JP6436655B2 - Sheet processing apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a sheet binding apparatus without using a binding needle.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventional image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, laser beam printers, facsimile machines, and multi-function machines include a sheet processing apparatus that performs processing such as binding on a sheet on which an image is formed. In such an image forming apparatus, when a sheet bundle is bound by the sheet processing apparatus, the sheet bundle is generally bound using a metal binding needle. The stapling process using such a binding needle is used in many sheet processing apparatuses because it can reliably bind a plurality of output sheets at positions designated by the user.

  However, the stapling process using the metal binding needle can surely bind the sheet bundle, but a special tool must be used to release the stapled one. In addition, when the stapled sheet is put on the shredder, it is necessary to remove the binding needle. Even when the staple-bound sheet bundle is recycled, the binding needle must be removed, and the sheet and the binding needle must be separated and collected. Don't be.

  For this reason, a conventional sheet processing apparatus has been proposed in which recyclability is emphasized and sheets are bound without using a binding needle. As such a sheet processing apparatus, for example, there is an apparatus that performs a binding process on a sheet bundle by a binding unit including a mountain-shaped upper tooth and a valley-shaped lower tooth (see Patent Document 1).

  In this sheet processing apparatus, after the sheets are bundled and aligned, the lower teeth and upper teeth of the binding portion are meshed to form unevenness in the thickness direction in a part of the sheet bundle, whereby the overlapping sheets of the sheet bundle are mutually aligned. The sheet bundle is bound by intertwining the fibers. That is, in this sheet processing apparatus, a fibrous sheet is bound without using a binding needle. Hereinafter, a binding method for binding a bundle of fibrous sheets without using such a binding needle is referred to as needleless binding.

JP 2011-201653 A

  By the way, when performing stapleless binding in a conventional sheet processing apparatus, it is necessary to reliably mesh upper teeth and lower teeth in order to reliably perform stapleless binding. And in order to mesh | engage an upper tooth and a lower tooth reliably, the high precision within 0.1 mm is requested | required for the top part alignment of a mountain-shaped upper tooth and a valley-shaped lower tooth.

  Here, for this reason, it is necessary to process the upper teeth and lower teeth and a plurality of parts interposed therebetween with high accuracy. However, when parts such as upper teeth and lower teeth are processed with high accuracy, the cost of the apparatus increases.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and makes it possible to adjust the position of the tooth mold so that the first tooth mold and the second tooth mold are properly meshed with each other. It is the purpose.

The present invention provides a sheet processing apparatus, a pair of toothed jaws to bind with sandwiching the sheet bundle, a first support means Ru first Tei tooth type is mounted in one of the pair of toothed jaws, the a second support means second tooth type Ru mounted Tei of a pair of toothed jaws, is swung about a swing shaft at least one of said first support means and said second support means Moving means for moving the first tooth mold and the second tooth mold to a standby position where the first tooth mold and the second tooth mold are separated from each other, and a binding position where the first tooth mold and the second tooth mold sandwich and hold the sheet bundle And an elastic member for pressing the first support means and the second support means in the axial direction of the swing shaft, and the second tooth mold is the second support means. is movable in the axial direction of the pivot axis relative to said second support means, said first tooth And it is characterized in that it has fixing means for fixing to the front Stories second support means Oite said second tooth die at a position to mesh with.

According to the present invention , it is possible to adjust the position of the tooth mold so that the first tooth mold and the second tooth mold are properly meshed with each other .

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus including a sheet processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The figure explaining the finisher which is the said sheet processing apparatus. The figure explaining the structure of the staple-less binding unit provided in the finisher. The figure explaining operation | movement of the said needleless binding unit. FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the finisher. The figure explaining the sheet | seat binding process operation | movement of the said finisher. The flowchart explaining the needle-less binding operation control of the finisher control unit of the finisher. The 1st figure explaining arrangement | positioning of the lower tooth and upper tooth which were provided in the binding means of the said needleless binding unit. The 2nd figure explaining arrangement | positioning of the said lower tooth and an upper tooth. The figure explaining the fixing method of the said upper tooth. The figure explaining the change of the space | interval at the time of the sheet binding processing operation | movement of the said lower tooth and an upper tooth. The figure explaining the rotation locus | trajectory of the said upper tooth. The figure explaining the other structure of the said lower tooth and an upper tooth. The figure which shows the structure of the stapleless binding unit of the sheet processing apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus including a sheet processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 900 denotes an image forming apparatus, 900A denotes an image forming apparatus main body (hereinafter referred to as an apparatus main body), and 900B denotes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet. Reference numeral 950 denotes an image reading apparatus provided on the upper part of the apparatus main body 900A and provided with a document conveying apparatus 950A. Reference numeral 100 denotes a finisher which is a sheet processing apparatus disposed between the upper surface of the apparatus main body 900A and the image reading apparatus 950. is there.

  Here, the image forming unit 900B irradiates the photosensitive drums a to d that form toner images of four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, and irradiates a laser beam on the photosensitive drum based on the image information. An exposure device 906 for forming an electrostatic latent image is provided. The photosensitive drums a to d are driven by a motor (not shown), and a primary charger, a developing device, and a transfer charger (not shown) are arranged around the process drums 901a to 901a. It is unitized as 901d.

