JP6123591B2 - Paper processing apparatus and image forming system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming system.

  Conventionally, a hooking portion that is sequentially stacked in a state in which a chevron sheet having a crease portion formed at the center is straddled, and an alignment member that aligns the width direction of the paper stacked on the hooking portion; A needle hitting means for driving a binding needle into the fold portion of the accumulated paper from above, and a needle receiving means for receiving and bending the needle tip of the binding needle which is provided opposite to the needle hitting means sandwiching the paper. A sheet processing apparatus that forms a booklet with a saddle stitching processing unit is known.

  In such saddle stitching type saddle stitching processing, a technique has been proposed in which the paper is pressed by pressing members from both sides of the needle hitting means before the binding needle is driven into the paper by the needle hitting means in order to prevent the binding position from shifting. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-60094

  However, when hitting near the end of the crease portion of the sheet, the pressing member on the end side and the alignment member may interfere with each other. Therefore, if the alignment member is retracted before the sheet is pressed by the pressing member, an instant in which the sheet is not pressed is created, and the binding position accuracy may not be ensured. Further, if the pressing member is not pressed so that the alignment member does not have to be retracted, the binding position may be shifted.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to prevent the binding member and the pressing member from interfering with each other when the binding needle is driven in the vicinity of the end of the folded portion of the stacked sheets. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming system that can ensure the accuracy of position.

In order to solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present invention,
In paper processing equipment,
A hooking portion that accumulates in a state of straddling paper conveyed in a chevron-like state in which a crease portion is formed in the center portion;
An alignment member that abuts against the edge of the paper accumulated in the hooking portion and aligns the paper in the paper conveyance direction;
A driving portion that is provided above the hooking portion, and drives a binding needle into the fold portion of the paper accumulated in the hooking portion;
A needle receiving portion that is provided opposite to the driving portion across the paper inside the hooking portion and receives and bends the needle tip of the binding needle driven by the driving portion;
Two pressing members that are provided across the driving portion along a direction parallel to the fold portion of the paper accumulated in the hooking portion, and move in the vertical direction to press the paper;
A drive unit for driving the two pressing members;
The driving unit is driven, and the sheet is pressed by one pressing member close to the center in the sheet conveying direction of the folds of the sheets stacked on the hooking part of the two pressing members. A controller that retreats in a direction away from the end, and then causes the other pressing member of the two pressing members to press the paper, and drives the binding needle into the crease portion of the paper,
It is characterized by providing.

According to another aspect of the invention,
In an image forming system,
An image forming apparatus for forming an image on paper;
The sheet processing apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus and performing a saddle stitching process in which a binding needle is used to bind a fold portion at a central portion of a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus;
It is provided with.

  According to the present invention, when the binding needle is driven in the vicinity of the end of the fold portion of the accumulated paper, it is possible to ensure the accuracy of the binding position while preventing the interference between the width aligning portion and the pressing portion.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming system. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a middle folding portion of a sheet processing apparatus. FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of a configuration of a conveyance unit of a sheet processing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of a configuration of a saddle stitching processing unit of a sheet processing apparatus. It is the side view which looked at the saddle stitching process part of FIG. 4 from the front side. It is the side view which looked at the saddle stitching process part of FIG. 4 from the left side. It is the schematic which shows the structure of a cam part. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration relating to operation control of an image forming system. FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of a pressing member. It is a figure for demonstrating a mode that a pressing member presses a paper.

  Hereinafter, an image forming system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the image forming system 1.
The image forming system 1 includes an image forming apparatus 100, an intermediate conveyance device 200, a saddle stitching processing device 300, and a flat stitching processing device 400.
In the following description, the vertical direction is the Z direction, and the direction along the direction in which the image forming apparatus 100, the intermediate transport apparatus 200, the saddle stitching processing apparatus 300, and the flat stitching processing apparatus 400 shown in FIG. A direction perpendicular to the X direction and the Z direction is taken as a Y direction.
The X direction will be described with a front side and a rear side, and the Y direction will be described with a right side and a left side. Here, the front side is the upstream side in the paper conveyance direction in the image forming system 1, and the rear side is the downstream side. Also. The right side is the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction in the saddle stitching processing device 300 in the middle folding / saddle stitching process, and the left side is the downstream side.

