JP5754175B2 - Paper alignment device, paper post-processing device, and image forming system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet aligning device that aligns a sheet such as a recording sheet discharged from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile apparatus in a discharge direction (conveyance direction) and a lateral direction orthogonal to the discharge direction, The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus and an image forming system that selectively execute processes such as folding, sorting, binding, and punching on the aligned sheets.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, image forming apparatuses such as printers and copiers are mechanically and electrically mounted on a paper discharge side, and are folded, sorted (sorted), bound (staple), punched (punched) on paper after image formation. ) And the like are provided with a sheet post-processing device (finisher).

  As the sheet post-processing apparatus, a plurality of sheets are discharged (released) from the image forming apparatus onto a temporary stacking tray at regular intervals, and the discharged sheets are discharged onto the temporary stacking tray by a sheet aligning unit. After aligning in the paper transport direction and paper width direction (direction perpendicular to the paper transport direction), a plurality of sheets aligned on the temporary stacking tray are subjected to predetermined post-processing such as binding processing, binding processing, etc. A sheet in which a plurality of sheets subjected to is discharged from a temporary stacking tray to a discharge tray is known.

  In this paper post-processing apparatus, a rotating member is brought into contact with the upper surface of the paper discharged (released) to the temporary stacking tray, and the paper discharged by this rotating member is opposite to the paper discharge (discharge) direction. The paper is moved toward the same time, and this paper is brought into contact with a reference fence installed at the rear of the temporary stacking tray to perform alignment processing in the paper conveyance direction (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  However, in the conventional sheet post-processing apparatus, since the rotating member is brought into contact with the upper surface of the sheet from above, the rotating member is continuously rotated for the purpose of maintaining the alignment state of the sheets stacked on the temporary stacking tray. In such a case, there is a problem that the rotating member damages the paper surface and scrapes the printed image.

  Further, in the conventional sheet post-processing apparatus, the rotating member used when aligning in the sheet conveying direction aligns only the top sheet stacked on the temporary stacking tray. When a sheet conveyed before the current sheet is tilted in the horizontal direction or shifted in the discharge direction, the tilt or shift cannot be corrected, resulting in a stack failure.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet aligning device, a sheet post-processing apparatus, and an image forming system that can accurately align the sheet conveying direction without damaging the printing surface of the sheet.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is a sheet aligning device for aligning sheets conveyed by a conveying unit, wherein the sheets are temporarily stacked and contacted with the rear end of the sheet in the sheet conveying direction. a temporary stacking tray with a reference fence for performing matching, the stacked sheets in the temporary stack tray, performs alignment in the sheet width direction by abutting the parallel side end in the sheet conveying direction, one side is A pair of side fences movable in the paper width direction, a pair of rotating members rotatably provided in an intermediate portion in the extending direction of the pair of side fences , and the rotating member can be driven to rotate. and driving means, whereas the side fences of the side, whereas said rotating member and integrally moving device capable of moving in the sheet width direction of the side, Gyosu braking the drive before Symbol driving means and the moving device System And means, and when the trailing edge of the sheet paper to the temporary stacking tray is conveyed abuts on the reference fence, the control means controls the driving of the moving device and the drive means, on one side The side fence is moved integrally with the rotating member on one side in the paper width direction, and both side ends parallel to the paper transport direction of the paper are brought into contact with the pair of side fences to make the paper width direction And rotating the pair of rotating members in contact with both side edges of the paper in a direction so that the paper receives a conveying force toward the reference fence side. The entire sheet is brought into contact with the reference fence to perform alignment in the sheet conveyance direction .

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the paper aligning apparatus according to the first aspect, the control means is performing the alignment in the transport direction by the rotating member on the paper transported on the temporary stacking tray. When the next sheet is conveyed to the temporary stacking tray, the alignment of the conveyance direction of the preceding sheet is interrupted, and the side fence is moved to a position where the sheet can be received.

  Further, the invention according to claim 3 is the sheet aligning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control means is configured to perform the side until just after receiving the next sheet after the alignment in the sheet conveying direction by the rotating member. A sheet aligning apparatus that maintains a state in which a fence is in contact with a sheet.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the paper aligning apparatus according to the third aspect, the control means has a longer time interval from the end of the alignment in the sheet transport direction by the rotating member to the reception of the next sheet. In this case, the driving means is stopped.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the paper aligning apparatus according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, at least the outer peripheral layer of the rotating member is made of an elastic material.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a paper post-processing device including the paper aligning device according to any one of the second to fifth aspects.

  A seventh aspect of the invention is an image forming system including the paper post-processing apparatus according to the sixth aspect.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, for all the sheets stacked on the temporary stacking tray, it is possible to eliminate the inclination of the sheets and the deviation in the discharge direction, and to adjust the sheet conveying direction without causing image scraping. .

  According to the invention of claim 2, the time for stacking the sheet bundle on the temporary stacking tray is shortened, and the productivity is improved.

  According to the invention of claim 3, since the alignment state in the sheet width direction is maintained, the alignment can be maintained without causing the inclination of the sheet.

  According to the invention of claim 4, even if the alignment of the sheet is disturbed during the stop, the alignment is performed when the next sheet is received, so that the power consumption can be reduced while maintaining the alignment.

  According to the invention of claim 5, by using a rubber roller or a sponge roller as the rotating member, the rotating member can be elastically deformed when the rotating member is brought into contact with the paper, so that the impact can be reduced. Can be prevented from shifting due to paper damage and paper deflection.

  According to the invention of claim 6, it is possible to configure a paper post-processing apparatus capable of performing post-processing on a paper without causing a scraped printed image.

According to the invention of claim 7, it is possible to configure an image forming system capable of performing post-processing on a sheet without causing the printed image to be scraped.

