JP6045065B2 - Sheet cutting and collating equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention cuts a plurality of sheets each having a plurality of page surfaces impositioned and printed in the vertical and horizontal directions in the page order, and divides them into a plurality of sub-sheets each having one page surface, The present invention relates to a sheet cutting and collating apparatus that accumulates the sub-sheets in a collated state.

  Conventionally, a booklet is manufactured by, for example, forming a necessary number of sets of a full-sheet size sheet for one booklet in which a plurality of page surfaces are imprinted in the vertical and horizontal directions in the order of pages, and then each sheet is folded using a folding machine. Folded into the same type of signatures, set them on the corresponding paper feed shelves of the saddle stitching machine, and then supply the signatures one by one from each paper feed shelf to the collating mechanism. Each time the signatures are overlapped in page order, each time a bundle of sheets for one booklet is formed, the bundle of sheets is saddle-stitched and then the saddle-stitched sheet bundle is folded to a predetermined size by a three-way cutter. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  However, according to this booklet manufacturing method, the signature forming process using the folding machine and the saddle stitching process using the saddle stitching machine are divided, so that the production efficiency is not good.

  In addition, in the prior art, instead of the above method, a set of sheets of a full paper size for one booklet in which a plurality of pages are impositioned and printed in the vertical and horizontal directions in page order is formed, and the same type A sheet laminate is formed for each sheet, each sheet stack is cut into pages using a cutting machine, and divided into a plurality of sub-sheet stacks each having a different page surface. After loading the collating machine in the page order in the collating machine, the sub sheet is collated using the collating machine to sequentially form a sub sheet set for one book, and the sub sheet set is used as a subsequent bookbinding. There was a method of manufacturing a booklet by sending it to the process (for example, see Patent Document 2).

  However, according to this method, the cutting process of a laminate of sheets of full paper size is separated from the collating process by the collating machine and the subsequent bookbinding process. Was not good.

JP 2010-208857 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-21865

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of continuously and at high speed forming a sheet bundle in a booklet state collated from a set of imposition printed sheets.

