected to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a printing machine, an apparatus that folds a sheet on which an image has been formed is known. As an example of such an apparatus, in order to prevent sheet discharge failure and sliding of stacked sheets, uneven edges, and abnormal stacking state, it has a stack portion that can accommodate folded sheets, The tray provided in the stack unit is introduced next by changing the inclination angle of the sheet stacking surface according to the type of folding and suppressing the tilt of the uppermost sheet among the stacked sheets. For example, “Patent Document 1” discloses a technique for preventing the sheet from sliding off and uneven edges. In addition, after the sheets are sequentially folded, the sheets are folded between the folding processing section and the sheet stacking section so that the sheets are transported to the stacking stacker without being bent or wrinkled. Is provided with a first conveying means for conveying the sheet in a direction substantially perpendicular to the fold line, and a second conveying means for conveying the sheet in the crease direction. For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique in which the second conveying unit supports the sheets one by one on the tray member and sequentially conveys the sheets along the tray member in the crease direction to the sheet stacking unit. .

  In the folded sheet, a force to restore the original shape is generated at the fold portion, and this portion and the end portion side that overlaps with that portion may swell. When discharging a sheet that has been processed to fall into a stack having a certain height, the discharged sheet is left standing at the open part due to the entire sheet expanding immediately after discharging, or discharged. This causes a stacking failure phenomenon in which the sheet is rotated and the direction of the sheet is changed. Further, the behavior of discharged sheets differs depending on the height of the stacker, the amount of sheets to be stacked, the sheet size, and the type of folding processing, and there is a problem that stacking defects occur.

  The present invention solves the above-described problem, and when a folded sheet is discharged from a certain height, the sheet is stacked regardless of the stacker height, the amount of stacked sheets, the sheet size, and the type of folding processing. An object of the present invention is to provide a post-processing apparatus capable of reliably stacking sheets without changing the orientation and posture of the sheet.

The invention according to claim 1 is a post-processing apparatus that sandwiches a sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus between folding rollers and folds the sheet so that the bent portion of the sheet is sandwiched between the rollers by bending the sheet. A plurality of leading edge stopper means for determining the folding position of the sheet in the conveying direction, a pair of conveying rollers for causing the sheet to abut against the leading edge stopper means to form a bend, and forming a fold in the sheet by sandwiching the sheet And at least four folding rollers that rotate in one direction, and the folding rollers include a first clamping portion formed by a first folding roller and a second folding roller that are in close contact with each other, a second folding roller, A second sandwiching portion formed by the third folding roller and a third sandwiching portion formed by the third folding roller and the fourth folding roller are respectively formed, and each sandwiching portion is opposed to the sheet. Post-processing device that performs any one of two folding, inner three-folding, outer three-folding, Z-folding, four-folding, and kannon folding, and discharges the processed sheet that has been folded toward the stacker by the discharge unit in the discharge section, have a angle adjusting mechanism that adjusts the discharge angle of the processed sheet against the stacker, the angle adjusting mechanism includes means for obtaining the size information of the sheet to be folded processed, the image forming apparatus And means for obtaining information on the number of sheets formed on the sheet set in step S3 and information on the number of sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus, and the stacker determines the height of the processed sheets stacked on the stacker. It has a sensor to detect .

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the post-processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the angle adjusting mechanism is configured by a displaceable guide member that guides the processed sheet to the stacker.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the post-processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the discharge portion further includes a first roller and a second roller disposed in pressure contact with the first roller, and the angle adjusting mechanism is at least one of the two rollers. The roller is configured to be freely displaceable with respect to the other roller in a state in which the distance between the central axes is constant.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the post-processing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the angle adjusting mechanism further includes means for obtaining type information of a folding process for the sheet.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus using the post-processing device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

  According to the present invention, since the discharge angle of the processed sheet with respect to the stacker can be adjusted by the angle adjustment mechanism, the discharged sheet can stand in an open portion, or the discharged sheet can rotate. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a stacking failure phenomenon in which the orientation of the sheet is changed and to stack the sheets reliably and satisfactorily.

It is the schematic of the post-processing apparatus which can apply one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic explaining the discharge part of the post-processing apparatus which can apply one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic explaining the problem in the post-processing apparatus which can apply one Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic explaining the angle adjustment mechanism used for the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the control means used for the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic explaining the sensor used for the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic explaining the angle adjustment mechanism used for the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic explaining the angle adjustment mechanism used for the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

  FIG. 1 shows a sheet folding apparatus 100 as a post-processing apparatus employing an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the sheet folding apparatus 100 is configured in substantially the same manner as the sheet folding apparatus 100 disclosed in the above-described Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-58907, and on the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction (right side in FIG. 1), An image forming apparatus 1 that forms an image on a sheet is disposed.