1 is a schematic explanatory diagram schematically showing a system configuration of an image processing system of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a control circuit diagram of the image processing system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an enlarged explanatory diagram of the sheet post-processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the sheet aligning apparatus shown in FIG. 2. It is sectional drawing which follows the A1-A1 line | wire of FIG. 2A. It is a fragmentary perspective view which shows the relationship between the jogger fence shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, a return roller, and a paper. (A)-(E) is an operation explanatory view explaining sheet post-processing by the sheet aligning device of FIG. 2 using a schematic plane arrangement as shown in FIG. 2A. It is a flowchart of the paper post-processing of FIG. (A)-(F) are the other operation | movement explanatory drawings explaining the paper post-process by the paper aligning apparatus of FIG. 2 using schematic planar arrangement | positioning like FIG. 2A. 6 is a flowchart of the paper post-processing in FIG. 5. 10 is a flowchart illustrating another example of sheet post-processing. 12 is a flowchart illustrating still another example of sheet post-processing.

  Embodiments of a sheet post-processing apparatus, a sheet aligning apparatus including the sheet post-processing apparatus, and an image processing system including the sheet aligning apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the system configuration of an image processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the sheet post-processing apparatus used in the sheet aligning apparatus and the image processing system, a rotating member driven by a driving source is attached to a side fence (described later) that performs alignment in the sheet width direction. When the side fence is brought into contact with the sheet side end for alignment, a rotating member (described later) is also brought into contact with the sheet. At this time, by rotating the rotating member in the direction of the reference fence (described later), the stacked sheet bundle receives a conveying force toward the reference fence side, so that the paper is abutted against the reference fence (described later) and the sheet conveying direction The matching process is performed. Alignment processing in the transport direction is performed for all stacked sheets without bringing a rotating member into contact with the printing surface.
[Constitution]
<Overall schematic configuration>
In FIG. 1, the image forming system according to the present embodiment includes an image forming apparatus 100, a sheet post-processing apparatus 200, and an image reading apparatus 300.
(Image forming apparatus 100)
The image forming apparatus 100 is an indirect transfer type tandem color image forming apparatus, and includes an image forming unit 110 disposed substantially in the center in the drawing and a paper feeding unit 120 provided below the image forming unit 110. A sheet feeding conveyance path (vertical conveyance path) 130 that sequentially conveys the sheet picked up by the sheet feeding unit 120 to the secondary transfer unit 140 and the fixing unit 150, and a sheet on which the image is fixed on the sheet post-processing device 200 side. A paper delivery path 160 as a paper delivery path for transporting the paper on one side and a double-sided transport path 170 for reversing the paper on which an image is formed on one side and forming an image on the other side are provided.
Image forming unit 110
The image forming unit 110 includes an image forming station 111 for forming images of four colors [Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), K (black)] and a lower side of the image forming station 111. An optical writing unit (not shown in detail) 7 arranged and an intermediate transfer belt 112 arranged above the image forming station 111 are provided. Reference numerals 116Y, 116M, 116C, and 116K denote toner containers (toner bottles) for the respective colors Y, M, C, and K.
(Imaging station 111)
The imaging station 111 includes a yellow (Y) imaging station 111Y, a magenta (M) imaging station 111M, a cyan (C) imaging station 111C, and a black (K) imaging station 111K. The four image forming stations 111Y, 111M, 111C, and 111K have the same configuration except for the toner colors used. Therefore, the image forming station 111Y will be schematically described, and the image forming stations 111M, 111C, and 111K will be described with the reference numerals changed from “Y” of the image forming station 111Y to “M, C, K”. Omitted.

The image forming station 111Y includes a photosensitive drum (photosensitive member) 1Y. The image forming station 111Y includes a charging unit (reference numeral omitted), a developing unit (reference numeral omitted), a charge eliminating unit (not shown), and a cleaning unit (reference numeral omitted) arranged in order along the outer periphery of the photosensitive drum 1Y. Have. In addition, the image forming station 111Y includes a transfer roller (transfer unit) (not shown) that transfers an image developed on the photosensitive drum 1Y to the intermediate transfer belt 112 by a developing unit (not shown).
(Optical writing unit 7, intermediate transfer belt 112)
The optical writing unit (not shown in detail) 7 includes an optical writing unit (not shown) that writes an image for each color in the image forming stations 111Y, 111M, 111C, and 111K.

The intermediate transfer belt 112 is rotatably supported by a plurality of support rollers (partially omitted). One of the plurality of support rollers 114 is opposed to the secondary transfer roller 115 via the intermediate transfer belt 112 in the secondary transfer unit 140, and the image on the intermediate transfer belt 112 is secondarily transferred to a sheet. It can be done.
-Paper feed unit 120
The paper feeding unit 120 includes a paper feeding tray 121, a pickup roller 122, and a paper feeding / conveying roller 123, and feeds the paper picked up from the paper feeding tray 121 upward along the vertical conveying path 130. The fed sheet is transferred with an image by the secondary transfer unit 140 and sent to the fixing unit 150. The fixing unit 150 includes a fixing roller and a pressure roller, and heat and pressure are applied in a process in which the paper passes through the nip between the two, and the toner is fixed to the paper.

  A paper discharge conveyance path 160 and a double-sided conveyance path 170 are provided downstream of the fixing unit 150, both of which are branched in two directions by a branching claw 161 and conveyed to the sheet post-processing apparatus 200 side, and a double-sided conveyance path. The transport path is selected when transported to 170. A branch conveyance roller 162 is provided in the immediate vicinity of the branch claw 161 on the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction, and applies a conveyance force to the sheet.