In order to solve the above-described problems, according to the present invention, a sheet is sequentially fed one by one from a sheet stack formed by stacking a plurality of sheets whose pages are imprinted in the vertical and horizontal directions in page order. And the sheet supplied from the sheet feeding unit are cut in the first direction while being conveyed in a first direction along the arrangement of the page surfaces of the sheets, and the page surfaces are in the first direction in page order. A first cutting section that divides into a plurality of strip-shaped sheet portions arranged in a row; and a sheet that is cut from the first cutting section, and receives the strip-shaped sheet portions one by one. A first direction changing portion that sends out in a second direction perpendicular to the direction, and a strip-shaped sheet portion received from the first direction changing portion in the second direction while being conveyed in the second direction. Cutting and arranging in a direction perpendicular to the second direction Each of the plurality of sub-sheets is divided into a plurality of sub-sheets, and when the strip-shaped sheet portion includes a blank page surface, the sub-sheet having a blank page surface is transported among the plurality of sub-sheets. A second cutting section to be removed from the path; a second direction changing section that sequentially feeds a sub-sheet each time a sub-sheet is received from the second cutting section; and the second direction. A stack unit that sequentially stacks the sub-sheets received from the conversion unit one by one, and forms a stack of sub-sheet sets for one booklet that has been collated, and the second cutting unit includes: A frame having a conveyance path extending in a second direction; a conveyance unit attached to the frame; sequentially receiving strip-shaped sheet portions from the first direction changing section; A sheet cutting unit that is positioned upstream of the conveyance path and cuts a strip-shaped sheet portion that is conveyed on the conveyance path; and a downstream side of the sheet cutting unit that is attached to the frame A sub-sheet sorting unit that is disposed below the transport path and removes the sub-sheet having the blank page surface from the transport path, and the sub-sheet sorting unit is fixed to the frame, and the transport path A slide guide member extending across the conveyance path at a right angle below, a carriage positioned below the conveyance path and slidably attached to the slide guide member, and below the conveyance path, the carriage A carrier that is attached to a frame and / or the slide guide member and slides the carriage. A wedge drive mechanism, arranged in a row across the transport path, and attached to the carriage so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the transport path, independently of each other, the transport path A retreat position that tilts downward, and a pair of flaps that rise from the retreat position and take a capture position that protrudes on the transport path at an acute angle toward the upstream side of the transport path, and The sub-sheet that has collided with the flap at the capture position is guided by the flap and discharged downward from the conveyance path, and the sub-sheet sorting unit further includes the frame or the slide guide member. Or a flap drive mechanism provided on the carriage and configured to rotate the pair of flaps independently of each other; and the carriage drive mechanism and the frame A control unit that controls the operation of the sheet drive mechanism, and a sensor that is disposed between the sheet cutting unit and the sub-sheet sorting unit and detects passage of the sub-sheet arrangement, and the control unit includes the sheet feeding unit. Before starting the sheet feeding operation, the printer receives initial information about the size of the sheets and sub-sheets and the number of pages of one strip-shaped sheet portion from the preceding printing apparatus, and feeds the sheet by the sheet feeding unit. In each operation, sheet information on whether or not a sheet to be fed includes a blank page and the position of the blank page on the sheet is received from the printing apparatus, and based on the initial information and the sheet information. Determines whether each strip-shaped sheet portion to be formed from the fed sheet includes a blank page surface, and blanks a strip-shaped sheet portion partially including a blank page surface Calculates a boundary position between the surface and the other page surface, wherein the control unit further, when receiving a detection signal from said sensor,
(1) If the sub-sheet having a blank page is not included in the detected sub-sheet arrangement, the sub-sheet sorting unit is not operated,
(2) When all the sub-sheets in the detected arrangement of sub-sheets have a blank page surface, the carriage driving mechanism of the sub-sheet sorting unit is operated so that each sub-sheet is one of the pair of flaps. The sub-sheet sorting unit is moved to a position where it collides with the sheet, and the flap drive mechanism is operated to simultaneously rotate the pair of flaps from the retracted position to the capture position, thereby transferring all the sub-sheets to the conveyance path. After removing from the, again rotate from the capture position to the retracted position,
(3) If some of the sub-sheets in the detected arrangement of sub-sheets have a blank page surface, the carriage drive mechanism of the sub-sheet sorting unit is operated so that a sub-sheet having a blank page surface and a blank page surface other than The sub-sheet separation unit is moved so that the boundary between the pair of flaps coincides with the boundary position with the sub-sheet having the page surface, and the flap driving mechanism is operated to correspond to the partial sub-sheet. The flap is rotated from the retracted position to the capture position, and after removing all the partial sub-sheets from the conveyance path, the flap is rotated again from the capture position to the retracted position. A sheet cutting and collating apparatus is provided.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the slide guide member of the sub-sheet sorting unit includes a stay that is fixed to the frame below the transport path and extends across the transport path at a right angle. The slide guide member has a rectangular cross section and is arranged so that the pair of opposed surfaces extend in the vertical direction, and the slide guide member is further a surface directed to the upstream side of the conveyance path among the pair of opposed surfaces of the stay And a guide rail extending in the length direction of the stay, the carriage of the sub-sheet sorting unit is slidably attached to the guide rail of the slide guide member, and the guide rail of the stay is A plate-like vertical portion extending parallel to the fixed surface, the vertical portion extending upward beyond the stay; The carriage further includes a plate-like inclined portion that is connected to the upper end edge of the vertical portion and extends obliquely upward from the vertical portion to the upstream side of the conveyance path, and the leading edge of the inclined portion is the conveyance edge The carriage driving mechanism of the sub-sheet sorting unit is located at a position lower than the path, and is attached to the lower ends of both ends of the stay, extends in parallel with the conveyance path, and is capable of rotating around an axis. A shaft, a first pulley fixed to each of the pair of support shafts, a first endless belt stretched between the first pulleys, and a second pulley fixed to one of the support shafts A pulley, and a stepping motor attached to the frame and disposed below the first endless belt, wherein a driving shaft of the stepping motor extends parallel to the conveyance path, The carriage drive mechanism further includes a third pulley fixed to the drive shaft of the motor, and a second endless belt stretched between the second and third pulleys, The carriage is attached to the endless belt, and the carriage is slid by the revolving motion of the first and second endless belts driven by the motor, and the pair of sub-sheet sorting units Each of the flaps has a rectangular flat plate-shaped first portion, a rectangular flat plate-shaped second portion connected to one side edge of the first portion and extending at right angles to the first portion, and the first And a third portion extending at a right angle to and between the first and second portions at both ends of the second portion and the pair of flaps, Arranged in a line along the upper end of the inclined portion of the ridge, and attached to the inclined portion of the carriage by the pivot pin in each of the third portions, and is rotatable around the pivot pin. In each case, the first portion takes the retreat position where the first portion tilts toward the upstream side with respect to the transport path below the transport path, and the vertical portion of the carriage. A slit is formed in a length direction of the carriage in a region corresponding to the second portion of each of the pair of flaps, and the slit has a length corresponding to a moving distance of the carriage. The flap drive mechanism of the sub-sheet separation unit is attached to a surface of the stay opposite to the surface on which the guide rail is fixed, and Is disposed to face the slit, and advances through the slit toward the corresponding second portion of the flap, pushes the second portion to rotate the flap from the retracted position, and A first position in which the first portion takes an acute angle toward the upstream side with respect to the transport path and takes the capture position projecting on the transport path; and retracting backward from the first position; It consists of a pair of linear actuators which have an action element which takes the 2nd position rotated from the capture position to the retreat position.

According to the present invention, the sheet feeding unit sequentially supplies sheets one by one from a sheet stack formed by stacking a plurality of sheets on which page surfaces of one booklet or two or more identical booklets are imprinted. The first cutting unit cuts the sheet along the direction while being conveyed in the first direction along the arrangement of the page surfaces, and each of the page surfaces is arranged in a line in the first direction in the order of the pages. It is divided into strip-shaped sheet portions. Next, the first direction changing portion feeds the strip-shaped sheet portions one by one in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the second cutting portion causes the strip-shaped sheet portions to be second. The sheet is cut along the direction while being conveyed in the direction of, and is divided into a plurality of sub-sheets arranged in a direction perpendicular to the second direction and each having one page surface, and by the second direction changing unit In each strip-shaped sheet portion, the sub-sheets constituting it are sequentially sent out in a direction perpendicular to the second direction, that is, in the sub-sheet arrangement direction, and the sub-sheets are sequentially fed one by one in the stack portion. By being stacked, a laminated body of a set of sub-sheets corresponding to one collated booklet is formed.
In this way, in a single process that is processed continuously and at a high speed, a sheet bundle in the form of a booklet collated from a set of imposition printed sheets can be formed, greatly improving production efficiency.