The image forming apparatus 100 forms an image on a sheet.
Specifically, the image forming apparatus 100 develops a toner image corresponding to bitmap data on a primary transfer member such as a transfer roller, for example, a conveyance unit that pulls out a sheet stored as a recording medium from the sheet tray and conveys the sheet. The developing unit, a primary transfer unit that transfers the toner image developed on the primary transfer member to a secondary transfer member such as the transfer drum 150, and the toner image transferred to the secondary transfer member is transferred to a sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit. The image forming apparatus includes a secondary transfer unit, a fixing unit that fixes the transferred toner image on the sheet, and a discharge unit that discharges the sheet after fixing processing by the fixing unit.
In addition, the image forming apparatus 100 delivers the sheet on which the image is formed and discharged to the intermediate transport apparatus 200. In other words, the image forming system 1 is connected so that the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus 100 is delivered to the intermediate conveying apparatus 200.

The intermediate transport apparatus 200 is an apparatus that can temporarily wait for a sheet and can perform creasing and cutting on the sheet.
Specifically, for example, the intermediate conveyance device 200 conveys the sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus 100 so as to be lowered, and temporarily stops and waits in a state where the sheet surface of the sheet is substantially along the Z direction. Section (stacker), alignment section for aligning the position of the standby paper, a creasing section for creasing the aligned paper, and a margin portion of the paper while conveying the creasing paper A cutting section (slitter) or the like is provided.
That is, the intermediate conveyance device 200 performs alignment by the alignment unit with the paper delivered from the image forming apparatus 100 being temporarily stopped at the standby unit, and then performs creasing processing by the creasing unit, and then performs creasing. The margin part of the paper is cut by the cutting unit while the paper subjected to is cut. Thereafter, the intermediate conveyance device 200 transfers the paper whose margin has been cut by the cutting unit to the saddle stitching processing device 300.
The intermediate conveyance device 200 can also deliver the paper delivered from the image forming apparatus 100 to the saddle stitching processing device 300 without performing some or all of the various processes performed by the intermediate conveyance device 200. .

The saddle stitching processing device 300 is a sheet processing device that performs a half-folding process for folding a sheet into two (folded), a saddle stitching process for creating a saddle-stitched booklet by stacking a predetermined number of the folded sheets and binding them. It is an apparatus that performs a cutting process for performing a small-edge cutting of a saddle stitch booklet.
Specifically, the saddle stitching processing apparatus 300, for example, a sheet folded from the intermediate folding apparatus 310 that folds the sheet delivered from the intermediate conveyance apparatus 200 along the Y direction, A conveyance unit 320 that conveys the sheet in the direction along the fold (Y direction) of the sheet, and a sheet binding processing unit 330 that overlaps the sheets conveyed by the conveyance unit 320 and then strikes and staples the bundle of sheets. Further, a cutting unit 370 that performs cutting processing of the edge portion of the saddle-stitched sheet bundle, a discharge unit 380 that discharges the saddle-stitched booklet whose edge portion has been cut to the outside, and the like are provided.
The saddle stitching processing device 300 delivers the paper delivered from the intermediate conveyance device 200 to the flat stitching processing device 400 without performing some or all of the various processes performed by the saddle stitching processing device 300. You can also The saddle stitching processing apparatus 300 may further include a processing unit for performing a square fold process for shaping the spine of the saddle stitch booklet.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the center folding portion 310.
The middle folding unit 310 includes, for example, a transport mechanism 311 that transports the paper delivered from the image forming apparatus 100 to a predetermined position, a pair of middle folding rollers 312a and 312b positioned above the paper stopped at the predetermined position, and It is provided with a plate-like folding knife 313 that is positioned below the pair of middle folding rollers 312a and 312b and operable to enter between the pair of middle folding rollers 312a and 312b.

The conveyance mechanism 311 conveys the paper delivered from the image forming apparatus 100 to the rear by a plurality of conveyance roller pairs 311a in a state where the surface of the paper is substantially parallel to the XY plane and on the conveyance path. By the provided stopper 311b, the downstream end of the transported paper in the transport direction is locked, positioned at a predetermined position, and stopped.
Here, the predetermined position is a position where the central portion in the X direction of the conveyed paper faces the folding knife 313. In order to stop the paper at the predetermined position, the position of the stopper 311b on the transport path is appropriately set according to the paper size.