Note that the image forming process of the indirect transfer tandem color image forming apparatus is known, and the image forming apparatus 100 and the image reading apparatus 300 are not directly related to the gist of the present invention. A detailed description of 300 is omitted.
<Schematic Configuration of Paper Post-Processing Device 200>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the sheet post-processing apparatus 200.

The paper post-processing device 200 includes a paper discharge transport device (paper discharge transport unit) A as a transport unit that receives and transports the paper discharged from the paper discharge transport path 160 of the image forming apparatus 100, and the paper discharge transport. A paper alignment device (paper alignment processing unit) B that temporarily stacks the paper discharged from the apparatus A and aligns it in the movement direction (front-rear direction) and the width direction orthogonal to the movement direction, and discharges from the paper alignment device B A paper discharge tray 203 for stacking sheets to be stacked.
(Paper delivery device A)
The paper discharge transport apparatus A includes an entrance roller pair 201, a paper discharge transport path 202, and a shift paper discharge roller pair 204 as a shift transport roller pair. The inlet roller pair 201 is provided at the upstream end of the paper discharge conveyance path 202 in the paper conveyance direction, and the paper discharged from the paper discharge conveyance path 160 of the image forming apparatus 100 is upstream of the paper discharge conveyance path 202. Supply from the end. The shift paper discharge roller pair 204 is provided at the downstream end of the paper discharge conveyance path 202 in the paper conveyance direction, and discharges the paper conveyed in the paper discharge conveyance path 202 to the paper alignment apparatus B side.

The inlet roller pair 201 and the shift paper discharge roller pair 204 are rotationally driven by an inlet motor 216 via a belt 216a. In addition, an entrance sensor 207 for detecting the leading edge and the trailing edge of the sheet is disposed in the paper discharge conveyance path 202. The leading edge detection signal and trailing edge detection signal of the sheet from the inlet sensor 207 are input to an arithmetic control circuit (control device) 230 as control means shown in FIG. 1A. The arithmetic control circuit 230 as the control means, based on the leading edge detection signal and trailing edge detection signal of the sheet inputted from the inlet sensor 207, the number of driving steps of the discharge motor 217 to be described later and an inlet motor 216 is a stepping motor And the timing when the paper is received and discharged in the paper discharge conveyance path 202 is taken.

An inlet roller pair 201 and a shift paper discharge roller pair 204 provided along the paper discharge conveyance path 202 function as a conveyance unit.
(Paper alignment device B)
The sheet aligning apparatus B includes a staple tray 219 serving as a temporary stacking tray, a reference fence 220 disposed facing the end of the staple tray 219 opposite to the sheet conveyance direction, and a discharge conveyance path. A tapping device B1 is provided that moves sheets discharged and stacked on the staple tray 219 from the pair 202 by a shift discharge roller pair 204 in the transport direction. The staple tray 219 is disposed below the hitting device B1 and the shift discharge roller pair 204.

  The hitting device B1 includes a lever 211a directed in the paper conveyance direction, a support shaft 211b that supports the lever 211a so that the lever 211a can be turned up and down at one end opposite to the paper conveyance direction, and the other end of the lever 211a. A tapping roller 211 is rotatably attached. The lever 211a is driven to rotate in the vertical direction by a vertical rotation driving device M1 (not shown in FIG. 2) such as a stepping motor in FIG. 1A. Since the lever 211a can be rotated up and down and the rotating structure of the hitting roller 211 can adopt a well-known configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-194092, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  Here, the rotation of the tapping roller 211 is performed by a paper discharge motor 217 that rotates the paper discharge roller 206.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2A, the sheet aligning apparatus B includes a jogger fence 212a (see FIGS. 2A and 2C) as a side fence disposed on one side of the staple tray 219, and a staple tray 219. It has the fixed fence 212b as a side fence arrange | positioned by the other side part. The jogger fences 212a and fixed fence 212b is extended toward the sheet conveying direction Biteori jogger fence 212a is longer extending to the reference fence 220 side of the fixed fence 212b.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, return rollers R1 and R2 are provided at intermediate portions in the extending direction of the jogger fence 212a and the fixed fence 212b, respectively. The return rollers R1 and R2 are provided at the same position in the paper transport direction. As shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C, the return roller R1 includes a roller shaft R1s and a cylindrical sponge rubber elastic roller Es1 fixed to the circumferential surface of the roller shaft R1s. Further, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the return roller R2 includes a roller shaft R2s and a cylindrical sponge rubber elastic roller Es2 fixed to the peripheral surface of the roller shaft R2s.

  The roller shafts R1s and R2s are respectively driven to rotate by a first roller rotation driving device RM1 and a second roller rotation driving device RM2 such as a stepping motor as shown in FIG. 2B. Further, the jogger fence 212a, the return roller R1, the first roller rotation driving device RM1, and the like are held by a slide member (not shown), and this slide member uses a driving device such as a stepping motor, a gear, a rack gear, or the like. The jogger moving device JFd is driven to move forward and backward with respect to the fixed fence 212b.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the sheet aligning device B includes a sheet discharge roller 205 that is rotationally driven by a sheet discharge motor 217, and a sheet discharge roller that discharges the aligned sheet and stacks it on the sheet discharge tray 203. a 206, a discharge Kamise capacitors 210 provided on the paper discharge end side of the staple tray 219, a paper presence sensor 213 disposed between the staple tray 219 and the jogger fences 212a.

