JP6089675B2 - Paper processing apparatus, image forming system, and half-fold bookbinding method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper processing apparatus, an image forming system, and a half-fold bookbinding method, and more particularly to sheet-like recording media such as paper, transfer paper, and sheets (hereinafter referred to as “paper” including claims). A sheet processing apparatus that executes a binding process on the recording medium, a sheet processing apparatus, and an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile, or a digital multifunction peripheral that combines at least two of these functions. And a half-fold bookbinding method executed in a paper processing apparatus.

  A so-called finisher, a paper post-processing device that performs punching processing, alignment processing, binding processing, sorting processing, and the like after an image is formed by an image forming apparatus such as a copier, printer, or digital multifunction peripheral (MFP). Is widely known. In the case of performing the binding process with such an apparatus, a method is often employed in which sheets discharged outside the image forming apparatus are once stacked on a stacking tray, aligned, and then bound with a stapler using a metal needle.

  A finisher having such a function is widely used because it is convenient and efficient because it performs unattended and automatically executes a large number of binding processes on a sheet after image formation.

  On the other hand, a binding device that can bind a plurality of sheets without using a metal binding needle is also known. Such an apparatus that does not use a binding needle has recently attracted attention because of its excellent resource saving.

  As such a sheet post-processing apparatus that does not use a binding needle, for example, an invention described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-165365 (Patent Document 1) is known.

  In this Patent Document 1, a plurality of minute teeth formed so as to mesh with each other are formed on the lower end surface of the pressure rod and the upper end surface of the fixed block, respectively, The opposite end is located. When the recording paper stops at a predetermined position, the solenoid is energized. As a result, the plunger moves above a predetermined position, so that it moves toward the pressure rod connected to the plunger via a connecting link, and the lower end surface of the rod and the upper end surface of the fixed block are connected to the recording paper. They are pressed against each other strongly through the end portions. At this time, the upper and lower minute teeth are engaged with each other with the recording paper interposed therebetween, and a tooth mold is formed on the two paper portions, and these are intertwined and pressed together. This is called half-cutting.

  In addition, half-punching means that a plurality of stacked papers are pressure-bonded and entangled with each other without using a staple used in a general stapler (stapler) or a binding piece such as a clip. This is a processing method for binding a plurality of papers. In addition to the method described above, a part of a plurality of overlapped papers is cut to form a tongue piece, and the tongue piece is inverted from its root portion and formed on a paper portion near the tongue piece. Also known is a half-punching method in which an inverted tongue piece is inserted into the slit, and a plurality of papers are thereby bound together.

  Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-240870 (Patent Document 2) discloses a sheet post-processing apparatus that performs a folding process on the center of a sheet bundle using a binding needle and performs folding. In this invention, after the sheets are aligned on the staple tray, the contact state of the abutting member that abuts the sheet conveyance direction is released, and the sheet bundle is conveyed to the saddle stitching position or the middle folding position, and the saddle stitching or middle folding process is performed. In the sheet processing apparatus, the pressure release of the conveying unit that conveys the sheet bundle to the saddle stitching position or the middle folding position and the retracting operation of the abutting member to the position that does not hinder the movement of the binding means are performed at the same timing. It is characterized by.

  In addition, by performing the pressure release of the conveying means and the retracting of the abutting member at the same timing in this way, there is an effect that the alignment quality can be improved without causing a decrease in productivity. Yes.

  However, when the stapleless binding disclosed in Patent Document 1 is applied to the center of the paper bundle described in Patent Document 2, the fastening force of the binding portion is reduced due to misalignment between the inner paper and the outer paper due to the middle folding. As a result, the binding is unfastened, and it becomes impossible to take the form of half-fold binding.

  Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to enable half-fold binding with needleless binding without reducing the fastening force of the binding portion.

In order to solve the above-described problem, an aspect of the present invention includes a stacking unit that stacks a sheet bundle, a needleless binding unit that performs needleless binding on a sheet bundle stacked on the stacking unit, and a stacker that is stacked on the stacking unit. in the sheet processing apparatus and means folding in performing folding processing on the sheet bundle, the loading means, the state in which the ends of the sheet bundle is abutted, downstream side folding the sheet bundle is higher than the upstream side An alignment plate capable of holding the end of the sheet bundle in an inclined state with respect to the sheet conveyance direction, and the stapleless binding means performs a binding process at a position different from the center folding position of the sheet bundle. It is characterized by performing .

