JP6171407B2 - Sheet processing apparatus and image forming system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming system, and more particularly to a binding processing mechanism for a sheet after image formation.

Sheets printed out by an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a printing machine, in addition to being discharged from the image forming apparatus, are partly bundled with a stapler in a state where a predetermined number of sheets are collected. Post-processing may be performed.
As an apparatus for this purpose, a sheet processing apparatus connected to the sheet discharge unit of the image forming apparatus is used.

Staples are generally used for the binding process, but in recent years, an apparatus that does not use metal products such as staples has been desired from the viewpoint of resource saving, ecology, and recyclability.
As one of the devices described above, the paper sheets are formed by engaging a plurality of minute tooth molds in the paper group using a tooth mold member capable of sandwiching and pressing the group of paper sheets stacked together to perform uneven deep drawing. A binding device that performs the binding process is proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).

A sheet bundle to be subjected to deep drawing is conveyed to a binding processing position in a state where a plurality of sheets are stacked.
When deep drawing is performed by pressing a microtooth mold on stacked sheets, the deep drawing effect may differ between the outermost sheet and the inner sheet among the stacked sheets. . That is, among the stacked sheets, the inner side sheet is less likely to transfer the microtooth mold, and it is difficult to cause the fibers to be entangled or adhered by transferring the microtooth mold. For this reason, there is a possibility of causing a problem that a part of the sheet bundle that should have been bound is not securely bound.

In order to reliably perform the binding operation by the pressure bonding, it is conceivable to increase the pressurizing force of the microtooth mold.
However, this method not only causes an increase in equipment, but depending on the mechanical properties such as the thickness and bending rigidity of the paper, a part of the paper may be torn or torn due to the applied pressure.

  It is an object of the present invention to effectively perform tooth-type transfer on a sheet located on the inner side among the stacked sheets when binding the stacked sheets to each other without binding the sheets. Another object of the present invention is to provide a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming system having the above configuration.

In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides a binding unit for positioning the stacked sheets when performing a binding process by pressurizing and deforming a part of a sheet bundle in which a plurality of sheets are stacked in an uneven shape. A sheet processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of concave and convex tooth surfaces that are deformed into the concave and convex shapes; a crimping tooth capable of meshing the concave and convex tooth surfaces; and the crimping tooth and the sheet bundle An operation mechanism that operates in a direction that meshes with a part of the paper , and the operation mechanism controls the number of engagements of the pressure-bonding teeth at the same position of the stacked sheets after the final sheet is conveyed to the binding unit. The sheet processing apparatus is characterized by the above.

  According to the present invention, the shortage of pressure on the stacked sheets can be solved by controlling the number of engagements of the crimping teeth for the same portion of the sheet by the operation mechanism during the binding process by the crimping teeth. As a result, it is possible to eliminate an accident that the paper is peeled off by effectively performing the tooth-type transfer for the paper that is positioned inside among the stacked paper.

1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration of an image forming system including an image forming apparatus using a sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the control system used for the image forming system shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the procedure of the crimp binding which is an example of a binding process. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the crimping tooth used for the crimping binding shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the binding apparatus used for the sheet processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the operation | movement mechanism which makes object the binding apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the crimping tooth switching mechanism and crimping tooth which are used for the operation | movement mechanism shown in FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the effect | action of the control part shown in FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an image forming system using a sheet processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, an image forming system 1 includes a sheet processing apparatus 3 used for sheet processing continuously attached to and connected to a sheet discharge unit in an image forming apparatus 2 such as a copying machine, a printer, or a printing machine.
A sheet processing apparatus 3 used in the image forming system 1 is a post-processing apparatus that performs a folding process such as a binding process for binding a plurality of sheets together or a middle fold (hereinafter, the sheet processing apparatus is expressed as a sheet post-processing apparatus for convenience). Function).

In the image forming system 1, after the image forming apparatus 2 forms an image on the sheet 5, the sheet post-processing apparatus 3 receives the sheet 5 from the image forming apparatus 2 and performs various post-processing on the received sheet 5.
Examples of the various post processes include an end binding process and a half-fold process. The half-folding process includes a saddle stitching process.

