JP6031941B2 - Image forming apparatus and relay apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a relay apparatus.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, in order to improve convenience when sealing and opening documents, a cutting blade, a knife, and a cam are attached to an upper mold that can move the sealing device up and down, and a predetermined hole is opposed to these. And a lower mold for receiving a document to be sealed. This lower die is punched so that the cutting blade does not leave a part of the document away from the document when the upper die approaches, and at the same time, the knife makes a groove in the document adjacent to the punched part, and then the cam strikes. The punched portion is folded, and when the upper die is separated from the lower die, the knife inserts the tip of the punched portion into the groove to seal the document. In addition, it is disclosed that an upper blade is attached to an upper die, a lower blade is attached to a lower die, and a document is cut when the upper die approaches the lower die.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, a tongue-like piece is formed by lowering the lever by operating the lever so as to be able to bind the documents without using a metal needle, and by cutting the three ends of the paper bundle. There is disclosed a document binding tool including a first punch and a second punch that forms a reverse tongue-like piece that is also surrounded by three cuts in the vicinity thereof. In addition, the document binding tool is provided with a rotating claw that rotates in conjunction with the lowering of the first punch to bend the downward tongue-shaped piece formed by the first punch to the side, and the rotating claw is on the side. The tongue-shaped piece bent upward is lifted in a state where the tip of the tongue-shaped piece is supported from below, and the tongue-shaped piece is pushed into the punched hole formed by pushing up the tongue-shaped piece formed by the second punch. It is disclosed that a hooking portion to be inserted and locked is provided in the second punch.

Japanese Patent Publication No.49-5960 Japanese Patent No. 2903492

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to further simplify a configuration in which a sheet bundle is formed by aligning conveyed sheets.

The invention according to claim 1 is a first transport path for transporting paper, a second transport path that is branched from the first transport path, and transports the paper from the first transport path, and the first A sheet conveyed from one conveyance path to the second conveyance path is conveyed from the second conveyance path to the first conveyance path in accordance with other sheets conveyed through the first conveyance path. An aligning unit that performs alignment, and a sheet bundle that has been aligned by the aligning unit and then transported from the first transport path to the second transport path and the leading and trailing edges of the sheet are not abutted against each other. An image forming apparatus comprising: a binding unit configured to bind a sheet bundle by deforming a part of the bundle and engaging the deformed portions of the sheets in the sheets.

The invention according to claim 2 includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, wherein the first conveyance path conveys a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit, and the second conveyance path includes: The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet on which the image conveyed from the first conveyance path is formed is conveyed to the image forming unit.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the aligning unit transports the paper in the forward direction from the first transport path to the second transport path, and transports the paper in a direction opposite to the forward direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transport unit configured to transport a sheet from the second transport path to the first transport path.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the aligning means aligns the end portions of the sheets by matching the time when each sheet reaches the branching portion where the second conveying path branches from the first conveying path. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first transport path and the second transport path, the paper bundle is transported while being in contact with a portion other than the deformed portion of the paper bundle formed by the binding means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a conveying body that performs the above operation.
A sixth aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the aligning unit aligns the sheets without abutting the leading and trailing ends of the sheets.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a receiving portion that receives a sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus, a conveying path that conveys the sheet received by the receiving section and discharges the sheet to another apparatus, and a refuge from the conveying path. An aligning unit that aligns the sheet by joining the sheet with another sheet conveyed through the conveyance path, and the sheet is retracted from the conveyance path after being aligned by the aligning unit, and the leading edge and the trailing edge of the sheet are A binding means is provided for binding a sheet bundle by deforming a part of the sheet bundle with respect to the sheet bundle that has not been abutted, and engaging the deformed portions of the sheets in each sheet. It is a relay device.
The invention according to claim 8 is the relay apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a stacking unit for stacking the sheet bundle bound by the binding unit.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, compared to the case where the present configuration is not provided, the configuration in which the conveyed sheets are aligned to form a sheet bundle can be simplified.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, compared to the case where the present configuration is not provided, the conveyed sheets are aligned using the conveyance path for conveying the sheet on which the image is formed to the image forming unit. The configuration for forming the sheet bundle can be simplified.
According to the invention of claim 3, the size of the aligning means can be further suppressed as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided.
According to the invention of claim 4, it is possible to form a sheet bundle in which each end portion is aligned as compared with the case where this configuration is not provided.
According to the invention of claim 5, it is possible to suppress the binding of the sheet bundle from being weakened as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided, it is possible to further suppress the size of the configuration in which the conveyed sheets are aligned to form a sheet bundle .

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, compared to the case where the present configuration is not provided, the configuration in which the conveyed sheets are aligned to form a sheet bundle can be simplified.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the end of the sheet bundle from being disturbed as compared with the case where the present configuration is not provided .