According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to perform center-fold binding with needleless binding without reducing the fastening force of the binding portion. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of embodiments.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the sheet post-processing apparatus in FIG. 1. It is explanatory drawing which shows the binding method of the crimping | bonding binding in this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the meshing state of the uneven | corrugated tooth | gear of a crimping tooth. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation mechanism of the crimping tooth in a binding tool. It is a figure which shows the state of the alignment board in the 2nd sheet bundle production | generation part in embodiment of this invention. It is an example in case the inclination | tilt angle (theta) in FIG. 6 is 90 degrees. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of a sheet bundle when the front ends are aligned at an inclination angle perpendicular to the sheet conveyance direction and bound. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state after a binding process and a folding process are performed with the alignment plate at the leading end in the sheet bundle conveyance direction being inclined at an inclination angle θ. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which a folded sheet bundle that has undergone saddle stitching by pressure binding is opened. It is a figure which shows the angle change mechanism which changes the angle of a matching plate. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the number of sheets in a sheet bundle and a distance from a binding position outside the sheet bundle to a center folding position. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an operation of changing a distance between a binding position and a folding position according to the number of sheets stacked on a second sheet bundle forming unit. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the raising / lowering mechanism of a matching plate.

  The present invention is characterized in that the binding process is performed at a position different from the folding position at the center of the sheet bundle, and the folding process is performed at the center of the sheet bundle that does not overlap the binding position.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, an image forming system 1 includes an image forming apparatus 2 and a sheet post-processing apparatus 3 as a sheet processing apparatus. The image forming apparatus 2 and the sheet post-processing apparatus 3 are connected so as to communicate with each other. In the image forming system 1, the image forming apparatus 2 forms an image on a sheet, the sheet post-processing apparatus 3 receives the sheet from the image forming apparatus 2, and performs various post-processing on the received sheet. The various post-processing includes, for example, end binding processing, center folding processing, and the like. The center folding process includes a saddle stitching process. In the present embodiment, the sheet post-processing device 3 binds the sheet bundle 6 at a predetermined location without using a needle in the edge binding process and the saddle stitching process. The sheet post-processing apparatus 3 that performs such various post-processing has a discharge mode, an end binding mode, and a middle folding mode as operation modes.

  The image forming apparatus 2 only needs to form an image by an electrophotographic method, a droplet discharge method, a type method, or other known image forming methods. As an example, it can be configured as a color image forming apparatus having an electrophotographic image forming unit. In the image forming apparatus 2 having an electrophotographic image forming unit, for example, a control unit, an image forming unit, an optical writing unit, a paper feeding unit, a paper feeding conveyance path, an image reading unit, an intermediate transfer unit, a fixing unit, and a paper discharge A conveyance path, a double-sided conveyance path, and the like (both not shown) are provided, and images are formed on both sides or one side of a sheet.

  The sheet post-processing device 3 is provided with first to third transport paths Pt1, Pt2, and Pt3. The first transport path Pt 1 is a transport path for receiving the paper 5 discharged from the image forming apparatus 2 and discharging the paper to the first paper discharge tray 10. The second transport path Pt2 is a transport path for branching from the first transport path Pt1 and performing an end binding process or the like on the sheet bundle. The third transport path Pt3 is connected to the second transport path Pt2 and is a transport path for performing the saddle stitching and folding process on the sheet bundle. These first to third transport paths Pt1, Pt2, and Pt3 are formed by, for example, guide members (not shown).

  In the first transport path Pt1, the entrance roller 11, the transport rollers 12, 13, and the paper discharge roller 14 are arranged in order from the upstream portion to the downstream portion of the first transport path Pt1. The entrance roller 11, the transport rollers 12 and 13, and the paper discharge roller 14 are rotationally driven by a motor to transport the paper. An inlet sensor 15 is disposed upstream of the inlet roller 11. The entrance sensor 15 detects that the sheet 5 has been carried into the sheet post-processing device 3. A processing unit 49 that performs, for example, punching is provided between the upstream conveying roller 12 and the downstream conveying roller 12. The processing part 49 is composed of, for example, a punch 49a and a die 49b. A first branch claw 17 is disposed downstream of the transport roller 12. The first branch claw 17 swings around the support shaft to selectively feed the sheet 5 to either the downstream portion of the branch claw 17 in the first transport path Pt1 or the second transport path Pt2. To guide. The first branch claw 17 is driven by, for example, a motor or a solenoid.

  In the discharge mode, the paper carried into the first transport path Pt1 from the image forming apparatus 2 is transported by the entrance roller 11, the transport rollers 12, 13 and the paper discharge roller 14, and is discharged to the first paper discharge tray 10. Is done. On the other hand, in the end binding mode and the center folding mode, the sheet carried into the first transport path Pt1 is transported by the entrance roller 11 and the transport roller 12, and the traveling direction is changed by the first branching claw 17 to change the first direction. 2 is conveyed to the second conveyance path Pt2.

  In the second transport path Pt2, transport rollers 20, 21, 22, a paper stacking tray 23, a first jogger fence 24, and an end binding part (first binding part) 25 are arranged. The transport rollers 20, 21, 22 are driven by a motor to transport the paper. The first jogger fence 24 is driven by a motor to align the width direction of the paper. Further, the second and third branching claws 26 and 27 are disposed downstream of the paper stacking tray 23. Similarly to the first branch claw 17, the second and third branch claws 26 and 27 swing around the support shaft, and the downstream portion of the first branch claw 17 in the first transport path Pt1 The paper is selectively guided to one of the third transport paths Pt3. The first and third branch claws 26 and 27 are driven by, for example, a motor or a solenoid.

