JP6656659B2 - Paper binding device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention cuts a wire drawn from a wire reel into a predetermined length, bends the cut wire into a U-shape and drives it into a sheet bundle, and bends both ends of the U-shaped wire penetrating the sheet bundle to form a sheet. The present invention relates to a sheet binding device for binding a bundle.

As this type of paper binding apparatus, for example, there is an apparatus described in Patent Document 1.
The paper binding device described in Patent Literature 1 includes a conveyor that transports a sheet bundle along a transport path, a stopper that positions the sheet bundle at a binding position on the transport path, and a clincher that is disposed below the binding position. A stitcher head which is arranged to face the clincher and can move between a raised position spaced above the clincher and a lowered position close to the clincher, a guide for guiding the stitcher head in the vertical direction, a conveyor and A first interlocking connection mechanism that interlocks and connects the stitcher head and a motor that drives the first interlocking connection mechanism are provided.

The paper binding apparatus further includes a wire reel, a wire feed roller pair disposed between the wire reel and the stitcher head, a wire cutter disposed between the wire feed roller pair and the stitcher head, and a wire feed roller pair. And a second interlocking connection mechanism for interlocking the wire cutter with the vertical movement of the stitcher head.
The bundle of sheets sequentially stops at the binding position due to the intermittent rotation of the conveyor, and during this stop, the stitcher head descends from the raised position to the lowered position, and then rises again to the raised position.

  Here, while the stitcher head descends from the raised position to the lowered position, the wire already supplied to the stitcher head is bent into a U-shape, and the wire feed roller pair rotates to bind the next sheet bundle. New wire is sent to the stitcher head by a predetermined length.

Then, when the stitcher head reaches the lowered position, the stitcher head cooperates with the clincher to drive the U-shaped wire into the sheet bundle, and the portion of the wire projecting downward from the sheet bundle is bent. And the sheet bundle is bound, and at the same time, the new wire sent to the stitcher head is cut by a wire cutter.
Thereafter, the stitcher head is raised from the lowered position to the raised position in a state where the wire for binding the next sheet bundle is loaded in the stitcher head.

  Further, in this paper binding apparatus, the wire feed roller pair and the wire cutter are interlockingly connected to the vertical movement of the stitcher head by the second interlocking connection mechanism, and the height level of the vertical movement of the stitcher head is changed (up and down). (The stroke length of the movement remains unchanged), and accordingly the length of the wire for the next bundle of sheets fed to the stitcher head during the lowering of the stitcher head may also be changed.

  In this way, it is possible to change the height level of the vertical movement of the stitcher head according to the thickness of the sheet bundle, and at the same time, to change the length of the wire supplied to the stitcher head. Then, before the operation of the sheet binding apparatus is started, in the case of a thick sheet bundle, the stitcher head is moved up and down at a high position, and the length of the wire supplied to the stitcher head is set to be long. In the case of a thin bundle of sheets, initialization is performed so that the stitcher head moves up and down at a low position and the length of the wire supplied to the stitcher head is shortened.

  However, in this paper binding apparatus, the conveyor and the stitcher head are interlocked and connected. During the operation of the apparatus, the intermittent rotation of the conveyor and the vertical movement of the stitcher head are performed at a fixed timing. It is not possible to change the height level of the vertical movement of the stitcher head and to change the length of the wire fed to the stitcher head. Therefore, if a sheet bundle having a different thickness is supplied during the operation of the apparatus, the sheet bundle cannot be properly bound (a thick sheet bundle is bound by a too short wire, or a thin sheet bundle is bound by a too long wire). Binding).

JP 2009-190180 A

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet binding apparatus that can appropriately cope with a change in the thickness of a sheet bundle during operation of the apparatus.