  The pair of middle folding rollers 312a and 312b are cylindrical rollers that are rotatably provided, and form a nip portion along the Y direction by bringing their outer peripheral surfaces into contact with each other.

The folding knife 313 is a plate-like member disposed along the YZ plane. The folding knife 313 enters between the pair of middle folding rollers 312a and 312b with the paper positioned between the pair of middle folding rollers 312a and 312b and the folding knife 313, thereby pushing the paper into the nip portion. Perform the action. As a result, the sheet is folded in a state in which a crease portion along the Y direction is formed at the contact position with the folding knife 313. In other words, the paper has a so-called mountain fold shape (mountain paper) with the crease portion on the upper side and the fore ends of both ends thereof on the lower side.
Note that such a half-folding process may be set to fold a sheet for each sheet, or may be set to fold a sheet for a plurality of sheets (for example, for every three sheets).

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of the configuration of the transport unit 320.
The conveyance unit 320 includes, for example, two conveyance belts 321 and 321.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the two conveyor belts 321 and 321 are arranged so as to extend in the Y direction with the folding knife 313 interposed therebetween, and the sheet folded in the direction along the fold portion (Y direction). ).
The two conveyor belts 321 and 321 start to rotate after the sheet is folded in half by the rising and lowering of the folding knife 313 in the Z direction.
Here, an abutting portion 321 a that protrudes from the surface of the conveyor belt 321 is fixed to the outside of each conveyor belt 321. The abutting portion 321a moves around the conveying belts 321 and 321 as the conveying belts 321 and 321 rotate, and abuts against and contacts the rear end (right end) in the conveying direction of the folded sheet. In this state, after the paper is pushed out to the stacking unit 340, a circular movement is performed to return to the initial position before contacting the rear end in the paper transport direction.
The folded sheet is transported by the transport unit 320 to the stacking unit 340 (described later) of the saddle stitching processing unit 330.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the configuration of the saddle stitching processing unit 330. 5 is a side view of the saddle stitching processing unit 330 in FIG. 4 as viewed from the front side, and FIG. 6 is a side view of the saddle stitching processing unit in FIG. 4 as viewed from the left side. In addition, in FIG. 4, illustration of the front end side width alignment member 343 is abbreviate | omitted. In FIG. 6, the guide member 342 is not shown.
The saddle stitching processing unit 330 includes a stacking unit 340 that stacks and stacks the sheets conveyed by the transport unit 320, a needle unit 350 provided above the stacking unit 340, and a receiving unit provided inside the stacking unit 340. The needle part 360 and the support part S which supports these are provided.

  The support part S includes a base part S1 extending in the X direction and a standing part S2 that stands up from the rear end part of the base part S1. An accumulation portion 340 and a needle receiving portion 360 are provided at the front end portion of the base portion S1, and a needle hitting portion 350 is provided at the upper end portion of the standing portion S2.

The stacking unit 340 is provided at a position adjacent to the left end of the transport unit 320.
The stacking unit 340 includes, for example, a hooking unit 341 on which the paper transported by the transporting unit 320 is placed, a guide member 342 provided above the right end of the hooking unit 341, and a front end in the paper transporting direction. A leading end side width aligning member 343 to be abutted, and a trailing end side width aligning member 344 for performing alignment in the sheet transport direction by tapping the rear end in the sheet transport direction.

The hooking portion 341 has a convex shape with an upper angle of approximately 90 °, and is placed on the upper portion of the hooking portion 341 so as to straddle the mountain-folded paper conveyed by the conveying unit 320.
With the paper corresponding to the innermost page of the booklet to be formed being the bottom surface, the paper forming one booklet is discharged to the hooking portion 341 every time the folding process is completed, and is sequentially placed.
Further, a notch portion 341 a that exposes an upper portion of the needle receiving portion 360 provided inside the hook portion 341 is formed at the upper left side of the hook portion 341.

The guide member 342 is for guiding the sheet conveyed by the conveying unit 320 onto the hooking unit 341.
The guide member 342 is a plate body that extends along the Y direction above the right end of the hooking portion 341, and is installed to be inclined so as to approach the hooking portion 341 from upstream to downstream in the paper transport direction. Yes.
The sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit 320 is pushed out toward the gap between the hooking unit 341 and the guide member 342, and is guided by the guide member 342 to travel on the hooking unit 341 from the right side to the left side. .