The detection signal of the paper discharge sensor 210 and the detection signal of the paper presence / absence sensor 213 are input to the arithmetic control circuit 230 as the control means shown in FIG. 1A. The arithmetic control circuit 230 controls the operation of the vertical rotation driving device M1, the paper discharge motor 217, the first roller rotation driving device RM1, the second roller rotation driving device RM2, and the jogger moving device JFd.
[Action]
Next, sheet post-processing by the arithmetic control circuit 230 of the image processing system having such a configuration will be described with reference to the operation explanatory diagram of FIG. 3 and the flowchart of FIG.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the paper receiving / aligning process of the paper post-processing apparatus, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the paper receiving / aligning process. FIG. 3 shows the main configuration and operation of the staple tray 219 and the stapler 215 as temporary stacking trays and their peripherals used in the staple mode. This stipple mode is a mode in which a predetermined number of sheets are bound by the stapler 215 and ejected when the sheet is ejected.

  When the paper P from the image forming apparatus 100 is supplied to the paper discharge conveyance path 202 side, the arithmetic control circuit 230 drives and controls the entrance motor 216 by a drive pulse.

On the other hand, in the stipple mode, the arithmetic control circuit 230 controls the operation of the up / down rotation driving device M1 when the paper P is received from the image forming apparatus 100 into the paper discharge conveyance path 202, and the hitting roller 211 is moved as shown in FIG. As indicated by the solid line, the sheet is retracted to the retracted position above the staple tray 219. At this time, the arithmetic control circuit 230, when the tapping roller 211 is brought into contact with the sheet P fed onto the staple tray 219 is lowered to the position shown in dashed lines in FIG. 2, the paper sheet P The paper discharge motor 217 is controlled so that it can be moved in the direction opposite to the transport direction, and the tapping roller 211 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 2 (in the direction of the arrow Ar1 in FIGS. 2 and 3B). To drive.

  In such a state, when the paper is received, the arithmetic control circuit 230 is in a state where the jogger fence 212a as a side fence is retracted to the paper receiving position in advance (S501) as shown in FIG. The paper P discharged from 100 is received by the pair of entrance rollers 201 into the paper discharge conveyance path 202 (S502).

Accordingly, the shift paper discharge roller pair 204 positions the paper P received in the paper discharge conveyance path 202 between the jogger fence 212a and the fixed fence 212b and discharges the paper P onto the staple tray 219. At this time, the arithmetic control circuit 230, a driving pulse Suto the sheet leading edge detection signal and the paper trailing edge detection signal and the discharge motor 217 from the inlet sensor 207, the trailing edge of the sheet passes through the pair of shift discharging rollers 204 The timing is calculated to determine the timing at which the trailing edge of the sheet has passed through the shift discharge roller pair 204 (S503). Then, the arithmetic control circuit 230, when the trailing edge of the sheet is judged to have passed the shift sheet discharging rollers 204, is lowered to the position shown tapping roller 211 in dashed line in FIG. 2, the roller 211 hitting the paper P Then, it is pressed against the staple tray 219 as shown in FIG. 3B (S504). As a result, the paper P pressed against the staple tray 219 is switched back by the rotating hitting roller 211 until the rear edge of the paper hits the reference fence 220 as indicated by the arrow Ar2. Here, the rotation of the hitting roller 211 is performed by the paper discharge motor 217 and is the same drive as the paper discharge roller 206.

At this time, the arithmetic control circuit 230 causes the jogger fence 212a as a side fence to wait in a position where it does not come into contact with the sheet P being conveyed until the switchback of the sheet P is completed (until the sheet P hits the reference fence 220). During standby , it is determined whether or not the switchback of the paper P is completed (S505). Then, the arithmetic control circuit 230 determines that the switchback of the paper sheet P is completed, raise the tapping roller 211 in FIG. 2 from the position of the dashed line to the solid line position (S506). The arithmetic control circuit 230 thereafter is activated controls the jogger mobile device JFD, arrows fixed fence 212b side jogger fence 212a and the return roller R1 from the position of the dashed line as shown in FIG. 3 (C) to the position of the solid line Ar3 Thus, the end of the paper P on the side of the reference fence 220 is sandwiched between the jogger fence 212a and the fixed fence 212b (S507). Note that the paper size of the paper P is detected by the arithmetic control circuit 230 before forming an image by the image forming apparatus 100, so that the jogger fence 212a and the fixed fence 212b are based on the size in the width direction of the paper P. The jogger fence 212a and the return roller R1 are moved toward the fixed fence 212b so that the interval becomes the size in the width direction of the size of the paper P.

  Accordingly, elastic rollers Es1 and Es2 of the return roller R1 rotated by the jogger fence 212a and the return roller R2 rotated by the fixed fence 212b are provided on the side edge of the end portion of the paper P on the reference fence 220 side. It is made to contact | abut with the weak elastic force of the grade which does not bend a part. As shown in FIG. 3D, the return rollers R1 and R2 that rotate in the directions opposite to the arrows Ar4 and Ar5 in the opposite directions are moved in the direction indicated by the arrow Ar6 (on the side of the reference fence 220), and the paper P is moved. Processing for aligning with the reference position is started (S508).

  When the entire edge of the paper P on the reference fence 220 side is brought into contact with the reference fence 220, the elastic rollers Es1 and Es2 of the return rollers R1 and R2 are against the side edge of the paper P on the reference fence 220 side. Slip to complete the sheet alignment (S509, S510). This alignment completion timing can be obtained from the rotation time of the return rollers R1 and R2.

The arithmetic and control circuit 230 and the matching is completed for paper, as FIG. 3 (E), the operating control jogger mobile device JFD, jogger fence 212a and the return fixed fence the roller R1 from the position of the dashed line to the solid line position It is moved integrally in the direction opposite to 212b (arrow Ar7) and retracted to a position where it does not contact the sheet in preparation for receiving the next sheet (S511).