  Further, the image forming unit 900B includes an intermediate transfer belt 902 that is rotationally driven in the direction of an arrow, a secondary transfer unit 903 that sequentially transfers a full-color image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 902 to the sheet P, and the like. Then, a transfer bias is applied to the intermediate transfer belt 902 by the transfer chargers 902a to 902d, whereby each color toner image on the photosensitive drum is sequentially transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 902 in a multiple transfer manner. As a result, a full-color image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt.

  The secondary transfer unit 903 includes a secondary transfer counter roller 903b that supports the intermediate transfer belt 902, and a secondary transfer roller 903a that contacts the secondary transfer counter roller 903b via the intermediate transfer belt 902. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 909 denotes a registration roller, 904 denotes a paper feed cassette, and 908 denotes a pickup roller that feeds the sheet P stored in the paper feed cassette 904. A CPU circuit unit 200 is a control unit that controls the apparatus main body 900A and the finisher 100.

  Next, an image forming operation of the image forming apparatus 900 configured as described above will be described. When the image forming operation is started, the exposure device 906 first irradiates a laser beam based on image information from a personal computer (not shown), and the surface of the photosensitive drum a is uniformly charged with a predetermined polarity and potential. The surfaces of -d are sequentially exposed to form electrostatic latent images on the photosensitive drums a-d. Thereafter, the electrostatic latent image is developed with toner and visualized.

  For example, the photosensitive drum a is first irradiated with laser light based on the image signal of the yellow component color of the original document through a polygon mirror of the exposure device 906 to form a yellow electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum a. The yellow electrostatic latent image is developed with yellow toner from a developing device and visualized as a yellow toner image. Thereafter, the toner image arrives at the primary transfer portion where the photosensitive drum a and the intermediate transfer belt 902 come into contact with the rotation of the photosensitive drum a. When the toner image arrives at the primary transfer portion in this way, the yellow toner image on the photosensitive drum a is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 902 by the primary transfer bias applied to the transfer charger 902a (1 Next transfer).

  Next, when the portion of the intermediate transfer belt 902 carrying the yellow toner image moves, the magenta toner image formed on the photosensitive drum b by the same method as described above is transferred from the yellow toner image to the intermediate transfer belt. Transferred to 902. Similarly, as the intermediate transfer belt 902 moves, the cyan toner image and the black toner image are transferred onto the yellow toner image and the magenta toner image, respectively, in the primary transfer portion. As a result, a full-color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 902.

  In parallel with this toner image forming operation, the sheets P stored in the paper feed cassette 904 are sent out one by one by the pickup roller 908. Then, the sheet P reaches the registration roller 909, the timing is adjusted by the registration roller 909, and then conveyed to the secondary transfer unit 903. Thereafter, in the secondary transfer portion 903, the four color toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 902 are collectively transferred onto the sheet P by the secondary transfer bias applied to the secondary transfer roller 903a serving as a transfer unit. (Secondary transfer).

  Next, the sheet P on which the toner image is transferred is guided from the secondary transfer unit 903 to the conveyance guide 920 and conveyed to the fixing unit 905, and is fixed by receiving heat and pressure when passing through the fixing unit 905. . Thereafter, the sheet P on which the image is fixed in this manner passes through a discharge passage 921 provided downstream of the fixing unit 905, is discharged by a discharge roller pair 918, and is conveyed to the finisher 100.

  Here, the finisher 100 sequentially takes in the sheets discharged from the apparatus main body 900A, aligns the plurality of received sheets and bundles them into one bundle, and the upstream end (hereinafter, rear end) of the bundled sheet bundle in the sheet discharge direction. Binding process is performed. As shown in FIG. 2, the finisher 100 includes a processing unit 139 that performs binding processing as necessary, and discharges and stacks sheets on the stacking tray 114. The processing unit 139 includes an intermediate processing tray 107 that is a sheet stacking unit that stacks sheets to be bound, and a binding unit 100A that binds the sheets stacked on the intermediate processing tray 107.

  Further, the intermediate processing tray 107 has a front and a rear side that regulate (align) both side end positions in the width direction (depth direction) of the sheet conveyed from the direction orthogonal to the depth direction of the apparatus main body 900A to the intermediate processing tray 107. Matching plates 109a and 109b are provided. The front and back alignment plates 109a and 109b, which are side edge alignment means for aligning the widthwise side edge positions of the sheets stacked on the intermediate processing tray 107, are driven by an alignment motor M253 shown in FIG. To move in the width direction.

  The front and back alignment plates 109a and 109b are normally moved to a receiving position for receiving a sheet by an alignment motor M253 that is driven based on a detection signal from an alignment HP sensor (not shown). When regulating the positions of both side edges of the sheets stacked on the intermediate processing tray 107, the alignment motor M253 is driven, and the front and back alignment plates 109a and 109b are moved along the width direction so as to be on the intermediate processing tray. It is made to contact | abut to the both ends of the sheet | seat loaded in.