  In the edge binding mode, the sheets are sequentially stacked on the sheet stacking tray 23. As a result, a sheet bundle in which a plurality of sheets are stacked is formed on the sheet stacking tray 23. At that time, the sheet is in contact with a first movable reference fence (not shown) provided on the sheet stacking tray 23 at the rear end thereof, so that the position in the sheet conveyance direction is aligned, and the width of the sheet is adjusted by the first jogger fence 24. The direction position is aligned. The first movable reference fence is driven by a motor. Here, the sheet stacking tray 23, the first jogger fence 24, and the first movable reference fence constitute a first sheet bundle forming unit 28 that stacks a plurality of sheets to form a sheet bundle. The first sheet bundle forming unit 28 includes a motor that drives the first jogger fence 24 and a motor that drives the first movable reference fence. Then, the sheet bundle on the sheet stacking tray 23 is conveyed to the end binding unit 25 located below the sheet stacking tray 23 by the first movable reference fence.

  In the edge binding portion 25, a pair of concave and convex crimping teeth are arranged with a sheet bundle interposed therebetween. In a state where there is a sheet bundle, the sheet bundle is bound by a crimping binding method in which one crimping tooth is applied in the direction of the other crimping tooth. Details of the binding method will be described later.

  The sheet bundle 6 whose ends are bound by the end binding portion 25 is pushed up by the first movable reference fence and is transported to the first transport path Pt1. Thereafter, the paper is transported by the transport roller 13 and the paper discharge roller 14 and is discharged to the first paper discharge tray 10. On the other hand, in the middle folding mode, the sheet conveyed to the second conveyance path Pt2 is conveyed to the third conveyance path Pt3 by the conveyance rollers 20, 21, 22 and the first movable reference fence.

  In the third conveyance path Pt3, conveyance rollers 31 and 32 and a saddle stitching middle folding portion 33 are arranged. The transport rollers 31 and 32 are driven by a motor to transport the paper. The saddle stitching middle folding portion 33 includes a middle folding portion 34, a saddle stitching portion (second binding portion) 35, and a second sheet bundle forming portion 36. The sheets conveyed to the third conveyance path Pt3 are sequentially accumulated in the second sheet bundle forming unit 36 by the conveyance rollers 31 and 32. Thereby, a sheet bundle in which a plurality of sheets are stacked is formed. In other words, the second sheet bundle forming unit 36 superimposes a plurality of sheets conveyed by the conveying unit 51 to form the sheet bundle 6. At that time, the front end of the sheet abuts against the second movable reference fence 37, the position in the sheet conveyance direction is aligned, and the position in the width direction is aligned by the second jogger fence (not shown). Since the second movable reference fence 37 is a plate-like member that aligns (aligns) the position in the sheet conveyance direction as described above, it is hereinafter referred to as an alignment plate. Then, the vicinity of the center in the sheet conveyance direction is bound by the sheet bundle 6 and the saddle stitching portion 35, and the saddle stitching is performed. The saddle stitched sheet bundle is returned to the center folding position by the alignment plate 37. The alignment plate 37 is driven by a drive motor along the transport direction of the third transport path Pt3 by a transport direction drive mechanism (see FIG. 14) described later. The alignment position of the alignment plate 37 is controlled by a CPU of the control unit 61 described later.

  The sheet bundle returned by the alignment plate 37 and positioned at the center folding position is folded at the center part in the sheet transport direction by the center folding part 34 and folded in the middle. In the middle folding section 34, a middle folding plate 38 facing the central portion in the sheet conveyance direction of the sheet bundle positioned at the middle folding position moves from right to left in FIG. 1 while bending the central portion in the sheet conveyance direction of the sheet bundle. Push between the nips of the pair of pressure rollers 39, 40. The half-fold plate 38 is driven by a motor. The sheet bundle pushed into the nip between the pair of pressing rollers 39, 40 is pressed from above and below by the pressing rollers 39, 40. This pressing force is applied by an elastic member such as a spring (not shown). The pair of pressing rollers 39 and 40 are driven in the transport direction by a motor. The sheet bundle folded in this way is discharged onto the second discharge tray 42 by the pressing rollers 39 and 40 and the discharge roller 41. The discharge roller 41 is also driven by a motor.