  Then, the arithmetic control circuit 230 determines whether there is a next sheet from the image forming process state of the image forming apparatus 100 or the designated number of image processes (S512).

Thereafter, the alignment / retraction of the sheet accompanying the receipt of the next sheet is repeated as in S501 to S512, and the return roller is stopped when there is no next sheet or when all sheets have been received (S513).

When the second and subsequent sheets are aligned in the sheet conveyance direction by the return rollers R1 and R2, the elastic roller Es1 of the return roller R1 and the elastic roller Es2 of the return roller R2 are stacked as shown in FIG. 2B . It is in contact with all the paper side edges. For this reason, alignment processing is performed on the sheet other than the last sheet (uppermost sheet) sent to the staple tray 219 by abutting against the reference fence 220.

  Then, the end surface on one side of the rear end of the sheet is inserted up to the binding position of the staple needle of the stapler 215, and after the specified number of sheets are transported, switched back, and aligned, the binding process is performed.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, when a plurality of sheets are sequentially stacked on the staple tray 219, even if the sheet is tilted or misaligned in the transport direction, all the stacked sheets are returned. The rollers R1 and R2 can complete the alignment process without any problem.

Figure 5 is an explanatory view for explaining an actual施例 second sheet receiving and aligning process of the sheet post-processing apparatus is a flowchart showing a sheet receiving and aligning process of the sheet post-processing apparatus of FIG. 6 is a real施例2. FIG. 5 shows the main configuration and operation of the staple tray 219 and the stapler 215 as temporary stacking trays and their peripherals used in the staple mode.

The arithmetic control circuit 230 also in the actual施例2 This, like the actual Example 1, when the sheet P from the image forming apparatus 100 is supplied to the sheet discharging path 202 side, the inlet motor 216 by a drive pulse Drive control to rotate. The inlet motor 216 is rotationally driven to draw and accept the paper P supplied from the image forming apparatus 100 into the paper discharge conveyance path 202.

  When such paper is received, the arithmetic control circuit 230 controls the operation of the jogger moving device JFd in FIG. 2B, and the jogger fence 212a as a side fence is previously placed in the paper receiving position by the jogger moving device JFd as shown in FIG. (S601).

On the other hand, the arithmetic control circuit 230 controls the operation of the up / down rotation driving device M1 of FIG. 1A and receives the hitting roller 211 by a solid line in FIG. 2 when receiving the paper P from the image forming apparatus 100 into the paper discharge conveyance path 202. As shown, it is retracted to the retracted position above the staple tray 219. The evacuation time of the arithmetic control circuit 230, when the tapping roller 211 has been lowered to the position shown in dashed lines in FIG. 2, is brought into contact with the sheet P fed onto the staple tray 219, the sheet P The sheet discharge motor 217 is operated and controlled so that the tapping roller 211 is counterclockwise in FIG. 2 (in the direction of the arrow Ar1 in FIGS. 2 and 5A) so that it can be moved in the direction opposite to the paper transport direction. It is rotating.

  When the sheet P is discharged from the image forming apparatus 100 in this state, the discharged sheet P is drawn into the discharge conveyance path 202 and received by the rotationally driven inlet roller pair 201 (S602). When the paper P is received in the paper discharge conveyance path 202, the entrance sensor 207 detects the leading end of the paper P and inputs a paper detection signal to the arithmetic control circuit 230.

  Accordingly, the shift paper discharge roller pair 204 positions the paper P received in the paper discharge conveyance path 202 between the jogger fence 212a and the fixed fence 212b and discharges the paper P onto the staple tray 219.

At this time, the arithmetic control circuit 230, a driving pulse Suto the sheet leading edge detection signal and the paper trailing edge detection signal and the entrance motor 216 from the inlet sensor 207, the timing of the trailing edge of the sheet passes through the pair of shift discharging rollers 204 Is calculated to determine the timing at which the trailing edge of the sheet has passed through the shift discharge roller pair 204 (S603).

Then, the arithmetic control circuit 230 determines that the trailing edge of the sheet based on the timing of the computed sheet passage passes through the pair of shift discharging rollers 204, is lowered to the position shown tapping roller 211 in dashed line in FIG. 2 in roller 211 hitting the paper P pressed against the staple tray 219 as dashed lines in FIG. 2 (S604).

  As a result, the paper P pressed against the staple tray 219 is switched back by the rotating hitting roller 211 until the rear edge of the paper hits the reference fence 220 as indicated by the arrow Ar2. Here, the rotation of the hitting roller 211 is performed by the paper discharge motor 217 and is the same drive as the paper discharge roller 206.

At this time, the arithmetic control circuit 230 causes the jogger fence 212a as a side fence to wait in a position where it does not come into contact with the sheet P being conveyed until the switchback of the sheet P is completed (until the sheet P hits the reference fence 220). During standby , it is determined whether or not the switchback of the paper P is completed (S605).

The arithmetic control circuit 230 determines that the switchback of the paper sheet P is completed, raise the tapping roller 211 in FIG. 2 from the position of the dashed line to the solid line position (S606).

Thereafter, the arithmetic control circuit 230 controls the operation of the jogger mobile device JFD, jogger fence 212a and the return fixed fence 212b to the roller R1 from the position of the dashed line as indicated by an arrow Ar7 shown in FIG. 5 (B) to the position of the solid line The sheet P is moved to the fixed fence 212b side as indicated by the arrow Ar3 by the jogger fence 212a and the return roller R1 by moving the sheet P integrally to the side, and the end of the sheet P on the reference fence 220 side with the fixed fence 212b. The part is sandwiched from the side (S607).