  Further, in the manufacture of booklets, in consideration of the case where a signature is formed from an imprinted sheet and bookbinding may be performed from the signature, the number of impositions is usually an even number (8 pages, 16 pages, 32 imposition). When the total number of pages of one booklet is an odd number, in a sheet having the final page surface of the booklet, one or more blank page surfaces are provided behind the final page surface so as to have a predetermined even number of pages. It has come to be added.

  According to the present invention, the control unit performs the initial information received from the preceding printing apparatus before the paper feeding operation of the paper feeding unit and the paper feeding operation of the paper feeding unit each time. Based on the sheet information received from the printing apparatus, it is determined whether each strip-shaped sheet portion to be formed from the fed sheet has a blank page surface, and a strip-shaped sheet partially including a blank page surface For the part, the boundary position between the blank page and the other page is calculated, and when the detection signal from the sensor is received, whether the sub-sheet having the blank page is included in the array of detected sub-sheets. And moving a pair of flaps of the sub-sheet sorting unit to a predetermined position according to whether or not some of the sub-sheets in the array have blank pages, and blank pages in the sub-sheet arrangement Have Removing the sheet from the conveying path. Accordingly, even when a blank page surface is added to the sheet, a sheet bundle in a collated booklet state can be formed at high speed and with certainty, and the production efficiency is greatly improved.

It is a top view which shows the whole structure of the sheet | seat cutting and collation apparatus by one Example of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the sub sheet | seat separation unit of the 2nd cutting part of the sheet | seat cutting and collation apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view of the sub-sheet sorting unit shown in FIG. 2. It is a top view which shows the specific example of the sheet | seat by which the imposition printing processed by the sheet | seat cutting and collation apparatus shown in FIG. 1 was carried out.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a sheet cutting and collating apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, the sheet cutting and collating apparatus of the present invention sequentially starts with a sheet stack P _{0 formed} by stacking a plurality of sheets S ₀ on which page surfaces are impositioned and printed in the vertical and horizontal directions in the page order. the S ₀ and a one by one and supplies feed unit 1.

  In the production of booklets, the number of impositions is usually a multiple of 8 (8-sided, 16-sided) in view of the fact that a signature may be formed from an imprinted sheet and bookbinding may be performed. For example, 32 pages, etc.). In addition, in the sheet having the final page surface of the booklet, when the number of page surfaces is less than the predetermined imposition number, one or more blank page surfaces are added after the final page surface, and the imposition including the blank page surface is performed. Printing is done so that it becomes a number.

Referring again to FIG. 1, a first cutting unit 2 is disposed at the subsequent stage of the sheet feeding unit 1, and the first cutting unit 2 converts the sheet S ₀ supplied from the sheet feeding unit 1 into the sheet S. _While transporting in a first direction parallel to the vertical or horizontal direction of ₀ (along the page surface arrangement direction), each page surface is arranged in a plurality of strips arranged in a line in the first direction in the page order. Cut.

The first direction changing unit 3 is arranged at the subsequent stage of the first cutting unit 2, and the first direction changing unit 3 receives the sheet S ₁ cut into a strip shape from the first cutting unit 2. , it sends a strip of sheet portion S ₂ in the perpendicular second direction one by one the first direction.

The second cutting unit 4 is arranged at the subsequent stage of the first direction changing unit 3, and the second cutting unit 4 converts the strip-shaped sheet portion S ₂ received from the first direction changing unit 3 to the second direction. A plurality of strip-shaped sheet portions S2 each having one page surface and arranged in a direction perpendicular to the second direction by cutting along the second direction while being conveyed in the direction of ₂ . dividing the into sub seat S _3, in addition, if there are spaces page surface a strip-shaped sheet portion S ₂ removes sub seat having a blank page face from the transport path.

The subsequent stage of the second cutting portion 4, the second deflecting portion 5,5a are arranged, the second turning part 5,5a is divided from the second cutting portion 4 into a plurality of sub-sheets S ₃ are each time it receives a strip of sheet portion S ₂ was feeds sequentially one by one a plurality of sub-sheets S ₃ in a direction perpendicular to the second direction (direction parallel to the first direction).

The subsequent stage of the second deflecting portion 5,5a, the stack unit 6 is arranged, a stack unit 6, a stack of sub seat S ₃ received from the second turning portion 5,5a sequentially one by one, A laminated body P ₁ of a set of sub-sheets S ₃ for one booklet collated is formed.
The control unit 7 controls operations of the sheet feeding unit 1, the first and second cutting units 2, 4, and the first and second direction changing units 3, 5, 5 a, and the stack unit 6.

The second cutting unit 4 sequentially receives the frame 11 having a transport path 12 extending in a second direction, it mounted to the frame 11, a seat portion S ₂ strips from the first turning portion 3, the conveying path a conveying unit for conveying along the 12 (not shown), a sheet attached to the frame 11 positioned on the upstream side of the conveying path 12, to cut the strip-shaped sheet portion S ₂ conveyed on the conveying path 12 above A cutting unit 8 and a sub-sheet separation unit 9 that is attached to the frame 11 and is disposed on the downstream side of the sheet cutting unit 8 below the conveyance path 12 and removes the sub-sheet S ₃ having a blank page surface from the conveyance path 12. It has.