As shown in FIG. 5, the leading end side width aligning member 343 is erected on the downstream side in the paper transport direction with respect to the hooking portion 341, and moves on the hooking portion 341 from the right side to the left side. The paper is stopped by abutting the leading end in the transport direction. As a result, the sheet subjected to the middle folding process is placed at a predetermined position on the top edge line of the hooking portion 341.
Note that the front end side width alignment member 343 can move in the Y direction, and the position of the front end side width alignment member 343 in the Y direction depends on the size of the paper stacked on the hooking portion 341 and the paper. It is set as appropriate according to the binding position where the binding needle is driven.

  The rear end side width alignment member 344 is provided in the upper part on the right end side of the hooking part 341 so as to be movable in the Y direction along the top edge line of the hooking part 341. When the paper is placed on the hooking portion 341, the rear end side width alignment member 344 reciprocates in the Y direction on the top ridge line of the hooking portion 341, so that the rear end in the transport direction of the paper is tapped. Then, the paper is aligned in the transport direction.

  The hitting part 350 includes, for example, a driving part 351 for driving a binding needle to a sheet placed on the hooking part 341, and two pressing members 352R and 352L provided across the driving part 351 along the Y direction. And a driving unit 353 that drives the two pressing members 352R and 352L in the vertical direction.

The driving unit 351 is provided to be rotatable in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 6 by driving a motor (not shown).
The driving unit 351 stores the binding needle therein, and when it is rotated and comes into contact with the accumulated paper, the driving unit 351 drives the binding needle from a punching port (not shown) provided at the lower end thereof.
The driving portion 351 is lowered after the two pressing members 352R and 352L are lowered, and drives the binding needle onto the top ridge line (on the fold portion) of the paper.

The two pressing members 352R and 352L are provided along the Y direction so as to sandwich the driving portion 351. On the lower surfaces of the two pressing members 352R and 352L, an inverted V-shaped guide groove 352a extending along a direction (Y direction) parallel to the fold portion of the sheet is formed.
The two pressing members 352R and 352L are respectively provided at the distal ends of the arm portions 352b and 352b that can swing around the rotation axis G1, and a predetermined number of sheets of paper are loaded on the hooking portion 341. When the arm portion 352b is placed, the arm portion 352b is rotated in the direction of arrow A in FIG. At this time, the guide grooves 352a of the pressing members 352R and 352L match the shape of the top of the paper, making it easier to press the paper.

  The arm portion 352b is biased to the upper side around the rotation axis G1 by a biasing member 352c.

The biasing member 352c is, for example, a tension coil spring, and the upper end of the biasing member 352c is connected to the upper portion of the side wall provided on the left and right sides of the driving portion 351, and the lower end is connected to the base end portion of the arm portion 352b. The base end portion of 352b is urged upward.
4 and 6 exemplify a case where two urging members 352c are provided for one arm portion 352b, but if a sufficient urging force can be applied to the base end portion of the arm portion 352b, The number of urging members 352c is not limited to this.

  The drive unit 353 includes one drive motor M connected to each arm portion 352b of the two pressing members 352R and 352L, a shaft portion G2 rotated by the drive motor M, and two cams connected to the shaft portion G2. 354R, 354L, etc. are provided.