  Note that the paper size of the paper P is detected by the arithmetic control circuit 230 before forming an image by the image forming apparatus 100, so that the jogger fence 212a and the fixed fence 212b are based on the size in the width direction of the paper P. The jogger fence 212a and the return roller R1 are moved toward the fixed fence 212b so that the interval becomes the size in the width direction of the size of the paper P.

Accordingly, elastic rollers Es1 and Es2 of the return roller R1 rotated by the jogger fence 212a and the return roller R2 rotated by the fixed fence 212b are provided on the side edge of the end portion of the paper P on the reference fence 220 side. It is made to contact | abut with the weak elastic force of the grade which does not bend a part. At this time, the arithmetic control circuit 230 controls the operation of the first roller rotation driving device RM1 and returns the return roller R1 in the counterclockwise direction as indicated by the arrow Ar5 in FIG. 5C by the first roller rotation driving device RM1. It rotated to rotate the roller R2 returns the second roller rotation drive unit RM2 operation control to the clockwise direction as indicated by arrow Ar4 shown in FIG. 5 (C) in the second rotary drive device RM 2. As a result, the return rollers R1 and R2 are rotated in opposite directions to move the paper P toward the reference fence 220 as indicated by the arrow Ar6. Is started to align with the reference position (S608).

  When the entire edge of the paper P on the reference fence 220 side is brought into contact with the reference fence 220, the elastic rollers Es1 and Es2 of the return rollers R1 and R2 are against the side edge of the paper P on the reference fence 220 side. Slip and the alignment of the paper is completed (S609). This alignment completion timing can be obtained from the rotation time of the return rollers R1 and R2.

  After completion of such sheet alignment (S609), the arithmetic control circuit 230 determines whether or not the next sheet has been received from the image forming apparatus 100 into the discharge conveyance path 202 from the sheet leading edge detection signal of the entrance sensor 207. (S610) If the next sheet has arrived, the tapping roller 211 is retracted to a position where it does not come into contact with the sheet, and then the process returns to S601. In this case, the arithmetic control circuit 230 determines that the paper P received from the image forming apparatus 100 to the paper discharge transport path 202 is not the final paper and the paper (P) by the return rollers R1 and R2 in the paper transport direction. Even if the alignment is not completed, the tapping roller 211 is retracted to a position where it does not come into contact with the paper, and the process returns to S601.

  If the calculation control circuit 230 determines in S610 that the next sheet is not received from the image forming apparatus 100 into the paper discharge conveyance path 202, the image forming apparatus 100 determines whether there is a next sheet. Judgment is made based on the processing state or the number of sheets designated for image processing (S611), and if the next sheet is received from the image forming apparatus 100 to the discharge conveyance path 202, the process returns from S610 to S601.

The arithmetic control circuit 230 along with this, is moved in the direction away from the sheet P as shown by an arrow Ar8 the jogger fences 212a from the position of the broken line shown in FIG. 5 (D) to the position of the solid line, the image forming apparatus 100 2 can be received by the pair of entrance rollers 201 in FIG. However, the arithmetic control circuit 230 does not actually move the jogger fence 212a as a side fence immediately to the paper receiving position as shown by the solid line in FIG. 5D, but in the state of FIG. The process waits until the next sheet P2 is received from the image forming apparatus 100 into the sheet discharge conveyance path 202 and sent onto the staple tray 219.

  In this state, the arithmetic control circuit 230 causes the next paper P2 to be received from the image forming apparatus 100 into the paper discharge conveyance path 202 (S602), and the next paper P2 is discharged by the shift paper discharge roller pair 204 in FIG. Paper is discharged from the conveyance path 202 onto the staple tray 219 as shown in FIG. 5E (S603).

Then, the arithmetic control circuit 230, when the trailing edge of the sheet of the next sheet P2 is judged to have passed the shift sheet discharging rollers 204, is lowered to the position shown tapping roller 211 in dashed line in FIG. 2, the paper P2 is struck with the preceding paper P and pressed against the staple tray 219 with the roller 211 (S604). As a result, the sheets P and P2 pressed against the staple tray 219 are moved until the trailing edge of the sheet hits the reference fence 220 as indicated by the arrow Ar2 by the tapping roller 211 rotating as shown in FIG. Switched back.

  Thereafter, the arithmetic control circuit 230 controls the sheet alignment processing in S603 to S611 described above for the sheet P2. When the next sheet P2 is aligned in the sheet conveyance direction, alignment of the preceding sheet (P) in which alignment has been interrupted is also performed (S608, S609).

In such alignment processing of the paper P, when the paper (P or P2) is the final paper, after the alignment of the paper (P or P2) in the transport direction is completed (S612), the return roller is stopped (S613). , the sheet bundle on Similarly staple tray as in example 1 are stapled.

Therefore, in this embodiment, since the time for loading the sheet bundle in the temporary stacking tray is shortened, it is possible to improve the productivity of the sheet post-processing apparatus.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a sheet receiving / alignment process of the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the third exemplary embodiment.

  In the third embodiment, similarly to the paper alignment processing in S500 to S510 in FIG. 4 in the first embodiment in S700 to S710, the paper received from the image forming apparatus 100 to the paper discharge conveyance path 202 is transferred by the shift paper discharge roller pair 204. Paper is discharged from the paper discharge conveyance path 202 and stacked on a staple tray 219 as a temporary stacking tray, and alignment in the paper conveyance direction and the paper width direction is performed (S700 to S710). S700 to S710 correspond to S500 to S510 in FIG.

  Then, in S711, the arithmetic control circuit 230 determines whether or not there is a next sheet from the image forming process state of the image forming apparatus 100 or the designated number of image processes (S711), and if there is no next sheet, the return roller R1. , R2 is stopped (S713), and the acceptance is finished.