The sheet cutting unit 8 is attached to the frame 11 and is spaced from each other in the conveying direction, and each of the rotating shafts extends at right angles to the conveying path 12, and the axial direction with respect to each rotating shaft. And a plurality of circular blades movably attached. Then, the control unit 7 receives the initial size regarding the size of the sheet S ₀ and the sub-sheet S ₃ and the number of page surfaces of the strip-shaped sheet portion S ₂ received from the preceding printing apparatus before the operation of the paper feeding unit 1 starts. Based on the information, each circular blade is set at a predetermined position, and the strip-shaped sheet portion S ₂ is cut into a plurality of sub-sheets S ₃ by the rotating blade while passing through the sheet cutting unit 8. It has become.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the sub-sheet sorting unit 9, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the sub-sheet sorting unit 9.
2 and 3, the sub-sheet separation unit 9 includes a slide guide member 13 that is fixed to the frame 11 and extends below the conveyance path 12 at right angles across the conveyance path.

In this embodiment, the slide guide member 13 includes a stay 14 that is fixed to the frame 11 below the transport path 12 and extends across the transport path 12 at a right angle, and the stay 14 has a rectangular cross section. The opposing surfaces 14a and 14b are arranged so as to extend in the vertical direction.
The slide guide member 13 further includes a guide rail 15 that is fixed to a surface 14a of the pair of opposing surfaces 14a and 14b of the stay 14 that faces the upstream side of the conveyance path 12 and extends in the length direction of the stay 14. Yes.

  The sub-sheet separation unit 9 is also positioned below the conveyance path 12 and is slidably attached to the slide guide member 13, and a frame or a slide guide member or both are disposed below the conveyance path 12. And a carriage drive mechanism 17 for sliding the carriage 16 is provided.

In this embodiment, the carriage 16 includes a plate-like vertical portion 16a that is slidably attached to the guide rail 15 of the slide guide member 13 and extends parallel to the surface 14a to which the guide rail 15 of the stay 14 is fixed. ing. The vertical portion 16 a extends upward beyond the stay 14.
The carriage 16 also includes a plate-like inclined portion 16b connected to the upper end edge of the vertical portion 16a and extending obliquely upward from the vertical portion 16a to the upstream side of the conveying path 12. The tip edge of the inclined portion 16 b is at a position lower than the conveyance path 12.

  In this embodiment, the carriage drive mechanism 17 is attached to the lower ends of both ends of the stay 14, extends in parallel with the conveyance path 12, and is capable of rotating about the axis, and the pair of support shafts 18. The first pulley 19 fixed to each of the first pulley 19 and the first endless belt 20 is stretched between the first pulleys 19. A second pulley 21 is fixed to one of the pair of support shafts 18.

The carriage drive mechanism 17 further includes a stepping motor 22 attached to the frame 11 and disposed below the first endless belt. The drive shaft 22 a of the stepping motor 22 extends parallel to the transport path 12.
A third pulley 23 is fixed to the drive shaft 22 a of the motor 22, and a second endless belt 24 is stretched between the second and third pulleys 21 and 23.
The carriage 16 is attached to the first endless belt 20, and the carriage 16 is slid by the turning motion of the first and second endless belts 20, 24 driven by the stepping motor 22.

  The sub-sheet separation units 9 are also arranged in a line across the conveyance path 12 and are respectively attached to the carriage 16 so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis perpendicular to the conveyance path 12. A pair of flaps 25 that take a retreat position that tilts below the transport path 12 and a capture position that stands up from the retreat position and projects on the transport path 12 at an acute angle toward the upstream side of the transport path 12; 26.

  In this embodiment, the pair of flaps 25 and 26 are connected to the first portions 25a and 26a connected to one side edge of the first portions 25a and 26a and the first portions 25a and 26a having a rectangular flat plate shape, respectively. A rectangular flat plate-like second portion 25b, 26b extending at a right angle to the first and second portions 25a, 25b; 26a, 26b at both ends of the first and second portions 25a, 25b; And third portions 25c and 26c extending at right angles to and between them.

The pair of flaps 25 and 26 are arranged in a line along the upper end of the inclined portion 16 b of the carriage 16, and the inclined portion 16 b of the carriage 16 by the pivot pin 27 in each of the third portions 25 c and 26 c. The first portions 25a and 26a are normally provided with an acute angle on the upstream side of the transport path 12 below the transport path 12, respectively. Accordingly, a retracted position that tilts is taken (the position of the flap 25 in FIGS. 3 and 4).
Further, slits 28 a and 28 b are formed in the longitudinal direction of the carriage 16 in regions corresponding to the second portions 25 b and 26 b of the pair of flaps 25 and 26 in the vertical portion 16 b of the carriage 16. The slits 28 a and 28 b have a length corresponding to the movement range of the carriage 16.