  In FIG. 1, the sheet folding apparatus 100 is provided with a branch portion having a first switching claw 301 in the middle of a discharge path EP for discharging a sheet of recording paper or the like received from the sheet receiving portion IP as it is. The first transport path 101 is continuously provided at a position branched from the discharge path EP. In the middle of the first transport path 101, a second transport path 102 having a second switching claw 302 is continuously provided. The downstream sides of the respective conveyance paths 101 and 102 are merged. At the merge position, the first folding roller 201 having a part of the peripheral surface facing the second conveyance path 102 and the sheet nipping conveyance in opposition thereto. A possible second folding roller 202 is arranged.

  The third conveyance path 103 is continuously provided on the sheet entering side of the first nip portion 205 between the first folding roller 201 and the second folding roller 202, and the third conveying path 103 is provided on the sheet discharge side of the first nip portion 205. Four conveyance paths 104 are provided continuously. The second folding roller 202 is provided with a third folding roller 203 that can hold and convey the sheet introduced from the fourth conveyance path 104, and the second folding roller 202 and the third folding roller 203 are in contact with each other. A fifth conveyance path 105 is continuously provided on the sheet discharge side in the 2-nip portion 206.

  A fourth folding roller 204 is disposed in contact with the third folding roller 203, and the sixth conveying path 106 is disposed on the sheet discharge side of the third nip portion 207 between the third folding roller 203 and the fourth folding roller 204. The seventh transport path 107 is provided continuously in a state of being branched from each other. On the sheet discharge side of the second nip portion 206, there is a third switching claw 303 that can select between guiding the sheet toward the third nip portion 207 and guiding the sheet toward the fifth conveyance path 105. A fourth switching claw 304 is arranged at the branch position between the sixth conveyance path 106 and the seventh conveyance path 107 so as to switch the sheet to guide either of the conveyance paths 106 and 107. It is installed.

  Each of the first conveyance path 101 and the second conveyance path 102 is a part for guiding the introduced sheet, and the third conveyance path 103 is a part for stopping the edge of the introduced sheet when folding is performed. . The third conveyance path 103 is provided with a slidable first stopper means 601 that defines a front end position for determining a sheet folding position along the sheet conveyance direction. As the stopper means, a second stopper means 602 and a third stopper means 603 having the same function are disposed on the fourth transport path 104 and the fifth transport path 105, respectively.

  In the sheet folding apparatus 100 configured as described above, similarly to the sheet folding apparatus 100 disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-58907, the selection of each conveyance path and the conveyance procedure using each folding roller are performed on the sheet. Various folding processes such as two-fold, inner three-fold, outer three-fold, Z-fold, four-fold, and kannon folding are possible.

  On the sheet discharge side of the seventh conveyance path 107, a discharge unit 800 shown in FIG. 2 is provided for discharging the processed sheet that has been folded into a stacker 700A provided in the stack unit 700. The discharge unit 800 includes a pair of rollers, and holds the processed sheet and discharges it to the stacker 700A. However, in the discharge unit 800, as described above, the entire sheet is swollen immediately after being discharged, so that the discharged sheet stands in an open portion (see FIG. 3B), or the discharged sheet is rotated. As a result, a stacking failure phenomenon occurs in which the orientation of the sheet changes (see FIG. 3C), and the behavior of the discharged sheet depends on the amount of stacked sheets, the sheet size, and the type of folding process. Unlikely, poor loading occurs. Therefore, the configuration of the discharge unit, which is a feature of the present invention, that solves such problems will be described below.

  FIG. 4 shows a discharge unit employing the first embodiment of the present invention. In the drawing, the discharge unit 810 includes a pair of rollers 801 similar to the discharge unit 800 and a guide member 802 as an angle adjustment mechanism that adjusts the discharge angle of the processed sheet with respect to the stacker 700A.

  The guide member 802 is rotatably supported by a main body side plate (not shown) constituting the discharge unit 810, and is rotated by a motor 803 (see FIG. 5) as a driving unit and a gear or belt as a transmission unit (not shown). The The rotation angle of the guide member 802 is determined according to the folding type information and the size information of the processed sheet before the processed sheet passes through the roller 801, and the motor 803 is determined according to the determined rotation angle. Operates. In addition, adjustment is performed so that the processed sheets to be discharged maintain a predetermined angle with respect to the stacking surface of the processed sheets stacked on the stacker 700A.

  FIG. 5 shows a control block diagram of the control means 804 that controls the operation of the guide member 802 by controlling the driving of the motor 803. In the figure, a control means 804 comprising a well-known microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM and the like is provided with a sensor 805 provided in the sheet folding apparatus 100 for detecting the type of folding, and provided in the image forming apparatus 1. 806 for detecting the size of the sheet to be processed, and information from a plurality of sensors 701 for detecting the stacking height of the processed sheets provided on the stacker 700A as shown in FIG. Based on each information, the operation of the motor 803 is controlled, and thereby the attitude of the guide member 802 is controlled.

