JP6524582B2 - Paper post processing device - Google Patents

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing apparatus connected to an image forming apparatus such as a multi-functional peripheral device, a copier and a printer.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a sheet post-processing apparatus that performs jogger stack processing and stipling processing on sheets transported from an image forming apparatus such as a multi-functional peripheral device, a copier and a printer. As this sheet post-processing apparatus, for example, by opening the fence of the jogger / stacking means, the sheet conveyed by the image forming apparatus is dropped and the sheet bundle stapled by the stapling means is dropped onto the stacking tray and stacked. There is one in which a next sheet is stacked and discharged by a sheet conveying unit on a sheet bundle, and a next sheet bundle is formed by a jogger / stacking unit (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-147118).

JP-A-8-225227

  As described above, a sheet conveyed from an image forming apparatus such as a multi-functional peripheral device, a copying machine, a printer, etc. may be misaligned and conveyed in rare cases. These causes are mainly due to the influence of the gap in the sheet cassette on the image forming apparatus side, the imbalance of the pressing force due to the abrasion of the sheet pickup roller, and the conveyance roller and the conveyance guide plate in the conveyance path. The effects of wear can be mentioned.

  Therefore, in the sheet post-processing apparatus, it is necessary to correct the sheet conveyed while being shifted in such an oblique direction. For example, when hole punching is performed in the sheet post-processing apparatus, the hole position accuracy of the hole punch is affected. That is, although the hole punch punches each sheet of paper in the sheet post-processing apparatus, if the sheet which is shifted in the oblique direction is received from the image forming apparatus side as it is and punched, the hole position will be uneven. In some cases, the appearance in the bound state when the sheet bundle is formed may be deteriorated, or the minimum hole size necessary for filing may not be obtained.

  In addition, for example, it affects the paper alignment accuracy in the paper post-processing apparatus. That is, in the sheet post-processing apparatus, the paper is aligned by the jogger for each sheet in order to be stapled, but the paper alignment of the sheet which is usually misaligned and conveyed with respect to the one-page jogger operation is fine Misalignment occurs, and joggers are performed multiple times, which causes noise and impacts on productivity.

  In addition, for example, it affects the productivity in the sheet post-processing apparatus. That is, the sheet conveyed from the image forming apparatus generally has many specifications to be conveyed with reference to the sheet center. Therefore, in the sheet post-processing apparatus, at the time of stapling, the stapler is moved for each sheet size, or the sheet alignment reference is provided at another position (one position or a plurality of positions). However, as the means for moving the stapler for each paper size, the latter is often adopted because it is difficult to detect the position of the stapler and to properly set the curling position. In this case, the paper alignment standard is a jogger or the like. By shifting to another position, travel time is required and the impact on productivity is inevitable.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has a simple structure to correct the conveyance of the sheet by shifting it, and improve the staple accuracy and the paper alignment accuracy to improve the productivity. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet post-processing device that makes it possible.

  In order to solve the problems and achieve the object, the present invention is configured as follows.

The invention according to claim 1 is a sheet conveying unit for conveying a sheet on which an image is formed;
And aligning means for shifting the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying means to one side and conveying the sheet.
The aligning means is
A conveyance direction correction unit in which a conveyance roller for conveying a sheet can be pivoted about a pivot;
Have a, an actuating portion for conveying while shifting the sheet by turning the conveying roller by a predetermined time,
A plurality of drive shafts extending in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction are arranged in parallel along the sheet conveyance direction ,
The transport roller is rotatable by the plurality of drive shafts,
The conveyance rollers provided on the front and rear drive shafts in the conveyance direction of the sheet can be turned,
The number of conveyance rollers provided on the drive shaft on the front side in the conveyance direction of the sheet is
The sheet post-processing apparatus is characterized in that the number is greater than the number of the conveyance rollers provided on the drive shaft on the rear side in the conveyance direction of the sheet.

In the invention according to claim 2, the aligning means is
Has a standard guide that regulates the paper transport direction to the standard position,
2. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport roller is turned to shift the sheet and transport the sheet while bringing the sheet into contact with the reference guide.

The invention according to claim 3 includes a sheet detection sensor that detects a sheet to be conveyed.
A sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that for conveying while shifting the sheet by turning the conveying roller by a predetermined time based on the sheet detection information from the paper detection sensor.

  According to the above configuration, the present invention has the following effects.