The sub-sheet separation unit 9 further includes a flap drive mechanism 29 that is provided on the frame 11, the slide guide member 13, or the carriage 16, and rotates the pair of flaps 25 and 26 independently of each other.
In this embodiment, the flap drive mechanism 29 is attached to the surface 14b of the stay 14 of the slide guide member 13 opposite to the surface 14a to which the guide rail 15 is fixed, and faces the corresponding slits 28a and 28b. Arranged, advances through the slits 28a and 28b toward the second portions 25b and 26b of the flaps 25 and 26, and pushes the second portions 25b and 26b to rotate the flaps 25 and 26 from the retracted position. Thus, the first portions 25a and 26a take a capture position (the position of the flap 26 in FIGS. 3 and 4) projecting on the transport path 12 at an acute angle toward the upstream side with respect to the transport path 12. And a pair of working elements having a second position that retracts backward from the first position and rotates the flaps 25, 26 from the capture position to the retracted position. It is made from A actuator 29.
Then, the sub-sheet S ₃ that has collided with the flap 26 at the capture position (in FIG. 2, the hatched one) is guided by the flap 26 and discharged downward from the conveyance path 12. .

  The linear actuator 29 has a housing 29a fixed to the surface 14b of the stay 14 and an intermediate portion attached to the upper portion of the housing 29a by a turning pin 29e. The surface is parallel to and perpendicular to the conveying path 12 around the turning pin 29e. And a pair of parallel first links 29b that can be turned inside, and a horizontal second link 29c that is pivotally connected to the upper end of each first link 29b. The second link 29c functions as an action element of the linear actuator 29, and includes a roller 29d at the tip.

Although not shown, an electromagnetic linear actuator having an action rod capable of reciprocating in parallel with the transport path is attached to the lower part of the housing 29a, and this action rod is connected to the lower ends of the pair of first links 29b. It is connected to the swivel.
Then, by the operation of the electromagnetic linear actuator, the second link 29c reciprocates in parallel with the transport path through the slits 28a and 28b, and takes the first and second positions. In the first position, the second portions 25b and 26b of the flaps 25 and 26 are pushed by the roller 29e.

Sub-seat fractionation unit 9 also comprises a sensor 10 for detecting passage of the sequence of the sub seat S ₃ are disposed between the sheet cutting unit 8 and the sub-sheet sorting unit 9.

Before starting the paper feeding operation of the paper feeding unit 1, the control unit 7 sends the size of the sheet S ₀ and the sub-sheet S ₃ and the strip-shaped sheet part S ₂ from the preceding printing apparatus (not shown). which receives the initial information about the page number of planes included in the time of the feeding operation the sheet feeding unit 1, in each case, whether the sheet S ₀ to be fed contains spaces page surface, and the sheet S ₀ blank page surface Sheet information relating to the upper position is received from the printing apparatus.

In this embodiment, the sheet information is composed of a signal of the number of bits corresponding to the maximum number of impositions (maximum number of page surfaces per sheet) that can be processed by the apparatus, the bit corresponding to the blank page surface is 1, and the others It is preset so that the bit corresponding to the page surface becomes zero.
Specifically, if the maximum number of impositions that can be processed by the apparatus is 32 (up to 32 divisions are possible), the sheet information is composed of a 32-bit signal, and for example, FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, when each sheet S ₀ is printed with eight pages, and when one booklet has 16 pages and no blank page is added to any sheet S ₀ (in this case, the sheet S 0). ₀ is first cut in the horizontal direction by the first cutting unit 2 (two divisions) and then cut in the vertical direction by the second cutting unit 4 (four divisions).
Sheet information of the first sheet (ID = 1): 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000
Sheet information of the second sheet (ID = 2): 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000
Sheet information of the third sheet (ID = 3): 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000
Sheet information of the fourth sheet (ID = 4): 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000
...
It becomes.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4 (B), when with each sheet S ₀ to 8 imposition printing is performed, book booklet blank page surface is added to the even-numbered sheets S ₀ consist page 10 (In this case as well, the sheet S ₀ is first cut in the horizontal direction (divided into two) by the first cutting unit 2 and then cut in the vertical direction (divided into four) by the second cutting unit 4. ), Sheet information is
Sheet information of the first sheet (ID = 1): 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000
Sheet information of the second sheet (ID = 2): 00111111 00000000 00000000 00000000
Sheet information of the third sheet (ID = 3): 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000
Sheet information of the fourth sheet (ID = 4): 00111111 00000000 00000000 00000000
...
It becomes.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 4 (A) (B), both, the control unit 7, as the initial information, the size of the sheet _{S 0} (vertical 400 mm × horizontal 480 mm) and the size of the sub seat _{S 3} (vertical 200mm × a horizontal 120 mm), and receive information between the page surface number = 4 of the strip-shaped sheet portion _{S 2.}

Next, the control unit 7, when the feeding operation the sheet feeding unit 1, in each case, whether the sheet S ₀ to be fed contains spaces page surface, and a position on the sheet S ₀ blank page surface receive sheet information from the printing apparatus, based on the initial information and the sheet information, together with the sheet S sheet portion S ₂ each strip to be formed from the ₀ to determine whether including the blank page side to be fed, part the strip-shaped sheet portion S ₂ comprising a blank page surface to calculate the boundary position between the blank page surface and the other page surface.