In the present embodiment, in the edge binding process and the saddle stitching process, the sheet post-processing device 3 is attached to the image forming apparatus 2 and uses a sheet bundle 6 instead of a needle instead of a needle. To bind.
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 has a known configuration, and an example is an electrophotographic color image forming apparatus.
In the image forming apparatus 2, 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, a paper discharge conveyance path, a double-side conveyance path, etc. Neither is shown), and an image is formed on both sides or one side of the paper 5.

In FIG. 1, a sheet post-processing apparatus 3 used as a sheet processing apparatus will be described.
The sheet post-processing device 3 includes a first transport path Pt1.
The first transport path Pt <b> 1 is used to receive the paper 5 discharged from the image forming apparatus 2 and discharge the paper 5 to the first paper discharge tray 10.
The first conveyance path Pt1 is branched in the middle and is connected to the second conveyance path Pt2 for performing the end binding processing or the like on the sheet bundle 6 and the second conveyance path Pt2 is saddle-stitched to the sheet bundle 6. It is divided into a third transport path Pt3 for performing the middle folding process.

Each of the transport paths Pt1 to Pt3 is formed by, for example, a guide member (not shown) that can move the paper.
In the first transport path Pt1, an entrance roller 11, transport rollers 12, 13, and a paper discharge roller 14 are arranged in order from the upstream portion to the downstream portion of the first transport path Pt1. In this case, the upstream side and the downstream side are targeted for the paper transport direction.
The entrance roller 11, the transport rollers 12 and 13, and the paper discharge roller 14 are rotationally driven by a motor and transport the paper 5 in the direction indicated by the arrow A. 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 branching claw 17 is disposed downstream of the transport roller 12 in the transport direction of the paper 5.
The branch claw 17 can be rotated to switch its position. Thereby, the branching claw 17 selectively guides the paper 5 to either the downstream portion of the branching claw 17 or the second transport path Pt2 in the transport direction of the paper 5 in the first transport path Pt1. can do. For this reason, the branch claw 17 is driven by, for example, a motor or a solenoid.

  In the discharge mode, the paper 5 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 transferred to the first paper discharge tray 10. Discharged.

  On the other hand, in the end binding mode and the middle folding mode, the paper 5 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 branching claw 17, so that the second Is transported to the transport path Pt2.

The second transport path Pt2 includes transport rollers 20, 21, 22, a paper stacking tray 23, a first jogger fence 24, and an end binding portion (first binding portion) that is a characteristic portion of the present embodiment. 25) are arranged.
The end binding unit 25 is a portion where a plurality of sheets are stacked and positioned when a binding process is performed by pressurizing and deforming a part of a sheet bundle in which a plurality of sheets are stacked in an uneven shape.

The transport rollers 20, 21 and 22 are driven by a motor to transport the paper 5. The first jogger fence 24 is driven by a motor.
In addition, branch claws 26 and 27 are arranged downstream of the paper stacking tray 23. The branch claws 26 and 27 are rotated to switch their positions, so that the sheet 5 is transferred to either the downstream portion of the branch claw 17 in the first transport path Pt1 or the third transport path Pt3. Selectively guide to. For this reason, the 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. Thereby, a sheet bundle 6 in which a plurality of sheets 5 are laminated is formed. At this time, the rear end of the paper 5 comes into contact with a first movable reference fence (not shown) provided on the paper stacking tray 23, the paper transport direction position is aligned, and the first jogger fence 24 has a width. The direction position is aligned.

  Here, the paper stacking tray 23, the first jogger fence 24, and the first movable reference fence constitute a first bundling unit 28 as a bundling unit that stacks a plurality of papers 5 to form a paper bundle 6. ing. The first bundling unit 28 also includes a motor that drives the first jogger fence 24 and a motor that drives the first movable reference fence.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the end binding portion 25 that is the first binding portion, a pair of concave and convex crimping teeth 101 and 102 are arranged with the sheet bundle 6 interposed therebetween.
In a state where the sheet bundle 6 is present, the sheet bundle 6 is bound by a crimping binding portion that applies a force to one crimping tooth in the direction of the other crimping tooth. Details of the binding method will be described later.

  The sheet bundle 6 with the edge bound is conveyed to the first conveyance path Pt1 by the first movable reference fence, and then conveyed by the conveyance roller 13 and the discharge roller 14 to the first discharge tray 10. Discharged. Here, the paper discharge roller 14 is an example of a paper discharge unit that discharges the sheet bundle 6 bound by the end binding unit 25.

  On the other hand, in the middle folding mode, the sheet 5 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.