1 is a diagram of an image forming apparatus to which the exemplary embodiment is applied as viewed from the front side. It is a figure for demonstrating a reverse mechanism. It is a figure for demonstrating a binding unit. It is a diagram for explaining the operation of a reversing mechanism for forming a sheet bundle. It is a diagram for explaining the operation of a reversing mechanism for forming a sheet bundle. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the inversion mechanism in a modification. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the inversion mechanism in a modification. It is a figure for demonstrating the modification of a binding process. It is a figure for demonstrating a binding unit. It is a figure for demonstrating the modification with which a relay apparatus is provided with the inversion mechanism. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a modification in which the image forming apparatus includes a reversing mechanism other than the binding unit, and the relay apparatus includes a binding unit.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
<Image forming apparatus 100>
FIG. 1 is a view of an image forming apparatus 100 to which the exemplary embodiment is applied as viewed from the front side. An image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a so-called tandem configuration, and includes a plurality of image forming units 10 (10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K) that form toner images of respective color components by an electrophotographic method. I have. In addition, the image forming apparatus 100 is provided with a control unit 80 that controls the operation of each device and each part constituting the image forming apparatus 100. The image forming apparatus 100 includes a display panel, and is provided with a user interface unit (UI) 90 that outputs an instruction received from the user to the control unit 80 and presents information from the control unit 80 to the user. Yes.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus 100 transfers the toner image formed on each image forming unit 10 sequentially (primary transfer) to hold the toner image and the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 20. And a secondary transfer device 30 that performs batch transfer (secondary transfer) onto the paper P. Here, each of the image forming units 10, the intermediate transfer belt 20, and the secondary transfer device 30 can be regarded as an image forming unit that forms an image on the paper P.

  The image forming apparatus 100 also includes a first paper transport path R1 through which the paper P transported toward the secondary transfer device 30 passes, and a second paper transport through which the paper P after passing through the secondary transfer device 30 passes. A third paper transport path R3 is provided which branches from the second paper transport path R2 downstream of the path R2 and the fixing device 50 (described later) and is connected to the first paper transport path R1. A plurality of transport rolls 48 that transport the paper P are provided in the first paper transport path R1, the second paper transport path (first transport path) R2, and the third paper transport path (second transport path) R3. ing.

  An opening 102 is formed in the housing 101 of the image forming apparatus 100. Here, the paper P transported along the second paper transport path R2 is discharged to the outside of the housing 101 through the opening 102 and is stacked on a paper stacking unit (not shown). Note that a post-processing device (not shown) may be provided adjacent to the housing 101 to further perform post-processing such as punching the paper P discharged from the opening 102.

  Further, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a first paper supply device 410 and a second paper supply device 420 that supply the paper P to the first paper transport path R1. The first paper supply device 410 and the second paper supply device 420 are configured in the same manner, and each of the first paper supply device 410 and the second paper supply device 420 has a paper storage unit 41 that stores the paper P. A take-out roll 42 for taking out and transporting the paper P stored in the paper storage unit 41 is provided.

  A fixing device 50 is provided on the second paper transport path R <b> 2 for fixing the image secondarily transferred onto the paper P by the secondary transfer device 30 onto the paper P. The fixing device 50 is provided with a heating roll 50A that is heated by a built-in heater (not shown) and a pressing roll 50B that presses the heating roll 50A. In the fixing device 50, the paper P is pressed and heated as the paper P passes between the heating roll 50 </ b> A and the pressing roll 50 </ b> B, and the image on the paper P is fixed to the paper P.

  Further, between the secondary transfer device 30 and the fixing device 50, a transport device 51 that transports the paper P that has passed through the secondary transfer device 30 to the fixing device 50 is provided. Here, the transport device 51 includes a belt 51A that moves around, and transports the paper P by placing the paper P on the belt 51A.

  Here, each of the image forming units 10 includes a photosensitive drum 11 that is rotatably mounted. Further, around the photosensitive drum 11, a charging device 12 that charges the photosensitive drum 11, an exposure device 13 that exposes the photosensitive drum 11 to write an electrostatic latent image, and an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 11 Is provided with a developing device 14 that visualizes the toner with a toner. Further, a primary transfer device 15 that transfers each color component toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 11 to the intermediate transfer belt 20 and a drum cleaning device 16 that removes residual toner on the photosensitive drum 11 are provided.

  The intermediate transfer belt 20 is provided so as to be stretched over the three roll members 21 to 23. Of these three roll members 21 to 23, the roll member 22 drives the intermediate transfer belt 20. The roll member 23 is disposed opposite to the secondary transfer roll 31 with the intermediate transfer belt 20 interposed therebetween, and the secondary transfer device 30 is configured by the secondary transfer roll 31 and the roll member 23. A belt cleaning device 24 for removing residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 20 is provided at a position facing the roll member 21 across the intermediate transfer belt 20.