  With the above-described configuration, the discharge angle of the processed sheet with respect to the stacker 700A can be adjusted by the guide member 802, so that the discharged sheet can stand in an open portion or the discharged sheet rotates. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a stacking failure phenomenon in which the orientation of the sheet is changed and to stack the sheets reliably and satisfactorily. In addition, according to the configuration shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to detect the fullness of the stacker 700A.

  FIG. 7 shows a discharge unit employing the second embodiment of the present invention. In the drawing, the discharge unit 811 includes a roller 807 and a roller 808 that functions as an angle adjustment mechanism that adjusts the discharge angle of the processed sheet with respect to the stacker 700A. The roller 807 has a rotation center shaft rotatably supported on a main body side plate (not shown), and is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown). The roller 808 is supported by a bracket (not shown) that is movably supported by a main body side plate (not shown) so that its rotation center axis is rotatable, and is arranged so as to always contact the roller 807 by the action of a biasing means such as a spring. Has been.

  In the above-described configuration, a bracket (not shown) that supports the roller 808 is moved by an actuator (not shown) such as a motor to displace the roller 808 relative to the roller 807 as indicated by a broken line in FIG. The discharge angle is adjusted. At this time, similarly to the first embodiment, the rollers 808 are displaced based on the folding type information, the processed sheet size information, and the stacking height information of the stacker 700A, thereby being the same as in the first embodiment. An effect can be obtained.

  FIG. 8 shows a discharge unit adopting the third embodiment of the present invention. In the drawing, the discharge unit 812 has two rollers 809A and 809B that function as an angle adjustment mechanism for adjusting the discharge angle of the processed sheet with respect to the stacker 700A. Each of the rollers 809A and 809B has a rotation center shaft rotatably supported by a bracket (not shown) that is movably supported by a main body side plate (not shown), and is always in contact with each other by the action of a biasing means such as a spring. Is arranged.

  In the above-described configuration, the respective brackets 809A and 809B that support the rollers 809A and 809B are moved by an actuator (not shown) such as a motor to relatively displace the rollers 809A and 809B as shown by broken lines in FIG. Thereby, the discharge angle of the processed sheet is adjusted. At this time, similarly to the first embodiment, the rollers 808 are displaced based on the folding type information, the processed sheet size information, and the stacking height information of the stacker 700A, thereby being the same as in the first embodiment. An effect can be obtained. In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, by providing two stackers 700A, there is an effect that the storage location can be changed according to the type of folding, and the storage location when any stacker 700A reaches the maximum load capacity. There is an effect that the maximum load capacity can be doubled by switching between the two.

  Although the image forming apparatus 1 has not been described in detail in the above embodiment, the image forming apparatus to which the present invention can be applied is a general image forming apparatus such as a color copying machine, a printer, a plotter, a facsimile machine, and a complex machine thereof. In addition, the present invention is applicable. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems during the discharge and stacking of sheets, and to continuously perform good image forming operations.

1 Image forming apparatus 100 Post-processing apparatus (sheet folding apparatus)
700A Stacker 802 Angle adjustment mechanism (guide member)
807, 808, 809A, 809B Rollers 810, 811 and 812

JP 2010-58907 A JP 2007-320712 A

Claims (5)

A post-processing device that sandwiches a sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus between folding rollers and folds the sheet, so that the bending portion of the sheet is sandwiched between rollers by bending the sheet, and the folding position of the sheet in the conveying direction is determined. A plurality of leading end stopper means to be determined; a pair of conveying rollers for causing the sheet to abut against the leading end stopper means to form a deflection; and at least rotating in one direction to sandwich the sheet and form a crease in the sheet Four folding rollers, and the folding rollers are formed by a first clamping roller and a second folding roller that are in close contact with each other, and a second folding roller and a third folding roller. A second sandwiching portion and a third sandwiching portion formed by the third folding roller and the fourth folding roller are respectively formed, and each of the sandwiching portions is folded in two with respect to the sheet, and the inside is folded in three , Outer trifold, Z-folding, 4-fold, subjected to either folding process Guanyin fold, in the post-processing device for discharging toward the stacker by a discharge unit folded processed sheet processed is made,
The discharge unit may have a angle adjusting mechanism for adjusting the discharge angle of the processed sheet against the stacker,
The angle adjusting mechanism includes means for obtaining size information of a sheet to be folded, means for obtaining information on the number of sheets formed by the image forming apparatus, and information on the number of sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus. And having
The post-processing apparatus , wherein the stacker has a sensor for detecting a height of processed sheets stacked on the stacker . The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The post-processing apparatus, wherein the angle adjusting mechanism is configured by a displaceable guide member that guides the processed sheet to the stacker. The post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The discharge section has a first roller and a second roller disposed in pressure contact with the first roller, and the angle adjustment mechanism is such that at least one roller has a constant distance between the central axes of the other roller and the other roller. The post-processing apparatus is configured by being freely displaceable. The post-processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The post-processing apparatus, wherein the angle adjusting mechanism has means for obtaining type information of a folding process for the sheet. An image forming apparatus using the post-processing apparatus according to claim 1.

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