  Further, a pull-in paddle 106 is disposed above the intermediate processing tray 107 on the downstream side in the transport direction. Here, before the sheet is carried into the processing unit 139, the pull-in paddle 106 drives the paddle lifting motor M252 based on detection information of a paddle HP sensor S243 shown in FIG. It will be in the state where it waited in the upper direction without getting in the way.

  Further, when the sheet is discharged to the intermediate processing tray 107, the pull-in paddle 106 moves downward by the reverse drive of the paddle lifting motor M252 and rotates counterclockwise at an appropriate timing by a paddle motor (not shown). To do. By this rotation, the sheet is pulled in and the rear end of the sheet is abutted against the rear end stopper 108. Here, in the present embodiment, the pull-in paddle 106, the rear end stopper 108, and the front and back alignment plates 109a and 109b constitute an alignment unit 130 that aligns the sheets stacked on the intermediate processing tray 107. The For example, when the inclination of the intermediate processing tray 107 is large, the sheet can be brought into contact with the trailing edge stopper 108 without using the pull-in paddle 106 or the knurled belt 117 described later.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 112 denotes rear end assist. The rear end assist 112 is moved to a receiving position for receiving a sheet from a position that does not hinder movement of a stapler, which will be described later, by an assist motor M254 that is driven based on a detection signal of an assist HP sensor S244 shown in FIG. The rear end assist 112 discharges the sheet bundle to the stacking tray 114 after the binding process is performed on the sheet bundle as will be described later.

  Further, the finisher 100 includes an inlet roller pair 101 and a discharge roller 103 for taking a sheet into the apparatus, and the sheet P discharged from the apparatus main body 900 </ b> A is delivered to the inlet roller pair 101. At this time, the sheet delivery timing is also detected by the entrance sensor S240. Then, the sheet P delivered to the inlet roller pair 101 is sequentially discharged to the intermediate processing tray 107 by the paper discharge roller 103 which is a sheet discharge means, and thereafter, is returned by the return means such as the pull-in paddle 106 and the knurled belt 117. It is abutted against the end stopper 108. Thereby, alignment of the sheet in the sheet conveyance direction is performed, and a sheet bundle subjected to alignment processing is formed.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 105 denotes a trailing edge drop, and the trailing edge drop 105 is pushed up by the sheet P passing through the sheet discharge roller 103 as shown in FIG. Then, when the sheet P passes through the paper discharge roller 103, the trailing edge dropping 105 drops by its own weight and pushes the trailing edge of the sheet P downward from the upper side as shown in FIG.

  Reference numeral 104 denotes a static elimination needle, and reference numeral 115 denotes a bundle presser. The bundle presser 115 is rotated by a bundle presser motor M255 shown in FIG. 6 to be described later, thereby pressing a sheet bundle stacked on the stacking tray 114. S242 is a tray lower limit sensor, and S245 is a bundle presser HP sensor. S241 is a tray HP sensor. When the sheet bundle shields the tray HP sensor S241, the stacking tray 114 is lowered by the tray lifting motor M251 shown in FIG. 6 until the tray HP sensor S241 is in a transmissive state. Determine the page position.

  The binding unit 100A includes a needleless binding unit 102 which is a needleless binding unit. Here, as shown in FIG. 3A, the needleless binding unit 102 includes a needleless binding motor M257, a gear 1021 rotated by the needleless binding motor M257, and step gears 1022 to 1024 rotated by the gear 1021. It has. Further, the needleless binding unit 102 includes a gear 1025 that is rotated by step gears 1022 to 1024. The needleless binding unit 102 is provided with a lower arm 1012 fixed to a frame 10213 and a lower arm 1012 that is swingable about a swing shaft 10211 and attached to the lower arm side by a biasing member (not shown). And a biased upper arm 1029.

  Here, the gear 1025 is attached to the rotating shaft 1026. A cam 1027 is attached to the rotating shaft 1026 as shown in FIG. 3B, and the cam 1027 is provided between the upper arm 1029 and the lower arm 1012. Accordingly, when the needleless binding motor M257 rotates, the rotation of the needleless binding motor M257 is transmitted to the rotary shaft 1026 via the gear 1021, the step gears 1022 to 1024, and the gear 1025, and the cam 1027 rotates.

  In FIG. 3, reference numeral 102A denotes moving means for swinging the upper arm 1029. Then, the upper arm 1029 is swung by the moving means 102A, and is moved to a binding position where a plurality of sheets are caught and bound by upper teeth 10210 and lower teeth 10214 described later. Further, the upper arm 1029 is swung in the reverse direction by the moving means 102A, and the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214 are moved apart to move to a release position (standby position) where the biting of the sheet is released. In the present embodiment, the moving means 102A includes a needleless binding motor M257, a cam 1027, a gear 1021, step gears 1022 to 1024, and a gear 1025.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, an upper tooth block 10212 is attached to the lower end of the end of the upper arm 1029 which is the first support means on the side opposite to the cam 1027, and the upper tooth block 10212 is attached to the upper tooth block 10212. Is attached with upper teeth 10210 which are the first tooth type. A lower tooth block 1013 as a holding means is attached to the upper end of the end of the lower arm 1012 that is the second support means on the side opposite to the cam 1027. The lower teeth 10214, which are tooth shapes, are attached. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 102B has a pair of teeth, upper teeth 10210 and lower teeth 10214, and a plurality of sheets are sandwiched between the upper teeth 10210 and lower teeth 10214, in other words, binding means for biting and binding. It is. As shown in FIG. 10B described later, the lower teeth 10214 have a valley shape having a plurality of valley teeth, and the upper teeth 10210 have a mountain shape having a plurality of teeth. Is.