  The image forming apparatus 100 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a reversing mechanism 500 that reverses the paper P that has passed through the fixing device 50. In the image forming apparatus 100, the paper P on which an image is formed on one surface is turned back by the reversing mechanism 500. Then, the sheet P in which the leading end and the trailing end in the transport direction are switched by being turned back is transported to the secondary transfer device 30 again via the third sheet transport path R3 and the first sheet transport path R1. As a result, the front and back of the paper P are reversed, and an image is formed on the other surface of the paper P by the secondary transfer device 30. As a result, images are formed on both sides of the paper P. The reversing mechanism 500 and the third paper transport path R3 can be regarded as a switchback path and a duplex printing path.

<Reversing mechanism 500>
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the reversing mechanism 500.
The reversing mechanism 500 discharges the sheet P (see FIG. 1) conveyed from the fixing device 50 along the second sheet conveyance path R2 to the outside of the housing 101 through the opening 102, and the discharge roll 53. A gate (switching unit) 55 that switches the transport destination of the paper P and a reverse roll 57 that transports the paper P transported from the discharge roll 53 along the third paper transport path R3. Prepare. The reversing mechanism 500 includes a sensor Sr that detects that the sheet P has passed through the fixing device 50, and a binding unit 60 that performs a binding process on a sheet bundle that is a bundle of sheets P that are aligned as will be described later. .

  The discharge roll 53 is provided between the fixing device 50 and the opening 102 in the second paper transport path R2. The discharge roll 53 includes a pair of roll-shaped members, and rotates in the forward direction (see arrow D1) or the reverse direction (see arrow D2). In the illustrated example, each of the pair of roll-shaped members constituting the discharge roll 53 includes a rotation shaft 53a and a contact portion 53b that is provided around the rotation shaft 53a and contacts the paper P. A plurality of the contact portions 53b are provided apart from each other in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 53a (see FIG. 3C described later).

  The gate 55 is provided at a branch portion where the third paper transport path R3 branches from the second paper transport path R2. The gate 55 is provided so as to be swingable (rotatable) about a predetermined axis. The gate 55 has one end on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the sheet P conveyed from the fixing device 50 and the other end on the downstream side. The gate 55 rotates around one end located on the upstream side to protrude from the second paper transport path R2 (see the first state indicated by the solid line in the figure) and the second paper transport path R2. It is displaced between the states (see the second state indicated by the broken line in the figure).

  Here, when the gate 55 is in the first state, the sheet P conveyed from the fixing device 50 is in a state where it can be conveyed to the discharge roll 53. Further, when the gate 55 is in the first state, the paper P once transported to the reversing roll 57 is in a state where it can be transported from the reversing roll 57 to the discharge roll 53. On the other hand, when the gate 55 is in the second state, the sheet P transported to the discharge roll 53 can be transported from the discharge roll 53 to the reverse roll 57.

  The reverse roll 57 is provided on the side opposite to the discharge roll 53 with respect to the gate 55 in the third paper transport path R3. The reversing roll 57 includes a pair of roll-shaped members, and rotates in the forward direction (see arrow D3) or the reverse direction (see arrow D4). In the illustrated example, each of the pair of roll-shaped members constituting the reversing roll 57 includes a rotation shaft 57a and a contact portion 57b that is provided around the rotation shaft 57a and contacts the paper P. A plurality of the contact portions 57b are provided apart from each other in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 57a (see FIG. 3C described later).

In the illustrated example, the sensor Sr is provided between the fixing device 50 and the gate 55 in the second paper transport path R2. Note that the sensor Sr, the reversing roll 57, and the control unit 80 can be regarded as aligning means.
In the illustrated example, the binding unit (binding means) 60 is provided on the side opposite to the discharge roll 53 with respect to the reverse roll 57 in the third paper transport path R3. The binding unit 60 performs a binding process on the sheet bundle without using staples (described later).

<Binding unit 60>
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the binding unit 60. More specifically, FIG. 3A shows a schematic configuration of the binding unit 60, and FIG. 3B shows an end portion of the sheet bundle whose end portion is processed by the binding unit 60, and FIG. ) Shows a schematic configuration of the binding unit 60 and its periphery as seen from the direction IIIc in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the binding unit 60 is close to each other so that the pressing unit 62 that supplies pressure to process the end portion of the paper P and the pressure from the pressing unit 62 receive the paper. And a forming portion 63 for forming embossed marks on the paper P so as to bind the bundle.

The pressing part 62 includes a first pressing part 62a and a second pressing part 62b. The first pressing portion 62a is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the second pressing portion 62b by a motor (not shown) (see the arrow in FIG. 3 (a)), and between the first pressing portion 62a and the second pressing portion 62b. It is configured to apply pressure to the paper P disposed therebetween.
The forming part 63 has a convex part 63a and a receiving part 63b. In the illustrated example, the convex portion 63a is provided in the first pressing portion 62a, and the receiving portion 63b is provided in the second pressing portion 62b, and the convex portion 63a and the receiving portion 63b are disposed between the sheets P. Is processed.