  The transport unit 51 includes an entrance roller 11, transport rollers 12, 13, 20, 21, 22, 31, 32, paper discharge rollers 14, 41, and motors that drive the rollers. Further, the first to third branch claws 17, 26, 27 constitute a path switching unit 52 together with a motor or a solenoid for driving them.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the sheet post-processing apparatus in the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the sheet post-processing apparatus 3 includes a control unit 61. The control unit 61 is a computer having a CPU, a storage unit, a communication interface, and the like. The storage unit of the control unit 61 includes a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The ROM stores a program executed by the CPU, and the RAM functions as a data buffer and a work area. The control unit 61 is connected to the inlet sensor 15, the processing unit 49, the first sheet bundle forming unit 28, the saddle stitching and folding unit 33, the transport unit 51, the path switching unit 52, and the like. The control unit 61 (CPU) drives and controls each unit of the sheet post-processing apparatus 3 while using the RAM as a work area in accordance with a program stored in the ROM. The control unit 61 is connected to the control unit of the image forming apparatus so that data communication is possible.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a binding method for crimping binding according to the present embodiment. The crimp binding is performed by the crimp tooth 100. The crimping tooth 100 is composed of an upper crimping tooth 101 and a lower crimping tooth 102, and as shown in FIG. 3A, the upper crimping tooth 101 and the lower crimping tooth 102 having a pair of concave and convex surfaces 101a and 102a are arranged to face each other. It is a thing. One of the upper crimping tooth 101 and the lower crimping tooth 102 is set to the fixed side, the other is set to the movable side, or both are set to the movable side, and the movable side crimping teeth are moved toward each other to move the sheet bundle PB between the two. A force is applied between them (FIGS. 3B to 3C). As the pressure is increased, the uneven shapes of the uneven surfaces 101a and 102a are transferred to the sheet bundle PB, and the binding is completed (FIG. 3D).

  In this crimping binding, the sheet bundle PB is squeezed by the pressure between the pair of concave and convex surfaces 101a and 102a formed in a shape that fits to each other. PB can be bound. In addition, in the uneven | corrugated shape of the uneven surfaces 101a and 102a of the crimping | compression-bonding tooth | gear 100, it is the slope parts 101b and 102b of the arbitrary angles which both can adhere | attach surface. In addition, the shapes of the concavo-convex apex portions 101c and 102c and the valley portions 101d and 102d are different, and when the crimping teeth 100 are engaged, for example, the inclined surface portions 101b and 102b are in close contact with the apex portion of the upper crimping tooth 101. The valleys of the lower pressure-bonding teeth 102 are not in contact with each other.

  This state is shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the meshed state of the uneven teeth of the crimping tooth. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a state when the crimping teeth 100 are engaged with each other, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of a portion A in FIG. As shown in the figure, when the upper crimping tooth 101 and the lower crimping tooth 102 mesh with each other, the slope portions 101b and 102b are in close contact with each other, and the concavo-convex apex portions 101c and 102c are opposed to the valley portions 102d and 101d. A gap 103 is formed between them. As a result, the sheet bundle PB is pressure-bonded only by the slope portions 101b and 102b, and can be efficiently narrowed down and bound. In addition, the bent portion of the sheet bundle PB is formed by the concavo-convex apex portions 101c and 102c and the valley portions 101d and 102d, and the direction of the bent portion (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 3D) is the tooth trace. It is the straight line forming direction of the tip.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation mechanism of the crimping tooth in the binding tool.

  The binding tool ST includes a crimping tooth 100, and the crimping tooth 100 can bind the sheet bundle PB by the operation mechanism shown in FIG. The operation mechanism of the crimp tooth 100 includes an upper tooth arm 104, a lower tooth arm 105, a base 106, a support shaft 107, a drive mechanism 108, and a return spring 109. The upper tooth arm 104 includes an upper pressure-bonding tooth 101 at the distal end portion 104 a, and the base end portion 104 b is fixed to the base end portion 106 b of the pedestal 106. The lower tooth arm 105 is pivotally connected to the upper tooth arm 104 via a support shaft 107 at a substantially central portion of the upper tooth arm 104. A lower crimping tooth 102 is attached to a position facing the upper crimping tooth 101 of the distal end portion 105 a of the lower tooth arm 105. In addition, a return spring 109 is attached between the tip portion 105 a of the lower tooth arm 105 and the tip portion 106 a of the pedestal 106, and the tip portion 105 a of the lower tooth arm 105 is always separated from the tip portion 104 a of the upper tooth arm 104. The elastic force is given to the direction. Here, the return spring 109 is constituted by a tension spring.

  The drive mechanism 108 includes a drive motor 108a, a drive gear 108b, a driven gear 108c, and a lower tooth pushing cam 108d. A drive gear 108b is coaxially attached to the drive shaft 108e of the drive motor 108a. The drive gear 108b meshes with the driven gear 108c, and transmits the rotational driving force of the drive gear 108b to the driven gear 108c. The lower tooth pushing cam 108d is fixed to the shaft 108f of the driven gear 108b in an eccentric state. The lower tooth push cam 108d is a cam that drives the base end portion 105b of the lower tooth arm 105, and rotates in an eccentric state around the shaft 108f, and functions as an eccentric cam.