This will be described with reference to FIG. 4. First, the control unit 7 calculates the number of divided sheets (= number of pages per sheet) from the sizes of the sheets S ₀ and S _{3 in} the initial information. Calculate as follows.
Number of vertical divisions = 400/200 = 2
Number of horizontal divisions = 480/120 = 4
Number of sheet divisions = 2 × 4 = 8

Next, the control unit 7 receives only the first 8 bits of the 32-bit signal received every start of the sheet feeding operation as sheet information based on the number of page surfaces per sheet = 8 obtained above. Further, based on the number of page surfaces (= 4) of the strip-shaped sheet portion which is the initial information, the control unit 7 converts the upper 4 bits of the 8-bit sheet information into the sheet S ₀ by the first cutting unit 2. as the first sheet information on a strip-shaped sheet portion S ₂ after transverse divided into two, the low-order 4 bits, a second strip-shaped sheet after lateral bisected sheet S ₀ according to the first cutting portion 2 used as the sheet information relating to portions _{S 2.}

Now, for all of the sheet _{S 0,}
Sheet information of the first strip-shaped sheet portion: 0000
Sheet information of the second strip-shaped sheet portion: 0000
Since it is, the control unit 7, when the feeding operation the sheet feeding unit 1, in each case, the first and second to be formed from the sheet S ₀ to be fed in the strip-shaped sheet portion S ₂ It is determined that none of the blank pages are included.

In the case shown in FIG. 4B, the control unit 7 calculates the number of pages per sheet = 8 from the sizes of the sheets S ₀ and S ₃ , and based on this calculated value, the sheet feeding operation Only the first 8 bits of the 32-bit signal received at the start of each are received as sheet information. Further, based on the number of page surfaces (= 4) of the strip-shaped sheet portion which is the initial information, the control unit 7 converts the upper 4 bits of the 8-bit sheet information into the sheet S ₀ by the first cutting unit 2. as the first sheet information on a strip-shaped sheet portion S ₂ after transverse divided into two, the low-order 4 bits, a second strip-shaped sheet after lateral bisected sheet S ₀ according to the first cutting portion 2 used as the sheet information relating to portions _{S 2.}

Now, for odd-numbered sheets (ID = 1, 3,...)
Sheet information of the first strip-shaped sheet portion: 0000
Sheet information of the second strip-shaped sheet portion: 0000
Since it is, the control unit 7, when the feeding operation the sheet feeding unit 1, in each case, the first and second to be formed from the sheet S ₀ to be fed in the strip-shaped sheet portion S ₂ It is determined that none of the blank pages are included.
For even-numbered sheets (ID = 2, 4,...)
Sheet information of the first strip-shaped sheet portion: 0011
Sheet information of the second strip-shaped sheet portion: 1111
Therefore, each time the sheet feeding unit 1 performs a sheet feeding operation, the control unit 7 sets 4 for the first strip-shaped sheet portion S ₂ to be formed from the sheet S ₀ to be fed. one of a rear two are blank pages plane of the page surface, also for the second strip-shaped sheet portion S _2, it determines that all four pages surface is a blank page surface.

For the first strip-shaped sheet portion S ₂ , the horizontal size of the sheet S ₀ (= 480 mm), the horizontal size of the sub-sheet S ₃ (= 120 mm), and the number of blank pages (= 2). ) And the position of each blank page,
480− (120 × 2) = 240
Accordingly, the boundary between the blank page surface and the other page surface is calculated as from the first longitudinal tip of the strip-shaped sheet portion S ₂ to the position of 240 mm.

Control unit 7 further when receiving a detection signal from the sensor 10, depending on whether it contains a sub seat S ₃ having a blank page surface in the sequence of sub seat S ₃ detected, as follows Operate.
(1) If the sub-sheet S ₃ having a blank page is not included in the detected arrangement of the sub-sheets S ₃ , the sub-sheet sorting unit 9 is not operated. Accordingly, when the odd-numbered sheets of sheet that all sub seat S ₃ shown in is conveyed to the second turning portion 5 of the latter stage (FIG sheet and shown in FIG. 4 (A) 4 (B) ).
(2) All the sub seat S ₃ in the sequence of the detected sub seat S ₃ is the case where a blank page surface, to operate the carriage drive mechanism 17, the sub seat S ₃ of the pair of flaps 25 and 26 The sub-sheet separation unit 9 is moved to a position where it collides with either one, and the flap drive mechanism 29 is operated to simultaneously rotate the pair of flaps 25 and 26 from the retracted position to the capturing position, thereby forming all the sub-sheets S _3. Is removed from the conveyance path 12 and then rotated again from the capture position to the retracted position (in the case of the second strip-shaped sheet portion formed from the even-numbered sheets shown in FIG. 4B). .
(3) When a part of the sub seat S ₃ in the sequence of sub seat S ₃ detected has a blank page surface actuates the carriage drive mechanism 17, pages face other than the sub-sheet and the blank page surface having a blank page surface The sub-sheet separation unit 9 is moved so that the boundary between the pair of flaps 25 and 26 coincides with the boundary position with the sub-sheet having the sub-sheet, and the flaps corresponding to the partial sub-sheets are rotated from the retracted position to the capture position. After all the sub-sheets are removed from the conveying path 12 by being moved, they are rotated again from the capture position to the retracted position (the first sheet formed from the even-numbered sheets shown in FIG. 4B). 1 in the case of a strip-shaped sheet portion).