  Here, the convex part 63a and the receiving part 63b are provided with irregularities on the surfaces facing each other. Furthermore, the surface of the convex portion 63a provided with the concave and convex portions and the surface of the receiving portion 63b provided with the concave and convex portions are substantially parallel, and the convex portion of the convex portion 63a and the concave portion of the receiving portion 63b. It arrange | positions so that it may mesh with the location. Then, the paper P is processed by receiving the pressure by the pressing portion 62 and engaging the convex portion 63a and the receiving portion 63b.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the processed portion of the paper P becomes an embossed mark (deformed portion) 61 corresponding to the shape of the convex portion 63a and the receiving portion 63b. With this emboss mark 61, the sheet bundle is bound without using a staple. It should be noted that the embossed trace 61 can be regarded as a portion where a part of the sheet bundle is deformed and the deformed portions of each sheet P constituting the sheet bundle are engaged with each other.

Now, as shown in FIG. 3C, the embossed trace 61 formed by the forming unit 63 is generated when the sheet bundle is conveyed along the third sheet conveying path R3. It passes through a position where it does not come into contact with the contact portion 57b of the reversing roll 57. More specifically, the region C1 through which the embossed trace 61 formed in the sheet bundle passes is in contact with the discharge roll 53 in a direction (horizontal direction in the drawing) intersecting with the sheet bundle conveyance direction in the third sheet conveyance path R3. It does not overlap with the contact portion 57b of the portion 53b and the reverse roll 57.
As a result, the embossed trace 61 formed on the sheet bundle is pressed by the contact portion 53b of the discharge roll 53 and the contact portion 57b of the reversing roll 57, so that the binding of the sheet bundle is weakened or the binding is released. Is suppressed.

  In the illustrated example, one binding unit 60 is provided in the third paper transport path R3. However, the binding unit 60 may be provided in the second paper transport path R2, or the third paper transport path R3, for example. A plurality of paths R3 and second sheet transport paths R2 may be provided. In the illustrated example, the embossed trace 61 is formed so that the longitudinal direction is along the end portion of the sheet bundle. For example, the forming unit 63 is configured to apply the binding process obliquely to the end portion of the sheet bundle. The binding unit 60 may include a mechanism for changing the angle.

  Further, since the binding unit 60 performs the binding process without using the staples, the operation for replenishing the staples is not required, and the frequency of maintenance is reduced as compared with the case where the staples are used. Therefore, when the binding unit 60 is used, the necessity of securing a work space for maintenance is reduced, and the degree of freedom in layout is increased. Further, the binding unit 60 can be operated with more energy saving as compared with a case where a staple is used, for example.

<Reversing operation of the reversing mechanism 500>
Next, returning to FIG. 2 again, an operation in which the reversing mechanism 500 reverses the paper P will be described.
First, when the paper P is transported from the fixing device 50 along the second paper transport path R2, the fixing device 50 rotates in the forward direction (see arrow D1), and the gate 55 is in the first state (solid line in the figure). In other words, it is in a state of being retracted from the second paper transport path R2. As a result, the sheet P conveyed from the fixing device 50 is conveyed to the discharge roll 53.
Next, after the rear end of the sheet P conveyed to the discharge roll 53 passes through the gate 55, the gate 55 protrudes into the second state (see the gate 55 indicated by a broken line in the drawing), that is, the second sheet conveyance path R2. It becomes a state. As a result, the paper P delivered to the discharge roll 53 can be conveyed to the reverse roll 57.

  Next, the discharge roll 53 starts reverse rotation, that is, starts rotating in the reverse direction (see arrow D2), and the reversing roll 57 starts rotating in the forward direction (see arrow D3). As a result, the paper P is drawn into the third paper transport path R3. At this time, the leading edge and the trailing edge of the paper P in the transport direction are switched. Then, the sheet P is conveyed again toward the secondary transfer device 30 (see FIG. 1) by further rotating the reverse roll 57 in the forward direction (see arrow D3).

  In the illustrated example, the operation timing of each device and each unit constituting the image forming apparatus 100 is the number of steps that have elapsed since the control unit 80 (see FIG. 1) detected the leading edge of the paper P by the sensor Sr. And each device and each component constituting each image forming apparatus 100 are operated at a predetermined number of steps.