The drive motor M is a pulse motor such as a stepping motor, for example, and step-drives the rotor forward by a predetermined angle under the control of the saddle stitching processing control unit 505. Thereby, a rotational driving force is applied to the shaft portion G2.
The shaft part G2 rotates about an axis parallel to the rotation axis of the arm part 352b.
The two cam portions 354R and 354L abut against the base end portions of the respective arm portions 352b of the two pressing members 352R and 352L, push down the base end portions downward, and rotate by the rotation of the shaft portion G2 to rotate to a predetermined level. The two pressing members 352R and 352L are separated from the base end portions of the arm portions 352b by the time difference.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the cam portions 354R and 354L.
As shown in FIG. 7, the two cam portions 354R and 354L have the same shape and are connected to the shaft portion G2 with different rotational phases. As an example, here, the two cam portions 354R and 354L include an eccentric cam having a peripheral edge formed by an arc of a predetermined curvature and a cam follower (not shown), and the eccentric cam is installed with a rotational phase different by 90 °. Has been.
When the cam portions 354R and 354L come into contact with the proximal end portion of the arm portion 352b, the proximal end portion of the arm portion 352b is pushed downward. As a result, the distal end portion of the arm portion 352b is raised, and the pressing members 352R and 352L are separated from the sheet.
Further, when the cam portions 354R and 354L are rotated and separated from the base end portion of the arm portion 352b, the base end portion of the arm portion 352b is raised by the biasing force of the biasing member 352c. As a result, the tip of the arm portion 352b is lowered, and the pressing members 352R and 352L are in a state of pressing the sheet.
Since the two cam portions 354R and 354L of the present embodiment are installed with a rotational phase different by 90 °, as shown in FIG. 7, after the cam portion 354R is separated from the base end portion of the arm portion 352b, After a predetermined time (the time for which the shaft portion G2 further rotates by 90 °) elapses, the cam portion 354L moves away from the base end portion of the arm portion 352b.

  The needle receiving portion 360 includes a needle receiving portion 361 provided inside the hooking portion 341 and two support portions 362 and 362 installed along the Y direction across the needle receiving portion 361.

  The needle receiving part 361 is fixed inside the hooking part 341 and its upper part is exposed by a notch part 341 a of the hooking part 341. A concave portion 361 a is formed on the upper surface of the needle receiving portion 361 so as to be bent by abutting the front end portion of the binding needle driven by the driving portion 351. That is, the leading end portion of the binding needle that is pressed against the sheet by the driving unit 351 and penetrates the sheet is bent by abutting against the recess 361a.

The support portions 362 and 362 are provided along the Y direction so as to sandwich the needle receiving portion 361. The support portions 362 and 362 protrude from the upper surface of the needle receiving portion 361 at positions facing the pressing members 352R and 352L of the needle hitting portion 350, and are provided so as to be retractable downward by pressing from above.
Specifically, the support portion 362 is supported by a spring member 362a that urges the support portion 362 in a direction in which the support portion 362 protrudes upward. When the pressing members 352R and 352L are lowered, the supporting portions 362 are lifted from the pressing members 352R and 352L. By pressing, it is retracted downward.
The support portion 362 is an arbitrary member set so that the width in the X direction (the direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the guide groove) is narrower than the width in the X direction of the guide groove 352a. The part 362 is a plate-like member disposed along the YZ plane. In addition, as this plate-shaped member, it is preferable that the upper end part is sharp so that it may correspond with the inverted V-shaped guide groove 352a.

  The cutting unit 370 performs a cutting process on the edge portion of the booklet that is saddle-stitched as described above. In other words, the booklet that is saddle-stitched as described above has an edge portion that is not aligned according to the number of sheets of the booklet, and therefore a cutting process is performed in which the edge portion is cut by the cutting unit 370 and the edge portion is aligned.

  The discharge unit 380 discharges the booklet that has been subjected to the cutting processing of the edge portion by the cutting unit 370.

Returning to FIG. 1, the side stitching processing apparatus 400 performs a side stitching process on a plurality of sheets.
Specifically, the side stitching processing device 400 includes, for example, a staple processing unit that performs a stapling process on a plurality of sheets delivered from the saddle stitching processing apparatus 300, and a spine cover among the plurality of sheets subjected to the stapling process. In order to align the parallel end portions, a page end cutting portion that cuts off a portion of the end portions and a discharge portion that discharges sheets after processing by each connected device are provided.
It should be noted that the side stitching processing apparatus 400 can also discharge the paper delivered from the saddle stitching processing apparatus 300 without performing some or all of the various processes performed by the side stitching processing apparatus 400.

Next, operation control of the image forming system 1 will be described.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration relating to operation control of the image forming system 1.

  The image forming system 1 receives a user input operation related to the operation of the image forming system 1, and performs an operation display unit 501 that performs display output related to the operation of the image forming system 1, and a center that performs operation control of the entire image forming system 1. A control unit 502, an image formation control unit 503 that performs operation control of the image forming apparatus 100, an intermediate conveyance control unit 504 that performs operation control of the intermediate conveyance device 200, and a saddle stitching process that performs operation control of the saddle stitching processing device 300. A control unit (control unit) 505 and a side stitching processing control unit 506 that performs operation control of the side stitching processing apparatus 400 are provided.