In the first to third aspects of the present invention, the transport rollers can be rotated by the plurality of drive shafts, and the transport rollers provided on the front and rear drive shafts in the transport direction of the sheet can be turned. The number of transport rollers provided on the drive shaft on the front side in the direction is at least greater than the number of transport rollers provided on the drive shaft on the rear side in the paper transport direction. With this structure, it is possible to improve productivity by correcting that the sheet is conveyed while being deviated in the oblique direction, and improving the stapling accuracy and the paper aligning accuracy.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a sheet post-processing device is coupled to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine. FIG. 2 is a side view of the sheet post-processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sheet post-processing apparatus. It is a schematic perspective view of an alignment part. It is a disassembled perspective view of an alignment part. It is a top view which shows rotation of a conveyance roller. FIG. 6 is a plan view for correcting that the sheet is misaligned and transported. FIG. 14 is a plan view for correcting that a sheet of another embodiment is conveyed while being shifted.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a sheet post-processing apparatus of the present invention will be described. The embodiment of the present invention shows the most preferable form of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

(Configuration of sheet post-processing apparatus)
FIG. 1 is a view showing a sheet post-processing apparatus coupled to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine. A sheet post-processing apparatus 102 is installed in the image forming apparatus 1 such as a copying machine, a printer, or a multifunction machine so as to be able to be mounted and dismounted, and the sheet post-processing apparatus 102 includes: A compilation unit 104 and a stacker tray 103 configured at the lower part of the compilation unit 104 are included. The conveyance unit 101 is provided with a sheet conveyance means A for conveying the sheet discharged from the image forming apparatus 1, and the sheet conveyance means A includes a roller, and if the sheet is conveyed from the image forming apparatus 1, the sheet is conveyed. The incoming sheets are loaded into the compilation unit 104 through rollers, and are post-processed by the stapler 107, and the post-processed sheet bundle is discharged to the stacker tray 103.

  The compilation unit 104 is constituted by a jogger stack means B, an ejector 106 and the like, and the jogger stack means B supports the sheets to be conveyed, and aligns and stacks the sheets in the width direction. Further, at the lower end of the compiling unit 104, an additional device such as a stapler 107 capable of post-processing the sheet bundle loaded in the compiling unit 104 is installed. Further, aligning means C is provided in the transport path of the transport unit 101, and the aligning means C shifts the sheet transported by the sheet transporting means A to one side and transports it.

(Jogger stack means, configuration of alignment means)
2 is a side view of the sheet post-processing apparatus, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the sheet post-processing apparatus, FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the aligning section, FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the aligning section, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a plan view for correcting that the sheet is conveyed while being shifted, and FIG. 8 is a plan view for correcting that the sheet is being conveyed according to another embodiment.

[Configuration of jogger stack means]
The conveyance path of the conveyance unit 101 is configured by the lower conveyance guide 50 and the upper conveyance guide 51. A transport roller 52 is rotatably provided by the drive shaft 53 on the lower transport guide 50 side, and a free roller 54 is rotatably provided by the support shaft 55 on the upper transport guide 51 side. Thus, the conveyance roller 52 is rotated, and the sheet is conveyed by the conveyance roller 52 and the free roller 54 and sent to the jogger stack means B.

  The jogger stacking means B is configured to support the sheets to be conveyed, stack the sheets in the same width direction, and has a base tray 11 on which the sheets are stacked, and a pair of joggers 12 and 13. In particular, the jogger 13 selected on one side among the pair of joggers 12 and 13 functions as a fixed jogger, the jogger 12 on the other side functions as a drive jogger, and the drive jogger 12 is perpendicular to the paper transfer direction. To be able to adjust the interval.

[Configuration of alignment means]
The aligning means C is configured to shift and convey the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying means A to one side, and the aligning means C includes a reference guide 10, a conveyance direction correction unit 20, and an operation unit 30; Have.

  The reference guide 10 is disposed along the conveyance path on one side of the conveyance path as shown in FIG. 3 and is a position corresponding to the stapler 107, and the reference guide 10 regulates the sheet conveyance direction to the reference position. . The conveyance direction correction unit 20 fixes the pivot 21 to the drive shaft 53 as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, and the conveyance rollers 52 for conveying the sheet turn about the pivot 21 via the left and right roller hubs 22a and 22b. It is possible. The left and right roller hubs 22a and 22b are formed in different shapes, and the left and right roller hubs 22a and 22b are assembled to hold the transport roller 52. The engagement boss 22a1 formed on the roller hub 22a is engaged with the engagement groove 21a formed on the pivot 21, and the rotational force of the drive shaft 53 is transferred to the transport roller 52 via the pivot 21 and the left and right roller hubs 22a and 22b. The transfer roller 52 is configured to be rotatable and pivotable about the pivot 21.

  The drive shaft 53 extends in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction, and the drive shaft 53 is disposed parallel to a plurality of two places along the sheet conveyance direction, and one place is on the center side of the conveyance path, One place is the delivery side. The transport direction correction unit 20 is provided at two locations on the drive shaft 53 on the center side, and the transport direction correction units 20 are provided at four locations on the drive shaft 53 at the discharge side. The actuating portion 30 includes a pair of actuating plates 31 disposed movably in the axial direction of the drive shaft 53 on the center side and the actuating shaft 53 on the discharge side, a pinion 32 engaged with the racks 31 a of the pair of actuating plates 31, A drive motor 33 drives 32. A roller holder 34 is provided on the pair of operation plates 31 corresponding to the conveyance direction correction unit 20, and the left and right roller hubs 22 are assembled to the roller holder 34.