  Thus, when the distance between the shaft 108f and the contact point 108g of the lower tooth arm 105 is the maximum, the distal end portion 105a of the lower tooth arm 105 is positioned closest to the distal end portion 104a of the upper tooth arm 104. In addition, the pressure applied by the lower pressure-bonding teeth 102 to the upper pressure-bonding teeth 101 is maximized. Further, when the distance is the minimum, the distal end portion 105a of the lower tooth arm 105 is located at the position farthest from the distal end portion 104a of the upper tooth arm 104, and the distance between the upper pressure bonding tooth 101 and the lower pressure bonding tooth 102. Becomes the maximum, and the sheet bundle PB is easily inserted between the two.

  That is, in the drive mechanism 108, the lower tooth arm 105 can swing around the support shaft 107 as the arm rotation center. In the swinging operation, the drive gear 108b is rotated using the drive motor 108a as a drive source, and the driven gear 108c is rotated following the rotation. The rotation of the driven gear 108c causes the lower tooth pushing cam 108d that rotates integrally with the shaft 108f of the driven gear 108c to perform a non-linear rotational movement, and pushes down the base end portion 105b side of the lower tooth arm 105 (in the direction of arrow R1). As a result, the lower crimping tooth 102 moves upward (in the direction of arrow R2), contacts the upper crimping tooth 101, and can be further pressurized. The return spring 109 is for returning the lower pressure-bonding teeth 102 to the initial position separated from the upper pressure-bonding teeth 101.

  As the stapleless staple means, there are adhesive binding means, semi-punched binding means, toner-type binding means, tape binding means, paper binding means, etc. in addition to the above-described pressure binding means by means of the pressure teeth. is there.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state of the alignment plate in the second sheet bundle generation unit in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the third transport path Pt3 is installed in the vertical (gravity action) direction, and the alignment plate 37 is provided such that its inclination angle θ can be changed so as to block the transport path of the third transport path Pt3. Yes.

In FIG. 6, the inclination angle θ is shown as an angle θ between the conveyance path wall surface Pt3a on the downstream side in the sheet bundle folding direction of the third conveyance path Pt3 and the lower surface of the alignment plate 37. The inclination angle θ at this time is
0 ° <θ ≦ 90 °
It is set in the range.

  The inclination angle θ corresponds to an angle between the sheet and the upper surface of the alignment plate 37 on the downstream side in the sheet bundle folding direction with the leading end of the sheet contacting the alignment plate 37. Further, the inclination is such that the downstream side 37D in the paper bundle folding direction is higher than the upstream side 37U in a state where the leading edge of the paper bundle PB comes into contact with the alignment plate 37.

  FIG. 7 shows an example in which the inclination angle θ in FIG. 6 is 90 °. The inclination angle θ = 90 ° is an angle that has been conventionally used, and corresponds to the initial state when the sheet bundle PB is aligned in the present embodiment. As described above, when the inclination angle θ of the alignment plate 37 with respect to the third transport path Pt3 is set to 90 °, the sheet bundle PB is aligned with the end face of the sheet bundle PB perpendicular to the third transport path Pt3. become. Normally, in this state, binding is performed by the binding tool ST at the saddle stitching portion 35 on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction, and folding processing using the folding plate 38 is performed at the middle folding portion 34.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state of the sheet bundle when the leading ends are aligned and bound at the perpendicular angle. As can be seen from FIG. 8, the end surface PB of the sheet bundle PB that is in contact with the alignment plate 37 is substantially perpendicular to the sheet surface of the sheet bundle PB. On the other hand, the end surface PBb on the free end side that does not abut is in an oblique state. This state indicates that a deviation occurs between the inner Bi and the outer PBo of the sheet bundle PB, and the deviation is increased. In this state, the stress caused by the deviation reaches the binding portion PBs, and the fastening force to the sheet bundle PB at the binding portion PBs is reduced. As a result, the sheet bundle PB may be unbound at the binding portion PBs.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state after performing the binding process and the folding process by inclining the alignment plate 37 at the leading end in the sheet bundle conveyance direction at an inclination angle θ as illustrated in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 6, when the binding process and the folding process are performed with the tilt angle θ set to a tilted state, the end portions PBa and PBb of the sheet bundle PB have the same tilt angles as shown in FIG. .