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a frame having a transport path for a sheet bundle, a transport unit attached to the frame, and transporting the sheet bundle along the transport path, and a transport unit attached to the frame. A stopper for positioning the sheet bundle at a binding position provided in the transport path, wherein the sheet bundle is intermittently transported in one direction by the transport unit and sequentially stopped at the binding position. A clincher attached to the frame and disposed below the conveyance path at the binding position; a raised position disposed opposite to the clincher and spaced above the clincher; and a proximity to the clincher. A stitcher head capable of moving up and down between the lowered position and a stitcher head attached to the frame. A guide for guiding the stitcher head in a downward direction, and a head drive mechanism for moving the stitcher head, wherein the head drive mechanism is capable of adjusting a height level of the up-and-down movement of the stitcher head, A wire reel attached to the frame, a wire feed roller pair attached to the frame between the wire reel and the stitcher head, and a wire feed roller attached to the frame between the wire feed roller pair and the stitcher head. A wire cutter attached to the frame, and an interlocking connection mechanism that interlocks the wire feed roller pair and the wire cutter with the vertical movement of the stitcher head, while the sheet bundle stops at the binding position. , Based on the thickness information of the next sheet bundle After the height level of the vertical movement of the stitcher head has been adjusted, the stitcher head descends from the raised position to the lowered position, during which time the wires already fed to the stitcher head are While being bent into a U-shape, a new wire is fed into the stitcher head by the wire feed roller pair by a length corresponding to the thickness information, and thereafter, when the stitcher head reaches the lowered position. By the stitcher head cooperating with the clincher, the U-shaped bent wire is driven into the sheet bundle, the wire portion projecting downward from the sheet bundle is bent, and the sheet bundle is bound. The new wire fed into the stitcher head is The sheet stitching apparatus is provided, wherein the stitcher head is lifted and the next sheet bundle stops at the binding position.

  According to the present invention, the transporting unit and the head driving mechanism are not linked to each other, but are operated separately but with a mutual timing. Each time the sheet bundle is transported to the binding position, the transport unit is stopped until one cycle of the vertical movement of the stitcher head (up position → down position → up position) is completed. Until the thickness information of the sheet bundle can be obtained, the stitcher head waits without adjusting the height level of the vertical movement of the stitcher head for binding the sheet bundle and supplying the corresponding wire to the stitcher head. did. As a result, during the operation of the sheet binding device, even if the processing time in the pre-processing process changes depending on the thickness of the sheet bundle, the sheet bundle is appropriately bound using a wire having a length corresponding to the thickness. Can be.

1 is a front view illustrating a schematic configuration of a sheet binding device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2A is a side view illustrating a configuration of a head driving mechanism of the sheet binding device of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 2B and 2C are enlarged views of the vicinity of an eccentric wheel of FIG. (A) is a front view in which the binding position of FIG. 1 is partially enlarged, and (B) is a diagram of the stitcher head and the clincher of (A) viewed from the side. FIG. 4 is a front view for explaining the operation of the paper binding apparatus in FIG. 1, and is an enlarged view of a part of a stitcher head and a clincher in FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view for explaining the operation of the paper binding apparatus in FIG. 1, and is an enlarged view of a part of a stitcher head and a clincher in FIG. FIG. 3B is a view similar to FIG. 3B for explaining the operation of the paper binding apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3A to 3C correspond to FIGS. 4A to 4C, respectively. FIG. 3B is a view similar to FIG. 3B for explaining the operation of the paper binding apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3A to 3C respectively correspond to FIGS. 5A to 5C.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the present invention will be described based on preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a sheet binding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, a sheet binding apparatus of the present invention includes a frame (not shown) having a conveyance path F for a sheet bundle P, and is attached to the frame to move the sheet bundle P in one direction along the conveyance path F. The transport unit 1 includes a transport unit 1 for transporting, and a stopper (not shown) that is attached to a frame and positions a sheet bundle P at a binding position S provided in a transport path F.

In this embodiment, the transport unit 1 transports the folded sheet bundle P in a saddle state.
Then, the transport unit 1 includes a pair of horizontal rotating shafts 2, 3, which extend parallel to each other across the transport path F at right angles at the upstream and downstream ends of the transport path F, and are supported rotatably around the axis with respect to the frame. And a sprocket 4, 5 fixed to one end of each of the pair of rotary shafts 2, 3, and an endless chain 6 bridged between the sprockets 4, 5.

The endless chain 6 is provided with feed claws 7 at regular intervals, and the upper straight portion 6a of the endless chain 6 extends along the transport path F.
Although not shown, a pair of support plates for supporting the lower surfaces on both sides of the sheet bundle P to maintain the saddle state are attached to the frame and extend along the transport path F.

  The transport unit 1 further includes a motor 8 attached to the frame and disposed below one of the rotary shafts 3, a first pulley 9 fixed to a drive shaft 8 a of the motor 8, and the other end of the rotary shaft 3. And a timing belt 11 stretched between the first and second pulleys 9 and 10.

  When the motor 8 drives the endless chain 6 intermittently in the vertical plane, and each time the sheet bundle P is supplied onto the transport path F from the processing device at the preceding stage of the sheet binding device, the feeding claw 7 Abuts on the rear end of the sheet bundle P, whereby the sheet bundle P is transported on the transport path F toward the binding position S in a saddle state, is positioned by the stopper, and stops at the binding position S. ing.