  The driving of the drive motor 33 causes the pinion 32 to rotate, the pair of operation plates 31 move in opposite directions, and the conveyance direction correction unit 20 causes the conveyance roller 52 to pivot about the pivot 22 via the roller holder 34. The operation plate 31 is provided with a home sensor S1 of the transport roller 52, and a position at which the transport roller 52 does not turn is set as a home position, and this home position information is sent to the control means 40.

  The control unit 40 controls the drive unit 41 and rotates the transport roller 52 via the drive shaft 53 to transport the sheet. Sheet detection information is sent from the sheet detection sensor S2 to the control unit 40, and the control unit 40 controls the drive motor 33 based on the sheet detection information, and the conveyance direction correction unit 20 turns the conveyance roller 52 for a predetermined time. Then, the sheet is shifted and conveyed while being in contact with the reference guide 10.

  In this manner, after detection by the sheet detection sensor S2, the transport roller 52 is turned for a predetermined time to shift the sheet and transfer the sheet while placing it against the reference guide 10, whereby the punched hole position of the sheet can be aligned. Accuracy is improved. In addition, since the paper is shifted by a predetermined distance during conveyance of the paper and stored in the base tray 11 of the compilation unit 104, the moving distance of the drive jogger 12 can be minimized and the paper alignment time can be shortened. Also improves the quality.

  Further, a plurality of drive shafts 53 extending in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction are disposed in parallel along the sheet conveyance direction, and the conveyance rollers 52 can be rotated by the plurality of drive shafts 53. Can be conveyed while being reliably shifted to the reference guide 10.

  Further, the number of conveyance rollers 52 of the drive shaft 53 disposed on the front side along the conveyance direction of the sheet is the same as the number of conveyance rollers 52 of the drive shaft 53 disposed on the rear side along the conveyance direction of the sheet. Although it is preferable, as shown in FIG. 7, the force to shift the sheet in the forward direction of the sheet acts largely by at least increasing the sheet, and the sheet to be conveyed can be conveyed while being reliably shifted against the reference guide 10. it can.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, even if the conveyance roller 52 provided on the drive shaft 53 on the front side in the conveyance direction of the sheet can be turned, the conveyance roller 52 provided on the drive shaft 53 on the rear side in the conveyance direction of the sheet can not be turned The sheet to be conveyed can be reliably shifted and conveyed to the reference guide 10 with a simple configuration by the conveyance roller 52 only on the front side.

  The present invention is applicable to a sheet post-processing apparatus connected to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, and has a simple structure to correct that the sheet is conveyed while being shifted in an oblique direction. By improving the accuracy, it is possible to improve the productivity.

A Sheet Conveying Means B Jogger Stacking Means C Aligning Means 1 Image Forming Device 10 Reference Guide 11 Base Tray 12, 13 Pair of Joggers 20 Conveying Direction Correcting Section 21 Pivot 22 Roller Hub 30 Actuation Section 31 Actuation Plate 32 Pinion 33 Drive Motor 34 Roller Holder 40 Control means 41 Drive means 50 Lower conveying guide 51 Upper conveying guide 52 Conveying roller 53 Driving shaft 54 Free roller 55 Support shaft 102 Paper post-processing device

Claims (3)

A sheet conveying unit that conveys a sheet on which an image is formed;
And aligning means for shifting the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying means to one side and conveying the sheet.
The aligning means is
A conveyance direction correction unit in which a conveyance roller for conveying a sheet can be pivoted about a pivot;
Have a, an actuating portion for conveying while shifting the sheet by turning the conveying roller by a predetermined time,
A plurality of drive shafts extending in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveyance direction are arranged in parallel along the sheet conveyance direction,
The transport roller is rotatable by the plurality of drive shafts,
The conveyance rollers provided on the front and rear drive shafts in the conveyance direction of the sheet can be turned,
The number of conveyance rollers provided on the drive shaft on the front side in the conveyance direction of the sheet is
A sheet post-processing apparatus characterized in that the number is at least greater than the number of the transport rollers provided on the drive shaft on the rear side in the transport direction of the sheet. The aligning means is
Has a standard guide that regulates the paper transport direction to the standard position,
2. The sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport roller is turned to shift the sheet and transport the sheet while contacting the reference guide. It has a paper detection sensor that detects the paper being transported,
Sheet post-processing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that for conveying while shifting the sheet by turning the conveying roller by a predetermined time based on the sheet detection information from the paper detection sensor.