Thus, according to the present invention, the page surface sequentially sheet S ₀ from the sheet stack P ₀ consisting of those sheet S ₀ of a plurality that is imposition printing are stacked and one by one fed to the page order, the sheet S ₀ the by cutting along a first of said directions while conveying in the direction along the array of the page surface, divided into a plurality of strip-shaped sheet portion S ₂ arranged in a row in a first direction page face each order of pages and, then, the strip-shaped sheet portion S ₂ sent out to the perpendicular second direction one by one the first direction and to the direction while conveying the strip-shaped sheet portion S ₂ in the second direction And is divided into a plurality of sub-sheets S ₃ arranged in a direction perpendicular to the second direction and each having one page surface, and each of the strip-shaped sheet portions S ₂ is configured. direction perpendicular to the sub-sheet S ₃ in the second direction , I.e., sequentially feeding the array direction of the sub seat S _3, by stacking their sub seat S ₃ sequentially one by one, of the booklet book worth of the sub seat S ₃ that collated set of the laminate P ₁ As a result, it is possible to form a sheet bundle in the form of a booklet collated from a set of imprinted sheets in a single process that is processed continuously and at a high speed, greatly improving production efficiency. To do.

In addition, according to the present invention, the control unit 7 determines whether the initial information received from the preceding printing apparatus before the paper feeding operation of the paper feeding unit 1 and the paper feeding operation of the paper feeding unit 1 are performed. Each time, based on the sheet information received from the printing apparatus, it is determined whether or not each strip-shaped sheet portion S ₂ to be formed from the fed sheet S ₀ has a blank page surface, and a part is blank. the strip-shaped sheet portion S ₂ containing the page surface to calculate the boundary position between the blank page surface and the other page surface, further, when receiving a detection signal from the sensor 10, the detected sequence of the sub seat S ₃ A pair of flaps 25 of the sub-sheet sorting unit 9 depending on whether or not the sub-sheet S ₃ having a blank page is included in the sub-sheet S ₃ and whether some of the sub-sheets S ₃ in the array have a blank page. , 26 is moved to a predetermined position To, to remove the sub seat S ₃ having a blank page surface in the sequence of the sub seat S ₃ from the transport path 12. Thereby, even if the blank page surface is added to the sheet S _0, it is possible to form a sheet bundle state of collated booklet fast and reliable, production efficiency is greatly increased.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Paper feed part 2 1st cutting part 3 1st direction change part 4 2nd cutting part 5 2nd direction change part 5a Conveyance part 6 Stack part 7 Control part 8 Sheet cutting unit 9 Sub sheet separation unit 10 Sensor 11 Frame 12 Transport path 13 Slide guide member 14 Stays 14a, 14b A pair of opposing surfaces 15 Guide rail 16 Carriage 16a Vertical portion 16b Inclined portion 17 Carriage drive mechanism 18 Support shaft 19 First pulley 20 First endless belt 21 Second Pulley 22 motor 22a drive shaft 23 third pulley 24 second endless belt 25, 26 flaps 25a, 26a first portion 25b, 26b second portion 25c, 26c third portion 27 swivel pins 28a, 28b slit 29 Flap drive mechanism (linear actuator)
29a housing 29b first link 29c second link 29d roller 29e swivel pin P ₀ sheet stack P ₁ sub-sheet stack S ₀ sheet S ₁ sheet S cut into a strip shape ₂ strip-shaped sheet portion S ₃ sub Sheet X First direction Y Second direction Z Direction perpendicular to the second direction

Claims (2)