Conveying rollers 31 and 32 and a saddle stitch folding part 33 are arranged in the third conveying path Pt3.
The transport rollers 31 and 32 are driven by a motor to transport the paper 5. The saddle stitch folding part 33 includes a center folding part 34, a saddle stitching part (second binding part) 35, and a second bundling part 36. The saddle stitch folding portion 33 is used as an example of a binding forming portion.

The sheets 5 conveyed to the third conveyance path Pt3 are sequentially accumulated in the second bundling unit 36 by the conveyance rollers 31 and 32. Thereby, a sheet bundle 6 in which a plurality of sheets 5 are laminated is formed. That is, the second bundling unit 36 overlaps the plurality of sheets 5 conveyed by the conveyance unit 51 to form a sheet bundle 6. At this time, the front end of the paper 5 comes into contact with the second movable reference fence 37, the paper transport direction position is aligned, and the width direction position is aligned by a second jogger fence (not shown).
Then, the sheet bundle 6 is bound (saddle-stitched) by the saddle stitching section 35 in the vicinity of the center in the sheet transport direction. The saddle-stitched sheet bundle 6 is returned to the center folding position by the second movable reference fence 37. The second movable reference fence 37 is driven by a motor.

The sheet bundle 6 positioned at the center folding position is folded (center folded) by the center folding section 34 at the center in the sheet transport direction. In the middle folding section 34, the folding blade 38 facing the central portion in the sheet conveyance direction of the sheet bundle 6 located at the middle folding position moves from right to left in FIG. It pushes between a pair of press rollers 39 and 40, bending.
The folding blade 38 is driven by a motor (not shown). The folded sheet bundle 6 is pressed from above and below by the pair of pressing rollers 39 and 40.
The pair of pressing rollers 39 and 40 are driven by a motor (not shown), and the sheet bundle 6 bent in this manner is placed on the second discharge tray 42 by the pressing rollers 39 and 40 and the discharge roller 41. The paper is discharged. The paper discharge roller 41 is driven by a motor.

Here, the entrance roller 11, the transport rollers 12, 13, 20, 21, 22, 31, 32 and the paper discharge rollers 14, 41 shown in FIG. 1 together with the motors that drive them, as shown in FIG. The transport unit 51 is configured. Further, the branch claws 17, 26 and 27 shown in FIG. 1 constitute a path switching unit 52 as shown in FIG. 2 together with a motor or a solenoid for driving them.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 49 indicates a punching device used when punching holes for binding holes.

The sheet post-processing device 3 includes a control unit 61 shown in FIG.
As the control unit 61, a computer having a CPU, a storage unit, a communication interface, and the like is used.
The storage unit of the control unit 61 is configured by a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and stores a program executed by the CPU.
The control unit 61 is connected to the inlet sensor 15, the processing unit 16, the first bundling unit 28, the saddle stitch 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 according to a program stored in the storage unit. The control unit 61 is connected to a control unit of the image forming apparatus so that data communication is possible.

Next, the binding process executed by the end binding unit 25 that is the first binding unit will be described.
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a crimp binding method for an end binding portion.
In the figure, the crimping binding section 25 has concave and convex crimping teeth (lower concave and convex teeth 101 and upper concave and convex teeth 102) that can mesh with each other by arranging a plurality of tooth surfaces for deforming the binding processing area of the paper into irregularities. It is arranged at a position facing the sheet bundle (sheet bundle) 6 (FIG. 3A).
Either one of the crimping teeth (or both) is moved and a force is applied (FIGS. 3B to 3C).
As the pressing force is increased, the paper is pressed and deformed into an uneven shape, the shape is transferred, and the binding is completed. (Fig. 3 (D))
In this crimping binding, it is possible to bind the sheets by fitting the unevenness or entanglement or fixation of the fibers between the sheets. The concavo-convex shape of the crimping teeth 101 and 102 has a slope portion having an arbitrary angle.
Also, the shape of the concavo-convex apex and valley is different, and when the crimping teeth 101 and 102 mesh with each other, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, the apex of the upper crimping tooth 102 and the valley of the lower crimping tooth 101 The parts do not touch. As a result, the sheet bundle 6 is pressure-bonded only by the inclined surface portion, and the binding can be performed efficiently.