2A is a side view showing a configuration of a head driving mechanism of the paper binding apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 2B and 2C are enlarged views of the vicinity of the eccentric wheel of FIG. 2A. FIG. 3A is a partially enlarged front view of the binding position of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3B is a side view of the stitcher head and the clincher of FIG. 3A.
With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the paper binding device is also attached to a frame, and disposed at a binding position S below the transport path F at a binding position S, and disposed opposite to the clincher 12. A stitcher head 13 that can move up and down between an ascending position separated above the upper part 12 and a descending position close to the clincher 12, a guide 14 attached to the frame and guiding the stitcher head 13 in the up and down direction, A head drive mechanism 15 for moving the stitcher head 13.
The clincher 12 is provided with a pair of swingable clinch claws 12a and 12b at the upper end, and the leg portion of the wire W driven into the sheet bundle P is bent by the pair of clinch claws 12a and 12b.

  In this embodiment, two sets of the clincher 12 and the stitcher head 13 are provided at positions spaced apart in the transport direction of the sheet bundle P at the binding position S, but only one set of the clincher 12 and the stitcher head 13 is provided. A configuration or a configuration including three or more sets is also possible.

  In this embodiment, the guide 14 includes a guide rod 14a attached to a frame and extending vertically, and a slider 14b slidably attached to the guide rod 14a.

The stitcher head 13 is capable of moving up and down between an ascending position and a descending position, and is retracted from a movement path of the head body 13a around an axis parallel to the conveyance path F from a wire cutter (described later). It has a wire receiving portion 13b that can swing between a first position for receiving the wire W and a second position for transferring the wire W to the head body 13a. A slit 13c through which the wire W is inserted is provided at the lower end of the wire receiving portion 13b.
The head body 13a of the stitcher head 13 is attached to the slider 14b of the guide 14.

  The head drive mechanism 15 is attached to the frame so as to be pivotable about an axis 16a parallel to the transport path F, and has one end pivotally connected to the slider 14b, and is disposed below the lever 16; A crank plate 17 rotatably mounted around a central axis 17a parallel to the shaft 16a, a motor 18 mounted on the frame, and a third pulley 19 fixed to a drive shaft 18a of the motor 18. It has a fourth pulley 20 fixed to the center shaft 17 a of the crank plate 17, and a timing belt 21 stretched between the third and fourth pulleys 19, 20.

  The head drive mechanism 15 further includes a link 23 having one end pivotally connected to the crank plate 17 and the other end pivotally connected to the other end of the lever 16 by an eccentric wheel 22. The eccentric wheel 22 is attached to the arm on the other end side of the lever 16 integrally with the arm on the other end side and rotatably around an axis 22a parallel to the axis 16a. The arm on the other end is provided with a rotation drive unit for rotating the eccentric wheel 22 around the shaft 22a.

  When the crank plate 17 is rotated by the motor 18 in a state where the rotational position of the eccentric wheel 22 is fixed, the head main body 13a of the stitcher head 13 moves up and down. In this case, when the head drive mechanism 15 is located at the top dead center, the head main body 13a assumes the ascending position, and when the head drive mechanism 15 is located at the bottom dead center, the head main body 13a assumes the descended position.

In the head drive mechanism 15, the height level of the vertical movement of the head main body 13a can be changed (the stroke length of the vertical movement does not change) by changing the rotational position of the eccentric wheel 22.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the shaft 22a of the eccentric wheel 22 takes the rotational position at the highest point, the height level of the vertical movement of the head body 13a becomes the lowest, and as shown in FIG. When the rotational position at the lowest point is taken, the height level of the vertical movement of the head body 13a becomes the highest.

  A rod 31 having an upper end connected to the pair of clinch claws 12a and 12b of the clincher 12 extends downward from the clincher 12 and is attached to the frame so as to be able to move up and down. Is mounted so as to be swingable around an axis 28a parallel to the central axis 17a, and the plate cam 27 is coaxially fixed to the central axis 17a of the crank plate 17 so as to be rotatable integrally with the central axis 17a. I have.

Further, a roller 30 is attached to the tip of one arm of the lever 28, the lower end of the rod 31 always contacts the roller 30, and a cam roller 29 is attached to the tip of the other arm of the lever 28, and It is always in contact with the outer peripheral edge.
When the plate cam 27 is rotated by the motor 18, the pair of clinch claws 12a and 12b of the clincher 12 swing in synchronization with the vertical movement of the head body 13a.

  The paper binding apparatus further includes a wire reel 24 attached to the frame, a wire feed roller pair 25 attached to the frame between the wire reel 24 and the stitcher head 13, and a wire feed roller pair 25 and the stitcher head 13 attached to the frame. And a wire cutter 26 attached to the frame.