A sheet feeding unit that sequentially feeds sheets one by one from a sheet stack formed by stacking a plurality of sheets in which the pages are imprinted in the vertical and horizontal directions in page order;
The sheets supplied from the sheet feeding unit are cut in the first direction while being conveyed in the first direction along the arrangement of the page surfaces of the sheets, and the page surfaces are aligned in the first direction in the order of pages. A first cutting section that divides into a plurality of strip-shaped sheet portions arranged;
A first direction changing unit that receives sheets cut from the first cutting unit and feeds strip-shaped sheet portions one by one in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
The strip-shaped sheet portion received from the first direction changing section is cut in the second direction while being conveyed in the second direction, arranged in a direction perpendicular to the second direction, and each The sheet is divided into a plurality of sub-sheets having one page surface, and when the strip-shaped sheet portion includes a blank page surface, the sub-sheet having the blank page surface is removed from the conveyance path among the plurality of sub-sheets. A second cutting section;
A second direction changing unit that sequentially sends out a sub-sheet from the second cutting unit in a direction perpendicular to the second direction;
A stack unit that sequentially stacks the sub-sheets received from the second direction changing unit one by one, and forms a stack of sub-sheet sets for one booklet collated; and
The second cutting part is
A frame having a transport path extending in the second direction;
A transport unit attached to the frame, sequentially receiving strip-shaped sheet portions from the first direction changing section, and transporting along the transport path;
A sheet cutting unit that is attached to the frame and is located on the upstream side of the conveyance path, and cuts a strip-shaped sheet portion conveyed on the conveyance path;
A sub-sheet separation unit that is attached to the frame and disposed on the lower side of the conveyance path on the downstream side of the sheet cutting unit and removes the sub-sheet having the blank page surface from the conveyance path;
The sub-sheet sorting unit is
A slide guide member fixed to the frame and extending across the conveyance path at a right angle below the conveyance path;
A carriage located below the transport path and slidably attached to the slide guide member;
A carriage drive mechanism that is attached to the frame and / or the slide guide member on both sides of the conveyance path, and slides the carriage;
Retreat positions that are arranged in a row across the transport path, are pivotally attached to the carriage around a horizontal axis that is orthogonal to the transport path, and are tilted independently of each other under the transport path. And a pair of flaps that stand from the retracted position and take a capture position that protrudes on the transport path at an acute angle toward the upstream side with respect to the transport path, and the flap in the capture position The sub-sheet that collided with is guided by the flap and is discharged downward from the conveyance path,
The sub-sheet sorting unit further includes:
A flap drive mechanism provided on the frame, the slide guide member or the carriage, and configured to rotate the pair of flaps independently of each other;
A control unit for controlling operations of the carriage drive mechanism and the flap drive mechanism;
A sensor that is disposed between the sheet cutting unit and the sub-sheet sorting unit and detects passage of the sub-sheet arrangement,
The control unit receives initial information about the size of sheets and sub-sheets and the number of page surfaces of one strip-shaped sheet portion from a preceding printing apparatus before starting the sheet feeding operation of the sheet feeding unit. In each case of the paper feeding operation of the paper feeding unit, the sheet information on whether or not the fed sheet includes a blank page surface and the position of the blank page surface on the sheet is received from the printing apparatus, Based on the initial information and the sheet information, it is determined whether each strip-shaped sheet portion to be formed from the fed sheet includes a blank page surface, and a strip-shaped sheet portion including a blank page surface in part. For, calculate the boundary position between the blank page and the other pages,
When the control unit further receives a detection signal from the sensor,
(1) If the sub-sheet having a blank page is not included in the detected sub-sheet arrangement, the sub-sheet sorting unit is not operated,
(2) When all the sub-sheets in the detected arrangement of sub-sheets have a blank page surface, the carriage driving mechanism of the sub-sheet sorting unit is operated so that each sub-sheet is one of the pair of flaps. The sub-sheet sorting unit is moved to a position where it collides with the sheet, and the flap drive mechanism is operated to simultaneously rotate the pair of flaps from the retracted position to the capture position, thereby transferring all the sub-sheets to the conveyance path. After removing from the, again rotate from the capture position to the retracted position,
(3) If some of the sub-sheets in the detected arrangement of sub-sheets have a blank page surface, the carriage drive mechanism of the sub-sheet sorting unit is operated so that a sub-sheet having a blank page surface and a blank page surface other than The sub-sheet separation unit is moved so that the boundary between the pair of flaps coincides with the boundary position with the sub-sheet having the page surface, and the flap driving mechanism is operated to correspond to the partial sub-sheet. The flap is rotated from the retracted position to the capture position, and after removing all the partial sub-sheets from the conveyance path, the flap is rotated again from the capture position to the retracted position. Sheet cutting and collating equipment. The slide guide member of the sub-sheet sorting unit is
The stay is fixed to the frame below the conveyance path and extends across the conveyance path at a right angle, the stay has a rectangular cross section, and the pair of opposing surfaces are arranged so as to extend in the vertical direction,
The slide guide member further includes:
A guide rail that is fixed to a surface of the pair of opposing surfaces facing the upstream side of the conveyance path and extends in the length direction of the stay;
The carriage of the sub-sheet sorting unit is
The slide guide member includes a plate-like vertical portion that is slidably attached to the guide rail and extends parallel to a surface of the stay on which the guide rail is fixed, and the vertical portion is located above the stay. Nino,
The carriage further includes a plate-like inclined portion that is connected to the upper end edge of the vertical portion and extends obliquely upward from the vertical portion to the upstream side of the conveyance path, and the leading edge of the inclined portion is the conveyance edge It ’s lower than the road,
The carriage drive mechanism of the sub-sheet sorting unit is
A pair of support shafts attached to the lower ends of both ends of the stay, extending parallel to the transport path, and capable of rotating around the shaft;
A first pulley fixed to each of the pair of support shafts;
A first endless belt stretched between the first pulleys;
A second pulley fixed to one of the support shafts;
A stepping motor attached to the frame and disposed below the first endless belt, and a drive shaft of the stepping motor extends parallel to the conveyance path,
The carriage driving mechanism further includes:
A third pulley fixed to the drive shaft of the motor;
A second endless belt stretched between the second and third pulleys, the carriage being attached to the first endless belt, and the first and second driven by the motor. The carriage slides due to the swiveling movement of the endless belt,
The pair of flaps of the sub-sheet sorting unit is respectively
A rectangular flat plate-shaped first portion;
A rectangular flat plate-like second portion connected to one side edge of the first portion and extending at a right angle to the first portion;
A third portion extending at a right angle to and between the first and second portions at both ends of the first and second portions;
The pair of flaps are arranged in a line along the upper end of the inclined portion of the carriage, and are attached to the inclined portion of the carriage by a turning pin in each of the third portions. Each of the first portions normally takes the retreat position where the first portion tilts at an acute angle toward the upstream side with respect to the transport path under the transport path. And
In the vertical part of the carriage, a region corresponding to the second part of each of the pair of flaps is formed with a slit in the length direction of the carriage, and the slit has a length corresponding to the moving distance of the carriage. Have
The flap drive mechanism of the sub-sheet sorting unit is
Attached to the surface of the stay opposite to the surface on which the guide rail is fixed and arranged to face the corresponding slits, advance through the slits toward the second portion of the flap, The second part is pushed to rotate the flap from the retracted position, and the first part captures the capture position at which the first part protrudes on the transport path at an acute angle toward the upstream side. And a pair of linear actuators having a working element that takes a first position to be retracted and a second position to retract the flap from the first position and rotate the flap from the capture position to the retracted position. The sheet cutting and collating apparatus according to claim 1.

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