  As a result, when the cam side end of the upper arm 1029 rises, the end of the upper arm 1029 opposite to the cam 1027 descends, and accordingly, the upper teeth 10210 descend and sandwich the sheet bundle together with the lower teeth 10214. And pressurize. When pressed in this way, the sheets of the sheet bundle are stretched to expose the fibers on the surface, and further pressed to entangle the fibers of the sheets so that the sheet bundle is fastened. Is called.

  That is, when performing the binding process on the sheet bundle, the upper arm 1029 is swung, and the sheet is engaged with and pressed by the upper teeth 10210 of the upper arm 1029 and the lower teeth 10214 of the lower arm 1012 so that the sheet bundle is pressed. It is concluded. Here, the position of the cam 1027 is detected by a cam sensor S247 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a control block diagram of the image forming apparatus 900. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 200 denotes a CPU circuit unit disposed at a predetermined position of the apparatus main body 900A as shown in FIG. The CPU circuit unit 200 includes a CPU 201, a ROM 202 that stores control programs and the like, an area for temporarily storing control data, and a RAM 203 that is used as a work area for operations associated with control.

  In FIG. 5, reference numeral 209 denotes an external interface between the image forming apparatus 900 and an external PC (computer) 208. When the external interface 209 receives print data from the external PC 208, the external interface 209 expands the data into a bitmap image and outputs it as image data to the image signal control unit 206.

  The image signal control unit 206 outputs the data to the printer control unit 207, and the printer control unit 207 outputs the data from the image signal control unit 206 to an exposure control unit (not shown). An image of a document read by an image sensor (not shown) provided in the image reading device 950 is output from the image reader control unit 205 to the image signal control unit 206, and the image signal control unit 206 outputs this image output. Output to the printer control unit 207.

  The operation unit 210 includes a plurality of keys for setting various functions related to image formation, a display unit for displaying a setting state, and the like. Then, a key signal corresponding to the operation of each key by the user is output to the CPU circuit unit 200, and corresponding information is displayed on the display unit based on the signal from the CPU circuit unit 200.

  The CPU circuit unit 200 controls the image signal control unit 206 in accordance with the control program stored in the ROM 202 and the setting of the operation unit 210, and at the same time the document conveying device 950A (FIG. 1) via the DF (document conveying device) control unit 204. Control). Further, the image reading device 950 (see FIG. 1) via the image reader control unit 205, the image forming unit 900B (see FIG. 1) via the printer control unit 207, and the finisher 100 via the finisher control unit 220, respectively. Control.

  In the present embodiment, the finisher control unit 220 is mounted on the finisher 100 and performs drive control of the finisher 100 by exchanging information with the CPU circuit unit 200. Alternatively, the finisher control unit 220 may be disposed integrally with the CPU circuit unit 200 on the apparatus main body side so as to control the finisher 100 directly from the apparatus main body side.

  FIG. 6 is a control block diagram of the finisher 100 according to the present embodiment. The finisher control unit 220 includes a CPU (microcomputer) 221, a ROM 222, and a RAM 223. The finisher control unit 220 communicates with the CPU circuit unit 200 via the communication IC 224 to exchange data, executes various programs stored in the ROM 222 based on instructions from the CPU circuit unit 200, and executes the finisher 100. The drive control is performed.

  Further, the finisher control unit 220 drives a conveyance motor M250, a tray lifting motor M251, a paddle lifting motor M252, an alignment motor M253, an assist motor M254, a bundle pressing motor M255, and a needleless binding motor M257 via a driver 225. .

  The finisher control unit 220 is connected with an inlet sensor S240, a paper discharge sensor S246, a tray HP sensor S241, a tray lower limit sensor S242, a paddle HP sensor S243, an assist HP sensor S244, and a bundle presser HP sensor S245. Further, a cam sensor S247 is connected to the finisher control unit 220. The finisher control unit 220 drives the alignment motor M253, the needleless binding motor M257, and the like based on the detection signals from these sensors.

  By the way, the finisher control unit 220 that controls the operation of the stapleless binding unit 102 first detects the position of the cam 1027 by a sensor (not shown) when performing stapleless binding on the sheet bundle. When the sheet is received before the stapleless binding is performed, the rotation of the stapleless binding motor M257 is controlled so that the cam 1027 is positioned at the bottom dead center as shown in FIG.