  In this state, the misalignment between the sheets of the inner Bi and the outer PBo of the sheet bundle PB is small, and the amount of misalignment between the sheets is also equal. That is, by inclining the alignment plate 37 at the preset inclination angle θ, the deviation between the inner side PBi and the outer side PBo of the sheet bundle PB can be set in advance, and since this deviation amount is equal, the stress caused by the deviation Does not reach the binding portion PBs. As a result, it is possible to prevent a decrease in fastening force to the sheet bundle PB in the binding portion PBs, and the binding of the sheet bundle PB is not unraveled.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, first, in the state shown in FIG. 7, that is, in a state where the inclination angle θ is set to 90 °, the leading ends of all the sheets of the sheet bundle SB are aligned, and then the alignment plate 37 is set to a predetermined inclination angle. Tilt to θ. The inclination angle θ at this time is set by the thickness of the sheet bundle PB. At that time, the relationship between the thickness of the sheet bundle PB and the inclination angle θ is previously stored as data in the laboratory. The data is tabulated and stored in a ROM (not shown) of the control unit 61. When setting the tilt angle θ, the CPU sets the tilt angle θ by referring to the thickness information of the sheet bundle PB transmitted from the image forming apparatus 2 side and the table.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which the folding of the sheet bundle that has been saddle-stitched by pressure binding is opened. Binding is performed at two places, and the binding portion PBs is set at a position slightly shifted outward from the fold line PBt at the center of the sheet bundle PB. This is because if the binding is performed on the binding portion PBs, the binding is released by the force applied during the folding process. This binding position is appropriately set according to the thickness of the sheet bundle PB, the paper type (thickness) of the paper, and the like.

  FIG. 11 is a view showing an angle changing mechanism for changing the angle of the alignment plate. As described above, the angle of the alignment plate 37 is set in advance, but this set amount can be arbitrarily changed depending on the thickness of the sheet bundle PB, the paper type (thickness) of the paper, and the like.

  In FIG. 11, an angle changing mechanism 110 serving as an angle changing unit includes a drive motor 121, a drive gear 121a, a shaft 37a, a driven gear 120, a position detection sensor 122, and a detection plate (filler) 37b. An alignment plate 37 is attached to the shaft 37a, and a driven gear 120 is provided coaxially with the shaft 37a. The driven gear 120 meshes with a drive gear 121a fixed to a drive shaft of a drive motor (hereinafter referred to as a tilt motor) 121, and rotates the alignment plate 37 in synchronization with the rotation of the driven gear 121a. The tilt angle θ is changed by this rotation amount, and a desired tilt angle can be obtained.

  The inclination angle θ is set by detecting the detection plate 37b integrally attached to the shaft 37a by the position detection sensor 122. For example, a light transmission type sensor (photo interrupter) is used as the position detection sensor 122. The position detection sensor 122 functions as a home position detection sensor. For example, the position at which one end of the detection end 37b is detected is set as the home position, and the inclination angle θ of the alignment plate 37 is set from this position by the number of driving steps of the inclination motor 121. To do.

  Such an angle changing mechanism 110 can arbitrarily set or change the inclination angle θ of the alignment plate 37. As a result, when the sheet bundle PB is stacked on the second sheet bundle forming unit 36 and the leading ends of the sheet bundle PB are aligned, the alignment plate 37 is set perpendicular to the sheet bundle PB (θ = 90 °) and aligned. Can be improved. Further, after the alignment, the alignment plate 37 is inclined at a desired inclination angle θ, and the influence on the binding portion PBs caused by the misalignment between the inside and the outside of the sheet when folding the sheet bundle PB can be prevented.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the relationship between the number of sheets in the sheet bundle and the distance from the binding position outside the sheet bundle to the center folding position. FIG. 4A shows the case where the number of sheets in the sheet bundle is large, and FIG.

  As can be seen from FIGS. 12A and 12B, the binding that is bound by the saddle stitching section 35 from the center folding position PB1 of the sheet bundle PB that is folded by the center folding section 34 as the number of sheets of the sheet bundle PB increases. The distance L outside the sheet bundle to the position PB2 increases from L2 to L1. Therefore, even if the number of sheets increases as shown in FIG. 12A, for example, if the sheet is folded at the distance L2 in FIG. 12B, the deviation between the sheets becomes large as described with reference to FIG. Accordingly, the fastening force to the sheet bundle PB at the binding portion PBs is reduced.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the distances L1 and L2 between the binding position PB2 and the folding position PB1 are changed according to the number of sheets stacked on the second sheet bundle forming unit 36. The distances L1 and L2 are changed by changing the position of the alignment plate 37 held by the second sheet bundle forming unit 36 with the leading end of the sheet bundle coming into contact therewith. That is, when the number of sheets is large, the distance from the binding position outside the sheet bundle to the center folding position is lengthened to L1, and when the number of sheets is small, the distance is shortened to L2. This distance control is performed by the CPU of the control unit 61.

  In this case as well, the distances L1 and L2 are set according to the thickness of the sheet bundle PB, but the relationship between the thickness of the sheet bundle PB and the distances L1 and L2 is also stored in advance in the laboratory as data. The data is tabulated and stored in a ROM (not shown) of the control unit 61. When setting the distances L1 and L2, the CPU sets the distances L1 and L2 by referring to the thickness information of the sheet bundle PB transmitted from the image forming apparatus 1 and the information in the table.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which the folding of the sheet bundle that has been saddle-stitched by pressure binding is opened. Binding is performed at two places, and the binding portion PBs is set at a position slightly shifted outward from the fold line PBt at the center of the sheet bundle PB. This is because if the binding is performed on the binding portion PBs, the binding is released by the force applied during the folding process. This binding position is appropriately set according to the thickness of the sheet bundle PB, the paper type (thickness) of the paper, and the like.