Next, a configuration used for the above-described end binding will be described.
FIG. 5 shows an example of an operation mechanism used for the crimping binding portion 25.
As this mechanism, upper concave and convex teeth 102 (lower concave and convex teeth 101) are respectively arranged on the upper tooth arm 104 (lower tooth arm 103), and the upper tooth arm 104 rotates around the arm rotation center portion 104a.
In the rotational operation, the cam drive gear 106 is rotated by rotating the gear 105 by a drive source (not shown), and the cam contact surface of the upper tooth arm 104 is moved by a non-linear rotational movement of the cam 107 fixed thereto. Push up. As a result, the upper uneven tooth 102 moves downward and comes into contact with the lower uneven tooth 101.
Further, a return spring 108 for returning the upper and lower uneven teeth 101 and 102 to a separated state and a pedestal 109 that supports each member denoted by reference numerals 101 to 108 are installed.

  In the operating mechanism, by determining the rotational position of the cam 107, the meshing amount of the upper and lower concavo-convex teeth 101, 102 can be adjusted, and a pressure according to the meshing amount can be applied to the sheet.

The special feature of the sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described as follows with the above configuration as a target.
A feature of the sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is that the sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is positioned on the inner side among the sheets stacked as a sheet bundle by controlling the crimping operation of the crimping teeth according to the thickness of the sheets used for the sheet bundle and the number of sheets. This is in that the transfer of the tooth mold onto the paper is effectively performed.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing details of the operation mechanism of the crimped binding portion 25.
As shown in FIG. 5, in the same figure, in addition to the pivoting operation of the upper tooth arm 104, the concave and convex teeth in the upper and lower concave teeth 101 and 102 can be changed.
For this reason, the upper and lower concave and convex teeth 101 and 102 are provided with a crimp tooth switching mechanism shown in FIG.
The crimp tooth switching mechanism is individually provided for each of the upper and lower concave and convex teeth 101 and 102.
As shown in FIG. 7, the crimping tooth switching mechanism includes crimping tooth supports 110 and 111 that can be equipped with crimping teeth having different configurations. The crimping tooth supports 110 and 111 are driving sources. The rotational force from the motors M and M ′ is transmitted.
For transmission of the rotational force from the drive motors M and M ′, the gears M1 and M1 ′ located on the drive motors M and M ′ side and the rotary shafts 110A and 111A attached to the crimping tooth supports 110 and 111 side are used. The provided gear 111B is used.

The configuration of the crimping tooth supports 110 and 111 is shown in FIG.
In FIG. 7, the crimping tooth supports 110 and 111 are shown. The member is rotatable by the rotating shaft 110A, and a pressure-bonding tooth support surface 110C made of a flat surface is formed at a phase position of 180 degrees.
On the pressure-bonding tooth support surface 110C, as shown in (B) and (C), a high-tooth pressure-bonding tooth (see FIG. 7B) and a low-tooth pressure bonding tooth (see FIG. 7C) are provided. It is supposed to be fixed.
The pressure-bonding tooth support 110 equipped with pressure-bonding teeth having different structures on the pressure-bonding tooth support surface can selectively mesh with the upper and lower uneven teeth provided on the upper and lower arms 103 and 104 by rotating. The upper and lower uneven teeth arranged on the upper and lower arms 103 and 104 side are exchanged according to the structure of the crimp tooth selected on the crimp tooth support 110 side.

  The pressure-bonding teeth mounted on the pressure-bonding tooth support surface 110C are selected according to the thickness of the sheets to be crimped and the number of sheets, and are pressure-bonded on the inclined surface when entering the sheets that are stacked to form a sheet bundle Conditions vary depending on tooth height. In other words, the pressure-bonding teeth having a high tooth height can enter a deep position inside the stacked paper, and the pressure-bonding teeth having a low tooth height can enter a shallow position of the stacked paper.

In the sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the number of engagements of the crimping teeth and the engagement depth can be selected according to the thickness of the sheets constituting the sheet bundle and the number of sheets.
The control unit 61 shown in FIG. 2 is used for the number of engagements and the engagement depth.
As a member related to the present embodiment, the control unit 61 is connected to the operation panel 1000 on the input side, which can input the thickness according to the type of paper and the number of sheets forming a sheet bundle. Further, on the output side, a drive source of the operation mechanism shown in FIG. 6 (for convenience, indicated as a crimp tooth operation mechanism 2000 in FIG. 2) is connected.