<Paper Bundle Forming Operation of Reversing Mechanism 500>
The reversing mechanism 500 according to the present embodiment has a function of forming a sheet bundle subjected to the binding process by using a branch of the conveyance path of the sheet P. Hereinafter, the operation of forming the sheet bundle of the reversing mechanism 500 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the reversing mechanism 500 for forming a sheet bundle.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the first sheet P1 is conveyed from the fixing device 50 along the second sheet conveyance path R2, the gate 55 is in the first state, and the discharge roll 53 is It is rotating in the forward direction (see arrow D1). Then, the first sheet P1 conveyed by the fixing device 50 is conveyed to the discharge roll 53 while passing through the sensor Sr.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, after the rear end of the first sheet P1 conveyed to the discharge roll 53 passes through the gate 55, the gate 55 enters the second state. Further, the discharge roll 53 starts to rotate in the reverse direction (see arrow D2), and the reverse roll 57 starts to rotate in the forward direction (see arrow D3). As a result, the first sheet P1 is drawn into the third sheet transport path R3.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, after the rear end of the first paper P1 drawn into the third paper transport path R3 passes through the gate 55, the gate 55 is in the first state. Further, the second sheet (other sheet) P2 is conveyed from the fixing device 50 following the first sheet P1. The second paper P2 is detected by the sensor Sr, whereby the conveyance timing of the second paper P2 is recognized.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4 (d), the discharge roll 53 starts to rotate in the forward direction (see arrow D1) in synchronization with the conveyance timing of the second paper P2, and the reverse roll 57 is in the reverse direction (see FIG. 4D). The rotation to the arrow D4) is started. As a result, the first paper P1 that has been drawn into the third paper transport path R3 is transported again to the second paper transport path R2. Then, when the first paper P1 and the second paper P2 arrive at the branching portion coincide with each other (join), the first paper P1 and the second paper P2 are in a state where the respective end portions are aligned. . That is, a sheet bundle is formed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4E, after the trailing end of the sheet bundle passes through the gate 55, the gate 55 is in the second state. Further, the discharge roll 53 starts to rotate in the reverse direction (see arrow D2), and the reverse roll 57 starts to rotate in the forward direction (see arrow D3). As a result, the sheet bundle is drawn into the third sheet conveyance path R3 while maintaining the state where the ends are aligned.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4F, after the sheet bundle drawn into the third sheet conveyance path R3 is conveyed for a predetermined distance, the discharge roll 53 and the reverse roll 57 stop rotating. At this time, a region where the binding process is performed in the sheet bundle is a position facing the forming unit 63 (see FIG. 3) of the binding unit 60. Then, a binding process is performed by the binding unit 60, and an emboss mark 61 (see FIG. 4G described later) is formed on the sheet bundle.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4G, the gate 55 is in the first state, the discharge roll 53 starts rotating in the forward direction (see arrow D1), and the reverse roll 57 is in the reverse direction (see arrow D4). ) Start to rotate. As a result, the sheet bundle is conveyed to the second sheet conveyance path R2, and is discharged to the outside of the housing 101 (see FIG. 1) through the opening 102 (see FIG. 1).

Here, it has been described that the sheet bundle is formed using the two sheets P (the first sheet P1 and the second sheet P2). However, the number of sheets P constituting the sheet bundle is three or more. Of course it is good. When aligning three or more sheets P as a bundle of sheets, each time a new sheet P is conveyed, the above-described FIG.
In the present embodiment, it is preferable to form a sheet bundle made up of, for example, five or less sheets P, and more preferably form a sheet bundle made up of three or less sheets P. When the number of sheets is five or less, the disturbance of the edge of the sheet bundle subjected to the binding process is further suppressed, and when the number of sheets is three or less, the disturbance of the edge of the sheet bundle subjected to the binding process is further suppressed. Is done.

  In the present embodiment, it has been described that the sheet bundle is formed using the third sheet conveying path R3 connected to the first sheet conveying path R1, but the third sheet conveying path R3 is the second sheet. As long as it branches off from the conveyance path R2, it does not need to be connected to the first sheet conveyance path R1. Here, for example, unlike the illustrated example, one end of the third paper transport path R3 is connected between the fixing device 50 and the gate 55 in the second paper transport path R2 instead of the first paper transport path R1. It may be. In this case, by rotating the reversing roll 57 in the forward direction (see arrow D3) without rotating in the reverse direction, the paper P retracted in the third paper transport path R3 is transported to the second paper transport path R2. The

  As described above, in the present embodiment, it is not necessary to align the sheets while abutting the sheets, and the edges of the sheets P are overlapped while aligning using the branch of the conveyance path of the sheets P. More specifically, in the present embodiment, the reversing mechanism 500 for reversing the paper P in order to form images on both sides of the paper P is used, and when performing simple reversal conveyance, each paper P is loaded. A plurality of sheets of paper P are aligned and bound on the transport path. At this time, the ends of the plurality of sheets P are aligned without being shifted.

Further, as described above, in the present embodiment, the binding unit 60 forms the embossed trace 61 so that the binding process is performed without using a staple. Therefore, it is conceivable that the embossed trace 61 is used as a binding process that makes it possible to release the binding of the sheet bundle more easily than in the case where the staple needle is used.
Here, as a case where it is preferable to easily release the bound sheet bundle, for example, a case where a so-called temporary fixing based on the assumption that the bound portion is opened, such as a test problem formed in a booklet shape, is given. It is done. It should be noted that when temporary fixing is performed, it is assumed that the sheet bundle is not strictly aligned.