  By controlling the conveyance distance when the sheet bundle PB is pushed up from the position where the saddle stitching section 35 of the sheet bundle PB is saddle-stitched and conveyed to the end of the edge of the folding plate 38 of the middle folding section 34, the sheet is always kept. The folding process can be performed at the center folding position of the bundle.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an alignment plate lifting mechanism. In the same figure, an elevating mechanism 130 as a position changing means is formed by unitizing the angle changing mechanism 110 shown in FIG. 11 outside the side plate (not shown). A timing belt 124 is attached to the unit 123 and is spanned between the driving pulley 125 and the driven pulley 126. A transport direction moving motor (not shown) is connected to the drive pulley 125 via, for example, a speed reduction mechanism, and can be moved in the transport direction by pulse control. Although not shown, the unit 123 is provided with a home position detection sensor, and the transport distance is set according to the number of pulses based on the home position detected by the home position detection sensor. Thereby, the distances L1 and L2 can be set with high accuracy.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

1) In the present embodiment, the second sheet bundle forming unit 36 (stacking unit) for stacking the sheet bundle PB and the sheet bundle PB stacked on the second sheet bundle forming unit 36 have no needle at the saddle stitching unit 35. A binding tool ST for performing binding (needleless binding means), a folding plate 38 for performing a folding process on the sheet bundle PB stacked on the second sheet bundle forming section 36, and pressing rollers 39 and 40 (folding means). ), The sheet bundle forming unit 36 includes an alignment plate 37 that can hold the end portion PBa of the sheet bundle PB in an inclined state. The binding process is performed by the binding tool ST at a position different from the central folding position PB1 of the PB.

  With this configuration, the binding unit PBs is set at a position different from the center folding position PB1 of the sheet bundle PB, the binding process is performed, and the end portion of the sheet bundle PB stacked on the second sheet bundle forming unit 36 is processed. The alignment plate 37 can be inclined by abutting the PBa against the alignment plate 37. Accordingly, it is possible to set the amount of misalignment between the inner sheet PBi and the outer sheet PBo due to folding when the sheets are stacked on the second sheet bundle forming unit 36. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the generation of stress due to the deviation when folded, and it is possible to prevent the binding force of the binding portion from being lowered due to the folding and unraveling the binding.

  As a result, it is possible to perform bookbinding with needleless binding. Further, since the shapes of the end portions PBa and PBb of the sheet bundle PB are aligned when the booklet is folded in half, the appearance after bookbinding is also improved.

2) The inclination of the alignment plate 37 is such that the downstream side 37D in the sheet bundle folding direction is higher than the upstream side 37U in a state where the end portion PBa of the paper bundle PB is in contact with the alignment plate 37. When the sheet bundle PB is folded, the amount of deviation between the outside and the inside can be reduced. Thereby, the fall prevention of fastening force can be aimed at.

3) Since the angle changing mechanism 110 (angle changing means) for changing the inclination angle θ of the alignment plate 37 is provided, when stacking the sheet bundle PB on the second sheet bundle forming section 36, the sheet bundle PB is placed on the sheet. Alignment can be performed in a state perpendicular to the conveyance direction D, and tilting can be performed after alignment.

The angle changing mechanism 110 sets the inclination angle θ to 0 ° <θ ≦ 90 ° according to the number of sheets in the sheet bundle.
It can be changed within the range. Further, the angle changing mechanism 110 first aligns the end portions (leading end portions PBa) of all the sheets of the stacked sheet bundle PB in a direction perpendicular to the sheet transport direction. Then, after the alignment, the inclination angle θ is changed. Thus, after the sheet bundle PB is reliably aligned, the support angle of the sheet leading end portion PBa can be adjusted so that the deviation between the sheets is reduced.

  Further, the angle changing mechanism 110 sets the tilt angle θ so that the larger the number of sheets in the sheet bundle PB, the sharper the sheet conveyance direction D becomes. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the binding force of the binding portion SBs by folding from being lowered and the binding from being released. Also, the consistency of the sheet bundle PB can be ensured.

4) Since the elevating / lowering changing mechanism 130 (position changing means) for changing the position of the aligning plate 37 in the sheet conveying direction D is provided, the folding process can always be performed at the center folding position of the sheet bundle PB.

  At this time, the elevation changing mechanism 130 is folded by the binding position PB2 bound by the binding tool ST in the binding portion 35 and the folding plate 38 and the pressing rollers 39, 40 in the folding portion 34 according to the number of sheets of the sheet bundle PB. The distance from the folding position PB1 is changed. In this change, the distance is set to increase as the number of sheets in the sheet bundle PB increases. This distance is a position where the folding process can always be performed at the center folding position PB1 of the sheet bundle PB.