  If the arithmetic and control circuit 230 determines in S711 that there is a next sheet, whether or not the next sheet has been received from the image forming apparatus 100 into the discharge conveyance path 202 is determined from the sheet leading edge detection signal of the inlet sensor 207. Determination is made (S712), and if the next sheet has arrived, the tapping roller 211 is retracted to a position not in contact with the sheet, and then the process returns to S701.

Then, the arithmetic control circuit 230, by separating the jogger fences 212a from the fixed fence 212b from the position of the broken line shown in FIG. 5 (D) to the position of the solid line, the next sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus 100 of FIG. 2 The paper can be received in the paper discharge conveyance path 202 by the entrance roller pair 201. However, the arithmetic control circuit 230 does not actually move the jogger fence 212a as a side fence immediately to the paper receiving position as shown by the solid line in FIG. 5D, but in the state of FIG. The process waits until the next paper P2 is received from the image forming apparatus 100 into the paper discharge conveyance path 202 and sent to the staple tray 219.

  In this state, the arithmetic control circuit 230 causes the next paper P2 to be received from the image forming apparatus 100 into the paper discharge conveyance path 202 (S702), and the next paper P2 is discharged by the shift paper discharge roller pair 204 in FIG. Paper is discharged from the conveyance path 202 onto the staple tray 219 as shown in FIG. 5E (S703).

Then, the arithmetic control circuit 230, when the trailing edge of the sheet of the next sheet P2 is judged to have passed the shift sheet discharging rollers 204, is lowered to the position shown tapping roller 211 in dashed line in FIG. 2, the paper P2 is struck with the preceding paper P and pressed against the staple tray 219 with the roller 211 (S704). As a result, the sheets P and P2 pressed against the staple tray 219 are switched back by the rotating hitting roller 211 until the rear end of the sheet hits the reference fence 220 as indicated by the arrow Ar2. Thereafter, the arithmetic control circuit 230 executes S705 to S712 until there is no last sheet.

  Therefore, in the third embodiment, the jogger fence 212a that is the side fence is not moved to the retracted position immediately after the alignment in the sheet conveyance direction is finished, and the jogger fence 212a that is the side fence is moved to the sheet side until just before receiving the next sheet. Since the state in contact with the end is maintained, the consistency in the paper width direction can be maintained.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a sheet receiving / alignment process performed by the sheet post-processing apparatus according to the fourth exemplary embodiment.

  In the fourth embodiment, the arithmetic control circuit 230 stacks the sheets received from the image forming apparatus on the staple tray 219 as a temporary stacking tray, as in S700 to S710 shown in the third embodiment, Align in the paper width direction. Thereafter, the arithmetic control circuit 230 determines whether or not there is a next sheet P2 as in S711 shown in the third embodiment (S811). If the arithmetic control circuit 230 determines that there is no next sheet P2, the operation control circuit 230 stops driving the return rollers R1 and R2 as rotating members that perform alignment in the sheet conveyance direction (S816), and ends the acceptance.

  When the arithmetic control circuit 230 determines that there is the next sheet P2, whether or not the next sheet P2 has been sent from the image forming apparatus 100 to the discharge conveyance path 202 is determined based on the sheet leading edge detection signal of the entrance sensor 207. Judgment is made from the presence or absence (S812).

  If the entrance sensor 207 does not detect the leading edge of the next sheet, the arithmetic control circuit 230 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since it was determined that there is the next sheet P2 (S813).

  In this determination, the arithmetic control circuit 230 determines that the next sheet is not sent from the image forming apparatus 100 to the sheet discharge conveyance path 202 when a predetermined time has elapsed since it is determined that there is the next sheet P2. The driving of the return rollers R1 and R2 as rotating members that perform alignment in the transport direction is stopped (S814), and the process returns to S812.

  If the predetermined time has not elapsed since the determination in S813 that the next sheet P2 is present, the arithmetic control circuit 230 returns to S812.

  When the entrance sensor 207 detects the leading edge of the sheet and outputs a leading edge detection signal in S812, the arithmetic control circuit 230 determines that there is a next sheet P2, and the driving of the return rollers R1 and R2 is stopped. If there is, the driving is resumed (S815), and the process returns to S801 to perform the receiving process for the next sheet, and the alignment process similar to the alignment process for the next sheet P2 in the third embodiment is executed.

  Also in the fourth embodiment, as in the third embodiment, the jogger fence 212a, which is a side fence, is not immediately moved to the retracted position even after the alignment of the preceding paper P in the paper transport direction is finished, and until just before the next paper is received. The state where the jogger fence 212a which is a side fence is in contact with the side edge of the preceding paper P is maintained. For this reason, the consistency in the sheet width direction of all sheets stacked on the staple tray 219 such as the preceding sheet P and the next sheet P2 can be maintained.

Above the sheet aligning apparatus B of the embodiment of the present invention as described is used to align the sheet conveyed (P, P 2, etc.) by the conveying means (discharge transport device A). The sheet aligning device B temporarily stacks sheets, contacts a rear end of the sheet, and includes a reference stack 220 for performing alignment in the sheet transport direction (staple tray 219), and the temporary stacking The sheets stacked on the tray (staple tray 219) are aligned in the sheet width direction by abutting on both side edges parallel to the sheet conveying direction, and at least one side fence (jogger fence 212a) movable in the sheet width direction. ). Further, the sheet aligning device B contacts the sheet from both ends of the sheet when the side fence (jogger fence 212a) is brought into contact with the sheet side end loaded on the temporary stacking tray (staple tray 219). At least a pair of rotating members (return rollers R1, R2) and driving means (first and second roller rotation driving devices RM1, RM2) capable of driving the rotating members (return rollers R1, R2) are provided. Further, the sheet aligning device B receives the sheet P and controls the side fence (jogger fence 212a) and the driving means (first and second roller rotation driving devices RM1, RM2) to perform the sheet aligning process. Means (operation control circuit 230).