<Modification 1>
Next, a modification of the present embodiment will be described.
First, in the above-described embodiment described with reference to FIG. 4, the rear end of the first sheet P1 drawn into the third sheet conveyance path R3 passes through the gate 55 as shown in FIG. In the above description, the gate 55 is switched from the second state to the first state. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A modification of the above-described embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the reversing mechanism 500 in the modification.

  First, the discharge roll 53 of the reversing mechanism 500 shown in FIG. 5 has an upper roll-shaped member 53c and a lower roll-shaped member 53d, and a separation mechanism (for separating the upper roll-shaped member 53c from the lower roll-shaped member 53d). (Not shown). This separation mechanism is configured by existing technology such as a motor and a cam. The upper roll member 53c of the discharge roll 53 moves in the direction of arrow D5 by the separation mechanism and approaches the lower roll member 53d (see the first position shown by the solid line in the figure), and moves in the direction of arrow D6 and moves downward. Separated from the roll-shaped member 53d (see the second position indicated by a broken line in the figure).

  First, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the first sheet P1 is conveyed from the fixing device 50 along the second sheet conveyance path R2, the gate 55 is in the first state. Further, the discharge roll 53 rotates in the forward direction (see arrow D1), and the upper roll-shaped member 53c of the discharge roll 53 is disposed at the first position (see the solid line in the figure). Then, the first sheet P1 conveyed by the fixing device 50 is conveyed to the discharge roll 53 while passing through the sensor Sr.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, after the rear end of the first sheet P <b> 1 conveyed to the discharge roll 53 passes through the gate 55, the gate 55 enters the second state. Further, the discharge roll 53 starts to rotate in the reverse direction (see arrow D2), and the reverse roll 57 starts to rotate in the forward direction (see arrow D3). As a result, the first sheet P1 is drawn into the third sheet transport path R3.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, after the leading edge of the first paper P1 drawn into the third paper transport path R3 is held by the reverse roll 57, the gate 55 is in the first state, The upper roll member 53c of the discharge roll 53 moves in the direction of the arrow D6 and is disposed at the second position. Then, the reverse roll 57 stops rotating after transporting the first paper P1 by a predetermined distance on the third paper transport path R3. At this time, as shown in the figure, the first paper P1 is in a state where the third paper transport path R3 straddles the branching portion branched from the second paper transport path R2.

  Then, following the first sheet P1, the second sheet P2 is conveyed from the fixing device 50. The second sheet P2 is conveyed toward the discharge roll 53 while being conveyed so as to rub on the surface of the first sheet P1 disposed so as to straddle the branching portion. The second paper P2 is detected by the sensor Sr, whereby the conveyance timing of the second paper P2 is recognized.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5D, the discharge roll 53 starts to rotate in the forward direction (see arrow D1) in accordance with the conveyance timing of the second paper P2, and the upper roll shape of the discharge roll 53 The member 53c moves in the direction of arrow D5 and is disposed at the first position. Further, the reversing roll 57 starts to rotate in the reverse direction (see arrow D4) in accordance with the transport timing of the second paper P2. As a result, the first paper P1 partially drawn into the third paper transport path R3 is aligned with the second paper P2.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5E, the gate 55 enters the second state after the rear end of the bundle of sheets constituted by the aligned first sheet P1 and second sheet P2 passes through the gate 55. . Further, the discharge roll 53 starts to rotate in the reverse direction (see arrow D2), and the reverse roll 57 starts to rotate in the forward direction (see arrow D3). As a result, the sheet bundle is drawn into the third sheet conveyance path R3 in an aligned state.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5F, after the sheet bundle drawn into the third sheet conveyance path R3 is conveyed for a predetermined distance, the discharge roll 53 and the reverse roll 57 stop rotating. At this time, the area where the binding process is performed in the conveyed sheet bundle is a position facing the forming unit 63 (see FIG. 3) of the binding unit 60. Then, a binding process is performed by the binding unit 60 to form an emboss mark 61 (see FIG. 5G described later) on the sheet bundle.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5G, the gate 55 is in the first state, the discharge roll 53 starts rotating in the forward direction (see arrow D1), and the reverse roll 57 is in the reverse direction (see arrow D4). ) Start to rotate. As a result, the sheet bundle is conveyed to the second sheet conveyance path R2, and is discharged to the outside of the housing 101 (see FIG. 1) through the opening 102 (see FIG. 1).

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, compared with the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, for example, as shown in FIG. 5C, the amount of the first paper P1 drawn into the third paper transport path R3 is set. Can be shorter. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5C, the gate 55 is switched from the second state to the first state at a timing earlier than that in FIG. Can do.