  Note that the upper arm 1029 provided so as to be able to oscillate about the oscillating shaft 10211 is urged in a direction in pressure contact with the cam 1027 by urging means (not shown). When the cam 1027 is located at the bottom dead center, a gap G is created between the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214. When performing stapleless binding, the sheet bundle is entered into the gap G.

  Further, during the binding operation, the needleless binding motor M257 is rotated, and the cam 1027 causes the upper arm 1029 to swing clockwise about the swinging shaft 10211. When the cam 1027 is positioned at the top dead center as shown in FIG. 4B, the sheet bundle is sandwiched between the upper teeth 10210 of the upper arm 1029 and the lower teeth 10214 of the lower arm 1012, and the sheet The bundle is fastened.

  When the cam 1027 further rotates after being positioned at the top dead center, the bending portion 1029a provided on the upper arm 1029 is bent, so that the roller 1028 can get over the top dead center of the cam 1027. When the roller 1028 thus climbs over the top dead center of the cam 1027, the upper arm 1029 moves in a direction in which the upper teeth 10210 are separated from the lower teeth 10214. Thereafter, when the cam 1027 further rotates and reaches the bottom dead center again, a sensor (not shown) detects the cam 1027, whereby the finisher control unit 220 stops the rotation of the needleless binding motor M257.

  Next, the sheet binding processing operation of the finisher 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. The sheet P discharged from the image forming apparatus 900 is delivered to the inlet roller pair 101 driven by the conveyance motor M250 as shown in FIG. At this time, the leading edge of the sheet P is simultaneously detected by the entrance sensor S240.

  Next, the sheet P delivered to the entrance roller pair 101 is delivered from the entrance roller pair 101 to the paper discharge roller 103 and conveyed while lifting the trailing edge 105 at the leading end, and at the same time by the static elimination needle 104. It is discharged to the intermediate processing tray 107 while being neutralized. The sheet P discharged to the intermediate processing tray 107 by the paper discharge roller 103 is pressed from above by the weight of the trailing edge drop 105, so that the time for the trailing edge of the sheet P to fall on the intermediate processing tray 107 is shortened. .

  Next, the finisher control unit 220 performs control in the intermediate processing tray based on the signal at the trailing edge of the sheet P detected by the paper discharge sensor S246. That is, as shown in FIG. 2B described above, the pull-in paddle 106 is lowered to the intermediate processing tray 107 side by the paddle elevating motor M252 and brought into contact with the sheet P. At this time, since the drawing paddle 106 is rotated counterclockwise by the conveyance motor M250, the sheet P is conveyed by the drawing paddle 106 toward the rear end stopper 108 in the right direction in the drawing, and thereafter, the sheet P The rear end is transferred to the knurled belt 117. When the rear end of the seat P is transferred to the knurled belt 117, the paddle lift motor M252 is driven in the upward direction, and when it is detected that the paddle HP sensor S243 has reached HP, the finisher control unit 220 detects the paddle lift motor. The driving of M252 is stopped.

  The knurled belt 117 conveys the sheet P conveyed by the pull-in paddle 106 to the trailing edge stopper 108 and then conveys the sheet P while slipping against the sheet P, thereby constantly biasing the sheet P to the trailing edge stopper 108. become. By this slip conveyance, the sheet P can be skewed and corrected by abutting the sheet P against the trailing edge stopper 108. Next, after the sheet P is abutted against the trailing end stopper 108 in this way, the finisher control unit 220 drives the alignment motor M253 to move the alignment plate 109 in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction, and Align the position in the width direction. By repeating this series of operations for a predetermined number of sheets to be bound, a sheet bundle PA aligned on the intermediate processing tray 107 is formed as shown in FIG.

  Next, after the alignment operation is performed, when the binding mode is selected, the binding process by the binding unit is performed. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7B, the rear end of the sheet bundle PA is pushed by the rear end assist 112 and the discharge claw 113 which are sheet discharge means driven by the assist motor M254, and the intermediate processing tray 107 is moved. The sheet bundle PA is discharged onto the stacking tray 114.

  After that, as shown in FIG. 7C, in order to prevent the sheet bundle PA stacked on the stacking tray 114 from being pushed out in the transport direction by the sheet bundle subsequently discharged, 115 rotates counterclockwise and presses the rear end of the sheet bundle PA. When the sheet bundle PA blocks the tray HP sensor S241 after the bundle pressing operation by the bundle presser 115 is completed, the stacking tray 114 is moved by the tray lifting / lowering motor M251 until the tray HP sensor S241 enters the transmission state. Move down to fix the page position. By repeating the series of operations so far, a required number of sheet bundles PA can be discharged onto the stacking tray 114.

  During operation, when the stacking tray 114 descends and the tray lower limit sensor S242 is shielded, the full capacity of the stacking tray 114 is notified from the finisher control unit 220 to the CPU circuit unit 200 of the image forming apparatus 900, and image formation is performed. Canceled. Thereafter, when the sheet bundle on the stacking tray 114 is removed, the stacking tray 114 rises until the tray HP sensor S241 is shielded from light, and then descends and passes through the tray HP sensor S241. Confirmed. Thereby, image formation of the image forming apparatus 900 is resumed.