5) Since the needleless binding means is one of a crimping binding device, a half punching binding device, an adhesive binding device, and a toner binding device, a commonly used needleless binding device can be used. .

  The crimping and binding device is a binding device that binds using the crimping teeth as shown in FIG. 5 in the present embodiment. Further, the half-cut binding device is a processing method in which pressure is applied to a plurality of stacked sheets as described above, and the plurality of sheets are bound together by intertwining the sheets. Alternatively, cut a part of a plurality of overlapped papers to form a tongue piece, invert the tongue piece from its base, and invert it into a slit formed in the paper part near the tongue piece This is a processing method of engaging a plurality of paper pieces and thereby binding a plurality of papers together.

  Furthermore, the adhesive binding device is a binding device that binds a binding portion with an adhesive. The toner binding device is a binding device that prints an adhesive pattern in advance at the time of image formation and melts it when heated by a fixing device to bond adjacent sheet surfaces.

  In this embodiment, the sheet bundle in the claims is denoted by PB, the stacking means is in the second sheet bundle generating unit 36, the stapleless binding means is in the binding tool ST, and the folding means is in the folding plate 38 and the pressure roller. 39, 40, the sheet processing apparatus is the sheet post-processing apparatus 3, the end of the sheet bundle PB is PBa, PBb, the sheet transport direction is the arrow D direction, and the alignment plate is 37 (second movable reference fence). The angle change means is the angle θ, the angle change means is the angle change mechanism 110, the position change means is the lifting mechanism 130, the binding position is the reference PB2, the folding position is the reference PB1, and the distance between the binding position and the folding position. Corresponds to L1 and L2, and the image forming system corresponds to reference numeral 1, respectively.

  Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and all the technical matters included in the technical idea described in the claims are all included. The subject of the present invention. The above embodiment shows a preferable example, but those skilled in the art can realize various alternatives, modifications, variations, and improvements from the contents disclosed in this specification, These are included in the technical scope described in the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming system 3 Paper post-processing apparatus 36 2nd paper bundle production | generation part 37 Alignment board (2nd movable reference fence)
37D Paper folding direction downstream side 37U Paper folding direction upstream side 38 Folding plate 39, 40 Pressure roller 110 Angle changing mechanism 130 Lifting mechanism θ Inclination angle D Paper transport direction L1, L2 Distance between binding position and folding position PB Sheet bundle PB1 Fold Position PB2 Binding position PBa, PBb Edge of sheet bundle ST Binding tool

JP-A-7-165365 JP 2006-240870 A

Claims (9)

A stacking means for stacking a stack of sheets;
Needleless binding means for performing needleless binding on a stack of sheets stacked on the stacking means;
Means folding into performing folding processing on the sheet bundle stacked on the stacking means,
In the paper processing apparatus provided with
The stacking means can hold the end of the sheet bundle in an inclined state with respect to the sheet conveying direction so that the downstream side in the sheet bundle folding direction is higher than the upstream side with the end of the sheet bundle abutting Equipped with a matching plate,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stapleless binding unit performs the binding process at a position different from a center folding position of the sheet bundle. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The alignment plate includes an angle changing unit that changes an angle inclined with respect to the paper conveyance direction,
The angle changing means aligns the end portions of all sheets of the sheet bundle stacked on the alignment plate in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, and changes the inclination angle after alignment. Paper processing device. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The sheet processing apparatus , wherein the angle changing unit changes the angle so that the inclination angle becomes acute as the number of sheets of the sheet bundle increases . In the paper processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
A sheet processing apparatus comprising position changing means for changing a position of the alignment plate in the sheet conveyance direction . The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
The position changing unit changes a distance between a binding position bound by the stapleless binding unit and a folding position folded by the center folding unit according to the number of sheets of the sheet bundle. Paper processing device. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein
The position changing means changes the distance so that the distance increases as the number of sheets in the sheet bundle increases . The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stapleless binding unit is one of a crimp binding apparatus, a half-punch binding apparatus, an adhesive binding apparatus, and a toner binding apparatus. An image forming system comprising the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1. A stacking process for stacking a bundle of sheets on a stacking means;
A binding step of performing a binding process on the sheet bundle stacked on the stacking unit with a stapleless binding unit;
A folding step of performing a folding process on the sheet bundle loaded on the stacking unit by a folding unit;
In a paper processing method comprising:
In the stacking step, the end of the sheet bundle is aligned in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction by the alignment plate, and after alignment, the end of the sheet bundle abuts against the alignment plate. Holding the sheet bundle by tilting the alignment plate with respect to the sheet conveying direction so that the downstream side in the direction is higher than the upstream side,
In the binding step, a binding process is performed at a position different from a center folding position of the sheet bundle in the held state;
In the folding step, the booklet is moved to the folding position in the bound state, and the folding process is performed at the central folding position of the sheet bundle .