The operation display unit 501 includes, for example, a touch panel type operation display device, various input switches, keys, and the like, and transmits a signal corresponding to a user input content to the central control unit 502.
The central control unit 502, the image formation control unit 503, the intermediate conveyance control unit 504, the saddle stitching processing control unit 505, and the flat stitching processing control unit 506 each have a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like. The program and various data are read and executed.

The central control unit 502 sets various conditions related to the image forming system 1 according to the input contents of the user input via the operation display unit 501.
The setting conditions include, for example, the paper size, the number of colors at the time of image formation (for example, color, gray scale, monochrome, etc.), the number of sheets to be folded in half, the nip pressure in the folding process, and the saddle stitching process. Number of sheets of paper, type of paper to be subjected to saddle stitching processing, size, basis weight, the number of binding needles to be driven into the crease portion of the paper in saddle stitching processing, and the position at which the binding needle is driven in the saddle stitching processing (binding position) In addition, the execution / non-execution of the cutting of the end portion that becomes the blank portion, the width of the end portion to be cut, and the like are included.
The central control unit 502 performs processing corresponding to the setting contents on the control units of the image formation control unit 503, the intermediate conveyance control unit 504, the saddle stitching processing control unit 505, and the side stitching processing control unit 506. Output instructions. Each control unit controls the operation of the device to be controlled according to the command.

For example, the central control unit 502 outputs a command for performing the saddle stitching process and the saddle stitching process to the saddle stitching process control unit 505.
In accordance with this, the saddle stitching processing control unit 505 controls the middle folding unit 310 to perform the middle folding process, and controls the saddle stitching processing unit 330 to perform the saddle stitching process.
Specifically, the saddle stitching processing control unit 505 controls the folding unit 310 to perform the folding process on the sheet, controls the conveyance unit 320 to convey the folded sheet to the stacking unit 340, and stacks the unit 340. A predetermined number of sheets are stacked on the.
The saddle stitching processing control unit 505 drives the driving unit 353 when the driving unit 351 drives the binding needle into the crease portion of the sheet, and the pressing member 352R on the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction among the two pressing members 352R and 352L. Then, the front end side width alignment member 343 is retracted to the downstream side in the paper transport direction, and then the paper is pressed by the press member 352L on the downstream side in the paper transport direction.
In this way, by controlling the operations of the two pressing members 352R and 352L and the leading end side width aligning member 343, when hitting near the end of the sheet on the downstream side in the sheet transport direction, the pressing member 352L and the leading end side width aligning are performed. The sheet can be reliably pressed while preventing the interference of the member 343.

  Here, FIG. 9 shows a flowchart for explaining the operation of the two pressing members 352R and 352L. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining how the two pressing members 352R and 352L press the paper. FIG. 10 illustrates a case where the needle is hit near the end of the paper on the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction.

  First, in step S1, the saddle stitching processing control unit 505 determines whether or not a predetermined number of sheets have been stacked on the hooking unit 341 of the stacking unit 340, and if a predetermined number of sheets has not been stacked ( Step S1: NO), the process of step S1 is repeated.

  On the other hand, when a predetermined number of sheets are stacked on the hooking unit 341 of the stacking unit 340 (step S1: YES), in the subsequent step S2, the saddle stitching processing control unit 505 starts counting by a counter (not shown). .

Next, in step S <b> 3, the saddle stitching process control unit 505 starts driving the drive motor M.
As a result, when the rotation of the shaft portion G2 starts and a predetermined time elapses, the cam portion 353R is separated from the base end portion of the arm portion 352b of the pressing member 352R on the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction, so the arm portion of the pressing member 352R As shown in FIG. 10A, the pressing member 352R on the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction is lowered and the sheet is pressed by the pressing member 352R.