  Next, the needleless binding operation control of the finisher control unit 220 when performing needleless binding will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. When performing stapleless binding on the sheet, the finisher control unit 220 first drives the stapleless binding motor M257 to move the cam 1027 to the home position (HP) that is the bottom dead center position.

  Then, the cam sensor S247 shown in FIG. 6 detects the position of the cam 1027 (ST1), and when it is determined that the cam 1027 is not on the HP (N in ST2), the needleless binding motor M257 is continuously driven (ST3). . Thereafter, when the cam sensor S247 detects that the cam 1027 is positioned at HP (Y in ST2), the needleless binding motor M257 is stopped (ST4). As a result, the sheet receiving state before the stapleless binding is completed.

  Next, the finisher control unit 220 determines whether or not to perform a binding operation (ST5). When performing needleless binding (Y in ST5), the needleless binding motor M257 is driven (ST6), and the upper arm 1029 is swung clockwise around the swinging shaft 10211 by the cam 1027. When the cam 1027 further rotates and reaches the position shown in FIG. 4B, the sheet bundle is clamped by the upper teeth 10210 of the upper arm 1029 and the lower teeth 10214 of the lower arm 1012, and the sheet bundle is fastened. Thereafter, when the cam 1027 further rotates, the upper arm 1029 swings counterclockwise about the swing shaft 10211, and the upper teeth 10210 move away from the lower teeth 10214.

  Next, the finisher control unit 220 detects the position of the cam 1027 by the cam sensor S247 (ST7), and when it is determined that the cam 1027 is not on the HP (N of ST8), the needleless binding motor M257 is continuously driven. (ST9). Thereafter, when the cam sensor S247 detects that the cam 1027 is positioned at the HP (Y in ST8), the needleless binding motor M257 is stopped (ST10). Thereby, the binding operation of the sheet bundle is completed. When the binding operation is not performed (N in ST5), the sheet bundle binding operation is completed as it is.

  By the way, the upper arm 1029 provided so as to be swingable about the swing shaft 10211 is a spring washer which is an elastic member as shown in FIG. 9A interposed between the upper arm 1029 and the lower arm 1012. 10216 is biased in the axial direction of the swing shaft 10211. Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9A, the lower teeth 10214 are inclined with a predetermined angle with respect to the center line A of the swing shaft 10211 with a straight line B parallel to the tooth arrangement direction. doing. That is, the lower teeth 10214 are attached to the lower arm 1012 with a predetermined amount of inclination relative to the swing shaft 10211. The predetermined amount is an amount that the center line A and the straight line B are not parallel to each other, and includes an amount that makes the center line A and the straight line B orthogonal. As a result, the distance L1 between one end of the lower teeth 10214 in the tooth arrangement direction and the swing shaft 10211 and the distance L2 between the other end of the lower teeth 10214 in the tooth arrangement direction and the swing shaft 10211 are different.

  In the present embodiment, a straight line C that indicates the direction of the teeth of the lower teeth 10214 and that is perpendicular to the direction in which the lower teeth 10214 are arranged is arranged so as to be perpendicular to the straight line B. Further, the upper teeth 10210 are also arranged at the same angle as the lower teeth 10214, so that the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214 can mesh with each other as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, when binding the sheet bundle, the upper teeth 10210 shown in FIG. 4 described above are in a state in which the center line A of the swing shaft 10211 is parallel to one end of the sheet bundle to be bound. And the lower teeth 10214 are set at a gap G.

  In the present embodiment, the meshing of the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214 is adjusted in the assembly stage. Here, the upper teeth 10210 are fixed to the upper teeth block 10212 by set screws 10217 shown in FIG. As described above, the upper arm 1029 is pressed against the lower arm 1012 by the spring washer 10216, which is an elastic member, and therefore there is no play in the direction of the center line A of the swing shaft 10211.

  In this embodiment, the position of the lower teeth 10214 is adjusted based on the upper teeth 10210 fixed in advance in such a state. Here, as shown in FIG. 10A, the lower teeth 10214 are fixed to the lower tooth block 1013, and the lower teeth block 1013 is swung as shown by the arrow H in FIG. It can move parallel to the center line A of the moving shaft 10211. By making the lower tooth block 1013 movable in this way, the lower teeth 10214 can be moved to a position where they mesh with the upper teeth 10210 via the lower tooth block 1013. Further, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), a mounting hole 1015 is formed in the lower arm 1012. The mounting hole 1015 is a second fixing means as shown in FIG. 10 (b). A screw 1014 is attached.

  When adjusting the position of the lower teeth 10214, for example, the cam 1027 is manually rotated to swing the upper arm 1029, and the upper teeth 10210 are lowered. At this time, when the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214 mesh with each other without coming into contact, the lower teeth 10214 are fixed by the screws 1014 in this state. When the upper teeth 10210 come into contact with the lower teeth 10214, the lower teeth block 1013 is moved to the center line of the swing shaft 10211 until the upper teeth 10210 engage with the lower teeth 10214 as shown in FIG. Move parallel to A.