The wire cutter 26 has a wire inlet 26a that opens upward, a wire outlet 26b that opens horizontally, a cutter blade 26c that can be moved up and down at the wire outlet 26b, and a wire gripper (not shown). ing. The wire outlet 26b is opposed to the slit 13c of the wire receiving portion 13b at the first position of the stitcher head 13, and when the wire receiving portion 13b is at the first position, the wire feed roller pair 25 causes the wire to exit. The wire W can be sent from the cutter 26 to the slit 13c of the wire receiving portion 13b.
Further, the wire cutter 26 can approach and separate from the wire receiving portion 13b in the wire feeding direction.

Although not shown, the paper binding apparatus includes an interlocking connection mechanism that interlocks the wire feed roller pair 25 and the wire cutter 26 with the vertical movement of the head body 13a of the stitcher head 13.
This interlocking operation starts when the head main body 13a starts lowering from the raised position, and starts rotating in the direction in which the wire feed roller pair 25 feeds the wire W from the wire reel 24 into the wire receiving portion 13b at the first position. The wire feed roller pair 25 stops rotating when the main body 13a reaches a position before the lowering position, and the cutter blade 26c of the wire cutter 26 operates when the head main body 13a reaches the lowering position. .
Further, in this case, when the head main body 13a moves up and down at a high position, the amount of rotation of the wire feed roller pair 25 increases (thus, the length of the wire W fed into the wire receiving portion 13b increases), and When the main body 13a moves up and down at a low position, the amount of rotation of the wire feed roller pair 25 is reduced (thus, the length of the wire W fed into the wire receiving portion 13b is shortened). Then, after the rotation of the wire feed roller pair 25 is stopped and the wire W having a predetermined length is fed into the wire receiving portion 13b, the wire cutter 26 is gripped by the wire cutter 26, and the wire cutter is moved in accordance with the wire length. The position of the wire 26 with respect to the wire receiving portion 13b is adjusted, and the position of the fed wire W with respect to the head main body 13a is adjusted (adjustment to bend both ends in a U-shape), and then the cutter blade 26c operates. As a result, the wire W is cut, and the grip by the wire cutter 26 is released.

Next, the operation of the sheet binding apparatus of the present invention will be described.
Every time the transport unit 1 transports the sheet bundle P to the binding position S, the transport unit 1 stops until the head body 13a of the stitcher head 13 completes one cycle of vertical movement (up position → down position → up position). .
On the other hand, when the sheet bundle P reaches the binding position S, the head main body 13a is at the home position set between the raised position and the lowered position, as shown in FIGS. 13b is in the first position, and a wire W (cut) for binding the sheet bundle P is inserted through the slit 13c.

Next, the height level of the vertical movement of the head main body 13a is changed, if necessary, based on the thickness information of the sheet bundle to be bound next.
The thickness information of the sheet bundle can be obtained from the preprocessing device. Examples of the pre-processing machine include a collating machine and a paper stacking machine arranged in the preceding stage of the paper binding apparatus of the present invention. In this case, the acquisition of the thickness information is performed by the pre-processing machine, for example, at the beginning of the sheet bundle. By reading a barcode representing the number of sheets of paper bundles previously attached to the sheets constituting the pages of the sheet, or while counting the number of sheets during accumulation of the sheets, the number of sheets attached to the sheets constituting the last page of the sheets is The number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle is measured by reading the barcode, and the measured value is multiplied by the thickness per sheet.
The acquisition of the thickness information of the sheet bundle is also calculated based on the data of the number of sheet bundles and the thickness per sheet input at the time of job setting in the control unit of the bookbinding system incorporating the sheet binding apparatus of the present invention. It can also be performed by receiving the thickness information of the sheet bundle from the control unit.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 6B, the head main body 13a moves up to the raised position, at which position the wire receiving portion 13b rotates to the second position, and the wire W moves from the wire receiving portion 13b to the head main body. 13a and loaded into the head body 13a.

  If the thickness information of the next sheet bundle P has not been acquired at the time when the head body 13a has completed the vertical movement of the head body 13a with respect to the previous sheet bundle P, the head body 13a continues until the thickness information is acquired. 13a is waiting at the home position.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4C and FIG. 6C, the wire receiving portion 13b rotates to the first position, and the head main body 13a starts descending. At the same time, the wire W loaded in the head body 13a starts to be bent into a U-shape, and the feeding of a new wire W to the wire receiving portion 13b by the wire feed roller pair 25 is started.
As shown in FIGS. 5A and 7A, the loaded wire W is bent in a U-shape during the lowering of the head main body 13a, and at the same time, feeding of a new wire W to the wire receiving portion 13b is continued. .