<Modification 2>
Now, as described with reference to FIG. 3, in the above-described embodiment, the binding process is performed on the sheet bundle by forming the embossed trace 61. However, the present invention is not limited to the mode shown in FIG. 3 as long as a part of the sheet bundle is deformed to form a portion where the deformed portions of each sheet P constituting the sheet bundle are engaged with each other.
A modification of the binding process will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a modification of the binding process.

  First, in the modified example of the binding process shown in FIG. 6A, a concave portion is formed on one surface (upper surface in the drawing) of the sheet bundle, instead of the embossed trace 61 provided with the unevenness as shown in FIG. At the same time, the sheet bundle is bound by an emboss mark 611 formed by a convex portion on the opposite surface. The bottom of the recess and the top of the projection in the illustrated example are flat so that an image formed on the paper P constituting the paper bundle can be easily recognized.

  In the modification of the binding process shown in FIG. 6B, the sheet bundle is bound by a notch 612 having an arrow shape in a part of the sheet bundle. This notch 612 is punched out so that the end on the handle side is continuous with the paper P. The notch 612 is raised, and the bundle of sheets is held by engaging the raised notch 612 with the punched hole.

Further, in the modification example of the binding process illustrated in FIG. 6C, the sheet bundle is formed by the binding unit 613 including the slit 621 and a tongue 622 from which the sheet bundle is punched out while leaving one end. It is bound.
Hereinafter, the binding unit 600 that forms the binding portion 613 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the binding unit 600.

As illustrated in FIG. 7A, the binding unit 600 includes a base 601 and a base 603 that are arranged to face each other.
The base 601 is provided with a bottom member 602 so that the paper P can be sandwiched between the base 601 and the base 601. Further, the base 601 has a protrusion 606 that extends toward the base 603 and is formed integrally with the base 601.

The base 603 includes a blade 604 that forms a slit 621 in the sheet bundle, and a punching member 605 that forms a tongue 622 in the sheet bundle and inserts into the slit 621.
The blade 604 is made of a plate-like member, has an eye hole 604a on a substantially rectangular surface, and further has a tip portion 604b having a width smaller than the base.

  The punching member 605 is a member having an L-shaped bent portion. One end portion of the punching member 605 is a main portion 605a, and the other end portion is a sub portion 605b. The punching member 605 has a main part rotation shaft 605r provided at the bent part, and is rotatable. Here, the main portion 605 a has a blade portion 605 c that punches out the shape of the tongue portion 622 on the side facing the base 601. The blade portion 605c is configured such that no blade is formed on the side facing the blade 604, and one end of the tongue portion 622 is continuous with the sheet bundle.

Now, the operation of performing the binding process by the binding unit 600 is as follows.
First, the base 603 approaches the base 601 by a driving mechanism (not shown) (see the direction F1 in FIG. 7A), and the tip 604b of the blade 604 and the blade 605c of the punching member 605 penetrate the sheet bundle. To do. In the sheet bundle, as shown in FIG. 7B, a slit 621 and a tongue 622 are formed.

  When the base portion 603 is further brought closer to the base 601, the sub-portion 605 b of the punching member 605 hits the protruding portion 606, and the punching member 605 rotates around the main portion rotation shaft 605 r. Thereby, the main part 605a pushes the tongue part 622 toward the eye hole 604a of the bending blade 604 (refer to the F2 direction in FIG. 7C).

  When the base 603 is separated from the base 601 (see the direction F3 in FIG. 7C), the tongue 622 is raised while being hooked on the eye hole 604a of the blade 604. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6C, the tip of the tongue 622 is inserted into the slit 621 to form a binding portion 613.

<Modification 3>
Now, as described with reference to FIG. 1, in the above-described embodiment, the mode in which the sheet bundle is formed using the reversing mechanism 500 of the image forming apparatus 100 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. A modification of the above-described embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a modification in which the relay device 200 includes the reversing mechanism 500.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, for example, the relay device 200 may include the reversing mechanism 500 described above. In the illustrated example, the relay apparatus 200 receives the paper P output from the image forming apparatus 100. Further, the relay apparatus 200 includes a binding device 310 that performs binding processing (post-processing) on the received paper P, and a stacking unit 70 that stacks the paper P that has been subjected to binding processing by the binding device 310. Transfer to the processing device 300.
The relay apparatus 200 includes a receiving roll (receiving unit) 205 that receives the paper P output from the opening 102 of the image forming apparatus 100, and a paper P that is not conveyed to the post-processing apparatus 300 among the paper P received by the receiving roll 205. It has a stacking unit 210 for loading, and a control unit 220 for controlling each device constituting the relay device 200 and the operation of each unit.

  The relay apparatus 200 branches from the fourth sheet transport path (transport path) R4 and the fourth sheet transport path R4 through which the sheet P output from the image forming apparatus 100 is transported toward the post-processing apparatus 300 and the sheet. A fifth paper transport path R5 through which P is transported toward the stacking unit 210 is provided. A reversing mechanism 500 is provided at a branch portion where the fifth paper transport path R5 branches from the fourth paper transport path R4. The reversing mechanism 500 aligns the ends of the paper P while drawing the paper P into the fourth paper transport path R4 to form a paper bundle.