  Next, in step S4, the saddle stitching process control unit 505 determines whether or not a predetermined time after the time when the count value of the counter is lowered after the pressing member 352R is lowered has passed the predetermined time. If it is determined that the time has not elapsed (step S4: NO), the process of step S4 is repeated.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed (step S4: YES), in the subsequent step S5, the saddle stitching processing control unit 505 moves the leading end side width alignment member 343 as shown in FIG. Retreat to the downstream side in the paper transport direction.
Thereafter, when a predetermined time further elapses, the cam portion 353L moves away from the base end portion of the arm portion 352b of the pressing member 352L on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction, so that the arm portion 352b of the pressing member 352L rotates, and FIG. As shown in c), the pressing member 352L on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction is lowered, and the sheet is pressed by the pressing member 352L.
At this time, the support portions 362 and 362 are retracted downward against the urging force of the spring member 362a by pressing from above the pressing members 352R and 352L, and the top ridge line of the sheet is crushed. Become. Specifically, the top of the sheet, which was about 90 °, is expanded to an angle of about 140 °.

  Next, in step S6, the saddle stitching process control unit 505 determines whether or not a predetermined time after the time when the count value of the counter is lowered after the pressing member 352L is lowered has passed the predetermined time. When it is determined that the time has not elapsed (step S6: NO), the process of step S6 is repeated.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed (step S6: YES), in the subsequent step S7, the saddle stitching processing control unit 505 causes the stitching unit 351 to bind the binding needle to the predetermined position of the fold portion of the sheet. To finish this process.
Needless to say, the pressing members 352R and 352L maintain the state of pressing the paper when the binding portion 351 drives the binding needle to the predetermined position of the fold portion of the paper. That is, the pressing members 352R and 352L are raised after a predetermined time has elapsed after the binding needle is driven.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the saddle stitching processing control unit 505 is one of the two pressing members 352R and 352L that is closer to the center of the sheet folding direction of the sheet folded on the hooking unit 341. The pressing member 352R presses the sheet and retracts in the direction (downstream side) away from the end of the leading end side width alignment member 343, and then the pressing member 352L holds the sheet to the driving unit 351. A binding needle is driven into the fold portion of the paper.
For this reason, there is no moment when the sheet is not pressed, and the accuracy of the binding position can be ensured.
In addition, since both sides of the binding position of the sheet can be pressed while preventing the interference between the leading end side width alignment member 343 and the pressing member 352L, it is possible to prevent the binding position from being shifted.
That is, when the binding needle is driven in the vicinity of the end of the fold portion of the accumulated paper, it is possible to ensure the accuracy of the binding position while preventing the interference between the width aligning portion and the pressing portion.

Further, according to the present embodiment, each of the two pressing members 352R and 352L is pivotally supported so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and the arm portion 352b whose base end is urged upward by the urging member 352c. The drive unit 353 is connected to the drive motor M, the shaft part G2 that rotates about the axis parallel to the rotation axis of the arm part 352b by the drive motor M, and the shaft part G2, and is connected to the rotation phase. Two cam portions 354R and 354L provided with different positions, and the two cam portions 354R and 354L are in contact with the base end portions of the respective arm portions 352b and push down the base end portions downward, The shaft portion G2 is rotated by the rotation of the shaft portion G2, and is separated from the base end portion of each arm portion 352b with a predetermined time difference.
For this reason, since the two pressing members 352R and 352L can be driven with a time difference by one driving unit, the cost can be reduced.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the needle receiving portion 360 includes the needle receiving portion 361 that receives and bends the needle tip of the binding needle that has been driven from the driving portion 351, and the two pressing members 352R that sandwich the needle receiving portion 361. Two support portions 362 and 362 provided at positions opposed to 352L, and the support portions 362 and 362 protrude from the upper surface of the needle receiving portion 361 and are pressed by the pressing members 352R and 352L. The position is configured to be lowered.
For this reason, when the paper is sandwiched between the pressing members 352R and 352L and the support portions 362 and 362, the binding position on the top ridge line of the paper is crushed, so the lower surface of the paper and the needle receiving portion 361. And the buckling of the needle tip of the binding needle can be prevented.
Further, since the binding position on the top ridge line of the paper is crushed, the penetration length of the binding needle with respect to the paper is shortened compared to the state before being crushed, so that the number of sheets that can be bound is increased. Can do.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the sheet is pressed by the pressing member 352R, the front end side width alignment member 343 is retracted, and then the sheet is pressed by the pressing member 352L has been described as an example. When hitting near the end, the sheet is first pressed by the pressing member 352L, the rear end side width alignment member 344 is retracted, and then the sheet is pressed by the pressing member 352R.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the two pressing members 352R and 352L are driven by one driving motor M has been described as an example. However, the pressing motors 352R and 352L may each have a driving motor. good.
In this case, the operation of the pressing members 352R and 352L may be switched according to the binding position. That is, when the binding position is near the edge of the paper, the pressing members 352R and 352L are lowered with a time difference, and when the binding position is not near the edge of the paper, the pressing members 352R and 352L are simultaneously lowered. It is good also as a structure.