In the control unit 61, experimental data such as sheet thickness and binding pressure, and the number of sheets and binding pressure are registered in advance.
The experimental data is compared with the input information before the final sheet reaches the binding unit 25 to determine the binding pressure, and the rotation amount of the cam 107 at this stage and the number of bindings are set.
The above-described experimental data corresponds to an initial condition when controlling the operating state of the binding device, and is used for setting the rotation amount and the number of times described above according to a high tendency with respect to this condition.
The rotation amount is changed by changing the swing amount of the arm and adjusting the meshing depth of the crimping teeth. The change in the number of bindings leads to a change in the deep drawing amount to the sheet bundle when the rotation amount is not changed, and the top surface of the crimping tooth can reach a deep position inside the stacked sheets.

The operation of the control unit 61 shown in FIG. 8 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
Based on the binding condition input from the operation panel 1000 (ST1), the control unit 61 determines whether the paper is thick in the paper thickness (ST2).
In step ST2, it is determined whether or not there is a tendency to change from the above-described initial condition, that is, a case where it becomes higher.
If it is determined in step ST2 that the sheet is thick paper, the operation mechanism is operated by setting the number of crimping operations at the same location of the sheet bundle to two (ST3).

If it is determined in step ST2 that the sheet is not thick, the number of sheets is determined (ST4). If it is 10 sheets or more, the number of crimping operations is 2, and if it is less than 10, the number of crimping operations is 1. The operation mechanism is operated as a rotation (ST5).
The number of crimping operations when the thickness is large is greater than the number of times when the thickness is small, and the concave and convex tooth profile of the crimping tooth can be transferred to the paper located inside the stacked paper group. It is like that.
In the flowchart shown in FIG. 9, only the number of crimping operations is set. However, in addition to the number of crimping operations, the pressure applied by changing the meshing depth of the crimping teeth during the first and subsequent crimping operations. May be changed.

Next, a main part modification of the sheet processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.
A feature of the modification is that the control unit 61 changes the crimping tooth used for deep drawing between the first time and the subsequent time instead of the number of times of the crimping operation according to the thickness and the number of sheets.
As a configuration in this case, the crimp tooth switching mechanism shown in FIG. 7 is used.
In the control unit 61, when the thickness of the sheet is more than the specified value or when the number of sheets is equal to or more than the predetermined number, the low-tooth crimping tooth is used for the first crimping operation, and the subsequent crimping operation is performed with the tooth height. Change to a higher crimp tooth.
By using the pressure-bonded teeth having different tooth heights as described above, it is possible to efficiently transfer the tooth pattern after the first time.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming system 2 Image forming apparatus 3 Paper post-processing apparatus 25 Edge part binding part 61 Control means 101,102 Crimping tooth 110,111 Crimping tooth support 1000 Operation panel 2000 Motion mechanism

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 07-165365

Claims (6)

A sheet processing apparatus comprising a binding unit for positioning the stacked sheets when performing a binding process by pressing and deforming a part of a sheet bundle in which a plurality of sheets are stacked in an uneven shape,
A plurality of concave and convex tooth surfaces to be deformed into the concave and convex shapes, and crimping teeth capable of meshing the concave and convex tooth surfaces; and
An operation mechanism for operating the crimping teeth in a direction in which the crimping teeth mesh with each other with respect to a part of the sheet bundle;
The sheet processing apparatus , wherein the operation mechanism controls the number of meshing of the crimping teeth at the same location of the stacked sheets after the final sheet is conveyed to the binding unit.   The number of engagements of the crimping teeth is increased according to the tendency of the thickness or the number of sheets to be higher than the initial condition based on the thickness of the sheets and the number of sheets to be stacked. Sheet processing device. The operation mechanism is controlled by a control unit to which information on the thickness of the paper and the number of sheets to be stacked is input,
The control unit sets the number of engagements of the crimping teeth by the operating mechanism or the pressure of the crimping teeth at the time of meshing according to the tendency of the thickness of the sheet and the number of sheets to be stacked to change from the initial conditions. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operation mechanism can be equipped with crimp teeth having different tooth heights, and the selection of the crimp teeth is performed by the control unit.   The operation mechanism is capable of differentiating the pressure-bonding teeth at the time of the first meshing and the subsequent meshing when performing the meshing of the pressure-bonded teeth using the number of times set by the control unit. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that:   An image forming system comprising the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 attached to an image forming apparatus.

Images