In the illustrated example, the sheet bundle formed by the reversing mechanism 500 of the relay device 200 is not transported to the stacking unit 70 of the post-processing device 300 but is transported to the stacking unit 210 of the relay device 200.
In the illustrated example, the control unit 220 controls each device constituting the relay apparatus 200 and the operation timing of each unit to form a sheet bundle. For example, the control unit 80 provided in the image forming apparatus 100 includes You may control.
Note that the post-processing device 300 may include the reversing mechanism 500.

<Modification 4>
In the above-described embodiment, the mode in which the image forming apparatus 100 or the relay apparatus 200 includes the reversing mechanism 500 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. With reference to FIG. 9, a modification of the above-described embodiment will be further described. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a modification in which the image forming apparatus 100 includes a reversing mechanism 500 other than the binding unit 60 and the relay apparatus 200 includes the binding unit 60.

  The members constituting the reversing mechanism 500 do not need to be in the same apparatus, and may be provided in separate apparatuses. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the image forming apparatus 100 may include a reversing mechanism 500 other than the binding unit 60, and the relay apparatus 200 may include the binding unit 60. In addition, in the modification shown in FIG. 9, it can be understood that the reversing mechanism 500 is provided across the image forming apparatus 100 and the relay apparatus 200.

  In the illustrated example, the post-processing device 300 includes a binding device 310 that performs binding processing on the paper P, a stacking unit 70 that stacks the paper P that has been subjected to binding processing by the binding device 310, the image forming apparatus 100, and a relay. A sixth sheet transport path R6 that transports the sheet bundle formed by the reversing mechanism 500 across the apparatus 200 and another stacking unit 75 that stacks the sheet bundle transported from the sixth sheet transport path R6 are provided. Then, the sheet bundle formed by the reversing mechanism 500 is transported to and stacked on another stacking unit 75.

  Here, unlike the illustrated example, the image forming apparatus 100 may include a reversing mechanism 500 other than the binding unit 60, the post-processing apparatus 300 may include the binding unit 60, and the relay apparatus 200 may include the binding unit. The reversing mechanism 500 other than 60 may be provided, and the post-processing device 300 may include the binding unit 60.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Image forming unit, 30 ... Secondary transfer device, 50 ... Fixing device, 53 ... Discharge roll, 55 ... Gate, 57 ... Reversing roll, 60 ... Binding unit, 100 ... Image forming device, 200 ... Relay device, 300 ... Post-processing device, 500 ... reversing mechanism, P ... paper, R1 ... first paper transport path, R2 ... second paper transport path, R3 ... third paper transport path, Sr ... sensor

Claims (8)

A first transport path for transporting paper;
A second conveyance path that is branched from the first conveyance path and conveys paper from the first conveyance path;
By transporting the paper transported from the first transport path to the second transport path from the second transport path to the first transport path in accordance with other paper transported through the first transport path. Aligning means for aligning paper,
A part of the sheet bundle is deformed with respect to the sheet bundle which is conveyed from the first conveyance path to the second conveyance path after being aligned by the aligning means and the leading edge and the trailing edge of the sheet are not abutted against each other. An image forming apparatus comprising: a binding unit that binds the sheet bundle by engaging the deformed portions of each sheet of the sheet bundle. An image forming unit for forming an image on paper;
The first conveyance path conveys a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second transport path transports the sheet on which the image transported from the first transport path is formed to the image forming unit.   The aligning means transports the paper in the forward direction from the first transport path to the second transport path, and transports the paper in the direction opposite to the forward direction from the second transport path to the first transport. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a conveyance unit configured to convey the sheet to the path.   2. The aligning means aligns each end of the sheet by matching the time when each sheet arrives at a branch portion where the second conveyance path branches from the first conveyance path. Image forming apparatus.   In the first conveyance path and the second conveyance path, a conveyance body that conveys the sheet bundle while contacting a portion other than the deformed portion of the sheet bundle formed by the binding unit is provided. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the aligning unit aligns sheets without abutting a leading edge and a trailing edge of the sheets. A receiving portion for receiving paper conveyed from the image forming apparatus;
A transport path for transporting the paper received by the receiving portion and discharging it to another device;
Aligning means for aligning the paper by merging the paper retracted from the transport path with other paper transported through the transport path;
Deform a part of the sheet bundle with respect to the sheet bundle that is retracted from the conveyance path after being aligned by the aligning means and the leading edge and the trailing edge of the sheet are not abutted against each other. A relay device comprising: a binding unit that binds a bundle of sheets by engaging each other.   The relay apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a stacking unit that stacks a bundle of sheets bound by the binding unit.

Images