  Thereafter, the lower teeth 10214 are moved to a position where the lower teeth 10214 are engaged with the upper teeth 10210, and the lower teeth 10214 are engaged with the upper teeth 10210 by pressing the lower teeth block 1013 against the contact portion 10121 of the lower arm 1012 with the screws 1014. Can be fixed to. Accordingly, the meshing accuracy of the tooth mold can be satisfied without being limited by the processing accuracy of the upper teeth 10210, the upper tooth block 10212, the upper arm 1029, the swing shaft 10211, the lower arm 1012, the lower tooth block 1013, and the lower teeth 10214. . As a result, needleless binding can be performed reliably.

  When the needleless binding is performed on the sheet bundle after positioning the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214, when the sheet is thick, as shown in FIG. It will be in a slightly open state by the thickness of. For this reason, when the tooth side of the upper arm 1029 descends, a force is applied to the upper teeth 10210 in the direction of the arrow D.

  Here, the upper tooth block 10212 is pressed against the abutting portion 102121 provided on the upper arm 1029 by the set screw 10217 as the first fixing means in the direction of arrow D which is the radial direction of the swing shaft 10211. ing. Accordingly, the upper teeth 10210 are fixed to the upper arm 1029 via the upper tooth block 10212. That is, the upper teeth 10210 are fixed so as not to move in the arrow D by the set screw 10217 whose fixing direction is the radial direction of the swing shaft 10211. Thereby, even when a force is applied in the direction of the arrow D during the binding process, it is possible to prevent the upper teeth 10210 from being loosened.

  When needleless binding is performed, before the cam 1027 shown in FIG. 4 is rotated, as shown in FIG. 12A, intervals L3 and L4 are formed between the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214. It has been opened. The intervals L3 and L4 satisfy L3 <L4 because the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214 are arranged obliquely with respect to the swing shaft 10211. Thereafter, when the upper arm 1029 starts to descend due to the rotation of the cam 1027, the difference between the intervals L3 and L4 is gradually reduced. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 12B, the sheet bundle PA is pressed in order from the end portion side of L3 having a narrow interval. Eventually, as shown in FIG. 12 (c), when the gap between the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214 disappears and the pressing of the sheet bundle PA by the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214 is finished, the upper arm 1029 descends. Stops.

  Next, the rotation trajectory of the upper teeth 10210 will be described with reference to FIG. 13 which is a view of the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214 from the direction of the straight line C shown in FIG. In FIG. 13, only the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214 are shown for explanation. Here, as shown in FIG. 12, when the upper teeth 10210 swing around the swing shaft 10211 and are in the open position, the tooth intervals L3 and L4 of the upper teeth 10210 and lower teeth 10214 are the swing shaft 10211. The distance L3 on the near side is narrow, and the distance L4 on the far side is wide.

  When the upper arm 1029 starts to descend from this state, as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B to 13D, the difference between the intervals L3 and L4 is gradually reduced. As the distance gradually decreases in this way, the sheet bundle is sequentially sandwiched from one end of the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214 to the other end. That is, in the present embodiment, the sheet bundle PA is gradually deformed from the L4 side having a narrow interval, so that the load accompanying the deformation can be dispersed. When configured in this manner, the stapleless binding of the sheet bundle can be completed with a load F ′ smaller than the load F when the sheet bundle PA is simultaneously deformed.

  As described above, the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214 are inclined with respect to the axial direction of the swinging shaft 10211 as in the present embodiment, so that the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214 are separated from one end. The sheet bundle can be sequentially sandwiched toward the other end. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the total load while giving the load f necessary for fastening, and as a result, a strong fastening force can be obtained without increasing the cost.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the upper teeth 10210 are fixed to the upper arm 1029 with the set screws 10217. Further, the lower tooth block 1013 is fixed to the lower tooth block 1013 with screws 1014 in a state where the lower teeth 10214 are moved to positions where they engage with the upper teeth 10210. Accordingly, the lower teeth 10214 are fixed at positions where they engage with the upper teeth 10210 via the lower tooth block 1013. Then, by fixing the lower teeth 10214 in this way, the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214, and a plurality of parts interposed therebetween, are processed with high accuracy, and the needleless binding can be performed reliably and at low cost. Can be done.

  In the description so far, the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214 have teeth whose directions are orthogonal to the tooth arrangement direction. However, as the upper teeth and the lower teeth, for example, like the upper teeth 10210A and the lower teeth 10214A shown in FIG. 14, the direction of the teeth is perpendicular to the center line A of the swing shaft 10211 with respect to the arrangement direction of the teeth. You may use what becomes.

  Even when such upper teeth 10210A and lower teeth 10214A are used, the center line A of the oscillating shaft 10211 and the center line B of the tooth mold are inclined at a predetermined angle, so that the end interval L1 <L2 It becomes. Accordingly, the sheet bundle PA is gradually deformed from the side of the L1 having a narrow interval, so that the load accompanying the deformation can be dispersed.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a configuration of the needleless binding unit 102 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 15, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 9 described above indicate the same or corresponding parts.