  According to this configuration, with respect to all the sheets P (P2 and the like) stacked on the temporary stacking tray (staple tray 219), the inclination of the sheets P (P2 and the like) and the deviation in the discharge direction are eliminated, and image shaving occurs. Thus, alignment in the paper transport direction can be performed.

  Further, the control means (arithmetic control circuit 230) in the sheet aligning apparatus B according to the embodiment of the present invention applies the rotating members (return rollers R1, R2) to the sheet conveyed on the temporary stacking tray (staple tray 219). When the next sheet (P2) is conveyed to the temporary stacking tray (staple tray 219) during the alignment in the conveying direction by (), the alignment of the preceding sheet P in the conveying direction is interrupted, The side fence (jogger fence 212a) is moved to a position where paper can be received. According to this configuration, the time for stacking the sheet bundle on the temporary stacking tray (staple tray 219) is shortened, and the productivity is improved.

  Furthermore, the control means (arithmetic control circuit 230) in the sheet aligning apparatus B according to the embodiment of the present invention also performs the next sheet (after the alignment in the sheet conveying direction by the rotating members (return rollers R1, R2)). The state in which the side fence (jogger fence 212a) is in contact with the sheet is maintained until just before the reception of P2). According to this configuration, since the alignment state in the sheet width direction is maintained, the alignment can be maintained without causing the inclination of the sheet.

  Further, the control means (arithmetic control circuit 230) in the sheet aligning apparatus B according to the embodiment of the present invention finishes alignment in the sheet transport direction by the rotating members (return rollers R1, R2), and then the next sheet (P2). ) Is stopped, the driving means (first and second roller rotation driving devices RM1, RM2) are stopped. According to this configuration, even if the alignment of the sheet P (P2 or the like) is disturbed during the stop, the alignment is performed when the next sheet is received, so that power consumption can be reduced while maintaining the alignment.

  In addition, at least the outer peripheral layer of the rotating member (return rollers R1, R2) in the sheet aligning apparatus B according to the embodiment of the present invention is formed of an elastic material (elastic rollers Es1, Es2). According to this configuration, by using an elastic material such as a rubber roller or sponge roller as the rotating member, the rotating member is elastically deformed when the rotating member (elastic rollers Es1, Es2) is brought into contact with the paper, thereby receiving an impact. This can be mitigated, and can prevent misalignment due to paper edge damage and paper deflection.

  Further, the sheet post-processing apparatus 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the sheet aligning apparatus B, so that the sheet post-processing apparatus capable of performing post-processing on the sheet without causing the printed image to be scraped. Can be configured.

  In addition, the image forming system according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the sheet aligning device B, so that an image forming system capable of performing post-processing on the sheet without causing the printed image to be scraped can be configured.

219 ... Staple tray (temporary loading tray)
220 ... reference fence 212a ... jogger fence 212 ... fixed fence (side fence)
230 ... Arithmetic control circuit (control means)
A: Paper discharge transport device (transport means)
B: Paper alignment device P, P2: Paper R1, R2: Return roller (rotating member)
RM1 ... 1st roller rotation drive device (drive means)
RM2 ... second roller rotation drive device (drive means)
Es1, Es2 ... Elastic roller (elastic material)

JP 2005-194092 A

Claims (7)

In a sheet aligning device that aligns sheets conveyed by a conveying means,
A temporary stacking tray having a reference fence for temporarily stacking paper and contacting the rear end of the paper to align the paper transport direction;
The stacked sheets in the temporary stack tray, performs alignment in the sheet width direction by abutting the two side parallel to the sheet conveying direction, a pair of side fences movable one side in the sheet width direction,
A pair of rotating members rotatably provided in an intermediate portion in the extending direction of the pair of side fences;
Driving means capable of rotating the rotating member;
A moving device capable of moving the side fence on one side integrally with the rotating member on the one side in the paper width direction;
And a control unit that Gyosu braking the drive of the mobile device before and SL drive means,
Equipped with a,
When the sheet is conveyed onto the temporary stacking tray and the trailing end of the sheet hits the reference fence, the control unit controls the driving of the driving unit and the moving device,
The side fence on one side is moved integrally with the rotating member on the one side in the paper width direction, and both side edges parallel to the paper transport direction of the paper are brought into contact with the pair of side fences to make the paper While performing alignment in the width direction,
The pair of rotating members that are in contact with both side edges of the paper are rotated in a direction so that the paper receives a conveying force toward the reference fence, and the entire rear edge of the paper is used as the reference fence. A sheet aligning device characterized in that the sheet aligning direction is performed by contact .   2. The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets a next sheet on the temporary stacking tray while aligning the sheet conveyed on the temporary stacking tray in the transport direction by the rotating member. A sheet aligning apparatus, wherein when the sheet is conveyed, alignment of the preceding sheet in the conveying direction is interrupted, and the side fence is moved to a position where the sheet can be received.   3. The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit keeps the side fence in contact with the sheet until just after receiving the next sheet even after finishing the alignment in the sheet conveying direction by the rotating member. A sheet aligning device characterized by being maintained.   4. The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit stops the driving unit when the time interval until the next sheet is received after the alignment of the sheet conveyance direction by the rotating member is completed. A sheet aligning apparatus characterized by that.   5. The sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein at least an outer peripheral layer of the rotating member is made of an elastic material.   A sheet post-processing apparatus comprising the sheet aligning apparatus according to claim 2.   An image forming system comprising the sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 6.