In the above embodiment, the case where the cam portions 354R and 354L have the same shape has been described as an example, but the shapes of the cam portions 354R and 354L may be different. For example, the cam portion 354L may have a shape such that the time during which the cam portion 354L is in contact with the base end portion of the arm portion 352b (the time during which the pressing member 352L is raised) is longer.
As described above, by shifting the ascending timing of the pressing members 352R and 352L, the driving load of the driving motor M for turning the shaft portion G2 can be reduced.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming system 100 Image forming apparatus 200 Intermediate conveyance apparatus 300 Saddle stitch processing apparatus (paper processing apparatus)
310 Folding section 320 Conveying section 330 Saddle stitching processing section S Support section S1 Base section S2 Standing section 340 Stacking section 341 Hook section 341a Notch section 342 Guide member 343 Front end side width alignment member 344 Rear end side width alignment member 350 Needle striking part 351 Driving part 352R, 352L Pressing member 352a Guide groove 352b Arm part 352c Energizing member 353 Driving part M Drive motor G2 Shaft part 354R, 354L Cam part 360 Needle receiving part 361 Needle receiving part 361a Recessing part 362 Supporting part 362a Spring Member 370 Cutting unit 380 Discharge unit 400 Flat stitch processing apparatus 501 Operation display unit 502 Central control unit 503 Image formation control unit 504 Intermediate conveyance control unit 505 Saddle stitching processing control unit (control unit)
506 Side stitching processing control unit

Claims (4)

A hooking portion that accumulates in a state of straddling paper conveyed in a chevron-like state in which a crease portion is formed in the center portion;
An alignment member that abuts against the edge of the paper accumulated in the hooking portion and aligns the paper in the paper conveyance direction;
A driving portion that is provided above the hooking portion, and drives a binding needle into the fold portion of the paper accumulated in the hooking portion;
A needle receiving portion that is provided opposite to the driving portion across the paper inside the hooking portion and receives and bends the needle tip of the binding needle driven by the driving portion;
Two pressing members that are provided across the driving portion along a direction parallel to the fold portion of the paper accumulated in the hooking portion, and move in the vertical direction to press the paper;
A drive unit for driving the two pressing members;
The driving unit is driven, and the sheet is pressed by one pressing member close to the center in the sheet conveying direction of the folds of the sheets stacked on the hooking part of the two pressing members. A controller that retreats in a direction away from the end, and then causes the other pressing member of the two pressing members to press the paper, and drives the binding needle into the crease portion of the paper,
A sheet processing apparatus comprising: Each of the two pressing members is pivotally supported in the vertical direction and is provided at the distal end portion of the arm portion whose base end portion is urged upward by the urging member,
The drive unit is
A drive motor;
A shaft portion that rotates about an axis parallel to the rotation axis of the arm portion by the drive motor;
Two cam portions connected to the shaft portion and provided with different rotational phases;
With
The two cam portions abut against the base end portions of the respective arm portions, push down the base end portions downward, rotate by the rotation of the shaft portion, and rotate at a predetermined time difference with respect to the base portions of the respective arm portions. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet processing apparatus is separated from the end portion. The needle receiving portion is
A needle receiving portion that receives and bends the needle tip of the binding needle driven from the driving portion;
Two support portions provided at positions facing the two pressing members across the needle receiving portion;
With
The said two support parts are comprised so that an upper surface position may fall by the press from the said 2 pressing member while projecting from the upper surface of the said needle | hook receiving part. Paper processing equipment. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on paper;
4. The sheet according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is connected to the image forming apparatus and performs a saddle stitching process in which a binding needle is used to bind a fold portion at a center portion of the sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus. A processing device;
An image forming system comprising:

Images