  In FIG. 15A, 1012A is a lower arm, and 1013A is a lower tooth block attached to the lower arm 1012A. Further, as shown in FIG. 15B, a tap hole 1017 is formed in the lower arm 1012A and the lower tooth block 1013A. Here, in the present embodiment, a recess 10131 is formed in the lower tooth block 1013A in the direction of the centerline B of the tooth mold, that is, in the direction in which the teeth are arranged, and the lower tooth 10214 has an upper tooth in the recess 10131. It is movably attached to a position that meshes with 10210. Then, a set screw 1016 which is a second fixing means for fixing the lower teeth 10214 to the lower tooth block 1013A is attached to the tap hole 1017.

  Then, when adjusting the position of the lower teeth 10214, the upper teeth 10210 are lowered as described above. At this time, when the upper teeth 10210 come into contact with the lower teeth 10214, the lower teeth 10214 are parallel to the center line A of the swing shaft 10211 with respect to the lower teeth block 1013A until the upper teeth 10210 engage with the lower teeth 10214. In other words, it is moved along the oscillation center. Thereafter, the lower teeth 10214 moved to a position where they engage with the upper teeth 10210 are fixed to the lower tooth block 1013A by the set screws 1016 as shown in FIG.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the position of the lower teeth 10214 is adjusted by directly moving the lower teeth 10214 with respect to the upper teeth 10210, so that the tooth molds 10210 and 10214 are more accurately aligned. be able to.

  In the above description, the case where the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214 are arranged to be inclined with respect to the swing shaft 10211 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the upper teeth 10210 and the lower teeth 10214 are swung. You may make it arrange | position orthogonally with respect to the axis | shaft 10211. FIG. In the above description, the case where the upper arm 1029 is swung has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the lower arms 1012 and 1012A may be swung. That is, at least one of the upper arm 1029 and the lower arms 1012 and 1012A may be swung.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Finisher, 102 ... Needleless binding unit, 102A ... Moving means, 102B ... Binding means, 107 ... Intermediate processing tray, 200 ... CPU circuit part, 900 ... Image forming apparatus, 900A ... Image forming apparatus main body, 900B ... Image forming 1012, 1012A ... lower arm, 1013, 1013A ... lower tooth block, 1014 ... screw, 1016 ... set screw, 1017 ... tapped hole, 1027 ... cam, 1029 ... upper arm, 10210, 10210A ... upper tooth, 10211 ... rocking Moving shaft, 10212 ... Upper tooth block, 10214, 10214A ... Lower tooth, 10216 ... Spring washer, 10217 ... Set screw, P ... Sheet, PA ... Sheet bundle

Claims (10)

A pair of tooth molds for holding and binding the sheet bundle;
A first support means to which a first tooth mold of the pair of tooth molds is attached;
A second support means to which a second tooth mold of the pair of tooth molds is attached;
A standby position in which at least one of the first support means and the second support means is swung around a swing shaft to separate the first tooth mold and the second tooth mold, and the first And a moving means for moving the sheet bundle to a binding position where the sheet bundle is nipped and bound by the second tooth mold,
An elastic member for press-contacting the first support means and the second support means in the axial direction of the swing shaft;
The second tooth mold is movable in the axial direction of the swing shaft with respect to the second support means;
The second support means includes a fixing means for fixing the second tooth mold to the second support means at a position where the second support mold meshes with the first tooth mold. Sheet processing apparatus. Holding means for holding the second tooth mold and movable in the axial direction of the swing shaft with respect to the second support means;
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixing unit fixes the holding unit to the second support unit. A holding means provided on the second support means, and holding the second tooth mold movably in the axial direction of the swing shaft;
The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixing unit fixes the second tooth mold to the holding unit.   The first tooth mold and the second tooth mold are respectively arranged on the first support means and the second support means in a posture inclined by a predetermined amount with respect to the swing shaft. The sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The first support means has a first side surface portion through which the swing shaft is inserted,
The second support means has a second side surface portion through which the rocking shaft is inserted and opposed to the first side surface portion in the axial direction of the rocking shaft,
5. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member press-contacts the first side surface portion and the second side surface portion. 6. The first support means has a third side surface portion through which the swing shaft is inserted,
The second support means has a fourth side surface portion through which the swing shaft is inserted,
The first side surface portion, the second side surface portion, the third side surface portion, and the fourth side surface portion are arranged in order in the axial direction of the swing shaft,
The elastic member is disposed between the third side surface portion and the fourth side surface portion, and a direction in which the third side surface portion and the fourth side surface portion are separated from each other in the axial direction of the swing shaft. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first support means and the second support means are biased to the sheet. 7. The elastic member according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a spring member attached to the swing shaft penetrating the first support means and the second support means. The sheet processing apparatus according to item.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the spring member is a spring washer attached to the swing shaft.   The first tooth mold is fixed to the first support means by pressing against the first support means in a direction away from the swing shaft when viewed from the axial direction of the swing shaft. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a fixing unit.   An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit; and the sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1 that performs binding processing on a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit.

Images