  5B and 7B, the U-shaped wire W is driven into the sheet bundle P by the head body 13a just before the head body 13a reaches the lowered position. Is completed, feeding of the new wire W to the wire receiving portion 13b is completed, the wire W having a length corresponding to the thickness information is supplied to the wire receiving portion 13b, and the wire W is held by the wire cutter 26. The position of the wire cutter 26 with respect to the wire receiving portion 13b is adjusted, and the position of the supplied wire W with respect to the head body 13a is adjusted.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 5C and 7C, the pair of clinch claws 12a and 12b of the clincher 12 swing at the lowered position of the head body 13a, and the leg portions of the U-shaped wire W protruding from the sheet bundle are bent. The sheet bundle P is stapled, and at the same time, the cutter blade 26c of the wire cutter 26 operates to cut a new wire W sent to the wire receiving portion 13b (to bind the next sheet bundle) from the wire main body. Then, the gripping of the wire W by the wire cutter 26 is released.

  Thereafter, the head main body 13a moves up to the home position, and the transport unit starts operating to transport the bound sheet bundle P downstream of the binding position S and, at the same time, transport the next sheet bundle to the binding position S. .

  Thus, according to the paper binding apparatus of the present invention, the transport unit 1 and the head drive mechanism 15 are operated separately but with a timing with respect to each other. 1 is stopped until one cycle of the vertical movement of the stitcher head 13 (the rising position → the falling position → the rising position) is completed, and further until the thickness information of the sheet bundle P to be bound next can be obtained. Since the height of the vertical movement of the stitcher head 13 for binding the sheet bundle P is adjusted and the supply of the corresponding wire W to the stitcher head 13 is not started, the standby state is started. Even if the processing time in the pre-processing step changes depending on the thickness of the sheet bundle P, the sheet bundle P can be appropriately applied using the wire W having a length corresponding to the thickness. It can bind it to.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyance unit 2, 3 Rotation shaft 4, 5 Sprocket 6 Endless chain 6a Upper straight part 7 Feeding claw 8 Motor 8a Drive shaft 9 First pulley 10 Second pulley 11 Timing belt 12 Clinchers 12a, 12b Clinch claw 13 Stitcher Head 13a Head body 13b Wire receiving portion 13c Slit 14 Guide 14a Guide rod 14b Slider 15 Head drive mechanism 16 Lever 16a Shaft 17 Crank plate 17a Shaft 18 Motor 18a Drive shaft 19 Third pulley 20 Fourth pulley 21 Timing belt 22 Eccentricity Wheel 22a shaft 23 link 24 wire reel 25 wire feed roller pair 26 wire cutter 26a wire inlet 26b wire outlet 26c cutter blade 27 plate cam 28 lever 28a shaft 29 cam roller 30 roller 1 Rod F conveying path P sheets S binding position W wire

Claims (1)

A frame having a transport path for the sheet bundle;
A transport unit attached to the frame, for transporting the sheet bundle along the transport path;
A stopper attached to the frame and positioning the sheet bundle at a binding position provided in the transport path, wherein the sheet bundle is intermittently transported in one direction by the transport unit and sequentially stopped at the binding position. It is, in addition,
A clincher attached to the frame and disposed below the transport path at the binding position;
A stitcher head that is arranged to face the clincher and that can move up and down between a raised position separated above the clincher and a lowered position close to the clincher;
A guide that is attached to the frame and guides the stitcher head up and down;
A head drive mechanism for moving the stitcher head, wherein the head drive mechanism is capable of adjusting a height level of the vertical movement of the stitcher head,
A wire reel attached to the frame,
A wire feed roller pair attached to the frame between the wire reel and the stitcher head,
A wire cutter attached to the frame between the wire feed roller pair and the stitcher head;
An interlocking connection mechanism attached to the frame and interlocking the wire feed roller pair and the wire cutter with the vertical movement of the stitcher head,
While the sheet bundle stops at the binding position, after the height level of the vertical movement of the stitcher head is adjusted based on the thickness information of the next sheet bundle, the stitcher head is moved from the rising position to the stitcher head. The wire which has been supplied to the stitcher head is bent in a U-shape during the lowering to the lowering position, and a new wire is moved by the wire feed roller pair to a length corresponding to the thickness information. Only when the stitcher head reaches the lowered position, the stitcher head cooperates with the clincher to cause the U-shaped wire to be fed into the sheet bundle. And the wire portion protruding downward from the sheet bundle is bent to bind the sheet bundle and Wherein the new wire fed into the stapler head is cut by the wire cutter, and thereafter, the stitcher head rises, and the next sheet bundle stops at the stapling position. .

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